Chapter Six
How to be Yourself in Three Easy Steps
Dumbledore stood at the head table the next morning, holding a piece of parchment that Phoebe had handed him before breakfast. He looked distinctly ruffled and his eyes had a strange twinkle in them.
Phoebe was drinking coffee in double doses.
"Miss Williams and Mister DeMarcus would like the school to know that the person or persons responsible for tampering with the polyjuice potion in their class and causing them to be turned into each other for the past two weeks will be brought to justice. Miss Williams would like them to know that she will find you. Mister DeMarcus would like you to know that once Miss Williams finds you, he will tear you apart limb from limb and feed you to the Giant Squid."
Phoebe heard what Richard had written on the paper. She was now drinking coffee straight from the pot.
She couldn't bring herself to look at Richard. She kept her head down on the table, Cambria patting her head.
"Well, I think you've been humiliated way past your daily quota for today."
Phoebe nodded sadly as her cousin Jenny sat next to her.
"Hey Phoebs, umm, was what Dumbledore said true?"
Phoebe nodded again. Jenny giggled nervously.
"Um, well, while you were DeMarcus... did you, erm, look at yourself?"
Phoebe's head rose wearily and looked into her cousin's eyes, "No Jenny, I did not look. I got dressed and showered with my eyes closed."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Well, did he look at you?"
"I don't know, nor do I really want to know."
"Oh, alright."
Jenny got up and walked back over to Anna, where the two quickly stuck up conversation. Whispered conversations were going on all over the Great Hall. Cambria sighed.
"Well, I guess I stand corrected."
Morgaine looked at Phoebe sadly, "Well, at least you love coffee again."
"And you can rp."
"And read your slash."
"And listen to music."
"And throw things at Paul."
"That's very nice of the two of you, but I'm not feeling to well today... Where's Larissa?"
Morgaine shrugged, "Not sure, somewhere probably."
"Do either of you know where my scrap book is?"
"You mean the Draco Malfoy one?"
"It is not Draco Malfoy, Cam! It's an Auror scrapbook."
"Yeah Cam, the fact that almost everything in it has to deal with Draco Malfoy is besides the point."
"There's stuff on Harry Potter too."
"Yeah, about three articles and a picture of him."
"So? You keep every single article that you see that even mentions Lord of the Rings."
"So?"
"That's my point."
Morgaine and Cambria looked at each other in confusion. Phoebe sighed.
"I'm going to... somewhere. Don't wait up, I'll see you all in class."
Phoebe got up and walked out of the Great Hall. She didn't see Richard get up and follow after her.
*** *** ***
Richard followed Phoebe to the owlery. Again, he had been provided that she usually went there when she wanted to be alone. He needed to talk to her, so she wouldn't be getting her wish for lonesomeness.
When she walked in, a barn owl flew down to greet her. She gave it a bit of food she had taken from the Gryffindor table and it hooted its thanks. She stroked its head and walked over to one of the tables in the owlery.
"So Gerul, any mail?"
The owl hooted an answer.
"Shoot, I wanted to write to someone... hmmm, do you want to send a letter?"
The owl nodded and hooted. Phoebe smiled, "Alright, well, lets figure out who to send a letter too..."
Both girl and owl seemed to go into deep thought. Richard couldn't help but to snicker at the display. Unfortunately, Phoebe heard the snicker, and was way too familiar with it to mistake who it was.
"Get out of the shadows DeMarcus, they get enough bad press without you there."
Richard sighed in aggravation, a habit he somehow picked up from his stay in Phoebe's body.
"Bitter are we?"
"I'm not bitter, I'm Phoebe, and Williams to you."
"Oh, is that so? After all we've been through together."
"You're pushing it DeMarcus, what do you want?"
Richard walked over to Phoebe, sitting in the chair next to her. She scooted her chair farther away from his.
"Well, I was thinking we figure out who did this, instead of pouting with your owl."
"I'm not pouting!"
"Williams, I spent two weeks in your body, you're pouting."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Shut up."
"No."
Phoebe grumbled and started writing.
"What you writing?"
"List of suspects."
"Who are they?"
"Well, about anyone who could convince Paul or Shayla Culluns to do such a thing. It's either seduce Culluns, or tell Paul it's a joke."
"Wow, seducing Shayla, where men, women, house pets, and house elves have all gone before."
Phoebe shivered at the painted mental picture.
"Ewwwww!"
"She's not as bad as Kari."
"Oh God Slytherin girls are gross!"
"Only those two."
Richard took the list from Phoebe. Just about everyone in the school in the top three years was on it. This was going to take some work.
"Well, at least we aren't on it."
"Of course we aren't!"
"There are Gryffindors on this list."
"I know."
Phoebe went back to talking to her owl.
"How about sending a letter to Uncle Curtis and Aunt Clara. It's been a while since we've written them."
"Are you even listening to me?"
"No, Gerul is more interesting then you."
Phoebe stroked the owl's breast feathers and kissed the top off its head. The owl cooed appreciatively. Richard felt his temper boiling. Must not react!
"Will you listen to me instead of playing with your owl?!"
"Why should I? You're the one that followed me. I'll figure it out in my own good time. I don't need your help, and I never have. It was me who figured out how to change us back, how it happened, and maybe even who altered the potion."
Richard felt his temper boiling over. He decided to bring in something that would make her help him no matter what.
Out of his bag, he drew a large, black photo album. The word Scrapbook flashed in silver, seeming to shimmer on its own. She had enchanted it so that only she could remove it from where she put it. It seems that, unlike Drake, the scrapbook allowed anyone with her appearance to move it. Richard knew all this.
Richard had her scrapbook. He flipped through the pages.
"Amazing that the rest of your life isn't as organized as this. Everything is right here. Well, everything on Malfoy anyways."
He watched Phoebe turn bright red. Somehow, it wasn't as fun to do as it was before the potion. Strange.
She lunged for it, "Give that back!"
Richard laughed and held it out of her reach. Though he was barely an inch taller then her, he was still able to keep it away.
"Ah, ah, ah, you have to do what I say to get it back, or I put it out for everyone to see."
Phoebe's face took a drastic color change to white, her eyes turning to a more grayish hue. Suddenly, all the anger returned to her face and she pulled out her wand and pointed it at his belt.
"Conglacio!"
She took her scrapbook and left as Richard collapsed on the ground in pain, curling up. Before she exited, she took her wand again and said, "Trepidus" to reverse the hex. She glared at Richard.
"Never try to get my help by blackmail again. I won't be so forgiving next time."
With that, she left. Richard felt slightly sad as she did so, but caught himself.
What the hell is happening to me?!
Author notes:
Translations:
Conglacio- to freeze
Trepidus-to warm
How to be Yourself in Three Easy Steps
Dumbledore stood at the head table the next morning, holding a piece of parchment that Phoebe had handed him before breakfast. He looked distinctly ruffled and his eyes had a strange twinkle in them.
Phoebe was drinking coffee in double doses.
"Miss Williams and Mister DeMarcus would like the school to know that the person or persons responsible for tampering with the polyjuice potion in their class and causing them to be turned into each other for the past two weeks will be brought to justice. Miss Williams would like them to know that she will find you. Mister DeMarcus would like you to know that once Miss Williams finds you, he will tear you apart limb from limb and feed you to the Giant Squid."
Phoebe heard what Richard had written on the paper. She was now drinking coffee straight from the pot.
She couldn't bring herself to look at Richard. She kept her head down on the table, Cambria patting her head.
"Well, I think you've been humiliated way past your daily quota for today."
Phoebe nodded sadly as her cousin Jenny sat next to her.
"Hey Phoebs, umm, was what Dumbledore said true?"
Phoebe nodded again. Jenny giggled nervously.
"Um, well, while you were DeMarcus... did you, erm, look at yourself?"
Phoebe's head rose wearily and looked into her cousin's eyes, "No Jenny, I did not look. I got dressed and showered with my eyes closed."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Well, did he look at you?"
"I don't know, nor do I really want to know."
"Oh, alright."
Jenny got up and walked back over to Anna, where the two quickly stuck up conversation. Whispered conversations were going on all over the Great Hall. Cambria sighed.
"Well, I guess I stand corrected."
Morgaine looked at Phoebe sadly, "Well, at least you love coffee again."
"And you can rp."
"And read your slash."
"And listen to music."
"And throw things at Paul."
"That's very nice of the two of you, but I'm not feeling to well today... Where's Larissa?"
Morgaine shrugged, "Not sure, somewhere probably."
"Do either of you know where my scrap book is?"
"You mean the Draco Malfoy one?"
"It is not Draco Malfoy, Cam! It's an Auror scrapbook."
"Yeah Cam, the fact that almost everything in it has to deal with Draco Malfoy is besides the point."
"There's stuff on Harry Potter too."
"Yeah, about three articles and a picture of him."
"So? You keep every single article that you see that even mentions Lord of the Rings."
"So?"
"That's my point."
Morgaine and Cambria looked at each other in confusion. Phoebe sighed.
"I'm going to... somewhere. Don't wait up, I'll see you all in class."
Phoebe got up and walked out of the Great Hall. She didn't see Richard get up and follow after her.
*** *** ***
Richard followed Phoebe to the owlery. Again, he had been provided that she usually went there when she wanted to be alone. He needed to talk to her, so she wouldn't be getting her wish for lonesomeness.
When she walked in, a barn owl flew down to greet her. She gave it a bit of food she had taken from the Gryffindor table and it hooted its thanks. She stroked its head and walked over to one of the tables in the owlery.
"So Gerul, any mail?"
The owl hooted an answer.
"Shoot, I wanted to write to someone... hmmm, do you want to send a letter?"
The owl nodded and hooted. Phoebe smiled, "Alright, well, lets figure out who to send a letter too..."
Both girl and owl seemed to go into deep thought. Richard couldn't help but to snicker at the display. Unfortunately, Phoebe heard the snicker, and was way too familiar with it to mistake who it was.
"Get out of the shadows DeMarcus, they get enough bad press without you there."
Richard sighed in aggravation, a habit he somehow picked up from his stay in Phoebe's body.
"Bitter are we?"
"I'm not bitter, I'm Phoebe, and Williams to you."
"Oh, is that so? After all we've been through together."
"You're pushing it DeMarcus, what do you want?"
Richard walked over to Phoebe, sitting in the chair next to her. She scooted her chair farther away from his.
"Well, I was thinking we figure out who did this, instead of pouting with your owl."
"I'm not pouting!"
"Williams, I spent two weeks in your body, you're pouting."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Shut up."
"No."
Phoebe grumbled and started writing.
"What you writing?"
"List of suspects."
"Who are they?"
"Well, about anyone who could convince Paul or Shayla Culluns to do such a thing. It's either seduce Culluns, or tell Paul it's a joke."
"Wow, seducing Shayla, where men, women, house pets, and house elves have all gone before."
Phoebe shivered at the painted mental picture.
"Ewwwww!"
"She's not as bad as Kari."
"Oh God Slytherin girls are gross!"
"Only those two."
Richard took the list from Phoebe. Just about everyone in the school in the top three years was on it. This was going to take some work.
"Well, at least we aren't on it."
"Of course we aren't!"
"There are Gryffindors on this list."
"I know."
Phoebe went back to talking to her owl.
"How about sending a letter to Uncle Curtis and Aunt Clara. It's been a while since we've written them."
"Are you even listening to me?"
"No, Gerul is more interesting then you."
Phoebe stroked the owl's breast feathers and kissed the top off its head. The owl cooed appreciatively. Richard felt his temper boiling. Must not react!
"Will you listen to me instead of playing with your owl?!"
"Why should I? You're the one that followed me. I'll figure it out in my own good time. I don't need your help, and I never have. It was me who figured out how to change us back, how it happened, and maybe even who altered the potion."
Richard felt his temper boiling over. He decided to bring in something that would make her help him no matter what.
Out of his bag, he drew a large, black photo album. The word Scrapbook flashed in silver, seeming to shimmer on its own. She had enchanted it so that only she could remove it from where she put it. It seems that, unlike Drake, the scrapbook allowed anyone with her appearance to move it. Richard knew all this.
Richard had her scrapbook. He flipped through the pages.
"Amazing that the rest of your life isn't as organized as this. Everything is right here. Well, everything on Malfoy anyways."
He watched Phoebe turn bright red. Somehow, it wasn't as fun to do as it was before the potion. Strange.
She lunged for it, "Give that back!"
Richard laughed and held it out of her reach. Though he was barely an inch taller then her, he was still able to keep it away.
"Ah, ah, ah, you have to do what I say to get it back, or I put it out for everyone to see."
Phoebe's face took a drastic color change to white, her eyes turning to a more grayish hue. Suddenly, all the anger returned to her face and she pulled out her wand and pointed it at his belt.
"Conglacio!"
She took her scrapbook and left as Richard collapsed on the ground in pain, curling up. Before she exited, she took her wand again and said, "Trepidus" to reverse the hex. She glared at Richard.
"Never try to get my help by blackmail again. I won't be so forgiving next time."
With that, she left. Richard felt slightly sad as she did so, but caught himself.
What the hell is happening to me?!
Author notes:
Translations:
Conglacio- to freeze
Trepidus-to warm