A/N - Well, it's been hot minute since I published anything new. I lost my muse for a long time but thanks to a plot bunny posted in a Harry Potter Facebook group I belong to, you all get this new story. Thank you so much frogschanz for this idea! I have no update schedule for this as I'm trying not to stress myself out too much now that the words are finally flowing again (seriously, I was starting to get worried). But I'm hoping for every week to week and a half.

There will be multiple pairings in this story. Hermione is with someone different in every universe. Pairings will include (in no particular order)- Theo, Kingsley, Harry, Draco, Neville, Fred, and Sirius. One of them is end game but I'm not going to tell you which one. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

Chapter 1

22 June 2003

Hermione sighed as she stepped into the lift. It was early enough that she was the only occupant, for which she was grateful. She hadn't slept well the night before and didn't have it in her to make small talk with other Ministry employees.

She and Ron had another row yesterday. They were supposed to have dinner with her parents and Ron had cancelled again, this time because he'd gotten last-minute tickets to a Cannons game. In a surprise to just about everyone, the Cannons were actually competitive this season and one of Weasley Wizards Wheezes' suppliers had gotten tickets and offered one to Ron.

But it was the third time in the last two months Ron had had an excuse as to why he couldn't make it to dinner. The first had been work-related, an experiment at a critical stage at the shop, and so Hermione had understood. The second time had been work-related as well, although nothing pressing in Hermione's opinion. Given Ron had known about the dinner with her parents two weeks in advance, surely they could have done inventory a different evening. Still, she had let it go as she also sometimes worked late and Ron rarely complained. This last time though, there was no excuse for it in her opinion.

After tossing and turning for half the night, Ron snoring obliviously next to her, Hermione had finally gotten up and decided to come to work early.

She exited the lift as it arrived at level nine and made her way to the Entrance Chamber. After waving her wand in a complicated pattern in front of one of the doors, it clicked open and Hermione stepped through the Time Room. She walked towards her office, noticing on her way that the lamps were lit in her boss' office already. She wasn't overly surprised, Saul was usually the first one to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night.

Hermione stepped into her office, hanging her cloak on the hook near the door and setting her briefcase on her desk. There were no memos waiting for her, not surprising considering it was Monday and she'd gotten into work nearly an hour early. Still, she wished there would have been something she could have focused on, however mundane. She'd finished her last project on Friday and hadn't been assigned anything new as of yet. That would come at the staff meeting this morning.

She spent a few minutes tidying her desk, which really didn't need it, then stood and plucked a book randomly from her shelf. She'd read everything more than once but hopefully it would keep her mind occupied and off of her problems with Ron.

After reading the same paragraph three times and retaining none of it, Hermione tossed the book onto her desk and groaned. She sat back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling finally acknowledging the thing she had been avoiding thinking about for months. She and Ron weren't working.

The first few months after the war had been a whirlwind as they worked to rebuild Hogwarts and grieve those they'd lost. Hermione had retrieved her parents from Australia, something that hadn't gone all that well at first as they'd been incensed over what she'd done. Ron had kept her together, as she had for him while he mourned the loss of Fred. They'd spent nearly all their free time together.

And then Hermione had gone back to Hogwarts and Ron had joined the Aurors with Harry. Hermione had thought that the year apart would have been horribly difficult. But it hadn't been, except at the very beginning. They'd adjusted quickly, however, and Hermione had been content with seeing Ron on Hogsmeade weekends and during holidays. She'd always wondered about it, given how much Ginny had missed Harry. Shouldn't Hermione have missed Ron more?

She had convinced herself it was merely because she was focused on her studies and N.E.W.T.S. No one had questioned that but truthfully, Hermoine could have sat her N.E.W.T.S. by Halloween and gotten the same marks. Now, she would even admit to being a bit bored after the Christmas hols.

She'd gotten hired as an Unspeakable almost immediately after finishing Hogwarts. Her training, along with Ron's unpredictable schedule, didn't give them that much more time together than they'd had while she had been at school. It hadn't really bothered her then either, nor did Ron seem to mind. It worked for them and she didn't let herself dwell on it all that much.

Now that Ron worked with George, though, they both kept much more regular hours. And they were living together so they saw each other all the time. While she'd expected an adjustment period after he moved in, she didn't expect that it would still be going on almost two years later.

Sighing, Hermione leaned forward, her elbows on her desk, her face in her hands. They needed to have a serious talk because she was starting to think that maybe it was better if they went their separate ways.

The thought made her heart hurt, although not in the way she imagined it should. It was less about sadness that a romantic relationship might be ending and more that she was afraid she would lose Harry and the rest of the Weasleys.

While she and Ron might manage to become friends again eventually, it wasn't something that was going to happen overnight, especially if Hermione were the one to end things. Even if it were mutual and ended amicably, sides would still be chosen. Ron's family would obviously side with him.

She was sure that Harry would try to maintain his friendship with both of them. But Ron was Harry's best mate, had been since they met on the train at eleven. And Harry was married to Ginny. Hermione knew that Harry wouldn't abandon her on purpose but she didn't want him to have to choose between the two of them either.

Still, none of these were reasons to stay in a relationship that wasn't working. And hers wasn't.

"Granger?"

Hermione's head snapped up to find her boss standing in her doorway, frown on his face. "Everything all right?"

"Yes, sir," she replied sitting up straighter in her chair, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles in her robes.

"Glad you're in early this morning, I've got something for you." He turned and walked away, obviously expecting Hermione to follow.

She stood and quickly followed behind. He led her through the Time Room to one of the small rooms they used to study unknown devices. Wards layered the rooms to keep anything destructive inside so as not to endanger the rest of the department. There was a small ornate looking box sitting in the middle of the table. Director Croaker drew his wand and waved it at the box to open it.

"Have a look," he said as Hermione drew up alongside.

The box was lined with black velvet and a small silver device was nestled in the middle, attached to a silver chain. Hermione leaned closer for a better look and realized there was a containment ward around the box. She turned to her boss, eyebrows raised in question. He simply nodded towards the device, meaning he wasn't going to tell her why the containment ward had been cast until she'd really looked at it. He rarely gave them any hints as to what he thought something was. He'd rather they came to a conclusion on their own. Hermione appreciated that about him.

The device bore a slight resemblance to a time-turner but was also completely different. The middle wasn't shaped like an hourglass, but more of a flat disc surrounded by a series of concentric rings. The middle was filled with sand but it was a different color than time-turner sand. And unlike a time-turner, there were more rings around the middle, five to be exact. It looked as if they would all rotate, although it was hard to tell when the device lay flat in the box. There were symbols and runes carved into the circles, too small for Hermione to determine what they were without a magnifying charm or glass. The overall size of the object was a bit larger than the time-turner Hermione had used in her third year. Although, the time-turners that had been housed in the Department of Mysteries before they were all destroyed in the debacle her fifth year had been a variety of sizes, so the size didn't really tell her much.

"Thoughts?" Director Croaker finally said.

"It looks a bit like a time-turner but not," Hermione said.

He nodded. "It's like no time-turner I've ever seen."

"Where did it come from?"

Croaker sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. "I assume you're aware that Augustus Rookwood was once an Unspeakable?"

Hermione nodded. Rookwood had been sentenced to life in Azkaban after his arrest following the Final Battle.

"The DMLE got an anonymous tip to another property they hadn't known about when they confiscated his assets after his guilty verdict."

After the war, Death Eaters that were sentenced to life in Azkaban were also heavily fined. If they had no living relatives who were not in prison to claim their vaults and properties, they were confiscated by the Ministry. Rookwood had been one such case.

"The Aurors did a search and found plenty of Dark objects and a few things they couldn't identify. This was one of them," Croaker said.

"The containment ward is because it's Dark?" Hermione asked.

Croaker shook his head. "No Dark residue was found on it. The containment ward is because I don't know what the hell it is or what it does."

"But someone at the DMLE must have handled it," she said.

"They handled the box. They did open it but when no one recognized what was inside, they didn't touch it."

"Surprising," Hermione said dryly.

There was more than one Auror that wasn't exactly careful when handling unknown objects. Thankfully, Harry wasn't one of them. She'd drilled it into his head enough and he'd grown out of his impulsivity a bit since school.

Her boss snorted in amusement. "I want you to take the lead on this."

Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "Me, sir?" She'd never been the lead on a project like this, an unknown object they were trying to identify. She mostly did research on existing devices or phenomena.

"You've got the most experience with time-turners and while we're not sure this is one, it's got enough similarities." He studied her for a moment. "You're ready for this."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione said, feeling her cheeks pinken a bit at the praise.

"I want the ward left in place until you determine what those symbols and runes mean. Once that's done, we'll discuss it and reassess."

"Yes, sir."

"This room will be reserved for your use," he said. "Make sure you ward it when you leave for any reason. You know how curious everyone around here is."

"Can I bring in anyone else?" It wasn't unusual for more than one Unspeakable to work on something like this.

"Who?"

"Padma," Hermione said immediately. The two of them had worked on projects together before and Hermione felt that they complimented one another. They'd also become friends.

"Patil's still in the middle of a project," her boss said. "She'll need to finish that first. But you can brief her if you like."

"Thank you," Hermione said.

"Good luck, Granger."

Hermione straightened and stretched. She'd been bent over the table for far too long. So far, she hadn't made any determination as to what exactly the thing was but she had identified a few of the runes. They didn't make much sense yet though, especially with the odd symbols added in. And the task was made more difficult by the fact that everything was so tiny. The magnification charm worked, to a degree, but it was slow-going.

Glancing at her watch, she realized it was nearly time for lunch. She thought about working through but she'd made plans with Harry. She hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks and really wanted to talk to him. Setting her parchment and quill aside, she left the room, cast her personal wards, and made her way to the lift.

The Atrium was busy as it always was during the lunch hour but Hermione found Harry relatively quickly. He had a pensive look on his face as he leaned back against the wall which disappeared into a genuine smile when he spotted her.

"Hey, Hermione," he said, pulling her in for a hug when she reached him.

Hermione frowned. While it had been longer than usual since she'd seen him, it still hadn't been that long. He didn't normally hug her in the middle of the Ministry.

"Everything okay?" she asked once he'd released her.

"Yeah, just missed you is all."

Hermione studied his face and had a feeling he was lying but she didn't press him on it yet. "The usual?"

"Sounds good," he said, transfiguring their robes as they left the Ministry.

The small café a few streets over was Muggle and was one of the reasons they frequented it. They weren't bothered by reporters or fans here. A few other Ministry workers sometimes ate here but they never bothered Harry and Hermione.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked as soon as they'd sat down at a table after ordering their food at the counter.

"Nothing," Harry said.

"Don't give me that."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair while he glanced around the café. Hermione's eyes followed his in case she recognized someone he didn't but there wasn't anyone else magical here today.

"I need to show you something." He pulled a magazine from inside his robes and passed it to Hermione. It was Quidditch magazine but not one that she'd heard of.

Harry had obviously cast a charm on it to keep the picture on the front from moving given where they were. She looked at him questioningly.

"Page twenty-seven," he said keeping his gaze on the tabletop.

Hermione flipped through and her brows shot to her hairline when she reached the aforementioned page. This photograph was still moving and Hermione tilted the magazine closer to her to keep it hidden.

Ginny sat at a table in what looked like a pub with a man that was not Harry. She bent her head closer to him when the man spoke and he moved in so it seemed as if he were whispering in her ear. Ginny turned towards him and then laughed and the man grinned, his arm across the back of Ginny's chair. Given their proximity, as well as the angle of the photograph, it very much looked like they were more than friends.

Hermione glanced at the headline beneath the photo. "Has the Chosen One been Unchosen?" She rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of it. The article went on to speculate on the state of Harry and Ginny's marriage as well as what she was now doing with the man in the photograph who was apparently the Harpies' team Healer.

Still, that didn't mean anything that was printed was true. She'd never even seen this particular periodical before and Ron subscribed to quite a few Quidditch publications.

"Harry, this doesn't mean anything. You should know that better than anyone. This could be completely innocent and the press just made up a story to go with it."

"I do know that, Hermione," Harry said with a sigh. "And I've already spoken to Ginny about it. She was the one that showed it to me actually. Wanted to tell me before someone else did."

"What is this magazine anyway? Ron doesn't get this one."

"It's just a gossip rag but centered around Quidditch. Ron wouldn't subscribe to it," Harry said dismissively.

"What did Ginny say?" Hermione asked.

"She swore that nothing was going on. The team had gone to this pub in Falmouth after their last match against the Falcons. It was really loud and Alex was leaning in to tell her something. Ginny said that the whole team was at the table but the photographer obviously cut them rest of them out."

Hermione looked closer at the photo and could see the tips of what looked like someone else's fingers on the table next to Ginny. "So, it's nothing then."

"I don't know," Harry said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"The look on her face," Harry said. "When she looks at him before she laughs."

Hermione glanced down at the photo again with a frown. She watched the sequence a few times before she saw it. A softening of Ginny's features as she looked at Alex. Hermione looked back up at Harry.

"She used to look at me like that," Harry said with a sad smile.

"Wait a minute," Hermione said trying to wrap her mind around what Harry was saying. "You think she's cheating?"

"No. I believed her when she said there wasn't anything going on. But I think that maybe," he paused and sighed, "maybe she wants there to be."

Hermione was having a hard time wrapping her mind around any of this. "What do you mean she used to look at you like that?"

Harry was silent for a few moments. "Things have been…off for a while now. It's like we're both just going through the motions or something."

Hermione felt her heart begin to beat faster in her chest. She felt the exact same way about her own relationship. But Harry and Ginny had always seemed…meant to be. Or at least that's the image they projected to everyone.

"Every relationship has rough patches. Maybe the two of you just need to take a holiday or something. Reconnect."

Harry shook his head. "I think it's more than that. She also wants to wait still."

Ginny and Harry had been talking about starting a family. Last year, she'd told him she thought she'd would be ready in a year but apparently, she'd changed her mind.

"Did she say why?"

"She's had the starting Chaser position with the Harpies for less than a year. She's afraid if takes time to have a baby now she won't get it back. And I understand that, I do. I know she worked hard to get off the Reserves and moved to starter. I don't want to pressure her and we should definitely both be ready."

Hermione cocked her head to this side. "But?"

"If it were just the waiting to have kids, that would be one thing but with everything else." He shook his head then gave a mirthless laugh. "I suppose it's a good thing she changed her mind. I wouldn't want to bring a kid into this."

"What is 'this' exactly?"

"I honestly don't know," Harry said and the look on his face made Hermione's heart break for him.

"I think you need to talk to Ginny. You need to figure out what's going on with you two and how you can fix it."

He looked down, tracing a finger across a small scratch on the tabletop. Hermione watched him for a few moments before realizing there was more to it.

"Harry?" she prodded.

Harry sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if she wants to have kids at all."

Hermione frowned. "Did she say something?"

"No," Harry said running a hand through his hair. "Not in so many words but sometimes when I talk about it she just gets this...I don't know, this look. I can't explain it really, it's just a feeling."

Hermione was well aware of how often Harry's gut feelings were right. It's what made him such a good Auror, not to mention everything that had happened while they were at Hogwarts.

"Didn't you talk about this while you were still dating?"

"Of course we did. But either she's changed her mind or-" he trailed off shaking his head.

"Or what?"

"Nothing, never mind."

"Tell me," Hermione encouraged.

Harry pulled in a breath and met Hermione's gaze. His eyes were suspiciously bright. "What if she just told me that because she knew it was what I wanted to hear?"

Hermione worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Ginny had been in love with the idea of Harry since she was a little girl, even if she truly did love him for himself now. While Hermione really didn't want to believe that Ginny would do something like that, she could see it. Still, she wasn't going to upset Harry by agreeing with him. And it wasn't her place to get between them.

Hermione took Harry's hand. "I think you need to sit down and have a serious talk with her. Not just about the kid thing but all of this. Figure out where you stand and what you can do to work through it."

He was quiet for a few minutes. "And if we can't?"

"Then you'll have a decision to make. And I'll be here for you. We'll get through it, just like we always have."

Harry squeezed her hand and nodded. "Thanks, Hermione. I love you, you know."

"I love you too, Harry," Hermione said quietly. There was a slight pang in her chest like there always was when Harry told her he loved her.

They were interrupted by the arrival of their food. Once the server had walked away, Harry spoke again. "What's going on with you then?" He picked up his sandwich and took a bite.

It was Hermione's turn to sigh. "Ron cancelled dinner with my parents again."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Work?"

"Not this time. He got tickets to the Cannons match."

Harry stared at her for a few moments, clearly shocked. Hermione grimaced. She knew that Harry would never miss a dinner at the Burrow unless there was an emergency at work. Then again, he had considered the Weasleys his family even before he and Ginny got together so it was a bit different.

Ron had always been a bit uncomfortable at her parents' house. Hermione avoided using magic in front of them as much as possible. It was still a bit of a sore spot between the three of them. It was disconcerting for Ron, she knew. Plus, he really didn't have much in common with her dad. Ron didn't understand cars, which was her dad's main hobby and, of course, had absolutely no comprehension of anything having to do with dentistry despite Hermione explaining it multiple times. They got by on stilted conversations about football and Quidditch and the new things Ron and George had invented for the shop. Ron always wanted to leave as soon as possible after they'd eaten while her parents always wanted to chat for a while. Hermione invariably felt guilty whether they stayed or left.

"That's just, that's not on, Hermione," Harry finally said.

She shrugged. "It was a last minute thing. It's not like he planned it." She had no idea why she was trying to defend Ron.

"That doesn't matter," Harry said. "You already had plans. I doubt he'd be okay with you skipping a family dinner at the Burrow for a reason like that."

Hermione gave him a sad smile because it was true. Ron would have been much more upset than she was had the situation been reversed. But when it was her parents, he didn't seem to care.

Harry studied her for a moment. "Listen, I think you need to talk to Ron. Tell him how important this is to you."

"I know," she sighed.

"We're a pair, aren't we?" Harry said, giving her another half-smile.

"Yeah, we are," she agreed.

They stared at one another intently for a few moments before Harry cleared his throat and dropped his gaze. Hermione shook her head as if to clear it. Then she picked up her fork and dug into her salad while Harry went back to his sandwich.

After lunch, Hermione stopped by Padma's office. "Do you have a minute?"

"Hold on," Padma said as she continued what looked like an arithmancy equation. A few seconds later, she put down her quill and looked expectantly at Hermione.

Hermione had been pleasantly surprised when she had been hired by the Department of Mysteries and found that Padma was already working there. The Ravenclaw hadn't returned to Hogwarts after the war, choosing instead to sit her N.E.W.T.S. at the Ministry that summer. Normally, it would have been a bit odd to hire two new Hogwarts graduates only a year apart but the DOM had lost staff just like every other department after Kingsley had cleaned house when he became Minister. While the two women hadn't been more than acquaintances while at Hogwarts, they were now close friends.

"I've got something I want to run by you," Hermione said. "Director Croaker told me you're still working on a project but gave me permission to brief you. If you're interested, I'd like you to assist once you're finished whatever you're working on."

Padma's eyebrows rose. "Sounds intriguing. You're lead?"

"I was just as surprised as you are."

"The only surprise is that it took this long for Croaker to do it," Padma said with a laugh.

Hermione's cheeks colored again. "I, well, thank you."

Padma smiled. "So, what is it?"

"It's probably easier if I show you."

Padma stood and followed Hermione to the room where the object was. Hermione dropped the wards and then led Padma inside. She immediately moved to the table to look at the device.

"What is it?" Padma asked.

"Give me your thoughts first," Hermione said.

Padma moved around the table, studying the device from all angles just as Hermione had. She, too, asked about the containment ward and the need for it, then squinted down at the tiny runes and symbols on the surface of the circles.

Finally, she stood straight and looked at Hermione. "I'd say time-turner but that's not really right."

Hermione nodded. "I thought the same."

"Have you translated any of the runes?"

"A few."

"And?"

"Nothing that makes much sense yet," Hermione sighed. "But I haven't figured out what language the symbols come from, if they even do."

Padma's brow furrowed in thought. "You think whoever made this might have used symbols of their own creation?"

"It's possible, isn't it?"

"I suppose," Padma mused, going back to study the object again. "Once you get the runes translated, it might be easier to figure out what the symbols mean. They're interspersed amongst the runes so it would make sense that they tie them all together somehow."

"I thought the same thing."

"Whoever made this definitely didn't want to make it easy to figure out," Padma said glancing up at Hermione.

"That's what worries me," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Where did it come from?"

"Rookwood."

Padma pulled in a sharp breath. "I definitely see the reason Director Croaker wanted a containment ward."

"Makes it much more difficult to study though."

"Still," Padma said and Hermione made a noise of agreement.

"What runes did you get so far?"

"They're so tiny, it's hard to see even with a magnification charm so it's been a bit time-consuming making sure I'm correct. So far I've found 'journey' and one that means protection. Then there's one that stands for soul."

"Soul?" Padma questioned in confusion.

"The journey and protection make sense if it is some kind of time-turner. But the soul-" Hermione trailed off.

She knew what her first thought had been when she'd translated that one. Rookwood had been a Death Eater and Voldemort had made Horcruxes. What if this were some kind of soul container that could travel in time? If someone had taken a piece of Voldemort's soul back in time to stop the events of Halloween 1981 from happening, for example, well, that was something that Hermione didn't even want to contemplate.

Still, there was no Dark residue on the device, which there definitely would have been had it been another Horcrux. Not to mention that Harry wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort five years ago, if this Horcrux still existed. So perhaps, if that was the intent, they hadn't been able to actually use it.

"Dark Magic?" Padma questioned.

"No," Hermione said. "Croaker ran diagnostics and I did them again when I figured out that rune."

Padma stared at Hermione for a few moments. "So not a Horcrux then."

While the knowledge of the Horcruxes had been kept from the public and most of the Ministry at large, Hermione had always suspected that the Unspeakables were briefed on them. Still, she hadn't known for sure until now.

"No," she said firmly.

Padma nodded. "I'd like to work with you on this but I've got another couple of days to finish up my current project."

"That's fine," Hermione said. "With as long as it's taking me just to decipher the runes, I'm sure I'll still be working on it."

"All right," Padma said. "Good luck, Hermione."

"Thanks."

Padma left the room and Hermione turned back to the device on the table. Sighing, she cast the magnification spell again and set back to work.

It was nearly seven by the time Hermione got back to her flat. She hadn't made much more progress on the runes. She had spent a large portion of the afternoon tinkering with the magnification spell, trying to get it to enlarge the runes even further without distorting them. She made a mental note to look into a strong magnifying glass. She had no idea how powerful Muggles could make them these days but maybe it would help. She'd only stopped for the day because Director Croaker had basically forced her to leave.

When Hermione stepped out of the fireplace, she knew that Ron wasn't home yet either. He must have had to close tonight. Normally, George closed on Mondays but perhaps they'd switched.

Hermione couldn't deny that she was grateful she didn't have to deal with her boyfriend yet. She wanted a soak in her tub and then she'd scrounge up some food for herself. Maybe takeaway from that little place up the street.

Hermione walked into her bedroom, stripping as she went. She pulled on a fluffy bathrobe and started the water in the bath, then made her way to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. When she returned to the bathroom, she pulled her hair up on top of her head and secured it magically, added some bubbles to the bath and then shed her robe and climbed in.

Sighing, she relaxed back into the tub and took a sip of her wine. Her mind wandered back to her lunch with Harry. She hated seeing him so upset.

Hermione wondered what he would do. She knew that he loved Ginny and there were other issues as well, but she didn't think that he could give up on his wish for kids. Hermione knew that Harry wanted at least two children but wouldn't be averse to more. Hermione herself wanted at least two as well. She hadn't always liked being an only child and had wished for a sibling her entire childhood. After Ron had left them on the Horcrux hunt, she and Harry had spent many nights talking about the future and what they'd hoped for.

That's not all that happened after Ron left her traitorous brain reminded her. Hermione was not going to think about that right now. Besides, it had only happened the once and they'd both decided that it had been a mistake. They were sad and lonely and both had just needed a bit of comfort. It had been awkward for a day or two but they'd soon fallen back into their friendship and it was like it had never happened. Which was what they both wanted.

There was a disbelieving snort in head but she ignored that too, taking another drink of her wine. She closed her eyes and started clearing her mind. She didn't want to think about anything right now.

"Hermione?" Ron's voice called.

She sighed. So much for relaxing. "In here, Ron."

A few moments later, Ron stepped into the bathroom. "Oh, hey."

"You didn't have to close tonight?"

Ron frowned. "Monday's George's night. You know that."

"I just assumed you'd switched since you weren't home when I got here."

"Oh, right. No, I went with Seamus and Dean for a pint. How long have you been home?"

"Long enough to draw a bath and pour myself some wine," Hermione said raising her glass slightly.

"Oh," Ron said. He glanced back over his shoulder, then back at her before flicking his gaze back to the floor.

"What?" Hermione said at the look on his face.

"No supper then I'm guessing."

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from exploding. Why was supper always her responsibility? Stupid question, of course, and the answer was Molly Weasley. Ron, unlike the rest of his brothers, hadn't seen the need to attempt to learn to feed himself. He'd lived at the Burrow until he'd moved in with Hermione. And on the nights when Hermione worked late, he either got takeaway or went to the Burrow.

She took a silent breath to calm herself. "I was going to get takeaway from up the road, actually."

He finally took a minute to look at her. "Long day?"

"I got a new project. I'm lead."

"Hermione, that's great!"

Her heart softened a bit at his reaction. He could be a bit obtuse, yes, but he did care about her. "Thanks."

"Listen, you finish up here and I'll get the takeaway. You want your usual?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, Ron."

He grinned at her and then left the loo. Hermione sighed and relaxed back into the bath again.

After they had finished eating, Hermione turned to Ron. "We need to talk."

"All right," he said looking a bit confused.

Of course, he didn't know what she wanted to talk about. He saw nothing wrong with what had happened the day before. Hermione rolled her eyes as she walked to the sofa and sat down. Ron sat on the other end.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's about yesterday," Hermione began.

Ron sighed loudly. "Hermione, it wasn't that big a deal."

"It was to me," she insisted. "We had made plans, Ron."

"I've missed dinner with your parents before."

"Yes, for work-related reasons. That's different. This was a Quidditch match."

"It was the Cannons, Hermione."

"It doesn't matter if it was the World Cup," she said in exasperation, throwing her hands in the air. "We had plans."

Ron looked at her as if she were mental. "You'd make me miss the World Cup to have dinner with your parents?"

"Oh my god, that is so not the point of this conversation!"

"It's not like we cancelled altogether," Ron reasoned. "You still went."

"Yes, and I had to try to explain to my parents why a Quidditch match was more important to you than they were." Hermione voice had risen.

"You parents don't care if I'm there anyway," Ron said, getting louder himself.

"Thant's not true!"

"It is true! Your dad only ever wants to talk about football and your mum rarely has anything to say to me."

Hermione stared at him incredulously. "My dad asks you about the shop all the time."

"Yeah, but he doesn't understand any of our products."

"He's not a wizard, Ron!"

"Then I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Hermione!"

"He's not a wizard but he's an intelligent human being. You could try explaining it to him. Non-magicals have pranks and jokes too you know. As for my mum, she's tried to talk to you about a variety of topics but you never have more than a few words to say to her."

"I don't understand all that dentist stuff," Ron said.

"You've never tried to understand, despite having it explained to you numerous times. And she talks about more than just her job."

Ron crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "I don't get why I have to come all the time anyway. They're your parents."

"I'll remember that next family dinner at the Burrow," Hermione snapped.

"That's different!"

"How?"

"They're your family too!" Ron insisted.

Hermione stared at him in stunned silence. Not because she didn't feel that way about the Weasleys but because Ron obviously didn't seem to think the same applied to her parents.

Ron seemed to realize what he'd said because he immediately tried to backtrack. "I just mean that you've known my family since you were twelve. You've stayed with us in the summers and everything. You've always said my family was like your second family, even before we were together."

"And if we stay together, my parents would be your family someday," Hermione said quietly. "It's good to know how you feel about that, I guess." She rose from the couch and began to leave the room.

Ron grasped her wrist as she walked past. "Hermione, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry, all right."

"Whatever, Ron."

"Hermione," he tried but she shook her head, pulling from his hold.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

She left the room to a deep sigh from Ron. She didn't even glance back at him as she stepped into their bedroom and shut the door.

23 June 2003

Hermione rolled her shoulders as she sat back in her chair. She had been at this for long enough, she should probably quit for the day and go home. Everyone else was long gone; Padma had stayed for about an hour but then had plans for dinner with Parvati. Even Director Croaker had left a half hour ago. Hermione had no desire to go back to her flat, however.

Ron had never come to bed last night. She figured he'd either slept on the couch or gone to the flat above the shop. George had moved in with Angelina last summer but had kept the flat. He and Ron sometimes still slept there if they were experimenting and needed to stay on the premises.

After their row last night, when Ron had made it perfectly clear how he felt about her parents, Hermione had tossed and turned most of the night, only falling asleep a couple of hours early that morning. Yet another reason why she should go home. She was much too tired to do any quality work.

She'd found a few books and scrolls that might contain some of the symbols that had been used on the device. So far she hadn't had much luck. And she still hadn't determined if the symbols were their own entity, separate from the runes even though they had been interspersed when etched, or if the meanings of the symbols changed when combined with the runes around them.

Hermione sighed deeply and rubbed at her forehead with her fingertips. She should definitely start fresh again in the morning.

Still, there was one rune that was on the edge of the outermost ring. It wasn't in any of the runes syllabaries she had and the more Hermione looked at it, the more she thought that it actually wrapped around the edge and that it might not be a rune at all. Given the containment ward, however, she couldn't turn the device over to check.

It was the only rune or symbol that did that. Which led Hermione to wonder if there were more on the other side. It would only make sense if the individual rings were meant to turn. Why would there only be runes on one side?

She really wanted to check, just to see if she was right. It couldn't hurt to drop the ward for a few seconds as long as she made sure that none of the rings turned when she flipped it over. She wouldn't even touch it with her hands, she would levitate it with her wand. In fact, if she levitated it, she wouldn't even need to flip it. She could just look underneath.

Biting her lip, Hermione stared at the rune for a few seconds. It had to wrap around. It was the only explanation for why she couldn't find what it stood for. The fact that it was the only one that seemed to be on both sides had to mean something. What if that rune was the key to figuring out what exactly this device did?

Mind made up, Hermione pulled in a breath and blew it out slowly. She cast a shield around herself and then dropped the containment ward around the device. She waited a few minutes but nothing happened. She cast a few diagnostic spells but everything came up clean.

Taking another breath, Hermione dropped the shield charm around herself, then waited again. Still nothing. She cast the levitation charm and raised the device a foot above the box it sat in. Then she crouched down and began to examine the underside.

The rune did wrap around and there were other symbols etched on the other side. Hermione grinned in triumph for a moment before she began to examine the rune. It was still difficult to determine what it was without being able to see both sides at once. The easiest way to see it would be to turn the device so it looked as if it were standing on its edge. But that would disrupt the sand in the middle and Hermione had no idea what would happen.

When she'd worn the time-turner around her neck in third year, the sand did move around in the hourglass as she moved. As long as the rings around the hourglass weren't turned, it didn't matter. But she had no way of knowing if this device acted in the same way.

After studying the rune underneath for a few more seconds, she huffed in frustration. She needed to be able to see it in its entirety. She settled the device back in the box, crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the box. She could attempt to draw it which would be fine for one side. But it would be difficult to do the underside unless she could actually turn it over.

She could take a photograph though. It would be a bit tricky to get a photo of the underside while she was levitating the device, but not impossible. Leaving the box on the table, Hermione hurried to her office for the small camera she kept in her desk.

When she returned to the room, she amplified the lighting on the walls. She didn't want to use the flash on the camera, not knowing if it would react with the device. She snapped a few pictures of the topside, then set the camera on the table while she levitated the object once again.

Once it was high enough, Hermione crouched down once more and grabbed the camera with her free hand. Pointing the viewfinder at the underside of the device, she took a few more pictures. As she moved to set the camera back on the table, it slipped from her grasp. Had she been less tired, she likely wouldn't have lost her concentration on the levitation spell. As it was, though, her spell dropped and the device tumbled through the air, the rings turning as it did so. Hermione could only watch in horror as the chain tangled in her hair, the device landing on her outstretched arm. A second later she was whisked away, only the box and her camera left in the room she had been working in.