CHAPTER 44
POLYJUICE POTION
The scene faded into a blur and when it came back into focus the setting was no longer on a rainy roof but in the school corridor. The sight of Mattheo Riddle and Miles Rosier came into view. The two boys were seen carrying their luggage with them.
"Hello there!" Ryan appeared behind them with a cheerful smile on his face and placed his arms around both of their shoulders. "And how are we this fine afternoon?"
"He's plotting something." Sirius declared.
"Yeah." James nodded. "He's got that look in his eyes."
"What are you doing Ryan?" Miles questioned.
"Nothing. I just wanted to say hello to my fellow lower classmen." Ryan said.
"Hey, you're Cassie's brother, right?" Mattheo said.
"That's right." Ryan nodded. "And you, Mattheo, how are you finding it?"
"I'm managing." Mattheo shrugged.
"Why are you here?" Miles enquired. "Cassie is already on the train and we have to get a move on so—"
"I just wanted to tell you that you lads had something on your heads." Ryan said talking his arms off their shoulders and quickly plucking small bits of their hair.
"Ow!" Miles hissed.
"Oh, never mind." Ryan said. "It was just your hair, my mistake. Well...bye."
"Why would he do that?" Frank questioned.
And with that Ryan turned around and walked at a very quick pace away from the two Slytherins. Both Mattheo and Miles looked at Ryan strangely as he disappeared from their line of sight.
"Bloody weirdo." Miles said.
"Cassie must have it rough if that's what her brother's like." Mattheo said as he rubbed his head.
"They actually get on quite well." Miles told him. "Come on, we'll miss the train if we don't get a move on."
The camera moved over to Ryan's surrounding where he entered a corridor where Neville was waiting next to a statue of a knight.
"Did you get it?" Neville asked.
"Success!" Ryan beamed as he held up the hairs he had collected.
"I told you." Sirius smirked.
Neville took one of the hairs and placed it into an empty vial and then did the same with the other hair. The pair walked through the corridor and got to the Great Hall. The hall was decorated with Christmas decorations as it usually was during the holiday.
Ryan and Neville got to Gryffindor table where Ron and Harry were sitting enjoying their afternoon tea. Hermione and arrived at the same time that Neville and Ryan did.
"Everything's set." Ryan told them as he and sat on the table and picked some biscuits from Ron's plate. "I've added the last batch of lacewings and after that we just need a bit of who you're changing into."
"Crabbe and Goyle." Harry said sounding less than enthusiastic.
"We also need to make sure that the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating Malfoy." Hermione added.
"How?" Ron enquired. He smacked Ryan's hand away to protect his biscuits when he tried to take more.
"I've got that part worked out." Hermione assured them as she took out two cupcakes from her pockets. "I filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. Simple, but powerful. Now, once they're asleep hide them in the broomstick cupboard and pull out a few of their hairs, and put on their uniforms."
"Whose hair are you ripping out then?" Ron questioned.
"I've already got mine. Millicent Bulstrode - Slytherin." Hermione said confidently as she showed them her vial. "I got this off her robes."
Ron looked at Ryan and Neville and both boys showed off their vials as well.
"Mattheo Riddle." Ryan told him.
"Miles Rosier." Neville said.
"I'm going to go check on the Polyjuice Potion." Hermione said. "Make sure that Crabbe and Goyle find these."
The scene shifted to the entrance hall in Hogwarts and the lit torches indicated that the sun had set and that the sky had darkened with the night.
Ron and Harry were hiding behind a statue near the entrance of the Great Hall. Ron placed the cupcakes on the pedestal of the statue and took out his wand.
Ron cleared his throat but before he could cast a spell, Harry stopped him.
"Ron, maybe I should do it?" Harry suggested as he pointed out the poor state of his wand.
"Good idea." Remus said eyeing Ron's wand pitifully.
"Yeah. Right." Ron said sounding dismayed.
"Wingardium leviosa." Harry chanted. He swished and flicked his wand and the cupcakes floated up in the air. "Here they come."
The two Slytherin boys came into the hall holding food in their arms when they spotted the floating cupcakes. Harry shook his head as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them. Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths.
"You know, I never really took a good look at these two before this." Evan murmured.
"You have got to be kidding me." Regulus said in disbelief as he watched the two Slytherins.
For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backward onto the floor.
"How thick could you get?" Ron whispered.
"Come on. Let's get 'em." Harry told him.
The scene changed to the Moaning Myrtle's bathroom where the five Gryffindors were surrounding Ryan as he poured the potion into several large glasses. The potion was a blackish green color with a thick chunky texture.
"We'll have exactly one hour before we change back into ourselves..." Ryan said. "Add the hairs."
All of them did as they were instructed.
Several people in the audience made sounds of disgust.
Ron looked disgustingly at his glass. "Ugh...essence of Crabbe."
"Do we have to drink all of it?" Neville asked worryingly.
"About a mouthful should be enough." Ryan assured him. Everyone looked visibly relieved.
"Thank god." Evan said.
"Cheers!" Hermione said as they all clinked their glasses.
The five of them each placed their lips on the glasses and tipped their heads back. The moment the potion entered their mouths each of them had their eyes widened in shock and horror. Immediately after swallowing a mouthful, they stopped and stood there looking horrified.
"That doesn't look like it tastes pleasant." Peter said.
"I can't imagine that it is." Remus agreed.
Ron was the first one to speak. "I think I'm gonna be sick!" he said before dropping his glass and rushing to one of the stalls.
"Oh we've got a puker." Sirius announced.
"Me too." Hermione cried as she followed suit into another stall.
"Me three!" Neville said running for another stall.
Ryan placed a hand over his mouth and tried to keep the potion down as he fell backward and pressed his back against the wall.
"Atta boy." Fleamont nodded at his grandsons.
"Ugh!" Harry groaned as he stumbled his way for the sink. He got to the sink and looked down at his hand that was pressed against the sink when he saw that his skin started to wiggle and grow thick.
Harry looked up and saw that his reflection had began to change. His skin stretched and widened and his face began to reshape itself until it looked just like Goyle's.
"Ew!"
It's like the worlds worst Before and After pictures." Mary commented.
"That book didn't saw anything about how much that would hurt." Harry turned around and instead of Ryan he instead found himself facing Mattheo Riddle.
The stall doors with Ron and Neville both opened and out came Neville who looked like Miles Rosier and Ron who had taken Crabbe's form.
"Uh... Harry?" Ron said carefully.
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed.
"Bloody hell!"
"We still sound like ourselves." Harry told Ryan.
"Damn it. Probably didn't add enough leaches." Ryan said. "Still, pretty good for my first try."
"I'd give him full marks though. Not a lot of people manage to get the transformation perfect on their first attempt." Professor Slughorn said.
"You need to sound more like Crabbe." Neville told Ron.
"Uh... Bloody hell." He grunted.
"Excellent." Harry smiled in Crabbe's body.
"That is so creepy." Lily said.
"But where's Hermione?" Ryan questioned.
They all looked to the stall that Hermione had run into and found that it was still shut.
A high-pitched voice answered him. "I — I don't think I'm going to come after all. You go on without me."
Harry walked over to the stall and knocked on the door gently. "Hermione, are you okay?"
"Just go. You're wasting time!" Hermione told them.
"What's up with her?" Marlene questioned.
The boys all gave each other confused looks that were mixed with concern. Harry decided that they should heed Hermione's words before they waste too much of the potion's time and lose their disguise.
"Come on." He told the other boys.
The four young wizards departed from the bathroom leaving Hermione behind. As they walked around the school toward the dungeons. When they got closer, they all stopped and Ron turned to Ryan.
"Where do we go from here?" he asked.
"What makes you think I know where the Slytherin common room is?" Ryan enquired.
"Isn't your sister a Slytherin?"
"So?"
"Are you telling me that none of us know where the Slytherin common room is?" Neville looked incredulously at them.
"Oh Jesus." Cathy shook her head in disbelief.
"I spent the last month making the Polyjuice potion, what were you doing all that time?' Ryan shot at them.
"I think the Slytherin common room's this way." Harry said pointing to the corridor to their left.
"Okay." Ron nodded.
"Excuse me." A voice from behind them called out. The boys all jumped and turned around to see Percy Weasley walking toward them with a stern look on his face.
"What are you doing d—" Harry bumped Ron on the arm and the ginger quickly changed the sound of his voice. "Uh, I mean... What are you doing down here?"
Percy stopped in front of them and looked affronted. "I happen to be a school prefect. You, on the other hand, have no business wandering the corridors at this time of night. What are your names again?"
Harry tried to answer the question. "I'm—"
A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was strolling toward them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him.
"There you are," he drawled, looking at them. Where have you two been? Pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? Why are you wearing glasses?" he said looking at Goyle curiously.
Harry quickly took off his glasses. "Ah- um... Reading."
"Reading?" Draco said looking surprised.
"Uh-huh." Harry nodded.
"I didn't know you could read." Draco murmured.
"Then how did he make it to second year if he couldn’t even read?" Remus wondered.
"Probably favoritism." James said glancing at Severus.
Draco looked up at the prefect and sneered at him. "And what are you doing down here, Weasley?"
Draco seemed to completely ignore Neville and Ryan in their Polyjuice forms.
Percy looked outraged.
"You want to show a bit more respect to a school prefect!" he said. "I don't like your attitude!"
Malfoy sneered and motioned for Harry and Ron to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught himself just in time. Neville and Ryan quietly followed behind Harry and Ron.
They hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage, "That Peter Weasley —"
"Percy," Ron corrected him automatically.
"Whatever," said Malfoy. "I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed."
He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged excited looks.
"Bill, Charlie, Percy, the twins and Ron." Fabian was counting on his fingers. "Hmm...who am I missing?"
"Ginny." Gideon said.
"Right." Fabian nodded. "She totally slipped my mind."
Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.
"What's the new password again?" he said to Harry.
"Er —" said Harry.
"Oh, yeah — pure-blood!" said Malfoy, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Malfoy marched through it, and Harry and Ron followed him.
Ryan, who was in Mattheo's form, rolled his eyes at the password.
"A little on the nose." Cathy commented.
The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.
"Wait here," said Malfoy to Harry and Ron, motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. "I'll go and get it, my father has just sent it to me —"
Wondering what Malfoy was going to show them, Harry and Ron sat down, doing their best to look at home.
"Well then," Ryan looked at Ron and Harry, "I guess we'll just be on our way."
Harry nodded to his cousin as he and Neville disappeared into one of the passageways.
Malfoy came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper clipping. He thrust it under Ron's nose.
"That'll give you a laugh," he said.
Harry saw Ron's eyes widen in shock. He read the clipping quickly, gave a very forced laugh, and handed it to Harry.
It had been clipped out of the Daily Prophet, and it said:
INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car.
Mr. Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called today for Mr. Weasley's resignation. "Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute," Mr. Malfoy told our reporter. "He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately."
Mr. Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she'd set the family ghoul on them.
Arthur Weasley looked pink and sank into his seat.
"Well?" said Malfoy impatiently as Harry handed the clipping back to him. "Don't you think it's funny?"
"Ha, ha," said Harry bleakly.
"Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them," said Malfoy scornfully. "You'd never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave."
Ron's — or rather, Crabbe's — face was contorted with fury. He clenched his teeth and his fist angrily.
Arthur had his shame turn quickly into anger.
"What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy.
"Stomachache," Ron grunted.
"Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me," said Malfoy, snickering. "You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," he went on thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey in."
Malfoy started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin: "'Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?"'
He dropped his hands and looked at Harry and Ron.
"What's the matter with you two?"
Far too late, Harry and Ron forced themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seemed satisfied; perhaps Crabbe and Goyle were always slow on the uptake.
The camera on the screen moved away from the common room and flew into the dormitories where Neville and Ryan went. When the camera entered the second-year dorm for the boys, it showed that Ryan was on his knees looking under a bed and Neville was riffling through one of the many drawers.
"Find anything?" Ryan asked.
"Nope, you?" Neville closed the drawer that he was looking through and started on another.
"Nothing."
"Maybe I can help." Ryan and Neville froze.
The two of them looked at the doorway into the dorm and saw that Cassie was standing their looking at the two of them with a smirk.
"Busted." Evan said.
"What are you doing?" she asked nicely.
"Um..." Neville looked frightened that he was caught red-handed going through the second-years things.
"We were just looking for a...quill." Ryan came up with.
Cathy smacked her hand against her forehead at the obvious lie.
"A quill." Cassie repeated.
"Yep." Ryan nodded as he stood up from the ground. "A quill...to write with."
"So, you and Miles, came back to the dorm, hours later after boarding the train to go home I might add, to look for a quill, in the second-year boys' dormitories?"
Ryan blinked twice before answering. "Yes."
"You do know that I lived with you for eleven years Ryan, I know what you sound like even if you're trying to disguise your voice." Cassie told her brother. She turned to Miles and waved. "Hi Neville."
"Hey." Neville waved back at her in a defeated manner.
"You're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?" Ryan asked.
"Only if you tell me what you're looking for." Cassie offered.
Ryan and Neville looked at each other. Ryan nodded and Neville sighed in relief.
"We're looking for evidence that would point us to the direction of the Heir of Slytherin." Ryan told her.
"I guessed that might have been it. Polyjuice potion?" Cassie gestured to their appearance.
"How'd she figure that out in a single glance?" Regulus wondered.
"We're a potioneering family. It'd be strange if she didn't." Cathy told him.
"Yeah." Neville nodded.
"Nice." Cassie said sitting down at one of the beds. "So just to be clear you decided to search through everyone's stuff for proof of them being the Heir of Slytherin during the Christmas break?"
"That's right." Ryan nodded. He picked up a book that was hidden between the mattress of one of the beds.
"The one time where most of the students go home?"
"Yep." Neville answered.
"And if they had anything incriminating with them, they probably would have taken it with them?" Cassie pointed out.
Neville and Ryan froze and processed the words that Cassie had spoken.
"Oh my god." Walburga rubbed her eyes with her fingers at the obvious logic.
"We did not think this through." Neville said.
"Did you guys know that Salazar Slytherin is pretty much related to almost every pureblood in the school? Not just the ones in Slytherin." Cassie informed them.
"How do you know that?" Ryan asked as he moved over to the bed that Cassie was sitting on.
Cassie laid her stomach on the mattress and placed her head on her hand.
"I spend the last week digging up everything I could about him." Cassie said.
"Any chance you found out who his descendants are?" Neville enquired hopefully.
"As if it'd be that easy." Cassie shook her head. "His last direct descendants were the Gaunt family and they died out decades before any of us were born."
"So dead end then." Ryan said as he moved to another bed.
"There was one thing that I found kind of weird." Cassie said. "I found out a little about each of the four founders backgrounds except for Salazar Slytherin."
"And that's weird? He lived a thousand years ago I doubt they made autobiographies back then." Neville pointed out.
"Maybe but at least Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had some information about where they came from. Salazar Slytherins story starts around right before he built Hogwarts. Everything before that is just a blank page. You don't find that a little strange?"
"Yes." Bellatrix nodded.
"Maybe." Ryan said opening the book that he found. "Check this out."
"What is it?" Neville asked as he and Cassie both moved over to him and examine the book that he found.
"It's Crabbe's." Ryan said.
"Why's his writing all wiggly?" Neville asked.
"And why are there so many spelling mistakes?" Cassie wondered.
Ryan flipped the pages back to the first page and found the words: qrofessor botters extra class.
"I think that should say Professor Potter's extra class." Neville said.
Ryan started to flip through and read the pages. "Spelling tests, rhymes, I think that this is the extra class that mum teaches on the weekends."
"What, she teaches them how to read?" Sirius questioned.
Ryan looked up and a realizing look came to his face. "Oh no."
"I don't that's it." Remus said.
The scene quickly moved back to Harry and Ron. The two of them were sitting on the sofa still talking to Malfoy.
"What?" Draco said in a challenging tone. "You think there's someone here who's worse than Dumbledore? Well? Do you?"
"Harry Potter?" Harry gulped.
Draco smiled and let out a small laugh. "Good one, Goyle. You're absolutely right. Saint Potter. And people actually think that he's the Heir of Slytherin!"
"But then you must have some idea who's behind it all." Harry said.
"You know I don't Goyle. I told you yesterday. How many times do I have to tell you? Is this yours? But my father did say this: It's been fifty years since the Chamber was opened. He wouldn't tell me who opened it-- only that they were expelled. The last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So, it's only a matter of time before one of them is killed this time. As for me, I hope it's Granger."
"Seriously what is wrong with this lad?" Mary questioned.
This time Ron stood up getting ready to tackle Malfoy. Harry quickly got to his feet and grabbed Ron's arm to stop him.
"What's the matter with you two?" Draco questioned. "You're acting very...odd."
"It's his... stomachache." Harry lied. He turned to Ron and whispered harshly. "Calm down."
"Well then," the three boys turn to see Miles and Mattheo (Neville and Ryan), coming out of the dormitories. "That was a complete waste of time."
"Yes." Neville said. "We couldn't find anything resembling...anything useful."
Cassie, who was walking behind them, rolled her eyes at their words.
"Obvious much." Doracs said.
Harry heard Ron let out a small gasp. "S- scar." He stuttered as he pointed to Goyle's forehead.
"Uh-oh." James gulped.
Sure enough, Harry's lightning scar began to appear on his forehead.
"Hair!" Harry whispered as Crabbe's hair started to turn red.
"Hey!" Draco shouted as the two of them ran out of the Slytherin common room holding their hair and forehead. "Where are you going?"
Once the four boys were out of the Slytherin common room, they all let out a sigh of relief. Their bodies had now fully reverted back to their original forms.
"So did you get anything out of Malfoy?" Neville asked.
"We got something." Ron said. "You two?"
"We also got something but not relevant to the chamber of secrets." Ryan told them.
"What is it?" Harry enquired curiously.
"Do you remember when Ron made himself spit out slugs?"
"Vividly." Ron shivered at the memory.
"Of course." Sirius chuckled.
"And we had to take him to my mum and she was teaching a class? Well now I know what class she was teaching." Ryan declared.
"What was it?" Ron asked as they wall walked out of the corridors leading to the dungeons.
"She was teaching them to read." Neville said.
"What?" Ron and Harry said in unison.
"That's not it!" Ryan said immediately. "It's not wrong but not right either."
"Then what was it?"
"I think that it's a class to help those kids with learning disabilities."
"Learning disabilities?" Ron repeated.
"Yeah." Ryan nodded. "Like if they have problems with reading and writing cause their brains screw up the things they see on a page."
"Like who?" Harry enquired.
"Like Crabbe and Goyle." Ryan said. "Like last month when they blew up their swelling solution because they waved their wands over the cauldron after three seconds instead of thirty seconds. They confused the numbers."
"So this whole time that we thought they were stupid when really they had learning disabilities?" Ron asked.
"Yeah." Ryan nodded.
"Man." Harry shook his head. "Now I feel bad about laughing at all those jokes about them being dumb."
"How do you think I feel? I made up most of those jokes." Ryan said.
"There are that many kids who have learning disabilities in the future?" Remus questioned. "Enough to fill a entire classroom?"
"Actually," Professor McGonagall spoke up, "even today there are quite a large enough number of students who probably have learning disabilities."
"Why isn't there a class for them right now?" James asked.
"Probably because most people wouldn't like to admit that there's something wrong with them." Cathy said.
"How come?"
"School's tough and kids are mean." Cathy answered.