Her hair was matted to her face from sweat and grime, and she was breathing heavily against the wall of the building with her wand gripped tightly in her hand.

A jet of white light hit the wall across from her, sending the brick flying in all directions. She used her arms to block any debris coming towards her.

This was the part that Hermione hated the most about being an Auror. The researching and searching for the last Death Eaters were fine; planning tactical missions and assignments were just fine. It was dealing with the 'less cooperative, more spell happy' sort that really irked Hermione's nerves.

Gibbs was presumed to be on the lowest tier of the Death Eater hierarchy, yet he was proving to be more troublesome than his superiors. Finding his hideout was easy, and infiltrating said hideout was easier. It was when Gibbs saw them that things went left completely, and spells started to fly.

In any other situation, there would be so many spells sent in Gibbs' direction to contain him, but it was only Hermione and Bill on that side of the building. It was too dangerous to call for help while he was shooting spells like a maniac.

"Hermione!" came Bill's voice in the distance. The floor was beginning to crumble, and Hermione weighed her options in her mind: either get out while they still could or get their perp and potentially die in the process. Given how distressed she was, there was no way she'd produce a Patronus, and she couldn't take a chance to put Bill in harm's way, despite their job description. She could practically hear Moody yelling 'constant vigilance' in her ear.

Gritting her teeth, Hermione stood up on the wall and turned her head to the side. Another spell blasted the last of the wall in front of her, so Hermione jumped out of the way and swished her wand.

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted, hoping to give herself enough time to retrieve Bill before the floor collapses underneath them.

She saw a head of red hair moving forward, and she ran towards him with her hand out.

"Bill, we have to get to the others!" Hermione called.

"I have to get to you first!" he replied, reaching for her hand.

They were so close to one another, fingers barely touching when a light came for them.

"You. Will. Die!" Gibbs shouted with a cackle.

Neither Hermione or Bill were prepared to repel the spell that hit them, and all that was seen around them was a bright, blinding light.

When Hermione opened her eyes, she didn't know what to expect. In her mind, she should be dead from whatever had been sent her way, yet she was met with an edge of a forest and a road.

"Are we dead?" Bill asked, and Hermione whipped her head to him. She'd forgotten that Bill may have been hit with the spell. Instinctively, she ran up to hug him tightly, closing her eyes as well. While she was relieved to have him there, there was still the question of where 'there' was.

"No, no we're not," Hermione replied in his chest. She pulled away after she realized how long she'd been hugging Bill. "At least, I don't believe we are."

He hummed, looking around the road and forest. "It appears that we've been transported somewhere, but it doesn't look familiar."

Hermione pulled out her wand. "Let's try a spell to see if something works…" she trailed off, swishing her wand and trying to recant a spell. Nothing happened. With a frown, Hermione tried again; once again, nothing happened. There's no spark, light, or even a gush of wind.

"My wand isn't working," she said.

Bill shook his head. "That can't be right." He tried performing a spell also, receiving the same results as Hermione had. "Perhaps this has something to do with whatever Gibbs shot at us?"

Hermione pursed her lips. "Perhaps," she agreed. They were stuck Merlin knows where with no wands and no resources. She cursed herself for leaving her things behind.

"We should find out where we are," Bill said. "That'll give us something to start and work with. If our wands aren't working, then magic might not be a possibility at all. And getting out a distress message should be the priority."

She nodded, agreeing with Bill. If they could get the message delivered, everything would be fine. So the pair started walking alongside the road. It was eerily quiet sans the sounds of their shoes on the ground. No one drove down the road, not even a person on a bicycle.

It was the silence that made Hermione wander into her thoughts. She was trying to keep from panicking, shifting the possibilities of what happened around in her mind; though, her mind started to trail off to the man beside her.

She'd known Bill for years, but this was the first time they'd worked together as partners. Sure, they were both Aurors and had missions together, but this time they were alone. No one else was in their ear to give orders. It was just her and him.

Being so close to him made her realize how toned he was, despite being lean. His hair grew a little longer to the middle of his back, and he'd never let his mother cut it. It was in a ponytail now, but Hermione couldn't help but be curious about how it'd look flowing freely—what was she doing?

She cleared her throat, seeing what looked like an opening of a city. A large welcome sign stood at the edge, and the pair ran towards it.

"Welcome to Mulberry…Arkensauce?" Bill said.

Hermione shook her head. "It's Arkansas," she corrected with a frown. "It's part of the United States."

"Gibbs sent us across the seas then?" he replied. "Frankly, if I'm going to travel to another country, I'd have stayed a Curse Breaker."

She was thankful that she'd studied the United States during her training as an Auror. Harry and Ron both teased her about being overly prepared because their levels in the field wouldn't go to the country.

She was starting to think that it was a jinx.

"I'm not entirely sure if the spell he used was meant to do this, or if it was a recantation error on his part," Hermione side. "Either way, we have to see if we can send a message to someone that can help us."

Bill nodded affirmatively, and they continued walking past the sign into the city.

There were a few buildings lined up with one another, and a cabin-like place was right across from the buildings.

"I know how to use the Muggle phones," Hermione said. "Someone may have one there, and I can call Ginny. She has one too."

They went to the cabin-like building, pushing the door open. There was a bell jingling to signal they had entered. An elder woman was at the counter, looked at them with narrowed eyes curiously.

"Y'all ain't from around here, are ya? Lookin' for a place to stay?" she asked, moving her eyes from the scars on Bill's face to Hermione.

"Could you provide us with a phone?" Hermione replied. "I need to call someone."

The elder woman started to chew on something; Hermione didn't want to know what.

"Wanna use the phone, have to rent a cabin," she said.

"You've got to be joking," Hermione said.

The woman gave Hermione a blank stare. "It's two thousand ten, Miss. I ain't kidding. Get a cabin or go somewhere else."

Hermione's mind started to spin slowly. If it was 2010, then that meant…

"Will this cover a cabin?" Bill's voice cut through her moment of shock. He had slid a galleon to the woman on the counter.

She examined it with scrutiny, a frown on her face; no doubt from trying to figure out what Gringotts could be. "This pure gold?"

"Only the purest," he answered. Hermione had to resist the urge to snort.

The elder woman pushed her grey hair away from her face and stared at Hermione and Bill. One hand went under the counter while the other accepted the gold coin.

"I'm feelin' generous today," the woman said. "Since y'all strangers, y'all can get one of the good cabins." She passed them the key she'd grabbed under the counter. "Follow the path 'round back. It'll lead y'all to the other cabins. Cabin number is on the key, and y'all are stocked with food and the like for at least two months. This here gold might let y'all get a free month afterwards."

Hermione took the key, holding it in her hand. "Thank you," she said. As quickly as she said it, she started to walk off with Bill when the woman said something again.

"Phone's in there too! So y'all ain't gotta come back down here and bother me."

As soon as they were out of the door, following the path as instructed, Hermione slapped Bill's arm.

"What's that for?" he asked, rubbing his arm with a small grin.

"You know exactly what," she replied. "The purest gold? You fooled that woman!"

"It got us somewhere to lay low while we wait for the others, yeah?" Bill said. "And it's not like it's not true. It's pure in her eyes."

"That galleon was hardly worth three month's stay in a cabin."

"She doesn't know that."

Hermione shook her head disappointedly, but what's done is done. Bill may have lied, but he did get them food and shelter for as long as they may be there. That's when the words the woman said echoed in her mind.

"Somehow, that spell brought us across the seas and nine years into the future," Hermione concluded. "If that's the case…I don't think a phone call to Ginny is going to get us back."

Bill scratched his head. "So, we can't perform magic or deliver a message as it would be nine years ahead of its time. There has to be a way to fix this."

Hermione and Bill were both intelligent, and they would figure out a way to get things sorted. It was just going to take some time.

It had been two months, and nothing had changed. The cabin they stayed in had two rooms—thank Merlin for that—and she had some expertise with Muggle cooking. Bill helped at times, claiming that he'd watched his mother try the Muggle way a few times in the kitchen.

Hermione and Bill were both still attempting different ideas to time travel back to their proper time, yet nothing was working.

Hermione partly blamed herself, because no matter how much she tried, being this close to Bill for the past two months had proven to be a danger to her mind.

When they weren't figuring out ways to get out of their situation, they talked, laughed, and enjoyed one another's company. They learned a little bit more about Mulberry, making plans to visit some things they could walk to even when they know they shouldn't entertain staying in a year they didn't belong in yet.

All of it made Hermione appreciate that she was in the situation with Bill; it made her see Bill in a new light. A light that Hermione didn't think could go beyond a brother. She learned his likes, dislikes, and everything in between. He learned things about her as well. The more their bond grew in the platonic stage, the more dangerous it would get.

Hermione was so close to going against her principles and desiring to stay in Mulberry with Bill.

She was so wrapped in her thoughts in the kitchen, she hadn't noticed that Bill walked up to her and what exactly he was wearing.

"Hermione," he said to her, and Hermione turned to him. She saw that he was only wearing jogging pants, his upper torso dripping with water. His hair was clinging to him, wet as well.

"I'm sorry about being underdressed," he continued. "I was calling you for help. I didn't have any fresh shirts in the drawer and wanted to know if you'd finished the laundry…Hermione?"

She shook her head to regain her wits; the distraction in front of her was beginning to be too much.

"Um," Hermione said. "I, uh, yes. I finished the laundry."

Bill smiled at her. "Thank you, Hermione," he said. "Again, sorry about this." He gestured to himself, and Hermione bit her lip.

"N-No, you're perfect. I mean you're fine. It's all right," Hermione said quickly. She could feel the rush of heat to her cheeks, and perhaps she felt it stirring elsewhere.

He raised an eyebrow at her, his smile becoming more playful. "You're perfect too," he said before walking off.

When he was gone, Hermione licked her lips and leaned her head on the counter. This was becoming a bit much; the decision she wanted to make was more uncertain than before.

"Bill, we have to talk," Hermione said, approaching him as he was sitting in the front room with a book.

He glanced up at her, setting the book down with a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, shifting so he could give her the attention.

Hermione rubbed the back of her neck, taking a deep breath. "I think that we're too comfortable here, and we should focus more on getting home."

Bill ran a hand through his hair, taking in her words. With a nod, he placed the book on the table and stood up. "You're right," he said.

Those were the words she needed to hear, but Hermione realized they weren't she wanted to hear.

"That's it? 'You're right'?" Hermione replied.

A frown formed on Bill's lips. "I don't understand. There's nothing to dispute over, yeah?"

"No," Hermione said. "Yes. No. It's not." She sighed and looked at Bill. "I know we need to focus, but I…I find myself…"

"You want to stay," Bill concluded.

"It's not that, Bill," Hermione pressed. "I want to get back to our friends and family, but I…"

Bill stepped closer to her, reaching out for her arms, but Hermione stepped back.

"Hermione, what—"

"I want you, Bill," Hermione blurted out. She immediately covered her mouth, seeing the surprise in his eyes. He would surely want her to continue, and after saying that so suddenly, she owed him that.

"Being here with you like this was unexpected, and as the days grow and we don't get home, I'm finding myself not wanting to. My thoughts, my heart…I'm fonder of you than I imagined ever being. I know that Fleur left, Ron and I aren't together, and you may not be looking for another interest—"

Bill had gotten closer to her as she spoke, holding her arms as he looked into her eyes. Hermione saw they'd dilated a bit, and her heartbeat quickened.

"I feel the same, Hermione," he said, his tone raspier than usual. "I didn't want to push anything onto you that you may not want."

Hermione felt him pulling her closer, she guessed his instincts were kicking in because he was licking his lips and talking to her at the same time. Their bodies were so close, lips close to touching.

"You were once like a sister to me," Bill continued. "Yet being here in Mulberry with you has changed so much. It happened so quickly that I didn't believe that it was genuine. It was so hard containing myself around you sometimes."

Her breath hitched as their eyes were still connected. "Should we be more focused on getting home," she said, her voice coming out as a whisper.

"We should," Bill agreed, "but I'm going to kiss you instead."

Hermione didn't stop him from capturing her lips and holding her in his arms. She reciprocated the actions, feeling her body heating up through the embrace. Clothes were torn and thrown off, and precaution was tossed out the window as Bill ravished her on the cabin table.

Getting back home could wait a moment longer; they were already ahead of time.

Word Count: 2,685