December 16th, 1994. Wednesday.

"Well," Renee said, sitting down beside Selena at breakfast. "It's official. Today is the day we find proof."

"Don't you mean you?" Selena asked, eating a sugared roll. They were her favorite dish from the table, all sweet and warm. Hermione Granger might have been on her S.P.E.W campaign, but Selena had to hand it to the house elves that they were excellent cooks.

Renee groaned, seeming less interested than Selena in the food for once - and Renee loved food. "Really? Why do you have to spend today shopping for your boyfriend?"

Selena blushed and playfully hit Renee with her spoon. "It is not like that, I told you! We're just friends! And if you must know, yes. Harry even gave me his invisibility cloak a few minutes ago. It's the only day I can use it, he said." Anne had put in a good word for her, so that helped.

She flashed the silvery fabric under the table. "The teachers won't be looking for anyone sneaking out today. I'm going right after classes end."

"What're you two whispering about?" Elizabeth's voice startled the two girls as she appeared, hands on her hips, aqua-rimmed glasses flashing.

Renee panicked.

"Not sneaking out of the castle! We're talking about... uh... bacon! I love bacon!" She picked up a strip of the meat and stuffed it into her mouth and swallowed somewhat painfully, baring her teeth in a terrifying smile. "See?"

Liz gave her a funny look. "Uh-huh..."

Selena smiled. "Well, as much as I'd like to stay and chat, I have to go. See you both later, yeah?"

Both of the girls nodded and waved as Selena balled up Harry's cloak into her messenger bag amongst the textbooks, and walked out of the Great Hall.

In Hogsmeade...

Selena glanced around the shelves of creatures, animals and insects of many species all minding their own business. The warm shop was filled with the sounds of chirping birds, squeaking rodents, and little creatures burrowing in their little habitats. None of the creatures really caught her eye. Selena turned to the pet shop owner, an older witch with graying, coiffed hair and gentle wrinkles. "Excuse me, madam, what are these?"

She was pointing to some color changing butterflies. They fluttered in their netted habitat, wings shifting dazzling shades like bright pink to pure blue.

The shopkeeper nodded. "Those are Morphing Butterflies. Will change any color you can think of."

Selena bobbed her head. Suddenly, she heard a HISS! from behind her. She turned around to find an emerald green serpent behind her, sitting in a coil in a glass cage near a miniature log.

"What about this?" Selena asked, watching the snake curiously.

"Ah," the shopkeeper said, her voice like honey. "A French Sleeping Serpent. A drop of this little one's venom will put you to sleep quicker than-" she snapped her fingers. "One drop for one hour, two for two, three for three and so on. And the species is so smart, too..."

Selena smiled and remember Damon mentioning he'd like to have a pet snake.

"How much?" she asked.

The shopkeeper smiled. "Seven Galleons."

Selena looked into her knit purse. Only 10 Galleons, 13 Sickles, a single Knut. She sighed. It was a birthday present, and she really thought Damon would like it...

"I'll take it."

That Night...

Renee poked Selena awake, and then grinned. "Last chance to come with me!"

Selena rubbed her tired eyes, darkness enveloping the dorm room like a thick cloak. "I told you. I'm too tired from Hogsmeade... I bought this French Sleeping Serpent and-"

Renee interrupted her. "Wait... that's genius! That would be perfect... Put the Terrible Twins and Moody to sleep! Why didn't I think of that?"

Selena looked at her, eyes adjusting to the gloom. "And how would you get the venom to them, hm? Are you planning on milking the French Sleeping Serpent?"

Renee bit her lip. "Er... I know! We'll let the snake go and bite them! Sure, it may hurt a bit, but... it's worth a try... C'mon, once we've got them, we'll take them to Dumbledore! It's brilliant, see? Come with me, Sel, please!"

With a final sigh, Selena agreed.

In the Dungeons

"Alright, there they are..." Selena said, pointing to the three cloaked figures standing in front of Professor Snape's office. The Dungeons were as cold and damp as always, a draft blowing by, smelling of mildew. Selena shuddered in her robe, hiding behind a grimy stone wall.

"Good, let the snake go..." Renee responded, standing just behind her.

Selena opened the box with holes she was keeping the snake in, and set it on the uneven floor. Both of the girls stepped back some as the snake flicked his tail, gazing around the Dungeons. With green scales glittering in the dim lighting, the snake slithered out, focusing on the three people before him.

He hissed quietly and moved forward.

The twins didn't even notice as they snake bit them - he must have some numbing agent in his venom too. Moody was last to fall asleep and by then, the Huffelpuff twins were on the floor behind him, sleeping soundly.

Professor Moody, gray hair messy and electric blue eye wild, turned around just after the snake had bitten him, and began to sway on his wooden leg. Selena noticed his fake eye catch on the snake slithering its way back to the corner they were hidden behind. Within the next two seconds, he finally slumped down on the wall, totally asleep.

"Brilliant!" Renee whispered again, staring at the three indisposed people as Selena stepped down to catch the snake before he kept slithering on away. She put it back in the box and looked up as Renee started to walk forward.

"Wait," she whispered, her mind snagging on a problem with their scheme.

Renee turned around. "What?"

Selena sighed. "We didn't think this through. What will Dumbledore say when we bring him three bodies? We can't!"

Renee looked down at the professor and fellow students, tapping her wand on her leg lightly. "Then what're we going to do? We have to find proof! We have to! And we can't just leave them here. Won't a Slytherin prefect come by? We need to hurry with whatever plan we're going with."

Selena bit her lip. "Well... what were they even looking in Snape's office for?" What had Damon said? He'd mentioned some ingredient... She couldn't quite remember.

Renee shrugged. "We could check them. See if they're carrying a note or something."

Selena nodded, propping the snake box on her hip, and walked over to the people. Renee bent down, using the Wand-Lighting Charm to provide some light. Selena shielded her eyes for a moment, wincing, watching Renee open the silver flask on Moody's belt. She sniffed it and wrinkled her nose.

"Why would Moody need leeches?" she asked, not looking up.

"There's leeches in there?" Selena asked, aghast.

Renee shook her head. "Nope. It's all gone. But it smells like there were some in here..."

"How do you know what leeches smell like?"

"They were an ingredient in the potion assignment Snape assigned back about a month-and-a-half ago. Leeches were part of mine, I had the Shrinking Solution as my potion. And..." she sniffed again, "and knotgrass? My dad drinks Knotgrass Mead sometimes, but... this isn't mead, and the leeches would be odd even if it was."

Selena took a vial from Moody's his belt and opened it, shaking a bit of the contents onto her palm. Tiny green insects tumbled out, their wings transparent. "Lacewing flies?" Her mind flew back to what Damon said, mentioning Moody stealing Lacewing flies. She showed the insects to Renee, the girl's brows drawn in concern. Selena shook her head. "What potion needs Lacewing flies, knotgrass, and leeches?"

Renee muttered to herself, repeating the ingredients. "It sounds like... but no that's... I've only ever heard..." She peered up at Selena, honey eyes curious. "It's sounding like Polyjuice Potion."

Selena was quiet before she raised her eyebrows. "Polyjuice Potion? Isn't that the one that changes what you look like or something?" She'd only heard it mentioned a few times, it wasn't a common potion.

Renee bobbed her head. "I think so. I've heard Tess read her textbooks out loud long enough to hear a bit and it's sounding like it... But why would Professor Moody need a potion to make him look like someone else? And what's with all the - I've got it!" Her eyes lit up. "Moody was making Polyjuice Potion, stealing ingredients from Snape! He has the Lacewing flies in that vial, and used to have potion in here! But, Snape's office is the only one that actually carries some of the ingredients! That's why!"

Selena grinned. "Renee, you've just given me an idea!"

By the end of the night, the girls had stolen Moody's Lacewing fly vial, taken a hair from both Erebus and Iceyeyes, and left the three there to either wake up, or get discovered by the Slytherin prefects.

"This has been a productive night," Selena said, nodding, though a flurry of questions churned in her head.

Renee smiled. "Of course it has. Now, let's get to bed."

Well, this was an interesting chapter to write.

And next chapter is Damon's birthday party and other stuff, then the chapter after that is the Yule Ball. And I promise, that will be interesting.

So, what did everyone think? Was it good enough? What will Renee and Selena do with the Lacewing flies and a hair from each of the Demon Twins?

Also, I promise that next chapter will have a lot of characters. Even a BIG surprise... And is about Damon and Selena, BUT I'm guessing you won't expect it. ;)

HINT: It includes a character Selena met on the Hogwarts Express.

Well, thanks for reading.

Don't forget to leave a comment on the way out!

~Meghan

5/23/17: So, in the books, Moody stole from Snape's office... I don't know if Past Me was aware of this, or if I cared. Or if there was some cabinet in Snape's office or something... But yeah.