Edited as of February 11, 2021
I'm tired lol
~
"I told Justin to hide in the dorms." The smallest Hufflepuff said from the edge of the table. Hannah Abbot patted his back to show her appreciation, "That's good thinking, Tim. It's best that he's safe, especially if the Potter twins got him marked down."
The brown-haired girl who sat beside Tim began to nervously braid the ends of her hair. "I still can't believe they would do something like that, though. I know Emily's gotten a bit of a reputation around here, but she was so nice when I asked for help in Transfiguration. She was so sweet, and she's one of those Junior Prefects! Now that I've thought about it, Harry's not so bad either. Maybe everything isn't what it seems – "
"Emily Potter is a menace, Polly." Tim rudely interrupted. "It's common knowledge, she pulls pranks on everyone, even to her own house."
"So do the Weasley twins, you don't see the entire student body condemning them." Polly snidely remarked, flipping her hair over her shoulder, briefly smacking the boy's face with her thick braid. Tim scoffed and rolled his eyes at her, "Look at the facts: she speaks to snakes, breaks every rule under the sun and manages to not get in trouble all that much – Emily's a Slytherin, she's so much of a Slytherin that the sorting hat just changed it's mind. Not to mention she defeated You-Know-Who, and only dark wizards can banish other dark wizards, mind you."
Hannah was conflicted between her friends, and she was conflicted on her outlook of the Potters. "Harry... He's not bad. Yeah, he and Emily are all too similar, but he's not bad. He has his own list of troubles – remember last year when news spread that he got hold of the Sorcerer's Stone? And that scar on his forehead! Some say it's a mark that dark magic leaves, which brings me to the question, why doesn't Emily have one?"
"She does!" Polly answered, tapping the back of her neck where her shoulder and neck met, "I remember it being around this area. I passed by her when she was heading to the pitch for training, her hair has to be up for the scar to be visible."
A creak from the nearby bookshelf silenced their discussion. "Well, you lot certainly done your research," Emily said with a hint of mocking appraisal, walking out of the shadows with Harry by her side. "Do you want me to take a picture of my scar for your reference? Perhaps commission an oil portrait of it?"
All red in the face, the Hufflepuffs quickly rose from their seats and scurried out of the library. Harry made the mistake of running after them and asking to speak to Justin, from there, he was met with judgmental stares while they ran away even faster. He returned to their table and saw his sister sitting on the desk, "Why do you look like you're having fun, people think we tried to kill Justin!" He hissed, hopping on the desk to sit next to her.
"I'm not going to lie, watching you run after the people who were dead on terrified of you was the most amusing thing that I've seen all week. And yes, I'm sorry that they didn't want to hear you out. I know how much it means for you to explain our end of the story."
Harry's eyes brightened; his mouth parted in anticipation for his thoughts to come spewing out. "We could speak to him ourselves. Maybe you could sneak us into their common room – "
"Fat chance!" Emily laughed, "I only know how to sneak into Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's, and besides, I don't know where Hufflepuff is exactly. And even if we did, they don't use passwords." Harry frowned at the notion of having such a peculiar porthole. "What do they use, then?"
Attempts were made in vain whenever Emily would shadow a group of Hufflepuffs before so that she could figure out what was needed for entrance, but every single time she turned the last corner that the students took, Emily was always too slow to catch up on them. She would hear meek knocks on hard wood, and then poof, they would all disappear before someone could watch them go in their house.
"I honestly don't have the foggiest idea what they do, and it infuriates me to this day." Emily said. Harry laughed a little upon hearing how his sister was stumped by a porthole, he was thoroughly amused to know that Emily didn't always know everything. Harry then motioned to the door, "Want to go visit Hagrid's? It's not all that sunny outside from what I noticed earlier, a bit of an overcast as well – it's basically your ideal afternoon."
Her heart warmed when she realized Harry had remembered such a miniscule detail about her. As exhausted as Emily was with sleepless nights and wildfire rumours, she couldn't muster a heartfelt response other than simply nodding and letting her brother lead the way out of the library and through the castle exit where they trekked the grounds under the soft cotton blue-grey sky.
The fresh air did revitalize her lungs, birthing a few bouts of energy that her body lacked. Emily started her morning with her hair stickily clinging to her face and neck by dried sweat. And for once, she was glad to have woken up before the other girls, not only because her head looked like a mop of moist black thread, but because it was the first nightmare that she vividly remembered.
Visions of the great reptilian beast slithered in and out of her consciousness, never seeming to let her forget just how monstrous it could be. Emily had never seen its entire body, though the tail alone was enough to roll her out of bed screaming.
"What's he doing?" Harry muttered, gaining sight of his friend towering over the chicken coop by his hut. Emily snapped out of her memories and focused on the bloody figures that the half-giant held. Are those – Roosters? The closer the twins got to the coop, the more grotesque the scene had unfolded. From Hagrid's hands dangled several dead roosters that stained his fingers scarlet, his dragon hide vest littered with feathers, feathers that sparked a cursed memory within Emily.
She bit her tongue as she remembered the stray feathers that she and Draco found scattered in their common room, surely this isn't a coincidence?
"What's with the birds?" Harry asked.
"That'll be the seventh group to be slain this month! Culprits are either foxes or a Blood sucking' Bugbear." Hagrid gruffly said, clearly distraught for the birds. The twins stood by him and helped Hagrid in cleaning up the feathers and digging up small graves, and Emily was thankful to have something as digging up shallow graves occupy her mind. Harry immediately noticed the frigid movements from his sister, growing increasingly worried when he watched her stiffly dig out a patch of earth. "Hey, Em. I think it's nearly time for Study Hall, what time is it? He asked in the hopes of bringing Emily back to her comfort zone.
She instantly referred to her watch to tell the time but was then softly interrupted by Hagrid. "You two better get going now, I appreciate all of 'yer help." He said, briefly managing a small smile through his bushy beard.
After thoroughly brushing the dirt off their clothes and washing their hands, the twins bade their friend goodbye and returned speedily to the castle. Emily and Harry neither spoke nor looked at one another throughout their entire lengthy walk, primarily because she avoided any contact and maintained her pace to be always three feet farther from her brother.
When they had reached their classroom, they were greeted with glassy stares that clung to them even as they sank in their seats. The Hufflepuffs notably sat farthest from the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, efficiently making the Ravenclaws their human shield. Emily sat by Ginny and Neville's row while Harry had joined Ron and Hermione.
Annoyed by the heat she felt under the stares, Emily pulled out her textbook from her bag and dropped it on her desk, letting it free fall and slam against the wood, and it was loud enough to make everyone around her jump. She then turned around and smiled in a sickly-sweet manner towards the group that had been watching her every move.
Harry, however, did not do well under the pressure of everyone's whispers. Emily reverted her attention to him and noticed how thick of a scowl had been plastered on his face. Blimey, is that what I look like too when I'm angry? Or in general.
Majority of the students in the room did their best in focusing on their studies and ignoring the rising tension among their houses, unfortunately, Harry eventually felt the back of his head scalding from the eyes that preyed upon him. Annoyed beyond the face of the earth, the Gryffindor gave up on his History of Magic textbook and slammed it shut before stomping out altogether.
"Is he alright?" Neville whispered to her. Emily tiringly shook her head and rubbed the crease that rose from her forehead. "No, not really." She answered back, promptly following her brother into the empty hallway. He was hot on his feet and easily outran his sister as he turned around the corridor.
Emily refused to run any faster, her temper growing on thin ice from the unnecessary interhouse drama. "Harry, really, you're literally going to try and run away from your problems – " She throat grew dry, her voice spreading thin until she could no longer finish her sentence. Emily had finally reached her brother, she cautiously stepped closer, her eyes fixated on the back of his head while she stretched out an arm to hold his shoulder. "Harry – Harry, don't come any closer."
This time, he did not refuse her suggestion. Harry complied to the strong force that pulled him back until he stood close to Emily, both of them now looking down at the petrified figure on the hallway floor. It took courage for him to meet his sister's eyes, and when Harry did, he quickly noticed that Emily was in fact not looking down at Justin's body, but further down the hall.
He followed her gaze and gasped at the sight of a pale, luminescent body dangling from the ceiling. Emily's felt ice grow in her bones just as she had when Nearly Headless Nick floating through her, it was a twisted thing to feel, especially when the kind ghost was now hung before the children with a gaping hole blasting through his stomach.
Suddenly, the awful rubber squelching of boots thundered behind them, stopping to a brief pause before clicking his tongue. "Caught in the act, I'll get you two out of this school. Mark my words, Potters." Filch remarked, turning around to where he came from with great purpose staining his stride. Emily snapped out of her trance and watched while her brother attempted to run towards Filch, and after he was promptly ignored, Harry returned to her side.
"Did you," Emily closed her eyes for a moment, her teeth pressing tightly against each other. "Did you see anything else? Or anyone else?" She saw his chest slowly relax, clearly making it look like Harry had doubts that she wouldn't think him innocent. "No. I just... I found them like this, Em. I didn't even notice Sir Nick until you did – You do believe me, right?"
Her eyes widened out of genuine surprise. "Of course, I do."
Just as Harry felt himself muster a grin from the support of his sister, the clamouring sound of footsteps began to pour out of the study hall from which they had left earlier, the hoard of people filtering in through the corridor only to stop just as they saw the tableau of the Potters awkwardly standing before the petrified bodies of Justin and Sir Nicholas.
Emily's attention froze on her Aunt Minerva whose eyes were locked on the poor Hufflepuff on the floor. "Oh, my..." Professor McGonagall muttered, her hands shaking as she pressed her fingers against her lips. The young Slytherin refused to cry, refused to look weak in front of so many people that watched her and her brother with a hawk-like gaze. Emily took Harry's arm and stepped forward, dragging him to her side. "Professor, we didn't do this – we walked right into the scene just as everyone had right now."
"This is... This is out of my hands, Potters." Minerva finally said before shooing the crowd back into the study hall, leaving the twins in a solitary state in the middle of the hallway before the professor came back for them again to bring them to Dumbledore's office. She was used to walking by her Aunt Minerva's right-hand side, but now that she was walking directly behind her, Emily felt like it was only the beginning of a terrible nightmare.
Although, with her brother by her arm's reach, Emily didn't feel completely alone.
"Lemon Drop!" The professor said to the griffon statue, the password animating the stone creature into revealing a spiral staircase that revolved upward. Minerva McGonagall guided her students inside before she hopped on herself, ushering the Potters into the peculiarly cluttered office of the headmaster.
There were shelves upon shelves of ancient books and mysterious silver instruments, the ceiling deckled with portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses and wedged among the portraits was a glass case where it stored away the Sorting Hat. Once McGonagall had instructed the twins to wait for Dumbledore and left the office, Harry approached the hat while her sister strolled away to the far corner near the desk.
The old, wrinkly black leather began to contort as if it were the face of an elderly man. "Bee in your bonnet, Potter?" The hat asked the closer Harry got to it. He gulped, wondering how exactly Dumbledore was able to repair the hat, but upon further inspection, Harry thought the Sorting Hat to look different if not newer in comparison to the one he had first encountered last year. "I was just wondering if you had placed me in the right house."
The Sorting Hat cowered forward, the pointed tip slouching down as if looking directly at Harry. "You were particularly difficult to place – much like your sister. But I stand by what I had said last year, Potter – you would have done well in Slytherin." His voice ran cold down Harry's spine. He looked over to his sister who was now approaching a feathered creature standing on a golden perch, and when he had looked back at the hat, it appeared to have returned to its quiet state. You're wrong.
With his heart hardened to stone as it took in the words from the sorting hat, Harry assumed his position to his sister's side and admired the grand bird. Emily gave him a peculiar side glance before turning back to praise the bird's fiery gold plumage, "They seem sad." She whispered to Harry, "I think it's sick – "
And within seconds, the bird lifted its head to the skylight, spreading its wings to its completely length before being engulfed by a roaring ball of fire that seemed to ignite from its chest, incinerating the creature into ashes. To make matters worse, Harry and Emily jumped in surprise when the office door creaked open, allowing Dumbledore to finally see them.
"Sir, the bird – we couldn't do anything – " Harry muttered, stepping up in front of Emily, afraid that he might drag her into more trouble.
The headmaster merely nodded and sat into his chair, his soft blue eyes gazing upon the twins. "It was about time, I would say. He was looking dreadful for days, it's an awful shame you two had to see him on a Burning day." He said, fishing a piece of candy from a crystal dish before popping it in his mouth. "Fawkes is a Phoenix. They can carry immensely heavy loads, wonderful red and gold plumage as you have seen – and their tears have wonderful healing powers like no other... Highly loyal pets, too."
Dumbledore looked over the perch longingly, his spectacles drooping low from his nose. "Phoenixes burst into flames when it's their time, and from there, they will be reborn in the ashes." He gestured for the children to look into the remains of Fawkes, peering into the stirring lump that rose up with two beetle black eyes and a shiny beak. Emily and Harry felt happy to see the little bird come to standing on its twiggy legs, they had only known Fawkes in less than five minutes, but nevertheless, they were happy to have him back.
THUD
The twins and Dumbledore turned to the door that swung open so violently that it shook the many portraits that hung on the walls. "Professor!" Hagrid exasperatingly called, his hands holding many limp roosters that swung back and forth like church bells. "It wasn't them! I'll swear it to the Ministry if I 'ave to! Just saw the kids myself a few seconds before they went into the castle, before the body was found – they wouldn't 'ave the time to do it – "
"Hagrid – " The headmaster calmly said.
"They were helpin' me with diggin' – they're good kids, Dumbledore!"
"Hagrid! I do not think Harry and Emily attacked the boy." Dumbledore finally said, rising from his chair, stumping Hagrid from his heartfelt proclamation. The half-giant's arms relaxed until they both fell back to his sides, the dead roosters softly grazing the ground. "Ah – Well, good talk, then – I'll be waiting outside." Hagrid awkwardly showed himself out of the office, leaving a trail of feathers in his wake.
When the door had shut, the twins turned back to their headmaster. "You didn't think it was us Professor?" Harry and Emily asked, hopeful for another person to believe in their truth. Dumbledore smiled gently at them, his palms pressed against the top of his desk as he leaned over it, "No, I do not. However, I would like to ask you both a question." He said, his twinkling blue eyes looming behind his half-moon spectacles. "Is there anything either one of you would like to tell me? Anything at all."
Emily's brain flashed black with terror as the memory of the giant beast haunted her mind. She shook her head and grinned as politely as she could. "There's nothing to tell, professor." Harry nodded along, his throat running dry as he recalled the voices that infiltrated their minds that unfaithful night, "There isn't anything at all."
~
Christmas Eve. Slytherin House.
For two people who were innocent to their bones, the Potters were treated as the most rotten, guiltiest parties to have walked the halls of Hogwarts. Emily regressed into the comforts of her dorm room whenever she wasn't on duty, although she would frequently occupy the hidden window seat in the common room since Slytherin House was emptied out for the holidays, leaving only herself, Draco, and his goons.
Earlier that day, she visited her Aunt Minerva to present her gift of an amateur portrait of a striped cat. The mother and child enjoyed afternoon tea before the deputy headmistress had her own duties to sort. Emily was glad to have the remainder of the night by her lonesome, there was nothing else that seemed more appealing than stewing in her own solitude.
Christmas was only hours away, and she spent it alone.
Her beloved owl, Hayley, slept soundly in her cage, her soft snores being the only thing that made Emily sure she wasn't truly by herself. At least one of us is having a good time, Emily thought. Feeling quite restless and unsatisfied by Hogwarts, A History, she immediately got out of bed with her cloak in tow before walking out of the common room.
It was the quietest and emptiest she had even seen Hogwarts become, and with the holidays and the petrification attacks, Emily thought it was only natural for everyone to want to stay away when possible. Time seemed to skip around in her mind because within moments, her walk from the dungeons to the Astronomy Tower seemed to have been just as long as it took to blink.
She wasn't one to argue with her own mind about it, if anything, she was thankful to have lost time. Her lack of a watch and duties made her even more delusional in terms of how long she had been lying on the floor, her head perfectly tilted to look up at the beautiful darkness of the winter sky that was simply incandescent with the light of stars. She thought that the starry night would soothe her pain, but it seemed to only add onto it since all it did was send her into a flurry of thoughts, making her doubt about her own person, what if I am just as hollow as this sky that I'm looking at? Most people think that stars are twinkling with pulsating life, when in truth, that's just the light of dead stars. There's nothing more to it, is there?
"I thought you'd be here." A gruff voice interrupted, the floorboards creaking as the figure approached Emily. She sat up and caught the sight of Draco's face just in time for a beam of moonlight to seep into the skylight of the tower, enlightening his features to project as almost soft and angelic. Emily pushed her glasses up, confused by his presence, "What are you doing here, Draco?"
He shrugged, looking around the empty space around them. "Patrolling. Prefect duties."
That's a bold-faced lie. "It's Christmas Eve. And even so, we're always stationed at the library. It's the older students that get assigned here."
Draco rolled his eyes at her before sinking down to sit in front of her on the floor, "Fine. Why are you here, then? I've been looking for you everywhere."
She carelessly gestured to the sky while her mouth turned into a measly grin. "I thought it would be nice to clear my head here. Have some peace." He then nodded, his eyes sweeping along the sky all the while he slowly laid himself down to look up at the starry night with her. Emily felt the slight tilt in her mood, and it warmed her heart to have felt it. The two Slytherins laid next to each other in complete silence, their shoulders pressed against one another as if they were packed in like sardines.
"You know... You do know that I don't think you're the Heir of Slytherin, right?" Draco asked, his voice turning soft. "I know you would never be capable of doing anything like that, Em."
"Good." Her voice came out sharper than expected. "You're the only one who doesn't."
Mildly surprised at this, Draco turned to look at her while she stargazed. "How about your friends? That Lovegood girl? Or those Weasleys?" Of all the times when Draco should have been afraid of Emily, this was perhaps one of them. She refrained from looking back at him, but even so, he saw the stoniness in her eyes, the unyielding rigidness in her jaw – Draco knew that she wasn't just holding back her emotions, better yet, Emily didn't seem to feel anything.
"I haven't spoken to them, to be honest with you." She answered, keeping her eyes planted along the inky darkness above them. From the grand distance, the sound of the courtyard bell rang, the stiff breeze carrying its chime to the tower.
"Merry Christmas, Draco."
He carried on looking back at her, terribly fearful as to what she was hiding from him. "Merry Christmas, Em."
~
And just as how she would normally wake up from a dreamless slumber, a thundering headache along with aching neck and shoulder pains greeted her a wonderful Christmas morning. Emily, still semi-conscious, grew aware that she once again fell asleep on the common room sofa, and wasted no time in continuing her sleep in her own bed that was waiting for her.
She begrudgingly walked up to her dorm and flung herself to her bed only to groan in pain when her stomach came in contact to many lumps underneath her. Emily sat up and realized that she had body-slammed a bed full of presents. While her brain was still processing her wake, she sat down by the corner and began opening each and every gift sent to her.
The largest one was perhaps the extravagant box of sweets from no other than Draco Malfoy. A box of pumpkin pasties from Hermione and Ron. A curious crystal necklace from Luna. Another beautifully knitted sweater from Mrs Weasley that had a note attached about the flying car incident. A luxurious green silk scarf from Draco's mother, Narcissa. A Transfiguration for The Young Sorceress book from her Aunt Minerva.
And the last one that she had opened was, in her heart of hearts, the most irreplaceable thing she had ever come to possess: a framed photograph of her parents from her brother.
Feeling quite better today than she was last night, Emily felt far more motivated in starting her day early, so she went ahead to get washed and get dressed for breakfast. It was a rarity for her to escape the common room with the intention of actually meeting people, and once she stepped out of her house and walked towards the Great Hall, the Christmas spirit hovered over her head like mistletoe.
Despite the horrors that had happened lately, the castle presented itself much like a holiday card with rows of Christmas trees, sparkling ornaments that lined the walls, and glittering snow that descended within the premises of the Great Hall.
When she approached the entrance, she came across Neville Longbottom who was just on his way to leave. "Oh, good morning, Em! Happy Christmas!" He cheerily greeted her as soon as they crossed paths. She felt her mouth ease into a smile, "Happy Christmas, Neville – I was just about to get breakfast, do you want to join me?"
Neville seemed to stumble upon his response. "I've actually had breakfast, but Harry and the others just came in – He's been wondering where you've been for a while now, actually. We've all been worried when you stopped visiting our common room. How are you if you don't mind me asking?"
Emily did not know what came over her, she wasn't one to blatantly avoid a genuine question, especially from someone like Neville, but her tongue seemed to take over. "I've been meaning to ask, Neville. Where are you going? I know Madam Sprout recovered a few rare species from the highlands a few days ago, she would have propagated them by this time, don't you think?"
A spark seemed to go off in the Gryffindor's eyes. Neville beamed at her appreciatingly, "I've nearly forgotten about that! Thanks for reminding me, this really is a great Christmas morning – I'll see you later, Em!" And without a hitch, he scurried off to the green houses, leaving his unanswered question to rest.
She went straight ahead to the Gryffindor table and sat next to her brother, eliciting a surprised look from him. "Have I missed anything?" Emily asked, reaching for a slice of apple pie, purposefully ignoring the prying looks.
Ron barely gave notice and carried on finishing his food. "Nothing much, really. No one's been petrified yet." Emily shrugged and eyed Hermione who sat right across from her, "How's the potion? I reckon it's finished brewing by now."
"It is. Just finished brewing it this morning." The girl answered.
The Slytherin scoffed, adding a serving of Christmas pudding to her plate. "So, you really aren't telling me anything? What's the purpose of keeping me in the dark from how plan to transform and not get caught – " Emily stopped mid-sentence, the corner of her mouth quirking up in delight when she saw Hermione's face freeze up. "I know you need my help, Granger. Just say the words and I'll cooperate. Merlin knows I have nothing else going on right now."
If I look into her eyes any deeper, I'd literally see the wheels and axels churning in her brain. To spare Hermione's frustration, Emily went ahead and grabbed a small plate and three cupcakes from the platter in front of them. "Say no more, Granger. Your potion ingredients weren't the only things I swiped from Snape's cupboard." She reached into the inner pocket of her bag and procured a tightly sealed potion flask that contained a lilac-coloured liquid.
Hermione's lips parted in shock upon realizing what type of potion she had in hand, "Oh, now I know you're a nutter."
Emily grinned back at her after pouring a substantial amount of potion over the first cupcake. "Hang out with me more and see how big of a nutter I can be, Granger. Now, I've done more than what you've ever asked me, who are the poor sods you're turning into?"
"You'll see soon enough." The girl answered unyieldingly. Emily had all the reasons to fight back, to heavily insist of not being kept in the dark, but somehow, even in the cheeriest of settings, she had no energy to talk back to what was essentially the human manifestation of a brick wall. After she had fully infused all of the cupcakes with the sleeping draught, Emily pushed the plate towards the trio and took her leave from the table, "See you lot later, then."
Harry called for her to stay back with them, but to no avail. She left for the comforts of the Black Lake. Ron looked back at the empty spot she had left and then averted his eyes to Hermione, "She did help quite a bit, I still think we should have let her on the plan – "
"I've told you time and time again," Hermione groaned, "She would give us away."
"If you say so," Harry said uneasily, feeling unsettled that his sister was spending the holidays alone. He wasn't proud of his track record with Emily during festivities such as Christmas, and this year seemed to only add onto the growing list.
And almost immediately as Emily had left the Great Hall, two of her other housemates followed suit with their arms' full of sweets from the table. Hermione motioned for the boys to haul the cupcakes in preparation of executing their plan. The trio eyed Crabbe and Goyle with every step they took as they exited the hall and entered the corridor towards the dungeons.
Before they could get any closer, they stopped behind the One-Eyed Witch's statue, each student levitating the cakes in the air, tempting the thick skulls of the two goons they targeted. Alarmingly, it did not take long for Crabbe and Goyle to drop everything they had with them to take charge of the delicious opportunity that floated at their noses. With every bite, they enjoyed the scrumptious cake, at least until they fully devoured the confection in three swallows did their eyes roll back into their brains, their heavy bodies slamming onto the floor with a great thud.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed towards them and studied to check if they were completely knocked out. Ron kicked Goyle's shoe, urging an almost hog-like snore. His eyes widened in shock, "Merlin, how thick could you get? Let's get them out of sight before anyone else walks by – Hermione, what's that in your hand?"
Upon opening the broom cupboard door not so far from where the Slytherins collapsed, Harry looked back just in time to witness Hermione vanishing the cupcake that his sister had spiked earlier. She saw his eyes looking at her now empty palm, a slight panic rushing to her neck when she realized she couldn't keep the secret any longer. "Right. We need to go now. We can't afford to waste time."
And after hauling the two students into the cupboard, the trio rushed to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and prepared themselves for what could be the most insane plan they had ever concocted. Harry already felt like he knew what his friend's plan was, and he hated the position he was in, "Hermione, whose hair is that – be honest."
Ron grimaced at the sight of the freshly plucked hairs he got from one of the goons, though as soon as he saw the long black strand of hair that Hermione had pinched between her fingers, he wondered the exact same thing as Harry. "Is that – "
"It's Emily's." She quickly answered, dropping the hair into glass of Polyjuice potion. The once thick, clumpy green, porridge-like liquid morphed quickly into a crystal clear, malachite green liquid, mimicking that of deep-sea water. Hermione looked over to Ron and Harry, raising her brow at them, "Go on! What on earth are you two waiting for?"
Ron and Harry dropped their hairs into their perspective glasses, their potions boiling into varying shades of concrete and what Harry assumed to be toxic waste. The trio Gryffindors cautiously glanced at one another before cheering off to their potions, chugging every last drop until the bottoms of their glasses met the ceiling.
Harry cowered over by the boiling pain in his stomach, his arms burrowing into the bone-dry sink, the top of his head pressed against the mirror. Underneath his feet, he felt the tinkling sensation of his shoes grazing over broken glass, assuming that beyond the pain that overtook him, he must have dropped the cup he had drunk from. Once the discomfort faded into a mild ache, Harry looked into his reflection, his face saturated with sweat.
He had made the mistake of looking too early. His face was not yet finished with plumping up his cheeks and elongating his face, it bubbled and stretched like freshly made caramel. Harry wanted to throw up by the sheer nausea that the transformation brought, but soon, all of the side effects subsided and presented him taller, plumper, and with a bigger forehead.
Harry walked around the array of sinks and found Ron, now a foot shorter with a buzz cut and cherub cheeks. "You alright?"
Ron, visibly horrified by his new face, nodded slowly, his palms pressing against his cheeks. As his eyes panned across the bathroom, he choked on air at the sight of the newly transformed Hermione. She looked up and down at herself, noticing the growth of three inches in height, the substantial loss of volume in her hair, and the paler skin tone. Haughtily, she ran her hands through her hair and complained of the heat, "Merlin's beard – her hair is so... heavy." Hermione whined. Her voice was the only thing that made Harry confirm that it wasn't her real sister since Hermione's was of a higher pitch in comparison.
After a quick change in wardrobe, the filed out of the bathroom and started their search for Slytherin House. They had spent all of two minutes spiralling the halls and corridors of the dungeons before admitting defeat, "It would have been easier if we had Emily tell us where her house was," Harry innocently mentioned, "Just a thought."
Hermione irritably threw him a side glance before perking up at the sight of a student walking by, "Excuse me! Hi, sorry – but where's our common room? We forgot." She said in her best impression of Emily Potter. The girl looked at her, and then at the boys behind her, "I'm in Ravenclaw." She answered blankly, walking even faster to escape the odd situation.
"Why does your Emily sound so polite?" Ron asked, laughing. "She sounds like a girl – "
Confused, she looked at him, "She is a girl, what – What was the statement even supposed to mean, Ronald?"
"I'm just saying that Em's voice is much deeper than that, you could at least try – "
"You three!" Someone called out from the other end of the hall, "What are you doing here?"
The three turned around and paled at the sight of Percy Weasley approaching them. Hermione, stone faced, turned to Harry and Ron, but was quickly snapped out of it once she remembered who she appeared as, "Percy!" She addressed him with a crooked smile, "I just caught these two lurking around here – I was about to, erm – escort them back to our house."
Percy stopped to look at them, his suspicions melting away due to her presence. "Good." He said shortly, still eyeing the visibly guilty boys. "I always thought you'd do well, Emily. Carry on." She let out a brief thanks and then waited for him to leave before feeling a lump grow in her throat, "Blimey, alright – here he comes."
From the other end of the hall where Percy had disappeared into came out Draco Malfoy strutting down, vaguely surprised to see Emily comfortably in Crabbe and Goyle's presence. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to come to her, "Where have you been?" She snidely asked, urging a grin from him.
"Looking for you – I saw Weasley come 'round here, what did he want?" Draco asked, walking past her, his shoulder gently brushing against Hermione's. She blinked fervently, turning around to watch where he was going, "No-Nothing. Told him to keep his nose out of my business, but enough of him, let's go back to our common room."
Draco scoffed, and with great ease, opened a port hole just a few feet away from where the trio stood. Hermione grit her teeth, stewing in fury, we circled this hall over five times – it was right there all along? They followed him into Slytherin house and immediately felt out of their comfort zone upon realizing that their entire common room was submerged under the Black Lake with a gigantic picture window on one wall that showed the mystic green waters below.
"You never really would take the Weasleys as purebloods." Draco casually said, slipping into one of the larger velvet sofas nearest the window to the lake, "They're such an embarrassment, don't you think? Witches and Wizards were considered high ranking back then, but now... Merlin, how the mighty have fallen – what's wrong with your face?"
Then, Hermione and Harry took a look at Ron who was red with obscene hatred. His two friends widened their eyes at him, pleading for him to stay calm, "Nothin' – indigestion." Ron told him.
Draco rolled his eyes at him, his attention slowly falling on Hermione who was uncomfortably leaning by the edge of the writing desk. "Em, mind if we talk for a bit?" He asked, his tone substantially softer with talking to her. She nodded, following him into a corner of the common room, "What's this about – Oh." Hermione clasped her hand over her mouth in shock of how close Draco Malfoy stood next to her. As hard as it was to overcome, she tried her best to not react to his interactions, they're best friends, I have to take that into consideration.
"How are you? You seemed out of it last night, and I went to check up on you this morning, but you had already gone – "
"I'm fine." Hermione quickly answered with a shrug, "Just worried, that's all – "
He moved a step closer now, close enough for Hermione to pick up the soft scent of fabric conditioner, vanilla, and fresh apples. She frowned, wondering to herself where else have I smelled this combination before?
"Is it about... It's about the Chamber of Secrets again, isn't it?" Draco prodded. "I've told you everything you needed to know, Em – "
"But have you told them something you haven't shared with me?" Hermione interjected, pointing at Harry and Ron, both of which were idiotically peering into the black lake as if it were an aquarium. Draco, slightly growing irate, smirked at her. "Look, I've told you everything there is to know about whatever the chamber is – my father said it was last opened fifty years ago, so that was before his time and he obviously doesn't know any more than that other than the fact that a Mudblood died during that time."
Hermione felt like he could trust his words, he wouldn't feed her false information. She'd pry it out of him either way. "Alright, is there anything else you want to share with me?" She said in her best cold Emily voice. Draco blinked a few times, his brows slightly raised in surprise, "I suppose there's one more thing – " Without warning, his hand brushed along the side of her face while he left a brief kiss on her lips.
Hermione stumbled away, her ribs slowly tightening around her like a straitjacket, what the hell kind of relationship do these two have? Sirens began to blare in her head, and they yelled for her to leave Slytherin House. "Sorry – Erm, I have to go and visit Madam Pomfrey – you're right, I don't feel so good. I'll see you later!" Hermione let her legs carry her as fast as they could out of the common room and into the hallway, racing along the corridor towards the bathroom. She hadn't even checked if Harry or Ron were on her tail, the shame alone that rested on her body was enough to make her question life itself.
When the trio entered the bathroom and rested their backs against the cool marble walls. Hermione let her body slide down until she sat there with her knees against her chest, "This was a terrible plan."
Harry and Ron carried on panting like dogs, their hands strained on their knees while they struggled to catch their breath. "What happened with Malfoy? Did he say anything?" Hermione grimaced again and shuddered, "It wasn't what he said, more like what he did – " She retched, wiping the sweat off her neck. "He bloody kissed me! I have to scrub off ten layers of shame and probably have to dip my face in disinfectant – stop laughing!"
Their faces were contorting terribly under heavy laughter and the fading effects of the Polyjuice potion. Ron leaned over the sink, howling in laughter while Harry wiped off tears of mirth, ignoring Hermione's pleas. "You – You snogged Malfoy!" The duo shrieked in a fit of obnoxious laughter. "Malfoy!" Ron howled again, his face turning pink.
"It's not funny!"
Out of the blue, the sudden creak from the bathroom door silenced their noise. Draco Malfoy came inside and closed the door behind him, his eyes glazing over Hermione, who stayed still on her spot by the wall, and Harry and Ron who stood over the sinks. "On the contrary, I thought it was hilarious." He admitted, his voice noticeably different from earlier. "This would have been so much easier if you had just asked me to help, Granger."
Now full of spite, Hermione rose up to her feet and approached the Slytherin, gasping to see that his grey eyes were sparking into an unmistakable shade of emerald. Draco grinned apologetically, although it could also be misconstrued as mockery. "You really butchered your impression of me. Do us all a favour, please do not pursue a career in the dramatic arts, Granger."
Over the course of seconds, everyone began to morph back into their true selves. Draco looked over to the still and silent figures at the back, their jaws slacked and open. "Keep looking like that and you two could easily pass for Crabbe and Goyle." He told him, reaching into his pockets for a pair of glasses. "I'm not going to lie, but it was fun to be someone else – This may be the first and only time for me to experience 20/20 vision."
The seething Hermione felt herself going back to her normal height, the weight of her hair lightening up significant as if poofed up to its trademark bushy brown look. Draco was taken off a few inches, his skin turning into a warmer undertone while his hair grew exceedingly long and dark, and as soon as he had put his glasses on, Emily's face had fully returned. "Surprise!"
Harry, aghast at this turn of events, walked towards the girls with Ron in tow. "How?" He asked, simply bewitched at how Emily had singlehandedly overturned their plans. She shrugged and casually leaned against the wall, "When I left the Great Hall, I told Draco to look around the Astronomy Tower and see if I had left something of mine up there from last night. I also told him that Snape told us to monitor the halls on the fourth floor, and that I'm stationed on the grounds. That ought to eat up his time, no doubt." Emily paused for a moment and mockingly sent a flying kiss to Hermione. "After that, I waited for you three to get out of the bathroom so that I could use the leftover potion in the cauldron for me to change into Draco – and, well, you know the rest, Granger."
Hermione was not amused, she didn't even express awe at how ingenious Emily's plan had turned out. "You ruined everything, the entire point of infiltrating your house was to get information – " She was silenced by the motion of Emily holding up her palm, shutting her up efficiently.
"Did you or did you not receive information about the Chamber of Secrets?"
"I did, but – "
"But nothing, Granger! I've told you all that I know, and everything I said is what Draco has personally told me," Emily revealed hotly. "If you could just trust me, you wouldn't have had to gone through the trouble of brewing that bloody potion."
Hermione studied her face, and even when she took to heart what Emily said about trust, there was something in the back of her mind that stuck out like a sore thumb. She decided it wasn't the right time to talk about it, so she had tucked it away for another day. "Was it really necessary to snog me? That was really uncalled for – do you and Malfoy actually kiss?"
Emily laughed aloud, triggering another round of chuckles from the boys. "Lighten up, Granger. Be thankful it was me, at least! But if you really looked forward to kissing Draco, then I'm sorry I spoiled your devious plan."
She glared at her before turning away, "We will never speak of this again."
In no time, they all cleaned up the evidence of the time they spent in the bathroom. After Hermione had changed back into her Gryffindor robes, Emily took back the Slytherin ones. Hermione looked over Emily's shoulder and noticed Harry and Ron preoccupied with scraping off the dried potion remnants in the cauldron. "Hey, Emily."
"Yeah?"
"If everything you said as Malfoy was actually something he said before, then what happened to you last night?" Hermione asked in a whisper. "You mentioned feeling... sad. Are you alright?" If it were possible, she felt like the words that rolled off her tongue were foreign, she wasn't used to heart-to-heart talks, especially with someone like Emily Potter. She felt like it was something Emily had to get out of her chest, so Hermione went against her better judgement in the hopes of finally getting to know her.
She sighed heavily and shook her head, "To quote you, Granger, let's never speak of it." Emily said dismissively, preparing to take her leave. Hermione stood in front of her, blocking her way, "You keep saying for me to trust you, and I'm trying for Harry's sake – but I can't exactly do that when you can't trust me with the smallest thing."
That's the punchline, it's not the smallest thing. Flashbacks of the great beast she had encountered reign again before her eyes, planting a certain chill that enveloped her spine. This isn't something I can freely chat about, not to Hermione especially. Emily shrugged and stepped aside, heading straight for the door, "Good luck with the rest of your plans. I won't be interfering anymore for your sakes."