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At that precise moment, Gemini whipped around and unleashed a violent sneeze at the empty air beside her. Her hand trembled, and the cauldron of potion before her immediately released an acrid, nauseating stench.
"Scourgify!" Gemini's expression darkened thunderously as she banished the ruined brew with sharp wand movements. "Someone's absolutely scheming against me! Witch's intuition never liesâcost me an entire cauldron of premium ingredients. When I discover the culprit, they'll rue the day they crossed me!"
Though the failed potion had vanished, Gemini surveyed her remaining supplies with growing irritation. Her moonstone reserves had dwindled to mere dust, hellebore stocks approached depletion, and she lacked sufficient Jobberknoll feathers for advanced brewing. Her enthusiasm for potion-making evaporated instantly.
She forced herself to maintain composure while organizing her workstation with meticulous precision, then departed the basement laboratory with barely controlled frustration.
Returning to her private chambers, Gemini drew the heavy curtains, plunging the room into comfortable darkness. Wall-mounted lamps responded with gentle illumination as she approached her wardrobe with purposeful strides.
From the deepest recesses of the lowest drawer, she extracted a substantial wooden boxânot particularly tall, but impressively wide and clearly designed for precious contents. The lid opened to reveal a masterfully crafted magical portrait.
"Professor? Professor, are you available?" Gemini called softly to the empty potions laboratory depicted within the frame.
A wizard with distinctively greasy black hair emerged from the portrait's periphery, maintaining his back to Gemini as he strode toward the central cauldron with characteristic intensity. His billowing black robes created the impression of bat wings in perpetual motion.
"Black family spawn, this interruption had better justify itself." The portrait figure completed his inspection of brewing equipment before turning to regard Gemini with familiar disdain.
"Professor Snape, we've established a working relationship, and I did specifically liberate you from Hogwarts' portrait gallery. Perhaps you could demonstrate minimal patience?" Gemini's grin carried unmistakable Black family characteristicsâthe same expression that had tormented Snape during his living years.
Even as a mere portrait, witnessing that infuriating Sirius-like smirk triggered reflexive rage that made him reach instinctively for a wand he no longer possessed.
"State your business immediately!" Snape's scowl deepened with volcanic intensity. He genuinely despised dealing with this Black family anomaly, yet her exceptional potion-making abilities commanded grudging respect. Harry had personally requested his guidance for this Slytherin trapped among Gryffindorsâa favor he'd granted solely due to those familiar green eyes.
"I've successfully conducted human trials of my modified Skele-Gro formula." Gemini retrieved her research journal, providing comprehensive details of Tony's consumption experience, physiological responses, and recovery timeline.
"If your cognitive functions remain operational, you should comprehend that I exist as a portraitâa collection of preserved memories incapable of active potion development." Snape listened with characteristic stoicism before delivering his cold assessment.
"Naturally, Professor. However, I lack alternative discussion partners. Their potion knowledge extends exclusively to textbook recipe replication." Gemini settled cross-legged on the floor, positioning the portrait against her wardrobe while continuing her detailed notations. "I don't require your direct assistanceâmerely someone capable of understanding advanced theoretical concepts."
Snape maintained contemplative silence before summoning a volume from his portrait's extensive library. Opening to a specific passage, he began reading with deliberate precision: "Moonstone powder, when diluted through bubotuber pus extraction..."
Gemini had been absorbed in her calculations when Snape's monotone recitation captured her complete attention. She listened with growing excitement as he completed the theoretical framework, then immediately employed a Summoning Charm to retrieve the Black family's handwritten edition of Potent Potions.
Pages rustled frantically as she located Snape's referenced material, studying each word with scholarly intensity.
Observing her focused research, Snape closed his book with a dismissive snort and withdrew to the portrait's edges, leaving only an empty laboratory filled with books and brewing equipment.
When Gemini finally emerged from her theoretical analysis, the portrait displayed nothing but vacant space. She pursed her lips with mild annoyance, carefully returned the portrait to its protective box, and secured it in the wardrobe's deepest recesses.
Professor Snape's portrait had originated during one of Gemini's more spectacular disciplinary incidents. Summoned to the Headmaster's Office for flagrant rule violations, she'd engaged in a blazing confrontation with her guardian Harry Potterâright before the assembled portraits of every former Hogwarts headmaster.
Her razor-sharp vocabulary and serpentine delivery had drawn every painted eye to the newest addition to their gallery.
Following Gemini's dramatic exit, Harry had approached Snape's portrait with genuine humility, requesting guidance for his ward. Those familiar green eyes had ultimately secured Snape's reluctant agreement.
Subsequently, Snape began manifesting in various portraits throughout the castle, observing Gemini's developing talents with grudging interest. He'd finally provided direct instruction when she attempted advanced potion-making without proper supervision.
As their relationship evolved, Gemini had audaciously mastered magical portraiture techniques and implemented significant improvements. During an entire afternoon infiltration of the Headmaster's Office, she'd created a specialized potions laboratory and library environment exclusively for Snape's use.
His successful transition between frames confirmed the portrait's functionality, and it had resided in Gemini's wardrobe ever since. Fortunately, she understood Snape's temperament sufficiently to avoid unnecessary disturbances.
Satisfied with her storage arrangements, Gemini approached the window and drew back the curtains. Her attention immediately fixed on the ostentatious red convertible parked directly outsideâand its occupant, the sunglasses-wearing playboy Tony Stark.
Tony exited his vehicle with characteristic flair, casually discarding his sunglasses into the passenger seat while adjusting his suit cuffs with practiced precision. He strode toward the shop entrance with confident purpose.
"Coby, please inform your mistress that I've arrived to settle my outstanding debt."
Rather than verbal response, a staircase materialized beside the ground floor cabinet. Tony shrugged at the supernatural convenience and ascended directly to the second-floor parlor, where Gemini awaited him on the sofa.
"How does Mr. Richest Man propose to satisfy his obligations?"
"We haven't seen each other for two daysâshouldn't we exchange pleasantries first?" Tony settled into the opposite chair with casual familiarity.
"Very well. How are you, Mr. Richest Man?" Gemini accommodated his social preferences with amused tolerance.
Tony rolled his eyes theatrically. "Excellent, thank you. Examine this potential payment."
He produced a small jewelry box from his jacket, placing it on the table with deliberate presentation. The opened container revealed its contents with careful positioning.
Gemini's interest sharpened immediately. The item was a silver necklace featuring a dark emerald pendant of exceptional quality. Intricate silver serpents coiled around the stone's perimeter, their eyes set with tiny rubies that caught the light brilliantly. Every scale gleamed with supernatural luminescence, and the entire piece radiated subtle but unmistakable magical energy.
"Where did you acquire this? Please tell me you avoided direct skin contact." Gemini lifted the box for closer examination, her tone carrying sudden urgency.
The artifact's magical signature suggested far more than decorative jewelryâthis was a genuine magical artifact of considerable power and potential danger.
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