The Potions master inspected each vial critically, holding them up to the light to check the colour and tipping them from side to side to check viscosity.
'Three immaculate potions.' He hummed, 'very good, very difficult to judge. There is the slightest odour to this veritaserum, but I suspect the baking of the pearls might have caused it and the potency should be increased as a result...'
The potions master fell silent, moving onto the Felix Felicis, dipping a small glass rod into the golden liquid and using it to drip several droplets across a sheet of parchment. He then peered at the parchment as though the shape of the droplets spreading across the page was of critical value.
The three students watched him nervously.
'All three of your potions are serviceable.' He decided abruptly, making the trio jump. 'Heir Tunninger, your balance of clover and unicorn hoof shavings is perfect and I believe the overconfidence often caused by this potion should be minimal, although I would suggest adding a little more milk next time. You'll find it more palatable.'
Berg nodded solemnly at the feedback as the professor turned to Gellert.
'As I said earlier; there is a slight odour to this veritaserum. You'd be unlikely to be able to administer it in secrecy - not that that isn't a good thing, in my opinion.'
Gellert nodded and every eye turned to Hermione.
'Miss Gorlois. I wouldn't be surprised to see this polyjuice in the potion's cabinets of the masters. I believe it would hold it's effects for about three hours and I am impressed by your attempt to use powered iron to neutralise the magical signature of the drinker as well, although I'm not entirely certain that the quantity you used would be quite sufficient... I imagine if you were to desire an apprenticeship in potions, you could write a paper on those modifications and most masters would find it sufficient for an admission.'
Hermione preened under his praise and accepted the gleaming racing broomstick as though she was excited at the prospect of going flying.
'Let's go test it.' Berg suggested eagerly as they congratulated each other and thanked the potions master for letting them run their little competition.
'Yeah. Race you to the Fjord and back.' Gellert agreed, jostling her out of the room.
They did go outside and mount their broomsticks, but they didn't go as far as the fjord. Instead, they dropped into the trees and Berg pulled out a folded sheet of parchment which contained their hairs.
They'd obtained them in the library; as the most inconspicuous of their trio, Berg had hidden behind a bookcase and summoned individual hairs off their heads. He passed Hermione a long blond hair and took a brown one for himself. Gellert received the brother of Hermione's hair as his sister passed him one of the vials of polyjuice that she'd saved.
He dropped in the hair and the potion fizzed, turning emerald green. Nervously, he glanced at Hermione and Berg, noticing that Hermione's potion was hot pink and Berg's was forget-me-not blue. Berg passed out the little vials of his own golden potion and they clinked them together in a somber toast.
'Three... two... one...' Hermione counted them down, then tossed back first the Felix Felicis and chased it after a second with the polyjuice.
She gagged, dropping both vials and collapsing on her hands and knees in the snow. Berg, who had drunk only seconds after her followed whilst Gellert staggered backwards into a tree.
Before his eyes, Hermione's hair shortened and lightened, losing it's curls. Berg's hair lengthened a little and his cheeks bubbled outwards. A button popped off his shirt, followed by three more and his belt groaned under the additional pressure.
Gellert had shot up and his wider shoulders strained against his shirt and jacket, which he shrugged off as quickly as possible. His new chest was nowhere near as defined as his real chest, but it was covered with a fine fuzz of golden curls. He brushed a hand over them experimentally, discovering that they were course and springy.
Hermione was recovering as well, clambering back to her feet. Her cloak was now over a foot too short and her dress had split down the side. In hindsight they should have changed into their new clothes first. Berg was still moaning in agony on the floor, and at first Gellert thought something had gone wrong. Then he realised that unlike them, Berg's shoes weren't enchanted to grow with him.
Feeling supremely confident in his spell casting, Gellert waved his wand and banished Berg's shoes off his feet.
'I like this hair.' Hermione hummed, fluffing it around her newly heart shaped face. Then she glanced down at Berg with pity. 'Why didn't you choose someone a little more... flattering?'
'Because,' Berg wheezed, pushing himself up on trembling arms, 'Peter is the best potioneer of Alice's friends. If anyone's helping her brew it, it will be him.'
'Well cover up... I can see things I don't want to.' Hermione replied primly, tossing Berg's bundle of stolen clothes towards him. Berg went bright red, which coloured Peter's skin right across his ears and shaved neck and shuffled into the undergrowth to change. Gellert went in the opposite direction, leaving Hermione to figure out the complex system of hoops, corsets, buttons and laces that was fashionable for revolutionaries.
It ended up taking almost an hour of their allotted time to get Hermione dressed and then Gellert had to fly her broom for her because she couldn't bend forwards at all.
They found Alice almost immediately, crossing with her in the entrance hall. Oddly, she seemed unsurprised to see them there.
'Where have you been?' She demanded impatiently, striding towards them in a jangle of jewels, the train of her dress sweeping over the ground.
'Out flying.' Gellert replied quickly.
'Flying?' Alice asked sceptically, looking at Berg. The large boy's face was flushed and he wheezed unhealthily as he breathed. Gellert could see why Alice doubted that he'd voluntarily gone flying. 'I'm surprised the broomstick could hold you aloft.'
Unsure how to answer, Berg just shuffled awkwardly.
'I have excellent news though.' Alice continued, as if Berg's failure to respond was normal. 'The tiresome trio have gone out flying on a new broomstick. I might arrange an accident.'
They glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.
'I just need to go via the stables.' Hermione said demurely.
'I don't know why you're so obsessed with that mangy cat. Just let it go.' Alice snapped, but she didn't object when Hermione hurried away down the corridor towards the stables, brocade skirts rustling behind her.
Gellert and Berg were left alone with the older witch, who tapped her foot impatiently against the cobblestones. Suddenly, Gellert was struck by a deep curiosity about the war in Russia, and he was asking how it was progressing before he'd even realised his mouth had opened. Berg went very pale and glared at him whilst Gellert desperately hoped that his uninhibited questioning was caused by Felix Felicis.
'Excellent! I received a letter today; Hanson has finally figured out how to work the wards around Morevna Castle. It should only take him a day or two to find enough wixen to charge them... especially if we can get one of the Baba Yaga.'
Gellert barely concealed his grin, committing the name of the castle to memory. He would write to his mother as soon as he'd found the polyjuice potion. Alice would be convicted and sent to prison, the latest revolutionary plot would be foiled and the army of pestilences would be stopped. Felix was on his side.
Hermione returned a moment later, her heavy brocade dress covered in cat fur and her face flushed with exertion. Gellert offered her his arm as soon as she got close and she leaned on it heavily to catch her breath.
'Ready now?' Alice demanded impatiently and Hermione nodded. The Tunninger matriarch flounced off down the corridor and the trio followed her.
She went to one of the teacher's towers, but instead of going up the spiral staircase, she tapped twice on the wall, between two sconces. Gellert hadn't realised that Durmstrang had secret passages, although it should have been obvious - it was a castle, and as a minimum castles had emergency exits.
The stone wall disassembled itself, bricks grating and shuffling aside until they were looking down through an archway at a set of dingy, dark stairs.
They followed Alice through, Hermione leaning heavily against Gellert in her ridiculously high heels. He had to run one hand down the wall to keep his balance on the slick steps and he kept smearing his fingers through thick, foul-smelling slime.
Alice's potion was set up as soon as the floor levelled out and it filled the unventilated corridor with obnoxious fumes that made him dizzy and queasy. Alice sent her witchlight to hover over the potion and checked it's consistency. Gellert judged it as adequate enough, but certainly nothing like the quality of the potion Hermione had made for them. Alice would be lucky to get over an hour.
'Well, take some, Eva.' Alice demanded, pulling out a hair and passing it to Hermione. Hermione, in Eva's body, leant over the cauldron to take the ladle from Alice. As she did so, Gellert noticed one of the hairs from her dress falling into the potion. It thinned slightly, and perhaps bubbled a little more vigorously but otherwise didn't change. He wondered what effect that would have on the next person to drink the potion.
Hermione gagged suddenly, falling to the floor and writhing.
'Double dose?' Gellert muttered to Berg doubtfully.
'Shouldn't be a problem.' Berg replied under his breath.
'Good.' Gellert would have killed Alice there and then otherwise.
A moment later, a second Alice was getting up from the floor. Her red hair clashed spectacularly with the pink dress that Hermione had been wearing, and she gasped painfully in a corset that was suddenly far too tight; Alice was much bustier than Eva.
'Idiot.' Alice hissed, yanking one of the ties to loosen the whole arrangement. 'I'm amazed anyone believes it's me.'
'I don't talk much.' Hermione replied, her demure manner ill-fitted to Alice's scarred visage.
'Good. Now get Professor Hargen to discuss my Demonology homework. That should be a suitable alibi... even if the courts are in our pocket now.'
Hermione nodded and Alice strode off up the stairs without a further word.
'What do we do with the potion?' Berg demanded as soon as she was out of sight.
'Leave it. It was spoiled when Hermione leaned over it and if she's right and the courts are on her side, it wouldn't be enough proof - we could have gotten it anywhere. If Alice or one of her friends takes spoiled polyjuice, they'll have to admit to the healers what went wrong.'
'Genius, Gellert.' Hermione said, itching at Alice's ruined hand.
'Let's go. You need to find Professor Hargen so that Alice doesn't know anything is wrong.' Berg suggested and they quickly began making their way back up to the surface.