Title: Beware of Potions
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Summary: Fred and George create a new product in the summer before their 6th year, but when one of them samples it, they find that it has far different effects than they'd hoped for.
Okay, so first of all, I was browsing through HP fanfiction and found my story and was like "Huh that story sounds kinda famil-… oh shite I should update that…"
Enormous thank-you cards go out to…
OvercastCrystal – I like the new name – that sucks about your account. FF blocked mine for a while after I wrote a 7 word fanfiction story… Something about trolls… who knows?
TeamGredAndForge – I'm glad you think it's exciting! I hope this chapter is just as exciting. I certainly had fun putting it together.
runeaglerun – Thanks for the wonderful review! I hope you like this addition!
Lucy – lol… yeah, the whole Polyjuice idea's not really new, but I like to think this is much more intense than sneaking into the Slytherin dorm. I heart your reviews so much and I absolutely adore Draco too! He's too much fun to write.
Cristina Weasley – lol I hope they get out of this mess too… Glad you enjoyed it!
And now, back to the show!
Chapter Fifteen
Albus Dumbledore was often perceived to be omniscient, at least to a certain degree. Whether he actually knew everything that was in a person's mind or not was debatable, but anyone who had ever met him knew for a fact that if he didn't know what you were hiding, he knew enough to make an incredibly educated guess. That, coupled with a gaze that seemed to be able to look through granite, left people of all ages wondering why they would even both trying to hide anything from the old coot at all.
This was how others saw Albus Dumbledore. He rarely grew tired of seeing the widening eyes of children as he calmly asked about their rule-breaking activities with a twinkle in his eyes. He'd worked a long time to develop that twinkle, and he used it whenever he got the chance, knowing that it would either set the other person at ease or thoroughly aggravate them into telling him what he wanted to know. While most wouldn't admit to becoming aggravated by a kind old wizard such as Dumbledore, there was one who would never fail to provide Albus with entertainment in this regard.
"You called me up here to discuss the whereabouts of two of your precious Gryffindors on a Saturday evening."
"They were not present at dinner," Albus responded as if that piece of evidence all the reason he needed to disrupt his Potions Master's evening.
"Many students neglect to follow the school's meal schedule, choosing instead to partake in their own inane activities."
"They were also not present at lunchtime. I do hope that they are not overly hungry," Albus stated bleakly, as if it were a serious issue.
"Then by all means, Headmaster, allow me to find them and offer them cookies and milk. Would you also like me to put them to bed and read a children's story to the bloody brats?"
"What story did you have in mind, Severus?"
The Potions Master put his head in his hands and looked about ready to rip out some of his hair in frustration. Glaring, the man looked up and responded in a kind voice that quickly turned menacing, "Oh, I was thinking about a lovely story in which two children skipped dinner and then went so hungry that they begged their kindhearted, benevolent Potions professor for a midnight snack, but were instead forced to down a number of vile potions to ensure that they would never miss a meal ever again, the poor dears."
Albus was shaking his head with a poorly concealed smile at the pure disgust that Severus had put into the last part of his "story." He wondered if he had antagonized the poor man enough, but he was too compelled to hope that all of this banter would someday make Severus into an amiable person to be around. It was a crazy notion, but Albus would hate to not live up to his reputation.
"Severus, my dear boy, I do believe you would make a wonderful father," Albus commented, his twinkling eyes taking in Snape's utter contempt at that absurd idea. "I do have further evidence which I believe you will be interested in, should you wish to earn my two wayward Gryffindors a most unwelcome evening tomorrow." Snape almost perked up at that. The thought of putting students in detention would never fail to intrigue Severus, especially when those students were several of the more rambunctious Gryffindors.
"By all means, old man, indulge me," Severus said, gesturing for Albus to continue with a tiredly waving arm.
"Well, as you know, both Mr. Weasley and Mr. Jordan seem to be absent from the school and –"
"And just how do you know that they're absent from the school? How on earth do you glean that from their missing a meal?"
"They missed two meals," Albus corrected him.
"Whatever…" Snape ground out in obvious frustration, wondering at this point why he hadn't just ignored the Headmaster's summons.
"Ah, I have my ways of knowing these things Severus," Albus said, knowing that the vagueness of that statement would draw out an exasperated sigh from his guest.
Severus gave him a look that very clearly said, "Get on with it."
Albus leaned forward and asked, "Did you notice that those two received a package yesterday?"
Severus did let out a groan this time before snapping, "Albus! I don't know why students are allowed to receive packages and I don't care!"
"This package came from an apothecary."
The Potions Master gazed at him curiously for a moment before asking, "What was in the package?"
"Well, surely I don't know," Albus responded, sounding as happily oblivious as he could. Across from him, Severus rolled his eyes dramatically and rose from his chair.
"And am I correct in assuming that you wish me to discover what the package held?"
"Oh, I highly doubt it was anything illegal. I'm sure there's no need for concern," Albus replied merrily.
Severus just stared at him blankly for a moment before turning on his heel and marching out of the room. That manipulating old codger was going to be the cause of his death or his insanity, whichever came first.
The closer to Gryffindor Tower he got, the more curious and idiotic stares he got. It was very unusual for a Slytherin to venture up here, much less the head of Slytherin House. Just before he came within view of the Gryffindor portrait, he cast a disillusionment charm upon himself, effectively blending into the wall just before several Gryffindor students came by. As he followed them into the dormitory, he felt a strong urge to wreak havoc of some sort, though he knew Dumbledore would find out.
Severus discreetly walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitories and peeked in until he found the sixth years' dorm. Thankfully, none of the little cretins were there. His search ended just as quickly as it began as he spied a torn and emptied package atop one of the boys' beds. Upon examination he saw that the package had been shipped from one of the less common apothecaries in Diagon Alley, one that he frequented during the holidays to avoid children.
A look at the receipt, which had been shoved haphazardly into the package, showed that the fools had order a variation of Polyjuice Potion. This particular variation provided the user with twice the normal time allowed to be in disguise. A quick assessment of what he knew had him cursing in anger at the idiocy of Gryffindors. The two were not at school, had been absent for at least a good portion of the afternoon, had a fair amount of Polyjuice Potion, and were most likely getting themselves into more trouble than they realized.
Canceling the disillusionment charm, he swore loudly and stalked back down the stairs and into the common area. He hardly noticed the shocked expressions on the Golden Trio's faces as he stormed out, his robes billowing around him menacingly. Once he was back to a floor that wasn't filled with Gryffindors, he stopped and thought about the various reasons why those two idiots would need Polyjuice Potion and why they would go off the school grounds. There were no events that he knew of going on in Hogsmead or even Diagon Alley. The only thing he actually knew about was the Malfoy's party that Draco and his two "friends" were attending. Severus had received an invitation as well, but had politely declined on the grounds that he had children to terrorize over the weekend.
He pulled out his wand to confirm whether or not his thoughts were correct. If the remaining Weasley twin and his friend had decided to go play "spy," then the logical choice would be to tag along as Draco's two goons. Severus refused to allow the shock to display on his face at the thought that any Weasley might be able to make a logical decision. The shocked expression did escape a moment later when his "Point Me" spell revealed that Crabbe and Goyle were behind him.
Severus turned and wrenched open one of the main hallway's cleaning supply room doors. From inside tumbled two very stunned and bewildered Slytherins. The idiot fools were moving their lips silently in an effort to explain how they had ended up there (or perhaps they were asking for food, as that topic would be more expected from these two). Neither of the boys realized that they couldn't be heard, and Severus had to refrain from rolling his eyes yet again that night.
"You fools," Severus muttered quietly, enjoying their wide eyes and now motionless lips, "are a disgrace to Slytherin House. Get to your dormitories and stay there, out of my sight, for the remainder of the weekend." With that, he waved his wand and the silencing spell lifted.
"Professor, we –"
Severus really didn't have enough patience for this job. A glare that conveyed his feelings for their excuses and another silencing spell had them quickly scurrying off for the Slytherin dungeons.
A quick tempus spell revealed that it had been at most thirty minutes since the idiot Gryffindors had left with the Malfoys. With a resolve to have the two errant boys in detention for the rest of their Hogwarts career, he stalked towards the massive doors leading out of Hogwarts, cursing his mentally addled employer the entire way out to the apparition point.
All in all, Fred figured that he probably could've planned this better, or at least have avoided the situation entirely. As it was, he was stuck marching upstairs to supposedly see the Dark Lord with three slimy Slytherins. He shook his head slightly, wondering if he had actually expected to be able to walk out of here in the disguise of a Slytherin and apparate away, find a floo, or even hail the Knight Bus. Instead, he felt like he was walking the plank, about to jump into a sea of giant squids.
A glance to his left showed a pale, quiet Draco, which wasn't what Fred would expect the boy to be like. He had figured the teen would have jumped at this opportunity. Instead, the younger boy looked like he too was on a plank, though it was probably wider and longer than Fred's. And most likely lined with red carpet. And lights. And there was probably just a sea of dolphins waiting for the Slytherin.
The elder Malfoy stopped them right before the room that Fred knew to be home to the Dark Lord. He briefly considered making a mad dash for the stairs, but ruled it out when he got a look at Malfoy's tight grip on his wand. Lucius ushered them in, giving warning looks to each of them to behave, which Fred found laughable. Behaving well in front of the Dark Lord was like putting on your worst manners for your mum. Fred trailed after the three Slytherins and stood in the musty room before the deformed creature, looking everywhere but at its eyes.
Lucius took a step forward and bowed low to the ground, motioning for the boys to copy his movements. They complied, though Fred noticed that none of the other three looked at ease doing so. The Malfoy boy looked either disgusted or terrified, and the other two looked like they were about to stand up and leave. Malfoy's two goons, who Fred and George had always considered to be dumber than rocks, seemed to be sharing a number of conspiratorial looks. Fred vaguely wondered what they could possibly be thinking about that wasn't food when he remembered where he was. He reminded himself that the current threat was more important than anything those two idiots could possibly be planning.
When Lucius slowly stood from the bow, the boys copied him. Fred thought he heard hurried footsteps coming from somewhere in the house and, a moment later, the door to the room opened fully to reveal Severus Snape. The man looked far too calm considering that his footsteps had sounded so rushed earlier. The degree to which Snape seemed to be conveying an aura of order and control told Fred that something huge had gone amiss.
The Potions professor didn't even spare a glance at the four teenagers, choosing instead to bow to the Dark Lord and then speak the reason for his obviously unplanned arrival.
"My Lord, I have urgent news regarding yours plans for the coming week," Snape said, looking intently past Wormtail and to the occupant of the once-regal chair.
The Dark Lord seemed agitated at the interruption for a moment before he made a motion for Snape to continue.
Snape glanced at the four boys and didn't have to say a word before they followed the elder Malfoy's lead of bowing and then walking back out into the hallway. Lucius shut the door on them the second both of the younger Malfoy's two goons were outside and the four stood in silence for a moment.
George, disguised as Crabbe, ran a hand through his hair and exhaled nervously, showing the emotion that none of the other three boys dared to show. He glanced at Lee and said, "Maybe we should go?"
Fred watched the two, wondering what on earth they were talking about and at what point Malfoy started to let them make decisions or suggestions about what to do. He shrugged it off, thinking that perhaps there was a first for everything, but was caught off guard by the other idiot's answer.
Goyle, who was actually Lee, stared openly at Crabbe and said, "I don't think that'd be the best course of action to take right now…"
At this point, Malfoy was also looking sideways at them in curiosity before he smirked and said, "What are you? Afraid? Perhaps you'd like to go find your mummy and get a hug?" Malfoy glanced at Fred, who smirked as well in an attempt to play the part, and then meandered down the hallway to go back downstairs. It was obvious that whatever Snape had wanted to discuss would take a while.
Fred started to follow after Malfoy when he heard one of the two goons retort, "Oh, bugger off, Malfoy!"
The remark made Fred laugh and he paused to look back at the two discreetly, his respect for the idiots growing by the second. They didn't notice his gaze upon them, however, and Fred watched as one of them rolled his eyes dramatically and picked up a discarded piece of paper to throw at the blonde.
The other one looked at the one who'd spoken as if he was crazy and then asked quietly, "Geo- Crabbe, what are you doing?" Fred felt his mind freeze at those words. It had almost sounded like the one had been starting to say "George," but that couldn't be possible. Fred narrowed his eyes at the two, trying to discern something about them that would explain the apparent slip. The two noticed him staring at them and also froze.
The one with the paper, Crabbe, was staring at him apprehensively. Without taking his eyes off of Fred's, he dropped the paper and replied, "Nothing. Let's go, Malfoy went downstairs…" The two walked past Fred quickly, darting down the stairs to catch up with their fearless leader who Fred noticed didn't look so fearless.
Fred still wasn't sure what to make of the exchange that he'd heard a moment ago, and he decided to see just how normal Malfoy was acting as well. As flippantly as he could, he crossed his arms over Blaise's dark robes and said, "So Draco, tell me… Are you as repulsed by their choice of décor as I am?"
Draco turned to look at him curiously and Fred noticed that the other teen seemed hesitant to answer the question. He evaded it carefully by saying, "It certainly isn't the choice I'd make, but it does do something for the atmosphere of the place, doesn't it?"
Fred snorted lightly and continued, trying to see how far he could push Malfoy. "I'm surprised you're not jumping from excitement at having seen such a … strong and clearly superior leader as the Dark Lord…"
The look that Draco shot him was priceless. It spoke volumes about how uncomfortable the boy felt in this house and around Death Eaters in general. "Shut it, Blaise." The response was quiet, but the warning in those words was clear enough for all of them to understand. Fred felt his eyes narrow again as he regarded the Slytherin, and he wondered if the boy truly believed in all he claimed and said.
The two goons seemed just as surprised by Draco's response to Fred's taunts. Draco seemed to notice this and turned to find something to distract them all with. Just a few feet beyond him was the door that led to the Potions lab. Fred grew nervous as the blonde stepped towards it. The last thing he needed was for these three slimy Slytherins to find the real Blaise and, in doing so, end any of Fred's chances of escape.
Quicker than a seeker, Fred darted over and stepped between Draco and the door, saying, "You don't want to go in there."
Draco immediately resumed his demanding and spoiled nature by putting his hands on his hips and replying snottily, "I want to know what's in there, so move it."
Not about to be deterred by a fourth year, Fred leaned forward and said, "You really want to see all the mangled limbs in jars that Snape's got in that room? Why do you think I bolted out of there so quickly?"
That comment made Draco's face go a shade paler. It was obvious to anyone that knew him in school that he enjoyed Potions class, but there was hardly a soul in the school that felt joy when handling, or even looking, at the ingredients.
Draco crossed his arms stubbornly and responded, "Fine, let's go –"
"Draco, it is time to leave," Lucius interrupted his son. Fred leaned against the door in the man's presence and wondered if he'd be able to leave with them. "We will return to Malfoy Manor and then you and your friends may head back to the school. A slight altercation has arisen that needs to be dealt with."
Draco, as well as Crabbe and Goyle, nodded along with the elder Malfoy, barely able to contain sighs of relief at the thought of leaving this place.
Fred wasn't about to let this opportunity pass by. He wasn't sure how much time he had left before the Polyjuice ran out, but he had to make a try to at least get out of this building. "Mr. Malfoy? May I come back with all of you? I'd like to, uhh," Fred stumbled over the words before continuing, "Draco wanted to show me something."
He had wondered if Draco would deny such a claim outright and was therefore surprised when the blonde teen nodded his head along with Blaise's story. Fred wondered if the two had done something like this before.
"Certainly, Mr. Zabini. Retrieve your traveling cloak and then meet us downstairs near the floo," Lucius instructed, and Fred nodded quickly. He waited until they had turned down the hallway before opening the door to the Potions lab, kicking himself for not just taking the stupid cloak with him when he originally left Zabini. He hadn't wanted it to get in the way if he had decided to make a run for it, but he told himself it wasn't a big deal.
Fred opened the door and darted inside to retrieve the cloak, while George and Lee followed the two Malfoys downstairs. They were sharing nearly identical thoughts and expressions. It was going to be hard enough to ditch Draco, but if Zabini were with him as well…
George was also worried that the two Slytherins had caught Lee's slip earlier, when he'd almost said George's name. George could've kicked him for that. At the moment though, he could do nothing but cross his fingers and hope that they'd get to Malfoy Manor and then back to Hogwarts quickly and without trouble.
They reached the floo and Lucius handed a bit of powder to each of them. "You recall the password, no doubt?"
Draco nodded, looked at the bewildered Crabbe and Goyle, and then said with exasperation, "You idiots, it's 'semper ad meliora,' just like last time."
George threw him a look and said quietly, "Couldn't have picked something easy, could you? Something like 'pumpkin juice,' you know?"
Draco rolled his eyes and was just about to throw down his handful of floo powder when Zabini returned. The blonde lifted his eyebrows at his friend and asked, "Where'd the bruise come from?"
Sure enough, the other Slytherin seemed to have acquired a dark bruise across his left cheekbone. The teen smirked and answered confidently, "I was merely getting to know one of the residents." George wondered what the implications of that statement were and watched as Zabini reached forward and grabbed a bit of powder.
Zabini stepped toward the floo and asked, though it sounded more like a statement, "Password's the same?"
Draco nodded at him and in another moment, Zabini threw down the floo powder and shouted, "Semper ad meliora!" The teen disappeared in a flurry of green flame. As Draco, and then the two disguised Gryffindors followed, George couldn't help but wonder about the slight change in Zabini's composure. As he spun away in the flames, he wondered at his and Lee's luck.
It's not that long of a chapter, but it's all I have at the moment. I hope you enjoyed it!
PS – "Semper ad meliora" supposedly means "always toward better things," and I thought it fit. Perspective is the key in understanding anyone's motives.
Please review and let me know what you think! I love to hear from you guys! :)
