Chapter Five; The Potion

That night Harry hardly had gotten any sleep. He had felt too terrible and guilty. Although he didn't end up getting caught, he had a feeling that his father knew that he was the one who had broken into the classroom. Otherwise why would Zip (and Luna even though he didn't know it) have gone with him. The next morning he met Ron, Hermione, and Ginny down at the breakfast table in the great hall.

"You look bloody awful mate." Ron pointed out. "Rough night?" he questioned.

"Yeah." Harry replied before he turned over to look at Ginny. "How's Eve doing?" he asked her.

"A lot better than you. And I think that it also helps that Precious has been keeping her company." She said when suddenly Snape walked over to their table.

"Good morning." He began in a voice that told Harry that he knew exactly what he was going to say next. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all glanced up at him. "Are you alright Harry? It looks like you didn't get any sleep." He said but he didn't allow Harry any time to answer him. "Maybe it was because you were up in the dungeons in the middle of the night." He said as Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all turned to look at him making Harry feel even more uncomfortable.

"You and Weasley and Granger always seemed to cause quite a bit of mischief when you were still in school, are they your accomplices or did you act alone this time?" Snape asked him.

"No. Ron and Hermione had nothing to do with it." He told him.

"I see. So then you admit that it was you inside the potions classroom last night?" Snape questioned.

"Yes." Harry answered truthfully.

"Well then in that case may I ask why?" Snape wondered when suddenly Harry removed a tiny vile from his pocket that was filled to the rim with a pink liquid substance.

"Because I was making this." He said.

"What is that?" Hermione asked him while she scrunched her face up with confusion and reached over to grab it away from him.

"I call it animaylinguis. It's a potion that can help you speak to animals." He explained.

"You mean to say, that if I drink that right now I'll be able to start having conversations with Zip?" Ron questioned as the puppy who was eating her bowl of kibble close to their table suddenly stopped eating and glanced up in Snape's direction.

"I'm not sure yet, it hasn't been tested." Harry admitted as his father heaved a deep and heavy sigh and then sat down next to him.

"Look Harry, it's great that you were able to brew this potion together by yourself, but please,.. the next time you want to go inside the potions classroom just ask me alright? There's no need to go sneaking out into the middle of the night to steal it." He told him.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just hope that God will forgive me." He said.

"You're a Sunday school Harry." Hermione began. "You're the one who always says that God is always willing to forgive you as long as you repent." She told him.

"Well, now that you made the potion can I try it?" Ron wondered.

"Uh,.. I really don't think it's a good idea. Harry just said that he hasn't tested it out yet." Hermione told him while she reached over the table to give it back to Harry before he quickly snatched it out of her fingers.

"Oh c'mon Hermione, what's the worst that can happen?" he questioned her while he unscrewed the lid and poured some of it inside his goblet and some of it inside Harry's. Ron picked up his goblet while Harry picked up his own and shrugged.

"Cheers." He said while the two of them clung theirs together. Everyone else remained silent since nobody really knew quite what else to say. Harry and Ron both tilted their heads back and drank the potion down and then set their goblets back down on top of the table.

"So what happened? Do you feel any different?" Hermione asked them.

"Ah forget them," Zip began while she leapt up onto her hind legs and placed her front paws over the seat and barked. "Focus on me! After all, you're the one who starts getting upset when I start peeing all over the place!" she exclaimed as Harry and Ron widened their eyes and dropped their jaws down with complete and utter bewilderment and disbelief. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Zip asked them as she sat back down and cocked her head over to the side.

Harry and Ron both laughed joyfully with excitement. "I don't believe it! It works! It really works!" Ron cried.

"What works? Master, I think your red-haired friend has lost it again." Zip told him but Harry just smiled brightly at her.

"He hasn't lost it, he's talking about the potion." He told her.

"What potion?" she asked him cocking her head over to the other side. "And how the heck do you know what I just said? Can you understand me or something?" she wondered when suddenly Tobey (who had just come back from the restroom) walked over to their table and stopped in front of them while Angel sat down at his feet.

"Boy pup, you really are slow." She told her. "Do you even know where you are?" she wondered as Zip quickly shook her head.

"No, where?" she asked her.

"You're at Hogwarts." Angel told her while she began to pant.

"What's Hogwarts?" Zip asked her.

"It's a school for witches and wizards. And at Hogwarts anything can happen." Angel said.

"What's going on here?" Tobey wondered. "Why isn't anybody saying anything?"

"I'm sorry Tobey, we were waiting until the dogs were finished talking." Harry told him.

"What!?" he cried with complete and utter bewilderment and astonishment.

"It's a long story, right now I have to go let Zip outside before she has an accident." Harry said as he got up and then bent down to pick her up off the ground and hoisted her up inside his arms.

"Thank you! It's about time!" she cried before he carried her away.