SWEET POISON
Lily Evans watched with amusement her friends' singed faces as they hurriedly cleared up the remains of the Exploding Solution.
"You can smirk now," said Madame Arkadina using a Cooling Charm on her smoking eyebrow, "but I'll have you know that you'll probably pay for it later. Won't she, Olivia?"
Olivia McKinnon was currently not feeling so charitable towards Exploding Solutions, so she merely shrugged her shoulder, and looked ruefully at her fire-scarred hands.
"How was the meeting with Fudge anyway?" asked Gilbert Evans, smoothing the grey hairs off his face. "Learn anything new?"
Cornelius Fudge was the Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes. And the grapevines had it that the Department was in severe shortage of health-care facilities for the Hit Wizards and Hit Witches of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad…which was why Lily had wished to meet Fudge, a wish that she heartily regretted now.
"Oh, nothing much," said Lily, still smirking. "Except that I've learnt that Mrs. Fudge likes to collect calendars, and that a flea can jump from a window in thirteen different ways."
Marka's raucous laughter was probably the loudest in the room.
"I wonder how the Ministry can employ buffoons like Fudge, and leave out geniuses like our dear Severus here," said Uncle Gilbert, looking fondly at Severus Snape across the room.
Severus looked up from his cauldron, and smiled back briefly at the dear old man.
"Oh, don't go underestimating Fudge like that," said Marka in a mock-serious voice. "You never know, he might become the Minister for Magic one day."
The room shook with laughter again.
"I hope I never live to see the day," said Lily with a shudder. "In the three hours I spent with Fudge, he told me nothing about the Death Eater attacks in Romania, but everything about the new bowler hat he'd bought! Apparently, he thinks women shouldn't be worried about the massacre of five hundred innocent muggles."
Silence. Then—
"Lily!" came a booming voice, "Lily, my girl!"
Many heavy, waddling footsteps and several loud sighs later, Professor Horace Slughorn walked into the room. It would be wise to add here that Slughorn resembled a walrus in so many ways, that he might have been mistaken for one, had he not been wearing his wizard's hat.
"Good Morning, Professor!" said Lily, as she was pecked on each cheek by her mentor.
"Good Morning, Good Morning," said Slughorn, shifting to shake hands with the others in the room. "Though I see nothing too good about the morning; it's been raining for two days now."
"My flat's on the ground floor," said Marka grumpily, "and its already covered knee-high in water. Thank Merlin that the headquarters of 'The Druid' isn't on the ground floor!"
"Well," huffed Slughorn, "it's certainly a chore climbing all these stairs. I think I've broken one of my ribs from sheer over-exertion." Olivia turned away to hide a smile.
"Severus, my boy, how are you doing?" asked Slughorn, patting Snape vigorously. Then he turned back towards Lily and said, "Isn't he a smashing Potioneer?"
"I couldn't have hoped for a better one," said Lily, smiling warmly.
"Would you like a drink, Horace?" asked Gilbert Evans.
"Oh, no, no, my friend," said Slughorn. 'I'm in a bit of a hurry this morning. I've come here only because I've a rather important piece of news to share…. Tell me, have you lot heard of Morpheus's Mead?"
"Morpheus's Mead?" repeated Snape frowning. "The potion that has been banned by the Department of Lotions and Potions? The one that had been used most extensively in the Dark Years of Grindelwald's siege over Eastern Europe?"
"The very same," said Slughorn heavily.
"It seems a really Dark potion, to have been used by Grindelwald himself…. What does it do?" asked Olivia worriedly.
"It works like the Imperius Curse, milder, but strong enough to make another person easily succumb to your whims and orders," said Slughorn.
There was a stunned horrified silence.
Slughorn was unusually grave as he explained his answer.
"A firm called Bernhardt Breweries in Bulgaria has been reported to be exporting a large arsenal of toxic potions and hazardous chemicals. One of them is believed to be Morpheus's Mead. There is no actual proof of the report, but there have been many unexplained deaths and medical cases in the region, which are supposedly linked with the potion. For example, there has been an increased admission of patients in the Bulgarian hospitals -- a 67 per cent rise -- and these patients show the exact symptoms of a victim of Morpheus's Mead. The Healers there don't want to talk about it, but there is no denying that something extremely fishy is going on. I read about this in an article in Potoscio Paradoxa, and I think that Rita Skeeter can be trusted to have her facts correct, even though her opinions may be harebrained."
"But-but..." stuttered Olivia in horror. "Hasn't the potion been banned?"
"It has been banned by the British Ministry, not by the Bulgarian Ministry," said Snape darkly.
Olivia swallowed nervously.
"These peculiar symptoms of the potion," said Madame Arkadina, "can you name some of them?"
"Well," said Slughorn, "the victim usually drinks the potion unknowingly, so he finds it very hard to resist it... In the rare case that he does try to do that, the resistance will be manifested as headaches, vomiting, waning of the appetite, fevers... And of course, the perpetrator of Morpheus's Mead can make the victim do his bidding, which is a certainty grotesque enough."
Lily could not help shivering, something that Severus's keen dark eyes noticed at once. He also observed Olivia's pale face. Olivia got so perturbed with the slightest hint of the war growing outside. Not to mention that Olivia believed herself to be the only one vulnerable to attacks by headless axe men, lethifolds and Death Eaters.
"Does the potion have some characteristic ingredient?" asked Marka, looking pale and distraught. "We should be ready for --"
"I'm not aware of the ingredients used; I have never made such a potion," said Slughorn with a slight frown.
"I—I didn't…." began Marka, embarrassed, but Slughorn waved off her apologies with a ring-decked hand.
"I have heard rumours, however," said Slughorn, "that Morpheus's Mead makes use of a plant called Venus Dew. Its essence is used to null the senses, and it is known by its heady fragrant smell. I have a strong hunch that the potion also makes use of a hair strand from the head of a Veela, and a unicorn's tail."
"Now, Lily," said Slughorn, taking her tiny hands in his own chubby ones, "this could be the chance you've been waiting for. Morpheus's Mead is flooding the city-godowns even now, playing with innocent lives anywhere…. And this is the time when 'The Druid' can achieve the success and fame it deserves…. By developing a cure or some preventive measure against Morpheus's Mead, 'The Druid' can make its own stand against 'Potter Pharmaceuticals'. Don't let this opportunity slip you by, Lily-girl...And now, I'll be off…. Dumbledore's invited me for a spot of breakfast. TraLaLa, then!"
Lily had slipped back into her tough business-woman mode even before Slughorn had closed shut the door. She was now pacing up and down the room.
"We'll have to find out more about the potion," said Lily. "And the only one who can help us is Augustus Rookwood. He works in the Department of Mysteries, and he also leads the Analytical Bureau of Investigation at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies. He must surely know about Morpheus's Mead. What do you think, Uncle Gil?"
Uncle Gilbert took his time in replying. "Indeed…. But it will be very hard to contact Augustus," said he, "unless you contact him at the Ministry itself. And for that you'll need an entry-pass, which, as you know, is available only to Ministry workers—"
"—And to Healers," finished Olivia. "You can use my pass, Lily," she said.
"But if you're caught? What if someone finds out that I've been running around under your name? Won't you fall in trouble?" asked Lily.
"Oh, I'll manage," said Olivia airily. "You've helped me so many times, Lily. It's the least I can do for my sister's best friend!"
"I do hope Augustus will help us on this one," said Lily, rubbing her forehead tersely.
"Oh, I'm sure he won't mind helping the girl he is in love with," said Marka slyly, and was awarded with a glare from Lily.
Severus was so shocked that he dropped the ladle in his hands.
"Augustus Rookwood is NOT in love with me!" snapped Lily.
Madame Arkadina tossed her glossy black mane, and shrugged. "If you say so, Lily, dear," she said. "But don't think that we don't know you've been dating him for the past three months."
Lily flushed red with embarrassment. Severus could not help feeling a bit sorry for himself, although he did not really understand why.
"Ahem," coughed Uncle Gilbert. "Perhaps it is time I had a talk with Rita Skeeter. You know, give her a nice juicy bit about Mundungus Fletcher's ugly trade-secrets…. Stuff, you know."
"Mundungus Fletcher….hmmm…. Her ex-fiance, you mean?" asked Marka. "Oh, Skeeter would love to dig up his skeletons, especially now that Mundungus has been arrested on charges of illegal sale of magical herbs."
"Severus," said Lily, and Severus was jolted out of his self-pity session. "I would like you to research the matter; you know more about Morpheus' Mead than anyone else."
"Maybe he made one himself," muttered Olivia to herself, but looked away when she found Snape staring at her with a slightly hurt expression on his face. Had he heard her?
"Marka," said Lily, and Madame Arkadina turned towards her with expectant brown eyes. "I'd like you to find out all about 'Berhardt Breweries'---their goodwill, their contacts, their medicines, their patients—everything. OK?"
Marka gave her a thumbs-up sign.
"Olivia, when does your morning-watch shift at the Hospital start?" asked Lily.
"At 11 a.m. today," said Olivia.
"Right," said Lily decisively. "We'll both leave together for St. Mungo's. You can get to your shift straightaway, while I'll go and talk to Augustus."
"Dear Augustus," said Marka, in what she considered a seductive, simpering voice.
Severus could not bring himself to join the others in laughing at Lily's embarrassment. He was afraid he might break something in the process. He kept his fists balled-up inside his pockets, and tried to remember what his real mission at 'The Druid' was.
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