Author's note: The finer details concerning Veritaserum and its effects are taken from Mrs J.K. Rowling's website. Thanks go to duj for pointing me there.
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Of Boys and Spells
Chapter 3: Daring Plans
-
The Ravenclaws of his year were gathered in Albus's dormitory.
Joseph sat on his bed, flanked by Glynnis and Trayi. He held a small bouquet of various flowers in his hands.
"Professor Longbottom helped me to pick d-them," he said, indicating the flowers. "He was very sympadeti... sympade-the..."
"Sympathetic," Scorpius provided.
"Yes, dat's de word," Joseph said. His usual wide smile was missing.
"I think you should go first, Joseph," Ireen said. "You and Rose. You're her closest friends, and Madam Smethwyk won't let in more than two or three visitors at a time anyway."
"Right," Cedric said. "And those flowers won't survive more than another quarter of an hour if you keep fiddling with them like this."
Joseph mumbled something indistinct – probably in his native language – and put the flowers behind him on the bed.
"I agree with Ireen," Glynnis said. "We'll go in twos and threes. And I volunteer to go in about an hour or so. This way I'll have enough time to ask my sister to help me charm the Get Well Card so the little figures will move and all." She held up a colourful painting that was nearly one square foot in size.
Most of them already had plans for the afternoon – there was a meeting of the Gobstones Club and Madam Hooch had scheduled a broom race, so it took them a while to negotiate a visiting order that allowed everyone to pursue their various activities. Then, Rose and Joseph left for the hospital wing and the twins, along with their fellow Quidditch enthusiasts, for the Quidditch pitch. One by one, the others filed out, too, until only Pia remained with Albus and Scorpius.
"I'd like to say something consoling but I don't really know, what," she said, glancing awkwardly at Albus's hair. "Persephone gets all the attention. True, she's worse off than you, but you were hexed as well."
"It's the thought that counts," Albus muttered dryly.
Pia chanced another look at the unruly, violet hair. "You could dye it," she suggested.
"We'd rather not," Scorpius said. "Madam Smethwyk warned us against tampering with it lest we make it worse."
"She said you had to know the precise wording of the employed curse in order to speed up the fading process," Albus added.
"Well, maybe. But... no offence, Al, but..." – the girl grimaced – "that colour kind of clashes with your eyes."
Albus shrugged. He'd never spent much time in front of mirrors. Why start now? He turned away from Pia to study Scorpius's appearance. Scorpius looked strange with violet hair, but not unsightly. "I could shave it off," he said at length, turning back to the girl. "And you know what? My Dad could regrow his hair overnight when he was a boy. Perhaps he'll show me that trick."
Pia nodded, a small smile of relief on her lips, and left.
Scorpius flopped down on his bed. He kicked off his boots and stretched out comfortably. "Can you please write me once your Dad has taught you his special trick?" he asked. "The actual spell plus all necessary instructions for regrowing hair?"
"There is no spell. My Dad did raw magic. Such things won't work if you try to do them on purpose."
"Liar."
"I wanted to calm her down," Albus said apologetically.
Scorpius let out a sigh. "I don't know what will upset Dad more – looking at this violet eye-sore or seeing me walk around like a skinhead."
"What's a skinhead?" Albus asked absently. He'd just remembered the Truth Serum in his pocket. His fingers closed around the small flask.
"They're Muggle hooligans who like to beat each other up after football games. They also like to shave their hair off for some reason."
Albus didn't listen. Knowing how to use Veritaserum would be great. He pictured a properly drugged Yaxley who spoke nothing but the truth...
"Al?"
Madam Smethwyk could interrogate the Slytherin boy and learn the exact wording of the curse he put on Sepho. Having such information, the nurse could speed up the waning process, and, with some luck, Sepho would be able to walk again by the end of next week.
"Albus?"
What amount of potion was necessary to make a bulky yobbo like Yaxley talk? Would the contents of the tiny bottle be enough?
Thoughtfully, he caressed the glass with his forefinger. They could go to the library. They could start by searching the free sections until Rose joined them. Aunt Hermione had taught her a really useful spell-
"Al!"
"What? – Oh, let's go, then."
"Where to? We're supposed to visit Sepho after dinner."
"No, let's go to the library and search for a book about Veritaserum."
"That can wait, Al. The way I look right now I won't confront my Dad with-"
"It's not about your Dad. We'll make Yaxley drink the Serum so he'll own up and tell Madam Smethwyk what curse he used on Sepho."
"Al, we don't have any Veritaserum."
"Yes, we do." Albus held the little bottle out to Scorpius.
"You nicked it?!" Scorpius sat up straight on his bed. "You are mad! You are downright mad. That's theft. What, if somebody finds out? We were only just in trouble!"
"I bet Professor Selwyn doesn't even know it was ever there," Albus said, managing to sound calmer than he felt. Scorpius was right about pilfering; he had to admit that much.
"Well, maybe," Scorpius conceded. "But the moment you use it people will notice, won't they? So, you can't."
Feeling genuinely embarrassed, Albus slipped the potion back into his pocket. Of course, the nurse would ask questions if they showed up with a whole bottle of Truth Serum.
"We can ask him ourselves and tell Madam Smethwyk afterwards what we found out. She doesn't have to know how we found out," he said.
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Al, come off it! We know nothing about that potion. What, if we get the dosage wrong? There could be dangerous side effects or something."
"That's why I want to read about it before we do anything," Al said in a small voice. The possibility of side effects hadn't occurred to him.
"Then go and read," Scorpius said wearily. "I won't come. I won't assist you with getting yourself expelled."
To emphasise his refusal, Scorpius beckoned to the king of his chessmen. The pieces immediately climbed down from their favourite resting-place, an illustrated hardback about astronomy, and marched over to the board.
Albus watched them taking up their positions while, in his chest, conflicting emotions battled for dominance. He felt angry and ashamed at the same time. He was worried about Sepho and he was mad at that bully Yaxley. He resented Scorpius's attempt to distract him with chess and he was glad that Scorpius was resolved to prevent him from committing some folly.
"Look," he said pleadingly. He wanted everything to be all right and he wanted his best friend to help him put things all right. "Sepho is our friend. How can you sit here, cool and unperturbed, and play chess as if nothing bad had happened to her?"
"That's not fair, Al!" Scorpius said sharply. "I'm as much worried about Sepho as you are."
"What if she can't go home next week?"
"Professor Flitwick can ask her parents to come and fetch her. They're both wizarding people. They can come to Hogwarts."
There was a knock at the door.
"Come," Albus said much louder than necessary. He very nearly blushed when the door opened and he saw the visitor. Being impolite to your tutor was simply not on.
Mike Wilson wore a grin, though. "There's a healer here from St. Mungo's. She wants to have a look at your violet mane. Or rather," he corrected himself, pointing a finger to Scorpius and grinning even wider, "at your violet manes. Get going, you two."
"To the hospital wing?"
"No, she has set up office in the Quidditch shack," Mike replied, pulling a face. "Of course, to the hospital wing! Where do you think a healer would be?"
"Yeah, sure," Albus muttered. "Thanks for the message."
"It's nothing. Now get a move on."
Albus left with Scorpius in tow. He didn't mind the interruption – quite the reverse, he was glad for the respite. Arguing with Scorpius was a different matter than quarrelling with James. And besides, an experienced healer from St. Mungo's would sort out this mess in a jiffy, wouldn't she?
-
The healer was an elderly, greying lady with a stern face. She spent ten minutes doing diagnostic spells. She even plucked a few hairs from Albus's head.
"Well gentlemen, the good news is that the damage isn't permanent," she said eventually. "How long it will take for the curse to fade Merlin alone knows. Two or three months wouldn't surprise me."
Months!
Albus groaned inwardly. He would have to flaunt that annoying colour for the whole summer! What amount of "jokes" from James, giggles and squeals from Lily, teasing remarks from Uncle Ron or Uncle George would he have to endure? Not to mention Grandma Weasley's disapproving glares...
Scorpius, looking as unhappy as Albus felt, cleared his throat. "May I ask a question, ma'am?"
"Sure, dear. Go ahead."
"What about Persephone Ackerley? Will she be unable to walk for the whole holidays?"
"A Leg-Locker Curse will in all probability wane faster than a simple Hair Colouring Jinx since it takes up considerably more magical energy. To hazard a guess, I'd say a couple of weeks, maybe three."
Scorpius buried his face in his hands. "Why does anyone do such things?" he sighed.
"That's hard to tell. Have you or the girl done anything to offend Mr Yaxley?"
"He takes offence in my mere existence," Scorpius said. "It has to do with my father and grandfather and a war that ended twenty years ago."
A grim smile stole over the healer's face. "In a sense, the war can be considered the political equivalent of a Lingering Curse. Even after two decades, former Death Eaters like the Yaxleys – the entire family was somehow involved with the Dark Side – haven't come to terms with reality. They're obviously intent on passing the enmity on to the next generation."
Scorpius visibly twitched, but the healer plunged on, "Lingering Curses are banned. They border on the Dark Arts, especially when combined with a potentially life-threatening spell. Using them – and on rather helpless children! – is a telltale sign indeed: The sons are as ruthless as the parents once were."
"Not all of them," Albus said firmly.
"Oh sure, some have mended their ways." There was an unconcealed note of sarcasm in the healer's voice. "A reformed Death Eater is as possible a thing as an herbivorous dr-" She abruptly stopped talking because Madam Smethwyk and Professor Jones approached. The nurse looked worried, the teacher devastated.
Albus strained his ears to hear what the adults were whispering between themselves. He couldn't make much sense of the conversation until he suddenly caught the word Veritaserum. Heat rose to his cheeks; his heart was hammering. His hand, on its own accord, moved into his pocket. The bottle was there. Did anyone miss it? Were they searching for a thief?
"That is most unfortunate." The healer spoke slightly louder than before.
"Definitely," Madam Smethwyk agreed. "Yaxley is cunning. Now, that he is warned, he won't even eat the food that is served to him at the Slytherin table without checking it first."
"Etienne meant well," Professor Jones mumbled.
"Our current DADA assistant," Madam Smethwyk explained. "He's brilliant at theory, but lacks hands-on experience. One cannot to blame him, though. He's but twenty."
"What do we do now?" Professor Jones was pretty close to tears. "We can't let her starve to death... The poor girl can't even drink anymore!"
"I will take Miss Donovan to St Mungo's," the healer answered. "Notify her parents so they can visit her."
"They are Muggles," Professor Jones sighed.
"Well, we've had Muggles visiting before. I'm sure we can set up some discreet arrangement for the Donovans," the healer told her. Turning to Albus and Scorpius, she said, "My apologies, gentlemen, but there is nothing I can currently do for you. You may leave."
As they left, Glynnis – carrying the large Get-Well-Card – and Trayi walked in. Rose and Joseph caught up with Albus and Scorpius out in the hall a minute later.
"Were they talking about Nancy?" Rose asked at once.
"Yes, they were," Scorpius said.
"I believe they think now that Yaxley has cursed her as well," Rose told them. "One of Nancy's friends saw him coming out of the infirmary this morning when Madam Smethwyk was away fetching dittany from the greenhouses."
"Nancy is very ill," Joseph said. "Dey say it's a Gas-tro-en-te-ri-tis Curse."
"I've never heard of such a curse before," Rose added. "I'm about to go to the library. I want to look it up in the Grand Spell Lexicon."
"I'll come along," Scorpius said without hesitation. "Al?"
Albus nodded.
-
The Grand Spell Lexicon wasn't one book, but twenty-six. Gastroenteritis wasn't one spell, but the collective name for a score of nasty hexes.
Albus was lost as soon as he started reading. Whoever had written this encyclopaedia had tried to cover every side topic from spell etymology to anecdotes about prominent victims. Rose, on the contrary, seemed comfortable with the maze of footnotes and cross-references. Joseph was constantly thumbing through his dictionary, a bemused expression on his face.
After a few minutes, Scorpius shoved an open book in front of Albus.
Veritaserum or Truth Serum is considered one of the most advanced potions, Albus read. "Did you change your mind?" he asked under his breath.
"You heard Professor Jones, didn't you?"
Albus saw the woman's grief-stricken face before his mind's eye. She definitely feared for Nancy Donovan's life.
"What she said about Nancy?" he whispered.
"Yes. People can survive for a while without food but not without water. So, Nancy Donovan cannot wait for that bloody hex to wear off all by itself – she'll die within days. That's what Professor Jones is afraid of," Scorpius went on, his voice very low. "Al, stealing someone's essay is not a crime punishable by death. Right?"
"Of course not!"
A small smile crossed Scorpius's face. "Okay, then. We are in on this together." He pointed to a passage further down the page. "Look here."
It is essential that the targeted person does not realise your intentions because Veritaserum works best upon the unsuspecting, the vulnerable and those insufficiently skilled to protect themselves against it. Besides the traditional antidote, which is difficult to brew but generates good results, a capable witch or wizard can employ Occlumency to counteract the main effect of Veritaserum. Other, less reliable methods are sealing one's own throat and faking a declaration of innocence or transforming the potion into something else before it touches the lips. Please note that wandwork is not necessarily required for any of these options.
"See?" Scorpius whispered. "That's why the teachers will achieve nothing by giving him the drug again. But we can do it. Yaxley won't suspect us to have Veritaserum."
"All right," Albus said softly. "Let's find out how much he has to drink."
Together, they read on. The dosage for the average adult person was three drops for approximately twenty-one minutes of questioning. More than six drops were not to be administered without the supervision of an experienced healer since such high dosages posed the risk of random memory loss or irreversible brain damage. Smaller amounts, however, had only minor side effects like ravenous hunger and, subsequently, sleepiness.
"Should we bring a sandwich and a pillow?" Scorpius mumbled.
"Above all, we need a fail-proof method to feed him the stuff," Albus whispered back.
"Any ideas?"
"Not yet."
Across the table, Rose closed the book with a snap. "That's really very complicated magic." She sounded almost apologetic. "I can't explain how Yaxley pulled that off. Seems he's cleverer than people think. Or than Victoire says, anyway."
-
On the way back to the Ravenclaw tower, Joseph asked Rose whether she would proofread his homework since he didn't want to bother Persephone at the moment. She agreed and remained with him in the common room whereas Albus and Scorpius retired to their dormitory.
Devising a plan for administering Veritaserum to Julius Yaxley proved to be difficult. How was a tricky question, but where and when turned out to be even trickier. They were no closer to a solution after an hour's brain storming than they had been at the beginning.
"What about this: Instead of seeking him, we let him find us," Scorpius suggested.
"Like this morning by the lake? Yes, cool, but we still have to sit in some place where he happens to come along."
"Then we have to position ourselves at the Slytherin table."
"Well... if all else fails..."
"I was joking!" Scorpius rolled his eyes. "The other Slytherins will have beaten us up ten times before we ever get a glimpse of Yaxley!"
"So what shall we do?"
"I don't know," Scorpius sighed.
"We could send him an owl and try to lure him somewhere."
Scorpius shrugged and started leafing through the neat stack of written music on his bedside table. Albus watched him, feeling a small pang of envy. Making music was a means for Scorpius to escape reality, a refuge, a secret realm where he found his peace of mind. Albus couldn't judge the quality of Scorpius's performance; he had next to no expertise on the matter. Occasionally, Scorpius broke off in the middle of a piece and started anew a few notes earlier, but in general, Albus liked listening to him.
"McCartney," Scorpius announced, "Obladi, Oblada."
Albus knew the song. It was Scorpius's remedy of choice when homework seemed to eat up more than nine tenths of their time. In other words, Albus had heard it regularly.
Scorpius began at an unusual slow pace, as if he was meditating on the melody. Yet gradually, the tempo picked up, and soon Albus found himself tapping his foot in the rhythm of the now cheerful song.
Scorpius only stopped playing when Joseph sauntered in.
"All spelling errors are fixed," Joseph stated with relish. "And did you hear the news? Yaxley has detention! He has to clean out the waste tanks in the Rubbish Room. Tonight at eight dirty... thirty."
"But – that's perfect!" Scorpius, half astonished, half relieved, breathed.
And Albus, realising the tremendous potential of a lonely corridor like the one leading to the Rubbish Room as well, exclaimed, "Joseph, you're great."
"Yes?" Joseph beamed. "Thirty, thirty, thirty... wow!"
-
One hour later at dinner, Albus and Scorpius slipped several fruits into a bag they had brought along. They told their comrades that they intended to give the apples and peaches to Persephone. A large piece of pastry went the same way, unnoticed. And at the end of the meal, Albus created a distraction by upsetting the table decoration so Scorpius could grab two glasses of pumpkin juice and put them into the bag as well.
While Scorpius quickly left with the precarious freight in his bag, Albus excused himself by saying that James wanted to see him.
James had finished eating and was chatting with his friends. Albus tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I speak to you in private?" he asked softly.
As expected, James made a show of having to attend to family matters. Everyone in the vicinity stared unashamedly at Albus's hair. Albus glared back, but kept quiet.
Eventually, James went some steps aside with him and, never wasting a chance to tease his younger brother, remarked, "You look really cute, you know. I daresay Mum will be delighted."
"Violet is all the rage these days," Albus said with just enough impatience to make his brother happy. "Why don't dunderheads like you get this?"
"I don't concern myself with fashion," James answered loftily. Then, he grinned. "I hate to admit it but you bear that quite well. So, what can I do for you, little bro?"
"Assist us. Scorpius and I want to get back at Yaxley."
"Ha! I knew you would see reason one day!"
"Yeah, seems so..." Albus said vaguely. "So, are you in on it?"
"Naturally! What are you up to? Ambush him in a toilet cubicle?"
"Well, no. The plan says we trick him into drinking some very specially spiced pumpkin juice."
"Sounds intriguing. What special effect will that be?"
"I'm banking on your curiosity, James. If I told you right now, you might forget to show up."
"Me missing out on a prank? You wound me!"
"Anyway. It's tonight at eight fifteen in the corridor that leads to the Rubbish Room."
Albus turned and left. Telling James more would only serve to lessen his brother's interest. But Albus wanted him around in case something went wrong. Unlike Rose and Joseph, James was capable of casting a Stunner.
Rose and Joseph were waiting for him outside the Great Hall.
"What did James want?" Rose asked.
Albus made an indifferent gesture. "Complimenting me on my new hairstyle."
Rose snorted. "He really could be a nice guy if he didn't take so much pleasure in being a pest."
"Yeah. One could think he was related to your Dad."
She burst into giggles.