The next morning, they set out at 10 to Hogsmeade Square. There were a few dozen benches set up for spectators. It was a warm and sunny day, and both women would have liked to be anywhere but at a wizarding infomercial.
A middle-aged man stepped into the small arena with two younger women. The women wheeled out a cart with some bottles, obviously the products.
"Good afternoon!" cried out the man. The crowed returned the call cheerfully. "How are we all doing on this lovely day?" the man questions.
"Great!" replied the audience.
"Wonderful, wonderful," exclaimed the man. "My name is Shay Frado and these are my lovely assistants for the day, Natania Melby and Patricia Carda."
"Jeez, I remember Patricia," whispered McGonagall. Poor girl, was still trying to transfigure her match into a needle in her seventh year." Keiko gave her a meaningful look, but remained silent, for Shay Frado was opening a large jar.
"This, my friends, is the most brilliant potions ever created." The crowed Ooh'd and Ah'ed. Shay nodded at the blond assistant. "Natania, please distribute the pamphlets."
"Certainly," she smiled. Natania removed a wand from a pocket on her lilac robes. She pointed it at a stack of papers on the cart and slowly began flicking it toward the crowed. The papers flew straight into the audiences' hands.
Lemon Balm Cleaner Concentrate
Lemon Balm Clean Super Concentrate is a natural multi-purpose and degreaser that can be diluted into a variety of strengths. It can be applied to virtually any surface, from tabletops, to cooking pots, and even the dirtiest cauldrons! The best part about it, besides the fact that it works, is the fresh lemon scent that it leaves behind. Quite a difference from the regular multi-purpose wizarding cleaners that merely cover up harsh potion smells with bad perfumes. The main ingredient in Lemon Balm Clean Concentrate is citric lemon and Echinacea oil for strength, which is a natural solvent. With Lemon Balm Clean Super Concentrate, a little goes a long way, and you won't have to use several different cleaners to clean one house. Lemon Balm Clean does it all!
Shay and his assistants spent the next twenty minutes cleaning a
verity of dirty cauldrons with their Lemon Balm Cleaner. Both Professor
McGonagall and Keiko were falling asleep in their seats. Then the
brunette assistant, Patricia called Professor McGonagall to come and demonstrate
the product.
"Me?" McGonagall responded, surprised.
"Yes, Professor," replied Patricia.
"Go on," Keiko urged.
"A round of applause for our new guest!" exclaimed Shay. The crowed applauded as Minerva made her way down to the small arena. "And what is your name?" he asked.
"Professor McGonagall," Minerva replied, looking as if she'd swallowed a bottle of Lemon Balm Cleaner Concentrate herself.
"Ah! A professor!" Shay exclaimed.
"From Hogwarts," Patricia added.
"Ah! A colleague of Annie's?" asked Shay.
"If you mean, perhaps, Professor Sinistra, then yes."
"Of course, Ms. Sinistra is a dear friend. How is she? It was most unfortunate that she could not make it here today," replied Shay. He squinted into the sun to make sure that Professor Sinistra was not really there. Usually she was an eager volunteer, so her presence was hard to go unnoticed.
"Dear me, the poor woman has been petrified for over a month," Minerva replied.
"NO!" gasped Shay.
Their pointless conversation went on for quite some time, when Shay finally asked Professor McGonagall to clean a cauldron for him. She demanded her Herbologist friend, Keiko help, and thus both women spent ten minutes scrubbing an oversized pot.
"Can we leave after this?" Keiko whispered.
"Most definitely," Minerva replied. Her whole arms ached, and she suddenly found great potential in marking essays.
The women couldn't escape Hogsmeade Square until they both received hats saying Shay & Co. Once they'd reached the Hogwarts grounds, they started giggling like twelve-year-olds.
"I'm sure I haven't done that in years!" exclaimed Minerva.
"Laughing cleanses the soul," replied the younger woman.
"I dearly hope that it cleanses better than that lemon stuff did on that poor cauldron!" They had another wave of hysterical fits, and soon found themselves sprawled in the grass.
Three students who had opted not to go home for the Holidays were returning to the castle after spending the late morning and early afternoon at Hagrid's Hut. Harry, Ron and Hermione were enjoying some of the nicest weather in months. Hermione was in a particularly good mood, considering how hard she had been studying for the upcoming OWL's.
When the three friends stumbled upon their normally upright and aging transfiguration professor laughing on the ground with their long-term Japanese guest, they were shocked. It was quite an embarrassing situation for Minerva, who immediately stood up and straightened up out robes.
Keiko, on the other hand, kept on laughing. She had developed
dimples from constantly smiling in the last month. Soon the three
young students were laughing their heads off as if someone had just cast
extra concentrated cheering charms on them.