Chapter 33

The room they entered was actually Greensboro's office He had magically expanded it to allow for the experiments and the group of people to be comfortable in.

His desk still sat against the back wall. Beside him were three chairs. One for Sean, the other two for the two clerks. No chair was set for Percy.

There was a large table sitting in the middle of the room and that is where Severus, Hermione and Sylvester began unpacking their supplies. Sylvester's hands shook as he organized the ingredients so that the labels pointed towards the onlookers. Severus stood stoically beside Hermione who fidgeted nervously and smiled to the audience.

"Now, Ms. Granger, you are employed by MagicCall? Am I correct?" Hermione nodded.

"Yes sir." she said.

"It says here you are their number one producer of new spells and inventions. You are their Senior Sells Mistress. Very impressive. Now," he rummaged through papers on his desk. "Mr. Severus Snape sir. You are a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

"Yes."

"A Potions Master, eh? A Potions Master and a Spells Mistress. Interesting. May I ask how you two became partners in this project?" Hermione looked up at Severus and he looked down at her. She couldn't hide the small smile that threatened to grow wide.

"I was Ms. Granger's Potions Professor at Hogwarts." Severus said without looking at the audience. The group of people assembled before them did not miss the small smile they exchanged. The two clerks snickered quietly and Sean O'Flagen's eyebrows rose. Minister Greensboro's smile was hidden behind is cigar.

"Aye, I see." Greensboro said quietly. No one missed the connection between the two people. Either they have worked together night and day for years, or they were involved romantically. Either way, two people who were just 'partners' did not interact that way.

Sean glanced over at the unwelcome guest and saw his face scrunched up in anger. His eyes were mere slits as he was writing furiously on his clipboard.

"When you are ready." Greensboro said. The room was silent. Hermione stepped forward and began to speak.

"Minister Greensboro, Our goal was to create a spell or Potion that was able to deflect or counteract the effects of the Unforgivable Curses. So far, we have been successful with two out of the three. The first is the 'Arbitrio Suo' combination of a potion and a spell. Since we are here in your presence, under the direction of the Minister of Magic, we ask the leave to cast The Imperious Curse, under your strict observation." The clerks exchanged glances and Greensboro nodded his head. Hermione produced her wand, as did Severus.

"We will begin by casting the Imperious Curse on Profesor Snape. Then you will know that we are capable of casting the spell correctly." she was cut off by a snort that came from Percy. He quickly looked away and began writing again in his clipboard. After a hard look in Percy's direction the Minister looked back at Severus and Hermione. "Well, alright then." Hermione cleared her throat.

Severus stood before her with his wand drawn. They had decided earlier that Severus would be the subject and Hermione the demonstrator. Hermione leveled her wand at him and she saw his eye wink slightly at her. That was all she needed to feel bold and sure once again.

"IMPERIO!" she hit Severus with the curse and had him walk about the room under her direction. In a moment of inspiration, she had him approach Percy, who was cowering in the corner. He stood still and stared the red headed sycophant down and then turned on his heel back to Hermione. Once before her she addressed the group.

"As you see, he is under the curse at this time. I invite you to command him through me." Sean stood up immediately, delighted at the fun of it all.

"Ms. Granger, is there anyway you could…make him…dance?" Hermione felt awful. She knew Severus would want revenge for this. But…he was under the curse and wouldn't remember anyway. She would be sure and tell them to not mention this part. She smiled and nodded her head. In seconds, Severus was doing the closest thing to an Irish jig that she could make him do. The audience clapped their hands and watched the quiet man jump up and down and clap his hands. In a moment, Hermione made him stop and she had to hide her face. Sylvester was in silent peels of laughter on the floor. His hands wraped around his stomach and his legs kicking furiously. Maybe Hermione would make him a Pensieve of this moment and share it with Severus another time.

Hermione released Severus and he looked at her and wondered why everyone was still chuckling. He growled as he wondered what Hermione made him do. He would ask her later. Hermione handed him the vial of her potion and she smiled at him. He scowled back at her, This was also not missed by the group who tittered behind their hands.

After waiting a full ten seconds, Hermione signaled for Severus to cast the spell on himself. He should be protected now.

"IMPERIO!" Severus stood still and leered at Hermione. He, uncharacteristically, leaned back against the table and crossed his arms. The group all stood up in awe. Except for Percy who was already standing.

"Ms. Granger! How…I mean…what?…I mean…May I?" Sean pulled out his wand and stood before Severus who watched him closely.

"IMPERIO!" Sean yelled. Nothing. Severus looked bored and began scratching his head with his wand end. Hermione rolled her eyes at his theatrics.

"Are you satisfied Minister?" Sean asked. Greensboro was silent and then he nodded. Sean bowed low to Ms. Granger and went back to his seat. They were all whispering in excited tones as Severus and Hermione stood together and waited. Severus leaned in to her and spoke softly in her ear.

"What did you have me do?" She blushed a little because his breath was in her ear and it made her body come alive. She wouldn't look at him, or answer him, so he leaned in again. "You smell wonderful." he smirked at the color of her cheeks and he knew he had unnerved her. That was alright. Tit for tat.

"It is with extreme happiness that we can conclude this portion of the demonstration a success. I, the Minster of Magic, approve the 'Arbitrio Suo' potion/spell combination approved by the Ministry. When you are ready, we can move on." Some applause erupted and excited chatter was heard. But Hermione looked at Severus and they shared a quiet moment of victory.

Sylvester was preparing the next stage of the demonstration. They decided that they would not cast the curse on anything living, they were hoping that the Ministry officials would grant them that leniency.

"The next portion of this demonstration is the The 'Coniectura Potion'. Ms. Granger, Professor Snape sir, the Minister has requested that we do not allow a viewing of the Cruciatus Curse. We are all well aware of the effects. Can we move right along?" Hermione smiled and nodded at Sean. He tipped his bowler hat to her and smiled back. Severus scowled at their exchange.

"Certainly. Thank you Minister, we were about to ask for you to allow us just that. Since we know the Curse so well and we all are aware of it's side effects, we will move right into the Potion itself." As Hermione spoke, Severus had ingested the Potion and was smiling down at her. She snorted at the look on his face. The only side effect she could tell was that whatever feelings of happiness the person had, they were amplified with the potion. In Severus' case, he looked like he could continue last nights endeavors, happily.

Hermione stepped back and pointed her wand at Severus. She hesitated a moment and the room went deadly silent. Her heart beat madly in her chest and she looked into Severus' face for comfort. His eyes were burning into hers and she swallowed. Her cheeks were flushing bright red. She had a hard time concentrating on unhappy memories.

It took her a moment, and a glance at Percy Weasley, for her to get control over her emotions and focus.

"CRUCIO!" a blast left her wand and unknowingly, the crowd jumped to their feet and watched. Severus was engulfed in the light and his hair moved about his face. What the others didn't notice were his eyes. They were closed and he stood with a euphoric look on his face.

After a full minute of applying the curse, Hermione lifted it. She was breathing heavily and dropped her wand to he side. Severus stood still and smiled and bowed slightly to the audience. All of a sudden, they were rushed by the group of people. The Minister had grabbed Hermione and hugged her tightly, while the two clerks shook Severus's hand. Sean stood by and watched the Minister and Hermione for a moment, waiting his turn. Severus' eyes went black when Sean reached out to hug Hermione. But he continued to shake hands and receive pats on the back.

Sylvester was jumping with glee and the Minister offered him a cigar. To which he gladly accepted and they stood side by side and smoked together. Hermione turned and found Severus standing directly behind her. He didn't reach out to her. She didn't reach for him. But silently, they caressed each others souls.

"I think, we are finished here." Greensboro said.

"Hey, where did that twitchy kd go?" Sean asked. They looked around the room and saw with surprise, that Percy had left already. Severus and Hermione shared a worried look for a moment and then went back to the others.

It took them the rest of the day to finish with paperwork and red tape. A representative came from MagiCall and finalized MagiCall's name on the Potions. Hermione and Severus, behind closed doors, finalized their residuals and payment methods. Each of them being paid handsomely for their efforts.

Greensboro saw them go and waved them goodbye. He had watched them all day and decided early on that they were definitely more than partners. They were involved with one another and they looked like they were as happy as two people could be. Sean came to stand next to the Minister.

"Sir, do you believe what that boy said from the Ministry? Do you think he's a murderer?" Greensboro cocked his head slightly and watched the couple walking away.

"Aye, that I do. But it's neither here nor their, is it Sean? Whatever he may have done, it is made good now. Don't you think?" Sean nodded his head. Yes, what wonderful magic they witnessed today.

"But she's a real looker, eh Sir?" Greensboro turned to him and pointed a chubby finger in his chest.

"Now listen here Sean, that there lassie is his. He all but said so. If you know what's good for you, you leave her be." Sean nodded and decided he did not want to ever be on the bad side of Professor Severus Snape.