After leaving the fireplace, Pomona and Severus arrived at the Ministry of Magic. The first person she saw was Lucius Malfoy, speaking with a Ministry official.
Pomona recognized him. At the Smith family gathering yesterday, he had been with the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The moment Lucius and the official saw Severus appear, they stopped talking and came forward with broad smiles.
"You look well. How are your preparations going?" Lucius asked brightly.
"Very well," Snape said, looking "refreshed" despite having stayed up all night.
Fire-spouting potion was a potion that required tremendous control. If one pursued power alone, the person who drank it could indeed breathe powerful flames, but they would injure themselves as well.
Compared with tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep, staying up to brew a difficult potion might have been a better way to find peace. In any case, Snape's complexion now looked as "good" as usual.
After exchanging greetings, they headed down to the first basement level. Because there were too many people coming to watch, the Ministry of Magic had been forced to provide a courtroom.
On the way downstairs, Pomona was invisibly squeezed to the back. The three of them walked and chatted as though they were very close.
It was not the first time, nor would it be the last. Pomona could keep up even if she had to jog, and soon they arrived at the door.
"Ready?" Lucius Malfoy asked.
Snape nodded heavily. Then he and the Ministry official each took one side and opened the door.
The "jury" seats were packed. The potion masters from all over the world had been whispering among themselves, but the instant the door opened, they fixed their gazes on Snape.
Though Pomona hid behind him, she still felt