Author's Note: I have been blown away by the response to this story! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows. Many thanks to my beta Travelilah who has helped me develop this story and just been an awesome writing buddy. I hope everybody likes this chapter. Keep reviewing to let me know what you think! Many thanks and lots of love to all of my readers 3

Disclaimer: I forgot to say at the beginning of the last chapter that I owe none of this. Everything belongs to JK Rowling.

For a moment, nobody moved. Then Lily exploded, "Tell me you did NOT actually invite some tart you met in a pub to my dinner party, Sirius Black?"

"Me? I was just joking," Sirius said, defending himself, "I didn't actually invite the witch. I have no idea who she is!" He pointed to the witch on the table.

"Well, she clearly knows who you are," Lily spat at her husband's best friend.

"Oi! Stop yelling at me! I didn't do anything."

"Everybody stop it this instant!" Charlus shouted over the top of Lily and Sirius before they got to far into their row.

Now Charlus Potter was normally quite a reserved wizard. James could count on one hand the number of times his father lost his temper or raised his voice. His mother was normally the one to rant and rave, going from normal witch to screeching banshee in under five seconds. So when Charlus shouted, everyone in the room immediately quieted.

"James, shut down the floo and make sure the family wards are up," the elder Potter instructed his son. "I don't want anybody in or out for the time being. Is that clear?"

James immediately did as his father told, knowing not to question him in the moment.

"Now, let's get our guest off the dining room table. Let's put her on the couch in the sitting room before we wake her," Charlus continued to give instructions.

"Wake her? Don't you think we should restrain her first? We don't know who she is or how she managed to apparate in the middle of the dining room," Sirius protested.

Lily practically screeched at the same time, "I don't want one of Sirius's trollops in my home! She has to go!"

"Merlin, Evans," Sirius hissed, dragging his hands through his hair in frustration. "I told you I don't know who she is!" Sirius reiterated again, frustrated that he wasn't being believed.

"It's Potter, you-"

"Really you two, that is enough!" Dorea interjected, cutting Lily off. "We need to figure out what is going on and the two of you fighting like this isn't helping. Besides Lily dear, you really should begin to clean this up. You don't want the gravy stains to set into the carpet. It is dreadful to try and get out."

Lily gritted her teeth at the condescending tone her mother-in-law insisted on using when she talked to her. "Of course Dorea, I'll get right on that."

Everybody then began to do as the Potter Patriarch had instructed. Charlus took the unknown witch's wand as well as the Watch in her hand, even though he was pretty sure she wasn't a threat, while Dorea levitated the uninvited guest into the sitting room, with Sirius following the couple. Lily had opted to stay behind and take her mother-in-law's advice. Not because she was right but because she needed a minute to cool off. This night was not going how she had planned.

James entered the sitting room after having reinforced the wards around the house to find the strange witch laying on his couch with his mother, father, and Sirius surrounding her. "Where is Lily?"

"I believe she is cleaning up dear. We were just about to wake this girl though, you should probably be here," came from Dorea, as she waved him over to her side.

"Let me do the talking first. We don't want to scare her," Charlus ordered.

Sirius snorted, "Scare her? I think she's done a smashing job of scaring us don't you?"

Charlus simply glared at Sirius (not in the mood to be dealing with the smart ass) before conjuring a chair to be a bit more comfortable. He figured this was most likely going to be a long night and conversation to be had with the witch once she woke up. He then pointed his wand at the young witch's head and whispered, "Ennervate."

Immediately the girl began to stir. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. As soon as she laid eyes on Sirius, again, she bolted upright and began to frantically search around for something. Padding herself up and down and hands fumbling in her pockets. Most likely looking for her wand.

"Woah, woah! Calm down, miss," Charlus said, holding his hands up in surrender. .

"No. Where's my wand? And my Watch? Who are you? What's going on?" She asked in rapid fire succession.

"My name is Charlus Potter. May I ask what your name is?"

"Charlus Potter?" she whispered, eyes wide. "I don't think it's a good idea if I say anything else."

"I think it might be a good idea for you to start talking. What are you doing in my home?" Lily's voice floated in from the doorway.

"Lily, please. Let me handle this," Charlus said briskly, not having the patience to deal with her attitude at the moment.

"Miss, I have the Watch right here, and I know exactly what it is," Charlus pulled out the watch from his pocket where he had stashed it. "Now I would like to know your name and how you came by it."

The witch seemed to be at war with herself as she was quiet for several moments before it seemed she had come to a decision. "I…..I found it in my vault. I didn't know what it was when I found it so I wanted to research it. I've been looking into it in my spare time for the past eight or so months."

"You found it in your vault? What is your name then?" Charlus continued to press.

She took a deep breath, knowing she could potentially be changing history by even talking to Charlus for the few minutes she had, but if she had already changed things what was a little more information. "Hermione Granger."

Charlus looked surprised. "Granger? I don't understand. You said it was in your vault. It should be in the Potter Family vault. I know you weren't born a Potter as Potter's only have sons. Did you not take your husband's name when you married into the family?"

"Well, you see...I didn't actually marry into the family," Hermione began.

Charlus interrupted, "Then how did you come across this? It is a Potter heirloom, it is supposed to be protected at all costs."

"I was bequeathed the title of Lady Potter. The last…," Hermione glanced at James and Lily with a sadness in her eyes. "The last of the Potter line died. He was my best friend. He left me the title as he wanted me to take up the Potter Wizengamot seat," giving the family surrounding her the bare amount of information.

"What do you mean the last of the Potter line died?" James asked sharply. "Both my father and I are still alive, and plan to be for many years. Who are you?"

"James, please," Charlus protested softly. His heart breaking for the future of his family. As soon as he saw the witch with the Watch in her hand, he knew she wasn't from this time. He knew the Watch was a failsafe for their family, to prevent the Potter line from dying out. If the last of the Potters died, the Watch would be activated by blood. It was meant to be passed down through the wives in the family. Dorea knew about it, but he hadn't told James about it yet, and James would have to be the one to tell Lily. The user who activated it would be able to go back and ensure the continuation of the family, but a small part of him had hoped that his family hadn't fallen so far. That Hermione's tumble through time was simply an accident.

"No, Dad. What is she talking about?" James demanded.

The Potter patriarch sighed and took off his glasses to rub at his eyes. "I think everybody should sit. This could take awhile. Maybe some Firewhiskey as well?" He looked hopefully over to Dorea, who stared back for a bit before nodding in agreement.

James hesitated but upon seeing his mother nod went to the kitchen to grab glasses and the bottle of Ogden's he always kept around, by the time he came back into the sitting room everybody had settled down. James passed out glasses to everybody and filled them up, including to Hermione before he settled himself next to his wife.

"Alright," James said. "Now, tell us what is going on."

"This," Charlus held up the Watch, "has been in the Potter family for generations. I don't know when it came to us exactly but it has been passed down through the wives in the family."

"The wives?" Lily asked, surprised.

"Yes. It's the duty of every Potter heir to inform their wives of this device. I told Dorea about ten years into our marriage, when I wasn't sure we would be able to have a child."

Dorea took her husband's hand, both of them remembering the dark times of their marriage. They both had wanted a family fiercely but it didn't seem as if it would ever happen. She remembered the day Charlus told her about the Watch like it was yesterday. The Potter matriarch was exceedingly glad the responsibility of the Watch had never fallen on her shoulders, and her heart broke for the poor girl sitting in front of her. Knowing she had a long road ahead of her.

"Okay, so what is it then?" Sirius asked.

"It's a failsafe. If the last of the Potter bloodline dies, the current Lady Potter activates it using her blood. It will then send Lady Potter back to the previous owner, and allow her to work to change the outcome, to ensure the Potter line never dies out."

"Wait, when you say back...you mean in time?" James was incredulous. He grew up around magic his whole life, but this seemed impossible.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean. I don't know from how far into the future, but I'm guessing not too far. It's taken her to either you or me," Charlus stated matter of factly. "Perhaps, you should introduce yourself Miss Granger? Tell us where you came from?" He suggested.

"I...I don't know that is a good idea," Hermione countered.

"Everybody here is family. They all have a right to know. It will be okay, I promise."

Oddly enough, even though they had just met, Hermione believed him. She knew she shouldn't reveal anything of importance, but technically she also shouldn't be sitting in a room full of dead people. This was not how she had planned her Saturday going. "Well, err...my name is Hermione Granger, and I really don't think I should say more than that. I'm already doing irreparable damage by even speaking to you. I can't give you any more information. Now please, give me the Watch back so I can figure out how to get home."

"Miss Granger, you must know there is no way to go forward in time," Dorea tried to reason with the girl. Both she and Charlus had done a lot of research into Time magic. He admitted to becoming fascinated by it once his father told him about the Watch, and as soon as she found out, she began researching as much as possible as well.

"No. There has to be and I will find it," Hermione insisted. "I have to go home. Now!"

Hermione was on her feet, pacing the sitting room and working herself into hysterics. This couldn't be happening to her. She lost her parents and Harry but she still had her work and the Weasleys. She had a life. A life she wanted to get back to desperately. There had to be a way for her to get home. It shouldn't have even been possible for her to travel back this….she didn't even know how far she had traveled back exactly. She guessed it was either 1978 or 1979. Harry clearly hadn't been born yet and it didn't look like Lily was pregnant.

Dorea rose from her seat and approached the agitated witch slowly. "Hermione," she said softly, trying not to frighten the younger girl more than she already was. "I am so sorry, dear girl. There isn't a way to send you home. The future doesn't exist. You can't go to a place that doesn't exist."

Hermione looked at the older woman with tears in her eyes, "But how? How is this possible? How am I supposed to sit back and just watch the world fall apart?"

"That's the point dear. You aren't. You are here to save our family, to make sure the world doesn't fall apart," Dorea tried to comfort her.

"I can't. Time can't be changed!"

"It can though. How much do you know about Time magic and how the timeline works?" Charlus asked.

"Enough. I've used a Time Turner before," Hermione informed the group.

"Time Turners take you back only a few hours. It's a little different," Dorea began.

Hermione interrupted her. "No, it's not different. Time is Time and horrible things happen to those who meddle in it."

"Not quite. Time Turners deal with small jumps, you've crossed through decades. Charlus and I have done quite a bit of research on this."

"Really?" James asked surprised.

"Yes, but not now James. As I was saying, think of Time as a tree. You were on one branch near the top. You've been taken off of the branch and added to a lower one, from there a new branch can sprout. Time is a growing and organic thing, it is fluid and constantly changing."

Everybody in the room remained silent as Dorea pulled Hermione into her arms, surprisingly the time traveller let her, clearly needing some comfort as her world shattered around her. As she felt Hermione calming down, Dorea walked her back to the couch she was previously sitting on and the two sat down together.

As he felt some of the tension leave the room, Sirius decided to try and lighten the mood. "See Lily? I told you I didn't know her. Though I wouldn't mind getting to know her a little bit better," he winked at Hermione.

James reached over and slapped him on the back of the head, while Lily groaned, "You're impossible!"

Hermione snorted at the same time, "Not in this lifetime Sirius Black. You just keep your paws to yourself."

"Oh come on love, I must still be as dashing as I am now when I'm….what year are you from?" The self declared dashing wizard asked.

Hermione gritted her teeth. It didn't seem as if they were going to ever let her leave without giving them information so she acquiesced. "1999."

"39!" Sirius shouted. "Please tell me I age well. I still have my hair right?" Sirius worried.

"Umm..well," How could she put this without telling him that for her he had been dead for three years? "I haven't seen you in quite some time. But the last time I saw you, yes you had all of your hair."

"What? Why haven't you seen me? If it's only twenty years in the future I'm sure I've been around the Potter family…"

Hermione looked guilty, she can't tell them that everybody in the room is dead within 20 years. Four of them are dead in two years, and Sirius spends his entire adult life in one prison or another, with the exception of his two years on the run.

"What? What is it?" James demanded.

"I could use some more firewhiskey if you don't mind," Hermione asked realizing she had managed to drink the whole thing.

"This can't be good," Charlus surmised.

Hermione agreed. "It's really not, but please please don't make me tell you details," she begged.

"But we can help you," Dorea argued.

"No. I can't. Not now. Please don't ask that of me. I...I just need some time to adjust. Please." Hermione asked again. She needed to wrap her head around everything that had happened. She had just started adjusting to life after the war, and now her life had been upended again.

"Alright," Charlus agreed for the whole family. "We won't push for more details, but know we are here to help. We are indebted to you for saving our family Hermione Granger."

"I haven't agreed to anything yet," Hermione countered.

"Not yet, but you will," Charlus said with a slightly smug smile, confident that this little witch would be their savior.

With everybody's glasses of Firewhiskey refilled, James asked again. "So what is so bad that you don't want to tell us? Obviously most of us don't make it 20 years if it is you being sent back and not Lily. But what exactly happened?"

"Long story short, my best friend was the last of the Potters but he died a little over a year ago and left me the title of Lady Potter. When we went to Gringotts for the reading of his Will and to conduct an Inventory, well that's when I found the Watch and started researching it. I honestly had no idea what it did, it simply looked interesting and I wanted to know more about it. I hadn't even finished all of my research, I just knew it was some sort of Time device. I didn't mean to activate it but I cut my hand then accidentally grabbed it."

"But that doesn't.." James began before being interrupted by his mother.

"James dear, I think that might be enough questioning for one night. Our guest here has been through a lot," Dorea mildly reprimanded. "Now Lily, how about some dinner? Were you able to salvage anything?"

"Oh, err.." Lily stuttered. "Not really. It was pretty much destroyed when she landed on top of it." The red head glared at Hermione.

"Well surely it won't be that difficult to whip something up with your wand quickly?" Dorea suggested with a false sweetness.

Lily, getting flustered, didn't know how to respond to her mother-in-law without sounding incompetent. "Err...I'm just not really comfortable cooking with magic," she tried to justify.

Hermione then decided to interrupt the two, sensing the tension. "Listen, if I could at least have my wand and the Watch back so I can get going. I need to figure out what I'm going to do next."

"Going?" Charlus questioned. "Going where?"

"Err..I hadn't really thought that far ahead, probably to the Leaky Cauldron and I'll get a room…" Hermione trailed off.

"Nonsense! You'll stay with us," Charlus declared.

"Oh, no. Thank you sir, but that's not necessary. I'm sure I'll be okay on my own," the time traveller tried to reason with the Potter patriarch.

"You could always stay at my place," Sirius added with a wink.

Hermione simply rolled her eyes at Sirius's flirtatious nature, "Not a chance."

"What's wrong with staying at my place love? You said I was dashing even at 39!"

"Actually I believe I said that you still had all of your hair, that does not translate into dashing."

James began to laugh at the incredulous look on his best friend's face. "I think you may have met your match Padfoot. I don't think I have ever witnessed a witch turn you down before," He said as he slapped the young Black wizard on the back, not missing the look of pure determination on Sirius's face.

"Miss Granger," Charlus said pulling Hermione's attention back to more important matters. "I really think it is best you stay at Potter Manor for the time being. These are dangerous times. If anybody was to find out who you are or where you come from, the consequences would be unpleasant to say the least. Here is your wand and the Watch, but I must insist that you let us keep you safe."

Hermione thought it over. It would be quite odd for a British witch to appear out of nowhere, yet still be tied to a prominent Pureblood family. It wouldn't necessarily be forever, and it would be better than staying with Sirius or James and Lily. Though based on the scowl Lily had been directing at her since she had woken, she wasn't so sure she would be welcome to stay at James and Lily's anyway. Maybe staying at Potter Manor would be the best solution. Even if it was only for a few days.

After having made her decision, Hermione acquiesced. "Alright, but only until I can figure something else out."

Dorea clapped her hands together once. "Wonderful! Anything you need at all just let us know, after all dear you are family now. So Lily, how about dinner?"

"If you don't mind I can help," Hermione offered. "I've gotten quite good at cooking with magic. Long days at the ministry plus living alone, it became kind of a necessity."

Lily gritted her teeth, something she did often when spending time with her in-laws and it seemed now Hermione as well, "Of course. That would be lovely."

The two went into the kitchen leaving James, Sirius, Charlus, and Dorea to continue discussing the events of the night.

Once the two witches were out of earshot James turned to his parents, "Dad, how can you be sure she can be trusted? As you said, these are dangerous times and it's not as if we have been quiet about our beliefs."

"James this...this Watch, well it's quite fascinating. The only way it would have worked is if she fit the requirements, not to mention it only presents itself to the correct person when it is time to be used. This has been a protected family secret for centuries. I am positive that since she was able to use this, she is trustworthy. She is here to prevent the downfall of our family, whether she accepts that or not just yet." Charlus tried to reassure James.

"But.." the Potter heir tried to protest.

"No, James," Dorea cut him off. "That is enough. This is about our future. We must help her by any means necessary. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mum," James agreed.

"I just have one question," Sirius interjected. "You think she's single?"

James groaned and chuckled at the same time, "I don't think she's interested mate. Besides you're old in her time."

"Yes, but I'm not now and she's quite fit," Sirius reasoned.

Charlus chuckled at Sirius's antics while Dorea simply rolled her eyes. There were somethings that would never change.

"Dinner is ready!" Hermione called from the dining room.

The four occupants of the sitting room all got up and entered into the dining room, hoping they would actually be able to eat dinner this time. As they walked into the room they were all taken aback by the delicious smell of a freshly made lasagna.

"So it's not the roast and turkey that Lily made, but we were able to throw something together quickly," Hermione informed them with a nervous smile. "Everybody can dig in."

After everybody served themselves and began to eat, they all groaned in pleasure.

"Hermione, this is perfect!" Dorea exclaimed.

"Absolutely wonderful," Charlus praised.

"Bloody brilliant. Best meal I've had all week," James added, then noticing the glare from Lily tried to backtrack. "I just mean...err…" he trailed off not knowing how to finish that.

Sirius began to laugh at his best friend. "Nice one Prongs, you really stepped in that one. Now Hermione, I just have one question for you."

"Yes Sirius?" Hermione responded in a slightly bored tone.

"Marry me? Because if you can cook this well, I can only imagine what other skills you would have."

He had just enough time to duck out of the way of the stinging hex she shot at him, much to the delight of everybody in the room. Even Lily cracked a smile for the first time since Hermione had arrived.