Tiberius initially kept the Dumbledore's Army communication galleon as a reminder to himself of their misadventure to the Department of Mysteries. The galleon was a harmless little thing. Or it might have been had he not, with time, developed a most irritating habit of reassuring himself of its presence in his pockets in order to assert to himself that they were indeed at war. He looked at it when he was happy so that it tempered his joy; he looked at it when wasn't happy so that his sorrow was justified. The coin itself was, however, blissfully dormant.
So, after a year of silence, when the galleon suddenly warmed in his hands, Tiberius found himself terribly alarmed. He was already in bed, waiting for sleep to find him. And he ought to have thrown the coin away without another thought. He clutched it in his hand, however, remembered that Luna had developed an even more irritating habit of checking her galleon in hopes for another meeting of Dumbledore's Army.
He pulled his blanket over his head, lit his wand with a soft murmur so he could read the message on the coin. The date on the coin indicated today was the day. And although he didn't bother to verify it against a timepiece, he was certain the coin showed the current time. Not an ordinary meeting, then. But an emergency.
Tiberius turned to his side, curled in on himself, waited for the warmth of the galleon to fade away even as he fought a losing battle against himself. Eventually, swearing softly under his breath, he slipped out of bed. He pulled on a pair of proper robes, grabbed his wand, sneaked out of the dorm, out of the Hufflepuff Common room, started towards the Room of Requirement.
He made it as far as the Entrance Hall before he was interrupted. He sensed footsteps coming down the main staircase. Fearing Filch was on patrol, he quickly hid himself behind a suit of armour. Only to see Luna and Granger heading towards the dungeons.
The suit of armour made a creaking sound as Tiberius moved from his hiding place, a noise that caused Granger to instantly point her wand at his face.
He held his hands up, his wand in sight. "Good evening to you too, Granger," he said politely.
Granger dropped her wand, made an exasperated noise. "You nearly got yourself hexed."
"Would serve me right," he mumbled to himself, stepped out of the shadows.
"Good evening, Ty," Luna said calmly. "You're late, did you know? Hermione sent the call to the D.A quite some time ago."
Tiberius crossed his arms. "Yeah. What's going on then?" he asked.
Granger shifted uneasily on her feet, glanced towards the dungeons.
"We're going to keep an eye on Professor Snape," Luna replied.
He furrowed his brows. "Excuse me?"
"Pucey – Tiberius, maybe you should go back to your Common room," Granger suggested.
That rankled him. Who did she think she was, ordering him about? Even if he did want to be back in the sett, even if answering the D.A.'s call was a terrible idea. He frowned lightly. "Why are you going to keep an eye on Professor Snape?" he asked her.
Granger pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's a terribly long story," she said tightly, then exhaled harshly, looked up at him. "The castle may be in danger tonight. Luna and I need to go the dungeons," she declared. "You can either join us, or head straight back to your dormitory."
She turned towards the entrance to the dungeons then. Luna turned with her.
"Wait," he called, rushing to keep up with them. "What do you mean, in danger?" he asked, his heart pounding faster as his annoyance was swiftly replaced by fear.
Granger glanced sideways at him. "We're not certain," she hesitated. "But Harry wants us to keep watch."
"On Professor Snape?" he asked, a bit incredulously.
She nodded.
Tiberius grabbed Luna's hand, stopping her in place. "Are you honestly going along with this?" he asked earnestly.
Granger slowed down, stopped, pressed her lips together as she looked at him.
Luna nodded lightly. "Maybe it's nothing, then we're only losing some sleep. Or maybe it's something, then we can help."
With his free hand, he raked his fingers through the his hair. "We barely made it out of the Ministry with our lives," he appealed, softer, looking in turn at her and Granger.
Granger suddenly raised a hand to her chest, before she dropped it and looked away.
Luna eased her hand out of his. "You can go back to the sett, Ty. It's all right," she said reassuringly.
Except, it was not all right. Except, if it was something and he left her, it would eat him up from the inside.
The two of them continued down the corridor then, while Tiberius remained frozen to the ground. And he was suddenly hit with the thought that Adrian might have hexed them to stop them in their tracks.
He clutched harder at his wand, followed after them.
They sequestered themselves in an alcove by Professor Snape's office. A thin line of light on the floor by the door indicated that the room was lit. Whether Professor Snape himself was within the room, they weren't certain. There was no sound from the inside.
They stayed in grim waiting for a long time, Tiberius listening to his inner monologue that sounded far too much like Adrian. "It looks like we're going to be here for a while," he commented, finally breaking the silence. "Plenty of time for you to fess up, Granger. What kind of danger are we going to be in?"
Granger crossed her arms, turned down to her feet, did not proffer a reply.
He narrowed his eyes. "Did you expect the entirety of the D.A to show up and do your bidding without a question?"
She shrugged lightly. "Maybe."
"Unfortunately for you, I'm the one who actually showed up," he said. "What's Potter up to?"
Granger sighed deeply, looked up at him. "Harry thinks Malfoy is up to something," she revealed.
Tiberius frowned lightly. "Up to what?"
"Harry thinks Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater," Granger said softly, looking rather more keenly at him.
"What?" he hissed. "He's not -" he cut himself off, recalled the encounter with Malfoy at the Arena. Granted, Tiberius wasn't Malfoy's biggest fan but labelling him a Death Eater was a bit much. Wasn't it? "Why does Potter think that? What does he know?"
Granger shook her head in the negative. "He asked us to keep an eye on him tonight. And on Professor Snape as well," she said, looked away. "This is what the D.A. was created for, so here we are."
"If Malfoy is up to something, why are waiting on Professor Snape?" he questioned. "In fact, we could talk to Professor Snape right now and stop Malfoy before he starts anything."
She scowled lightly. "No, we can't. Harry also thinks that Professor Snape is working with Malfoy."
Tiberius threw up his hands. "Professor Snape is on our side. Did Potter miss the bloody memo?" The man had been acquitted by the Wizengamot. Albus Dumbledore himself had spoken in his favour. What more did Potter want?
Granger pressed her lips together tightly.
He dropped his head back against the wall behind him, exhaled deeply. "Well, I'm perfectly content to wait here," he declared airily. "If the broom goes down, I imagine we'll be perfectly safe with Professor Snape nearby."
And he believed it too, all the way until midnight, when Professor Flitwick came careening down the corridor as he ran towards the Potions Master's office, crying about Death Eaters in the castle. Professor Flitwick sailed past the three of them without pause, stormed into Professor Snape's office.
Tiberius exchanged glances with Granger and Luna, terror in all their wide eyes, Professor Flitwick's words ringing in their ears.
There was a thud from inside the office then, and Professor Snape came charging out.
He stopped short when he saw them, seemed to pull himself up taller. "Professor Flitwick has collapsed in my office. You ought to check on him. I need to deal with… the other problem in the castle."
At the none-too-subtle order, they rushed into his office to find Professor Flitwick indeed unconscious on the floor. As Luna and Granger kneeled down next to his prone form and Tiberius watched on apprehensively, the door closed with a soft snick behind them. And they concluded that Professor Snape was off to deal with the Death Eaters.
Tiberius took a step back from Luna and Granger, his throat threatening to close. Death Eaters in the castle. Fucking Malfoy! He turned to the door, rested his forehead against it as he attempted to breathe evenly.
Luna and Granger continued to assess Professor Flitwick's state. In a moment, they would revive him, or they would let him rest. And then they would, inevitably, go join the fight. Why him? Why Luna? Why even Granger?
Tiberius threw a glance back at them, recalled Adrian fortifying their home the past summer, pointed his wand at the door. Non verbal, of course, he couldn't let them know. It was possibly weak. But it was all he could do.
"I don't think he's going to wake up," Granger cried.
"Yes, he will," Luna countered. "Maybe after quite some time. But he will."
Granger stood up. "We don't have time to wait around. One or both of you can stay with him, but I need to go." She marched towards the closed door.
Tiberius let his hand go limp, did not step away from the door. "The door's locked," he said softly, his eyes on the dark wood of the door.
"Alohomora," she said, pointing her wand at the door.
The door did not open.
"Step back," she ordered.
Tiberius clenched his jaw, turned to glare at her. "What are you planning to do? Blast it away and alert the Death Eaters to our location?"
"Would you prefer to wait here until they find us?" she challenged.
He pushed back roughly from the door. "By all means, invite them in," he said, gesturing grandly at the door. Then he slunk to the other side of the room, leaned against Professor Snape's desk to watch the proceedings.
Granger attempted spell after spell to break through the door. Spell after spell failed.
"Trust Professor Snape to lock us in with an unbreakable ward," she groused, her shoulders falling.
Tiberius swiftly looked down to his feet, then turned to Professor Flitwick who was still on the floor. "Luna, can you help me make Professor Flitwick a bit more comfortable?" he asked. "Maybe, we can transfigure a chair for him so he can rest there instead of the floor."
With Luna's help, Tiberius moved Professor Flitwick off the floor to a chair transfigured into a low bench.
Granger grumbled by the door the entire time.
Luna seated herself on the only student chair in the room. Tiberius nervously eyed Professor Snape's chair, then resigned himself to leaning against the edge of the table. Granger paced fervently in front of the closed door.
After a long period of nothingness, the door rattled lightly.
Tiberius jumped in alarm, ran to Granger, and grabbed her arm. "Get under the table. You need to hide," he whispered desperately.
She attempted to pull her arm free. "What about you two? I'm not going to leave you-"
"They don't kill Purebloods for the fun of it," he said bluntly.
She clenched her jaw.
The door rattled harder.
"Please, Granger," he begged, attempting to tug her towards the table. "For Adrian's sake, if not mine. Please, please trust me!"
Her eyes darted back and forth between the door and Tiberius, before she gave in.
Tiberius stood by the table, Luna at his side, both their wands pointed at the door.
The door did not open with a bang. Instead, it opened softly, respectfully, and Augustus Rookwood walked in.
Tiberius barely reacted at the recognition.
Until Augustus was followed by Barty Crouch Jr.
"Stupe-"
Tiberius's wand was snatched from his hand before he could finish the spell, snapping into Crouch's left hand.
In turn, Crouch's right hand, wand at the ready, was raised at him. "Cruci-"
Augustus gripped Crouch's hand tightly around the wrist, jerked it down to the ground as he cut off the curse. "That's my son, Barty," he said, his tone languid despite the fierce grip of his hand. "I'd hate to break your arm here, but you know I won't hesitate."
Crouch roughly pulled his arm free, sneered at Augustus. "No wonder he can't Stun a man right."
Augustus ignored the jibe, grabbed Tiberius's wand out from Crouch's hold. Then, he waved close the door to the office, walked towards Tiberius and Luna, an eyebrow raised at Luna's wand that was still pointed at Crouch. He turned to meet Tiberius's eyes, held out his wand. "This is a terrible habit you've picked up," he murmured, lips twitching lightly, no real rebuke in his tone. "We really must stop meeting like this."
Tiberius merely blinked at him. At his… No! His father was dead. His father was…
Ignoring them, Crouch scanned the room. His eyes halted on Professor Flitwick, and he started walking towards him.
Tiberius could not breathe. "He killed my…" he whispered, his tone pleading, pathetic.
Augustus sobered, flicked a glance towards Crouch and back to Tiberius. He grabbed Tiberius's hand, thrust his wand at him. "In due time," he said in a low voice.
"What about the girl?" Crouch asked, an amused expression on his face as he looked down the end of Luna's wand.
"Pandora's," Augustus said, started walking away to a wall. "If you are incapable of focusing on the task at hand, Barty, you're welcome to leave and join the others."
At that, the two of them proceeded to thoroughly ignore Tiberius and Luna as they studied the room. They pulled out their wands, casting non verbals as they examined the room. Augustus eventually moved to a corner, then, started casting with more intent at a blank wall. After a while, the wall dissolved to reveal a door. The door to Professor Snape's quarters.
Crouch smiled at Tiberius. "Be a good boy and watch the office door, will you?" he said genially. He walked into Professor Snape's quarters without waiting for a reply.
Augustus threw a warning glance at Tiberius, followed after Crouch, closed the door behind them.
Tiberius remained motionless.
That's my son, Barty. My son, Barty. My son.
Granger tugged at the bottom of his robes, and he nearly kicked her in fright. He leaned down carefully, his eyes on the door to Professor Snape's quarters. "Not yet," he whispered, wiped roughly at his face. He did not dare move away from his position by the table.
And there, they remained in stalemate for several seemingly endless minutes.
Eventually, Augustus and Crouch emerged out of Professor Snape's quarters, looking preoccupied and a bit harried. The door to the quarters disappeared into the wall behind them.
Crouch directly made his way to the office door without a glance their way, exited without a word.
Augustus paused lightly. "It's time for me to leave," he said politely with a small nod of acknowledgement at the two of them. Heading out of the room, he looked back to Tiberius. "Lock the door after me," he said, strict.
Tiberius's heart did not slow down even after Augustus left the office. He walked mechanically to the office door, closed it after him.
Granger emerged out of her hiding place and looked inquisitively at him.
Tiberius leaned back against the door, darted his gaze away from hers, trying and failing to regulate his breathing. There was nothing he could say to the questions in her eyes. There was no way to explain his exchange with Augustus.
"I have to go," she said, walking towards the door, towards him.
"Two minutes," Tiberius said, a bit desperate, not stepping out of her path. "Give it two minutes, please. Just so you don't run into anyone." So you don't run into Augustus Rookwood, he did not say.
She pressed her lips together tightly.
And he was fairly certain she didn't push him only because he was in tears, because he could not stop his tears.
Two minutes later, Luna and Granger ran out from the dungeons.
Tiberius pushed the door close after them, lowered himself to the ground.
He did not know how long he sat there – his identity, his life, his world torn apart.
The next thing he knew Tonks was kneeling before him, a terribly concerned expression on her face, attempting to pull Siren (and he did not know when she got there) away from his chest, attempting to pull him out of whatever state he was in.
Lupin stood behind her, brows furrowed deeply as he watched him.
Tiberius slowly glanced around him as he realized Professor Snape hadn't returned to sternly order him out of his office. Why was Lupin there? Why was Tonks there?
"… I think he needs the Hospital Wing," Lupin said gravely. "Who knows what Snape-"
"Don't!" Tonks cut him off with a glare, then turned back to Tiberius to cast a series of medical Charms on him. "Ty. Tyke. Tiberius, look at me, buddy." She grabbed his face with both her hands to get his attention on her.
"Tonks," he acknowledged weakly.
Tonks smiled briefly at that, her hair flashing a brilliant blue for less than a second before it reverted back to a neutral brown. "Stay with me, now. Can you tell me where you're hurt?" she asked gently.
Tiberius pulled her hands away from his face, looked away as he wiped the dried tears on his face. "I'm not," he said in a small voice.
"He's gone, Tiberius. He won't hurt you again," Lupin said firmly. "You can tell us what he did."
Tiberius's eyes snapped to his, panic and fear returning with a vengeance. How could Lupin, of all people, know-
"Remus, please!" Tonks rebuked him. She reached for Tiberius's arms, urged him up off the ground. "Come on. Let's get you to the Hospital Wing."
Tiberius clutched Siren closer to him. "The sett, please. I'm fine. I want to go to the sett."
Tonks pressed her lips together in protest, then relented when he repeated his plea more pleadingly.
Less like the sixteen-year-old he was and more like the six-year-old he had once been, Tiberius clung to her side when she walked him all the way to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Clung to her when she hugged him, warm and strong, at the sett's doors.
"You're all right, Tyke," she confirmed, bolstering, reassuring, her hair turning the same shade as his when she patted his head.
Tiberius did not reply, silently wished to himself that she was right.