AN: This is the first book in an AU where Lily and James Potter had a daughter nine months after Harry was born. Phoenix Potter, being younger than her brother, was forced to stay with the Dursley's an extra year. Now, she's ready to learn magic. As this is my first attempt at a giant story, I'd appreciate feedback, especially so I don't make Phoenix a Mary-Sue, despite her name. There's a reason for her name.

Time is unknowable. It's sentient and holds the universe together. The Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries have barely scratched the surface of Time's secrets, only knowing how to go back in time, and the effects that has on people. Time-turners are the only useful device gotten from the centuries long work done on unraveling Time. Or, that's the only device the public is aware of.

There's another one, secret one. It lays in the deepest research pit of the Department, and only a few Unspeakables know about it. This device can tell when Time has been meddled with. It is in a room outside Time's domain, and no one knows how it came to be. Rumors have it that it was the result of an experiment gone wrong with Time. Only one Unspeakable ever knows the truth: Time granted it to the Unspeakables so they could protect the universe. After all, Time knows that everything it is and will be and was needs to have been, be and will be. There cannot be more than one Timeline, or the universe unravels.

In this room, there is no Time, but a device that has recorded history. In days past, a Dark Lord with a time-turner caused havoc, changing things, killing enemies, playing Merlin. But the device recorded every change he made, and what should have occurred. The Unspeakables in the room were both immune to the changes, and forced to figure out how to stop the Dark Lord.

Time has a certain way it wants to go, and if deviated, the universe unravels. Thus, the Unspeakables have to find the deviation point, and correct it. In this case, it was merely stopping the Dark Lord from getting a time-turner. Others have been less obvious. Stopping a person from crashing into another person stopped the Great Muggle-Magic war of 1845. The Unspeakables sit in the room, watching the book and hoping that nothing changes. It often takes awhile to figure out what the deviation point is, and they only have so long before Time runs out. The changes the device record are only the big things, world altering things. Not the little things leading up to the changes. The Unspeakables have to research their history to discover what should have been.

The Unspeakables watch the device, hoping it doesn't do anything.

Phoenix "Skazzy" Potter and her brother Harry were outside pulling weeds for their Aunt. The summer was not going how Skazzy had planned. Last year, they had discovered that they had magic, and that their parents were heroes who had died protecting them from an evil dark lord trying to take over the UK. This, after nearly ten constant years being told that their parents were lazy drunks. Skazzy had been prepared to, if not torment the Dursleys, at least escape from them. Harry had apparently made friends who were willing to take them in. Skazzy wanted out of the Dursleys. Unfortunately, it was necessary for Harry to stay with the Dursleys for the summer. Skazzy scowled at that thought, and ripped up the weed she had found a little more viciously than she should have. Her brother looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just a weed," Skazzy defended herself, her non-broken arm crossing her chest in defiance. Of course, that lead to Harry looking at the broken arm, and Skazzy watched as his eyes darkened and a scowl appeared on his face. He was still mad that she wouldn't tell him how it had been broken, or how long it had been broken. She just didn't want him to worry about useless things. Especially not after finding out that the dark lord who killed their parents was still around and trying to kill Harry.

Harry was apparently 'the Boy-who-lived', and given the dubious honor of being the one to defeat the dark lord. Well, Skazzy thought to herself wryly, if not defeat, than set his world domination plans back a few years.

Skazzy was trying to keep her brother's spirits up, which was hard work. He had apparently made a few so-called friends in school, and they had said they would try to visit or owl him. And yet, nothing. She didn't know why he cared so much, since it had always been the two of them against the world, but Harry had tried to say that they were different. The argument was becoming weaker as the summer progressed with no contact.

"Hey freaks, I know what today is," their cousin, Dudley, taunted from where he was sitting in the shade, drinking an ice cold lemonade. Skazzy turned towards him, insult ready on her lips when her brother elbowed her.

"Glad you learned the days of the week," Harry said. Skazzy went back to violently pulling up weeds with her one good arm, pretending that each and every one was her uncle, aunt and cousin. And the two faceless friends who had upset her brother.

"It's your birthday," Dudley said, ignoring what Harry had said in order to leer at him. "And no one cares enough to send you a gift."

"Or, they're waiting to see him in person," Skazzy said, not bothering to turn around. After she yanked another weed out of the ground, she looked up to see two glowing eyes staring at her. She glared at them, trying to figure out what kind of a creature would have glowing eyes and hide in a bush. She ignored Harry and Dudley verbally sparing, intent on figuring out what was going on. She blinked, and the eyes disappeared.

"Freak!" yelled their Aunt Petunia. Harry and Skazzy both stood up and began to walk towards the house. Even if she only said 'freak', Harry and Skazzy had long since learned that she meant both of them. Their Aunt just didn't like to acknowledge Skazzy. "Vernon is having a very important dinner party tonight. You will be in your room and not make a single sound."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Skazzy answered for them. Aunt Petunia twitched before staring at Harry.

"Did you hear me, boy?" She asked, glaring at Harry. He nodded. The two of them headed up to their room, the smallest bedroom in the house. It had been theirs ever since their family had to admit that the cupboard under the stairs was too small for two people.

"Happy Birthday," Skazzy said, falling face first onto her bed and muffling a cry of pain. Healing or not, her broken arm still hurt when jarred.

"Thanks," Harry replied, sitting on his own bed. The two of them just sat in silence, listening to the sounds of their aunt and cousin moving around below them.

"Didja learn about creatures with glowing eyes?" Skazzy asked, remembering what she had been doing before her aunt called them in.

"Where would I have learned about that? Transfiguration is about making one thing into another, Charms is about doing stuff to stuff, and Potions is cooking, with an evil sous chef and more dangerous explosions," Harry said, staring at Skazzy.

"Alright, what about Defense? Learn about glowing eyed creatures so that you can defend yourself from them," Skazzy responded.

"Do you remember what I said about my defense professor?" Harry asked in exasperation.

"Something about him being two-faced?" Skazzy said.

"And not a good teacher?" Harry prompted.

"Right. So, I take it that's a no,"

"Why?"

"I saw glowy eyes in the bushes," Skazzy said, laying back on her bed.

"...I don't know how to respond to that," Harry said, blinking.

"Meh, neither do I. It disappeared before I could do anything," Skazzy said, looking at the ceiling. "If it comes back, I say we bash it on the head."

"Violent," Harry said, smiling. He had missed his sister while he was at Hogwarts last year. They had both decided that it was probably tempting fate for Harry to owl Skazzy, and Skazzy told Harry that he didn't have to come home for the holidays because 'at least one of us will be free'. He had made two friends in Ron and Hermione.

As soon as his thoughts turned to Ron and Hermione, he frowned. Skazzy waited a little while, then looked over at Harry.

"Again? Look, I'm glad they were there for you last year, 'cause you weren't alone, but what did you expect?" she asked, sitting on the bed next to him.

"A new world, a new way?" Harry asked rhetorically. Skazzy snorted.

"Right. As if. Face it, the only constants we have are each other. And that's better than no one," Skazzy said, leaning her head against Harry's shoulder. Hedwig hooted softly, caged since coming back from Hogwarts by their uncle. "And Hedwig. We have Hedwig," Skazzy amended, looking at the owl.

"I know, it's just..." Harry started.

"I don't understand," Skazzy finished. Harry looked at her and she shrugged, brushing some of her red hair that had escaped her ponytail back from her face. "I've never had friends, I don't know what happened, I've never met them, and you went into that world with high hopes. I'm just trying to be realistic here."

"Yeah, realistic," Harry replied glumly.

"At least we don't have to interact with who ever is coming tonight," Skazzy said, trying to change the subject. Harry cracked a small smile at that.

"I feel sorry for whoever has to eat with them," he replied. The two of them luxuriated in a few more minutes of freedom before their Aunt started bellowing for the chores to be finished. They spent the rest of the day doing menial labor tasks, and ignoring Dudley's taunting. By dinner time, the two Potters were drenched in sweat, hungry, and one was feeling very uncharitable to the Dursleys. Harry and Phoenix ate their dinner, than retreated to their room as everyone else prepared for Vernon's big event.

Harry turned to make sure the door was closed, and when he turned around he bumped into Phoenix.

"Did you get a giant stuffed monster?" Skazzy asked, her voice strange.

"No, why?" Harry asked, rubbing his nose.

"There's one sitting on your bed," Skazzy replied, unmoving. Harry was unfortunately not tall enough to look over his sister's head quite yet, so tried to stand on tiptoes to see what it was she was staring at.

"Oh, never mind. It moved. I think it must be alive," Skazzt said, moving when she noticed what her brother was doing.

"And that's better?" Harry asked, starring at the thing on his bed.

"Yeah, if you had bought that, I'd have to question your tastes," Skazzy replied. Harry rolled his eyes, before entering a staring contest with the thing on his bed. It stared back, it's large green eyes eery. There was complete silence for a minute.

"What is it?" Harry asked at the same time Skazzy spoke. "Can we bash it on the head?"