Miss Quinn

40 ~ The Polyjuice Potion

Emma was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She had just been putting the finishing touches on the Polyjuice Potion when Venus came in. The girl looked dreadful, her hair was in disarray and her eyes had purple rings around them.

"Venus, what's with your..." Emma drifted off.

"I didn't sleep last night," Venus sat down on the stone floor next to Emma.

"Nightmares?"

"They're getting worse, I can't even sleep!" Venus bunched up her cloak and laid it under her head as she curled up in a sleeping position.

Emma smiled softly at her friend and put the lid on the cauldron. It was Christmas break already and most of the students had cleared out. Justin Finch-Fletchley had been attacked as well as Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost.

Draco Malfoy and his cronies were staying for the holidays which was a relief. Now the five Gryffindors could use the potion when it was ready instead of saving it.

Christmas night after the feast, Emma found Pansy outside the Great Hall and performed Petrificus Totalus on her. Emma made sure to cover her face with her hood so that Pansy - if she could even see - wouldn't know it was her. Emma dragged Pansy into the closet with Crabbe and Goyle in it. Harry and Ron were pulling out the boys' hair for the potion. Venus dragged Daphne in a moment later. They locked the closet door and hurried to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Hermione ladled out the potion into five glasses. It looked like tar and would probably taste similar.

When they added the hairs of the person they were changing into, each glass's potion changed. Hermione's was a sickly looking yellow, Harry's looked like a giant booger, and Ron's looked like a swamp in a glass. Emma's was a sort of pale pink which was kind of pretty except when it bubbled up it was the color of mud.

Only Venus's looked drinkable. Daphne Greengrass must be pure or something because the potion looked just like milk.

They clinked their glasses together and then drank. Ron was the first to drop his glass and dash into a stall. Hermione went next, then Venus. Emma and Harry stayed where they were at the sinks. Emma already had Pansy's Slytherin uniform on, so when the potion started changing her appearance, she was ready.

Emma's scalp hurt. Her hair was shrinking back into her head and changing color. In a moment, she had Pansy's dark bob of hair that barely reached her shoulders. Then Emma's hands became slightly smaller and she felt herself shrinking an inch or two. Pansy was definitely petite. Emma's ring that she never took off was too big on her finger. She slipped it off and stuffed it in the pocket of her Gryffindor robe on the floor. When the changing stopped, Emma raised her eyes to meet the ones staring back at her in the mirror. Pansy was even uglier up close.

Ron and Venus came out of their stalls staring at their hands. Harry was staring at himself in the mirror only it wasn't Harry, it was Goyle.

Venus stood by Emma at the sinks to fix Daphne's hair. She scowled at Daphne's image and then glanced at Ron and Harry who were staring at each other in amazement.

"Hermione, come on!" Venus said.

"I don't think I'm going, you go without me!" Hermione said.

"Hermione-" Harry was cut off.

"Go! You don't have much time!" Hermione said.

Emma - as Pansy - grabbed Venus/Daphne's wrist and said, "We only have an hour, let's go!" It came out in Pansy's annoying voice and Emma was tempted to stop talking. Harry/Goyle and Ron/Crabbe followed them out of the bathroom, leaving Hermione.