The Chamber of Secrets | Hermione Granger x Male Reader (Book Two)

12. Myrtle's Bathroom

Y/N's POV

Madam Pince, the librarian, was quite suspicious when we arrived with a note with a signature from a Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor to take out a book about Potions.

She held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but the note passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and we left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.

Five minutes later, we were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's out of order bathroom, Hermione had persuaded Ron to come, pointing out that it was the last place anyone in their right minds would go, so we were guaranteed some privacy. Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but we were ignoring her, and she ignored us.

Hermione opened Moste Potente Potions carefully, and the four of us looked at the damp pages. It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the Potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head.

"Ew, I'm going to have nightmares for years." Ron groaned.

"Should I cast an memory loss spell on you." I joked.

"You know obliviate?" Hermione said shocked, looking at me.

I nodded guiltily, I had been putting in extra hours in learning spells and I started borrowing Issac's books.

There was silence for a bit.

"Here it is," said Hermione excitedly as she found the page headed The Polyjuice Potion. It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. I sincerely hoped the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces.

"This is the most complicated Potion I've ever seen," said Hermione as we scanned the recipe, "lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass," she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients, "well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store cupboard, we can help ourselves... Oooh, look, powdered horn of a Bicorn, don't know where we're going to get that, shredded skin of a Boomslang, that'll be tricky, too and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into." 

"Excuse me?"  Ron said sharply. "What d'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking nothing with Crabbe's toenails in it-"

"Hair would work." I told Ron.

Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard him.

"We don't have to worry about that yet, though, because we add those bits last..."

Ron turned, speechless, to Harry, who had another worry.

"D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea..."

Hermione shut the book with a snap.

"Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine," she said, "I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult Potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in-"

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules," said Ron, "alright, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?"

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" Asked Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.

"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty one days...I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients."

"A month?" I exclaimed, "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!" but Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously again, and I added swiftly. "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say."

"Y/N, you're quite good with Potions so you and Hermione can do the brewing. Me and Ron can steal the stuff from Snape's cupboard." Harry told us.

I nodded.

"We're brewing it here, I assume?" I asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Great. This is gonna be one heck of a month."