Angelinus

Chapter 19

Getting Warmer

The buzz at Logan Laboratories was heavy and harsh, gossip and speculation echoing down the corridors and whispering in corners. If they had a water cooler it would have been the place of secrets and furtive meetings but the coffee machine had to make do. Ever since the take-over a month before, they had been expecting bad things to happen. Today might be the day! The owner of Malfoy Industries - the new parent company - himself was pulling a snap inspection at eleven o'clock exactly, a surprise inspection, even.

The lab was more of a research facility than a commercial chemical producer. Their main claim to fame was the Natural Magic cosmetics and vitamins line, which they had developed to give middle-aged men and women another shot at youth and beauty. It worked to a certain extent, actually rejuvenating tired old skin rather than chemically plumping it up, thanks to the 'secret ingredients' their top research chemists had pioneered. Because it was a research facility, they tended not to go with the established methods but allowed their chemists a fairly free hand to pursue their lines of inquiry. Unfortunately this did not make for neat, well-presented labs or people as genius tended to be eccentric.

Each chemist had his own space, basically a private lab, walled and windowed on three sides, and the fourth left open to the central space that housed the expensive items like a spectrograph and an electron microscope. While everyone agreed to keep the central area pristine, the private spaces tended to reflect the personality of the chemist who inhabited it. One or two were sterile to the point of paranoia but most looked like full room cultures of spores and fungi in progress.

Last time there had been any sort of official tour of the labs, the visiting dignitaries had been subjected to Peter Forsythe running around in his underpants and a pair of hip boots. No one was quite sure what he had concocted but he promised never to do it again once he straightened up. That had been the worst of it, but the others were equally hard to swallow at one sitting. Consuela LeToya thought she was a witch, cauldron and broomstick type, Hannah Thompson thought she was a witch, Wicca type. Clive Marinson was a bipolar, brilliant but totally zoned sometimes. Jayden Tang was obsessive compulsive who's lab technique perfect in every detail but he was an utter pain to work with. Lynda Smith and Julie Daffid were lab partners and life partners, two lesbians who had met in college and gone on from there, brilliant and not obviously crazy but still part of the zoo they called a lab team.

Tricia Hurley raced through the building, clipboard clutched to her chest as she despaired of ever getting the worst of the fruits and nuts corralled in their own labs. Today had to be the day leToya decided to grace them with her presence and the barmy old bat had come in dressed as a witch straight out of Macbeth of course! Dear old Doctor McIntyre had looked a little horrified when Larry Scarsdale the director had told him to be in the main conference room at ten thirty to be briefed on the surprise visit. Ms Hurley was personal assistant to Mr Scarsdale and was responsible for greeting the inspection party and guiding them to the meeting. She was congratulating herself on having ten minutes in hand when her mobile went off and the text said they were here! Bastards! They were early!

Skidding to a stop just before the corner, Tricia tossed her clip board behind a potted palm, gave herself a few seconds to take deep breaths and patted her hair back into place before sailing around the corner with a serene expression and a professional smile. It faltered a little when, instead of discretely expensive suited businessmen, she was faced with two academically robed and slightly sinister figures that watched her approach with all the warmth of a predator tracking its prey.

"Good morning Gentlemen, my name is Tricia Hurley. Welcome to Logan Laboratories." She almost offered her hand but neither man made the gesture; instead, they both inclined their heads. Having dealt with the Japanese before, Tricia gave a bow with the proper level of respect from a junior to a senior. One of the blond's eyebrows rose and the dark guy smirked back muttering something like, 'Manners from a Muggle, what next?' Almost she reacted to this studied rudeness but she managed to hold onto her professionalism in the face of hostility. "Would you care to follow me, please?" She indicated the corridor and led the way, a shiver working down her back. These guys were creeping her out and she didn't like them behind her.

The tap on the door cut Scarsdale off in mid-flow as Tricia announced they were here and held the door open for them. Tricia knew there was no breeze in their perfectly air-conditioned offices but she would have sworn that a wave of cold wind swept through the place as the two men entered. She slipped in after them and soundlessly closed the door.

Larry Scarsdale immediately came forward with his hand outstretched to greet the men, his usually bluff countenance turning pale as the blond man blinked before offering two fingers as if he didn't quite know what was expected of a handshake. The older, taller man seemed to radiate disapproval in waves as he totally ignored the hand, his lips twisted into a sneer.

Oddly enough, Doctor Vincent McIntyre suddenly seemed to relax in his seat, a faint smile curving his usually mildly befuddled expression. When Larry tried to cover up his faux pax the old Chemist rose creakily to his feet and made a very formal bow, which the visitors returned impeccably.

"My Lord Malfoy, my Lord Snape, welcome to our facility," he greeted in low tones, keeping his head bent a little. "I am Vincent McIntyre of the Rochester McIntyres, not the Scottish branch."

The taller man slid his dark glasses off - which was not an improvement - and nodded once. "I believe we met in 1978 at the Wi-orld Conference on Potions? You delivered a paper on bezoars, their uses and the fallacies associated with them."

"I did indeed," the old man smiled delightedly. "It is kind of you to remember that, not a terribly interesting paper for most people."

"On the contrary, I found the information most enlightening and the results of the fallacies both fascinating and very, very useful." There was a lot of fang in the smile Severus bestowed upon the old man who did his best to hide the shudder that raced down his back. "You are employed here? As a Potions Honorarium? How very interesting. This is a Muggle operation, is it not?"

"Er, not entirely milord. I am the research director and as such, I have the discretion to take onboard whoever is deemed to have an idea we care to explore, Muggle or er, Alternates. As I'm sure Lord Malfoy is aware, we pursue a line of research that incorporates elements of both worlds in an effort to find the best solutions to common problems."

"Can the two worlds be combined successfully?" Draco asked in bored tones.

"I believe so milord. I can show you the results of the joint ventures down in our 'dungeon', if Larry does not object to a tour?"

"Larry will not object, or at least, not for long." Draco smiled coldly at the man who had discretely slipped into the background after his error with the handshake, allowing his Research Director to take over as he seemed familiar with these two.

Larry was a good administrator and knew when to back away from a situation and allow others to shine. Obviously the old man knew a lot more about these peculiar people and their ways than he did and if he could get them through this with their jobs in tact then 'go Vincent!' "I wouldn't dream of it!" He smiled, rising quickly and gesturing carefully. "Would you care for coffee before we go or would afterward be better?"

"After," Severus said dismissively.

Draco sat himself down in the chair at the head of the table and arranged his robes comfortably before leaning his crossed hands on the head of his cane and propping his chin up. "If you are off to the dungeons Severus, then I shall stay here and listen to the dull reports these people are going to give me on the various workings of the company, shall I?" The pensive pose was topped by a smile a shark would have been proud of.

Any relief Larry might have felt fled and he cranked his professional smile back into place. "Of course Milord, all our department heads are waiting at your call."

"Perfect and coffee would indeed be acceptable. Just bring the pot," he added as he pulled his gloves off in a businesslike way and settled in for the long haul.

~~<*>~~

'The Dungeon' was like nothing Severus had ever seen before, certainly a misnomer despite what the sign on the door said. Long narrow tubes were fixed to the ceiling, which was decently low, but the light they gave off was incandescent and far too bright. Severus fumbled for his Ray-Bans and quickly slid them up his nose. Glaring around, he took in the lengths of silvery benches set with sinks and the oddly shaped boxes, computer screens and equipment he was totally unfamiliar with.

Vincent McIntyre watched from the corner of his eye as the younger man entered the strange territory like a cat, carefully, warily and on high alert. A long, thin hand reached out to fondle the bench top and he smiled. "Wonderful, isn't it? It is called Stainless Steel, a metal that literally doesn't rust or mark except in the direst of circumstances. It may discolour if over heated but it is guaranteed not to burn."

"Humm, I thought it might be silver for a few moments but it is not. You have convenient sink arrangements too but why the wings on the spigots?"

"Elbow taps. With the high arch, you can fit even a number eight cauldron under them and whack the tap with your elbow to get instant water." The old man demonstrated proudly. "Not that many of us use cauldrons around here, we try to fit in with the Muggles, or at least some of us do. Besides, some of the glassware we have is far superior to metal cauldrons."

"Really? Show me."

The professional discussion of glass versus metal was interesting in itself for Severus but was merely a means to an end. Vincent knew his field and was growing more expansive as he realised his audience was interested and asking some insightful questions. Grinning, he looked up and realised Severus had removed his dark glasses but by then it was too late. As a Legilimens, Severus caught the older man's mind and slid in with absolutely no resistance. It was an orderly mind, as expected, almost guileless in its ways but there was something lurking just at the bottom of the expansive bonhomie, a stray, guilty thought about....

Well, well, well, so jealousy was the curse under which Vincent laboured. He felt somewhat snubbed by the Wizarding world and the College of Potions Makers for not granting him mastery when he applied. He had tried five times to gain his mastery and younger or more talented men had beaten him each time. Basically an honest person, he knew he had not made the standard necessary to be classed as a Master but it still hurt.

Unfortunately, Severus knew all about those little hurts and slights and how they eventually mounted up to one very large step in the wrong direction. He continued the conversation, digging deeper into the man's mind, looking for hints and indications. Finally a flash of fear rewarded him when he mentioned creating a great work. Latching onto the stray thought, he followed it to its source and nearly laughed aloud. Oh yes, Vincent had a great work that occupied a lot of his free time but had absolutely nothing to do with world domination. He was accumulating a glossary that translated all the Muggle chemical names into Potions names and vice versa, a complex undertaking that would be very useful when it was finished. Amused and indirectly impressed, Severus let Vincent's mind go free so gently he had no idea he had been scanned and read.

After a pleasant discussion on the merits of a scanning microscope versus a magnification charm, they retired to Vincent's private laboratory where two comfortable wingback chairs were pulled up near a fireplace. Tea duly made, they each took a seat and sipped quietly for a few moments before the older man put down his cup.

"So, Professor Snape, it has been a delightful visit but I must assume that you did not come here to play tourist through my labs. May I know the real purpose, or is it a secret?"

Snape sipped then flicked an eyebrow in his direction. "No, it's not secret but not entirely social, although quite enlightening. There has been some activity in the Muggle world that affects our world and I need to find out who is involved."

"It's not the old complaint, surely? No more Dark Marks and Evil Overlords taking over the world?" Although it was said tongue in cheek, the residual trace of the Legilimens spell transmitted his sheer terror and horror at the idea to Severus very clearly.

"Indirectly, yes."

"Oh God and you want me to...."

"No." Severus cut off the question before it was asked. "Despite constant and persistent rumours, I gave up Death Eating rather earlier in the game and simply spied on Tom Riddle during his second coming. Do you really think the Ministry would have let me live if this was not so?" He smirked as the answer was written plain on the man's round, open face. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I am not as black as rumour paints me, but if you breathe a hint of that to my students..."

"Oh no, of course not!" Vincent was quick to assure him before he realised the man had been subtly teasing him. "Yes, well, we all have reputations to uphold. So, what do you want from me?"

"I need co-operation. Someone is trying to destroy Muggle born wizards and witches again. This time, however, they are going about it with a subtlety that is somewhat frightening. What do you know about direstium?"

There was a definite spike of horror in the man's mind this time. He knew a lot about direstium and its affects and was appalled. "Merlin Forefend, that filthy stuff is poison to wizards. One taste and it eats its victims from the inside out. What do I know about it? It is a created poison, not a naturally occurring substance. It has a quasi-life that mimics living but is not even as alive as an amoeba. It lives off magic and it breeds in a magical field but it must be contained within a living body, not raw magic. Once you have the poisoning it is a slow and inevitable death. There is no known cure."

"I created one," Severus stated baldly. He almost smirked as the man's mouth dropped open. "Oh, it isn't exactly a secret, we have successfully treated addicts with the prototype version at St Mungo's but it isn't exactly widely known either. Once the cure is perfected, it will be pretty much freely available in our world but in the Muggle world, the damage is already being done."

"You created a cure for direstium poisoning that works? My God, that's brilliant! How did you go about it? Was it based on Ashwinder shell or did you go the gillyfoil route? Did you...."

Severus held up a hand. "Please, not until the patents are cleared, but for your information, neither. It is a mixture of charms, wand work and potions. My dear Vincent, while potions are the most subtle and versatile of the Arts, there is a small place for wand waving, sometimes - rarely, I grant you - but just sometimes," he admitted distastefully.

Vincent burst out laughing. "Yes, sometimes. So, granted the cure works and it is under control in our world, how is it affecting Muggles and Muggle-borns?"

"A potion called Sleep Tight came to my attention when it was administered to my child and it nearly killed her. The potion contained a very unhealthy dose of direstium, hence the necessity of inventing a cure. Upon inquiry, I find this potion is a staple for Muggle mothers with fussy children, readily and cheaply available to all."

"Well, yes, of course. I think my daughter gave it to her children when they were small until I gave her some diluted indolentia maxis potion which didn't upset their stomachs so badly."

"Your daughter is married to a Muggle or a Muggle-born? Yes. How old are the children? How is their magic?"

"The eldest boy is at Hogwarts, you probably know him Julian Campbell in third year Hufflepuff. Yes, nice enough boy but not the brightest of the clan. My grand daughter Fiona will be at Hogwarts next year. Look out for her, she is very bright and I think she will make the family very proud. The others are too young to tell yet but Flora did say Marner had managed to save himself a broken leg when he fell off his BMX last month so he may be coming into his magic."

"Check them when you see them, all the same. Now follow my reasoning. You are a Muggle mother and you have a fussy baby, you give it the potion, and it recovers. It grows up, goes to school, leaves school and takes a job, no problems with its life, all as it should be. Except that the magic in its soul was never manifest because direstium ate it before it could be manifested and there are no long-term detriments because the magic never manifested or took hold. You have a perfectly normal, Muggle."

Vincent whistled softly. "It's foolproof, no more Muggle-borns, fewer half breeds. Eventually, you would have no more Muggle-borns and probably no more half breeds." He shook his head at the vastness of the scheme.

"Humm, not a good prospect for Muggle-borns, but take it to the next logical step. How many purebred families are left after the last madness? How closely related are those families that are left? What do you know about er, 'genetics'? Good. My family has been practicing line breeding for centuries. My mother was my father's second cousin and my Grandfather was my grandmother's first cousin. Our family has been breeding the main line back to the cadet branches for three hundred years to conserve and strengthen certain traits. My own bride was supposed to be a Romanian cousin from my Mother's family to improve the cross. My family was trying to breed a perfect vampire without the infection."

"Can that be done?" Vincent asked curiously, discretely looking for signs and finding quite a number he had missed before.

Severus snorted. "I don't believe so. Oh, you can breed for appearance and physical type but the actual defining factor of a vampire is the need to feed and that is only obtainable by a bite infection. Eccentricities aside, most of the purebloods practice selective breeding, even if it is only to select mates from their own social circle, which is a closed one. Humm, so now we have to think a little deeper into the problem. Is it another scheme to purify the species or is it actually the genocide of a species? Kill off the rest of the purebloods by forced inbreeding?" Severus asked softly, a keen eye on the man across the hearth from him.

The older man turned grey and looked a lot older than his apparent years. "This is worse than You Know Who."

"No, it is just another refrain on the main theme. What we need from you is any information you may have on other potions makers who work for any of these companies. We reason that it must be one of us who are making the brew as it is a wizarding potion and you need magic to make it successfully. We are tracking the wizarding side of the problem but we need assistance on the Muggle side. Draco Malfoy has tried to buy his way in and will continue to hand out the necessary to grease the wheels; we just need to know which wheels to grease for a successful result. Can you assist, are you willing to assist?"

"I can and I am," Vincent said firmly, offering a hand on the bargain, which Severus accepted, both knowing the meaning of a bargain sealed with flesh.

~~<*>~~

Consuela leToya was a hundred and twelve years old and didn't look a day over sixty, her long grey hair plaited and coiled elaborately around her head. After a long life of working for Los Angles de Mercies, the renowned Spanish wizarding hospital, as part of their Potions division, she had retired to England but soon found retirement was very boring. For interest she had applied to the Logan Laboratories and amazingly had been interviewed by none other than Vincent McIntyre whom she knew through the Potion Forums and the Collegiate Association. He had granted her associate status within the company to 'investigate areas of interest'. This meant she could come and go as she pleased, pursue her own interests and generally terrorise the younger people in the labs around her.

Today she had chosen to wear robes to the lab instead of going through the charade of changing into one of her small stock of Muggle outfits. She paused in surprise when she saw Vincent's visitor dressed in very expensive robes from either Malkin's or LeBohanon of France. She also noticed that Vincent did not look well or even comfortable with his visitor who had his back to leToya. Having lived through three rather nasty attempted coups in Wizarding England and two nasty dictatorships in Muggle Europe, she was very wary and attempted to listen in on the conversation. The visitor was obviously more skilled than Vincent for there was a silencing charm on the open side of the room, a very powerful and complicated one. Deciding to play dotty old bat, she pulled out an amiable grin and called "Yoo-hoo Vincent! Are you busy?"

Both men rose and turned as she ambled in on them and she dropped the act as she recognised the visitor. "Well, well, Severus Snape! So you did grow up after all. I really thought that wretched husband and grandmother would have managed to kill you as they did Silvana."

"Great Aunt Consuela," Severus bowed carefully, keeping a watchful eye on his great aunt from his mother's side. He had never been in contact with his mother's relatives, any more than he contacted his father's but he knew most of them by sight, enough to avoid them in ordinary circumstances. "How are you these days? Still working?"

"It keeps me from hexing the neighbours. Still working for that old goat Dumbledore? You should have left there years ago and taken up the deputyship of the Potions College when you were offered it. Can't accuse you of too much ambition, can they?"

"And I see you still have the famous leToya forthrightness," Severus remarked dryly while Vincent blushed at their spatting. They glared at each other for a few long seconds, each trying to penetrate the other's shields without success. "Humm, shall we call a draw and attempt to be civil to each other?"

The old woman pursed her lips then nodded once. "So what brings you out of your Scottish fortress?"

He considered for a moment then told her the whole story as he had told Vincent, waiting for her reaction. It was not exactly what he had expected. "I wondered if anyone would ever make the connection. I think you are looking for a Muggle group, not a Wizarding group. We magicals tend to approach a problem with the attitude that nothing is unchangeable if you hit it with enough spells. Muggles approach a problem with the attitude that it is solvable if you can find the key. The approach this group takes is of logical solving not magical changing."

"Yes, that was one of the avenues we considered too. Muggles tend to deal in genetics and genocide more easily than magicals. Any ideas on which group of Muggles might be at the root of it?"

"Well, there you have me, could be any one of the nutters groups or the religious denouncers groups or the 'one group of humanity' firsters. They are all out there. Did you try and find a signature on the potion?"

"Naturally," Severus bridled in offence. "There was no signature that I could detect."

"Unnatural. Everyone leaves a signature unless they are very careful. Vincent? Didn't Gilbert Nelson take a job at Brimmers? Maybe he has heard something around the lines. Let me give him a call and see what I can find out. Have you got a number or shall I floo you?"

"Floo Malfoy Manor and leave a message or talk to Hermione or Draco. However, be careful who you speak to of this, we would rather catch them than alert them in time for them to hide their activities."

"Do I look like a fool?" the old lady snapped huffily.

"Well you don't look like an experienced spy," Severus snapped back.

For a second Consuela considered slapping her nephew and then she smiled a sweet little old lady smile that made Vincent's hair curl and Snape's eyebrow to rise in query. "Of course I'm not a spy, how could you ever think anything so underhanded of me? Especially when you do not know me from Adam!" she added in hardier tones, her smile becoming malevolent. "You just leave it to me Sonny Jim, and we'll see what we can see."