Chapter 32: Ministry of Magic. Part 1. Exam
An hour later, Severus dragged himself out of the pipe and into the girls' bathroom with a weak groan, landing under Myrtle's horrified stare. He had not changed his clothes, which were stiffened with dried basilisk blood.
"S-Severus, you are alive?"
"Yes, obviously. Why?" He got to his feet and looked down at himself, mildly embarrassed by what he saw. A flick of the finger, and a light gust of wind carried away the blood and grime. "It is not mine, do not worry. We can talk tomorrow. I need to sleep until nine." Nagini's head appeared from his collar at that moment, nodding briefly in agreement.
Together they left the bathroom, stopping just outside to transfigure the battle clothes back into a school uniform.
Behind them, the ghost who had been watching felt something complicated settle over her: relief that he was alive, and underneath it, quieter and uglier, something like disappointment.
If he had died, he would have stayed here with me forever. But she caught herself, pressed both palms against her cheeks. No. He is my friend. I should not want that.
Back in his room, Severus stripped off his clothes, dropped onto the bed, and let out a long, contented breath. Nagini settled beside him with an equally satisfied expression.
"It is a shame he destroyed everything, of course."
"Gold and trinkets. The books are intact, and that is what matters. As for the rest, do not worry: I kept that portrait for a reason." He smiled with something quietly devilish in it, thinking of the rolled-up living portrait of Salazar currently sitting in his wallet.
"He is a portrait. How exactly do you plan to take revenge on a portrait?" Nagini stared at him.
"Some things are better left unseen."
"He can just close his eyes."
"I will handle it. He will pay for every one of my three hundred thousand and nine Galleons."
Already yours. And how do you even know the exact number? She kept it to herself. Severus had already closed his eyes.
He had been lying there for barely a minute when someone knocked.
"Severus, up you get, it is time for breakfast. We have to be at the Ministry by nine!" Slughorn's cheerful voice rang out, and Severus nearly came off the bed.
"Why so early?!"
"It is seven fifty. I expect you in the Great Hall in ten minutes. We leave straight after breakfast."
"Understood. I will be there." He sighed and looked at Nagini, who was already snoring. "You have been through a great deal today. Rest." He sat up, stroked her head with quiet warmth, and stood. "I envy you a little." He ruffled his hair. "Though perhaps I have gotten too sentimental. Or perhaps this is simply who I am, when I am not living for survival and revenge." He shook his head and got up.
After breakfast, once they had left the castle with Slughorn and reached the village nearby, Slughorn pointed out a small shop.
"Every major Muggle town has at least one entrance point, and Hogsmeade is an exception simply because it is a wizarding village with the school nearby. The most common are telephone boxes, those red ones."
"Professor, I lived in the Muggle world until I was eleven, right up to Hogwarts."
"Oh. Yes, of course. How completely foolish of me. Forgive an old man." Slughorn scratched the side of his nose, looking sheepish, then redirected himself briskly. "The entrance is in there," and he moved on before Severus could say anything.
Hogsmeade was genuinely pleasant: tidy wooden houses, brick-paved roads, no crooked fences or abandoned buildings. Lampposts every ten metres or so, and a small train station not far from the entrance.
"It is peaceful here," Severus said, watching the easy faces of the people on the streets.
"I agree. I think about moving here when I retire."
The shop's shelves were almost entirely bare. The old wizard behind the counter recognized Slughorn immediately and smiled with real warmth.
"Horace. Rarely see you these days. Business or just a visit?" He looked at Severus. "Your student?"
"That is right. Business. We need access to the Ministry."
"Purpose?"
"Patenting a potion."
"Same as always." The old wizard smacked his lips with satisfaction and headed for the back room. "Follow me."
Down in the basement, a small room opened up, roughly two metres by two.
"In you go."
"Thank you, Mark. I will drop in this evening."
"My door is always open. And in honour of that, I will open that very thing this evening." He winked, which made Slughorn's eyes light up, and even Severus found himself curious about whatever the old wizard was keeping.
"I will hold you to it."
They stepped out of a fireplace into a long hall of gleaming parquet and dark green tile, with a dozen more fireplaces along the walls from which wizards in business suits were emerging every few seconds. Severus and Slughorn moved aside quickly to let the rushing crowd pass.
"Is this your first time here?" Slughorn asked, watching the streams of wizards moving in every direction.
"No. I came a year ago."
"Did you?" He looked at the flatness in Severus's expression.
"The day my mother died. I was called to give testimony."
"Severus. I am sorry. Please accept my condolences."
Severus shook his head with a faint smile.
"Thank you. Let us not dwell on it."
"Of course, I—"
But Slughorn did not finish, because a young-looking wizard in a business suit had reached them.
"Professor, good to see you." He caught the atmosphere and raised an eyebrow. "Has something happened?"
"Andrew. It has been seven years since you graduated." Slughorn collected himself. "I am surprised you remember."
"You would be impossible to forget. I still remember how in sixth year you and Mr. Warren and—"
"Please do not," Andrew said immediately, both hands raised, a crooked smile forming.
Slughorn laughed warmly, which made Andrew colour slightly more.
"By the way, this is the young man I was telling you about yesterday," Slughorn said, settling his hands on Severus's shoulders with evident pride.
"Of course." Andrew turned and offered his hand. "Professor Slughorn was talking about you all evening."
"He exaggerates. My skills are fairly modest."
"We will find out shortly. Follow me. The Master rank assessment is on the second floor."
Severus looked at Slughorn.
"Professor?"
"I believe you are already operating at that level. You are nowhere near me yet, of course, but give it a couple of decades." Slughorn winked. "And do you think I have not worked out why you are so reluctant to publish your recipes? Once you hold a Master rank, you can sell them officially without patenting individually, and you gain access to certain restricted ingredients."
"Professor. you see straight through me." Severus said, with a tired smile and a quiet inward rise of respect for the man. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. Just, when you are earning hundreds of thousands a month, do not forget this old man."
"That is not funny, Professor."
The office door read: Examination Committee.
"Everything is arranged," Andrew said. "You go in and it begins immediately. The main thing is not to worry. If Professor Slughorn recommends you, you will pass." He added it with the tone of someone who genuinely believed it.
"Good luck, Severus," Slughorn said. "I have no doubts."
"Thank you. I will do my best."
Severus knocked, heard a muffled come in, opened the door, and stepped into an office where two middle-aged wizards and one who was roughly seventy were waiting.
"So young, and already attempting the Master examination." The youngest of the three shook his head with a small laugh.
"And how do you intend to impress us, young man?" the oldest said, cutting across the other cleanly.
"Honestly, I did not prepare for this examination."
"Then why come at all?" the second said, with undisguised sarcasm.
"To patent a few potions. My teacher entered me for this instead." Severus kept his attention on the old man and smiled pleasantly. "So I thought I would give a lecture, share some of my work and ideas, and let you decide from there whether the title is warranted or not."
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