***
Far too early the next morning the trio walked to the edge of the wards that protected Hogwarts and Apparated to a windy cliff some miles north of the school. Hardy scrub vegetation stretched out before them, slowly transforming into a lush green valley in the distance. Behind them the North Sea waged an endless noisy battle with the rocks that comprised the shore below. The sun was shining brightly but it did little to warm the air. Charlotte was glad she had worn pants for his expedition.
"We are looking for a black hellebore plant. I don't suppose, Mr. Weasley, that you remember the plant from last year's class?" Ron admitted that he did not. With a resigned sigh Snape continued, "It is distinctive for its broad shiny leaves. The hellebore grows close to the ground and has white flowers. Spread out, we should be able to find a suitable specimen along the cliff.
Ron wished for a trademark Weasley sweater as the wind cut through his cloak. All the plants had begun to look alike to him when Snape signaled that he had found the hellebore. The potions master stripped the leaves and flowers carefully and placed them in a glass vial which disappeared into the folds of his robe.
"Where is Charlotte?" he asked, looking up.
Ron looked around. They seemed to be all alone on the cliff. "She was walking along the edge over there," he said, pointing.
"We had better find her. Charlotte has proven herself most adept at getting in to trouble."
Charlotte was suddenly conscious. Her head was killing her, as was her ankle. The last thing she remembered was slipping on a bit of loose earth on the edge of the cliff. Taking a cautious look around, she determined that she had been moved into some kind of cave. There were voices approaching from nearby. She closed her eyes and lay still.
Someone came close and checked her breathing and pulse. He moved away saying, "She's still out." His voice was rough, with a lower class accent.
"She took a nasty fall over the cliff edge, I'm not surprised." The second man sounded better educated and marginally more concerned for her welfare.
"You sure she's one of your folk?"
"I'm certain. Hogsmeade and the school are the only settlements for miles." He paused, "I'd do a healing spell, but then I'll be detected."
"We can't have that."
"Indeed not. How goes the recruiting process?"
"Tolerably well, milord. Plenty of men willing to do anything to get rid of the machines."
"Excellent. As I have mentioned before, there are many wizards who share your feelings. We will destroy the mills and then move on to our second objective, with the aid of your men."
"Beggin' your pardon, milord, but I can't help wonder why a load of wizards would be interested in – what d'ye call 'em – Muggle machines."
"The reasons vary. Some have a genuine concern for the way workers are treated in the Muggle world. Others are afraid that all these new machines and scientific advances will make it more difficult for us to conceal our ways from Muggles. And of course, there are those who have no interest in your machines – all they care about is a cheap and, forgive me, expendable source of labor."
The Muggle grunted and was silent for a moment. "What is she wearing?" he asked abruptly.
Charlotte's heart stopped, but the wizard seemed uninterested. "Merlin only knows, probably some kind of plant collecting outfit. Hogwarts has become a breeding ground for the most libertine of ideas." His voice trailed off and he laughed. "Never mind. We shall do our job and you will do yours."
"If you succeed you can ask for Hogwarts or the moon and the men will be glad to bring it to you."
"Excellent. I have some matters to attend to. Keep watch on the girl, she may be of some use to us. I have put up a ward that will prevent her from Apparating within the cave." Charlotte heard the sound of footsteps retreating into silence. After a few moments she opened her eyes just a fraction. The man was turned away from her, in the process of making afire. Very slowly she dipped her hand into the sleeve of her robe and worked her wand out of its sheath. With one quick movement she transferred the wand to her right sleeve. She lay still. Her confidence was returning with the weight of the wood in her hand. Charlotte jumped to her feet and yelled, "Stupefy!" To her horror the man turned around and advanced on her. That bastard must have put a ward on spells as well. So she kicked the Muggle in the groin and ran like hell.
***
Professor Snape was worried. Ron had seen him go through a wide range of emotions over the years, mostly in the annoyance and fury end of the spectrum, but he was hard pressed to remember a time he had seen the potions master concerned. 'Cause he doesn't give a toss about any of us, he thought and then stopped short. Snape really did care about Charlotte! Bloody hell! Harry and Hermione will never believe this! Gazing back to the valley below, he saw Professor Seon walking towards them. What's he doing up here? Snape looked equally thrilled to see the Divination teacher.
"She's in Hogsmeade," Nathaniel said without preamble. Snape seemed completely at a loss for words so the younger man continued. "I had a vision that something would happen so I went looking for Mrs. Snape. She is safe in the village as I said. She would not tell me what happened but asked me to fetch you and Mr. Evans.
Charlotte sat in the Three Broomsticks nursing a butterbeer. She jumped up with relief when she saw Severus and immediately buckled as her ankle refused to hold her weight. Snape sighed and helped her back to her seat.
He drew his wand "Ferula!" a splint wrapped itself around her leg. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asked softly. Charlotte shook her head. "Well then, are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to beat it out of you?"
An impish grin appeared. "Oooh, kinky," and then she blushed, remembering Seon's presence. "I don't think here is the best location, we need to talk to Headmaster Torht."
***
"A league of wizards conspiring with Luddites to destroy machines and take over Hogwarts? My dear girl, you must be joking."
"I heard what I heard Headmaster. I'd be more than happy to take Veritaserum again, if necessary."
Glancing at Nathaniel he hastily replied, "That's not necessary. But at this point we have only your word to go on, and we have no time line of when these events will transpire."
"From what my wife has said, I gather that the answer to the last is soon. Muggle workers have been assembled. I suggest you alert the Ministry, tell them to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity around the mills and factories."
Torht looked inclined to disagree, but Nathaniel spoke first. "Mr. Snape is right, Headmaster. The Signs all point to a major event in the near future."
"Very well," said Torht with a sigh, "I will contact the Ministry – but I ask you all not to share this information with anyone until I give you leave to do so." They were dismissed. Once outside the office, Nathaniel seemed eager to speak with them, but Snape quickly and forcibly dragged Charlotte and Ron back to their classroom.
"Why did you go to him?" He demanded, once the door had closed behind them. "Why didn't you return to the cliff or go to Torht?"
"I didn't 'go to him'," Charlotte responded defensively, "he found me! I ran away from the cave and when I stopped to catch my breath I saw him coming through the trees. I barely had enough time to transfigure my dress back before he saw me! I had no choice but to Apparate back to Hogsmeade with him. I wanted to go back and find you two, but as you might have noticed my ankle was injured. He made me stay in the pub; he said he would find you both and bring you to me. And so he did, the end." She had very nearly lost her temper by the end of the explanation.
Snape made an unpleasant face and muttered, "The sooner we get back to our time the better."
"I think we should stay." Charlotte's voice was quiet, but determined.
"What?" exclaimed Severus and Ron in unison.
"Not forever! But I think we should stay and help defend Hogwarts."
"I don't think they'll need our help, Charlotte," said Ron helpfully, "Hogwarts has always been the safest place in the country, since it was founded! No load of Muggles is going to bring it down."
"Furthermore, we know nothing will come of this raid. 186 years from now the school will still be in existence, almost exactly as it is now."
"How do we know that isn't because we stuck around to help save it?" Charlotte asked.
Neither man seemed to have a ready answer to that question. At last Ron said. "I wish Hermione were here." At the looks of confusion and scorn he received the redhead shrugged sheepishly. "She's probably got five feet of parchment on the Luddite Rebellion of 1811memorized. She'd know exactly what happened."
Severus set the hellebore sample down on a desk and glared at them both. "Tomorrow morning we will procure a glass sphere from Diagon Alley. Tomorrow afternoon we will prepare the potion that will return us to our own time. This matter is not open to discussion."
***
They spent the rest of the day apart, each occupied with their own interests. Severus sat in the classroom, reading the most recent developments in potions making. Charlotte, after being tended to by Madam Nostra, retreated to the library to do some research of her own. Ron was invited by his gambling buddies to watch the Gryffindor quidditch practice and took off like a shot, anxious to see how players coped without cushioning charms. It was not until dinner preparations began that they met up again, by which point Charlotte had resigned herself to returning home. They didn't belong in 1811, they belonged in their own time – Hogwarts could survive an attack without their aid. She tried not to think about the possibility that tomorrow's attempt would not be successful. Severus seemed confident, and she had every faith in his abilities.
Charlotte adjusted the colors on her and Ron's outfits (Severus could not be persuaded even to substitute a grey waistcoat) and they went down to dinner together, like a proper family. Entering the lounge Charlotte let out a squeal that was quickly transformed into a series of high pitched sneezes for the benefit of all the people who had turned to stare at her.
"What is wrong with you?" Snape hissed in her ear.
"It's Celeste!" she whispered back, "Over there, talking to the Headmaster!" It was indeed the same woman whose portrait guarded Charlotte's rooms in the Hogwarts of 1997. Before Severus could respond, Charlotte made her way across the room towards the girl.
"Good evening, Headmaster," Charlotte said with a curtsey.
"Ah, good evening Mrs. Snape! Allow me to present my daughter, who has returned just this afternoon from visiting her sister in London. Mrs. Charlotte Snape, Miss Celeste Torht."
"A pleasure Miss Torht," Charlotte replied, shaking the girl's hand. She introduced Snape and Ron, who had joined them. After a few moments of polite conversation, during which Charlotte surreptitiously clenched her fists to keep from reaching out to touch the solid form of her two dimensional friend, Torht dismissed his daughter so he could have a few words with the Snapes.
"I have contacted the Ministry," he began in an undertone, "They had no suspicious activity to report, but the minister seemed unsurprised by what you had heard. He couldn't corroborate the story or provide any additional information, of course." Torht sighed, "I have advised the groundskeeper to keep a sharp eye out for anything unusual, and I have spoken with aldermen of Hogsmeade. I believe I have instilled a proper level of caution without alarming anyone. That's all I can really do at this point."
"We appreciate your efforts, Headmaster," answered Snape with a nod. "I hope that a little time is the only cost to you."
Torht bowed in acknowledgement and excused himself as he was called away by Fitzhugh. Nathaniel approached them, asking after Charlotte's health and the success of their plan finding mission prior to the accident. Charlotte couldn't shake the feeling that Seon could see through all their stories. She did manage to shake the man himself and wrangle a seat beside Celeste at dinner. The girl was shyer than her Celeste, but equally friendly and good-tempered. She had gone to Hogwarts finishing the year before. She was engaged to a young wizard currently traveling the world for Gringott's. She was trying to decide what she wanted to do next. Charlotte was relieved to find that it was acceptable for women to work in the Ministry or at St. Mungo's or to pursue further magical education – although many chose to remain at home and raise children like their Muggle counterparts.
During the pre-dinner announcements, Torht reminded the fifth, sixth, and seventh years of the upcoming Winter Ball. Celeste explained to Charlotte that the Ball was a longstanding tradition at school. The wizarding world's elite joined the upperclassmen for a night of gaiety culminating with the ball. Many an excellent match had been made by eagle-eyed mamas at the ball. Charlotte vaguely remembered reading about the Muggles' "marriage mart" at Almack's and guessed the Winter Ball must serve much the same function. After dinner Charlotte and Snape intercepted Ron before he could sit down at the card table and went back to the classroom.
The red-head's protests were cut short by Severus, "I'll be dammed if I will be held responsible by Molly Weasley for turning her youngest son into a compulsive gambler." They went through Ron's memory again to make sure nothing had been left out. After finalizing their Diagon Alley shopping list and checking with Headmaster Torht that their money would be accepted they turned in for the night.
***
Charlotte had always marveled that Diagon Alley seemed unchanged since the time of Dickens, now she discovered it was true. She wanted desperately to pop into Ollivanders to see if it was the same Mr. Ollivander manning the shop as in their time, but she was overruled by Snape, who was in no mood for even her frivolity. A remembrall and the last ingredients were purchased without incident. Back at the school, Charlotte emptied the remembrall under Snape's supervision while Ron worked on the headache cure that had been his detention task. Severus ladled the ephemeral Pensieve solution into the sphere and sealed it.
"Are you ready, Mr. Weasley?"
"Yes sir. We had just added the feverfew when Crabbe and Goyle arrived."
"When I signal, add the betony." The potions master positioned the sphere over the cauldron and nodded at Ron. The boy dumped in the container and Snape opened the sphere, letting the contents fall before dropping in the ball itself. Close to the cauldron this time, Charlotte was momentarily deafened by the explosion. Just as before, the substance filled the room with blue light and a fierce wind whipped around them. She grabbed the hands of both men and held on tight. The whole process went much faster when there was no resistance involved. She shut her eyes against the glare. With a sick lurch, she was thrown forward against the cauldron and everything went black.