A/N: I'm alive! Hope you like the chapter. Just so you know, the first part is in Harry's POV and the second in Rose's. It's separated by a line break thingy.

Disclaimer: Nope, I haven't become JK Rowling overnight.

The day before the Hogwarts term started saw the arrival of Albus Dumbledore at Grimmauld Place.

Emmeline Vance and Gilbert Gigglewiggle- the Order members who worked at the Department of Mysteries- had been working on an improved time-turner prototype under the unsuspecting noses of the Ministry. However, they hadn't made much progress so far. Besides, it seemed that the people from the future did not have any idea where, or rather when exactly their children were stuck in time.

Dumbledore had therefore decided that Rose and Lils would go to Hogwarts with the rest of the school-age Weasleys. A cover story was made for the sake of ministry records, and Rose and Lils were to be distant Weasley cousins from a faraway village who had been homeschooled till now.

Harry personally thought this cover story was terribly flimsy and would collapse at the slightest investigation; but it seemed that a very elaborate plan had been made by the Order to make sure that Rose and Lils were out of suspicion. This plan was, of course, not discussed at all with Harry and his friends because they were apparently 'too young to worry about these things.'

Harry had been so relieved when he had been cleared in the hearing and was allowed to go to Hogwarts now, that he had forgotten all about the fact that fifth year was the one where prefects would be announced. So, when a nervous and shell-shocked Ron showed Harry his prefect badge, he was quite surprised, and, not that he'd ever admit it out loud, jealous. His two best friends would go off to the prefect meetings together, and he would be stuck alone.

However, his resentful feelings dissipated as he saw the slightly hurt look on Ron's face when everyone, including Hermione seemed surprised at the fact that he had been made prefect.

That was when Harry realized that Ron had always been overlooked, considered second best to the 'boy who lived' and never been really appreciated as much as he ought to be. He had only cracked once, and that too under the pressure of Harry being chosen in tournament and receiving the glory of being one of the Hogwarts champions, and Harry was being a jerk over a single prefect badge?

Shaking his head, he resolved to congratulate Ron properly over the prefect badge as he went down to the stairs to the small party of sorts that had been hosted by Mrs. Weasley in honour of Ron and Hermione becoming prefects.

A huge banner with the words

'Congratulations Ron and Hermione

Gryffindor Prefects'

had been hung over the kitchen table for dinner that evening, charmed by Mrs. Weasley to keep changing colours ever so often.

"Heh," said Lils in a rather carrying whisper as she dumped a large helping of treacle tart into her plate. "The banner sounds like they're getting engaged or something, doesn't it?"

Rose scowled at her cousin, who was oblivious to Ron and Hermione's furiously blushing faces.

"I'd like to have a word with you after dinner, Lils," she whispered angrily.

"Actually," said Lily, fluttering her eyelashes in what she probably thought was an angelic way. "I have to finish packing."

"Humph."

"Speaking of school," said Kingsley in his deep, measured voice. It seemed strange to be dining with the minister, Rose thought, even if he was good friends with her entire family. "Dumbledore has decided that both of you will be staying in the Gryffindor dormitories and attending classes with the other Gryffindors so that you can stay close to your family."

"But I'm a Ravenclaw!" said Rose.

"Yes, Rose, dear," said Grandma in a weary sort of voice. "But this way you'll be able to share a dormitory and classes with people you know, which is a much safer alternative to being with complete strangers. What if they suspect anything?"

"Fine," said Rose, although a bit reluctantly.

Grandma ushered everyone to bed early that day, but Rose could not sleep.

This was the first time she would go to Hogwarts without her parents dropping her off to Platform 9 ¾ (This Ron and Hermione didn't really count as her parents- they were just normal, sometimes stupid teenagers). She missed them. She missed how her dad cooked her favourite shepherd's pie for dinner the day before term started, she missed her mum's vanilla scented perfume as she bent down to give her a goodnight kiss (Rose would vehemently say no if her mum tucked her in on any normal day, but the last day was different), Hugo's annoying questions and his obsession with the Chudley Cannon's rival team, Puddlemere United. She missed her friends from school, her numerous aunts and uncles, heck, she even missed her cousins, which was saying something. Right from Teddy (he wasn't technically a cousin, but that didn't matter) to Al and his best 'platonic' friend (as if anyone believed that) Scorpius. The only people who were the same in this timeline were Grandma and Grandad, and of course, Lily.

Lily, not surprisingly, had fitted right in with the rest of the people here. She would joke around with Uncle George and Uncle Fred (it seemed strange, seeing him for real), chatter with Auntie Ginny about Quidditch and Gobstones and what not, debate with Ron about mundane things and butter up Grandma and gain extra scones for breakfast. Uncle Harry still seemed wary of everyone, though. Not that that was surprising, seeing that he had battled Voldemort numerous times and all. It was natural that he would be paranoid. He especially found ways to avoid Lily, but Rose certainly didn't blame him for doing the most sensible thing in the world.

Rose turned slightly in the small but comfortable camp-bed again and sighed. She might as well go down for some hot milk or something...

She put on the slippers Hermione had lent her and carefully tiptoed across the room and towards the door, mindful of not awaking the other three people sleeping in the room.

To her surprise, the light in the kitchen was already on. She went in to see a startled Ron looking at her, a cup of something that looked like tea in his hands.

"Oh, hi Rose. Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Want some?" he asked, pointing at a kettle filled with tea.

"Nah, I prefer hot milk."

"You're like Hermione," he said, rolling his eyes.

Rose took a cup of tea beside the kettle and poured a mug of warm milk for herself, seating herself somewhat awkwardly in a chair across her fifteen-year-old dad. It sounded ridiculous in her head every bloody time.

Rose sipped her milk as Ron was fiddled with his crimson prefect's badge and moved around his cup of tea.

"I wish I was in my time," said Rose. "I could get to be prefect. I'm sure they would choose me."

"You sure not Percy's daughter?" said Ron, looking up from his Prefect badge to stare at her in a calculative sort of way.

Rose shrugged. She was more like her mum, not like Uncle Percy. "I'm not supposed to say. That can ruin the timeline." Really, she had said this so many times over the last two weeks.

Ron just snorted and took a sip of tea.

"What are you doing awake at the middle of the night? Term starts tomorrow!" said a voice from the kitchen doorway.

"Hi Hermione. Nice to see you too," said Ron dryly, rolling his eyes and swiveling in his chair to face her.

Hermione huffed as she took the closest seat next to her, the one beside Ron.

"What are you doing here anyway?" asked Ron.

"I heard the door creaking and saw that Rose had creeped outside, so I went looking for her. What are you two doing awake?"

"Couldn't sleep," said Rose.

Ron fiddled a bit more with his badge and said, "Yeah, the same."

"Hmmm," said Hermione, helping herself to some hot milk from the nearby kettle. "Are you looking forward to Hogwarts', Rose? I mean, of course you've been to Hogwarts, but this will obviously be different."

"Uh," said Rose. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, it will be fun, right? Educational."

Ron once again rolled his eyes as he heard the word 'educational.' Rose wondered if his eyeballs would get stuck if he did that again.

"Do you miss your parents?" asked Hermione softly.

"Er," said Rose. "Um, yeah. I mean, most of the people in here actually are family, but they're different, somehow."

Hermione nodded in an understanding way.

"Your parents must be really worried about you, won't they?" said Ron suddenly.

"Yeah," said Rose in a somewhat pained voice. She had never really thought of what her family must be going through. It must be terrible, not knowing where she and Lily were.

"They must be going spare with worry… it's been over a fortnight."

"Blimey," said Ron, looking dazed at the thought of two children and a time turner missing. "Can't imagine what it must be for them."

"Lils disappeared once, when I was very young. She was kidnapped," said Rose unthinkingly. "Pureblood supremacists wanting to take revenge," she added at the shocked looks on their faces.

"It was terrible. My dad, uncle, and the rest of the Aurors finally found her three days later. She was thankfully safe, just shaken. But those three days were dreadful. I'd never seen Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny- Lily's mum and dad, you know, cry so mu- oh bloody hell," said Rose abruptly as she caught sight of Ron and Hermione's stunned expressions. "I wasn't supposed to let that slip!" she said, somewhat hysterically, burying her head in her hands. She chanced a glance at her companions through her shaking fingers.

Hermione's mouth was open in a comical O-shape and Ron was repeatedly opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, no sound coming out.

"Lils is their daughter? As in them together?" he finally croaked out.

Hehehe, A cliffie! I'll update before Christmas, I promise. Till then- review!