A/N: ::le gasp!:: Another update? So soon? But...but...months haven't gone by!

Yeah, yeah, I know. Hardy har har.

Again - unbeta'd. Don't whinge...it's unattractive.

Chapter Seven: Springing Forward – The Lost Olympian Hourglass

Remus exhaled deeply as he stepped out into the cool autumn night. The silence was a stark contrast to the sounds of merriment in the Burrow. He watched the vapour of his breath disappear into the air and he wondered at how something so familiar could seem to strange. Twenty years into the future and the impromptu gathering at the Weasleys still felt stifling. The company hadn't changed much and yet he felt as if he was meeting half of them for the first time.

It had been over a month since he had arrived at this timeline and with every passing day he was learning more and more about what had changed. The biggest shock had been Arthur and Molly. They were approaching their seventies and enjoying retirement. Molly had lost some of her bloom. Arthur was slightly stooped, as if weighed down by all of the tragedies that had befallen the family. And while they were both incredibly happy to see him, they were the most obvious sign of the progression of time. Harry still carried some of the childlike reverence he had once possessed for Remus. Arthur and Molly, however, no longer treated him like a peer. They were over thirty years older than him now.

The party had been a homecoming party for him. Almost everyone Remus had ever known was behind the door that now stood behind him. He was painfully aware of who was missing. Ron was there, of course, throwing back firewhisky and arguing with George. But he had come alone. Ginny had quietly told Remus that it had been difficult enough to convince him to come; getting him to bring Hermione would have been wishful thinking. It had taken every ounce of will-power Remus possessed not to punch the drunken redhead when he arrived.

"I thought you'd be out here."

He spun around, reflexes going for his wand and pointing it at the intruder to his solitude. He was met with a soft, understanding smile and large, warm honey eyes. Twenty years had changed her only slightly. There were a few strands of grey hair and a wrinkle or two around her eyes, but he would recognize that compassionate face anywhere.

"Hermione."

Her smile broadened at the recognition and a hint of that open, toothy grin he remembered came through. "Hello, Remus."

He didn't know what pushed him to do it, but in two long strides he was in front of her, arms enveloping her body in a hug and holding her as if he never wanted to let her go. She went rigid for a second, as if unused to such warm human contact and shocked by the familiarity of the act. Then she relaxed in his arms and allowed herself to be held. He buried his head in her hair, inhaling the scent of orange blossoms that was still so uniquely her. For the first time since he had woken up in that hospital bed, everything felt right.

She pulled away slowly, looking up at him. "I can't stay long," she said. "I asked a neighbour to look in on Hugo but I don't want to inconvenience her too much. I just…I have something for you. For your research."

He shook his head as she went for her purse. "I…it's just so good to see you, Hermione."

She smiled again. "It's good to see you too." She pulled an hourglass from the purse and handed it to him. "Here."

He frowned at it. "How did you…is this…?"

"I heard James found you in the Potions professor's rooms. I did the math. Professor Slughorn left me his hourglass before he passed. I…I figured it's as good a start as any."

Remus took it from her and was about to respond when it started to vibrate. Looking closely at it he watched, spellbound, as the top bell burst into a beautiful golden glow. He watched, mesmerized, as the sand swirled rapidly. It didn't, however, fall into the bottom bell like it was supposed to. It simply hung in the air, as if waiting for something.

He frowned again. "That's strange."

"Yes…it's never done that before except…" She trailed off, brow furrowed before shaking her head. "Curious."

"Except when?" he whispered, heart leaping into his throat. Did this Hermione know what happened to the version of her that he had left in Slughorn's rooms?

"I…never mind," she replied, looking down.

"Do you…do you remember seeing it do this before?"

Hermione hesitated. "Not…not exactly. It's nothing. Stupid, really."

"Nothing's ever stupid with you, 'Mione," he said softly.

She gave a soft chuckle. "Nobody's called me ''Mione' in years," she remarked. Then she sighed. "A lot's changed, Remus. I haven't been the bossy, precocious little know-it-all for quite some time now."

"You were never…who called you that?"

She laughed. "Come on, Remus. It may have been twenty years ago, but I still remember what people thought of me. Harry Potter's nerdy little friend, nose always in a book, has to be the smartest in the room…"

"I never thought that, 'Mione. I always thought you were the brightest—"

"'The brightest witch of her age.' Yes, I remember," she finished. She sighed again. "As I said…a lot's changed."

Remus took a step toward her, pausing when she flinched. "What happened, 'Mione?" he asked quietly. "What happened to the bright, confident, independent girl I knew?"

She looked up at him and he had to suppress a shudder when he realized just how haunted those beautiful amber orbs of hers were. She stayed silent for a long moment before softly saying, "She grew up."

"Oh 'Mione…"

"I should go," she interrupted, stepping back. "It was really lovely to see you, Remus."

"Hermione, wait," he said but she was gone before he could say anything else.

"There you are!" a voice said and Remus turned to see Luna starting towards him. "People are starting to wonder where the guest of honour is."

"I…er…I just came out to…um…get a bit of air."

"Is that an hourglass? That seems like a funny thing to carry around with you."

"I'm not just carrying…I'll put it away."

"Wait," she said, her attention fixed to the object in his hand. Remus was grateful that it was no longer glowing, but he had a feeling Luna was noticing something that had nothing to do with telling the time.

"I should…I should probably go back inside, shouldn't I?" he said, eyeing her.

"Fascinating," Luna said, ignoring his question. "The sand…it seems to be swirling and falling in a pattern." She strode over to him and pressed her nose to the glass, her protuberant blue eyes looking even bigger as she took no notice of how she was definitely violating his personal space. Then she pointed and looked at him. "See? The sand is arching. It looks almost like—"

"A heart," he finished, examining the sand closer.

"Exactly," she said, beaming up at him. "You, my friend, are very lucky."

"Er…how's that?" he asked, not feeling particularly lucky considering the circumstances of recent events.

She frowned. "Come now. Surely you know what this is?"

"Uh…is it not just an hourglass?"

She gave him a look that told him just how thick she seemed to find him, which twenty years had not dulled his frustration to. "Remus, this is the lost Olympian hourglass."

Remus sighed. Twenty years had also not dulled her imaginative theories. "There's no such thing, Luna. It's a myth."

She cocked her head to the side. "It takes a very special type of ignorance not to believe something that's right in front of you."

Remus bristled. "Just because the sand is arching into hearts doesn't mean this is the lost Olympian hourglass."

"Perhaps not. But the Greek written on the side might be a clue. And the doves on the handles? Or the scallop shells on the—"

"Alright," he interrupted wearily, remembering how these types of arguments could last forever. "Say this is the lost Olympian hourglass…why does that make me lucky?"

"Well, because it means you have the opportunity to find your true love while you're in this timeline."

Remus knew he was going to regret asking, but he pushed through and said, "How?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

He sighed, mumbling, "Of course you don't."

If she heard his sarcasm, she didn't comment. Instead she said, "If you're really interested, you should research it. The Department of Mysteries has a whole section on time-travelling artefacts."

This made Remus start. "Wait. Time-travelling artefacts?"

"Of course. This is the hourglass that brought you forward in time, isn't it?"

He gaped at her. "How on earth did you—"

"It's an hourglass, Remus," she said, speaking slowly as if he were an idiot. "Hourglasses are the physical embodiment of time. The convergence of time still to come with time past. Why do you think all of the time turners were hourglasses? Goodness…I thought everyone knew that." Then she shrugged and walked back inside.

Remus blinked and looked back at the hourglass. So now he had the answer to 'what' and 'how' to go along with the 'who,' 'when' and 'where.' All he needed now was a 'why,' which he could only learn by understanding the mysterious object he was holding. Cynical as he was, he was willing to suspend his disbelief and acknowledge that Slughorn's hourglass was, in fact, the lost Olympian hourglass. It wasn't much, but it was the first solid lead he had.

"Remus? What on earth are you doing out here? Is that an hourglass?"

"I know things have changed, mate, but even twenty years ago we had watches."

Remus couldn't help but smile as George and Angelina walked over to him. He hadn't known Angelina beyond a professor-student relationship when she was a student, but observing her that night with George, he knew she was a good egg. George, though older and starting to bald like his father, had changed very little, which was how Remus liked it.

Despite it being a little hard to see the man without his twin by his side.

"It's a clue. I think," he said to the approaching pair. "To my current…predicament."

"Hey, I recognize that hourglass," Angelina said. "That was Professor Slughorn's."

"Oh yeah," George replied. "I remember. Supposed to slow down when the conversation was particularly riveting. Never understood how anyone could have a riveting conversation with old Sluggie but…how did you get it?"

"I…er…a friend. Dropped it off just now."

Angelina smiled slightly. "Hermione?"

Remus blinked. "What? No…"

"It was," George said confidently. "It's alright. We thought she'd come 'round. It's why we've been keeping Ron away from the doors and windows all evening."

"Though I'm sure we can agree you could have done without shovelling alcohol down his throat," Angelina commented, giving a disapproving sniff. "He's unbearable enough sober. It's just amplified when he drinks."

"How can you tell the difference," Remus mumbled, glancing murderously at the door of the Burrow.

George sighed. "I owe him a lot, because he helped me after Fred died, but…I don't agree with how he's handled…things."

Remus felt his nostrils flare. "And by 'things' you mean Hermione?"

"We're as frustrated as you, Remus, truly," Angelina said. "He's been a complete arsehole. We never see her anymore and it's all because of him."

"From what I've heard, nobody's been making much of an effort. Ron's not exactly a mastermind. There were ways," Remus argued darkly.

Both had the decency to look shamefaced, and Angelina looked at the ground. "We tried for a long time. We all did. But…once the kids came…" She trailed off and sighed before adding. "We thought she might come tonight. At least…we hoped she would. Which was why we kept Ron occupied."

"She took it really hard when you…died," George said solemnly to Remus. "We all did, of course, but Hermione especially. We always knew she had a schoolgirl crush on you but…after the war she…she went into herself for awhile. I mean, she studied hard, left school with exceedingly high marks as we all knew she would but…well…"

"Going into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures wasn't exactly the career move anyone expected," Angelina explained.

"I think…well, I'm fairly sure that she did it for you," George admitted.

"Most of the amendments to the werewolf legislation were written by her."

"Which is why we expected her to show up tonight," George finished. "To see you."

Remus felt his heart start to race a little faster at the thought that Hermione had once harboured feelings for him in this timeline. It reminded him of their conversation in Slughorn's office before the whole time-travelling mess had started. He wondered if a similar conversation had happened in this reality.

"George," he said, having a thought. "I'm going to tax your memory for a moment. After Dumbledore…died…when we were in the Infirmary and Dora admitted…admitted that she loved me…do you remember where Hermione was?"

George's brow furrowed for a moment then he shook his head. "Twenty years ago, mate. I barely remember where I was. It was a tough time for us all." He tilted his head to the side. "Why do you ask?"

Remus hesitated, but knew that he needed to confide in someone. "Hermione was with me when I…time-travelled. I mean, right before. I had followed her to Slughorn's office and we were talking. I just…I wonder if that…conversation…happened in this timeline."

"You should ask her," George said.

Angelina scoffed. "He'll never get near her."

George gave a mischievous smile. "He will if we help him."

A slow, playful smile started to spread across Angelina's face. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"A little diversionary tactic, my dear?"

"Exactly."

In that moment, something passed between the pair and Remus was suddenly struck by why he trusted the two together. They shared an intimacy that Remus had only seen once before: James and Lily. They had an impish, conspiratorial relationship that endeared Angelina to him immediately. She was good for George because, like Lily to James, she understood George in a way few people did.

It made Remus think better of George as well, for abandoning Hermione to be with Angelina. Hermione would have never been the co-conspirator George needed. As a twin, George had been used to having someone on the same wavelength. Angelina was not a perfect replacement for Fred, but a solid, inimitable partner in her own right.

"Alright, here's the plan," George finally said aloud to Remus after a moment of silent conference with his wife. "I'll invite Ron out for drinks, then you and Angelina will go to their house to see Hermione."

"I'll be there to watch Hugo, just in case 'Mione uses that as an excuse. She's done that before," Angelina explained.

"That should buy you a few hours."

"To catch up."

"Or…whatever."

Remus ignored George's thinly-veiled innuendo and asked, "Why would you do that for me? I mean…you don't even know what we were talking about in my timeline."

George smirked. "Handsome devil like you alone with an attractive younger woman who happens to adore you? I don't need a crystal ball."

"George! Don't sully it," Angelina scolded.

Remus hoped he wasn't blushing, but was grateful for the darkness of the night just in case. "It wasn't…like that," he stammered. "You'll remember, I married Dora in this timeline."

"And Hermione married Ron. Mistakes made all 'round, I think."

"George!"

Remus couldn't help but smile slightly. "Alright. When do you want to do this clandestine operation?"

"We'll contact you," Angelina said. "Unfortunately, it can't happen immediately because Ron always likes to stay close to home for a few weeks after a big party like this. George won't be able to convince him out for awhile."

"Plus, I'm out of town on business for the next week," George said. "We've just launched a few stores over in America and I need to go make sure everything is operational."

"We won't back out on you, though. We swear it," Angelina promised.

George slung an arm around Remus's shoulder. "Don't worry mate," he said with a boyish grin that made Remus's heart hurt nostalgically. "We'll get you to her."

Remus smiled. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"You're very welcome. Though I'm sure you know I'll have to bill you for the service."

"George!"

"Oh, alright. This one's free."

Angelina shot her husband a glare before smiling at Remus. "Now," she said. "Let's get you back inside before Molly calls out the Aurors for you."

"Though heaven knows where she'll find some, because most of them are here and drunk as hell," George joked, steering Remus toward the door.

Remus simply smiled, pocketing the hourglass for later.

Thank you for reading.

Hope you enjoyed it...more to come.