Prank Potion with Consequences - Or Maybe Not Just a Prank?
by Healer Pomfrey

All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.

All of a sudden, Sybill began to speak up in a strange, raspy voice, "Befowe de holidays awe ovew, one of our midst will be gone fowevew." She then looked around in confusion, before she quietly began to whimper.

Harry stepped to the toddler's bed side. "What's wrong, Sybill?" he asked in a soft voice.

However, the child merely stared back at him, her eyes feverishly glazed over. Harry tentatively felt her forehead, but it didn't feel overly hot to the touch. 'Oh well I should call Misty to check on Minerva, Rolanda and Severus anyway,' he thought and called the Healer elf.

Misty checked on the sick children, making them better with their healing magic, before she explained to Harry, "Like Severus, Sybill depleted her magic and has a fever. They will probably both be fine by the morning. Minerva and Rolanda will also be recovered by tomorrow or the day after. I just hope that no one else catches the stomach flu from them." Before she popped away, she gave Harry a stern look. "Master Harry, go to bed and sleep, while the children are asleep," she instructed him. "You don't look well either."

Feeling too bad to not obey, Harry lay down in his most comfortable bed and was just about to drift off to sleep, when an owl knocked against the window. 'Hedwig,' he realised in surprise. 'How strange. Hermione took her with her, but she only returned home today.'

However, the owl handed him a letter from his best friend.

'Harry,
Please be extremely careful. On the train, I thought about what happened to the teachers, and I'm afraid that Voldemort ordered one of the Slytherins - perhaps Malfoy - to spell the de-aging potion into the professor's meal or such, so that he'll be able to easily attack Hogwarts with no adult there except for you, and even you're only fifteen. I'll try to return to Hogwarts tomorrow, but I'm not sure if my parents will let me go. Anyway, please be careful. I'm very worried.
Hermione'

HP

After a disturbed night, during which he had to comfort Minerva and Rolanda, change Pomona's, Dolores' and Albus' nappies as well as wake up and comfort Severus after a nightmare, Harry felt exhausted. He dragged himself out of bed and one after another changed the children's nappies again and dressed them. 'Thank Merlin that the elves provided us with so many jumpsuits,' he thought, after Rolanda got sick over herself, when he had just finished dressing her.

'And now I need a nap,' he thought, when all nine children were finally dressed and everyone but Minerva and Rolanda were sitting at the table waiting for breakfast. He called Dobby and ordered breakfast, feeling very much relieved when the food for the children arrived on seven plates, each of them holding a mixture of small pieces of toast and fruits, so that Harry did not have any extra work with the preparation. 'Dobby's the best,' he thought, as he munched a small bowl full of fruits.

HP

After breakfast, Misty arrived to check on the children and allowed Harry to give everyone except for Rolanda the aging potion. 'Now except for Minerva, Rolanda and Severus they're all three years old, that helps,' Harry thought, as he ushered the group into the playpen turned dormitory. Like during the previous afternoon, he sat on a bench and observed the children play, glad that they all had their adults' minds and were able to somehow get along - except for Dolores, who continuously began to fight with the other children.

Suddenly, Harry had the impression as if the castle's grounds were shaking. 'What happened?' he thought, horrified, unobtrusively looking at the children to confirm that they had felt it as well.

"It's Dolowes," Minerva suddenly shouted. "She has a wand."

"Dolores, return my wand immediately," Harry instructed the three-year-old, now completely annoyed by the girl's behaviour.

"I want to wetuwn to my own place and look at my cats' plates. I miss dem so much," the girl informed him without regret.

"I understand that, but you can't just take someone's wand and cast a spell," Harry replied in a stern voice, firmly pocketing his wand.

'What's happening to the castle?' Severus suddenly thought to him, causing Harry to glance through the window.

'Oh no, Hogwarts has taken into the air and is hovering above the ground. I think the entrance hall must be at the height of the Quidditch goals,' Harry realised in shock.

Before he could even think of what to do now, an elf, whom Harry could not remember to have seen before, popped up right in front of him, bowing deeply.

"I is Tipsy Master Harry. Mr. Filch wants to speaks with you and asks that you come to the entrance hall," the elf informed him.

'This might be a trap,' Harry's mind screamed, recalling the letter, which he had received from Hermione the previous evening. However, the elf was wearing the usual Hogwarts elves' attire, which reassured him a little.

"Very well," he replied in determination. "I'll be in the entrance hall in ten minutes."

"Thank you Master Harry," the elf replied, again bowing deeply, before she popped away.

Harry informed the children and decided to put Dolores back into her cot for the time being. 'Before she makes even more nonsense,' he thought, grimly. 'The others should be all right by themselves,' he mused and asked, "Will you get along for a while without me? If you urgently need me, tell Severus. He's able to contact me through telepathy."

A multiple "All right" followed his explanation, and Harry left the dormitory with a vehemently protesting Dolores in tow.

'I wished I could transfigure her into a toad or something until everyone else is back to their usual adult selves,' he thought, as he trailed down to the entrance hall, where the caretaker and his cat were lurking around, apparently waiting for him.

"Mr. Filch, you wanted to speak with me?" he addressed the man.

"Mr. Potter, thank you for coming," Filch replied and motioned him to follow him into his office.

'This is a trap,' Harry realised. 'Filch would never speak to me in such a way.' However, before he had a chance to run away, Filch firmly closed the door behind him.

"Mr. Potter, I need you to make a wizard's oath on your life or your magic that you won't speak with anyone about what I'm going to reveal to you now," the caretaker said in a firm but friendlier voice than Harry was used to hear from the old Squib.

"How do I know that this isn't a trap and you're one of Voldemort's minions under Polyjuice potion?" he queried, giving the caretaker a sharp look.

To his surprise and even greater suspicion, Filch grinned. "Mrs. Norris," the man then shouted, and the cat, of which Harry knew that she detested everyone but Filch, came to the man and allowed him to pick her up and pet her.

'He is Filch,' Harry realised and pulled his wand. "I herewith swear on my magic to not reveal what Mr. Filch is going to tell me today," he stated, before he slid his wand back into his robe pocket, looking at the Squib in expectation.

"I'm not a Squib," Filch informed him, causing Harry to stare at the man in disbelief. "I'm a spy for the Department of Magical Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, and I've already been a a spy over many years. No one at Hogwarts knows about the matter though, except for one person."

"The Headmaster," Harry guessed.

"No," Filch replied, smirking. "Madam Pomfrey."

"Ahhh of course," Harry said in understanding. "She'd know that you're a wizard, when she checked on you."

"Exactly," Filch agreed. "Also my personal elf, Tipsy, is of course aware of the matter. Now why I've called you here and told you this has two reasons." Seeing that the boy was still looking at him in expectation, he continued, "One of the children must have cast a very rare, old spell, which makes the castle raise into the air. In fact, it's a spell, which only works if a child below the age of eleven years casts it; you or I wouldn't be able to do so; however, we can cast the counter spell, and I'd like to teach you that."

"Oh yes please," Harry replied, eagerly. "Dolores stole my wand but failed to cast the spell that she wanted to cast and accidentally made the castle float."

"I feel sorry for you, having to look after that bitch," Filch threw in.

"Yes, I absolutely detest her," Harry admitted, somehow feeling comfortable enough to show the man his hand.

"She did that?" Filch queried, sounding strangely excited.

"Yes sir. Why?" Harry asked, confused.

"That's what I was waiting for, that she'd do something unforgivable that would allow me to take her to Azkaban, and the use of a blood quill on a student definitely warrants for a one-way ticket to the prison," Filch explained, sounding very contented. He pointed his wand at a parchment and stated, "I have proof that Dolores Umbridge used a blood quill on a student multiple times. Please transport her to Azkaban. Currently, she is residing as a three-year-old in the Gryffindor common room. Harry Potter is looking after her."

"Tipsy," he called the elf that he had sent to Harry before. "Take this letter to the Department of Magical Mysteries instantly."

"Yes Master Argus," the elf replied, bowing deeply, before she popped away.

"Impressive," Harry spoke up, grinning. "It's hard to believe that you're not the person that you make everyone believe. You're doing a brilliant job, sir."

Filch chuckled. "Well, remember to not speak about it to anyone except for Poppy Pomfrey."

"I won't," Harry confirmed.

"Now the spell to put down Hogwarts on its usual spot..." Filch changed the topic and showed Harry the spell with that he returned the castle to its original position.

"Thank you sir," Harry said, gratefully, as he saw the effect through the window.

"There's one more thing that I must discuss with you," Filch informed him. "Several people in my division believe that the de-aging of the whole staff is an attempt to weaken Hogwarts' wards and protection. I am fairly certain that Draco Malfoy brewed the potion and spelled it into the teachers' systems at breakfast yesterday, and I'm afraid that Voldemort might attack Hogwarts, knowing that everyone but a fifteen-year-old, a half-giant and a squib are toddlers. This morning, I have strengthened the wards; however, they won't hold against Voldemort and a whole group of Death Eaters."

"Yes, that's what Hermione suspected as well," Harry agreed with the older wizard. But what can I do?"

The two wizards spent the following twenty minutes discussing the matter, until Severus thought to Harry, 'Harry, please come back here if you can. Albus is vomiting all over the playground.'

Harry quickly informed the caretaker and excused himself.

"I expect Voldemort to attack on Christmas Eve," he heard Filch say, before he left the office and ran upstairs.

HP

Shortly after Harry had returned to Gryffindor, the Fat Lady called out to him, "Ms. Tonks and Mr. Shacklebolt wish to speak with you."

Harry curiously instructed her to let the Aurors in, wondering if they had come because of Filch's message to the Ministry.

"Hello Mr. Potter," Shacklebolt was the first to speak up. "We came to interrogate Dolores Umbridge. Does she have her adult self's memories?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed in surprise.

"Will you please take her and as her current guardian accompany us to maybe an unused dormitory, where we can speak with her?"

"All right," Harry replied and picked up Dolores, who was still sitting in her cot, crying and shouting to annoy everyone. "Let's use the second year boys' dormitory," he suggested and instructed the other children to play quietly until his return.

Harry made himself comfortable on the first bed with Dolores sitting on his lap, while the two Aurors pulled over two chairs and sat in front of them.

"We're going to use just one drop of Veritaserum," Shacklebolt explained to Harry. "It won't hurt her."

"All right," Harry agreed, holding the three-year-old, who was trying to slide down from his knee, in a firm grip.

"Open your mouth," the Auror instructed the girl, who vehemently refused and began to kick her feet at the Aurors, pressing her mouth shut.

"Well you can either comply or we'll make you comply," Tonks said in a firm voice, on the verge of losing her patience.

"Dolores, you must do as you're told, otherwise, everything will be much worse," Harry told the child in a soft voice that somehow automatically made the girl obey.

"What is your name?" Shacklebolt began to interrogate the child.

"Dolores Umbwidge," she replied automatically.

"Did you use a blood quill on one or more students?"

"Yes."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I want to make Pottew suffew. He told ebyone dat de Dark Lowd is back."

The two Aurors exchanged a glance.

"Are you a Death Eater?" Shacklebolt queried.

"Yes," the girl replied, before Shacklebolt gave her the antidote to the Veritaserum.

"Harry, did she do that?" Tonks suddenly queried, seemingly shocked as she took his left hand in hers to show it to her colleague.

"Yes," Harry replied, solemnly.

"She won't do it again," Tonks promised, smirking.

"No," Shacklebolt confirmed. "She's going to get a one-way ticket to Azkaban. The only problem is that we can't take a three-year-old to the prison. She must be at least seventeen."

"I can look after her until she'll be seventeen," Harry heard himself say, inwardly groaning at his own stupidity. He was unable to look into Dolores' face to see her reaction; however, she remained quiet as if she did not understand what the whole conversation was about. 'Well, maybe she's tired due to the ruckus she did earlier and by now has her three-year-old self's mind,' he thought. 'Then she can at least enjoy her week of childhood without knowing what's going to happen afterwards.'

"How long will it take for her to become seventeen?" Tonks enquired, eyeing the toddler with an expression of disgust.

"Misty told me that I can only age them one year per day until they're eleven. Then they will be aged up to seventeen and then to their real age," Harry replied, hesitantly. "So it'll be nine days," he added in a small voice.

"Well, considering that she's going to be kissed by a Dementor in the very near future, I suppose that it doesn't matter," Shacklebolt said, sighing.

"No it's all right. I'll survive the nine days," Harry replied, feeling slightly comforted by the Aurors' understanding.

"Are there any other adults in the castle?" Tonks asked, changing her hair colour from pink to green.

"Filch and Hagrid," Harry said, sighing.

"Oh well, I'll contact both of them and will ask them to support you," Tonks promised. "You'll hear from either them or me."

"Thanks a lot," Harry replied, gratefully, and put the three-year-old down on the floor, instructing her to return to the common room and play with the others.

HP

'So Trelawney's prediction was true,' Harry mused, as he returned to Albus' side to comfort the sick toddler. He could not help smiling at the scene in front of his eyes. Two-year-old Minerva had pulled herself a chair to the side of his cot and was reading to him from the copy of 'Beedle the Bard', from which Harry had read to the children the previous evening. 'They're so cute together,' he thought. 'I'm glad that Umbridge is going to go to Azkaban as soon as she'll be seventeen; everyone else is really nice, even as adults.'

HP

It was later the same day, when everyone was playing in the playground, that Sybill once again made a prediction. 'Oh no, not again,' Harry mused, as the three-year-old once again began to speak in the strange, raspy voice.

"De one wife powa to vanquish de dawk lowd will gada his minions awound him and cast the spell and counter to vanquish him fowever." With that she tiredly lay down on the floor and drifted off to sleep.

'What was that?' Harry mused, looking questioningly from Albus to Severus.

'Perhaps it means that the Dark Lord is going to attack Hogwarts, while we're deaged,' Severus thought to the boy. 'Please give Albus and myself another dose of the aging potion tonight. The older we are when it happens, the more we'll be able to help you.'

"I have to ask Misty," Harry replied, slowly. "I think I have a fool proof idea though," he added and told the boys about the plan, which he had set up together with Filch. Seeing that Severus looked at him in surprise, he explained, "Hermione already thought that the whole de-aging thing was a set-up for Voldemort to attack Hogwarts. Therefore, I've already thought about the matter and made a plan."

Suddenly, he felt Minerva tug his robes. "Minerva, what's wrong?" he asked in surprise, causing his still two-year-old Head of House to blush profusely. "Do you need a new nappy?" he then guessed, smiling kindly, when the small girl gave him a short nod. "Very well, let's go then and take Rolanda and Severus with us. They probably need the same by now."

He quickly cleaned up the three youngest children, before he called the whole group into the common room and instructed Dobby to bring hot chocolate for everyone except Albus.

This did not go well with the de-aged Headmaster though. In spite of the explanation Harry had given him that he couldn't have cocoa as long as the vomiting had not stopped, he threw himself onto the floor in front of the fireplace and continued whining. Harry decided to ignore the boy for the time being and joined the children at the table, drinking a glass of pumpkin juice. Only when all of a sudden Fawkes flashed into the room, Harry turned around to face the toddler again, realising in relief that Fawkes left again right away.

Harry had just turned back to the table, when the fire phoenix once again appeared with a bright flash. 'Oh no, Albus,' he thought in annoyance, upon seeing that Fawkes placed a bowl of lemon drops into the toddler's lap. Before Harry could reach the boy, he had already popped the first into his mouth, giving him a broad grin.

"Albus, give me the bowl," he demanded, reaching for the bowl.

However, Albus shook his head. "No chocolate, but lemon dwops," he replied, firmly grabbing the bowl with both hands.

Suddenly, Minerva toddled over to Harry and the de-aged Headmaster, glaring at the small boy. "Abus, you'we vewy naughty," she scolded him in a firm voice, before she turned to Fawkes. "Fawkes, Abus not 'loud lemon dwops now. Pwease take dem back to his office."

The phoenix let out a few soothing trills and flashed away, causing Albus to cast Minerva and Harry a triumphant smile, which only vanished, when his stomach refused the sweet and he began to throw up all over the floor.

"Tupid," Minerva commented, shaking her head in annoyance, before she returned to join the others at the table.

"Exactly Minerva," Harry agreed, quickly cleaning the floor, before he took the bowl of lemon drops from the boy and put him into his cot, where he made him drink his next dose of potion. Two minutes later, Albus drifted off into a potions induced slumber.

HP

The rest of the day passed uneventfully until Harry was just about to retire for the night, feeling extremely grateful that the children were all asleep, when all of a sudden two owls knocked at the common room's window.

tbc...

Thank you so very much for the overwhelming reviews for the first chapter. The fast update is my thank you to you!