Alex stood at the head of a long oval table in a conference room at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She fidgeted with her wand momentarily, then turned to check on the laptop computer for what seemed like the twentieth time. In less than five minutes she would present her mentor's Clarity potion to the hospital staff for their consideration. If all went well, they would agree to begin testing the potion on some of the patients at St. Mungo's. Alex took a deep breath. There's nothing to be worried about. This is going to go off without a hitch, she reassured herself. Her eyes roved over the group of healers as a few latecomers took their seats. Dr. Salubria sat near the front of the room. Albus Dumbledore slipped into a seat at the back next to Severus Snape. The headmaster smiled as his eyes met hers.
Here goes nothing. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Ladies," Alex smiled disarmingly at the only other women in the room, two stern-looking witches seated on the left side of the table. "Thank you for coming." As she launched into her presentation, her nervousness disappeared. She reviewed the list of ingredients with their Latin names, suppressing an urge to wink at Snape. After explaining the dosage and possible side effects of the potion, she drew out her wand and tapped one of the thumbnail images displayed on her computer screen. Alex turned back to her audience and tapped the wand on a large crystal disk set into the polished wooden surface of the table. "I'd like to share these pictures of John's grandson Michael," she said as a three-dimensional image of a young Native American boy with a cherubic face and unruly black hair appeared. The child scratched at his arms, his eyes blank and unresponsive as he appeared to stare out at the small crowd of mages. His arms and face were marked with scabs. As they watched, he began to strike his own head with his fists.
"Self-mutilating behavior," remarked one of the stern-faced witches. She grimaced.
"Yes," Alex acknowledged. She tapped the crystal disc and the picture faded. "The behavior problems interfere with attention and learning, not to mention being dangerous to the child. Michael's case history is included in your handout scrolls," she added. Two more taps of her wand and another picture appeared. "This was taken after treatment with the Clarity potion." The Apache potions master John Chavez and an older Michael came into focus. The boy paced back and forth across the table. His skin was unblemished and he seemed far less agitated. As the group watched, the wizard bent down to the child's eye level and spoke to him. Briefly, the boy responded. The assembled healers murmured appreciatively. "This potion is not a miracle cure," Alex cautioned as she dispelled the second picture from the tabletop. "If you will consult your scrolls, you'll see that Michael's improvement has taken place over the span of two years. The Clarity potion helps to calm and focus the mind, making existing treatments more effective. It is not a treatment on its own. Michael's progress so far has involved a team of potions masters, healers, and teachers." Alex put her wand in the pocket of her black work robes as she spoke. "Now, if there are any questions -"
A green-robed healer stood up. "Hippocrates Smethwyk," he introduced himself. "Do you see this potion as being efficacious for those suffering from botched memory charms ?"
Alex flashed a quick smile at Snape as she answered Smethwyk's query and the ones following it. They had gone over every possible question the staff of St. Mungo's might ask, with the surly wizard playing the role of inquisitor. After being grilled by Severus Snape, dealing with this crowd is a piece of cake, she thought gratefully.
Finally, the presentation was over. The healers filed out of the room, talking among themselves. Dumbledore and Snape remained behind. "Congratulations, both of you," the headmaster beamed. "I'm certain that the board of directors will approve the clinical trials." Even Snape lacked his customary glower.
He almost looks pleasant, Alex thought. It must have gone well. "I couldn't have done it without the Professor Snape's help," she told Dumbledore. Alex began to gather up her things. "Want to have dinner at the Leaky Cauldron ?" she asked Severus after the headmaster had taken his leave.
He smiled. "More questions ?"
"Nah, I'll give you a break," Alex replied. "Hey, what are you doing ?" He had typed a command into the computer.
Snape tapped his wand against the screen, then turned to the crystal disc and activated it as she had done during the presentation. A placid brown nanny goat appeared, grazing on scrubby desert plants. The goat had only three legs. "Your own potions research is rather intriguing," he commented. "You were attempting something along the lines of the Skele-grow potion here, were you not ? Regenerating flesh as well as bone. Ambitious."
"I don't appreciate you poking through my files," Alex snapped. She could feel her face flushing.
He raised an eyebrow. "The files weren't password protected," he said mildly. "I assumed they were public."
"Well, they weren't."
Unperturbed, he leaned over the table, watching the goat's awkward progress as she hobbled and grazed. "Really quite remarkable," he mused. He pointed a long finger at the goat's missing limb. A stump protruded, twisted and malformed, ending in a tiny hoof. "You've managed to regenerate skin and hair -"
Alex cut him off. "Yeah, and as soon as it starts, it goes wrong. It's as though the body rejects the new growth." She frowned at the moving picture. "Get rid of that, please."
"I'm sure a solution can be found," he told her, still watching the goat go about its business. "It's just a matter of-"
"You don't get it." Alex felt her annoyance growing. Her voice rose. "You had no business messing with my files. I'm not interested in continuing that research. It's a dead end."
Severus looked up at last. Alex was glaring at him. With a tap of his wand, he dispelled the offending picture. "As you wish," he said coolly. "We can discuss it another time." He turned and closed the laptop with a snap. After stowing it in its case, he handed it to Alex with a slight bow. "On to Diagon Alley, then ?" he asked. He seemed to be making an effort to be pleasant in the face of her show of temper.
She accepted the briefcase awkwardly. I'm overreacting, she thought. But he's just so damn arrogant. 'We can discuss it another time.' Argh. Her anger flooded back. "You know what, on second thought, I'm really tired," she said. "Sorry. I think I'm just gonna head back to Hogwarts." Alex felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. "Good night," she blurted. Before Severus could respond, she drew out her wand, waved it, and promptly disapparated.
Snape stood glaring into thin air in the empty conference room as the loud pop of Alex's abrupt departure faded. "Irrational. It's a wonder she didn't splinch herself," he muttered. He waited for several long minutes before disapparating himself. From the gates of Hogwarts he could see the little witch crossing the lawn. He watched from the shadows of the tree-lined drive as she hurried up the stairs into the castle, then shrugged and made his own solitary way back to the dungeons.