A Potion Induced Advent's Time
by Healer Pomfrey

Please refer to the content/warnings/disclaimer note above page 1.

December 8

"Severus, you will do..." Harry began strictly, however had to interrupt himself to let out a few harsh coughs. "Severus," he continued hoarsely, "please behave yourself. The class is going to commence any minute now. For the second class I'll think of something else, and in the afternoon, you may brew something with your toddler's kit."

"Don' talk so much," Minerva advised him and toddled towards the connecting door to her office, giving Harry a pleading look upon realising that she wasn't able to open the door.

Harry sighed in annoyance. He quickly allowed the little girl into her office, noticing that he already began to feel feverish and exhausted, although the first class had not even begun. To his relief, Minerva only fetched a book from her office, and she and Severus did not let out as much as a word, while the students were in the classroom. 'Thank Merlin they seem to have their older selves' minds,' Harry thought, inwardly chuckling as he saw the students' eyes wander to the cute toddlers every now and then.

Between the classes, Harry allowed the children to play seek and hide in the classroom and asked Malcolm to bring cocoa and biscuits for them, and Minerva and Severus seemed to enjoy themselves. It was during the last morning class, when the fourth year students had to transfigure empty parchments into pillows, that the children seemed to get bored. When Harry observed the students' fruitless attempts of Transfiguration, he pondered how to spend the afternoon. 'I hope they're willing to take a long nap,' he thought. 'Perhaps after that I can take them to the Room of Requirement and wish for a playground with slides and everything for them to play, so that they can have fun and I'll be able to rest.'

Harry was brought back to reality when the students began to giggle. He looked up, noticing that everyone's eyes were turned to the children's table next to himself. Glancing to his left side, Harry couldn't help smiling at the sight, too, realising that apparently Minerva had become bored and had transfigured both of their books into pillows. Both children were fast asleep with their heads resting on their pillows.

"Now go on and practise. You can't tell me that this is overly difficult, when even two-year-olds are able to perform the transfiguration," Harry told the students, smirking, still unaware of the extent to which the two toddlers were capable of performing magic.

HP

It was in the last morning class on the following day, when Harry was teaching the sixth year class. 'Maybe I should take the two to Diagon Alley to see the Christmas tree,' he mused as he observed the students' efforts to transfigure wooden mice into live mice and stun them, before they could leave their desks. 'Ginny told me once that the tree in front of Flourish & Blotts was absolutely gorgeous.' His attention was drawn back to the class when finally two students managed the Transformation. Unfortunately, they both were unable to stun the mice in time, and the two mice jumped from the tables.

'What should I do now?' Harry wondered, finally deciding to insist for the students to stun the mice. However, while the students hesitantly pulled their wands, glancing around the classroom, two small cats, a tabby cat and a baby black lynx, dashed through the room. 'What's that?' he wondered, and his eyes widened, when the two felines returned, placing the two mice on the floor in front of him. Glancing at the spot, where the two children were supposed to sit, he inwardly groaned. 'Of course; how could I have expected them to remain seated at such an opportunity of performing magic and play,' he thought in exasperation, glaring at the two felines that obediently curled up next to him.

For the next twenty minutes, the two small cats remained quiet, apparently taking a nap. 'They probably need if after the Animagus transformation,' Harry thought grimly. However, all of a sudden, one of them seemed to have unintentionally angered the other, and, beginning with a series of miaows, a huge cat fight began right next to his feet. A ball of black and grey fur began to roll through the classroom. Occasionally one or the other paw shot out, and more angry miaows could be heard. Finally, the rolling ball had drawn all the attention to itself.

Harry let out an annoyed sigh, before he said sternly, "Minerva and Severus, return here instantly," only to add in a smaller voice, but still for all students in the front row to hear, "No desert for the two of you today."

While the tabby cat rubbed her body against Harry's leg, the lynx obediently returned to his spot and curled up again.

"Minerva, please go and sit down as well," Harry whispered, gently caressing the cat's fur for an instant, before she obeyed and sat next to the lynx, where she began to meticulously clean his ears.

'Cats are funny,' Harry thought, resolving to think about something with cats for his next Transfiguration classes.

tbc...

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