"Fred, why are we doing this? It's utterly ridiculous."

"Oh come on now, it's an experience!"

"I'd hardly consider eating in the dark an experience," George scoffed. He was flabbergasted when Fred signed them up for this "blind" dating experience. Fred never had trouble meeting women at the bar, but he kept saying he needed a change of pace.

"You never know what tonight might lead to Georgie. Maybe you'll meet your soulmate," Fred said as he raised his eyebrows. They walked into the chic restaurant where the lobby was dimly lit. As they checked in, the host explained that all the waiters in the restaurant were blind. All part of the "experience." One of the waiters requested they grab onto his shoulder and a few moments later they were escorted down the stairs and behind a black curtain into complete darkness. As they walked back, the waiter explained that the idea behind the dining experience is that the total darkness enhances the other senses, creating a truly unique dining experience. As they got to table, he added that the darkness cultivates an environment to truly connect with people.

"I hate this already," George said.

"Shh…" Fred said, as he kicked George under the table.. It was then George noticed there was movement next to them. Their dates had arrived.

"Hello ladies. I'm Fred and this here's George." Fred greeted.

"Oh well hello," a voice said, "I'm Angelina."

"Hi, I'm Molly," said the person sitting next to George. She had a soft and earnest voice with an American accent.

"Nice to meet you, Molly's my mother's name actually," George responded.

"Oh…does it…suit her?" she asked.

"I reckon it does. Although, she's a bit sturdy so Bernard might have been a better fit."

She laughed lightly and said, "Okay." After a momentary pause she asked, "So have you ever been here before?"

"I haven't."

"Me neither. To be honest, I'm not completely sold on this concept yet. I genuinely like to be able to see my food and the people I'm eating with."

"Exactly. Fred had twist my arm to even get me here."

"Glad that we're in the same boat. Not that I'm not excited to meet you or anything…" she added. "Oh, something just touched my elbow," she whispered.

"That wasn't me," George quickly said.

"Well that just makes it worse! If it wasn't you, who was it?"

"It wasn't me…because I'm touching something else," Fred stated.

"Yes, and you'll stop that right away, thank you," Angelina responded.

A waiter approached and began filling the empty glasses. George found the glass in front of him and took a big swing before realizing that the glasses had been filled with wine and he choked slightly.

"You okay there?" Molly asked him.

"That is not water," he said. She giggled as she took a more reasonable sip from her wine glass.

"You might be onto something there. Maybe we should just get drunk," She whispered.

George smiled and said, "Cheers to that." He held up his glass and within seconds he felt her glass lightly tap his, which was impressive considering the complete darkness.

"So, girls, be honest. Who is more beautiful?" Fred asked. George knew he was joking, but he was partially concerned the girls wouldn't pick up on his subtleties.

"Oh, I am," Angelina said.

"She is," Molly added.

"Excellent!" Fred beamed. George tried not to roll his eyes and luckily Molly interrupted his thoughts.

"So George, what do you do for a living?" she asked.

"My brother and I own a joke shop in Diagon Alley. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

"Oh no way! I walk past that shop everyday. And what made you start that?"

"Honestly, I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life. At school we were always coming up with inventions for pranks and we quickly realized that we could make money doing what we loved."

"That's amazing. And I'm assuming you went to Hogwarts?"

"You would be correct. Now what's your story? Ilvermorny and then how'd you get here?"

"Yes, I was a Thunderbird at Ilvermorny and once I finished school I wanted to do something different, explore a little. So I moved to London and worked some odd jobs for a while and now I'm an editor at the Daily Prophet."

"Ah, if you're responsible for fact checking Rita Skeeter, I think you should pursue another career path."

"Very funny," she said, taking another sip of wine. "My area is much less controversial. I'm a sports editor."

George's ears perked up at that. "What's your team?" he asked.

"Kenmare. I have family in Ireland so I was born and raised a Kestrals fan. And let me guess, you follow the…Chudley Cannons?" she said, throwing out a blind guess.

George chuckled, "Puddlemere United. Although your instincts are good, my younger brother is obsessed with the Cannons."

"Puddlemere…that's respectable. They're having a good year. Been to any matches yet?"

"I've been meaning to, but haven't gotten to it this season. Too busy with the shop."

"You should go if you get the chance. They are unbelievable to watch. The Chasers are just so in sync, it's mesmerizing."

By this time, the appetizer course had been cleared and a palette cleanser placed in front of them.

"Did you play at all?" he asked.

"I was a Keeper. I miss being out on the pitch. Just something about the buzz that was in the air and having your whole house out there cheering for you. No better feeling."

George smiled, thinking about the days he spent playing Quidditch for Gryffindor. She perfectly described what it was like to play and he hadn't realized how much he had missed the crowd calling his name whenever he took out an opponent with a bludger.

"Fred and I were Beaters. It seems like those were the best years of my life."

"Oh don't tell me you peaked in school. Just when I thought I had met someone interesting."

George thought carefully about his response. "I'm happy with my life, but we're adults now. There was something about being younger, having your whole life ahead of you and not having to worry about paying bills and making a living. I miss the simpler times."

"I can understand that. I do miss sneaking fire whiskey into the dorms. It's not as fun when you can just go and buy it." He smiled at her statement, remembering his own teenage shenanigans.

"You would've had fun with us at Hogwarts."

"You don't strike me as a troublemaker, George," she said.

He chuckled and replied, "That's because I'm on my best behavior tonight."

"Well that's no fun," Molly flirted.

Suddenly, George felt himself get nervous. He hadn't been on a proper date in a while and he wasn't sure how to act or what to say. He felt tense instead of his usual carefree self. He realized that he might actually like this girl.

"So…what kind of music do you like?" she asked.

"I mostly listen to rock. Recently it's been a lot of the Weird Sisters."

"Oh I love the Weird Sisters!" she exclaimed. "I see them every time they come to London."

"They're great live. They played at one of our balls in school and it was incredible."

"That sounds amazing," she beamed. There was movement near them as the waiter placed what George assumed was the main course in front of them.

"Looks great," he said. Molly laughed a genuine laugh as opposed to a polite chuckle and George felt butterflies at the sound of it. He never thought he could be so attracted to a voice. Something about her seemed special. The four of them ate and sounds of silverware filled the air as they ate.

"I'm still not completely sold on this experience, but I will say this meal has been delicious," she spoke. George was racking his brain for a response that might induce some conversation when Molly added, "The company hasn't been too bad either."

Before he could respond, Angelina said, "I'm going to run to the loo. Mol, will you join me?"

"Yeah, sure," she said, putting down her silverware. George was grateful for a few minutes to drum up some conversation topics as their dates vacated the table.

"How's it going?" Fred asked him.

"Good…she seems great. I'm just rubbish at dates."

"Well don't sweat it. I'm going to invite Angelina back to our place after this. Maybe Molly will come too."

"Is it really going that well over there?"

"I mean I'm not gonna marry the girl, but we're getting along well enough."

"Does it bother you that you don't know what she looks like?" George asked.

"Sure, but I've never been one to shy away from risk." George shook his head. Fred and George were on completely different wavelengths when it came to women. Fred was never concerned with commitment and was always living in the moment. But George was the opposite. He didn't want to waste time on someone if it wasn't going to turn into something meaningful.

Molly and Angelina returned to the table just as the dessert course was placed in front of them.

"I need to know…is the washroom pitch black as well?" he asked.

Molly giggled and said, "Now that would've solidified my opinion of this restaurant concept."

They ate in silence for a moment when Molly asked, "So what's your family like?"

"Big. I have five brothers and a sister."

"Wow, and where do you fall in that mix?"

"In the middle. Fred and I are twins and then there are three brothers older than us and a younger brother and sister."

"I'm sure you had fun growing up with such a big family."

"I don't think I always appreciated it when I was growing up, but now I love having such a big family."

"That's awesome."

"And what about you?"

"I have two younger sisters. We grew up pretty close so it is tough to be so far from them."

"How long has it been since you've seen them?"

"Since the holidays. I always come home for Christmas and usually my family will come out for a visit at some point in the spring or summer."

"Do you ever think about moving back home?"

She paused for a moment, "No, I don't think so. It seems like this is where I'm meant to be."

George had finished off the glass of wine in front of him and he realized the waiter had cleared all the plates and their visionless meal was ending. He took a deep breath, wondering where this night would take them. He just wanted to see her. He wanted to look into her eyes and confirm there was a true connection between them. They all stood up from the table and Molly and George walked out as a pair toward the lobby, with Fred and Angelina in their wake.

It was quiet as George racked his brain for what to say. He couldn't recall feeling this nervous around someone he barely knew. As they reached the curtain, he stopped her in an attempt to express his feelings. He didn't want her thinking he was just interested in her based on her looks.

"Molly, I…erm…I just wanted to-"

"Oh George it's okay, you don't have to do this. I can tell when someone's not interested in me. But thank you for making this dinner bearable."

Before he could protest, Angelina came whizzing by in a huff. "Come on Molly," she said grabbing Molly's arm and leading her through the curtain. George just stood there frozen when he noticed Fred by his side.

"Well, read that one wrong," he said.

"What the hell happened?" George asked.

"I may have whispered some sexually suggestive things to her that she did not take very well. How'd things go with you?"

"I dunno. I thought it was going well, but I may not have made a good impression."

"Do you like her?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Then go get her!" George followed his advice and slid through the curtain, excited to see Molly for the first time.

But she wasn't there. George walked through the front door, hoping she might be outside, but the street was empty. He hung his head and kicked himself for the way he let things transpire.

"She's gone," George said as Fred walked through the door.

"Ah rotten luck mate. Sorry to hear it. Shall we go for a pint?"

"I think I'll just head home," he said. Fred nodded and they walked down the street a bit before apparating back home.

X

George couldn't sleep that night. He kept thinking that he had missed out on something special. He replayed every minute of that night in his head, thinking about how he should've been more engaged in the conversation and flirted with her more. George certainly knew how to flirt and he could not figure out why he froze up with Molly.

Eventually he got up and moved to the kitchen to pour a fire whiskey. He needed something to take the edge off and numb the feeling of regret. He tried to forget about this girl but the more he did, the more he convinced himself that if he just saw her, he would know. And it wasn't just about physical attraction, although that was certainly a part of it. He just needed to see her. The mystery was driving him crazy.

After his second glass of fire whiskey, he started to think about how he could make his hope a reality. He considered visiting the Daily Prophet and trying to find her there, but that didn't quite feel right. He could write a letter and suggest that they meet up, but the suspense of waiting on a response would kill him. Then it suddenly hit him.

He ran into the room and started fumbling through a junk drawer, looking for one thing in particular. He started throwing aside Extendable Ears and miscellaneous Skiving Snackboxes before he finally found it. All the rummaging seemed to have woken Fred because a moment later his voice came from the doorway.

"What are you doing?" he looked half asleep, but still concerned.

"I couldn't sleep. I can't stop thinking about Molly. I just need to see her."

"Well it seems a bit late for that now, eh?"

"No, it's not," George said holding up the thin gold chain that held a spinning hourglass on the end.

"Mate, that's a terrible idea. Time isn't to be meddled with."

He put the time turner around his neck. "I can do this. I won't interact with anyone. I'll just stand outside and have a smoke while she walks out. No conversation, no nothing."

Fred let out a deep sigh, knowing this was a losing battle. "Just don't be stupid. And don't get caught." With that, he spun the time turner four times and closed his eyes. He immediately disapparated to the restaurant and hid in the alley way across the street. It was only a few moments until Angelina and Molly would leave the restaurant. George considered his options and thought it was best to stay hidden, he didn't want to have an awkward run in with his past self.

He waited for what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only a few minutes) when the front door opened. A dark skinned woman with long braids was leading the charge, pulling the arm of another woman. She had fair skin, covered in freckles and deep brown hair that hit just below her shoulders. She was petite, probably around 5'3" and very slender. But the most striking thing about her was her smile. He heard their voices and immediately recognized the American accent that belonged to the freckled woman. Angelina was explaining what had just happened and Molly stood there, reacting with a new facial expression after every sentence. And then she laughed and George felt his heart stop. She was the one. It seemed crazy for him to think that considering he had just met her, but he knew. He watched the two of them walk down the cobblestone street as he tried to commit every detail of Molly to memory. Next came the tricky part, finding her.