27-Brewing
Despite spending only one of the weekly meetings on Potions after the New Year, the children moved way ahead of what Dylan expected. He thought that they would finish first year potions and start on the ones of the second year. It turned out that they finished the first year potions shortly after the New year and were currently approaching the third-year level. Dylan felt proud of "his" children, but was also getting worried. If they continued to advance at the same rate, most would be ready for their NEWTs before they even started the first year.
Augusta came to his rescue, or so it seemed. "I'm getting all the major periodicals in Potions, you know, and there are a few potions that are too new to have made it into Hogwarts curriculum, or too complex, but could occupy the children for a while."
"Is any of these potentially dangerous to the brewers?" Dylan asked. He was sure that Augusta wouldn't knowingly endanger the children, but he felt a need to make sure.
Luckily, she wasn't offended by his seeming lack of trust. "The ones I have in mind are completely safe, or as safe as any boiling liquid can be. None will cause explosion or melt the cauldron even if done completely wrong, and you already know how good these children are."
She first wanted to teach them the Wolfsbane – a potion that made the werewolf transformation safer and less painful, allowing the werewolves to keep their human mind even when transformed. It was newly invented – only about two years in use, and quite complex, requiring precise measurements and exact timing. Luckily, it could be put under stasis between lessons without affecting the results. "I tried it three times before I made one correctly," Augusta admitted, "and I still fail more than one out of three. It would be interesting to see what they make of it."
It took Augusta more than half an hour to explain all the ingredients and the way they interacted to achieve the final result. Luckily, the children had already learned about werewolves and knew what she was talking about. As usual, Hermione was writing everything diligently, although they each had a printed copy of the recipe. Harry, sitting at her side, only wrote down a few notes, thoughts that occurred to him during the explanations.
Both asked a few questions that forced Augusta to think and one that forced her to search in a library book. It was then the time for the children to digest the lesson before trying to brew in earnest. Harry and Hermione asked Neville to join them, and then Dudley, who also seemed to have a good grasp on the subject. They talked about it for more than ten minutes and then Harry wrote a long list in his notebook and let the others see. Dylan wondered what it was all about, but didn't interfere.
A short while later, with Hermione crossing out a few lines and adding her own, the four children seemed to reach an agreement. Hermione looked at the page and created another, that seemed printed. Harry then waved his hand, producing enough copies to give everyone at the meeting. Dylan looked at this page and compared it to the original recipe. Both had similar lists of ingredients, but the quantities differed slightly, and two of the original ingredients were replaced by another one, much cheaper and easier to find. He also compared the times. The new version needed less than half the time to brew. Dylan also felt sure that it was much easier than the original and not requiring as exact adherence to the procedures.
"Do you think it can work?" Harry asked Augusta, sounding a bit unsure of himself. It really was more complex than any of the potions they had tried before.
Augusta checked the new recipe, comparing it with the original and giving consideration to each suggested change. It took her quite some time to do that and all four children looked tense. She then smiled. "As far as I can tell without actually testing it on a werewolf, this recipe should work just as well as the original. Still, I think I should consult with some other Potion masters. How should I call this version?"
Harry shrugged, and the other children didn't seem to mind. Augusta added an explanation. "Every new potion is protected by law for a period of ten years at least. When someone sells such a potion, a part of the payment is magically transferred to the inventor's vault. Depending on the complexity of the potion and its usefulness, these sums can accumulate to quite a bit of gold. Now, since this is not an original work, only an improvement, the sum is divided between the original inventor and the one who made the improvement. It can still be quite a lot of money."
"All four of us contributed equally," Harry told her, although it was clear, if only by the expression of the other three, that he did the lion's share of the work.
"How would you like to call this version, though?" she insisted.
"You can name it," Harry told her.
Augusta turned to Dylan. "Any suggestion?"
"We can't attribute it to Potter, nor to any recognizable family name. Why don't we use the county as its name?"
Augusta smiled. "That could work well, and nobody needs to know who exactly was involved. We can even use the services of our solicitor to register this potion, making nobody any wiser."
"So, what will it be called, if it works?" Harry asked.
"We'll call it the Yorkshire version, secretly attributed to the four of you. This kind of secrecy is not unusual. Many inventors prefer not to have their names known to save them unwelcome mail. There are always people who would praise a new invention and others who will oppose it on principle. It's better not to be known, and the royalties will not be affected either way," Augusta told them. "Now, would you like to start brewing, or would you prefer to start next week?"
Some of the children seemed to prefer going to the pool, but the four inventors wanted to start brewing, as expected. They all followed the improved recipe, of course. An hour later, they cast the stasis charm on their cauldrons and rushed to the pool.
Augusta checked their work. "Had I not known who was brewing here, I'd say this looked like the work of some very knowledgeable master," she told Dylan.
He smiled knowingly. "Yes, these children seem to master whatever they have in mind, yet it all goes to the two in the lead: Harry and Hermione. Without them, none of these children would have been at such a high level."
She nodded in agreement. "Harry seems to inspire the children to do their best and Hermione is the moving force behind him. Together they form an unstoppable couple."
Dylan only nodded. He felt lucky that he could share the burden with Lady Augusta. It seemed to sometimes be too much even when sharing it.
\/\/\/
The Yorkshire version of the Wolfsbane was ready the next week. Augusta also brewed the original version during the week, for comparison. She found out that the new version smelled better and looked clearer. She suspected that it also tasted better, but didn't dare try it. Wolfsbane could have some unpleasant effects on normal people and even on werewolves if taken too early.
The children didn't seem to be interested in that potion after they finished brewing it. Augusta just let them enjoy the pool while she bottled their finished potions. All looked and smelled perfect. Before teaching them, she expected more than a half to fail the first time. None did, although they varied in concentration and interest. Was this a kind of Potter Effect, she wondered?
Dylan had a similar problem with the charms he was introducing. He had covered most of the first and second-year charms during the previous year. The latecomers were brought to speed much quicker than he could expect and by that time, he was finishing the fourth year charms curriculum. Well, he hadn't taught them most of the theory, but they could easily pass the practical part of fourth-year exams. He felt quite sure that they would reach OWL level before the summer vacation. Actually, some of the spells that the children learned on their own from various books were even post NEWT level.
These children were an enigma that only got more intriguing as time passed. When looked at individually, most were no different than other magical children their age. They weren't more powerful nor more intelligent. The main difference was that they had been given a chance to develop their abilities and they had taken it. Well, there was also another factor: Harry was giving them a lot of motivation that they would have not had otherwise and Hermione was using her superior intellect to give Harry whatever support or advice he needed. Together, they were a formidable couple.
Yet there was more. Neville, who had originally been considered almost a squib, opened up and gained power and recognition. When he joined with Harry, they seemed to enhance each other some more. And there was Dudley, the wild card. He had never expected this boy to show any positive attributes, but Dudley surprised him time and again. His ambition to never be like his father drove him to better achievements. Luna's support also helped, but Dylan felt sure that it would become much more significant when they grew up.
Dylan sighed and opened the fifth year charms book. If nothing else, leading the children's club made him relearn quite a bit and find even more things that he'd never been properly taught before. This wasn't very useful for his role as a vicar, but he would do his best for "his" children. It didn't hurt that Daphne was one of them and that Lora was also learning everything with them. Sometimes he even felt a bit envious that she had such a good learning experience compared to his.
\/\/\/
The school year was approaching its end. Angie seemed a bit sad, knowing that she would have to leave the club soon. Dylan tried to make her look forward to going to Hogwarts, telling her how wonderful the castle was and how much fun it was staying there with other children.
"It doesn't matter," she told him flatly. "All my best friends are here. They won't come to Hogwarts with me, not even the next year. I'll miss them so much!"
"But you'll gain new friends, maybe as good as these."
She looked at him as if he couldn't understand. "With them, I grew from a child who knew nothing about magic to a witch that can do almost anything. Whatever I learn at Hogwarts will never equal this."
Dylan smiled reassuringly at the girl. Despite only reaching eleven during the winter, she was almost as tall as him and was starting to gain a womanly figure, as was evident at the pool. He wondered how well she would fit in with the rest. She was magically years ahead of her classmates and even physically she was a bit of an early bloomer. He couldn't remember if there had been such a girl with him at Hogwarts. As a boy, he probably hadn't even noticed until he reached puberty.
"Well, I think you can use shifting even at Hogwarts. You may be able to join the club occasionally unless it clashes with your classes."
Angie seemed delighted at the idea. "Sure! Why didn't I think of it? I will also be able to visit my parents and my friends, even if the club clashes with lessons. Thank you for reminding me!"
Dylan wasn't sure that McGonagall would also thank him. Angie would be able to use Shifting to reach anywhere, even where she wasn't supposed to reach. The potential for mischief was enormous and if either Bill or Charley Weasley would tap it… He knew they were talented pranksters, despite also staying top students in their classes. He also heard they had twin brothers who were going to start at the same time as Angie. If they combined forces, McGonagall would be very upset.
\/\/\/
The last potion to brew for that school year was Polyjuice. Augusta had given it a lot of thought and was still uncertain. This was a potion that needed a lot of time to prepare, although most was just letting it steep or boil on low fire. She was still very curious about what the children would make of it.
As usual, she gave a general description and then delved into the details. She couldn't understand why the children looked confused. "Is there a problem?" she asked.
Dean chose to answer this time. "What do we need this potion for? We can all do it simply by magic."
Augusta looked stunned. "You can do it without a potion?"
"Sure!" Dean concentrated for a moment and turned himself into a replica of Lady Augusta, differing only by the clothes. A bit of additional concentration made his clothes change as well. "Is Polijuice better?" he asked in Augusta's voice.
She shook her head in disbelief. "No, it only changes your body, not your clothing," she managed to say.
She then turned to Neville. "Can you also do this?"
Neville didn't answer. He just smiled and turned into a smiling Augusta, his clothing changing as well.
Augusta sat down and looked pleadingly at Dylan. He could sympathize. He was already experienced in feeling that way when finding what the children could do. He let her rest and turned to the children. "You already have the instructions. I suggest you discuss them now, so we can start brewing after the tea and biscuit break."
He wasn't surprised to see Hermione, Neville and Dudley join Harry and start discussing the recipe. They didn't seem to like it at all. Dylan couldn't hear their conversation but could read their expressions. Neville suggested something. Hermione gave it a thought and added her comment. Dudley also gave some input. Harry asked some questions, got the answers and processed them, eventually coming with an idea. They discussed the idea and refined it until Hermione wrote it down and let them all examine it again. With some additional modifications, they reached an agreement. Hermione produced the printed recipe and Harry duplicated it. The teamwork was excellent.
Once again, he could compare the original with the new one. This time, the differences were so big, that it couldn't be considered a modified version. It was truly a completely new potion recipe, much simpler and quicker to brew, and using only readily available ingredients. It was so different, that Dylan wasn't even sure it would work. Augusta also checked the new recipe and nodded hesitantly.
The new recipe could be prepared within an hour, as compared to two weeks of the original. The children decided to give it a try. An hour later, both Harry and Hermione had their potions ready. The other children only needed a few more minutes to reach similar results. Harry turned to Hermione. "Do you mind if we exchange forms?"
She smiled and nodded, picked a single hair from her mane and put it into Harry's vial. Harry plucked a single hair from his bangs and put it in her vial. They both drank the potions at once, both grimacing slightly at the taste.
Dylan had already seen how Polyjuice worked. It made the skin seem to bubble and change until it settled into its new form. This potion acted more swiftly, making it look like a quick transition in a film. It only took a few seconds for Hermione to change into Harry, still wearing a skirt. At the same time, Harry changed into Hermione, his hair getting longer, bushier and brown, his front teeth becoming a bit larger and his eyes changing from green to chocolate brown. They couldn't see it through the clothes, but their bodies also changed.
Hermione then noted, in Harry's voice. "We're not quite sure how long it would take to change back. We can stay at the pool until then."
The children still made sure to clean and arrange everything before rushing to the pool, disrobing and jumping into the warm water. Harry and Hermione stayed close, whispering to each other. Dylan was sure that it had to do with exchanging their bodies, and each wanted to better understand how a different body felt.
It took about seventy minutes before the two changed back, just as quickly. Hermione seemed relieved to be back in her own body. Harry came closer and caressed her face. Dylan couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he felt like the air around them was becoming charged with magic. He wondered what that might mean.