The Princess and the Bloodstone

Veritaserum

Veritaserum is a substance strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic, arguably the most potent truth serum in the world. Severus Snape had not waited for explicit Ministry permission for 'most' batches of the serum he had produced in the past, but his current brew was by order of the 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor' herself.

The production of a superior vial of Veritaserum was an advanced undertaking with many stages of brewing and maturing spanning over the course of a full lunar cycle. Needless to say, it was taking up a lot of his precious time.

After a week of insomnia, and it being Saturday evening, he was glad to finally be looking forward to sleeping nine hours straight.

Severus teased a hardback journal out from under Liquescent Solutions for Uncommon Venoms and flicked through pages heavy with black ink and cramped writing. He opened the lunar calendar to find the dates Dolores would anticipate the Veritaserum completed. Severus was mildly surprised to see the unmarked slot of the ninth of January, his birthday, seven days after.

Wednesday. Waning Gibbous. Thirty-six years old.

He had initially managed to trick the Hogwarts personnel out of 'celebrating' his birthday two years in a row. But having been on staff for more than fourteen years, in due course, they discovered the day. A decidedly awkward affair, he typically acquired a few bottles of alcohol and a book or two he would not have chosen for himself.

Hopeful that they will forget this year, he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

His personal improvement for the standard Veritaserum recipe substituted crushed Sopophorous Beans with pulped Imp Spleen, speeding up the maturation considerably without sacrificing quality. He also preferred an alembic for distilling in order to extend shelf-life – instead of filtering the end product through wax cloth as directed in traditional texts.

Severus poured a Vial of Ptolemy into a copper cauldron simmering on a bluebell flame while using his other hand to stir in an anti-clockwise motion. A hot cloud of white steam issued from the bubbling potion and rolled out over the tabletop and flagstones like fine mist over a forest floor.

The ladle touched the copper belly of the cauldron with rhythmic thumps. He counted fifteen clunks and slipped the tool out of the translucent potion, reaching for the velvet satchel of Moonstone Powder and his most sensitive set of scales. He knew the recipe by heart and his hands moved deftly about his workspace.

Stir Powdered Moonstone into the mixture one spoonful at a time, dissolving thoroughly.

Tonight he could hear the wind howling around the many corners of the castle even from the dungeons three levels below ground.

The clock on the corner cabinet had barely struck six when the unmistakable sound of Dolores Umbridge's kitten heels echoed through the corridor outside. He cast a Stasis charm on the bubbling would-be Veritaserum and braced his self-control in preparation for the encounter.

When the door creaked open and the white vapour from the potion slid over the threshold.

What a sight I must be, the black-robed Potions Master standing up to his knees in fog. He almost laughed, but had to glower for further dramatic effect.

A miserable-looking Holly stepped inside first, followed by a smug Umbridge. Holly's book bag hung over one shoulder. Her Muggle jeans and her greying top both looked old. Severus could only guess that she chose this outfit to irritate Umbridge, who has made her hate for students wearing casual Muggle clothing very clear. Holly's eyes were fixed on the floor and her mane of dishevelled black hair hid most of her face.