I realized that I forgot to attach my opening note on the first chapter. This is my third fanfiction but my first for this beloved franchise. I don't own it obviously. First I want to thank my wonderful Beta, Sophie who has been with me helping me make all of my works infinity better and is helping me again. And for the first time, I also must thank my new friend and fabulous Brit Pick, Bekah! Her help has been so amazing to make sure I don't make too many American mistakes and to answer all of my questions about London. This chapter is probably the shortest so far so please hang on for more exciting stuff to come. Also, I wanted to post this earlier this morning but I was too caught up reworking chapter 18.

Chapter 2

For three days George planned. He tried to remember every detail of the final battle, where he'd been when that bloody wall fell and who else had been there to see it. For the first time in months, George wasn't weighed down by grief. In fact, he was so distracted he hardly even noticed.

Unfortunately, at the end of three days, he reached the annoyingly stark conclusion that he could not do this alone. There were too many variables, too many things that could go wrong. He needed someone to watch his back, someone to make sure he didn't get killed trying to save Fred because what good would that do?

Who should he bring? First he thought maybe Bill. He was a skilled dueler and his job meant he would probably handle the idea of time travel with curious objects better than most. But then he remembered that Fleur was pregnant. Even if his older brother would be willing to risk his life for the chance to save Fred, George would never ask that of him.

Charlie was an obvious second choice, but ultimately George settled on Percy. It might have seemed an odd decision, but George knew his brother felt deep lingering guilt over Fred's death. It might have been manipulative to exploit that, but Percy was smart too and he reasoned that he might need his brains as well as his guilt.

Plans laid, all he needed to do was get ahold of his brother. He'd tried the floo first but Percy hadn't been in. Thankfully, Jacksy was still staying with him while Hermione was away so he sent the grey bird off with a note.

Much faster than he had anticipated, there was a crack of apparition and a knock at his door. Anxious excitement nearly bubbled over. This was it. He just had to convince Perce and then he could save Fred.

"That was fast, desperate to see me Perce…"

It was not Percy at his door.

"Hermione. Eh… you're back!"

He glanced over his shoulder at the mysterious device and pile of notes lying on his kitchen table, nearly in view of the doorway. By the time he looked back at the witch on his stoop, she was already pushing past him into his flat. Clearly in something of a state, Hermione dropped her bag and robes on the sofa and—to George's mounting horror—headed straight for the kitchen.

"Eh… how was your trip, Hermione?"

Trying to put himself between the table and her line of sight, George tried for casualness as she puttered about reaching for the tea things. Dashing at tears he hadn't noticed before, she flashed him a sad smile.

"It was lovely. My parents are wonderful dentists and treat their patients like family." She flicked her wand at the kettle to set it to heat and plopped tea bags in his mismatched mugs. "Thank you for convincing me to go, George. They'll never be my parents again, but I needed closure, I think."

Hermione's watery smile nearly had him forgetting about the piles of incriminating evidence on the table behind him. Thankfully he caught himself before revealing everything to give her the hug she obviously needed. How to be the mutual emotional support they'd been for each other recently while still ushering her out of his flat as soon as possible?

Apparently he hadn't done a good job hiding his mounting anxiety. The longer he hesitated, the worse it got, her tentative smile fading to confusion as she turned from the counter to face him fully.

"George, is everything alright?"

Frowning, she looked him over and, likely noticing he'd showered recently and even bothered to shave, her eyes flicked curiously around what she could see of the flat.

"Have you got someone here?"

Snatching at the out she'd given him, he pushed away from the table, further blocking her now roving line of sight.

"Yes! Yes, you caught me, Hermione. I've got company… Female company even!" At her incredulous expression, he carried on. "Was a bit lonely without you here lately so I went down to the Leaky and met someone. She's still sleeping so…"

Holding out an arm as if to usher her out, he clung desperately to the dwindling hope that he was selling it. Hermione would never approve of his plans. Her past dealings with time travel alone had put her off his companion list. There was no way someone as practical as her would just accept the strange shop keeper's story.

"George."

And with that one word, he knew he'd failed.

"You've hardly left your flat in months. You barely take care of yourself. I've been gone for two weeks, I half expected to find you in the clothes you had on the last time I was here. Please don't lie to me, George. What's going on?"

Bloody hell. He couldn't lie to her. Not to her, not after everything. He sighed heavily in defeat as she brushed past his still outstretched arm. Merlin, he just hoped she wouldn't try to stop him.

At her sharp intake of breath, he knew she'd seen it.

"George… is that? It almost looks like… and the magic feels similar. That's not what I think it is, is it?"

Bloody hell.

"Em… not exactly? Sort of?"

She whirled on him, her hand gripping his arm just a little too tight. "George, you can't! They don't work that way. I know how tempting it must be but you can't! You can't go back more than a day, two at the very most and even if you could… George, you can't change things, not like that."

"Hermione…" Taking her hand from his arm, though not letting go, he looked calmly into her eyes. "I know all that, but that isn't a time-turner. It doesn't work the same, not at all. At least, that's what the man that sold it to me claimed."

She gave him a skeptical look. "What man? And what do you mean, not a time turner? What is it? How is it meant to work if not the same? What does that even mean?"

He reached for it, gingerly picking it up from the mess of parchment. "The other day I went out, just for a bit of air. Well, I wasn't paying attention where I was going to be honest, and I ended up somewhere down Knockturn I'd never seen before. Suddenly I found myself in front of a shop. Guy that ran it—older chap, reminded me a bit of Filch actually—said he knew what I needed and sold me this."

By now Hermione was inspecting it closely, fingers carefully hovering over the rune inscribed dials. "That sounds suspicious already, George but I'll admit I've never seen anything like this and I've read more about time travel magics than probably anyone. Did he tell you where he got it?"

George shrugged and let her take it from him. "Astana? Said something about a bloc and secretive governments and how our Ministry thinks too highly of itself."

"Bloc?" She gave him a strange look before seeming to recall something. "The Soviet bloc? Kazakhstan?"

"Yes! I have no idea what a 'Soviet' is but he said he'd been out of the country the last few years, traveling about. Said the British Ministry doesn't know all it thinks it does… or something like that. He said this is different from a time-turner. That you can go back years if you want. He, Darby was his name, said it affects things differently too. You can, or I can in this case I suppose, change things. Something about muggle time theories… I don't know."

For much longer than was comfortable, Hermione was quiet. She searched his face for several moments before returning to her inspection of the not-a-time-turner. Finally she shook her head and sighed.

"Frankly, George… were the circumstances different I'd be surprised that you would trust a strange man in a mysterious shop in Knockturn alley. To be fair I don't know much about the magical community in Kazakhstan or anywhere outside England and Australia really. But still George… Time travel is time travel. If you do this, you've already done it. I don't see how that could be different. And I've studied muggle time theories, George."

George huffed in frustration, taking the device back from her. "You don't know everything like you think you do, Hermione." At her hurt expression, he sighed. "Well, it's true. And time travel is hardly a well understood magic." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember what Darby had called it. "Izmenit' proshloye? To change the past. He said that was the whole reason it was invented in the first place. Besides, we wouldn't know would we, if someone did make changes. Because they'd be done and we couldn't possibly know any different. I've got to try, Hermione. For Fred. I… I need him with me or I don't know how I'll go on."

Resting a hand on his shoulder placatingly, she worried at her bottom lip. "Even if it worked, it's so dangerous. What if you can't save him and you only hurt yourself worse? What if it kills you, George? I don't think I… or your family could bear it. You can't do this George, you just can't. It's too dangerous!" When he only stared back resolutely, she sighed and hung her head. "I won't be able to dissuade you, will I?"

"No."

She nodded and was quiet again for a moment before looking back into his eyes, her own determined.

"Then I guess I'll have to come with you."

George nearly choked on his surprise. It had already been much easier than he'd imagined to convince her to let him go.

"Sorry, what?"

The right corner of her lips turned up as her hand fell from his shoulder to join the other on her hips. "I'm coming with you. If that shopkeeper was barmy and it's just like any other time-turner, I'll keep you out of trouble. If he wasn't… well that battle was chaos. You need someone watching your back. Besides, it's not like I've got anyone to miss me here…"

"Hang on, that's not true, Hermione. You know it isn't. Besides… I thought I'd ask Percy."

Indignant color flooded her face. "Percy? Percy? Your brother, Percy Weasley? Are you serious?"

Holding up his hands in supplication, George defended his choice. "Well, Bill has the baby on the way, and Charlie has his dragons and I won't take Mum's babies from her. Besides, he was with Fred. He'll want to help me. "

She scoffed. "You think Percy will help you with illegal magic? Besides, he's got Audrey."

"Who?"

"The woman he's been seeing, from the Ministry?"

Ah. George had forgotten about her.

"They haven't been together long, and this isn't just some prank, Hermione. It's for Fred! He'll do it."

Looking exasperated, Hermione shook her head and began shuffling through his notes. "From what your mother says, they seemed quite serious. I don't have anything keeping me here, George but I do have experience with time travel. And I care about Fred too, remember? Let me help you, George. Please."

If they didn't make it, this would at least spare his family from losing two more sons. And Hermione was a powerful witch and probably smarter than Percy. Who better was there than the brains behind the 'Boy Who Lived' to help him pull off something this mad? If she was willing, she really was his best chance at this. He just… didn't particularly like the idea of her putting herself in such danger on his account.

"Are you sure, Hermione?"

She didn't hesitate. "Yes."