Thank you everyone for your undyingly patience. Please know I have not forgotten you all or this story. Though my heart and soul long to continue writing til the end of time to finish this story, real life demands my attention. Yes, I'd be slow posting, but I'd like this story to be finished at all cost. Enjoy and Happy Early ThanksGiving!
Question: What do you think about the title? hahaha
Chapter 13: Crash Landing
[Houa POV]
Merlin, Yes!
Houa had nearly leaped in joy when Rey told her this past Saturday that Dumbledore wanted to meet with her! It matters not the reason because that in itself was enough! She can definitely use this to her advantage should that nefarious wizard strike again.
When asked if she knew where the office was located, she had told the young Mr. Potter not to fret because April will be sure to show her to it. The charming Chaser merely shook his head and insisted upon the role to which she happily obliged. They settled for Tuesday after his Quidditch practice and she even accepted his invitation to watch him play.
Now that it's settled, a determined Houa sat down in Monday Potion class with her next objective in mind: Obtaining ingredients from Slughorn's personal storage!
It would have been easy if all she needed to do was access the class storage because Slughorn always sends students to fetch extra ingredients from the back room however, what she needed was greater. Hope is not lost because she had seen another door in the storage room, one which must lead to the potion master's supplies. All she needs now is one simple password!
Praying to the Universe and her Dad that everything goes smoothly, Houa set her plan in motion after the chubby professor covered the finer aspects of the Elixir to Induce Euphoria. As the class set out to brew, she purposely knocked over several jars of components in an accidental manner when reaching for ingredients. When Horace came over to address the shamble scene, she had apologized and offered to serve detention after dinner. The charitable wizard had brushed off her statement saying all is well, but at Houa's earnest protest to make up for it gave in.
Returning to her station, her potion partner reassured, "Don't worry about it Houa. Accidents happen all the time."
Faking a somber mood, she sighs, "Thank you Terrence. I'll be more careful next time."
At the Gryfindor's nod, she glanced towards Riddle and saw the model student fully concentrated on his brewing in absence of his partner, seemingly unaffected by the entire scenario. Hoping luck was on her side and that You-Know-Who did not suspect anything, she began her own brewing.
Showing up to detention early, Houa apologized to Professor Slughorn again. She meant every word of it because of her next course of action. Horace, being the considerate instructor he was especially because of her Squib background, merely chuckled asking her to wipe down each lab station and scrub some pots.
She did so for the half hour, but when the kind professor ventured into his own personal storage room, Houa popped open the potion she had brewed that morning and approached the half drunk coffee mug. Given that they earned full credit, it should accurately induce irrational happiness upon the drinker.
Never one to cause mischief back in Xellarius Academy, the dimensional traveler knew all will have to change now especially if the Wizarding World is to exist for the Boy-Who-Lived to save. She briefly wonders if the future Harry Potter ever found himself in similar predicaments and commended the boy for going through with it.
Forgive me Professor Slughorn...
Taking a deep breath with only the slightest hesitance, Houa poured half the golden elixir. She watched as it spread throughout then blended completely with the brown liquid. Quickly she returned to her post just as her instructor waltz back in.
With his inventory list in hand Slughorn asked, "How is it coming along Miss Songly?"
Her heart rate skyrocketed at the misdeed she just performed, but forced it not to show on her face as she scrubbed and rinsed pots, "Good Professor."
"Awesome, let me know when you are done," he plopped back down at his desk chair and set aside the list to resume grading. Finally halfway through the first pile, he coughed and spotted his mug, reaching for it.
OH GOD, here it comes!
Houa only peep as the ignorant wizard chugged it down in one go then sighed with content, continuing his grading. Giving the potion enough time to work its magic, she decided to give it a try after witnessing Horace's grin for minutes on end. Some students were certainly going to be quite happy with their homework scores.
"Professor?" she tested.
He turned to her with an overly relaxed smile fixed on his face, "Yes, Miss Songly?"
Encouraged, she walked up to his desk and spoke calmly, "I am done. May I help you organize your personal storage next?"
Slughorn chuckled out loud, "How very kind of you to offer Miss Songly! Just the assistance I require! If you don't mind?"
Putting a reign on her explicit grin, Houa replied normally, "Not at all Professor. Just give me your inventory list and storage password."
She held her breath waiting in nervous anticipation. God, her heart was beating so fast any lie detector would have already combusted to pieces.
Please let it work!
"But of course!" He handed her the inventory, "Just whisper Crystallise Pineapple to my storage door beyond that back door."
Making sure her hand did not shake, Houa accepted it.
"Potions are all labeled. I like to organize them alphabetically, but sometimes I tend to misplace things and everything gets jumbled in there. I'd say just do what you can alright?" Slughorn smiled sheepishly.
"Yes, Professor. I'll get started immediately." She left the classroom promptly, double checking that the back door was firmly shut after she entered. Walking up to the only other door in the room, she can tell that it was sealed tightly and the pulsing magic around it guaranteed only a password and permission would allow entry.
This is what it all comes down to!
"Crystallise Pineapple."
Merlin! The door swung OPEN!
Holy Great Universe! I did it!
Horace's storage was the size of a small walk around pantry with shelves lined from the floor to beyond the ceiling. A glance around told Houa that though the shelves were alphabetized, it seemed like a hurricane had just passed through displacing all the potions and bottles. Judging from the absence of dust, at least it seemed her instructor had cast a charm to keep the place breathable.
I better get started considering I'll be searching for a needle in a haystack.
Stepping onto the old sliding ladder, Houa quickly reached into the pockets of her robe and pulled out a small handbag. Reaching inside the bag she took out two empty jars that would have not fit in her pockets without giving them away were it not for the undetectable extension charm April cast on it.
Looking at her hunting list of ingredients, the dimensional traveler has never been more grateful that her brilliant witch of a friend included pictures too. She doubted she would have been able to imagine what the Horn of Bicorn looked like. Roaming the storage in a fast yet observable way, she kept the twisted-root-like image in her mind. After climbing up the ladder three times and sliding back and forth, she finally found it on Shelf W because of its obvious size, too big to stowaway from sight.
Much too large to fit a jar, Houa merely threw it down the small handbag which thanks to its enchantment had swallowed the horn whole without protest. No time for celebration just yet.
3 measures of Boomslang skin. 3 measures of Boomslang skin. 3 measures of Boomslang skin. Come on, come on! Last ingredient!
Sweat started forming on Houa's forehead after a good fifteen minutes flew by with no clue as to where it was. She looked at the image again and saw a word written next to the picture off to the side where her thumb had covered.
Snake skin…
Her eyes widen like saucers: Oh these are snake skins! Please let them be under that letter!
She jumped off the ladder and looked from the ground up on Shelf S. Moving onto the cranky ladder once more, Houa continued making her way up. It was on one of the highest sections that she located the Boomslang skin. Nevermind the two empty jars she placed on the shelf below, she reached into the handbag and pulled out another jar.
Unscrewing the lid, she pops open the Boomslang skin glass jar just as the back door swung open with a bang! Panic seized her instantly!
Slughorn is coming! NOW! DO IT NOW!
With swift yet sweaty hands, Houa dumped half of the dried provisions into her own jar before capping it. Footsteps sounding closer, she only had enough time to yank open her handbag to shove her jar down then jammed it into her pocket of her robe.
I can't leave his jar open! He'll know!
Just as she attempted screwing the lid of Horace's jar, Houa was crushed with such a fearsome force causing her blood to freeze as all oxygen escaped her lungs. The already agitated girl found her breath knocked out of her and with the slip of her left footing on the worn down ladder, together with the jars of snake skins she fell to the Death waiting below...
[Tom POV]
After his little rendezvous with Miss Ross, the young Dark Lord was anything, but ignorant of the Vomit Girl. Yes, he had visited the Head Girl to gain more information on the Songlys but there had been another theory he wanted to test out. Having done so, now more than anything he is certain of one thing:
The tingle only responds to Squib Girl.
Even in heated moments with Crystinia, nothing in him nor his blood had reacted one tiny bit. Perplexed by whatever connection and meaning the tingle may have in regards to him, Riddle watched with concealed vehemence at the pony-tailed maiden in potion class. It seems being in her presence alone does not invoke such a response in his blood. He'll have to retrace his steps and observe closely for the recurring variable cause.
Glancing from the corner of his eyes, the young Dark Lord saw the petite Hufflepuff stood as the last student to gather her ingredients again. Just as he was about to turn his attention back to his own table, he saw her reached for a much higher jar and slyly flunging them off the shelf with a fake slip against the wooden holder.
Had he not witnessed this, he would have bought her entire story of wanting to serve detention despite Slughorn's dismissal of it. Most normal students would have only been too eager to escape without consequences, but she was not a normal student is she?
Just what are you up to little Squib?
Due to his tensely packed schedule, he would not be able to make it in time for her detention with Slughorn and so instructed his Knights to keep a close watch on her. By the time he finished his meeting with the Headmaster regarding the dates of Hogsmeade trips, it was nearing curfew. Walking hastily towards the dungeon, his suspicion was proven correct when Lestrange reported that the new Girl had overstayed the one hour detention and had yet to exit the classroom.
I'll just pretend to stop by with questions for the old man.
Entering the room, he noticed the Squib Girl's immediate absence and an overly joyful Potion instructor exclaiming, "Why isn't it my most brilliant student! Just the person to share my news with!"
Tom raised one eyebrow in confusion, "Sir?"
Professor Slughorn skipped over to meet his favorite student in the center of the room, hands clutching a pile of grading papers, "You would not believe it! Over half of my third year students scored magnanimously on their report papers and I'm just getting started on grading!"
Circling Riddle, the ecstatic wizard continued, "If this keeps up I may eventually make the front page of the Daily Prophet!" he chuckled out loud like he had just won the instructor of the year award and tossed all the graded papers in the air in rejoice!
Seems Tom won't be needing a valid reason to see Slughorn after all. Raising his voice to bring the drugged professor back down to earth, the young Dark Lord merely hinted at the time.
At that the jumpy wizard quickly scrambled around to pick up the papers he just paraded in, "Merlin! It's almost curfew! Do fetch Miss Songly from my personal storage while I organize these papers real quick and we'll call it a night."
Personal storage?!
Putting a drunken professor and his personal storage together in one sentence all made sense to Riddle now. Before Slughorn even finished his sentence, Tom had already stalked towards the back door twisting its rusty knob. The wooden door swung open hitting the dent in the wall a little too harsh as he walked through the cramped doorway.
Spying the wide open door of Horace's personal pantry, the Slytherin stride briskly, setting his trap as he approached ever closer.
There's no escape now! Whatever reason has caused the desperate Girl to risk expulsion by drugging a professor and stealing from his stash will be revealed to Tom now.
And if she refuse, he'll take her and her Muggle Professor of a Aunt to the Headma—
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Riddle looked up in the nick of time as the irritable mouse he sought came crashing from above!
Taken by surprise, everything flashed by in a millisecond!
Let her fall to her doom. Just step aside…
Yes, she could have, would have, most definitely would have met a haunting fate or worse, but something unexpectedly happened in that exact moment that changed the course of everything...
Like all other times beforehand it came unpredictably, an uncalled for response!
However, instead of a simple reaction this time, the tingle sped through his bloodstreams and rippled in massive waves throughout his body as if in distress?!
And before the heir Slytherin had a moment to think, his body had moved!
With both arms outstretched above him, his view became shrouded in a swirling curtain of brown hair just as his arms closed around a slim waist. Somehow his legs were already angled to accommodate the force and when he took a step back due to the impact, only the sound of shattered glass echoed in the room alongside the smell of dried snake skins.
TBC
Note: "Crystallise Pineapple" is actually a favorite fruit of Horace. I thought it would be fun to make it the password haha.
A huge Thank You to GreyMoon . Huntress and JUNO . ALMOST DEAD for your comments. My loyal readers, I am eternally grateful for your support and interest in this story. I will do my best to update for the rest of this year.
Whether you are merely stopping by or staying for the entire ride, I thank you.