They Didn't Know We Were Seeds

In spite of telling Lily they will discuss the issue on Saturday, the next morning after breakfast, she pulls him into a lesser-used corridor on their way to potions and asks in a low voice, "What did you want to talk about last night?"

He sighs and looks around her to the main hallway. Thankfully, their fellow students are oblivious to the two of them standing here. He would prefer to wait and talk about this. He wants to rub it in Cresswell's face how wrong he was about the Hufflepuff time-traveler while also keeping him in the loop so he doesn't come to resent them later for "withholding information". Severus considers his options as he watches a couple of stragglers (Peter and Sirius, squabbling about something, a missing scale, it sounds like) hurry past the mouth of the corridor. When no more students come into their field of view, Severus says, "Cresswell has herbology right now, doesn't he?"

Lily pushes up the sleeve of her robe and checks her watch. "In ten minutes he does," she answers.

Severus nods. "Let's see if we can't find him then. I believe this is best discussed with all of us present."

As he begins to speed in the direction of a nearby shortcut that will get them back on Hogwarts's main floor in less than three minutes, Lily jogs to keep up. "I don't know how good of an idea that is," his friend says to him. "He may be upset from last night still…"

Severus looks over his shoulder at her. Lily's face is drawn, tired. He wonders how late the two of them stayed up commiserating about their lost loved ones. He shrugs a shoulder. "Even if he is, I'd rather speak to you two together, that way Cresswell can't be angry later with us for 'keeping him out of the loop'."

She frowns, but doesn't argue. Severus feels relieved that she sees the logic of his argument and isn't going to turn this into a fight. It would only serve to slow them down and force them to wait for Cresswell's Herbology class to be over before he can tell them about Rookwood. If Severus is entirely honest with himself, he doesn't want to wait. He wants to act. The sooner they find out if Rookwood is truly their last time-traveler the faster they can put together a plan about what to do with her.

With all the extra time Severus has had to consider Rookwood as a person, her potential as an ally or an enemy, he can't say he feels very confident her addition is good. She'd never taken the mark like he did, but she'd supported her husband, her uncle, and the rest of her family in their pursuit to bring Voldemort's vision to fruition. What is her role in creating a "better" future? And what does she envision such a future would look like? While Severus knows he and Cresswell don't see eye to eye on most things, he does know with absolute certainty that his vision of a "better" future is the same as his in the way it doesn't include Voldemort ruling over the magical world.

The two of them now all of few meters from the Herbology Greenhouse, it doesn't take long at all to spy Cresswell among the Ravenclaws. Lily puts a hand on his shoulder. "Stay here, I'll get him," she tells Severus.

He nods and looks on as she hurries over to the group of Ravenclaws Cresswell lines the outer rim of. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws alike stare at her as she steps up to Cresswell's side, tugs him near and whispers in his ear. The reedy Ravenclaw separates from his group and steps into place beside Lily as they start walking back in his direction. A few heads turn to follow them, but none say anything to Lily or Cresswell.

Moments later, when Cresswell and Lily are standing in front of him, Severus remarks, "A story may need to be thought of later, your departure with Lily seems to have piqued their curiosity."

Cresswell rolls his eyes. "If I tell them to shove off enough times, they will."

"That seems overly harsh," Lily counters. "I'm sure we can think of a little fib. Perhaps a professor wants to talk to you?"

"Or one of your parents has fallen quite ill," suggests Severus.

The Ravenclaw scowls at him. "With what?"

"Does it matter?" Severus snaps back.

Lily puts a hand on both of their arms. "Please, can we not do this now?" Pressing her lips into a thin line, she then says, "Don't we have more important matters to discuss? Ones that need both of us present to talk about?"

Severus can't help but roll his eyes at her passive aggressiveness. "Yes," he bites. Waving a hand, he takes them back in the direction of the castle. Instead of going inside, however, he guides them over to a small cranny that he often checked while he was a professor for randy teenagers. Thankfully, at the moment, none are there. He brings out his wand to cast the proper privacy spells before he jumps right in and declares, "I think I've found the last time-traveler."

The two are utterly silent for a moment. Then, Lily asks, "Who is it?"

"Priscilla Rookwood," he answers. "Augustus Rookwood's niece and Bernard Crabbe's wife."

Instead of protesting his claim like Severus was half-expecting, Cresswell makes a face of disgust. "A Death Eater?"

He shakes his head. "Not quite," he replies. "As far as I know, she was never marked."

"Why her?" questions Lily. "What did she do? Say?"

Severus tells them about what he saw the past weekend in the Great Hall and the story Benjy shared with him. "It's not a definitive sign in any way," he says, "but it is curious."

The Ravenclaw crosses his arms, finally showing the expected resistance to Severus's claim. "She's a Death Eater's niece, not a time-traveler! Of course she's reading stuff like that. She's probably afraid someone will attack her in retribution for what her uncle is doing."

"That's a good point…" Lily murmurs.

He looks at them and glowers. "As good as a point as it may be, what harm is there in checking?" He sharpens his glower into something a little more mocking as he jabs at the Ravenclaw, "Unless someone is afraid he'll be proven wrong about there being a Hufflepuff time-traveler."

Cresswell bristles. "I'm not afraid!"

Lily, loudly, demands, "Let's stick to the topic of what to do about Rookwood, boys."

"I am," Severus grumbles as the Ravenclaw huffs his displeasure.

The Gryffindor narrows her eyes at him in warning, but otherwise doesn't call Severus out on his pettiness.

After a tense moment, Cresswell begrudgingly inquires, "How would you check?"

That is the question, isn't it? How would Severus check? Should he say something about Crabbe? her uncle? And see how she reacts? "I'll ask her outright," he declares abruptly. "It will be the best way to get an honest reaction from her."

"What happens when she isn't a time-traveler?" asks Lily.

He waves his wand. "It's simple. I will obliviate our encounter from her mind."

Lily glares at Severus. "I really hate how casually you talk about using that spell – especially on a little girl."

Severus makes a noise of irritation. "She might not even be a little girl."

"And if she is? What if something goes wrong? You could ruin her!" counters Lily.

He scoffs. "I'm quite skilled when it comes to magic that deals with the mind. I assure you nothing will happen to her."

"Arrogant prick," mutters Cresswell just loud enough for Severus to hear.

Severus turns a dagger-like glare on the Ravenclaw. "Perhaps you'd like to say that a little louder."

Cresswell juts out his chin and says, "You heard me just fine. Boasting doesn't inspire the confidence you think it does."

"It's not boasting when it is the truth."

"Severus," Lily snaps. Then, turning to Cresswell, she tells him, "Unless you have a better idea to offer, belt up."

The Ravenclaw blinks at Lily and then he pouts. Like a child. Severus is torn between amusement and disgust at his childishness. However, before he can pick one, Lily pokes Severus hard in the chest – distracting him – and tells Severus, "Think of a better way to approach her about being a time-traveler. No matter how confident you are in your skills, I don't want us using obliviate on potential time-travelers like that. It's not right."

He scowls, preparing to argue more, but after a moment thinks better of it. He sighs. While he's certain the shock-value of asking Rookwood outright would cause the Hufflepuff to answer most honestly, thinking of a more sideways approach to getting the same answer really won't be so difficult. "May second is days away," he says after a moment of consideration. "I'm sure I can find a way to use the date to my advantage to get our answer."

He receives puzzled looks from both Lily and Cresswell. Severus nearly sighs in exasperation, but thinks better of it. It's not worth his time to get upset over them not recalling May second is the day he died and the day the Battle of Hogwarts happened. With forced patience, he elaborates for the two, "May second is the day I died – when Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and the light faced off on Hogwarts's grounds. If Rookwood was there, if she survived it, I'm sure the date will be very significant to her."

"I still can't believe they had the battle here," Cresswell mutters as he casts his gaze on Hogwarts's grounds. "This is a school for children."

Severus can only shake his head. "Voldemort never had qualms about hurting or killing children before, and any among his army who do know to keep their mouths shut – unless they want to be on the wrong end of a cruciatus curse for impudence."

Cresswell still looks sour, but nods his head grimly, accepting his answer. There is no denying the truth of his statement.

Lily, for her part, says, "It's still terrible. Yet… I can't say I'm upset I missed the battle."

"Neither can I," concurs Severus, making a point to meet Cresswell's gaze as he says this, hoping he will understand that Severus prefers he wasn't there either. The battle was a horrendous experience even before his death in the Shrieking Shack. "I was half-certain it was the end of the world."

-o-O-o-

As he promised, Severus takes the sideways approach with Rookwood. On May first he keeps an eye on her, looking for the perfect moment to confront her. As the day begins to come to an end, he worries that there won't be a chance. Rookwood spends all her time following her housemates around, never included in their conversations or activities, but always too near to them for Severus to feel comfortable about approaching. When dinner comes and goes with Rookwood still sticking close to her housemates, Severus feels his frustrations grow.

Today did not go as planned. Tomorrow he will manufacture a moment to approach Rookwood if he has to. Severus can't let this go on much longer. They need to know if she's their other time-traveler and he's hopeful if he talks to her now, when her emotions may be running high thanks to the date, she won't be able to lie or rebuff him as easily.

After he finishes helping Sage study for Monday's Transfiguration exam, Severus decides to take to the dungeons to clear his head before curfew. While ambling the stone halls, Severus has a stroke of luck. After turning a corner down near the Hufflepuff dorms, he spies Rookwood making her own circuit. In order not to frighten her or raise her suspicions, Severus slowly catches up with Rookwood.

When he comes up beside her, she says, "I'm still not done with the book."

He furrows his brows in confusion. Then, as understanding dawns, he dips his chin amicably. "I suppose I should have expected as much. You are only a Hufflepuff."

She purses her lips, but otherwise doesn't react to the insult. For a few minutes, silence reigns as they continue walking deeper and deeper into Hogwarts dungeons. Severus reckons they'll have to turn back soon if they have any intention of making it back to their dorms in time for curfew. He lets another minute pass before he says, "Tomorrow is the second."

He can feel Rookwood looking at him out of the corner of her eye, but she says nothing still.

Severus wraps his fingers around his wand before he remarks, "Unfortunately, I don't know if I should celebrate it or rage about it."

The Hufflepuff comes to a full stop. Severus turns to face her and finds Rookwood's plump countenance full of hate and anger, thankfully, though, her hands are both empty. "A traitor like you would probably celebrate tomorrow."

He smirks at her. "So you are one of us."

"Us?" she repeats in a small, suspicious tone.

Severus nods. "Lily Potter and Dirk Cresswell complete our little group."

Rookwood balls her hands into fists and looks as if she's using all of her self-control to not charge screaming at him. She then half-turns away from Severus and takes several panting breaths. When done, she hisses, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that bitch!"

He raises an eyebrow, hopeful Rookwood will continue to talk so freely in her moment of fury. Thankfully for Severus, she does.

Pacing the width of the hall now, shaking visibly as she does so, Rookwood decries the mystery "bitch". "She said if I let her use me as a conduit I could go back and fix things! Save Vince! My parents and uncle! That I would have help! Instead, I ended up in the past thirty years too early; a time where Vince doesn't even exist and my help is a traitor and a pair of Mudblo–"

"Langlock!" jinxes Severus.

The girl turns towards him, eyes wide with shock.

Firmly, he tells her, "You will not use that word around me."

If eyes worked like wands, Severus would surely be dead. After a few seconds of returning an equally hateful glare, however, Rookwood reluctantly nods her head.

Severus performs the reverse of the jinx, allowing the Hufflepuff to speak once more. "I didn't want this," she says. "I wanted to save my son and my family."

"I wanted peace," he replies. "But all I've gotten is strife."

Rookwood scowls, unrepentant. Severus can't say he's surprised. She has only ill-will towards him. Evidentally, she survived the war and his full role in it came to light. He's sure it smarts to realize that your "help" is someone who actively worked against you and your family. However, perhaps things don't have to stay that way.

Severus knows what she wants; Rookwood wants to rescue her family from whatever dismal fate they met after the battle. He can give her that – even if it won't be quite in the way she expects. She will undoubtedly hate it too.

"I can help you save your family, you know," he tells her.

Rookwood laughs. "Can you now? How?"

He maintains his neutral expression. "You will not like my answer."

"I already know that, you traitor," she snaps.

He resists the urge to scowl. "To save your family," he says, "you will have to help the rest of us defeat Voldemort."

Priscilla Rookwood is our last time-traveler! Thoughts on that? Excited? Disappointed? Feeling something else? How did you like the scene with Dirk, Lily, and Severus too?

Thanks for reading, I appreciate it :)