44) Announcement

Severus looked at the hall where the party was going to be held. He had arrived after the classes had ended as he needed to be there early for some things. The declaration, the announcements and the speech by him as the new Prince Potions Factory Owner and Head. The evening was going to be long and tiresome plus he needed to deal with the press which was going to be there.

"Everything is going nicely, the caterers have arrived and are setting everything. The stage and the small podium is already made for the announcements and the speech you are going to make as the Head. Regarding which, you have to get the speech double checked by Lucius and your mother", Evelyn said as she told him about the progress till now.

"I have already sent it to Lucius who is checking it with his own and my mother's", Severus spoke up as he checked the time on the wall clock.

They only had three hours left before the part was going to be started. The Prince Potions Factory was going to be officially inaugrated today by the Minister of Magic and this was an oppurtunity which he was going to use for his own benefit.

"I see, now everything is done as we have wished. The batches had been made and the brochures have been done nicely. We are all done by now", Evelyn said checking the items in her to do list of today.

"Oh, wait do you know how to dance?", Evelyn asked suddenly as if remembering something important at the last moment.

"Is that even a relevant question for now?", Severus asked with a frown as he looked at his general manager of the Prince Potions Factory and the shop.

Evelyn gave him a look as if he was stupid about asking such a question before sighing, "you have to be there for the opening dances. You have to take the ladies guests present there for dances namely the Minister's wife and many higher ranking guests. Surely you know it boss", she spoke up looking at him expectedly.

The stupified and wide eyed look was enough answer for him. "Why would I need to even do that?", he asked hurriedly looking at her with a small shocked face. He didn't knew how to dance, in his previous life there was no need to learn how to dance for his daily activities and the other part of older Severus also lacked the skill to dance.

"Well, it's actually good manners", Evelyn tried to formulate an answer for the question. Afterall it was a question she herself didn't knew how to answer.

"Anyways Andromeda will be here to teach you dancing for next two and half hours", Evelyn spoke up as she looked up to him with a calm face knowing that he will create a fuss sure about it.

"Do I really need to?", Severus asked looking at her with a small frown as he didn't understood the need for it.

"We wouldn't want our boss to ashame himself infront of the crowd just because he couldn't dance, now can we?", Evelyn asked rheotrically as she looked at him.

Severus conceeded the point and nodded before she immediately left the room for calling Andromeda. The rest of them were busy with different works and only Andromeda was free as she had finished decorating the stage and the hall. Ted was busy with preparing the batches of the potions for display.

Two minutes later Evelyn arrived into the room with Andromeda Tonks who was having a straight face.

"Andi, you have to teach our boss some enough dancing moves that he will be sufficient enough for party", Evelyn said looking at him.

"I see", Andromeda replied amused at the whole task. She didn't knew that their boss was a failure in dancing.

Evelyn left the room as she walked to the next hall wherre the speeches and the floo arrival room was crosschecked.

"I didn't knew that you couldn't dance", Andromeda commented as she looked at Severus who remained calm as usual.

"Apparently I never bothered to give it a thought", Severus replied back as his face turned a little sour at the mention of dance.

"Don't worry, you will do fine. Just remember to not step into the toes of the person infront of you", Andromeda advised as she let herself in the pose for dancing.

At her boss's questioning look, she really felt sorry for Alice at that moment.

"Place your hands on my waist Severus and look into my eyes while you dance", Andromeda spoke up with a sigh looking at the now embarrassed looking boy infront of her.

After an hour of repeated dancing in which Andromeda had to repeatedly correct his always stiff figure and posture did they started to make progress.

"You know you don't have to be present in the party if you don't want to. You could avoid the party as the press and media will surely see you and cause problems", Severus spoke up as he twirled her like she taught bim.

"I could ask the same to you. You are directly moving against the Dark Lord with your creations now, but you are still going on with it. Aren't you?", she asked looking at him as they joined hands and swayed together.

"I will be but I have plans for it. What will you do when your family will try to harm you?", Severus asked as they stopped dancing for the tenth time. He was getting better slowly each time and a part of him was enjoying the dancing.

"They will try to harm me or Ted but we both have agreed that it is enough time that we have hidden and remained in secrets. I wouldn't want Nymphadora to let people say that her parents were cowards", Andromeda replied calmly.

"I see, I can already see Regulus coming to me and asking for removing you and Theodore from work or face the wrath of Black family", Severus commented amusedly as he looked at her with a small smirk.

"Will you face the wrath of Black family or simply remove both of us?", Andromeda asked calmly but he understood the seriousness in her question.

"The Black family will be in quite a surprise. I have no fear of them nor do they hold an influence over me or my decisions. As long as you work honestly for the factory you will have no fear of being removed but I will not be able to actively defend you against your family as we have a connection on purely business basis", Severus replied and he saw relief in her eyes. Besides his mother was quite very good friends with her and it would be a bother. Besides it will undermine him infront of the Black family and he would die than bow to some prissy person who was all too high in his vanity.

"I wanted to have your family's support in case of something my family tries on us. You can't act personally for us as we have a relationship in business only however I wanted that to change a little. I want you to be Nymphadora's godfather", Andromeda said slowly composing herself as she asked him something which she herself knew she had no right to ask for.

There was a smirk in Severus's face as he heard those words. It was fun to create chaos afterall he himself was sent for that very own reason. Besides it will irk the golden trio which was all too a reason to agree on it. Besides how many people could say that they had a metamorphmagus as their goddaughter.

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Horace Slughorn looked at the room in which he had flooed into. The room was decorated with flowers and figures alike. There were paintings and art crafts on the walls giving the place a creative look.

"Professor Slughorn, it's nice to see you arrive", Eileen Prince dressed in blue robes greeted him.

Horace was a little proud and happy to see his former student and mother of Severus. She was looking very happy today as this was a major event for their family.

"Eileen, it's nice to see you again too", Horace Slughorn said as he returned the handshake.

The floo raored again and this time there was a family of five who arrived there.

"Miss fortescue, Mr Fortescue, Dexter, Alyssa, Lady Bethany", Slughorn greeted warmly as he looked at the new arrival.

"Alice you arrived", there was a surprised voice as Slughorn looked towards the voice only to see a very attractive witch dressed in blue and grey arriving there.

"Hello Professor", the four members of Fortescue family greeted to Horace.

"Horace, you still seem a little more portly to me. Run along a little and flatten yourself otherwise you will face many problems as you grow more", Lady Bethany spoke up with a small smirk as she looked at her junior in school.

"Lady Bethany still possessing the sharp tongue, I see", Slughorn spoke up as he looked at his most favourite senior from school days.

"I never lost it", she replied back with a small raised eyebrow at him.

The rest of the people simply watched them as they traded words.

The topics started to change and very soon they all were led to the hall. Horace learnt that since Alice worked in the shop of Lucius, she too was invited to the party along with her family as Lucius was also one of the partners.

The whole conversation was discreetly guided by Bethany who played Horace for the fool he was. She didn't knew why Severus wanted to keep his relationship with Alice a secret for little more but she had faith in her granddaughter's decision who was agreeing with the same thought as him.

She didn't knew what plan they were trying to hatch but it better be over sure.

They entered to the finely staged hall which was decorated heavily giving it a very beautiful look. The roof was charmed by Severus personally who had finally managed to replicate Rowena Ravenclaw's charm for the Hogwarts Great Hall. Many guests were marvelling at the fact as they led gasps of awe at the charm work done by him. Guests were asking to the employees about the caster but none were replying simply avoiding the questions about it.

Horace saw the figure of his student who was talking with a figure, whom he realised as the Minister of Magic of Italy along with Lucius Malfoy.

Severus was busy with the Minister of Magic of Magical Italy - Antonio Bruno, who was having a conversation about the items and the deal they had talked about. Lucius was also there talking with him and Severus was greatful that Lucius was also there too to help him this time. He had half a mind to leave this hassle and go back to somewhere quiet.

"Mr Bruno, I think we should cut the ribbon. It's time for the party to start and the speeches will further take time", Lucius advised calmly to the Minister of Magic who nodded instantly as he understood the situation.

Lucius started to collect the reporters and photographers as the ribbon cutting was going to be done. He had selected the news and media personnel carefully for the very purpose of calculated coverage.

The first speech was from the Minister Of Magic who congratulated everyone for the opening and the opportunities it would provide for the people.

The second speech was from Eileen, who gave the speech about the history of the Prince Potions Factory and some of the recent history.

The third speech was from Lucius who started to charmingly speak about the business and the opportunities it was giving along with the goals of the company and the vision they had when they started the factory again.

"Now, I would like to give the oppurtunity to my dear friend Severus who would tell us more about the company and the goals as well as some of the new items and deals we are going to do", Lucius finished his speech amongst the heavy applause.

Severus walked to the stage amongst the applause as he prepared himself for the speech.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, the men and women who all took their precious time from their busy schedules to grace this inaugration party. I won't bore you with a long speech as I believe keeping things simple suits better for everyone", he said with a smile as there were many laughs amongst the audience on that.

"You have already heard about the history and the goals of this organisation from my mother and Lucius alike. Now I wanted to say something which was not said all this time", he said and paused letting his words sink in to the people. "I never opened this factory once again from its closed state, thinking about honouring my ancestors or earning money or giving employments to other people. This were never my thoughts when I started this, maybe they were a little bit in my thoughts perhaps now that I think about it", he continued gaining more laughs at the words.

"However, the main reason I opened this factory once again was to bring a change", he said and there was a silence in the hall.

"When I study potions, I find it easier for me to change methods of preparing a potion to increase its potency or developing it in lesser time and many other things along the same lines or purposes. However, I had always wanted to bring these changes outside of my crafts in potions. To many others potions are a simple branch of magic which tells or teaches them in making useful concoctions. To me it has always been an art, an art where I changed recipes or steps to create something new. I wanted to bring the changes in my art to the environment around them and keeping this reason in my head I started this factory. I wanted to build and better things in our environment by these pieces of art which I have worked on", Severus said as his voice carried a passion which was felt by every potion master there. The passion in his voice telling the people around about his interest in the art.

"I created potions, balms and salves which I thought could help in bringing changes. I don't know about you all others, but to me the wizarding world always felt a little stagnant with the same potion recipes and the same potions being taught and lesser discoveries made year by year. I want to create things. Help build things which make the lives of people better, and we have all even taken steps to build this dream of mine into reality", he spoke up with a huge smile on his face as his enthusiasm was showed to all people in the crowd who were witnessing him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to announce that with help of my team. We have developed a potion which once taken lets the vampires survive without blood for a month", he said looking at the crowd and there was a silence in the crowd before applause started heavily amongst the murmurs growing. There had never been a potion like this before afterall.

"With this potion, the vampire covens would be able to move freely, lose the dependency on the blood and will be able to intigrate themselves better. With the efforts of the Minister and the vampire coven of Italy we have reached a new alliance integrating our fellow wizarding members more openly. I invite Mr Antonio and Arron who both have decided to seal this alliance", Severus said as the Minister who was all too happy to get the credit reached the stage to shake hands with Arron the coven leader who was also all too happy with the alliance. The vampires were being pressurised by Dark Lord to join and the Ministry was getting frenzier because of it. His potion was a needed deal by both the sides and gain Severus the allegiance of Vampires, the natural enemies of Werewolves whom the Dark Lord commanded majorly. It was the reason he didn't released Wolfsbane as it will be too direct against the Dark Lord. The vampires were a fair deal as they were hardly going to be recruited and many will have enmity against Werewolves even if they join. The discord between the two creatures fuelling his ambitions only. The Italian Minsitry workers knew the importance of potion very well as it was the deal which sealed the new alliance and treaty.

Lucius had done most of the work in gathering vampire members and convincing them for testing. Dealing with Arron had been hard but worth it as the man didn't wanted to join Dark Lord due to the presence of Werewolves.

He then proceeded to name more potions and items they had produced along with revealing about the Prince bathsoaps and other cosmetic products for the girls, boys and babies which they were going to sell too.

"If the media and newspapers have any questions, they can ask it now as the official ceremony is going to be closed now. I see my staff and guests getting bored and eyeing booze and firewhiskey alike", Severus said with a small smile announcing the time for media questioning. They had promised the newspaper reporters and media workers fifteen minutes of time for asking questions during inviting them.

"Mr Prince, what are your views on the war happening in Magical Britain as now", a man in his thirties asked him.

"You are really a spoilsport you know by asking this question", Severus said with a small smile as he sighed infront of media with a mock hurt voice which earned laughs from the people in the crowd.

"I have only one thing to say. Whoever wins this war will have a toast of congratulations from me", Severus replied with a smile making the reporter smile and the other reporters laugh softly.

"Mr Prince, do you plan to extend the business more and innovate potions further?", a girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail asked him with notebook in her hand.

"I have plans to do both but for that I would require permission and approval of magical government of that area and that's no small thing to ask. For the latter, there's nothing stopping me from innovating and inventing potions and other things", he replied.

The questions continued, some on his love life on which he remained silent. Some on company about which he replied.

It was the last question from the same man that gained his attention.

"What will be your stance for the war in Magical Britain sir?", the man asked as he looked at him.

Severus thought for a second before he opened his mouth to reply, his voice calm and collected going over the entire crowd who were awaiting his answer. Slughorn, Fortescue family and other members of the Magical families and the vampire coven all waiting for the answer. The answer gaining many reactions from people.

"In response to current scenarios outside and with best interests of our house, I have decided that; in the political scene, House Prince will remain neutral"

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We came close to 1750 powerstones this week. I hope that we can break the mark of 1800 powerstones this week.

This is the longest chapter till now wih over 3K words till now.

Here's the next chapter, hope you all like it.