Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter for Cracks In Time! I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Who do you think will be walking through the door? At the end of the chapter, let me know who you thought it was and if you ever thought that it would be who it is. Anyway, enough of my talking. Here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just the plot of this story. All rights stay with J. K. Rowling.

Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you. - Professor Dumbledore

Chapter 1 - Explanations

"Hermione?" The Gryffindor couldn't believe her eyes at the person standing in front of her. He has been gone for a while and no one has been able to find him. He disappeared the day after the battle, the rest of the family being struck with worry as he completely lost contact with them. The red hair, the same as the rest of his family and the slim face that is the same as his twin's face was. However, his eyes look a little sunken, the purple circles under his eyes confirm the sleepless nights he has been dealing with.

"G-George? What are you doing here?" Hermione takes a step towards the twin but George shakes his head, his eyes downcasting to the floor as he makes his way past her and into the kitchen. His arms are laden with bags from his shopping and he gingerly sets them on the counter. He starts going through them, carefully pulling out food containers and putting them away in the respective cabinets as Hermione slips back into the kitchen and onto a stool in front of the counter. He keeps working in silence, his eyes never turning in her direction as the silence stretches between them.

It hurts Hermione that he walked right past her without a word, she always thought that her relationship with the twins was good but, perhaps, losing Fred took a greater toll on George then any of them realized. Fred was always with George, the two could be seen together every where that they went and the two were inseparable. George stayed silent as the thougths of his twin and the night he died resurfaced at seeing Hermione.

FLASHBACK

The night that Fred was killed, the entire Weasley family along with Harry and Hermione had gathered around him, the screams of anguish coming from Molly and Arthur could be heard through the entire Great Hall. George had sat frozen by his brother's side, tears silently streaming down his face as he stared at Fred's still and lifeless body. He stayed that way for the rest of the evening until the Weasley's decided to take Fred back home and bury him out in the field under the twin's favorite tree. After they buried Fred, George had gone upstairs, grabbing his twin's Dragon-Skin Coat and took it back out to the tree. He laid it out over Fred's grave, charming it so it would never disintegrate, rot, mold, or change color. He then conjured a ring of Titan Arum's around Fred's grave, charming the flower so it instantly grew, shortening it so they barely stuck out of the ground. George also took away the foul smell that usually emanates from the flowers, changing it so they let off a calm smell that reminded him of all the wonderful times he had experienced with his twin. After slamming preserving charms on the flowers, making sure they never wilt and remain in their most bloomed state forever, George sat down at Fred's grave, his mind going blank as he started at the headstone that the Weasley family had placed at Fred's head. The headstone was a beautiful forest green with a marble texture that has red whisps through it. Emblazoned on the headstone were the words:

"Fred Weasley, April 1978 - May 1998"
"Beloved Son, Brother, and Prankster, Rest in peace"

A few more tears slip down George's cheeks as he remembers all of the wonderful times, the laughs, the pranks, and even the trouble the two used to get into together. Before he knew it, he just started talking, telling Fred about his plans for the future, where he planned on going and what he was going to do now that he was gone. After a heartfelt goodbye and telling Fred that he already missed him, George finally stood up and gave his brother's grave one last longing glance. He slowly made his way back inside, eating dinner with his family and trying to pretend that everything was fine. The solemn faces at the table, however, made it hard for him to keep his composure as he thought about what he was going to do. After dinner, everyone silently went to bed and from his and Fred's room, he could hear Ginny's loud sobs, make his heart clench painfully. He didn't want to hurt his sister anymore than she already was but he couldn't stay here, sleeping in this room that reminded him of his twin so much.

George stayed awake through the night, not able to find sleep with the painful thoughts running through his brain. Finally, when the sobs from Ginny's room had quietened and he was sure that his family was finally asleep, he got up quietly and waved his wand to pack his trunk, grabbing a few things of Fred's to take with him. He charmed his trunk to be lighter and then shrunk it down to make it easier to carry before stowing it and his wand in his robes. He creeped out of his room and down the stairs to the front door where he paused. He turned back around to glance sadly around his family home for a few fleeting seconds before he steeled his resolve and turned back to continue out of the door and he disappeared into the night.

END FLASHBACK

George shakes his head quickly to push away the painful memories as he finishes putting the last can of food away, closing the cupboard carefully. He stares at it silently for a few seconds before Hermione's voice breaks the quiet once more.

"Please speak to me George, I know that it is a shock to see me here, it is a shock for me too, especially since no one has seen you since that night." She says quietly, referring to the night that George left the Burrow for good. He stiffens before forcing his posture to relax before turning around to face the young woman sitting across from him.

"There isn't much to say Hermione, I left the Burrow for good and I'm not going back. I have my reasons for leaving and for staying away. I didn't want to talk to anyone, if I did, I would have contacted my family." His tone isn't exactly cold towards her but it's not the friendly tone that she is used to hearing from him. It jabs a knife in her heart as he speaks, knowing that Fred's lose was taking a toll on him, but being unable to do anything to help him, hurts her more. She wasn't as close to the twins as she was to Harry and Ron but they were her friends as well and nevertheless, she cares about George like a brother.

"Will you at least tell me why you decided to come here?" The brown haired woman asks carefully, watching George for any signs that she upset him with her question. However, George just shrugs his shoulders casually and walks around the counter to the living room. Hermione slips off of her chair and follows him to the living room, seeing him sitting on the couch with the tv on, flipping through the channels. The Gryffindor sits down softly next to him, not too close to make it awkward but not all the way at the other end of the couch either. George doesn't look at her as she sits down, continuously flipping through the channels on the tv, not really seeing what is flipping past the screen. They sit in silence again for another short while before George shuts the tv off and stands, stretching his arms above his head and then turning to Hermione as his arms fall back to his sides.

"I'm going to bed, feel free to stay as long as you would like." Without giving her a chance to respond, he takes off for the stairs and climbs them quickly, disappearing out of site. A moment later, she can hear his door clicking shut. Hermione doesn't know what to do, she didn't want to upset him by asking too many questions but he has been gone just a day shorter than Harry. Feeling miserable, she gently stands from the couch and heads for the stairs as well, climbing them slowly before she turns left at the top of the stairs to head for the room she chose when she first got there this morning. Closing the door behind her, she gathers some clothes together before heading to take a quick shower. Returning to her room, she climbs into bed and pulls the covers up to her neck, forcing her brain to stop working long enough to let sleep claim her.

There you guys go! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know in the comments if any of you expected the person at the door to be George and if not, who you guys thought it would be. Until next time.

HL