CHAPTER TWELVE: THE POLYJUICE POTION
"The Polyjuice Potion" Hermione read in a 'not amused' tone.
Harry and Ron resisted laughter as they remembered what had happened to her.
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"You left him alone?" Sirius asked.
"I had some damage control to do." She defended.
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"So basically you're going to have a chat with a hat." Charlie asked.
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Dumbledore resisted a sigh knowing that as long as Harry was a horcrux, the hat would believe that the boy would do well in Slytherin. Luckily, the real Harry overshadowed the bit of Voldemort.
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"What was it?" Charlie asked.
"It's probably just Fawkes nearing a burning day" Sirius said.
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"Yep. Burning day approaching."
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"Just your luck." Remus chuckled.
Sirius whacked Remus on the shoulder.
"Do I sense a story?" Harry asked.
"No" Sirius said.
"Let's just say that my first sight of a burning day for a phoenix was alongside your Dad, Sirius, and Peter and it involved girlish screams, Peter jumping up into James' arms WITH Sirius, and everyone toppling over on top of me."
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"Wonderful timing." Arthur muttered.
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"I think I took it better than you did" Harry teased his godfather.
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Harry nodded.
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"Now THAT is loyalty" Sprout said.
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"I had known who had done it 50 years ago and it could only be one person" Dumbledore stated.
"You're not going to tell us, are you?" Remus asked.
"I believe the answer will arrive near the end of the book."
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"I should have realized you probably could have helped me understand that." Harry stated solemnly.
"You were still getting used to our world. It's easy to forget that." Dumbledore said.
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"This is odd…reading about myself in the third person" she stated.
"Tell me about it" Ron and Harry chorused.
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"Of course" Molly huffed.
"Oh Merlin." Bill groaned. Knowing his brothers, they were probably doing something stupid.
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"BOYS!" Molly scolded.
"We were trying to show people their idea that Harry was the Heir…"
"…was ridiculous!"
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"Looking back, it WAS pretty funny" Ginny said. Especially now that she didn't have to worry about Tom.
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"Glad we could be of service." The twins chorused.
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"Nuh uh" Ginny taunted.
He had only stayed because PENNY had stayed.
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"You have no idea how lucky you are." Remus told the girl.
"Why?" she asked.
"A couple of guys in my year…well…some boys like pajamas…some like their boxers and undershirts…others…not so much" Remus said as Sirius laughed at a memory.
"Lily, Alice, Marlene, and Mary never pranked us again" Sirius laughed.
"What happened or do we want to know?" Bill asked.
"The girls snuck into the dorm one Christmas, dyed our hair hot pink, Kingsley's and Frank's included, and then promptly woke us up by announcing that all of our presents had been moved downstairs. We all woke up and went running. James in his boxers with Snitches on them, Sirius with broomsticks on his, me in my blue pajamas, Kingsley with lions on his, and Peter and Frank in their birthday suits."
"I thank you two for wearing pajamas that morning." Hermione told her two boys.
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"Can't believe I touched him." She muttered under her breath.
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"If only" Harry sighed.
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"But that didn't stop you" Molly sighed.
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Molly rolled her eyes.
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"Excuse me?" Molly asked.
"You know, now that I think about it," Harry said. "That year's sweater, as well as the sweaters after that have been a bit different than my first one."
Ginny paled.
"You felt more like family after your first one so I put the same amount of effort as I had for Ron's and the others." Molly said saving her daughter.
Ginny relaxed knowing that what Molly had said wasn't a lie.
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"That would have been funny" Ron laughed before imitating Crabbe. "'Duh…why are there two of us?'"
"I hate to admit it," Snape said wincing. "But you could have said that you're the real ones and they would have fallen for it."
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"It scares me at times" Ron admitted.
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"Doesn't Miss. Bulstrode have a cat?" Snape asked.
Hermione just kept reading.
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"Loads. Fluffy included" Remus said giving Harry a glance.
"What DID happen to Fluffy?" Ron asked.
"He is now residing in the Forest." Dumbledore said.
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Snape slapped his forehead.
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"Yuck" those that hadn't had it chorused.
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Fred and George looked as if they were going to be sick as did Ginny.
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"I find it more like goblin piss." Moody said.
"I don't even want to know how you know that" Arthur said looking rather green himself.
"A dare when I was a rookie" Moody explained.
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Snape looked deep in thought.
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"Are you alright Severus?" Flitwick asked.
"So much can go wrong with this potion, I'm trying to see if I can catch something."
"Sir. We're sitting right here as ourselves" Ron said. "No sign of Crabbe or Goyle."
"And Millicent." Fred and George added.
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"It's weird…to look in the mirror and see someone else." Harry said.
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Moody slapped his forehead.
"You should have found THAT out before!" He exclaimed.
"You could have come to us!" Fred and George chorused.
"How do YOU two know?" Snape asked.
"We have our ways" the twins chorused while winking at Harry.
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"Something went wrong" Snape declared.
"It's explained." Hermione said.
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"What was she doing down there?" Moody asked suspiciously.
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"What was he doing down there?" Molly asked turning to McGonagall. "I thought Prefects were off round duty during the breaks."
"Relax Mum" Ginny said. "That Ravenclaw girl from earlier…he had been snogging her."
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"Prat" the Weasley boys chorused.
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"And only" Harry added.
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"Typical" Sirius muttered.
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"No" everyone chorused.
"I should have set that ghoul on them." Molly muttered.
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Not a single person in the room was relaxed.
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"That boy has NO respect for anyone!" Molly exclaimed.
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Sirius' fists clinched as he remembered what his father had used to say to him and his brother.
Flashback
"I tell you boys this tale so that should the heir return to finish Salazar's noble work, you will be able to help."
End Flashback
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Hermione froze and looked at her boys.
"Why didn't you mention this part?" she asked.
"It was bad enough we were wrong about Malfoy plus there was the incident with your batch." Harry said. "We didn't want to add this on top."
"It was bad enough to hear it let alone repeating it" Ron added.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked.
Hermione took a deep breath.
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"WHAT?!" a loud chorus came.
Snape scribbled that down on his growing list. He had NEVER wished death of a classmate (while in school). Expulsion, yes. Maiming, sure. Severely injured, absolutely. But not death.
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"Just a bit." Fred said.
"But we wouldn't blame you" George added.
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"I remember that. Didn't find much though. But a week later, we got that anonymous tip" Arthur said.
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Arthur turned to his son.
"YOU were the anonymous tipper?"
"Hermione. Read." Ron said.
"I'm not mad!" Arthur told his son. "In fact, I'm proud. You should have seen Malfoy's face when I opened that door."
Ron blushed at the praise.
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"Cat hair" Snape said.
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"Ironic how the brains of the outfit messed up her potion" Charlie joked.
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"That had been embarrassing." Hermione said closing the book indicating the end of the chapter.
"I'll read next." Harry said.
