The weeks had flown by, as they always seemed to do when happiness nestled itself between the days. Every moment was filled with quiet purpose, laughter shared in the common room, and long, peaceful hours spent in the dungeons, carefully refining each step of the Wolfsbane prototype.
One golden afternoon, as the sun spilled through the tall windows of the library and painted Severus's face in honeyed light, he looked up from his book with a quiet gleam in his eyes.
"My grandfather wrote back," he said softly.
I turned toward him at once, heart skipping. His expression was carefully measured, but I could see the hope lingering behind his eyes.
"The trial has ended," he continued. "With a successful result."
For a second, I just stared at him—then joy erupted in my chest like sparks from a wand. I let out a breathless laugh and threw my arms around him, unable to help myself.
He caught me easily, his arms wrapping around my back in return. I felt his chin rest lightly on my shoulder, and in that moment, all the hours we'd spent brewing, testing, and perfecting that potion were suddenly worth it.
As we drew apart slightly, his voice dropped into a gentle, thoughtful cadence.
"Grandfather asked what we'd like to call it," he said, a hint of amusement playing in his eyes.
I blinked, then tilted my head. "What about... Wolfsbane?"
His lips twitched into a small smile. "That's a good name," he murmured. "Simple. Precise."
Then he added, "He's already sent a statement to the Daily Prophet. The publication went out this morning. The Ministry's response was overwhelmingly positive—they've approved production."
My jaw dropped slightly in awe. "It's really happening?"
He nodded.
A swell of warmth filled my chest. "I didn't care about the credit," I said quietly. "I just wanted to help those people—the ones who needed it."
Severus's eyes softened. He reached out and hugged me again, this time more gently, more sincerely.
"You really do have a kind heart," he whispered.
I laughed lightly into his shoulder. "You do too, you know."
We stood there for a few more seconds in the warm hush, until a pointed cough broke through the quiet like the snap of a twig.
We both turned, startled, to see Emmeline standing in the doorway, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised to a daring height.
"Well, well, well," she said, eyeing the space between us. "What's all this? Hugging each other like it's Christmas morning?"
I burst into laughter, cheeks warming with sudden embarrassment and delight. "I'm just really happy," I said with a grin.
"About what?" she asked, striding closer.
Severus cleared his throat, standing a little straighter beside me. I gave her a bright look and said proudly, "The potion Severus and I created—it passed the final trial. It's being patented and put into production. The Ministry loves it."
Emmeline blinked, then beamed, the sharpness in her expression melting into joy. "That's amazing! I knew you two were up to something brilliant."
Before I could say another word, she darted forward and threw her arms around both of us, wrapping us into a tight three-way hug.
Severus let out a surprised huff, half-laughing as Emmeline nearly crushed his ribs. I grinned as our shoulders bumped and Emmeline squeezed tighter.
"I'm proud of you both," she said fiercely. "You did something incredible."
As Emmeline squeezed us both in a joyful hug, her laughter echoing through the corridor, something unexpected shimmered at the edge of my mind.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
The familiar voice chimed softly in my ears, ethereal and mechanical all at once. It had been so long—months, maybe more—since I'd last heard it. Not since the mission began. Not since the Horcruxes.
"Congratulations. You have received a reward for your invention of the Wolfsbane Potion. 100,000 Galleons have been deposited into your Gringotts vault. Magical affinity has increased. Spellpower surge initiated."
A soft rush of energy coursed through my limbs, like warm starlight threading through every nerve. I swayed slightly where I stood, momentarily stunned. It was a generous reward—too generous. My heart beat faster, but not from happiness.
Because I knew.
Wolfsbane... it wasn't supposed to be ours. Not originally. In the old timeline, someone else must have discovered it, years from now. But I'd taken that future and rewritten it—twisted it—for Remus, for the sake of kindness... . My stomach curled with guilt.
I'd changed things.
For someone.
At someone else's expense.
"Hey," Emmeline's voice pulled me back gently. She leaned back from the hug just enough to look at me properly, brow furrowing. "What's wrong? You were beaming a second ago, and now you look like someone hexed your cauldron."
I blinked, forcing the emotion away, and gave her a smile that I hoped looked real.
"It's nothing," I said lightly. "Just got a bit overwhelmed, I guess. Shall we go tell the others the good news? I've still got Sugar Quills. We could celebrate."
Emmeline's eyes lit up. "sure!"
I laughed and reached into my bag, pulling out the velvet box lined with neatly packed pastel-colored candies.
"You get a share," I teased, "because you hugged us like a maniac. Severus, do you want one?"
He gave me a look. Flat, unimpressed.
"No," he said simply.
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I rarely share my sweets. This is a historic event."
He gave a resigned little smirk, arms folding across his chest. "It's fine. I'll just buy you more when you run out."
That made me laugh
"Well," I said, nudging his shoulder, "I'll hold you to that. I expect payment in at least three boxes."
He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched into another small smile. Emmeline popped a quill into her mouth and made a sound of delight.
"You two are ridiculous," she said around the candy. " Let's go find the others "
The next morning, a flurry of excitement swept through the Great Hall like a gust of enchanted wind. Students chattered in hushed tones over porridge and pumpkin juice, and the sound of fluttering wings filled the air as owls swooped in to deliver the morning edition of the Daily Prophet.
I was just buttering a scone when a large barn owl dropped the paper onto our table with a soft thud. Pandora grabbed it first, her eyes darting across the front page—then widening in astonishment.
"You're on the front page," she gasped, spinning it around for us to see.
There, in bold black letters, it read:
BREAKTHROUGH IN POTIONEERING: THIRD-YEAR RAVENCLAWS DEVELOP WOLFSBANE POTION
Beneath the headline, a smaller subheading added:
'Two gifted students bring hope to werewolves across Britain with revolutionary new brew'
Our names were there—Petunia Evans and Severus Black.
Severus stared at the paper, expression unreadable, but I caught the slight softening of his mouth. Emmeline let out a loud squeal and grabbed me in a side-hug.
Before we could fully process the shock, an owl from the staff tower flew down with a folded note, sealed in green wax. It dropped neatly in front of Severus, who unfolded it quickly.
He looked up. "Professor Slughorn wants to see us in his office. Right away."
Slughorn's office was as warm and perfumed as ever, with the scent of crystallized pineapple lingering in the air. He rose from his armchair the moment we entered, arms open in a grand, theatrical gesture.
"My stars!" he boomed, eyes twinkling. "You've done it! What an achievement! Third years! And such a breakthrough in potion-making I haven't seen anything like this in decades!"
Severus and I smiled modestly, exchanging a quick glance as we murmured our thanks.
Slughorn stepped closer, beaming. "I must say, Severus, you truly have the Prince blood running through your veins such precision, such instinct! I knew from the first time you brewed a Draught of Peace that you had something special."
I smiled, pride swelling in my chest. "Yes, he really is brilliant," I said, and meant it.
But Severus shook his head slightly, voice steady. "It was really Petunia's idea, sir. She was the one who thought of altering the lunar catalyst."
Slughorn blinked and looked between us, impressed. "Well, well! Modest and clever. A rare combination. And I suppose that's the magic of collaboration, isn't it?"
I laughed softly. "If we're being honest, Severus spent far more time on this project than I did."
"Oh, come now," Slughorn chuckled, waving a hand. "The both of you are remarkable. A pair of rising stars. I daresay I'll be keeping a very close eye on your futures perhaps even a place in the Slug Club's honor roll? Yes, yes..."
His eyes sparkled behind his walrus mustache, but then his expression grew a little more serious.
"Professor Dumbledore has asked to see you both in his office," he said, folding his hands. "No doubt to offer his congratulations personally. You're making quite the name for yourselves, my dears."
Our eyes met again mine with a flutter of nerves, Severus's calm but thoughtful.
"Thank you, Professor," I said.
"Off you go, then," Slughorn said, ushering us toward the door.
We left his office with the echo of his laughter trailing behind us, walking side by side through the castle's twisting corridors toward the Headmaster's tower where more surprises surely waited.
........................................