A/N: I know it's been a while, but I definitely haven't forgotten this story. A huge thank you to my beta, Lacey, who has stuck by me through thick and thin. Thanks to everyone still reading.

Chapter Six: Thieves and Spies

"After you, Master Severus," Rowena said politely. Even at school, I hadn't heard anyone be polite around me- especially at family gatherings. It set me on edge.

"Err- thanks."

Smooth.

Large parchment was spread out evenly on the table in the middle of the room. Even though it was daytime, flames adorned the room, casting a glow on everything. Rowena gestured to the table.

I stretched my arms out. I had actually studied Hogwarts Architecture as part of my Department of Mysteries training. I used Arithmancy everyday at the Ministry. A lot of it was theoretical but I knew how to make it work. Here, I was in my element.

And bloody hell, I was going to reverse engineer Hogwarts. James and I were building Hogwarts. I bet Mum'd lay off us if she knew. I pushed my glasses up and concentrated on the plans in front of me.

I frowned. These were supposed to be for the dining room, weren't they?

"What do you think?"

I looked up to see Rowena's smiling face. I looked back at the parchment. Something was definitely off here. The designs weren't like I remembered them. There was no way the archway would stay, even held by magic.

The ceiling was too low and not enchanted and the hallway leading to the Great Hall was too narrow. Bloody hell, these were amateur mistakes! I pulled off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. It was a stupid habit and now more than ever I wished I didn't have the ruddy things.

"Look, Madam Ravenclaw.."

She smiled warmly. "Rowena, please. Go on?"

My mouth was cotton. Was I seriously about to correct Rowena Ravenclaw's designs of the Great Hall because her algorithms were off? Was it like telling Merlin to not practise magic?

"These designs are wrong," I said quickly. "I mean, not wrong wrong but...I mean look here, having this hallway leading up to the Great Hall isn't smart. It needs to be bigger and join there. And the ceiling is too low. There won't be room for enchantments."

Rowena's eyes were huge. Did I insult her intelligence. "I see," she said evenly. "And the archway?"

"If you want it to last a thousand years instead of twenty, you need to use Beeterbutter's 26th Algorithm," I said matter-of-factly.

Rowena was quiet for a moment. "Bowtrox Beeterbutter?" she asked quietly. I nodded. "Otherwise the force from from using the staircases will make the archway collapse."

Rowena sighed. "I had hoped I was wrong," she started. "I really could have used you. Incarcerous!"

Before I could even blink, thick ropes had me bound from Rowena's wand, which was pointed right at me. Wait, what? The closest I had ever come to being tied up was with Sarah Finnegan and the less I thought about that unfortunate evening, the better.

The ropes hurt! Moreover, why the hell was I in them?

"Rowena?"

She grabbed the plans from the table and held them up. "Every single one."

Huh? I squinted. Interrogation by torchlight sounded romantic but even with glasses, I couldn't see what she was pointing out. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Oh shit, James. Is that why she had sent him away? I struggled against the ropes to no avail. In fact, I think I just had more rope burn than before. Now, I was pissed. "James?"

"Is he even your brother? Or is he part of this elaborate scheme? He seems simple enough but then again, all the capable scoundrels do."

Simple and a scoundrel? If I wasn't so annoyed or bloody terrified I would have congratulated her for working out my brother in one succinct sentence. I was at a loss. "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Honesty. Well, close enough.

She moved the plans closer. "There are very few people I know that are able to determine the failure of these plans."

Bloody hell. The plans were a fake. The plans were a test- one that I'd apparently just passed-err, failed. I'd say being in ropes meant a failing grade on this one. She leant in closer. "Master Severus, only four people in existence know about the plans for the Great Hall, enchanted ceiling and staircase. And you just told me all about them and how to fix them."

Shit. Shit shit shit.

"I am going to ask you once and once only," she said evenly. Even now, tied up and scared shitless, she still looked amazing. Concentrate, Potter.

"Who are you?"

She then pulled out an item from her robe. "And what is this?"

The time turner. I could have sworn it was in my pocket. Err, the pocket in my robes, at least. Then again, this was the woman who created the entire House of Ravenclaw so I'm sure that a dormant object shoved down the pants of a twenty-three year old time traveller out of his element was easy enough.

There was no easy way out of this. "Madam Ravenclaw-"

She came closer. "Are you a spy? Did the Slavs send you? A thousand curses upon them, they will never have my plans for that disgusting school!"

The Slavs? Merlin's beard, she was talking about Durmstrang. I was a little offended. Didn't Bulgarians have thick accents? Anton Krum sure did- not to mention his mental father. Wait- did Bulgaria even exist now?

"I'm not a spy."

Her eyes softened momentarily. "We shall see."

From the depths of her cloak, (Merlin, did she have an entire apothecary stashed down there?), she pulled a small vial out.

I knew the look of that.

I had seen it once, when I was with Dad at the Ministry. I had picked it up and had wondered what it tasted like. Seeing as I wasn't a Gryffindor, I hadn't tasted it, only asked Dad. He snatched it off me and locked it in his desk.

Even now, I wondered what it tasted like.

"Isn't there a law of some kind that prohibits this kind of behaviour?" I protested. Wait a minute, this was Hogwarts being built. I was an idiot.

Now I was starting to panic. The whole point of lying was to find a way to get back home without completely destroying history. I wanted to still exist! I didn't want to be under a mental Voldemort regime or for there to be no House Elves.

"It'll be quick," Rowena assured me, removing the stopper. "And if you aren't a spy, you'll have nothing to worry about."

"I just have a superior intellect," I started. Merlin, now I was sounding like a sodding Slytherin. "Trust me on this one. I'm gifted at Arithmancy."

She stopped only for a moment.

"Please," I tried once more.

And then, the liquid was going down my throat. The taste wasn't too bad. Hey, there was one more thing I could tick off my list. Veritaserum. Rowena looked at me expectantly.

"You're rather beautiful," I blurted out. If she was surprised, I didn't see it. How bloody mortifying. Her wand was now up against my throat. Lovely.

"Your name," she repeated. I couldn't work it out. She wasn't frightened. She looked curious. The words rolled naturally off my tongue.

"Albus Severus Potter."

Strike one.

Rowena frowned. "I've never heard of it. And that man with you? His name?"

"My brother. James Sirius Potter."

And strike two.

She leant closer. Her hair was even shinier up close. "Why are you here?"

And that was the million dollar question, wasn't it? Would 'James is a bloody idiot' suffice? Would 'James was depressed and I was disenchanted so as luck would have it we were plucked from our own timeline and thrust into the Founders Era'?

The potion answered for me. "We're lost."

That was so simple that it was nearly embarrassing. Rowena then did something that surprised me. She pulled out Aunt Hermione's time turner. Then she pulled out another nearly identical one. "What is this?" she said holding out my time turner.

"A time turner," I answered automatically.

She looked confused now. "And to whom does it belong?"

These ropes were really starting to annoy me. "These ropes are really starting to annoy me," I answered. "And it belongs to Hermione Weasley."

"Did you steal it from her?"

"What? No...well, yes, but really it was James and it all started because of Hugo..."

Her eyes blazed. "How did this Weasley know of this?" she demanded. "You must tell me where she is, if you have stolen it from her, she must have stolen it from me! A Slavic spy!"

I shook my head. "You won't be able to find her. And trust me, she's no spy."

And then Rowena flicked her wand and the ropes disappeared. Seeing as I had no finesse or balance whatsoever, I stumbled. "Oomph."

I supposed Rowena wanted me for further questioning, because I saw the tent door seal shut. What I didn't expect to see was her hand steadying me while I tried to gain equilibrium. "This is why you are lost," she said quietly.

"Your strange language, your clothing, those strange things on your face-"

I looked up at her. Her face was a mixture of amazement and confusion. I knew exactly how she felt. "When are you from?"

I had heard tales from Uncle Ron and Dad about what people looked like when they tried to fight the Veritaserum. I bet it looked a lot like that- the purple face and I knew I was gasping. It was no use, of course, but I had to do it, didn't I?

What if actually admitting it out loud caused the entire universe to explode? I knew it was arithmetically possible. I suddenly hated the Department of Mysteries for allowing me to know that.

"2029," I admitted. I felt like vomiting. Dad wouldn't have made this stupid error. Bloody hell, if Aunt Hermione knew what I had just done, she'd have my hide. If Aunt Hermione even existed. Oh Merlin, what if Voldemort had won and enslaved all the Muggle-borns? Was my Aunt even there? Was Dad?

"I feel sick," I announced and Rowena summoned a chair for me and one for herself. She pressed what felt like a canteen of water into my hand. I drank it.

"I am sorry," she started. "The Veritaserum, it won't last."

Apologetic now, was she?

"Don't ask me anything else," I begged her, my eyes meeting hers. "Please. Shit, I've said enough."

She nodded. "Of course. Drink."

I had some more water. It did help a little, but nothing much would erase the heavy feeling in my gut. If Rowena knew what a time turner was, it meant that they existed.

She pressed the time turner back into my hand. I looked it over and it was exactly the same. I peered at the writing and Aunt Hermione's name was still etched onto it. I wonder why Rowena had missed it. Or maybe she hadn't. "It's broken," I offered as she looked at me curiously. "I mean, it won't work. It can't send us back."

And there I went again.

"We need your help."

Rowena smiled softly. "Master Potter," she breathed, holding out her own half-finished time turner. She turned it on its side and gently turned Aunt Hermione's the same way.

"Look."

At first, I didn't see anything. They all looked the same to me. But then something caught my eye. There was a marking which was very small embedded into the design. On closer inspection, it looked like a letter. The letter R. And there it was, as clear as day.

"Merlin's beard," I barely got out as I pushed my glasses up.

"Master Potter, this is my time turner. I need you to help me finish creating it."