CHAPTER 56
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 56 ~ The Press Conference
Harry owled the Headmaster that night, and Albus quickly arranged a press conference for two o’clock Wednesday afternoon in the Great Hall. He wrote down the wards for the main gate for Harry and suggested he and Hermione arrive disillusioned and remain that way until they made it inside the castle. The paparazzi were on the prowl.
Albus then informed Severus of the press conference and asked him if he wanted to sit in.
“I will sit in, only to promote the release of the upcoming docu-pensieves,” the Potions Master said. “The press may contact my solicitor’s for a free preview copy of “The Return of Harry Potter” which is completed and almost ready for the open market.”
Severus knew that the papers would review the docu-pensieve, which would generate interest and therefore sales. The wizard was quite a shrewd businessman. More than likely they would cease to pursue him for an interview about Harry’s return…yet his Harper powers would be targeted next. They were quite rare. Possibly a history would be dug up about them. The Daily Prophet had excellent researchers and no doubt would put them on it as soon as possible. Less work for the wizard to do himself.
Since Hermione and Harry were both going to be interviewed, Severus assumed they had made up and were as disgustingly close as ever. No doubt the boy-who-lived had told Hermione about both the payment for his services and the duel. Hermione would have questions for him. Well, it was going to be a short interrogation at any rate. There was some serious, serious fucking to be done and he wasn’t about to let the witch hold him up for long. He had waited too long as it was. The wizard planned to start out giving the witch what she needed, then fall into his preferred method of taking her…slow, easy and all night long.
Severus allowed himself to fantasize about Hermione shrieking his name for a moment, then pushed the thought out of his mind. No need to torment himself when in two more days he’d have the witch pinned to the mattress of his four-poster working off months of forced celibacy.
The wizard’s two o’clock Potions class was cancelled so he could attend the press conference, much to his students’ delight. However, he had double homework assignments for them tomorrow, so their joy would be very short-lived.
He arrived at the Great Hall through the teacher’s entrance. The noise of the clamoring reporters could be heard throughout the castle. He billowed in, his black eyes scanning the room as the press jostled for seats and cameras flashed. He scowled at the mass of witches and wizards, then took a seat next to Hermione, who gave him a rather angry look.
Yes, Potter had spilled his guts all right.
Severus pointedly ignored the witch, which only worsened her attitude. Harry looked at the wizard with a small frown as well. Last time he had seen Severus, he was flinging him through the front gate by the scruff of his neck. The Potions Master gave him a nasty smirk in acknowledgement.
Albus stood up, and the room went relatively silent as the reporters looked at him with rapt attention.
“Welcome members of the press. This press conference will last half an hour, ten minutes of questioning will be allowed for each person. Those wishing to ask questions are to raise their hands, and I will select who will speak. You will identify yourself and the paper or magazine you are associated with. I retain the authority to cut questions short, and there will be only one question per selected person. Is this clear?” Albus said, looking around the room as flashbulbs popped. A murmur of assent went up from the crowd.
“Good,” Albus said, “First up will be Mr. Harry Potter.”
One hundred hands went up immediately. Albus selected a short wizard with brown hair and glasses.
“Siegfried Monston, Popular Wizarding Magazine. Mr. Potter, it’s rumored you recovered several months ago. Where have you been all this time?
“Um, at my home,” Harry responded…his voice cracking a bit.
Hands went up again. Albus selected another reporter. A witch this time.
“Abigail Husseltaven, Witch Weekly Magazine. Mr. Potter, why didn’t you let the public know you had returned?”
“I needed to get myself together first. I knew that there would be a lot of excitement about my return, and I wasn’t ready for all that. I’ve been famous all my life…and now that Voldemort is dead…all I want is to be left alone to live my life like anyone else,” the wizard replied honestly.
A murmur went up as wizards and witches scribbled furiously on parchments. Hands went up again, and Albus chose another reporter.
“Wendy Witchell, the Daily Prophet. Mr. Potter, what was it like to be you all those years? You were barely cognizant of your surroundings according to early accounts of your condition.”
Harry thought about this.
“It wasn’t like anything,” Harry replied, “One moment I was standing over Voldemort’s body, the next moment I was waking up on the beach with Hermione and Professor Snape. It was as if no time had passed at all.”
The witch sat down and more hands flew up.
Albus nodded to a wizard.
“Kyle Sommers, The Magical Enquirer. What happened on the beach, Mr. Potter?”
Harry shook his head.
“I don’t know. Hermione told me she and Professor Snape had performed a ritual using music to restore my soul. And some house elves helped,” Harry answered.
Another murmur went up. House elves? That was very interesting.
Several more reporters questioned Harry and his ten minutes were up.
“Next, Miss Granger,” Albus said.
A flurry of waving hands went up. Everyone was curious about the elusive witch.
Albus selected one very animated witch, who wore a pointed black hat.
“Miss Granger, where have you been all this time?” the witch asked.
The entire room went silent.
“I was domiciled at the home of my patron, Professor Severus Snape, deeply involved in a project to restore the souls of persons that had been kissed by Dementors,” the witch replied.
Murmurs of “I knew it” rose from the crowd.
Albus selected another wizard.
“Fredrick Hasseltome, Playwizard Magazine. How did you use music to restore Harry Potter? That is quite an unusual method, “ the reporter asked.
“Well it was quite complicated really. It involved charting Harry’s planets at the moment of his birth, which was the “pattern of his soul” and turning that pattern into music, which had to be played by a Harper…which is a witch or wizard that has the power to magically use music. Fortunately, we discovered Professor Snape is a Harper, and he played the score and Harry’s soul was able to repair itself based on that magical pattern. The Professor also used his magic to bind the Dementors so the souls could be restored.”
Albus chose another witch.
“Haley Gribbenstork, Wands Magazine. How exactly did you restore the souls of those stricken by the Dementor’s kiss?”
“Professor Snape gave me a journal of the wizard that originally created the Dementors, Damius Altercare. It was very in-depth and gave the formula for the elixir he used. I altered this formula to have an opposite effect. Then I kissed the Dementors and drew out the souls they had taken, leaving them in a stricken state.”
Loud murmurs rippled through the crowd at this information. The witch had actually kissed Dementors? Now this was news!
Excited hands went up again, and Albus selected another wizard.
“Leroy Foster, Black Wizarding Monthly. Miss Granger, what was it like to kiss a Dementor?”
Severus’ eyes slid to Hermione as she grimaced visibly.
“It was very, very disgusting. They smelled like rotting corpses and their breath was worse. Since their mouths were larger than mine, they covered almost my entire face. I was covered in saliva and had to scourgify myself after each kiss,” the witch said shuddering, “I had to kiss over thirty Dementors. It was horrible, but it had to be done.”
Disgusted groans went around the room. Even Albus grimaced at her description.
Albus picked another witch.
“Griselda Figgensworth, Daily Prophet. How did you find out the souls of the kissed weren’t destroyed?”
Hermione was about to answer, when Severus put his hand on her arm and shook his head, scowling slightly.
“You’re going to have to ask Professor Snape, since he was the one who discovered this fact,” the witch said to the disappointed reporter.
Hermione answered several more questions before it was Severus’ turn. All the hands in the room seemed to go up. The Potions Master glared at everyone and stood up.
“I have made it very clear that I will not give an interview without being compensated. This hasn’t changed. However, I would like to announce that docu-pensieves of both Harry’s recovery and the return of the taken souls will be available to the press. In fact, the completed docu-pensive of Harry’s recovery and the ritual is available free of charge to the press, one to a periodical. It shows the entire magical process from beginning to end. Those papers or magazines wishing to review the docu-pensieves need only have their editors contact my solicitor, Mr. Bartelby Baines, and he will supply one. That is all I have to say,” the dark wizard said, sitting down and folding his arms.
Cries of disappointment went up from the reporters. They had hoped to get at least one statement from the Potions Master. But the news of the docu-pensieves was big. They would be sure to report to their editors immediately and try to get the assignment of reviewing it.
Albus brought the conference to a close, the members of the press hurrying from the castle grounds and disapparating quickly to write their articles. Hermione looked at Severus as they waited for the castle to clear.
“We need to talk,” Hermione said to the wizard, her brow furrowed.
Severus let his eyes slowly wash over the witch. Hermione couldn’t help but shudder deliciously as the wizard appraised her.
“I think we need to do more than talk, witch,” he said in a low silky voice.
Harry still heard him however and rolled his eyes.
“Hermione, I’ll see you later,” Harry said, standing up, kissing her on the cheek while glowering at a smirking Severus. He exited the Great Hall, not about to listen to the Potions Master put the moves on his best friend.
“We won’t be doing anything other than talking until I get answers,” Hermione responded.
Severus leaned toward her, and the witch could almost feel the heat of his body waft over her. He was like a bloody magnet, and Hermione struggled not to lean in towards him.
“Do you really believe that witch? I can smell you from here,” the Potions Master purred, licking his lips suggestively.
Hermione felt a gush. If he couldn’t really smell her before, he probably could now. Her inner thighs were soaked. She discreetly pulled out her wand and pointed it at her thighs.
“Scourgify,” she whispered, cleaning herself.
The Potions Master’s eyes glittered with a mixture of mirth and lust as he witnessed the spell.
“Don’t expect a tender beginning,” he said to her darkly, “I’m going to fuck the shit out of you.”
“Damn you Severus,” Hermione hissed as another gush rolled out of her.
Severus chuckled and stood up.
“Until Friday night, Miss Granger,” he said with a bow…then billowed out the exit, leaving the witch staring after him hungrily.
“How does he manage to make me go from wanting to hex him to wanting to fuck him to death?” the witch mused as she scourgified herself again.
Hermione knew how he managed it though. The wizard was dead sexy to her and he knew it. He also knew how to use her attraction to him to manipulate her into little more than a steaming puddle of lust.
But he was wrong. They would talk about the things he’d hidden from her. After that…well…
Another hot gush of fluid flooded Hermione’s knickers.
“Damn it,” she cursed, taking out her wand for the third time.
Friday couldn’t get here soon enough.
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A/N: Good press conference. Man…Severus is so sexy. Please review.