Chapter 2: The much-needed information

"…" The young spectacled man with the end of a dark-green snake as his lower body sat still on the floor looking at the Unspeakable before him. Trying utterly to avoid seeing his lower half.

Now having said his formal introduction to the late adolescent male, Croaker flicked his wand to move a chair beside one of the empty beds to his location. He then sat down and said to the male before him. "You probably have many questions, but I think that one of them is taken precedence over the others. Namely, why you have the lower body of a snake."

Alve just nodded along, still trying to avoid looking at the snake tail with a towel at its tip – which swished from side to side, struggling to remove the weight that is holding it down.

"We, me and my colleagues, do not know exactly why it happened, but the potion you ingested has changed you into something other than human." The robed middle-aged man looked interestingly at the struggling tail – having somehow tangled itself in the towel, still aiming to remove it – while he continued to speak. "We do have some theories as to why it happened, but that we can discuss later. For now, know this, you were sent to this point in time because of an unplanned experiment. Involving a time-travelling artefact – that had been damaged – and the potion that it touched before you ingested some of it."

"How do you know I am not from this time?" Alve suddenly asked, now even more puzzled than before and somehow taking this whole world-shattering knowledge remarkably well.

"I had a look at your identification in your wallet." Mr Croaker answered with a look that clearly says that the answer was obvious.

"Ah!" The intelligent response was given. "Yeah, you did steal my wallet."

The Unspeakable did not regret the accusation of the stolen wallet, it seems, and continues from where he left off. "If the identification card you have in your wallet is correct, then you should be 24 years of age currently. However, as you seem not to have noticed yet, that is not the case now."

Alve gave the wizard a weird look, then lifted his hand to see if he can somehow get the correct information from it. All the while, the tail seemed to have stopped moving. Having seen the action as futile in the current situation, now being content to just snuggle nicely in the somehow warm towel it is trapped in.

"From what the Healers told me; you should be 17 years of age now, halfway to 18. And as you might have noticed from the parchment containing your approval for citizenship, you are officially still seen as an adult since you are above 16." The wizard looked at Alve's face, now that the dark-green tail had stopped moving and pointed his wand with his right hand at the centre of his chest. "The artefact that caused this interesting outcome is the one you have hanging around your neck."

Alve stopped trying to see if his hand is different from before and abruptly reach below his neck, still not looking at the snake tail that is currently motionless. "You mean I have a damaged artefact on me? The same one that is the reason for all of this." His hand touched his chest, finding nothing where the wizard is pointing his wand.

"Yes and no. It is true that the artefact is damaged and that it is now on your person. However, what is not true is that it is not there at this point in time."

"Yeah, that makes no sense," Alve remarked, looking at the wizard like he will become the Prince of the Kingdom of White Sheets any second now.

The wizard elaborated. "The artefact was a Time-Turner, able to allow witches and wizards to travel up to 5 hours back in time." The half-snake suddenly moved backwards as the hand that was on his chest touched a round metallic object, an object that was not there a second ago.

"That would be the Time-Turner," The magical professor nodded at the new object in their presence. "It has gained a new attribute after the unplanned experiment. An attribute that puts the Time-Turner in an arbitrary cycle of disappearance and reappearance.

"Unfortunately, it seems to have taken a liking to you. Because when it is removed, under its next reappearance, it will place itself again under your neck. Although I was able to move its chain around your neck; thus, it wouldn't fall only to come back again."

Alve carefully lifted the artefact to his eye level to inspect the new object that is somehow connected to him on a weird level of existence. A Time-Turner? He thought while studying the artefact in his hand. That he now can see resembles an antique mechanical pocket watch from the 18th century.

The professor was about to continue when the door – that had been closed by Ganon – was opened. A pudgy older man with long white hair, a lime green robe, and a traditional wizard's hat walked in. Followed by the screwball from before.

"Unspeakable, explain why young Sophia is petrified in the other room!" The newly arrived senior asked with a demanding tone while the screwball walked after him as if the lime-robed man was his faithful servant.

"Do not talk about time travel in the presence of others." Croaker whispered to the young non-human on the floor holding the antique pocket watch. "Mr Lawrence, it seems that Mr Bokgren has gained another characteristic, unnoticed until now. His eyes can petrify those that look directly in them."

That stopped the plump elder from walking further. At the same time, the delusional man behind him raised his eyebrows in surprise, staring at the 17-year-old half-snake on the floor.

"A vile beast!" The prince of the domain shouted. "Flee beast from my domain! For I am the Prince of White Sheets!"

The crazy old man grabbed the wand in the hands of the plump elder before him and pointed it toward the youngest of all four men.

"What!" The man without his wand whirled around and shouted at the soon attacking prince. "Mr Uqinn! Stop this nonsense now! He is a patient in this ward! You can't attack him!"

Unspeakable Croaker hurriedly raised from his chair and directed his grey wand at the prince who wants to be the hero.

"Ahaa!" The half-snake rapidly moved backwards, touching the bedside table hard, his eyes wide open. He began to breathe quickly, knowing from what he has seen that he is in a dangerous situation.

*Poof*

"Huh …" Two of the three older men expressed simultaneously. While Alve stared straight at the now white sheet where the oddball once stood.

"Huh … what?" He asked no one, gazing at the bedclothes that is now falling to the floor.

When the sheet touched the floor, the black- and lime-robed men altered the target of their sight to the half-snake.

After loudly swallowing nothing, Mr Lawrence was the first one to react to the new situation. "Magic? How can he do magic? Isn't he a Muggle?"

"Yes … yes, he is." Unspeakable Croaker now invited himself to the one-man conversation, having an expression of surprise on his face whilst staring at the young adult.

Alve looked at the two men and asked, even more surprised than them. "That was me? I know magic?!"

The lime green-robed elder took a long look at Alve, then, after a few seconds, directed his gaze at the former screwball lying on the floor. "Unspeakable, do you have any notion as to why this happened?" He said while picking up his wand, which is lying on the top of the white sheet.

"No, unfortunately. My expertise is in Time, not potions." The only Unspeakable in the room denied but continued with. "Ganon, who should be helping the young Trainee Healer, might have an idea. While young, he is a somewhat decent Potions Master."

"We can let Mr Uqinn be for a while longer, I reckon. Whilst we discuss this unprecedented event," The Healer stated, giving Alve a look of uncertainty. "I will go find Unspeakable Ganon and bring him here."

Mr Lawrence did as he stated, holding tightly to his wand in the process; not wanting to let it be stolen again.

When the door closed behind him, Croaker turned to Alve and helped him up to the bed. Whispering to him while he did so. "Remember, do not speak about you being a time-traveller to anyone but Ganon or me. Not even Mr Lawrence, the Healer-in-Change of this ward, is to know. Got it?"

Alve, who got help with his now longer lower body up the bed – still not even looking at it – finally rebooted from the shock of doing accidental magic and answered the wizard before him. "Yes, I can do that. But … I really need to know this … eh, will I always have the lower body of a snake?" He nervously held the now replaced cover tightly to his chest, covering up the snake tail.

Unspeakable Croaker looked oddly at the younger man, saying. "No, under your treatment this past week, all parts of you have been snake at least once, returning to normal after a while. The third day, your whole body was replaced with a thirteen-foot-long, dark-green serpent, quite an unusual sight, that one."

"So, it will go away?" Alve hopefully asked.

"From what the Healers have gathered, you should, in theory, be able to transform at will. So yes, it should." The answer to the question was given.

The wizard looked a little bemused when the connection to Alve's behaviour to his lower body registered to him. "Are you perhaps afraid of serpents?"

The only answer to that question was a slow nod of the head.

"Bad luck then, now that you are one." He paused, then, with a bit of pity in his voice, added. "You could ask the Healers here for help with the phobia, I reckon."

"Now then," – the wizard placed himself down on the chair he had abruptly left a while ago – "Before the others are back, are there any other questions you deem important to know the answers to?"

Alve looked down at his firm hold of his covers while thinking about what he wants to know. I guess … how he knew my name? No, no. He had my wallet; he knows even when I was born. How else would he know that I somehow traveled through time? He got a sudden revelation. Wait a minute … isn't St Mungo's the hospital in Harry Potter. But Mr. Croaker only said I traveled through time, not space.

He made up his mind and looked at the middle-aged wizard before him. "I wonder …" He uncertainty began. "Is the pocket watch tempered with, before the accident, I mean?"

Mr Croaker, looking a little thoughtful at the question, answered the active test subject of his department. "Yes, it is not a standard one. If that is what you speculate," He stared intensively at the younger man on the bed and took the risk of asking. "Why do you think so?"

"You are …" Alve stopped what he was about to say, suddenly thinking that it is already bad to be known as a time-traveller, not to mention a world-traveller. If Time-Turners are restricted by the Ministry of Magic. He thought he remembered from the Harry Potter movies, quickly coming up with another answer. "No, what I meant was that I remembered I was in Sweden before I woke up. It is just a little strange to me that an artifact that can only manipulate time would be able to move things through space too."

The professor, believing the quick change in the question would mean not all was said but answered nonetheless with a satisfied look. Meanwhile, the Time-Turner had decided to disappear for now. "You are right in believing so, Mr Bokgren. That specific Time-Turner was in an experiment involving a powder I was gifted by the overseer of the Space Chamber in the Department of Mysteries. Quite an unusual powder, that one. Moving from place to place without any physical interaction." He got a faraway look, remembering how hard it was to get the powder to stay in the Time-Turner.

"I see …" Alve lowered his head again. Thinking that this powder was the main reason for his transit to this world – that and maybe the power that governs Time-Turners had some weird interaction with it.

The room descended into silence while both the men pondered about the damaged artefact that had now disappeared but should be around the younger one's neck soon enough.

The half-snake hiding partially under the covers of his bed raised his head and asked a question to break the silence. "If I should not talk about time-travel with others, won't the Time-Turner cause problems if seen in the open?"

"It would not. Many witches and wizards own weird and unusual artefacts." Mr Croaker answered with a confident voice, having now stopped daydreaming of a truly frustrating experiment. "And besides, this artefact looks more like a pocket watch than a traditional Time-turner. But if you are worried, you could place it under your shirt when it has reappeared. It should hold the same position for the next reappearances after that."

The door to the room reopened, letting in the Healer-in-Change of the ward they were in, followed by the young missing Unspeakable.

"Ah, I heard that the Muggle could do magic." The potion-brewer stated with smiling eyes when he was through the door, closing it in the process.

"Ganon, have you any thoughts on how Mr Bokgren gained the ability to practice magic?" Mr Croaker inquired before Ganon could continue with his usually excited speech.

While the two men walked toward the right-side bed beside the window, Mr Lawrence swished his wand around to summon two chairs that were arranged alongside the wall.

"Oops … what is this?" The so-called Potions Master muttered when he accidentally placed his foot down on the white sheet on the floor, picking it up with his hands. Not having seen it in his excitement at the possible living specimen of his expensive potion.

Mr Lawrence forcefully took the former screwball from the Unspeakable's hand. Moving it to the empty bed with the dishevelled sheet, then sitting back in his now summoned chair.

"Right …" – the excited man said, glancing at the stolen sheet then back to Mr Croaker – "I do have a theory as for why, yes."

The now even more enthusiastic man sat down on the only empty chair and described his theory. "I did use an unusual mix of ingredients in the potion, I do admit. But from what I know of its properties, I would say the root cause are the blood of the Ashwinder and the root of the Aconite flower."

The plump elder Healer nodded his head, seeing how he would have come to that conclusion. While the senior Unspeakable and Alve continued to observe the potion-brewer.

"The blood of the Ashwinder, because of its birth in magical flames, and the root of the Aconite flower, for its properties of Awakening. Although the Awakening is only a hypothesis for its use in the Wideye Potion."

Mr Croaker was now nodding along, seeing the connection with Mr Bokgren's sudden affinity with magic. Meanwhile, Alve thought a little worriedly. A combination of Awakening and Birthed in magical flames … results in Awakening of magic. It can't be that simple, can it?

"They have never reacted like this before, even when mixed. So, the trigger must either be another ingredient, possibly the Basilisk blood for its rare use in potions, or the broken artefact, with its special modifications." He finished, taking a deep breath of air afterwards.

Alve, hearing something truly worrying, hurriedly sat up straight on his bed and anxiously inquired. "Basilisk blood? There was Basilisk blood in the potion I ingested?!"

All three adults in the room turned to the youngest one, and the senior Unspeakable questioned with a surprised tone. "You know what a Basilisk is?"

"Yeah, I have read of it on the internet and seen it in movies," Alve absentmindedly answered as if it was common knowledge. "What do you mean there's Basilisk blood in the potion?! Isn't it extremely poisonous!"

"No, it's the venom the serpent produces that is deadly. This is its blood." Ganon corrected, then added to it. "Besides, a drop of an anti-poison from the book Asiatic Anti-Venoms by Libatius Borage was added to reduce the effect of the Basilisk blood. Although I do admit, I don't remember exactly which anti-poison was used."

Alve stared weirdly and a little worriedly at the Potions Master when he said the last thing about the anti-poison.

"Is the Basilisk blood the reason I have the lower body of a snake too?" He questioned once again, starting to wonder if all his problems have been caused by the so-called Potions Master.

"Ah, yes. That should be the case," The only Healer in the room was the one to answer. "That and the Ashwinder blood. However, it is probably something more too, as the young Unspeakable said. This is the first time I or any of my associates have heard of such a permanent transformation. Excluding Animagi, of course."

Ganon bobbed his head to convey his agreement with what was said. At the same time, the other Unspeakable looked calmly at the Healer who continued in a more sympathetic tone.

"You got really lucky to have been infected by the potion at this point in time, Mr Bokgren. If not for the generous donation to the Hospital from Lord Malfoy, I'm ashamed to admit that you would not have survived the first night." Mr Lawrence gave the young man, now lying back in the hospital bed in shock, a gentle smile of comfort.

A silence descended to the room that was once again broken by the patient on the bed, but now in a broken sort of voice. "What do you mean by not surviving the night. Why would I die? You said the potion was not deadly?"

"While the Basilisk's venom is extremely deadly compared to its blood. A Basilisk is still a Basilisk, Mr Bokgren, even if its effect is reduced by some foreign anti-venom." The Healer-in-Charge gave a pitying look at the non-human. In contrast, the two Unspeakables looked on with emotionless expressions. "The donation by Lord Malfoy allowed us to buy Phoenix Tears, a known cure of a Basilisk's poison."

The room with the four men and the now white sheet in the other bed descended to silence to let the young man take in his near-death experience.

After a minute to let the man digest what could have gone wrong, the Healer continued while clapping his hand on his knees. "Now then, that should be all for now. We better undo the transfiguration on Mr Uqinn, then let the young man rest. Too many negative thoughts can be detrimental to his health."

The three men rose from their chairs; the Healer prepared to undo the accidental transfiguration of poor Mr Uqinn while the two Unspeakables walked out of the room.

When they were in the doorway, Mr Croaker advised the half-snake. "You better have those glasses on you at all times, else you risk petrifying more people."

Before the professor could move out of his view, Alve quickly asked. "Can you change my old pair of glasses to work like that? They are more comfortable." One muffled confirmation was heard before the two Unspeakables vanished from his view.

*Poof*

Alve looked at the bed belonging to the screwball, seeing the old man lying on it and sleeping soundly.

"Mr Bokgren," The gentle voice of the Healer with the wizard's hat got his attention. "If your transformation continues as before, the snake tail should be gone when you awake tomorrow morning."

After that information was given, Mr Lawrence also walked out of the room, closing the door while doing so.

Alve slowly let out a huge breath of relief and softly said.

"What a weird day."

And fell asleep when his head hit the pillow.

End of Chapter 2