Chapter 20

They parted in front of the marble staircase and each of them went to their common rooms. When Kayla climbed through the portrait hall, her friends were already waiting for her.

"You would never believe what just happened" Kayla exclaimed, sitting down next to Hermione. Her cat Odin jumped on her lap rubbing his face against her cold hands. Hermione looked up from her books with a curious look.

Harry was looking at her expectantly and Ron said "What? Did Snape give you points?"

"No much better... much, much better" Kayla grinned widely and told her friends everything that had happened in class. After she finished at first nobody said a word. Everybody stored at her in awe.

"What? He docked points from his own house? He turned Malfoy into a toddler with YOUR potion and then the slimy git finally peed on himself?" Hermione said disbelievingly

"This finally has to be it! Snape snapped! He lost his marbles! He went over the edge!" Ron screamed.

"That's what I thought first" Kayla answered, trying hard to suppress a fit of giggles. "But do you know what? I think he enjoyed it as much as the rest of us. I swear is saw a twinkle in his eye" This was just too much for all of them. They started howling and screaming; laughing so hard that Ron and Harry couldn't even sit straight anymore. The two of them were rolling on the floor of the common room holding their sides and gasping for air.

The next day Malfoy's little mishap was the only topic the students were talking about. Some of them had drawn pictures and enchanted them, letting Malfoy wet himself over and over again. The Slytherin prefect looked even more sinister and his cronies cracked their knuckles at everyone with as much as a tiny smile on their face.

Kayla had received another letter from Kelsey telling her that they were running out of time and that Harry's mother would be going to die if they couldn't wake her up fast enough. Kayla had replied right before she went to lunch and informed him, that she already knew how to get 2 of the 4 missing ingredients.

Harry had volunteered to practice patronuses with some of his classmates, including Ron. So after class they strolled off to Professor Stone's empty class room, while Kayla filled Hermione in about the last events. Hermione felt a little uneasy about the fact that Kayla had Zara involved in the whole situation, but when the Ravenclaw was willing and able to help she would be the last to say no.

"Listen Kayla I have an idea" Hermione said to her fellow Gryffindor. "We need to tell Harry about the potion."

"This is absolutely impossible Hermione. He's not supposed to know about his parents' survival"

"I didn't plan to tell him anything about them. We could tell him that the potion is a revenge for Malfoy." Hermione continued "You have to admit that it's already hard enough to keep it from Harry. He's a very clever boy and he knows that we're up to something. I know him very well and he will figure it out somehow. So we have to tell him something to make him stop looking for details."

Kayla shrugged "I guess you're right. So what do you have in mind?"

"We are going to tell him, that we have spent the afternoon in the library and that we found out about the Mutogenero Potion."

"Yes but this is NOT the Mutogenero Potion?" Kayla replied looking very confused.

"You know that and I know that...but Harry doesn't" Hermione continued. "When we tell him that it is to get even with Malfoy he will do everything to help us!"

Kayla's face lit up. "Yes I see ...that's brilliant" She gave her friend a quick hug. "It's almost time for dinner. Let's see if the boys are done already."

While everybody was sitting in the common room doing their homework, Kayla and Hermione were sitting together with Ron and Harry in the boys' dorm.

"So what you're telling us is that if Malfoy is drinking this potion it will turn him into a girl for A MONTH and there is nothing anybody can do about it?" Harry called.

At this point Kayla was more than happy about the silencing charm Hermione had put on the room.

"Yes this is exactly my point." Hermione said firmly. "Zara is going to help us as well. As far as we know she has already contacted her father about the Aquarius scale."

"Dried vampire blood sound very much like dark magic" Harry stated.

"It is used mostly in potions for ...let's say... dark purposes, that's true" Kayla agreed.

"So we should check out Knockturn Alley then?" Ron suggested.

It looks like that Ron has forgotten anything Hermione and I have told him about the real potion last weekend. He didn't even remember the ingredients, the pretty brown-haired girl wondered.

"I want to see how you just walk into Knockturn Alley! Your mom would skin you alive if she'd ever find out" Harry smirked at his red-haired friend. "I'll owl Sirius and ask him? He was furious when I told him about Kelsey's "accident" and it was very hard to convince him that Malfoy wasn't aiming at me this time"

"Are you sure about this mate?" Ron raised his eyebrow. "I dunno... never actually considered it"

"Ok ... I assume we have everything worked out so far. Let's go back downstairs before anyone comes looking for us" Hermione got up from Ron's four-poster bed and walked towards the door. She flicked her wand, taking off the silencing charm and walked down to the common room, the others close behind her.

The next morning Kayla received another owl from Kelsey, telling her that he'd be back at school tomorrow, one week earlier than expected. He would have to stay one night at the hospital wing to make sure everything was ok but then he would be free to return to the dorm in Gryffindor tower.

Kayla was so happy and excited that she put her elbow in the butter and made the attempt to put salt in her tea instead of sugar. Fortunately Harry could stop her before.

She told her friends about the good news and they made plans for a little Welcome-party tomorrow before class. They Weasley twins promised to talk to the houseelves to bring up some snacks and pumpkin juice and Zara agreed to take care of the decoration.

In the afternoon, Kayla got the banner out of her trunk and walked to the hospital wing. She told Madam Pomfrey about their plan and, to the girl's surprise, the nurse had no objections if they wouldn't stay too long. So Kayla hung up the banner over the bed her brother was supposed to spend the, hopefully last, night tomorrow.