"Wife?" she exclaimed quietly facing Snape outside the headmaster's office. "What about sister?"
Snape shot her a look and shuddered slightly, "I think not. I know it is a dubious honor, but if you will remember it is not legally binding."
Was it her imagination, or was there a bit of hurt behind the sarcasm? "I know – you just kind of caught me off guard. Hey, at least I don't have to pretend I don't like you anymore," she paused, "but what about Ron? I don't think you and he will work as pals who like traveling together, and he doesn't look enough like either of us to be a relative. How bout your ward? That should keep the latent fear/annoyance relationship intact, if you can manage to call him by his first name."
Snape rolled his eyes. The door to the office opened and Ron came out. Torht was taking them in turns to administer the truth potion, choosing Ron as the first victim. Severus went into the office, leaving Ron and Charlotte to sit in a very undignified but comfortable fashion upon the stone floor. She explained Ron's place in their make-believe world, which didn't please him very much.
"I don't think I can call him anything other than Professor Snape to his face," he explained, "It'd just be too weird."
"Well, I think you'd better just stick to 'sir' then. I expect we'll try and keep our interaction with others to a minimum – can't risk damaging the time line and all." They sat in silence for a while. She didn't really know Ron that well. Everyone knew of him, of course, it was hard to be the best friend of the boy who-continued-to-live and retain any anonymity. He and Harry often waited for Hermione after Muggle Studies, she had his sister Ginny in the fifth year class, and of course she heard plenty about all the objectionable Gryffindors from Severus, but none of that really counted as knowing him.
"Professor, I mean Charlotte, do you think we'll be able to get back home?" he sounded younger than his seventeen years.
She smiled encouragingly. "Of course we will! For all his…idiosyncrasies, you know as well as I do that Severus is a potions genius. He'll figure out how we got her and get us back, no trouble."
"Your confidence is inspiring," said a dry voice from above. "May I ask why my would-be wife is sprawled in a heap upon the ground?" Charlotte and Ron scrambled to their feet, looking sheepish. "If we are to present this fiction to the world at large, I must ask that you attempt to act in a manner befitting the name of Snape."
Charlotte made a face, "I'd much rather just be your boorish, uneducated American wife whose only redeeming feature is the size of her…fortune."
"Charlotte," Snape sighed but she waved him away.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll be a model witch, have no fear. If you'll excuse me, I have a date with some truth serum."
***
Satisfied with the results of his questioning, Tohrt led them to a disused classroom on the fourth floor. A steady stream of house elves followed in his wake, depositing all manner of supplies on tables and chairs before scurrying out again. The trio spent the morning arranging the room to Snape's liking before sitting down with the Pensieve after lunch. At Severus' instruction, Ron pulled out the silvery strands of memory and dropped them into the swirling bowl. Charlotte didn't particularly like the idea of being sucked into a piece of crockery for the second time in as many days, but she dutifully peered into the glowing liquid and arrived in the potions room of 1997. They stood beside the cauldron, watching the boys prepare the potion. Snape studied their handiwork closely, making note of the exact quantities added to the mix. Charlotte watched herself walk into the classroom and was very glad it was Ron's memories and not hers they were seeing. Snape and her doppelganger went into the storeroom, closing the door behind them. Ron and Charlotte took up a position by the classroom entrance while Snape remained by the potion. Crabbe and Goyle poked their heads around the door frame and grinned. In the hand of one (Charlotte never could tell them apart) was a small glass ball ringed with an engraved silver sash. Within the sphere a glowing substance writhed. It did look a bit like the Pensieve goop, but it was hard to be sure. Crabbe/Goyle heaved the ball towards Harry and Ron, but as Ron had said, their aim was sadly lacking. The ball collided with the jar of betony, knocking most of it into the cauldron. Contact occurred directly on the sphere's metal ring, which seemed to be come kind of latch mechanism because the ball sprung open, dumping its contents in to the potion before falling in itself. As the first drops of silvery liquid hit the cauldron there was a sound like a car backfiring and the potion began to swirl. The other Snape and Charlotte rushed out of the storeroom. Charlotte looked back towards Crabbe and Goyle. From the expressions on their faces she guessed that everything had not gone according to plan. When they caught sight of their head-of-house they bolted for the safety of their common room.
As soon as the other Ron went head first into the cauldron the trio found themselves back in 1811. Snape instantly began making notes on parchment. While he worked Charlotte and Ron compared their own impressions of what they had seen. At last Snape looked up.
"So fearless leader," said Charlotte,"what next?"
"We experiment. I have made a list of all the known ingredients plus some possibilities for the contents of the ball. I will investigate the contents of Professor Fitzhugh's stores and then we will venture out to procure what he lacks." The prospect of entering the stores as a visitor and not master had clearly been overpowered by the thought of reconstructing the concoction that had brought them there. Severus is just a big potions geek at heart, Charlotte thought, not for the first time, with a grin.
"Well, while you investigate the stores, Ron and I are going for a walk. Hopefully you will have a chance to think about proper husbandly behavior." She left with her nose in the air, an amused Ron following shortly thereafter.
Charlotte and Ron strolled the grounds, marveling at how similar everything was. Replace the uniforms and it might almost be 1997. Charlotte, who had actually read Hogwarts: A History, suspected that very little about the school had changed in the 1000 plus years of its operation. She did wonder, however, how students traveled to the castle since mainstream use of the steam engine was still a few decades away. Charlotte decided that she liked the youngest of the Weasley boys very much. He was clearly more comfortable talking with her on an equal basis than Severus. But then, I haven't spent the last six years making his life miserable. She wasn't that much older than Ron, and she didn't really adhere to the formal teaching style of most of her colleagues – which she presumed made her more approachable. The idea that she was an attractive young lady with a bright smile and a quick laugh and he a teenaged hormonally driven boy didn't occur to her. They had a good time exchanging stories of misadventures magical and mundane. He and Harry got into more scrapes than anyone else she knew – except perhaps for the infamous Weasley twins, who were no doubt a bad influence on Ron and company. Eventually Snape dispatched a house-elf to bring them back to the classroom. The remainder of the day was spent sorting and preparing ingredients. Headmaster Torht stopped by to check their progress and remind them of the pre-dinner gathering of the faculty and staff in the lounge, which to a strategic planning session on keeping a low profile and maintaining a consistent story.
"Snape and Weasley are both well known wizarding names, are they not?" asked Charlotte suddenly, "Won't that attract attention?"
"I have already addressed that issue for my – for us, being quite familiar with the intricacies of the Snape family tree. If Mr. Weasley does not possess a similar understanding he had better come up with an alternative."
Ron thought for a moment, "How 'bout Evans? It was Harry's mum's name and she was the first of her family to go to Hogwarts."
"It's a pretty common Muggle name too," added Charlotte. Snape made a curious face but said nothing. "Ronald Evans it is!"
Severus and Ron joined Charlotte in her room once everyone was presentable again. With ill grace Snape helped Ron with his cravat and Charlotte altered the colors of their costumes. Her dress became light blue muslin, Ron's waistcoat became brick red and his breeches a more becoming khaki. Snape insisted on an all black ensemble, but Charlotte added delicate black embroidery to the silk waistcoat when the potions master wasn't looking.
Threading a blue ribbon through her hair Charlotte noticed her hands. "Severus, we need rings!"
This fact had obviously not occurred to Snape. After a moment's thought he demanded two strands of her hair. He entwined each piece with a strand of his own hair, forming two small circles with the result. Laying the hair down on the table he asked, "Gold or silver?"
Charlotte blinked at him several times before catching on. "Platinum please, I'm allergic to silver," she replied with a grin. He gave her the look he reserved for his most errant students but as usual, it failed to have any effect. With a flick of his wand, the hair circlets were transformed into two platinum rings. Both bands were flat and unadorned, with hers about half the thickness of his. Severus picked up Charlotte's ring and turned her outstretched left hand over, palm down. He slid the band slowly onto her finger and raised his eyes to meet hers. Charlotte forgot how to breathe. All she could see was him, all she felt was the cold metal warming to her skin. In that instant she knew for certain that she loved him, that she wanted the ring to be real. She wanted forever with him, and her heart flew to her mouth with the thought that maybe, just maybe, he wanted the same thing too.
Behind them, Ron cleared his throat and the moment was broken. "We'd better go down to dinner," he said, looking worried.
Charlotte blushed fiercely and stepped back, pushing the ring firmly on to her finger. "You're right," she said with a forced laugh, "we don't want to be late." Snape slipped his own ring on and they left for the Great Hall.
***
Ron was concerned, and more than a little confused. When Snape put the ring on Charlotte, he had looked positively human, and she didn't seem to mind the slightest. Was it possible that someone could actually care about the slimy git? Harry and Hermione would never believe it. But then, Snape had never looked at any of his students the way he looked at Charlotte. It hurt his head to think about Snape that way, the man was a purebred asshole. But maybe even assholes have a soft spot for pretty foreigners. Snape and Charlotte were both very quiet as they made their way to the lounge, each occupied with their own thoughts. Ron watched them avoid looking at each other. Something was very odd here. As surely as if they had been hit with Cheering Charms, their expressions transformed when they entered the lounge. Admittedly, Snape only went from sour to disinterested, but Charlotte did enough for both of them. She stood straight and turned on the charm, smiling brightly when the Headmaster came to greet them.
He led them to the small knot of people standing by the fire. "My friends, I am pleased to introduce our guests, Severus Snape, his wife Charlotte and their ward Ronald Evans." Snape and Ron bowed, Charlotte dropped a shallow curtsey. They were introduced to the faculty and staff, whose names Charlotte promptly forgot. Last in line was a man not much older than her. He had wavy dark blond hair and wore a robe of foggy grey that matched his eyes.
"Nathaniel Seon, at your service." When he touched Charlotte's hand he did a double take and looked very confused, but that look was soon smothered under an affable smile.
"A pleasure Mr. Seon," she answered, "what do you teach here?"
"Divination." Like any good student of Severus Snape, Charlotte took very little stock in Divination. Indeed, she felt that Trelawney and her airy-fairy ways had done more harm to that branch of magic than all the new age texts in Muggle bookstores. Professor Seon made her nervous. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact he spent all of dinner covertly staring at her.
At last the plates were cleared and the children shuffled back to their common rooms. Torht led the faculty, staff and guests back to the lounge. A beverage service was waiting them, as were sets of wizard's chessmen and decks of cards. Those accustomed to the procedure sat down to enjoy a companionable evening. Before they felt too awkward, Snape led Charlotte to a seat by the window. Ron was quickly invited to join a game of cards with the young and jovial professors of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy. After a quiet command to think before speaking, Snape let him go.
A very upset Fitzhugh soon joined them. Apparently he didn't take very kindly to his stores being ransacked without his knowledge. With a 'you owe me' look, Charlotte steered the potions master away and on to more pleasant subjects. By the time she had returned from placating the little wizard, Headmaster Torht had attached himself to Snape. She helped herself to a cup of tea and watched the pixies on Ron's cards do acrobatics and offer bad advice.
"Mrs. Snape?"
It took Charlotte a moment to remember that se was supposed to answer to that hail. Professor Seon stood beside her, looking curious.
She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I was watching the game."
"Your young ward should be wary, those two could swindle a goblin," Nathaniel replied with a grin. "How are you enjoying your stay at Hogwarts?"
"It certainly has been most – informative."
"Have you any plans for the remainder of your time here?"
"My husband wishes to collect plants tomorrow. He is a potions master by trade and tells me there are many interesting plants in this part of the country."
"Have you been in England long?"
"A year or more, we came not long after the wedding."
"You were married in America?"
Charlotte gave him a surprised look. "Of course. What mother would let her only daughter be married 3,000 miles from home?" She presumed this was how her mother would feel, but Charlotte hadn't exactly broached the subject with her. Nathaniel seemed satisfied with her response but unwilling to leave her alone. He questioned her politely but persistently about all aspects of her life until at last she was able to fob him off the complaint of a headache that was only partially imagined. It had taken all her history knowledge and memory of her assumed background to converse with him, the effort of keeping up the façade had worn her out. She said as much to Snape and together they detached Ron from the card table and went off to bed.
Within moments of closing her door Charlotte had pushed out the stone block and joined Snape in his room. He didn't seem surprised to see her and made no comment as she undressed and transfigured some more appropriate sleeping wear.
"So, was I a credit to the family?" she asked, climbing under the covers.
"Your performance was acceptable," he replied softening his words by placing a kiss on her forehead. "Professor Seon certainly seemed to appreciate it."
"He makes me nervous – I think he suspects something. He might actually be a competent Diviner." Snape snorted. "They can't all be like Sibyll, Severus, or else the field would never have survived."
"Go to sleep, Charlotte."
"Yes, O most exalted husband."
If Ron had been awake instead of dreaming about leading the Chudley Cannons to victory, he might have heard a sudden shriek of laughter followed by a low chuckle that could not possibly belong to a man who was generally regarded as having no human emotion at all. But as he was occupied being carried off the pitch by adoring fans he missed it entirely.