A/N Sorry this is just now going up. I didn't realize how soon after my morning route (I drive a school bus) I had to leave for the fieldtrip I was taking my kids on with our homeschool group. Then the day got away from me and now I'm dead tired but wanted to put this up before I went to bed!

Chapter 5

It was probably a mistake to have agreed so easily. Hermione hadn't said anything, merely given him a questioning, concerned look and gone along. He knew Dumbledore was definitely still suspicious—how could he not have been—and had likely wanted to stash them somewhere he could keep tabs on them.

Gideon and Fabian had been the obvious choice. After George's outburst and subsequent obvious care for family, who better than the definitely loyal to the Order Prewett twins? In Dumbledore's mind, the powerful duo would have no problem taking in the supposed family and reporting back to him anything they might overhear.

They had too much to hide. Hardly having been in the past a few hours, there had been no time to discuss what they should do. Going back six months and saving one person had been risky enough. Hermione had been afraid of the effects it would have, neither of them truly understanding how the device worked. George realized, perhaps even more than she did having grown up in the decade of peace between the wars, how much damage they could cause now.

It was definitely a mistake.

But the temptation had been too great. He had just lost Fred for the second time and he was too emotional to make a better reasoned decision. His uncles had been killed by Death Eaters when he was three but he and his brother had grown up hearing stories of the men for whom they had been named. Having been so young, neither had any clear memories of them.

Dumbledore had unknowingly offered George something he'd wanted for most of his life: the chance to know his uncles. It had been too much to pass up.

Now they sat in the overstuffed chintz chairs waiting. With Dumbledore's head in his floo, Hermione took the opportunity to attempt a silent conversation. They really did need to talk.

Her eyebrows were practically in her hair as she mouthed something too fast to make out. All he could do was shrug and mouth an apology. Seeing Dumbledore was still busy but keenly aware of the many other eyes and ears in the office, George reached up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear and murmured that he'd explain later. When she blushed slightly at his touch again, he realized he'd have to apologize for their new pretend relationship later as well.

"Just a moment, they're coming through."

Running his tongue along his teeth and brushing down his hair as he focused intently on the floo, he missed the amused look Hermione was giving him. When they stepped through, her hand holding his was all that kept him from leaping to his feet. Her unspoken warning was clear.

Calm down.

Letting out a short breath, he flashed her a small smile of thanks and stood at a much more dignified pace. The two men—as identical as he and Fred had been—moved together into the room with what to anyone else might have seemed a practiced choreography of confident amusement. To George, their obvious ease he thought only magical twins could ever know was almost painful to witness.

With matching skeptical smirks and arched copper coloured brows, they looked him up and down.

"So, this is our long lost, homeschooled cousin?"

"Hmm, well he certainly looks like one of ours. Has a bit of, dear Aunt Muriel about the eyes."

George couldn't hold in the offended scoff. "Oh now that's just unkind."

The brother that had spoken first chuckled and pulled his hand from the pocket of his tailored green robes, extending it to George. "Gideon Prewett ."

Fabian stepped forward and followed suit, laughing as well. "Fabian Prewett."

Instantly feeling the draw of the familial magic and noting minute differences in their appearances; the small scar in Gideon's left brow and a peculiar shape in the freckles along Fabian's jaw, George couldn't help his own amused smirk. "George Prewett." He half turned to Hermione, reaching to pull her from her seat and to his side with his free hand. "My fiancé, Helen Wilson."

Gideon elbowed his brother aside, stepping forward first. "Ah yes, the French lover." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he kissed the back of her hand. "Enchanté. Gideon Prewett at your service my good lady."

Not to be outdone, Fabian scoffed and smacked his twin's hand away, taking hers himself. "Fabian, the better looking Prewett twin."

Hermione's earlier blush deepened and George found himself mildly irritated at their flirtatious greeting. Hadn't he just introduced her as his fiancé?

"Is that so?"

Shrugging in a way that reminded George a bit of Sirius Black on a good day, Fabian sent Gideon a patronizing look before smiling at her. "Obviously."

"Hmm. Well, perhaps. Not the best looking Prewett though, I'd say."

The smirk she wore as she leaned into his side made George wish for a moment that he really could kiss her.

Gideon burst out laughing at his brother's expense, clapping him on the back."Fair enough!"

Fabian shrugged him off with a wry grin as Dumbledore cleared his throat, reclaiming their attention.

"As I mentioned, Mr. Prewett and Miss Wilson are in need of a safe place to stay after being targeted by Death Eaters for Miss Wilson's blood status and likely the nature of their relationship."

At the reminder of their "circumstances", all humor was sucked from the room. His uncles, though George supposed he should stop referring to them as such, suddenly looked like the fierce warriors he knew them to be. Allowing himself a moment to be impressed, he imagined the duel that would cost them their lives. He wondered if backup had needed to be called or if the Death Eaters had known it would take so many of them to defeat the two powerful men.

"As your home is so well warded, and being that they are family, I thought it best if they stayed with the pair of you. At least until their affairs are in order so that they may return to France and the safety of the continent."

George didn't need to see the other men's reactions to know what Dumbledore had done, the manipulative old bastard. But he did look, and their open disdain hurt as much as he knew it would.

"A coward then. No wonder we've never met. Our branch of the family doesn't hold with cowardice"

Unable to defend himself in the face of his childhood hero's disgust, George simply frowned at Dumbledore. Hermione however, was not nearly so affected.

"How dare you, you great old goat! George has already explained himself to you. You have no right to insult him to his family. And you!" Pulling away from him to round on his uncles, George couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from her and her glorious sparking wild hair. "You've only just met him. You have no idea what kind of man he is or the things he's faced. George is no coward! He's fought plenty and lost too much. This war is a losing war, anyone can see that. Why should we stay only to die while he," she jabbed a furious finger at Dumbledore, "sits safe in this castle instead of facing Voldemort? He's the only one that can."

Fury spent, she huffed angrily and spun on her heel, leaving a pair of astonished wizards in her wake. By the time she had recrossed the room to George's side, she looked exhausted and sad. Touched by her defense of him and now wanting nothing more than to go to bed and forget about their troubles, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she dropped her forehead against his chest.

Releasing an impressed breath, Fabian rubbed at his chest where she'd poked him. "Alright woman, whatever you say."

Gideon, who had spent her little rant reaching out slowly in an ill fated attempt to touch her sparking hair, rubbed gingerly at his fingers as he gave George a more appraising look. "Your lady has the right of it, cousin. We don't know anything about you. Perhaps we should reserve our judgment."

Dumbledore, somehow managing to look disgruntled despite the thrice damned twinkle in his eye, rounded his desk and sank back into his overly large chair with an unnecessary creak. "There. It's settled. They'll stay with you for the time being. Gideon, Fabian, I'll pop round for tea in a few days to see how everyone's getting along."

The house felt vaguely familiar to George even though he hadn't visited since he was three, but he was too exhausted to explore any potential memories. Emotionally and magically drained, he could hardly muster the energy to say much of anything once they'd left the tension of Dumbledore's office. Dusting themselves off after stepping through the floo, he and Hermione followed Gideon down a hall and up two flights of stairs to a bedroom.

"The bathroom is across the hall." He jerked his head at a door directly across from the bedroom he'd led them to. "Kitchen's downstairs and to the left. We haven't any house elves so if you need anything, just find one of us. Make yourselves at home."

Fabian, having joined them lower on the stairs, leaned against the wall and raised a suggestive brow. "Not too much though. Remember your silencing charms, ya?"

Wide eyed and flush, Hermione scoffed softly and pushed past to disappear into the bedroom. Shooting his uncles a look of half hearted irritation, George begged off for the rest of the afternoon and followed her. As he instantly raised his wand to cast locking and silencing charms, he couldn't help the tired chuckle.

"I never knew they existed and yet somehow your twin uncles are exactly how I'd imagine them." She wore a sleepy little half smile where she sat on the end of the bed, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. After a moment though, the smile faded into something sad and apologetic. "When do they die? Do you know?"

Scratching his chin as he crossed the room to sit beside her, George sighed. "August, 1981. It took or… will take I guess... five Death Eaters to kill them." Remembering how her fifth year had ended, he glanced down at her. "Dolohov was one of them."

A dark look passed over her and she shuddered. "Bastard."

"Ya… uh…" He winced and looked away, anywhere but at her. "I should apologize, Hermione."

When she only gave him a questioning look, he sighed and tried not to sound as awkward as he felt. "For telling Dumbledore we're a couple. I don't know what I was thinking, I wasn't really. It was so shocking to see him again, alive… and I wasn't really in my right mind. Just sort of… came out. Now we're stuck with pretending." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. "Anyway, I'm sorry."

Hermione snorted. "Yes well… It was a surprise. But it gives us an excuse for privacy." She gestured vaguely around the room. "It will be much easier to talk and figure out what to do next without anyone questioning why we'd be spending so much time locked in a silenced bedroom together."

Feeling a blush creep up his neck for the first time since he'd gotten them into this predicament, George had to admit she was right. "True." Still, it might get a bit weird if his uncle's behavior so far was any indication of their usual. Before he could think on it too hard or say anything else, Hermione was digging in her bag.

"There's so much… so much to say and think about and plan but..." She shook her head sadly as she shoved her arm deeper into the bag in search of something. "I'm too tired to think about any of that now. We're on Dumbledore's radar already unfortunately, but at least we're safe for now." Finally, she drew out a small pouch he knew held her toothbrush and a large sleep shirt. Her eyes, when she looked back at him, were misted and wan. "Can we just go to bed for now, George? Maybe discuss things after a late lunch?"

Feeling much the same, he nodded and slid his own bag from his shoulders. They could talk later. While she was in the bathroom, George slid out of his shoes and replaced his muggle jeans for sleep pants and stretched out on one side of the bed. It wouldn't take much effort to split it into two, but they'd passed out together on his sofa the last several nights after staying up arguing and researching anyway.

Slipping back into their room, Hermione tossed her clothes on the sitting chair on top of his jeans and collapsed down beside him on the bed. Neither of them said anything for a long time, both too caught up in their own thoughts and miseries.

They had discussed it for days, but they still weren't sure they could actually change anything. He'd believed they could, for Fred, and she had finally gone along. But could they really? George hoped so. Thinking about his Mum and Dad realizing they'd lost another son, probably not for several days since he so rarely saw them, made him feel like a right bastard. Maybe they'd live their lives and he'd find them after, but he'd be in his forties and they'd have missed so much of each other.

"I'm so scared, George. We just… we just fought a war and barely survived and now we've been dropped right in the middle of another." Unable to think of anything meaningful to say, he opted for what had seemed to work best since they'd found themselves here. He reached across the bed and took her hand. "I bet you're glad I came along. This would be awfully awkward with Percy."

They both laughed at that. "Ya… I doubt he would have taken my cover story half so well."

The bed moved as she rolled to her side. "If I have to be lost in time, I'm glad I'm not alone. I'm glad we're together."

"Ya. Me too Hermione, me too."