July 8, 1976.
It had been 4 days since the festival, Severus and Hermione had spent those days with Gwen and Freyja walking around the USA.
Today Severus was looking in detail at the documents passed to him by his manager at Gringotts of the income he had earned from the sale of various heirlooms, treasures, and family items.
These documents recorded the proceeds of all the items, heirlooms, and family treasures that Severus had decided to sell.
Severus had already asked his house-elf Popper, the moment he met him, to gather all the valuables from the different Prince houses and Mansions.
And since the Prince family is a typical old family of pure-blooded wizards all the decorations in all the Mansions and houses are hundreds of years old with great value today.
Popper had just finished gathering everything last weekend, so Severus spent his free time in the SCoP program looking at all the objects Popper had put in the magical trunk.
When he finished, Severus listed everything on a list, which ranged from ancient armor and swords forged by goblins to all sorts of jewelry and magical silverware.
He then consulted with his finance manager at Gringotts about the approximate value of these antiques and discovered that they were almost priceless, so when the time came to sell them he would have a huge number of interested buyers bidding for them, especially if he extended the sale abroad.
It was then that Severus understood that it was not the number of gallons a family had in Gringotts that made them really rich, but their most valuable possessions.
In the magical world, the older families may have a large number of gallons, but other more recent families have managed over the years to match their wealth in gallons.
But Severus now understands that an ancient family is not defined by the number of gallons they have, but by the priceless possessions that others wish to have.
Wizards are very proud and have a large number of priceless heirlooms is a sign of power and wealth in the magical world.
That's why for the great families what is really worth is not only the stripes but their personal possessions, as well as each family's secret/prohibited books and items.
After making up his mind, Severus decided to sell everything that was useless to him or that would be of no use to him in the future.
So he contacted the goblin manager of the Prince family to take charge of auctioning all the items he listed to all the interested wizards in the world.
The things that Severus decided to keep were mostly those that represented the Prince family, many of which were gathering dust because having been stored for years.
All these things were entrusted to Popper to be cleaned and used as the new decorations for the Prince family mansions and houses.
Other things he kept were books, magical items, ingredients, and potions that he would later research.
At present, Severus did not have time to investigate all this, as he was too busy with the things he had found on his own in the forbidden section of the main Prince family Mansion.
This forbidden section was in a secret room that only the Prince heir had access to.
It was the last room that Popper discovered on July 1, but since he had not been able to enter to look for the magical objects, he had to inform Severus who quickly went to Britain by portkey to find out on his own what was in the allotment.
This secret room stored all sorts of dark magic books, dark potions, and many unique as well as sinister items.
Among all these unique items there was one that Severus was constantly using ever since he found it.
This item was a small hourglass that he found among all the things in the room.
It was a very old Time-Turner that had been acquired and kept by the Prince family.
Severus knew that time magic was one of the most mysterious fields of magic, as well as one of the most dangerous.
Little is known about this magic and that is why there are many regulations when it comes to using it.
This Time-Turner is quite old but still performs the same functions as the current one, the only problem is that it does not have the time-reversal charm set by the British Ministry of Magic, so if one is not careful he could travel in time for longer than his body can endure, dying upon returning to his time.
Severus knew that the maximum time to safely travel in time was 5 hours, so he stuck to that time.
He also knew that he could use the Time-Turner an indefinite number of times, but his body wouldn't hold it either, so after a series of tests, he discovered that the number of times he could use it without suffering any excessive strain on his body was twice a day if he wanted to use it every day without any problems.
Thanks to this, all his days now had 10 hours added to them, in which he spent his time studying his family's magical books and looking at options to increase his magical reserves and magical power.
Returning to the sale of the ancient items, Severus noted that so far only less than a quarter of the total he put up for auction had been sold, while the rest were still up for auction.
But with these sales alone he had already earned almost the same amount of gallons that he had at Gringotts when he inherited the Prince family.
With those sales, he had a total of approximately $33 million and it would be much more if he hadn't already spent $7 million.
But Severus did not stand still and invested the money he had earned in Prince Industries.
And with Prince Industries he managed to acquire several companies as well as make many important investments.
Among the most important for him were Anaconda Company, Microsoft, Apple Computer, and The Boeing Company.
What he got from these four was the most important thing for Severus so far.
In the case of Anaconda Company, Severus managed to buy 4 of its copper smelters for only $5 million.
This was because the company was currently suffering huge financial losses due to the loss in 1971 of the Chilean copper mines which were their major copper suppliers and they had 4 unused copper smelters which also generate a lot of expenses, so when he made an offer, the company quickly agreed to sell them even though the price was very low.
On the other hand, Microsoft, which had been founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen a year ago, Severus offered them through Prince Industries financing of 6 million dollars in exchange for 50% of the company, leaving them both as CEOs of the company.
Gates and Paul accepted the offer and with that money created and opened Microsoft's first international office.
While with the newly created Apple Computer.
Severus first bought 10% of the Apple shares that had been sold by Ron Wayne for $800, he acquired them from the buyer for five times the price he had paid Ron Wayne.
After doing this, Severus arranged a dinner to formally meet his two new partners Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs this Saturday night.
When it was 8:30, Severus got ready to go to dinner.
Hermione on her own was interested to know what Severus had to do tonight but she decided to consult him at another time
Once Severus arrived at the restaurant where he had decided to meet he could see a familiar face at the table he had reserved.
That's right, it was Steve Jobs himself who must have been only 21 years old by now.
Next to him was another person who Severus guessed must be Steve Wozniak.
They both stood out a lot as they were dressed in very ordinary clothes while the rest of the people in the restaurant were wearing very elegant clothes.
"Hello, nice to meet you gentlemens, I'm Severus Prince your new partner" Severus formally introduced himself as he approached the table where his two current partners were sitting.
"Steve, Steve Jobs" said Jobs standing up and shaking his hand a little confused and surprised to see the young man of no more than 17 years old in front of him, but he omitted to comment on the matter as he saw the appearance of the young man that was that of a rich young man who could invest more money in his project.
"Steve, I've heard quite a bit about you, it seems you've been communicating with several potential shareholders, I even heard that you called one over 150 times," said Severus amused to see the embarrassed expression of the partner behind Jobs when he said about the calls.
"Yes well, Severus, welcome to Apple Computer," said Jobs ignoring Severus comment.
"Yes, thank you..."
"Hi, Steve Wozniak, you can call me Woz if you prefer, for short, I'm Steve's partner" Woz greeted respectfully after the two finished talking.
"Nice to meet you, well, how about we order something first?" said Severus inviting them to sit back down.
After ordering lunch, the three of them talked about many things.
Steve Jobs shared with him what he and Woz were doing at Apple Computers and what they had in mind for the future.
He explained that Apple I was just the beginning and that they had a whole new project planned that would be innovative and unique, the Apple II.
"So, let me get this straight, Steve, you want to make a computer already assembled and ready for users to use and enjoy."
"Exactly, imagine a future where there are no boards with components that users must assemble and solder themselves, but a computer that already includes the video output, keyboard, and all that is necessary to make its use easier. Anyone could buy it and use it, not just the most technical users," Jobs explained his vision for the future with enthusiasm and confidence.
Severus could only look amused at the future genius in front of him, he knew that Steve Jobs would succeed.
And he also knew that other big companies started to copy his ideas, creating more competition in the industry and making things more difficult.
So Jobs would have a hard time following his vision of a future with a computer being a part of every person because of not only competition but money and his futuristic way of seeing things.
In the present day doing what he sought was unthinkable and unfeasible for most.
But Severus knew that Steve Jobs could not be more correct in his vision and with his help he could recreate everything Apple did in the future without having to wait the years Jobs had to wait to achieve it.
If there was anyone capable of understanding and recreating what Severus knew about the future, it was none other than him, Steve Jobs was the person.
Severus believed that with his future knowledge and money along with the help of these two geniuses he could bring 21st-century technology in just a few years.
But more importantly, he believed that by doing so, he, Severus Prince, would become one of the most influential, important, powerful, and wealthy people in the world.
"Look, Steve, your idea is unorthodox and it is very risky, it would be worth a lot of money to do what you propose and there is no guarantee, but I will not deny it, I am impressed with your ideas, tell me did you already get interested investors?" commented Severus knowing that Steve Jobs would not miss the opportunity to sell his idea to a possible investor.
While Steve Wozniak was the designer of all the logic and electronics of the Apple I and the future Apple II, Steve Jobs was the creator of the concept and vision for the future of Apple, seeking to achieve his goals through negotiations and investors.
"Well not at present..." began Woz sincerely, but was quickly interrupted by Steve Jobs.
"Sure we do, we have several interested parties," said Jobs confidently.
"Oh, is that so?" asked Severus as he looked at Woz who wanted to nod.
"That's right" but Jobs affirmed what he said without giving him the chance.
"I see, strange, as I said before I've heard that you keep looking for investors, to the point where you call them hundreds of times"
"Yeah well, do you think I didn't get any takers on all those calls, we already have several that we are in contact with."
"Well, in that case, it looks like my 10% of the shares are going to start to be worth more over time."
"Hey Severus, listen to me, I think we have kindred spirits, we are both young and have a greater vision for the future than most, I know your instincts are probably the reason why you took an interest in Apple and met us today, you know what my instincts tell me?"
"I don't know, tell me."
"I have offers, but my instinct is telling me to allow you to join something big, something that will change our future. Tell me how much are we talking about?"
"Well, gee Steve, I said I'm impressed with your ideas not that I was going to invest in them."
"I know, but I can see you're interested, otherwise you wouldn't have bought those shares and you wouldn't have set this whole thing up just to get to know us, would you?"
"This...Steve, he's only about 17 years old man" Woz started to tell him quietly, but Jobs shut him up and continued to stare at Severus intently.
"Alright, Steve, I admit it, you're right, I'm interested, now how about we start talking in complete honesty, and then I'll make you an offer?" said Severus to him.
"What do you want to know?" asked Jobs.
"Everything, what do you think if you start from the truth regarding the investors to what you need to continue this project."
"Well, you want honesty, okay, for starters we don't have any investors yet who are interested as I'm sure you already knew, secondly, if we want to build the Apple II computer we must improve the power supply systems along with the heating control of the computer so that it doesn't need fans to control its temperature and thus make it completely silent" Jobs started saying.
"Woz explains the rest as you had thought of it," Jobs said to his friend and business partner.
"This... yeah right, well how to start, yeah well, the idea would be to show the computer as a sleek and sophisticated design, having a keyboard already integrated, also having a video memory to handle color display, using expansion cards that allow users to extend the capabilities of the Apple II and including some expansion slots that facilitate and allow the development of applications not only from one company but from several, being accessible to anyone and making the Apple II adaptable to any need" explained Woz.
"But for all of this we need to invest a lot of money, not only in creating the machine but also in qualified personnel that we don't currently have. And just like the investors, the banks don't want to take a risk on such a project either, because they think that a computer-usable by the general public is an absurd idea since the possible assets of the inhabitants are scarce to buy this kind of technology" Jobs finished explaining without looking away from Severus.
"They're just a bunch of idiots who don't see the potential of what we want to create with Woz," Jobs added.
"I understand, that's why Ronald Wayne, who had helped you two conceive the Apple I, ended up selling his shares and leaving Apple Corporation, he was skeptical about the chances of success of such a project and abandoned you" expressed Severus.
"Ronald did not share our vision," Jobs said dryly.
"That's okay, since they were honest with me, they deserve honesty in return. Steve, Woz, I'm sure you don't know but I am currently founding Prince Industries, I may look young but I acquired a very important inheritance with a lot of wealth and I plan to do great things in the future with this and the two of you can be part of this future" Severus said staring at them.
"I thought we were talking about Apple II" Jobs commented looking back at him.
"That's right, that's part of the future, but it's not everything, Apple II may be the start of it all but my plan is to keep moving forward and looking ahead, you of all people should understand what I mean Steve, always look ahead, that which for most people seems like something impossible, but for some is the future," said Severus looking at Steve Jobs who seemed to be thinking a lot with what he was saying.
"But then what does that mean, are you going to invest in Apple II or not?" asked a confused Woz, while Steve Jobs was still thinking about what Severus had said.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Jobs ignoring his friend and business partner Woz's question.
Severus smiled as Steve Jobs seemed to catch part of his idea and become interested.
"I want to join Apple Computer to Prince Industries and invest in your project, but after this move forward, I will give you innovative ideas and you will be in charge of making them come true, I know you can do it, now the question is if you are willing," said Severus confidently and without taking his eyes off Jobs'.
"Hey Steve, that young man seems to have a lot of fantasies of grandeur, I don't think we should trust someone so young and fanciful" whispered Woz to Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs seemed to consider everything quickly, both what his friend was saying and what Severus said.
"What's your offer?" asked Jobs after he had made up his mind.
'Got it's thought Severus smiling slightly and then answering.
"My offer is to make an initial investment of $7 million in the Apple II in exchange for giving me 70% of Apple Computer and at the same time merge it with Prince Industries, have it renamed Apple Prince and both be willing to do some or other future projects I have in mind."
"WTF $7 million?" shouted Woz drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
Steve on the other hand looked extremely surprised but stood quietly looking at him for a few moments.
It was a lot of money, more money than they ever thought it was possible to have.
And for Steve Jobs, Severus had come at the right time, no one had wanted to invest in the Apple II, and he had tired of calling everyone he could get in touch with.
But none of them were interested, some even saw it as a bad joke because they worked in a garage.
And here was Severus, offering them 7 million dollars when they had not been able to get even 100,000 thousand dollars to start the project.
"I accept, but with two conditions," said Jobs calling the attention of his dear friend and partner Woz who was completely confused since he didn't know why Steve kept setting conditions when they were offering him 7 bloody million dollars, which was already an unthinkable amount for the two of them.
If it were up to Woz, he would have already accepted the instant he heard that they would be given $7 million for the project that they didn't even know if it was going to be possible to do until now that they found someone interested.
"I hear you," Severus said calmly.
"The first thing is that Apple Computer will be formally renamed Apple Prince but there will still be a line of products that are called just Apple such as the Apple II and secondly, if the projects you give us are impossible to realize, we will not be under any obligation to continue them."
Severus smiled hearing that, he knew it could come to that, but he didn't care, he was confident that Steve Jobs would take his future ideas and do his best to recreate them.
Steve Jobs was obsessed with innovating and improving technology that already existed and Severus as a great innovator in potions, knew what people like Jobs were like better than anyone else.
They were always looking to do new things.
For that very reason, Severus knew that Jobs would not see all the technology he knew of the future as impossible, but that he would manage to make it possible.
And that was what Severus was looking for, someone to whom he could slowly pass on his future knowledge so that he could recreate it in the present.
"Very well, consider it a deal Steve," Severus said rising from his seat and offering him his hand to shake.
Steve quickly stood up and shook his hand.
Woz at his side was extremely excited, this was the best deal of his life.
"I can assure you that you won't regret making this deal" Steve commented to him.
"I'm sure I won't, that's exactly why I'm doing it, I have full confidence in both of you," Severus told him.
"This... thank you for trusting us, I promise to make Apple II a success," said Woz standing up and thanking him.
Apple II was something Woz had always dreamed of but never had the budget to make happen or even think about doing until Steve convinced him to give it a try.
"Well, as I said, I have full confidence in your success, now if you'll excuse me I have to go, call me at this number, and then we'll figure everything out. You can continue eating, the bill is in my name, goodbye" Severus said goodbye while he handed them a card with his identification as the owner of Prince Industries along with its location.
Leaving the restaurant, Severus wasted no time and showed up at the Prince mansion in New York.
Upon entering he met Hermione who seemed busy reading some papers and books.
'Mmmm, maybe I should have brought some food from the restaurant, I'm sure she still didn't eat' Severus thought.
"Oh, You're back Severus " greeted Hermione without even looking at him come in as she seemed to be very focused on her books.
"Yes, by the way, Hermione, if you don't hurry up and eat something and go to bed, you'll be sleeping alone tonight because I don't plan on waiting for you to help you sleep."
Hermione seemed to react and looked at him first furious and about to argue with him.
But then she seemed to resign herself.
"Alright, give me a few minutes and I'm ready," said Hermione who apparently didn't plan on arguing with him today as she knew it was an argument she couldn't win.
"Half an hour, not a minute more," said Severus going to change with a smile as he saw Hermione's furious face.
The next day, Severus met again with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak(Woz) to sign and finalize the deal legally.
Forming and thus formally joining the new Apple Prince to Prince Industries.
And at the same time allowed Steve Jobs and his partner Woz, access to an account in the bank of 7 million dollars for the financing of the Apple II project along with the authorization to use the headquarters of Prince Industries in the Chrysler Building to form a team and start as soon as possible the creation of the Apple II computer to put it on sale in the market as soon as possible.
He entrusted them with the task of hiring the staff they believed necessary for the creation of the Apple II along with the machinery and materials they would need.
They would also be the official directors of the company but they respond to Severus.
On the other hand, Severus hired people to help them manage the money, the confidential information, the mass production process, the marketing, the finances and accounting of the company, the sale of the products along with their profits and benefits.
And above all, Severus hires people to take care of the legal side, such as the patents they would have to ask the state for so those other companies would not think of copying their ideas and products.
While in Prince Industries, Severus created a management area where they would be in charge of the general operation process of all the companies and businesses that Prince Industries had and would have.
Now for example among the companies that Severus bought and attached to Prince Industries was Apple Corps.
Apple Corps was going through the worst financial shortfall in its history and would soon enter financial bankruptcy.
Following the legal disassociation of the partnership between The Beatles and Apple Corps in 1975, the corporation considered dissolution.
It was at this time that Severus took the opportunity to buy the company, which was at its worst.
He acquired the corporation for a mere $10 million, but this included a previously established agreement with a jury that agreed that eighty percent of the profits the corporation made from the sales of The Beatles as a group would go to the corporation, while the remaining twenty percent was to be divided among those who made up The Beatles.
So Severus would only receive 80% of the profits he made with The Beatles and the other 20% would go into royalties.
At present, although the publication of compilation and thematic albums related to The Beatles would generate money, it would not be enough to maintain the corporation, for this reason, they had already entered into financial problems and decided to sell Severus easily.
But Severus was not worried about this, since he had other plans for the corporation with which he would earn a lot of money.
In addition, with this acquisition, Severus made sure that he preserved the rights to all the trademarks related to "Apple", since Apple Corps was created before Apple Computer or now called Apple Prince.
Of the remaining $5 million that Severus had.
1 million dollars he decided to use to acquire the ownership and extraction rights to any mineral resources found on a small piece of land he purchased in Mexico.
This small piece of land did not appear to be worth anything at first glance, but Severus had discovered that there was a small copper mine.
This was thanks to the 7 Nifflers he had obtained in Great Britain, Severus assigned the 7 of them to dig underground and search for "hidden treasures" in an area of Mexico where the state was very permissible.
The Nifflers found more than Severus expected to find, but what was most useful to him at present was the small copper mine they had discovered.
After purchasing the land where the small copper mine was located, Severus invested the remaining 4 million dollars to extract the ore that would be taken to the 4 copper smelters he had purchased from the Anaconda Company.
Before calling it a day and going to sleep, Severus summarized all the details of the potion he had decided to present in tomorrow's contest at SCoP.
He wasn't sure if this potion would win tomorrow, but at least he knew it would impress the judges.
When he finished, he put away his new potion along with its specifications, to deliver it first thing tomorrow morning to the SCoP campus where the registration, the judges' evaluation of the potions, and the awarding of the winner of the contest would take place.
July 10, 1976.
It was 3:00 pm and Severus had already registered for the potions contest by turning in the potion he had been creating along with the details of the potion in the morning.
Now Severus was strolling around the SWI campus along with Gwen, Hermione, and Freyja as he waited for the results of the contest.
"Severus, can't you tell me what this potion is that you've been working so hard on since you came to the institute?" asked Freyja making puppy dog eyes, something that always managed to convince Severus because of the resemblance they had to Lily's eyes and how cute they looked on Freyja.
"Come on Freyja, don't give me those eyes, I already told them that when they give the results they will find out."
"But I want to know now, I can't handle the intrigue, it's unfair" Freyja pouted.
"Come on prince, don't be like that, I know from my mother that it must be something to do with transfiguration since you were asking her so many questions. I feel left out, you could have consulted with me you know?" said Gwen feigning pain.
"I could, but knowing you it's likely that you would have tried to get all the information out of me about what I was doing the instant I asked you anything Gwen," said Severus nonchalantly.
"Don't be discouraged girls, he didn't want to tell me anything about it either, he kept it a secret the whole time. And that I offered to help him in making the potion, but no, he insisted that it was a project he had to do on his own" Hermione told them Hermione who had already resigned herself to knowing what potion Severus had made.
"You know prince, as your friends we have the right to know before everyone else what kind of potion it is" stated Gwen.
Freyja nodded quickly at Gwen's comment as she looked at Severus expectantly.
Hermione just smiled in amusement at Gwen's manipulation and Freyja's innocence that supported her plans.
"My friends should know to wait for the results of the contest, otherwise it loses the fun once I tell them."
"Well, I agree with Severus on that one" Hermione nodded but instantly regretted speaking because Gwen and Freyja gave her a look that said 'BETRAYAL'.
"Come, Hermione understands," said Severus amused at the situation.
"You..., don't make my situation worse" Hermione reproached him knowing that Severus was looking to throw the whole problem at her.
As the group was about to start another discussion, Ethan's voice was heard.
"Hey Grimprince, there you are."
"Sparky?" said Severus, causing Gwen, Freyja, and Hermione to look at Severus with amusement at the nickname.
"Tch, I told you that nickname is awful" complained Ethan.
"I never complained about the nickname you gave me."
"Because the nickname I gave you at least sounds good."
"The one I gave you fits perfectly too" stated Severus.
"You..., okay, never mind, I just came to tell you that they're about to give the results of the contest and I know you're participating, so unless you want to miss it hurry up," said Ethan as he turned around and left without even greeting Severus' group.
"Wow, what a nice guy" commented Gwen sarcastically as she saw how disrespectful Ethan was.
"Well, Severus didn't behave very well either" Hermione argued.
"Severus, isn't that the rude boy we passed on the boat when we first came to SWI?" asked Freyja.
"That's right Freyja, he may seem a bit irritable when you first meet him, but he's a good person all in all" Severus assured her.
'Because I feel like those same words I already heard somewhere else, oh right, from Lily when she was repeating what Remus Lupin was telling her about Potter's clique' Severus remembered and nodded not wanting to think about it anymore.
Freyja just nodded despite still having her doubts about Ethan.
"Oh, so this Sparky must also be the one you used to hang out with at school when you're not with us" Gwen commented as she located the young wizard who came to speak to Severus.
"Yeah, we share dorms, but we never talk much, only when I signed up for dueling classes did we get to interact more."
"You seem quite friendly, you even gave each other nicknames already, don't you Grimprince" Gwen scoffed.
"Don't blame me for the nickname, I didn't choose it as you may have seen and yes, you could say we get along quite well"
"Severus, Gwen, as much as I'd like to keep talking about Severus' new friends and their nicknames if we don't hurry we're going to miss the finalization of the contest results," said Hermione grabbing them both by the hand and dragging them to the main campus as Freyja quickly followed.
When they arrived at the main campus where the awarding of the best potion would be held, the four of them could see the group of judges sitting at a large round table in the center of the campus.
These judges were important potioneers from all over the world, from Russian professors of Koldovstoetz, the second most prestigious magical institution in potion making, to potioneers who were recognized for their inventions or published books.
All had been invited to examine and evaluate the potions of all those young magicians under the age of 27.
Potioneers classify the life cycle of wizards in different stages: childhood 5-10 years, adolescence 11-17 years, youth 14-27 years, adulthood 27-71 years, and old age 71 years and older.
So any wizard under the age of 27 is considered young.
The judges seemed to be in an uproar for some reason, all arguing amongst themselves and not seeming to come to a solution.
That's when SCoP Dean Stacy, who was part of the judging panel, calmed the situation and then stood up looking out at the audience.
"Very good afternoon everyone to the Salem Potions Competition, before we kick off the awards ceremony we would like to invite one of the contest participants to discuss a few final details" Dean Stacy began saying.
"Mr. Severus Prince, would you please come to the table for a few moments" called the dean, making the audience wonder what was going on with this participant.
Severus' group was also very confused by the situation.
"This..., Severus is everything okay?" asked a worried Freyja, while Gwen and Hermione looked expectantly at Severus.
"Don't worry, it shouldn't be anything to worry about, wait for me for a few moments, I'll be right back" Severus reassured them only to then walk towards the table in the center of the campus where the judges were.
"That kid is participating in the contest, he doesn't look a day over 16" commented one of the people in the audience.
"Yeah, he sure was looking for fame and did some kind of cheating."
"Exactly, as if a kid that age would be able to create some potion that would catch the judges' attention" scoffed another.
"Mmmm, maybe he plagiarized some other potion and passed it off as his invention."
"I agree when one is young one doesn't measure the consequences of one's actions"
"Poor kid, he doesn't know what's in store for him, he's not going to get away with cheating in such an important contest."
"He deserves it, one should not seek fame at the expense of others."
These were some of the many comments that began to be heard from the audience.
None of the comments were in favor of Severus, they were all speculations against him.
"They don't know anything, Severus would never cheat" complained Freyja.
"We know Frey, don't worry, I'm sure there must be another reason why they called him, isn't that right Hermione?" told Gwen reassuringly as she saw a saddened Freyja at the comments from the others.
"That's right, there's no way Severus could have done any of those things they say, if there's one thing he doesn't tolerate it's people who don't use their own merits to fend for themselves," Hermione said confidently, after all, she was the one who knew Severus best or so she thought at least.
"You see Frey, it must be nothing bad, this is Prince we're talking about," Gwen said again to Freyja as she hugged her tightly.
"Gwen smother me," said a tender Freyja trying to escape from Gwen's hands.
Severus on the other hand ignored the comments he heard as he passed through the crowd of people.
Arriving at the center of the campus he made his way to his dean Stacy.
"Mr. Prince, sit down for a few minutes with us at the table, there is something we would like to discuss with you."
Severus nodded without much trouble and took a seat next to the rest of the judges who stared at him.
Some were looking at him with curiosity, some with distrust, and some with amusement.
"Mr. Prince isn't it?" one of the judges who looked to be in his 70's addressed him.
"That's right sir..."
"Oh, what bad manners of mine, I'm Libatius Borage, nice to meet you, young man," said the old wizard with a South American accent.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Libatius, your book 'Advanced Potions: its making' has been very helpful to me over the years at Hogwarts" commented Severus.
"I'm glad to hear that," said with a smile Libatius.
"If at some point you have time, I would like to show you several notes I made at the foot of my copy of your book, I believe they could significantly enhance the effects of the potions" added Severus causing Libatius to lose his smile and look at him skeptically.
"Mr. Prince is a genius at modifying and improving potions, I can attest to that myself, so I assure you he will not waste his time," said the dean in support of Severus' comment, making Libatius look with great interest at the young man in front of him.
"I see, if so I would be delighted to see what you propose young man," said the old wizard again with a smile.
"Ahem, Libatius, how about we get back on topic" commented another one at the table.
"Oh right, I seem to have gotten a little lost in the conversation, very well, tell me young man, this potion you have submitted to the contest, is it really... well... real?"
"Excuse me, but aren't you present to test that yourselves?" asked Severus without fidgeting a bit in front of the judges' stares.
"Of course we are, you are absolutely right, but this potion you have presented is not something that can be tested in a simple way, that is why before we do anything we decided to make sure that you are sure that your potion meets what is detailed in your description" explained Libatius.
"What my colleague is trying to say is that a potion like yours has never been seen before and even though its completion seems successful we don't quite know its effects of it, so we can't do an analysis of it unless we do a physical test and doing that would involve some problems that we prefer to avoid in case you are not entirely sure about what you are doing," said one of the witches who were part of the jury.
"I understand and I can tell you that I am sure that the potion will comply with what is detailed, but I cannot give you proof since it has not been tested yet, but as a potioneer, I know very well when a potion is a failure or a success at the end of its elaboration, so I do not require to use it to prove it," said Severus nonchalantly.
The judges looked at him for a few seconds as they processed his words.
In fact, they thought the same as Severus, but in this case, none of them could assure or dared to even think that the potion could fulfill what was detailed.
For that very reason, they must test it before jumping to conclusions.
"Well, if Mr. Prince says that the potion has the effects he has said, then it must, but since many still have their doubts we will have to test it. Very well Mr. Prince you may leave, we will announce in a few moments the results for the entire audience" said the dean.
When Severus left, he could hear the judges still arguing.
The last thing he heard was that they were going to call the Ministry to ask for authorization to test the potion.
After all, if anything went wrong, it would be the judges' fault, not Severus'.
Severus actually already knew that all this was going to happen and in fact, he was taking advantage of this contest to see the final result of his potion.
That's because it was very difficult to see the results on his own, as he didn't have the means to do so easily and without consequences, and the judges did.
After returning to Freyja, Gwen and Hermione, he reassured them that everything had been finalized, that they just had some questions regarding the potion, and that he would find out later.
As they waited for the judges to give the results, some speculative murmuring could still be heard from people who didn't understand why the judges had called Severus.
After a while movement began to be seen at the judges' table.
Three of the judges walked off-campus.
"Attention everyone, due to some unforeseen circumstances the awards ceremony will be postponed to 4 hours from now, we apologize for the inconvenience" commented Dean Stacy causing the audience to start murmuring about what they thought had happened.
It was not until 7:00 pm that the three judges who had left the campus returned, but they were not alone, they were accompanied by four other people who seemed to be from the American Ministry of Magic.
They seemed to be very shocked and in a hurry as they quickly approached the table in the center of the campus where they began to talk to the rest of the judges.
The entire audience witnessed as the judges began to get restless, some even seemed to want to stand up and leave for some reason.
It was strange to see such prominent potioneers be so excited and restless for some unknown reason.
But apparently, the 4 men who had come from the ministry calmed the rest of the judges down.
After a while, everyone at the table stood looking around at the audience who were just as unsettled by the strange situation.
"We will now begin the awards ceremony for the Salem contest," commented the dean.