Severus Snape paced back and forth in his office, hiw black cloak billowing behind him. After a few moments of silence, he rounded on the two other men who were present in the room.

"I don't believe it," he said flatly, "it is too preposterous."

"It's true, Professor Snape," Harry said earnestly, "if only there could be some doubt as to what the Death Eaters plan to do with the time-turners… but after the evidence Professor Collins provided, I believe it's better to face the truth and ask ourselves what we are going to do next."

"So you are saying…" Snape addressed Professor Collins now, "you are saying that that the young Death Eaters…"

"… Intend to tamper with time, yes," Collins nodded calmly, "They don't care about the devastation they might cause, as long as they get what they want."

"Which would be getting me out of the way, so that I don't interfere with Voldemort rising back to power for the second time," added Harry.

"However," continued Professor Collins, "the Ministry has put as much protection around Harry as could be reasonably expected, which means that we can be relatively sure they won't get their hands on him."

Snape continued to pace back and forth, his brow furrowed.

"And you think," he finally said, "that they will try to get to me instead?"

"From the information we managed to gather, that is their plan," nodded Harry, "without being modest, Professor Snape, you must acknowledge what an indispensable part you played in winning the war against Voldemort. I don't reckon we could have done it without you."

"And how is it that you think they are going to dispose of me?" asked Snape, his voice ironic despite the seriousness of the circumstances.

"We believe they are going to go back in time," said Professor Collins, "back to your fifth year, Severus, to the night when James Potter saved you when you tried to go after Remus Lupin as he assumed his werewolf form."

Comprehension began to dawn upon Snape's pale face.

"So they are going to aim to – to turn me into a werewolf," he said slowly, "or worse…"

"Yes," said Harry, "we think they will try to hold my father back – prevent him from saving you…"

Snape let out a strange sound, something between a snort and a snarl.

"Saving me! Saving his skin and preventing his and Sirius Black's expulsion from Hogwarts, you mean."

"At any rate," Professor Collins pressed on before Harry could speak, "if James Potter had let you walk after Remus Lupin that night, you might have not lived to tell the tale, isn't that so, Professor Snape?"

Snape gave a stiff nod. "I suppose so," he admitted reluctantly.

"Our sources of intelligence say that is precisely the moment the intend to disrupt," said Harry, "and of course, we can't allow this."

"Naturally," Snape said crisply, "but what do you?.."

"Professor Collins came up with a plan," said Harry, and a grim shadow flitted across his face, "and I must confess that under the current circumstances, I can think of nothing better. Do explain, Professor Collins."

"We are going to take advantage of the fact that James Potter the second, Harry's son, looks so remarkably like his grandfather," said Collins, "we will use him as bait, make the Death Eaters go for Harry's son, rather than his father. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I do," said Professor Snape, "and I must say I have rarely heard something so idiotic."

"Always the very essence of delicacy, you are, Professor Snape," said Collins, smiling.

"How come does your plan have to involve a teenage boy?" spat Snape.

"I don't like it any more than you do, Professor Snape, trust me on that score," said Harry, "it's my son we are talking about."

"We could use Polyjuice Potion," said Snape, "get a – a few hairs of James Potter, and I could act as his double."

"Combining Polyjuice Potion and time-turning is magic that hasn't been regulated hitherto," pointed out Professor Collins, "and I don't think it would be wise to try it without thorough research."

There was a long silence. "Is James aware of this brilliant plan of yours?" asked Snape finally.

"Not yet," admitted Collins, "but he should be here any moment, and then we can fill him in."

At that very moment, there was a knock on the office door and James Potter shuffled in, looking flushed from skipping stairs. It can be left to the imagination what James must have thought he did wrong this time, but he certainly didn't expect to see his father next to Professors Snape and Collins.

"Uh – Dad?" he asked uncertainly, "what is going on?"

"Do you remember everything I told you, James?" Professor Collins asked sternly half an hour later.

"You are not to do anything you weren't told to do," Harry chimed in, "you are not to stick out. You –"

Humping Hippogriffs, Dad!" said James, losing his temper, "I know!"

Author's note: I have an ambitious, adventurous plotline planned out for the next chapters, complete with going back in time and the heroic saving of the lives of James Potter senior and Severus Snape, but I haven't written it out yet, and with how time is sparse now, I don't know whether I ever will. Therefore, in the next chapter I'm skipping right to the scenes leading up to Jeremy and Fiona's wedding.