Chapter 171. Dumbledore's Visit.
In the sitting room, lit by warm sunlight streaming through the windows, an elderly wizard sat in an armchair, stroking his beard approvingly and popping another lemon drop into his mouth from the small dish a house-elf had brought him. He looked quietly pleased.
A remarkable place. Albus could barely contain his curiosity about the extraordinary density of magic on the grounds, which was unlike anything at Hogwarts. He had witnessed something similar only once before, when visiting his good friend Flamel, and that had been in his garden. I would very much like to see its source, but... The image of the old man from Moody's memories crossed his mind, and he flinched slightly, then shook his head. One shouldn't be too greedy. Everyone has their secrets.
"Headmaster, I'm glad to see you in my home, of course, but a little advance notice would have been appreciated. I would at least have been prepared," Severus called down from the second floor, his voice quiet and tired. He appeared on the stairs looking as though he had only just woken up. His face had an unhealthy pallor, his smile was listless, and he was wearing nothing but a white robe. Nagini followed behind him, never taking her eyes off him.
Seeing the poor state Severus was in, the old man was not greatly surprised. He had suspected as much: only something like this could have caused Severus to set aside his search for ingredients and return to Britain, and it also explained the public display and why Severus had been turning everyone away for the past few days.
"Severus, my boy. How are you feeling?" The old man set down his cup, his expression full of concern.
"Better, thank you for asking." With Nagini's quiet assistance, Severus made his way to the sofa opposite the armchair and settled into it. Nagini coiled up beside him and gave him a displeased, narrow-eyed look. The elderly wizard coughed once or twice, a faint hint of guilt in his manner.
"And I'm very glad to see you too, Nagini." She gave a dismissive sniff and looked away.
"If you came hoping to see my teacher, I'm afraid not. He won't be back for several more days."
"Is that so? That is a shame. But I also came to see you," the old man said. He turned his gaze back to the young man.
"Oh?" Severus looked at him in puzzlement, unsure what the Headmaster could want. He could have attempted Legilimency, but until he had fully recovered, he preferred not to risk it. The man sitting across from him was a master of both Legilimency and Occlumency, and might notice the attempt.
A small box appeared in the elderly wizard's hand. When he opened it, the room instantly filled with a pleasant, familiar fragrance: Umbra, the same flower Severus had previously found in the Forbidden Forest.
"A good friend of mine in France cultivates rare herbs," Dumbledore said, a satisfied smile on his face as he noted the young man's surprise. "I had considerable difficulty obtaining it, since there's simply nothing else like it." He closed the box and nudged it toward Severus. "In return, he has asked to meet you, and has said he will share what he knows about the final ingredient at that time."
"To meet me?" Severus raised an eyebrow.
"I told him about your accomplishments. He was very taken with the idea of such a gifted young wizard, and wants to wait until after you've finished school to see what else you'll achieve by then." The Headmaster lifted his cup, took a sip, and gave an approving nod. "This is very good. I've had tea like this only at Madam Pomfrey's, but this one has a richer flavor."
"I ordered it from China, from a tea ceremony master," Severus said calmly. "Nellie."
"What can Nellie do for Master?" The house-elf appeared beside him, gave a small bow to Dumbledore, and focused her attention on her employer.
"Take this to our greenhouse and be careful with it. This flower is very important to my teacher." He spoke with quiet firmness. She nodded very seriously, took the box carefully, and vanished.
"Have you freed your house-elves?" Albus asked curiously, watching her leave. He had now seen two house-elves wearing clothes, which was highly unusual, especially among the aristocracy, even though Severus was a half-blood.
"No. I simply instructed them to sew proper clothes for themselves," Severus said matter-of-factly. "If they were pretty girls, perhaps I would have given it more thought. But watching a half-naked elf run around in front of you..." He didn't react to the nudge Nagini gave him. "It's not a pleasant sight. Don't you agree?"
"Hmm." The old man looked at the young wizard with mild surprise, then after a few seconds returned to his usual warm expression and nodded. "You have a point. That truly is a good idea. I shall speak with Professor McGonagall about it."
"As for your friend's proposal, I accept it. I was planning to visit that country first, after finishing school, anyway."
"Ho-ho-ho. I understand completely," the Headmaster chuckled with a conspiratorial wink, stroking his beard, leaving both Severus and Nagini equally puzzled.
Half an hour later, after discussing a few more details about Severus's studies and Ihiros, and after Severus received several recommendations on what to visit first in France, Dumbledore took his leave of the grounds, not forgetting to ask if a few of those sweets could be wrapped up for him to take along, as he had found them quite irresistible.
"A strange old man. He constantly behaves like a child wearing the mask of a kindly grandfather, but underneath he's quite the schemer," Nagini offered her assessment, drawing on what she had observed of the Headmaster's behavior and actions, as well as everything Severus had told her, whose words she trusted completely. "And on the subject of his friend...""
"It's most likely Flamel. Only he could have had an ingredient like that. He is one of the greatest alchemists in the world, possibly the greatest. It isn't surprising, really. Potion‑making is itself a branch of alchemy: beyond plants, alchemy studies all manner of minerals, their properties, transformations, and combinations for producing new elements," Severus answered without tension, sinking back into the sofa and taking a sip of tea. "You were a fairly convincing actress, by the way," he said, looking at Nagini with a half‑smile.
"I used to work in..." She paused. After a few seconds, her expression grew distant; she tilted her head and became lost in thought. "Where did I use to work?"
"Don't worry about it," he said, stroking her head with a gentle smile. "As I've told you before, leave the past in the past."
"Yes... you're right. I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head and trying to push those thoughts aside. "Oh, and you promised a date!"
"It's coming, it's coming."
"Now!"
"But I'm still not well..." He caught Nagini's displeased look, smirked, and then stood. "All right, all right, I promised, so we're going. But..."
In the next instant, Gorby appeared before him.
"Master, there are wizards from the Ministry of Magic at the gates. Should Gorby let them in?"
"...so let's do it this evening instead, or tomorrow morning. What do you say?"
"Fine. Tomorrow, then," she muttered with a hint of grievance. "And excuses like that won't work again!"
"Yes, my Lady!" He gave her a solemn salute, his expression extremely serious, drawing a bright laugh from Nagini. Only the house-elf had no idea what was happening, although he knew the master could speak to snakes, and Nellie had told him that the snake was the second mistress of the house and was to be treated exactly as Gorby treated Severus. "Gorby, let them in."
"Yes, Master!" he replied, and vanished.
The remaining days of the break were comparatively peaceful, aside from a constant stream of visitors from the three interested parties: the Ministry of Magic, the Death Eaters, and Black Star.
Beyond those, the Macmillans came by the following morning to thank Severus once again. They were certain that without him, Ihiros would never have lifted a finger to help Faust. They also brought a bottle of wine nearly a thousand years old, probably pure wine vinegar at this point, but never mind. The value of such a bottle was, to put it mildly, astronomical, particularly among collectors. Severus initially refused the gift, but at their insistence he was eventually persuaded to accept it.
On Saturday evening, the Blacks arrived, nearly the whole family, with the exception of Regulus, who was at Hogwarts. The main topics were the same as with the Macmillans: gratitude for the rescue and a discussion of several matters connected to their business interests. They also mentioned that they had already relocated from Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, which was hardly surprising given what had happened and Ihiros's advice.
During the conversation, however, several pointed remarks were made that Nagini found deeply unwelcome, as they touched on Bellatrix's engagement. She had previously come to terms with the idea, but she couldn't simply hand him over without feeling something, even though she recognized she was being selfish.
Severus understood, so he plainly stated that he wouldn't give his answer for another year and a half. He had too much pressing work at the moment, and Bellatrix herself wasn't ready either.
Bellatrix, of course, felt a tangled mix of relief and the sting any woman feels after being turned down. She kept her displeasure in check, and after cooling down and thinking it over at home, she found herself agreeing with him. She wasn't ready for such a serious step herself. She had her own ambitions, desires, and plans, all of which she would have had to set aside later.
Severus reached this decision for several reasons: Bellatrix's wishes and Nagini's. He knew that eventually he would have to choose, but he wasn't ready yet. For the first time in two lifetimes, he faced a choice like this, so he decided to postpone it, at least until he helped Nagini become human again.
========================================
------------------------------------------
Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 297
2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 207
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 298
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 134
support me on Patreon for instant access to the 120+ advance chapters: patreon.com/redofic