Change the Future

HBP 7

"Don't they just" Rory glares at George.

"You ever going to forgive me for that" 

"No" 

"It stopped working the moment you saw Charlie"

"Not the point" Charlie watches them amused along with the others around them.

"Why didn't you confiscate them then?" demanded Harry. 

"They didn't have the potions with them in the bathroom," Hermione said scornfully. "They were just discussing tactics. As I doubt whether even the Half-Blood Prince" she gave the book another nasty look "could dream up an antidote for a dozen different love potions at once, I'd just invite someone to go with you, that'll stop all the others thinking they've still got a chance. It's tomorrow night, they're getting desperate." 

"There isn't anyone I want to invite," mumbled Harry.

"Well, just be careful what you drink, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business," Hermione said grimly. She hitched up the long roll of parchment on which she was writing her Arithmancy essay and continued to scratch away with her quill. Harry watched her with his mind a long way away. 

"Hang on a moment," he said slowly. "I thought Filch had banned anything bought at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"

"And when has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch has banned? I'm certain Rory and the twins made it their mission to have every item he banned" Hermione said, still concentrating on her essay.

"That would of meant reading his list Hermione. Never happened" Rory says as George nods in agreement.

"But I thought all the owls were being searched. So how come these girls are able to bring love potions into school?"

"Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions," Hermione said. "It's part of their Owl Order Service."

"Blame your sister for that one Harry, it was her idea" George says smirking at Rory.

"You know a lot about it." Hermione gave him the kind of nasty look she had just given his
copy of Advanced Potion-Making.

"It was all on the back of the bottles they showed Ginny and me in the summer," she said coldly. "I don't go around putting potions in people's drinks or pretending to, either, which is just as bad" 

"Yeah, well, never mind that," Harry said quickly. "The point is, Filch is being fooled, isn't he? These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else! So why couldn't Malfoy have brought the necklace into the school?"

 "Oh, Harry not that again"

"Come on, why not?" demanded Harry.

"Look," sighed Hermione, "Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don't they? They're used to find Dark Magic and Dark objects. They'd have picked up a powerful curse, like the one on that necklace, within seconds. But something that's just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn't register and anyway, love potions aren't Dark or dangerous"

"Easy for you to say," muttered Harry, thinking of Romilda Vane. 

"so it would be down to Filch to realise it wasn't a cough potion, and he's not a very good wizard, I doubt he can tell one potion from"

Hermione stopped dead; Harry had heard it too. Somebody had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. They waited, and a moment later the vulture like countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, her skin like parchment, and her long hooked nose illuminated unflatteringly by the lamp she was carrying.