September 27th, 1996

"What?" Hermione hissed, feeling her legs quiver, "Are you sure?"

Theo raised an eyebrow, "Completely."

"Well," Hermione demanded after a second, "Which one is it?"

Theo narrowed his eyes, shrugging off his coat, "Do you honestly think that I know which Weasley is which? Frankly, they all look the same. Like Molly and Arthur did a doubling charm wrong or something."

"Describe him."

"Do you not remember what a Weasley looks like," Theo said with real concern," Merlin, that flu musta been worse than we thought! What's my birthday? Who's Headmaster right now. And, I'm serious, we should be careful, what is your full real name?"

"I know what they look like," Hermione shoved Theo hard, as he'd gotten right up in her face, "I'm trying to determine which one it is." She said, "Though, in any case, I'm not sure it's good. So, describe."

"Uhm...you know, ginger hair...freckles...erm…"

"Was it a girl or a boy? Were they tall? Did they have glasses? Adult or child? Facial hair? Young, old?" Hermione began to prompt, "Bloody ada, you're useless!"

"Tall, sorta. Male." Theo said, following Hermione as she stormed outside, down the very long driveway to their front gates where the said Weasley was supposedly waiting. As it was, Hermione wasn't sold that it wasn't a random ginger that Theo had mistaken for a Weasley, "Longer hair. Pierced ears."

"Bill," Hermione guessed, "Oh."

"Is that...good? Bad?" Theo asked, taking three long strides to catch up with her, "Should we be meeting him to begin with?"

"He might have just heard a new pair of witches and wizards bought a castle and he's curious. He might try to recruit us for the Order," Hermione said logically, though her worries made her voice sound weak, "Or, well, he's a curse-breaker. Maybe something pinged him about all the wards we were putting up." She offered.

"I thought he was the dragon one?"

"No, that's Charlie," Hermione corrected, "Bill is the eldest. He's married...wait, no not yet, he will marry Fleur."

"From the Triwizard?" Theo said slowly, "Yech, she married a Weasley? She could have done better." Hermione lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Bill is one of the nicest and smartest wizards I've met, you so shut your mouth! We have no reason to believe that he knows who we are, yet. But if he did...I mean, we wanted to talk to Dumbledore."

"You did," Theo reminded in a bitter tone, "I would be happy to never see him again. And wait...oh, great Salazar."

"What?"

"You have a crush on him!"

"Used to!" Hermione countered back quickly, not quite realizing this until she said it out loud, "I used too…" She trailed off, frowning, "I don't now. I didn't back there." She tried to explain, "I was young when it was and...Merlin, why am I explaining this to you?" She demanded.

"As your husband," Theo stopped on the gravel way, huffing and puffing his chest out, "I have a right, you know, to know who you like."

"Liked. And I'm not getting with anyone else. Remember?" She raised her hand to show the marriage mark.

"Still!" Theo argued, "Look, if we were normal, we probably would have combed through each other's histories about this. I guess I just don't want any surprises."

"Surprises like what? That I'll greet Bill with a full kiss on the lips? I doubt he even noticed I fancied him. It was at Hogwarts."

"Surprises," Theo remained steadfast.

"Do you want a list?" Hermione asked sardonically, "Of everyone I've ever blushed in front of or thought looked good in a Hogwarts uniform?"

"Might be helpful," Theo said, completely serious, "I'll do it too."

"I don't care about your list," Hermione waved a hand, rolling her eyes, "I feel like it's going to be a way to gloat."

"Gloat?" Theo looked genuinely confused, "About what?"

Hermione's face turned scarlet and her ears warmed, "Well, about who you...that you...those that…" She coughed, "I mean, you know the rumors about Slytherins!"

"That we're all Death Eaters?" Theo looked at her with a hint of hurt and she saw his face pull back as he started putting up walls again. Great Gryffindor...she was embarrassed enough as it was, but now she had to tell him what she actually meant, "That we're all sadists?"

"No! That you're…" Hermione choked on her words, motioning up and down, "Sex gods." She groaned.

Theo studied her intently, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Oh shite, you're serious." He said, blinking rapidly.

"Yes! No! I mean, I'm just repeating what the likes of Lavender Brown used to giggle about," Hermione mumbled, "So, we have a Weasley-,"

"No! You believed it," Theo said, "I can feel it. Holy...Hermione, you think my list is going to just be like...notches in a bedpost?" He wasn't fully teasing her, mostly honored in a way, "Maybe you don't recall me back at Hogwarts, but I wasn't getting any girls."

"But with the rumors, girls would have done anything to get the interest of a Slytherin, if purely for the experience," Hermione argued, recalling how stupid the plans she'd heard her female peers make about this very subject had been.

"And maybe it was true until they realized I was extremely awkward and didn't know anything about sex," Theo said quietly, "So, uhm, yeah...it wouldn't be a list...like you think." He finished.

Hermione and Theo stood a foot apart on the parkway, both completely folded in after the conversation that had just elapsed. For a second, they just stood, until there was a ringing in Hermione's ear reminding her the wards were still going off. Theo snapped back to it, though he just pursed his lips.

Hermione tried to realign her thoughts.

"Look, I guess we'll play it your way until we know his reason for coming by. We're pretty far off from anywhere he should be. But it is safer to remain as Emilia and Bash until we have confirmation otherwise." She said, "Because it could just as well be someone in Polyjuice that wants to hurt us. Or he wants to hurt us. Or…" Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about the fact she was about to see one of her friends from another life. She was just unprepared for this so it set her a little on the nervous side.

"This will hardly be the first Wizard from our old life we'll have to run into. Good practice, right?" Theo said, pushing her before the bend that would lead to the gate-house, "It's probably nothing."

"It's probably not even a Weasley," Hermione teased with a grin.

They rounded a corner to the edge of the property. They were in a perfect position where they could see through their wards but the outsider could not. Hermione's stomach dropped, then flipped, then twisted.

"Oh."

Theo looked at her, "I take it that it is a Weasley?"

"It's Bill."

Bill before Bill. Bill without the scars upon his face from Fenrir. Bill before he married Fleur. Bill before he had children. The Bill that 6th year Hermione had a raging, inappropriate crush on, as she'd confirmed to Theo. Looking at him now, she recalled why that was, though it was more of a nostalgic tug on her heart rather than the fluttering of a rekindled crush.

"Right." Theo turned, "You go on back. We'll play it as long as we can. As we agreed, we have to be careful, because we don't know why he's here."

Hermione almost argued but gnashed her teeth. A housewitch's job was to be waiting at the door. If they wanted to pretend they were purebloods, she had to act the part, as much as it bothered her.

She nodded, turning and running back up the pathway.

Inside, she knew she'd have about two minutes before her husband and Bill arrived. She pressed her back against the front door, trying not to sob. She hadn't imagined it would be so hard to see him. She wasn't even sure if he'd been dead in her world, though it was likely. How was she ever going to hold it together if she ran into Ginny? Or Hannah? Or Neville? People that she dreamed about, about their deaths, about how the light left their eyes. How did anyone do this?

The answer; no one time-traveled. Despite the obvious reasons, she was beginning to see why else.

"Built somewhere in the medieval period, yeah. I haven't had time to look it up. Newlyweds and all, so I've been busy," She heard Theo- Bash's- charismatic personality hopefully wooing Bill as they approached the front door. There was a casual laugh from Bill, which was a good sign.

Hermione opened the door, smiling.

"Bash, dear, care to introduce me to your guest? Do you know him?" Hermione asked. She'd nearly, just almost, called him Theo. It had been on the top of her lip, almost spilling over. Damn it, she needed to be more on her wits about this!

"No, not at all. Bill...Weasley, was it?" He asked, pointing a finger to Bill, "I think I've heard of that name." He added, rubbing his chin.

"Some may say my family is a little infamous." Bill sighed, looking a little embarrassed, "Lihot, I don't recall that one, though."

"We were up abroad for a long time." Hermione broke in, "I wouldn't expect most to."

Theo narrowed his eyes. Hermione realized that she shouldn't have been the one to answer. Nice, pureblood wives let their husbands do all the talking. However, Bill would never expect or want Emilia to act like that. The Weasleys were not average purebloods. But how would Emilia know that Bill wouldn't care if she answered? Urg, this was a headache.

"Right, Bill, this is my wife, Emilia." He said, kissing Hermione's head, probably being a bit more forthcoming with his affections than average too. Was he reading off Hermione or guessing what would put Bill at ease to see?

"Thank you so much for inviting me in. I'd heard from my brother Percy- he works in the Ministry - that a new castle had been bought by a pair of magical folk. I was doing some work in the area and thought I'd come to welcome you both to England."

Hermione stared at Bill, trying to decide how truthful he was being. The reason he'd been such a great part of the Order? He was stone-tight. He would never reveal secrets, never give in. He also had a great poker face, and in the early days of the war, had run Hermione out of her pocket-change more than once during a card game between friends. There was a long moment of silence.

"Why don't you come into the living room? I'll put a kettle on!" Hermione said, motioning through the house, thinking this is what a good Pureblood wife would do, "Bash can attempt to give you the grand tour. We kept most of it the same. Whoever had the house before us just made it so beautiful."

In truth? They hadn't really quite had the time.

Hermione tried to keep her hands steady as she brought out the tea kettle and three cups to the living room. She'd kept away; Theo was best to handle him. She was terrified she'd slip up and reveal something about him that she shouldn't know. She should be out with Theo in the living room, which is what the good wife would do, but Hermione stubbornly sat in the kitchen, biting her nails and waiting for the tea to boil. As it was, she stayed there for a moment more, gathering herself again.

Theo and Bill were deep in conversation about some of the Wizarding by-laws about curses, but it was friendly. Hermione was starting to think that this actually was a social call. Or, perhaps he was sent to suss out if they'd be on his side or Voldemort's side. A new pair of magical folk who moved into a castle and had impressive wards, as Bill had already mentioned in passing, would surely be someone Dumbledore would love to have in his back pocket. They were, frankly, on no side but their own. Bill may leave this house disappointed.

Hermione wondered when the pitch would come. Before or after tea cakes? Would Voldemort allow such frivolities such as light jesting and casual conversation, or did he just demand respect and allegiance?

"Tea, Mr. Weasley?"

"Please, please! Call me Bill," Bill said, motioning to the tea-cup. Hermione thought it strange he was going to drink it. He usually had more intelligence than to accept drinks right off from strangers.

Hermione moved to set the tray on the table and sit next to Theo. Theo stood a little to hold out the teacup. As they were shoulder-to-shoulder, Bill reached into his pocket. He pulled out an item and had squirted water into the air before Hermione could process, and then flicked his wand, hissing ' caligo' .

The water turned into a fine mist. As it floated down, Bill pointed his wand to it and blew it at their faces. It coated them like pollen floating onto petals, like snow collecting on wool coats. Hermione sputtered a bit, blinking rapidly at the unexpected water on her face.

When she managed her bearings, about to ask what the heck that was about, Bill was staring at the two of them with a completely ashen face.

Hermione dropped the teapot down, glad it was only an inch from the table, or else it would have cracked.

Hermione looked at Theo's face. It was drawn tight, dark. She nudged him. She didn't want to say Theo's true name out loud, but she had a feeling she knew what had happened.

"Yes, it's gone," Theo growled out, protective shielding Hermione behind him, "Our faces."

"Hello, Bill," Hermione whispered, choking a bit as Bill looked upon her, a much older and more tired version of the girl he surely knew now.

"Great dragon balls," He whispered, the sound eeking from him like he couldn't breathe properly, "I had...but I didn't…"

Hermione touched her face gingerly, rubbing off some of the water. She sniffed it. It was a little musty smelling, like cave water. Understanding dawned on Hermione. Bill had taken a vial of the water from the Thief's Downfall in Gringotts. How had she not foreseen this? It had washed away their disguises easily, frustratingly.

"Well," Theo said, breaking the tense silence with a loud clap of his hands, "Now that it's all out in the open," He waved his wand around his fingers, "Are you going to murder us?"

"What? Are you mad?" Bill sputtered, "I'm not a killer." The implication was clear as he glared at Theo.

"Ah, splendid. Then, let's have a very frank chat." He motioned to the couches, "And we aren't either. The tea's not poisoned." He added, rolling his eyes. To prove it, he poured a cup and drank it in one gulp. He sat Hermione down next to him, seemingly much more at ease than Hermione was. He linked his fingers in Hermione, clearly on purpose, raising an eyebrow at Bill.

Bill almost ignored Theo entirely.

"Hermione, he hasn't-,"

"Don't finish that sentence," Hermione said with narrowed eyes, "I consented to everything." She would not allow even the thought of such wayward allegations against Theo leave his lips. Theo preened internally, his attraction seeking her out through their bond.

"Sorry, you have to admit...Merlin, I just saw you." He said, shaking his head at Hermione.

"You saw another me," She winced, "A more idealistic, younger me."

"Well, yes, but…"

"If you're done making moon-eyes at my wife," Theo said sharply. Did Hermione detic a note of jealousy? Great Merlin, she did! "Let's move on. Who sent you and how did you know?"

Hermione berated herself. She should have been asking these sorts of questions right from the start. She wasn't here to catch up with Bill, she was here on a mission, one he could easily derail.

"The Order. I could get the water and if our hunches were correct, I would be one of the most comforting. Closest to your age. I mean, it was me or Tonks, but I knew you better. Ollivander suspected, but Dumbledore somehow just knew. Nothing gets by that man," Bill said, a wry smile gathering on his face.

"Regrettably," Theo said, crossing his leg as he rubbed his chin, "Bollocks."

"We did want to talk to him…" Hermione trailed off. The urge to get his blessing on this mission didn't feel as pressing. Theo might have been influencing her, but at the same time, this felt beyond anything the Order could complete. It wasn't all good work, but the good way of doing things hadn't worked.

"You two shouldn't even be here," Bill said angrily, shaking his head, "But I told Albus that it would be useless to try to send you back, right?"

"The time turner is gone. We're stuck. We'll continue our mission as planned." Theo said, lying easily.

Bill's face was grim, "It had to have been really bad to necessitate such drastic, foolish, stupid plans like this."

"We were the only ones left," Hermione whispered, unable to keep quiet, "Everyone else was dead. You don't want to know more."

Bill looked at Hermione, eyes full of sorrow, "I shouldn't, I suppose. How far, though?"

"2002." Theo said, his voice growing gentle, "And she's telling the truth."

Hermione pursed her lips. She would not be the one to tell Bill about the possible high in his life- marrying Fleur and having children- and the unimaginable lows, his whole family dying, including his children. He shouldn't know this, nor was it fair. In this world, he might not even marry her, if they kept messing things up like they were. Though it wouldn't be on purpose, mind you.

Bill stared at them both, his forehead crinkled.

"What were you sent here to do, exactly?" Hermione asked.

"Find out what I can. Confirm that you two were...yeah. Make sure you, Hermione, were alright."

"Excuse me,' Theo snapped.

"Look, kid, you're a Junior Death Eater," Bill said, glaring at Theo, "Why would you expect that we'd just assume you'd be here to help us or to play nice to Hermione, and more than that, marry her? You know if you heard it from anyone else it would sound barmy."

"True, but I still don't appreciate the implication. Especially when it's been made clear." He said, slinging an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

Bill's eyes zeroed in on the tattoos on their ring fingers. He made a half-choked noise, reaching out swiftly and grabbing Hermione's hand. If he'd heard Theo so flippantly call Hermione 'wife' before, he must have just been thinking it was a more simple union, or trying to block Theo out completely and therefore ignoring it.

"Hermione, do you know what this is?"