Chapter 19 Antidote Team

Passing through the bustling, opulent atrium, Harry followed closely behind Severus the entire time.

He gazed curiously at the people around him. Nearly every witch and wizard rushing through the Ministry's entrance hall was either hurrying off to handle some business or preparing to leave via the lifts.

During this time, many young wizards spotted Severus. Their eyes were more or less surprised, and then they took the initiative to greet their professor.

Eventually, they moved toward the far end of the atrium, leaving behind the stream of wizards heading for the golden gates, and arrived at a desk.

There was a sign on the table that read 'Security Check', and behind the table sat a wizard in a dark green robe.

A copy of the Daily Prophet was covering his face, and faint snores could be heard.

Severus raised his hand and knocked on the table.

"I believe lunch break is over. Time to get back to work, sir."

The slacking Ministry's employee jolted awake at the sound. He lowered the newspaper, and upon seeing who stood before him, his expression immediately turned flustered.

"Professor Snape? Wh-what brings you to the Ministry?"

"Does the Ministry have a rule forbidding Hogwarts faculty from entering?"

Severus delivered the quip dryly as he handed over his wand.

"Go ahead and run the standard checks. I'm here to meet someone."

The staff hastily took the wand and placed it onto a peculiar-looking brass device resembling a single-pan scale.

Soon, the machine rattled and spat out a narrow strip of parchment.

"Thirteen and a half inches, birch wood, snake nerve core… everything checks out, Professor." The staff held the wand in both hands and returned it to Severus.

After Severus took it, he glanced at a metal bar next to the staff, "No need for any other tests?"

"Not for you, of course. You're no stranger to the Ministry. Who are you here to see? Do you need my help to give them a heads-up?"

The staff asked proactively.

Severus merely waved his hand.

"I know where the Auror Office is. No need to trouble yourself. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Goodbye, Professor."

Even as he bid farewell, the staff's eyes lingered on Severus's retreating figure.

He still hadn't quite processed it, 'When had Severus Snape ever appeared like this, speaking so politely to others?'

Once the routine check was complete, Severus led Harry to the lifts, heading from the eighth-floor atrium down to the second-floor Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

As a result, they met a middle-aged wizard before they even arrived here.

"Snape?" The wizard called out uncertainly.

Severus turned to him and smiled faintly.

"Long time no see, Robards."

In fact, while Snape's main job was the Potion Professor of Hogwarts, he had many acquaintances in the Ministry of Magic, especially in the Auror Office.

Many here knew him well, as a decade ago, when he was still a Death Eater, he had clashed with numerous Aurors.

As a result, the current Auror Office was split between younger Aurors who had been his students and older Aurors who had once been his adversaries.

Just like the elite Auror in front of him who is comparable to Kingsley, Gadwin Robards. He had even personally attended Snape's trial back in the day.

After realizing that he had not recognized the wrong person, and that this drastically changed figure was indeed the Severus Snape he knew, Robards' expression grew guarded.

"What are you doing at the Ministry?"

"Here to see Shacklebolt. Yesterday, he consulted me about that potion-poisoning case and said that if I am willing, I could assist in brewing the antidotes for the victim."

Hearing Severus's answer, Robards looked him up and down, the vigilance in his eyes did not diminish.

"Shacklebolt's out with a team visiting Libatius Borage. He won't be back until three."

Severus looked up at the time on the wall clock. It was only thirty minutes until three in the afternoon.

"Can we wait here until he returns?" He asked politely.

Robards gave him a long look, then turned around and spoke.

"Follow me. I'll take you to the waiting room."

On the way to the waiting room, Robards remained completely silent. Harry could clearly sense that unlike others who respected Severus, this man was filled with wariness and hostility.

Soon, the two were led into a waiting room next to the Auror Office. There are sofas and refreshments here, making it a decent place to wait for someone.

"You know the rules. Two-thirds of the rooms in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement are confidential. Outsiders aren't allowed to wander around. Don't make this difficult for me, Snape."

Robards warned in a threatening tone.

Severus raised an eyebrow and casually picked up a cookie from the coffee table.

"Of course. We'll follow the rules. Right, Dudley?"

Harry, who is intimidated by Robards' unfriendly demeanor, nodded quickly like a chick pecking at grain.

Only after receiving their assurances did Robards finally leave to attend to his own case.

Once he was completely gone, Harry asked quietly, "Professor, do you and that wizard have some… history?"

Severus replied calmly, "When I was young, I nearly severed his arm… permanently."

Hearing this, Harry's eyes widened in realization. Now he understood why Robards had treated them with such hostility.

"But his distrust of us isn't just because of that. But it doesn't matter. These days, your professor is a proper, law-abiding wizard working under Dumbledore. He can't find any fault with us."

Severus spoke dismissively.

While Severus Snape had been taken under Dumbledore's wing immediately after Voldemort's fall, many people at that time still remained skeptical about Snape's exact stance.

Some of these suspicions persist to this day, and Robards was among them.

To them, Snape had always been an irredeemable villain. His so-called 'redemption' was nothing more than a ploy to escape punishment.

But as Severus said, he is now protected by Dumbledore. He is Hogwarts' top enforcer.

No matter how much resentment these people harbored, there was nothing they could do.

…

Kingsley returned right on time.

At 3:02 PM, the door to the waiting room opened with a knock. The bald, dark-skinned Auror looked at Severus in surprise.

"I didn't expect you to come today, Professor Snape!"

"The morning's matters wrapped up smoothly, and I was particularly intrigued by that enhanced Draught of Living Death you mentioned. So I made the trip." Severus stood as he spoke.

"That's excellent news! With your help, we should be able to shorten the antidote brewing time by a few more days."

Kingsley seemed to have been extremely busy these past few days. He poured himself a cup of tea, drained it in one go, and got straight to the point.

"It just so happens that we have invited Mr. Arsenius Jigger, and we are just about to head to the victim's location."

"When do we leave?"

"The Ministry has stationed someone there. We're waiting for them to notify the victim's family first. We should get a reply in about ten minutes. But we can head out now and use the Ministry's Floo network to Bristol."

"Bristol?" Severus repeated the name of the city, which is located in the southwest of England.

"Yes. The victim isn't an ordinary Muggle, she's the daughter of a noble family. They own an estate and stables there."

As he spoke, Kingsley was already moving with swift efficiency.

He led Severus and Harry to the Auror Office, where two Aurors, a potioneer from the Ministry, and another invited Potions Master, Arsenius Jigger, were waiting.

When the potioneer from the Ministry and Jigger saw Severus, they took the initiative to step forward to greet him and express their admiration.

Regardless of anything else, Severus's potion-making skills were among the best in the Wizarding World, earning him the respect of many in the field.

After brief introductions, the hastily assembled antidote team wasted no time. Under Kingsley's lead, they headed to the Ministry's Floo network.

Then, everyone each took a pinch of Floo powder and began to line up as they walked into the dark green flame.

Severus and Harry went last. After repeatedly drilling into Harry the importance of pronouncing the destination correctly, he finally let Harry toss the Floo powder.

"Badminton Estate, Bristol!"

Watching Harry vanish into the flames and there's no problems with his pronunciation, Severus also walked into the fireplace and headed straight for the victim's home.

The green flames swallowed his figure, and in the next moment, Severus left the Ministry of Magic.