"Okay, so I know we didn't get started on the right foot, and the second foot wasn't great either, but honestly you cannot judge people this fast" said Alex as he waited for his sister to come out of the bathroom.
They were back at the Snape's rooms. After a rather embarrassing scene and a scolding look from Snape the fight had ended swiftly and the house elves had quickly cleaned everything and walked away. Since the twins didn't have their wands back yet Snape had to scourgify them so they could come out of the kitchens without raising any alarm.
The walk to the rooms had been awkward at best. Snape was fuming, Hermione looked shocked and tried not to laugh out loud and the twins were just too embarrassed to say anything. When they got to the place, Liz excused herself to the loo and left her brother on his own.
"I thought house elves didn't find things like snow ball fights funny" said Hermione, trying to light up the mood.
"You would be surprised. House elves are a little like children when it comes to playing, you just have to make them feel comfortable enough with you and confident that you would not scold them for behaving differently" explained Alex, picking up Hermione's idea.
"And what exactly were you doing in the kitchens?" asked Snape coldly. Alex could tell by his eyes that he didn't find the situation at all amusing.
"Well, after the Headmistress left, Madame Promfey checked on us once more and declared us to be fine. We stayed a while longer there, but she didn't allow us to stay and sent us to the Great Hall for lunch. My sister and I decided it would be best to stay hidden, since we hadn't discussed what our stories would be. Asking directions to the portraits we managed to find the kitchens to get something. I asked a house elf to let you know as soon as you left your rooms where you could find us. And well, the rest you already know"
"And where in the whole notion of maintaining yourselves hidden was the idea of having a food fight with the service good?" asked the Potions Professor.
"Nowhere, really. But there was no harm done. The House elves were already taking a break from their duties. And besides, if you really think about it, it's best to be on friendly terms with them, if they think you are decent and good, they are very loyal. And a loyal friend in a dangerous time weights his value in gold" said Alex simply.
"Dangerous time? What do you mean?" asked Hermione, biting her lip.
"I didn't mean it as in a fight, madam. You will forgive my arrogance, but my sister and I are very intelligent and highly educated, much more than the average 24-year-old. Especially in our specific fields. We have 24 years of knowledge that if it were to fall in the wrong hands could be devastating" explained Alex, resting his back on the chair where he was sitting. He added "House elves hear everything that happens in the castle. At the slight whisper they could tell us".
"Bravo, brother. We could make a Slytherin out of you yet" said Elizabeth, who had just come out of the loo. "Although the primary reason was indeed to have a food fight just for the sake of it, having friends in the right places always helps" she said, walking towards the living room. She sat on one of the armchairs, turned to Hermione and said "Now, I do believe we have not introduced ourselves properly. My name in Elizabeth and this is my brother Alexander"
"Yes, I knew that. Hello, my name is Hermione" she answered smiling awkwardly.
"Great. Now that we got the pleasantries out-of-the-way, we should get started on our story. As much as I like to eat in the kitchens people could notice our absence. Rumors fly very quickly, even if the school has just started"
Everyone in the room just stared at Elizabeth.
"Liz, has anyone told you how bossy you can be?" said Alex, lightening the mood.
"Every day. But it's not that. I just want to get it out of the way so we can talk about other things. I'm sure you must have a lot of questions about us and how we got here" the girl explained.
"Fair enough. Do you have something in mind?" said Hermione.
"I have a basic idea, yes. We are going to be Da-Professor's nephews who came to meet his new wife and to stay for a while here" said Liz.
"My nephews? I have never mentioned having a family" said Snape.
"You were a spy, weren't you? You had to keep some things to yourself. Besides, we cannot pass safely as anything other than a family connection. My brother's resemblance to you and my personality gives us away" explained Liz.
"So, nephews. It could work. But how do we explain the accident? And why we didn't know you?" asked Hermione.
"Surprise visit perhaps? Now that the war is over you wanted to re-establish family connections" ventured Snape.
"And we hadn't seen our Uncle since childhood, that's why he didn't recognize us. And all the security measures and the suspicion was just a repercussion from the war. We could be… your Cousin Isabel's children. She lives in a remote village in the States made up by British refugees who ran away from the wars. That could explain our British accents" said Alex, thinking hard.
"And at night you could easily mistake purple smoke by the bluish vapour that comes from using a long-distance Port Key that was enhanced" said Liz. "No, wait…"
"Not invented yet" cut Snape "but a long distance apparition could explain you losing consciousness".
"And Liz came to work with you?" dared Hermione.
"Perhaps take some of the load from his work as his assistant. It could explain why you are allowed to use the laboratories. And I just tagged along because I wanted to see England" finished Alex.
"Don't be daft, I'm not going to be his assistant" said Liz, shaking her head as if her brother were crazy.
"It makes the lie solid, sister. We need to find a reason for you to be in the dungeons" Alex said looking at his sister. He felt it within himself that she didn't like the idea and would not listen to much reason.
"Private research and need my uncle's help"
"And why would I help a girl I haven't seen in years just for the sake of being a Snape? No, the assistant position is a good idea. We are saying that and that is final" stated the Professor, imposing with his authoritative voice.
But Elizabeth was having none of it. She sighed heavily and said:
"Look, I know I'm not supposed to say things that happen in the future but I'll just have to bend this rule. We tried working together once. I was 18, just out of Hogwarts. It worked for three hours until we started to argue and it got so bad we didn't speak to each other for three days. Not to mention that back home we have a good relationship and have never argued before. Ever" she looked at Snape for a while and added "I respect your work as a Potion Maker and I greatly admire your drive for perfection but our styles and techniques are not compatible. I'm much more tidy and I don't want to be cleaning after you. We cannot work together, not for the sake of peace".
"Cleaning after me? How dare you?" said Snape, getting angry.
"It's true! You are a bright professional and all, but you are too disorganized. It's maddening" replied Liz, sitting back.
"And I suppose you are such a delight to work with?" asked Snape sarcastically.
"I didn't say that. But at least I know how to properly mark each ingredient in the book…"
"In the book? What are you, an idiotic first year? We are talking about making the potions not paperwork!"
"Is that why you assign your detentions to cleaning and organizing your stores?"
"You know everything don't you, girl from the future? And do you know what happens if…"
"ENOUGH!" shouted Alex, getting up. His eyes were resolute, yet his face showed no sign of anger "You made your point, Elizabeth, there is no further need for your cheek. We will think of another solution, but you two better learn to behave and work things out"
"Behave? Who do you think you are, boy?" asked Snape furious.
"This argument has come to a close, Professor. We are distressing Madame Hermione" said Alex coolly.
They looked at Hermione who had her eyes closed and her hands clasped tight. Snape and Liz looked ashamed.
"I'm sorry for stepping out of line" said Liz first and Hermione opened her eyes again.
"It has been a long day, for all of us" agreed Snape and Liz nodded. They held each other's eyes for a while and looked away.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room for a while, until Hermione spoke.
"There must be more than one lab where you can work"
"Technically speaking there are five laboratories, but only one is acceptable for working" answered Snape, calming down.
"Can they be refashioned? Made fit for use?" asked Alex.
"You could, but it would take time, not to mention money" said Snape.
"But if we could find the money, then Liz could work in that one. No one but us would know she has her own private lab. It could work" stated Alex and everyone nodded.
"Before you say anything I just wanted to say that with Alex we'll find a way to pay for this. I don't know how much it will all cost, but we cannot affect your savings" said Liz.
"And how do you plan on getting the money?" asked Hermione.
"Well… we could use a few resources at our disposal" answered Liz smiling cheekily at his brother. Alex frowned, not understanding the look she was giving him. She added "We do have 24 years of information that other people do not have… like Quidditch results"
"Liz, no! Gambling? It's unethical!" exclaimed Alex, getting up from his seat to move away from his sister.
"Alex, what is the point of remembering all the results from every match of the Green Goblins since they started playing if you can't use it to your own benefit? I'm not saying we gamble an outrageous amount of money. That would rouse suspicions, I'm saying just enough to buy supplies and live without bothering them all the time" said Liz, getting up to join her brother.
"You know all their results? From every game they've played?" asked Hermione, surprised.
"My brother has an excellent memory. Trust me, excellent. To him it wasn't such a great feat" explained Liz, turning to Hermione. Looking back to her brother she added "I wouldn't be asking this of you if I didn't know any other way to pay for everything. Even if we both work here as assistants we couldn't be able to afford this"
Alex looked at her for a while, thinking and calculating. He sighed in defeat and agreed to the idea.
"Fine, I'll do it. But what happened to your way of making money back at school?"
"It would be harder to do it without drawing attention to ourselves. Besides, it hasn't been invented yet" answered Liz, moving towards her chair again.
"Were you in Slytherin?" asked Snape, looking at Liz. The girl grinned and nodded. "Alcohol?" he asked her and she smiled broadly.
"You got me there. I discovered a special sort of brew that is cheaper to make than the normal way. It was kept a secret for a while until I perfected the formula and then the word spread out to other older students. Hangover-less alcohol profits brilliantly if you know how to do it" she explained "but since I haven't invented it in this time, I can't sell it"
"I thought that alcohol wasn't allowed in school. When did that change?" asked Hermione, confused.
"It didn't" said Alex. "But the Black Market still exists if you are brave enough to risk it"
"Hogwarts has a Black Market?" asked Hermione again, more confused and the three other people in the room looked at her surprised.
"Of course" said Snape "usually is homework and the occasional tests results but there has been cases of alcohol and drugs being sold. I'm surprised you didn't get caught"
"I was careful not to leave any evidence. Apart from my advanced knowledge of potions no one could accuse me of anything. And if they did, well, I am a Snape" answered Liz shrugging her shoulders.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hermione,
"Never mind that now, we have more important issues to discuss" cut Snape as Liz was opening her mouth to answer. "Do you have any ideas on where to start with your potion? What triggered the accident?"
Elizabeth and Alex looked at each other sadly. It was Alex who spoke:
"We talked about it in the Infirmary and there is a detail that could explain out time travel, but honestly it's very small. In any case it's our only lead"
"My potion used a small amount of Mt Everest sand. It's a rare ingredient and probably the most expensive in the potion, mostly because it's one of the few elements that can be bought that has a time essence" explained Liz.
"Mt Everest sand is used in Time Turners, that's why they are so rare" said Hermione and they all looked at her in surprise. "'Reynold's Guide to Time', anyone? Well, it says there that about 400 years ago there was this potions maker from Nepal who experimented with this rare dust that could only be found in Mt Everest. He saw that the dust had a powerful regenerative ability, but only after a lot of trial and errors he saw that it wasn't regeneration, it was time travel. So, from this, he tried to make a potion that could make limbs grow back or to stop degenerative diseases using time. Accidentally, though, he created Time Turners. But when he saw the potential damage his creation could make, he destroyed all of his notes and obliviated himself, so the secret would be lost" she explained.
"You don't happen to have that book still, do you?" asked Liz and Hermione smiled.
"There is a copy in the Library. You may want to check Gareth Wood's 'Forward and Back Again' too, he mentions many other ways of travelling in time" answered Hermione.
"That's my cue!" said Alex, walking towards the door. He stopped just by the entrance and turned around "the Library is still in the East wing on the first floor, right?"
"Third floor, really. And you need a teacher's permit, those books are in the Restricted Section" said Hermione.
"I'll go with you two in case you get lost" said Snape, standing up. He was rather surprised at how quickly everything had moved along and was suspicious.
"Great. It would be nice for once not having to do the counter-curse for every book I want to check in that section" said Liz, also standing up.
"Would you go with us, Madame Hermione? We can turn it into a tour of the place" asked Alex and Hermione nodded.
"Why do you call me that?" she asked, walking towards the door.
"Because calling you just Hermione its weird for me and I expect 'Mum' it's weird for you. Same as the Professor" he explained opening the door for everyone to leave.
"Exploring time!" he shouted merrily as he closed the door.
Thanks for reading! I made an effort to get this chapter up sooner than expected, so I hope you guys like it. I also realize this chapter was purely conversation, so I'm just going to say that don't worry, for the next one we will have some action as well.
Having that said, stay tuned and have a great weekend.
PD: I'll do my best but you guys can expect the next chapter by next week.
