Chapter 32. Ministry of Magic. Part 1. Exam
An hour later, Severus crawled out of the pipe into the women's bathroom with a weak groan under Myrtle's shocked stare, since he still had not changed his clothes, which were crusted with basilisk blood.
"S-Severus, y-you are alive?"
"Huh? Of course. Why?" Once he got to his feet, he looked down, a little embarrassed when he noticed the state of his suit. He flicked his finger, and with a light gust of wind all the dried blood and grime vanished. "It is not mine, do not worry. All right, we will talk tomorrow. I am tired, I am going to sleep until nine." At that moment, Nagini's head popped out, blocking the doorway.
"OK."
Together they left the bathroom, not forgetting to transfigure their battle suit into a school uniform.
At the same time, the ghost watching them felt relief that he was still alive, and yet another unpleasant feeling stirred inside her, and that was disappointment.
If he had died, he would have stayed here with me forever. But she snapped her head, then slapped her cheeks a couple of times with her palms. No. He is my friend, and I should not wish something like that on him!
Finally back in his room, Severus instantly stripped, collapsed onto the soft bed, and smiled in contentment. Nagini landed beside him wearing an equally contented expression.
"It is a shame, of course, that he destroyed all his wealth."
"Come on. It is just gold and all sorts of useless trinkets. The important thing is that the books are intact, and the rest is not that significant. But he will pay for this anyway. Do you think I saved that portrait for nothing?" Severus drawled with a devilish grin, remembering the rolled-up living portrait of Salazar in his wallet.
"He is a portrait. how are you going to take revenge on him?" Nagini asked, staring at him in bewilderment.
"There are things better left unseen."
"He can 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 thought, but she did not say it aloud, because Severus had already closed his eyes.
But he had only been lying there for a minute when someone knocked on the door.
"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 fell out of bed when he heard it.
"Why so early?!"
"It is already seven fifty. I will expect you in ten minutes in the Great Hall, and after breakfast we will leave immediately."
"Got it. I will be there soon." He sighed wearily, looking at Nagini, who was already snoring in contentment. "All right, you have been through a lot today. Rest a bit." He sat up and stroked her head with a warm smile. "I even envy you a little. yeah, I have gotten too sentimental in this short time, or maybe this is the real me, when I am not obsessed with revenge and survival?" He ruffled his hair, shook his head, and got up.
After breakfast, once they left the castle with Slughorn, they reached the village near Hogwarts.
".you may not know this, but every major Muggle town has at least one visitor entrance, and Hogsmeade is an exception simply because it is a wizarding village, and the school itself plays a significant role in this," Slughorn explained calmly, smiling at a passing couple. "The most common ones are telephone booths, those red boxes."
"Professor, I lived in the Muggle world for eleven years, right up until I entered Hogwarts."
"Oh. it completely slipped my mind. Please forgive my forgetfulness," Slughorn said sheepishly, scratching the side of his nose with a finger as he looked up at a small shop. "That is where the entrance is," he added quickly, changing the subject, and Severus did not press him.
Hogsmeade really was an ideal village: wooden, well-kept houses, brick-paved roads, no crooked fences or abandoned buildings. Lampposts stood almost every ten meters, and not far from the entrance there was even a train station.
"It is quite peaceful here," Severus said with a smile, watching the happy faces of townspeople strolling along the tidy streets.
"I agree. I am thinking of moving here when I retire."
When they entered the shop, whose shelves were almost completely empty, the old wizard behind the counter noticed them at once and greeted them with a delighted smile.
"Horace, I rarely see you here. Are you here for a chat, or on business?" Then, turning his attention to Severus, he added, "Your ward?"
"That is right. We are here on business. We need to get into the Ministry."
"On what business?"
"Obtaining a patent."
"As always, you stick to your habits, brewing a new potion every year," he said, smacking his lips in satisfaction as he headed into the back room. "Follow me."
Down in the basement, he opened an empty room about two meters by two.
"Come in."
"Thank you, Mark. I will definitely drop by this evening."
"My doors are always open to you, old man, and in honor of that I will even open that very thing," Mark winked, which made Slughorn lick his lips, and even Severus found himself curious about what sort of miracle potion the old wizard was hiding.
"I will hold you to it."
In a long hall dominated by green tones, with gleaming parquet and walls tiled in dark green, Severus and Slughorn emerged from one of a dozen fireplaces lining the walls, from which wizards in business suits stepped out every second. They quickly moved aside to let the rushing crowd pass.
"Is this your first time here?" Slughorn asked with a smile, watching the huge stream of wizards flowing in different directions.
"No. I was here a year ago."
"Were you?" He looked at Severus's gloomy expression in surprise.
"That was the day my mother died, and I was invited to testify about how it happened."
"Oh. Severus, I am sorry. Please accept my condolences."
Seeing Slughorn's saddened face, Severus shook his head with a faint smile.
"Thank you. Let us not talk about it."
"Of course! I."
But Slughorn did not have time to finish when a young-looking wizard in a business suit approached them.
"Professor, it is good to see you again." Sensing the strange atmosphere hanging in the air, he raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Did something happen?"
"Andrew, I am glad to see you too. It has been seven years since you graduated." Slughorn greeted him, pulling himself together.
"I am surprised you still remember me."
"It would be hard to forget you. I still remember how, in sixth year, you, together with Mr. Warren and."
"Please, let us not bring up that incident!" Andrew almost blurted, raising his hands defensively, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.
Slughorn only laughed cheerfully at the reaction, which made the former member of the Slug Club flush even more.
"All right. By the way, this is the young talent I was talking about yesterday," Slughorn said proudly, resting his hands on Severus's shoulders.
"Of course." Andrew turned to Severus and offered his hand. "Professor Slughorn was praising you all evening."
"He exaggerated. My skills are fairly modest," Severus replied, shaking his hand.
"We will see about that now. Follow me. The Master rank assessment is on the second floor."
Severus looked at Slughorn in surprise.
"Professor?"
"I believe your skills are already at the level where you can be recognized as a Master. You are still a long way from me, of course, but you will catch up in a couple of decades. And do you think I do not understand why you are so reluctant to advertise your potion recipes?" He winked at Severus. "Once you become a Master, you will be able to sell them officially without patenting the recipes, and you will also be allowed to buy and store those ingredients."
"Professor. you see right through me." Severus muttered with a tired smile, and deep down his respect for the older wizard grew even more. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. Just when you start earning hundreds of thousands of Galleons a month, do not forget this old man."
"Do not joke like that, Professor."
A few minutes later they reached the office with a sign that read: "Examination Committee."
"I have already made arrangements. As soon as you go in, your exam will begin immediately. The main thing is not to worry. If Professor Slughorn recognizes you, you will definitely pass," Andrew tried to encourage Severus.
"Good luck, Severus. I am sure you will pass," Slughorn added.
"Thank you for your support. I will try."
After knocking, Severus heard a faint "come in." He opened the door and stepped into the office, where two middle-aged wizards and one elderly wizard of about seventy were waiting.
"So young, and already trying to pass the master exam," the youngest chuckled, shaking his head.
"And how do you plan to surprise us, young man?" the oldest asked, cutting off the other at once.
"To be honest, I did not prepare for this exam."
"Then why did you come at all?" the second remarked sarcastically.
"To patent a few potions, but my teacher signed me up for an exam instead," Severus replied with a smile, ignoring the remark entirely as he kept his attention on the old man. "So let me give a lecture and share some of my ideas and developments, and then you can decide whether I am worthy of the title or not."
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