It makes you wonder

Chapter 16 September is such a busy month

"Harry, if you don't drop the charges on them, will your plan work?" Severus asked as they were working in his private potions lab.

"I am going to drop them when he finds Lupin. I want him to sweat a bit. Augusta knows I am going to do it and she is fine with it. She enjoyed seeing their reputations ruined again in the paper. Neville said she was looking forward to seeing the results of the marriage or failure of them meeting the requirements. I believe she is hoping they lose their magic. She really is disgusted by Dummy. Neville and a few of those in the know are placing bets on the outcome, I stayed out of it, so they have a better shot at someone else winning."

Severus thought for a few minutes as he stirred his potion. "Have you talked to Minerva?"

"Yes, she agreed to let me assist her. I tried to bring up other subjects, she has had him playing around in her memories like a kid in a sandbox. I am not going to let her know anything. I have no grudge against her but he has messed with her too much. She needs a full purge. She didn't even remember the first yearly event about my placement."

"Figures. He wants to see us tomorrow night for our first Horcrux meeting."

"I won that bet. Sirius had next month, Tom, the weekend, Lucius next week, Narcissa said All Hallow's Eve."

"You had tomorrow night?"

"Yes, of course, I hedged the bet."

Severus tried not to laugh. "How?"

"Had Draco drop my schedule at Ron's feet. Only night off really except for the weekends."

"Now, you know why I don't bet with you anymore."

"I don't know, I can make the stakes interesting for you." Harry leaned in and gives him a kiss. "Then again, I don't think we need a bet."

Severus groaned as Harry stepped back to his cauldron. "No, we don't. Is Tom coming this weekend or we going there?" He saw Harry begin to dice up some ginger root. "What is that for?" He knew none of the potions on the list for Poppy need ginger root.

"Here. I am trying to see if I can improve this cough potion. Ginger is soothing, so I am hoping it will react well and strengthen the potion."

Severus stood up, cast a quick preservation spell on his cauldron and move over to Harry's. "I didn't try that, I thought the pixie's wings might have a bad reaction to them."

"I added some Neem oil to counter it."

"That might not work unless you added some Knotgrass."

"I did. It's in the base to provide a more stable foundation."

"The ginger root should work. Do you have any way of testing it?"

"Yes, some healers at St. Mungo's are willing, they have some patients that have a persistent cough."

"You got the contract?"

"We got the contracts."

Severus looked up at him, processing his words. "We got the research one too?" Severus didn't even try to hide his delight at that. It has taken him years to get the Death Eater stain off of his potion making skills but it's finally coming off. He knew he was still a Death Eater and would be forever, but that wasn't his whole being.

"Yes, they were impressed by our work on the cure for Wizard's Flu, also your known cures and mine gave us the contracts over a few others. The goblins reviewed the contracts and will be sending the contracts for us to sign tomorrow."

"I heard Horace had you teaching the first years today." He hugged Harry from behind, and watched him work.

"Yes, gave them your opening speech."