𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 | 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿

Stray Hairs & Blank Stares

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The three Gryffindor boys lurked in the deserted entrance hall after Christmas dinner. They were waiting for Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini to stop shovelling down fourth helpings of trifle at the Slytherin table.

Harry had perched the chocolate cakes on the end of the banisters. When the three Slytherins came running out of the Great Hall, Harry, Charlie, and Ron hid quickly behind a suit of armor next to the front door.

"How thick can you get?" The brown eyed boy whispered ecstatically as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and Zabini and then, grabbed them eagerly.

Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a moment, all three of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, the three of them keeled over backward onto the floor.

By far the hardest part was hiding them in the closet across the hall. Once they were safely stowed among the buckets and mops, Harry yanked out a couple of the bristles that covered Goyle's forehead, Charlie took a few hairs from the back of Zabini's head, while Ron pulled out several of Crabbe's hairs. They stole their robes and ties, and then left the three Slytherins in the broom cupboard, unharmed, in their dress shirts and dress pants. Then, still stunned at what they had just done, sprinted up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

As they entered, Hermione was sat in her normal corner of the room, stirring the cauldron carefully. The three boys stared into the cauldron. From close up, the potion looked like thick, dark mud. It was absolutely disgusting.

"I'm sure I've done everything right," said Hermione, nervously rereading the potion's instructions. "It looks like the book says it should... once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves."

"Now what?" Ron whispered.

"We separate it into four glasses and add the hairs." Hermione explained.

She scooped out four glasses filled of the muddy-like potion. Each one of them took one and reluctantly looked at one another before each adding the hairs of the person they were transforming into.

"Cheers," Charlie said, holding his glass in the air, as a way of lightening the mood.

His three friends smiled slightly before raising their glasses as well. As their glasses clinked, they brought them to their lips and each took a swig.

Immediately, Charlie's insides began to writhe, as though he had just swallowed a dozen live snakes. Then, there was a burning sensation that stemmed from the pit of his stomach and reached all the way to his fingertips and toes. The young boy felt sick, and apparently he wasn't the only one. All three of his friends seemed to feel that same as they all groaned in disgust.

"God, I'm gonna be sick," Ron said, clutching his stomach, before he ran towards a bathroom stall.

"I'm with you, mate. Ugh." Charlie said as he swore he could feel his insides attacking him. He too, ran to a stall.

Hermione nodded before running into a stall of her own, "Me too!"

Harry remained in the main area as he watched his face start to bubble and change into that of Goyle. After a minute of so, both, Charlie and Ron emerged in Slytherin robes as Zabini and Crabbe.

Each of the boys looked at one another in amazement. The potion actually worked. They were undoubtedly transformed into the three Slytherins which they despised.