Chapter 13 A/N I do not own Harry Potter. There are verbatim sentences from the book, not mine.
"All that's left to decide now is who's going to do it. We can't, Lockhart's not exactly our biggest fan. Especially since Cassie and I managed to turn his clothes into something a hag would wear in front of the whole class. He knew it was us and has been giving us terrible grades ever since." Merlin said snickering, Cassie started coughing up the orange juice from her breakfast as she laughed at the memory.
"Hermione'll do it." Ron volunteered.
"Why not Harry?!" she squeaked nervously.
"Because it would be too obvious with Harry." Ron argued back
"Besides, Hermione, you're the smartest in our year and spend a lot of time in the library with background material for your classes. It won't be too big of a jump for him to believe you. Merlin and I spend his entire class goofing off in the back and not paying him the slightest bit of attention. He'll find it suspicious if one of us goes to him." Cassie said, trying to flatter her and see if that works.
"Fine! I'll do it!" Hermione squealed about two octaves higher than usual.
Once their classes for the day were over, Cassie and Merlin made their way to the library where they were set to meet up with the three Gryffindors to get the book.
"I knew he would fall for it!" Cassie said triumphantly just before entering the library.
"Okay, you three go over, we'll hang back here." Merlin said. "It'll look less suspicious. Five people with you to check out a book?"
"Good thinking." Hermione said, steeling herself and walking up to the librarian.
"Moste Potente Potions?" she repeated suspiciously, trying to take the note from Hermione; but Hermione wouldn't let go.
"I was wondering if I could keep it," she said breathlessly.
"Oh, come on," said Ron, wrenching it from her grasp and thrusting it at Madam Pince. "We'll get you another autograph. Lockhart'll sign anything if it stands still long enough."
Madam Pince held the note up to the light, as though determined to detect a forgery, but it passed the test. She stalked away between the lofty shelves and returned several minutes later carrying a large and moldy-looking book. Hermione put it carefully into her bag and they left, trying not to walk too quickly or look too guilty.
"Come on, we'll go to Myrtle's bathroom. No one in their right minds would go there." Hermione said, as Cassie and Merlin walked up beside her.
"You said it yourself. Right minds." Ron mumbled despondently, he really didn't want to go back there.
Five minutes later, they were barricaded in Moaning Myrtle's out-of-order bathroom once again. Moaning Myrtle was crying noisily in her stall, but they were ignoring her, and she them.
Hermione gently opened Moste Potente Potions, and she, Harry, Ron and Cassie bent over it to see as well. Merlin decided it would be too crowded if he were to read it as well and decided to lean against the peeling wall. He had already read the book, never mind he was probably present when most of them were created. He suppressed a sigh, missing his uncle terribly.
It was clear from a glance why it belonged in the Restricted Section. Some of the potions had effects almost too gruesome to think about, and there were some very unpleasant illustrations, which included a man who seemed to have been turned inside out and a witch sprouting several extra pairs of arms out of her head.
"Here it is," said Hermione excitedly as she found the page headed The Polyjuice Potion. It was decorated with drawings of people halfway through transforming into other people. Harry sincerely hoped the artist had imagined the looks of intense pain on their faces.
"I really hope it's not as painful as it looks." Cassie groaned out, voicing Harry's thoughts.
"This is the most complicated potion I've ever seen," said Hermione as they scanned the recipe. "Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass," she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. "Well, they're easy enough, they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves... Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn - don't know where we're going to get that - shredded skin of a boomslang -. that'll be tricky, too and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into."
"Excuse me?" said Ron sharply. "What d'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking nothing with Crabbe's toenails in it-"
"Merlin and I can get the bicorn horn and boomslang skin. You three take care of the rest." Cassie offered ignoring Ron, which Merlin readily agreed to. "We don't have to worry about the bit of whoever we want to change into yet, though, because we add those bits last..."
Ron turned, speechless, to Harry, who had another worry.
"D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea..."
"Merlin and Cassie already said they would take care of those. I trust them. Cassie should have been sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin. She's far too cunning and determined to be a Hufflepuff. Merlin is pure Hufflepuff, though he's definitely brave." Hermione said gently, looking at them.
"Fine, if they manage to steal it without getting caught, they're my heroes." Ron said.
"Yeah, Snape doesn't miss anything." Harry agreed. "But if they get caught, they'll be in serious trouble!"
"Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine," she said. There were bright pink patches on her cheeks and her eyes were brighter than usual. "I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in.
"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules," said Ron. "All right, we'll do it. But not toenails, okay?"
"How long will it take to make, anyway?" said Harry as Hermione, looking happier, opened the book again.
"Well, since the fluxweed has got to be picked at the full moon and the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days... I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients." she answered, looking at the two Hufflepuffs expectantly.
"We have double potions Monday. We'll take care of it, 'Mione." Cassie said, a steely look in her gaze.
"Yeah, what she said." Merlin agreed, though he was already planning on doing it himself over the weekend.
"Okay. When you manage to get them, we'll meet back here." Hermione said, checking to see if the coast was clear as Ron complained about the time it would take to brew and how everything would be so much easier if Harry could just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow.
"I was thinking, Merlin." Cassie said as they walked down to their Common Room to change for dinner.
"A dangerous pastime." Merlin said cheekily, dodging the elbow that shot out.
"Maybe we should get them tomorrow. Everyone's going to be at the match, even Snape. His store's going to be empty, it's perfect!" Cassie told him.
"Hmm. It is, but I'm sure he'd have wards up preventing anyone from entering. And notifying him if someone does." Merlin pointed out.
"Yes, but… I remember the wards my family used, and how to counteract them. I'm just hoping that he uses similar wards, if not the same." Cassie said, determined to do it tomorrow.
"Cassie, we have no real knowledge of it. What if something goes bad? We'll be expelled. It's better on Monday. One of us makes a distraction while the other steals it."
"No, no way. Snape will know. I'm pretty sure he's a Legilimens, the way he was looking at Harry on Halloween, there's no other explanation."
"I agree, he might be a Legilimens, which means that if he catches us, we're doomed. All of us."
"Merlin." Cassie whined.
"Cassie." Merlin replied in the same tone of voice.
"I'm doing this with or without you." she said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot when the whining didn't work. Merlin stared at her in challenge, neither one about to relent.
"Fine!" said Merlin after about two minutes of staring at each other. "You win, but we wait until everyone is outside the castle, and we go to the library now to do some research on wards. Skip dinner." he said emphatically, muttering as they turned around and made their way up to the library.
The following morning, Cassie and Merlin both woke up early and got dressed for the day. They donned Gryffindor colors, obviously supporting that team, and set off for breakfast. They found the entire Gryffindor team sitting there, all looking uptight and not speaking much. Cassie and Merlin went over and wished them luck and went to sit by Harry to explain their plan in hushed voices. Merlin, however, had another idea and tripped over air, falling flat on his face as they walked around the table, making the entire team howl with laughter.
"That was graceful, Merlin." Cassie said suppressing a grin.
"Oh, shut up, Cassie." Merlin said, rubbing his knees where they hit the cold stone floor and standing up.
"Thanks, Merlin. That's just what we needed!" Fred and George said.
"Glad my clumsiness works for something!" Merlin said, goodnaturedly.
"So, Harry." Merlin said, sitting down at the Gryffindor table and motioning for him to sit further from his teammates.
"Yeah?"
"Cassie and I are going to do it today. During the game. While everyone's watching. Including Snape." Merlin said, a short pause between every sentence, waiting for him to catch onto their reasoning.
"Oh! Brilliant!"
"Yeah, try to keep it going for as long as you can. But don't let Malfoy win. I couldn't stand another second of him boasting." Cassie muttered.
"Wasn't planning on it." Harry muttered back.
"Okay, eat up, you'll need your energy. We'll be in Myrtle's bathroom for when the game's done." Cassie told him, plating some toast and marmalade.
As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Cassie and Merlin made as if they were heading out to the pitch arm in arm, but quickly hid in a supply closet as the rest of the school emptied out.
"Okay, so you believe he's got the room-sealing and the intruder charm in place, correct?" Cassie went over with him while they waited.
"Yes, it makes the most sense. He's not going to have the muggle repelling or the fidelius on it."
"Okay, good. We know how to bypass those, we just never practiced." Cassie said nervously, chewing her lower lip.
"Are you sure he hasn't put the security spell up?" Cassie asked nervously.
"No, he wouldn't put it up, it's too time-consuming to do it every time he leaves. The other two can be left up while he's in there if he programs them to his magical signature."
"Okay. Think they're all at the Quidditch pitch yet?"
"Yeah, come on." Merlin said, taking her hand and running down into the dungeons towards Professor Snape's office. When he got there he took out his wand and closed his eyes, drawing a specific pattern to break the room-sealing spell as well as the intruder charm.
"Okay, I'm done." Merlin said after about three minutes.
"Why'd you close your eyes?" Cassie said curiously.
"To better feel the magic." Merlin answered vaguely.
"Really? Can you teach me?"
"Took me ages to figure it out with my uncle. I can try, but I'm not the best teacher." Merlin told her.
"Oh." she said, slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be learning more magic.
"Come on, we need to get it quickly. I've no clue how long they'll all be in the pitch." Merlin said, dragging her into the classroom and closing the door.
They went to the cupboard where Snape kept all his personal potion ingredients.
"I'll find the bicorn horn, you get the boomslang skin." Cassie said, looking at one wall while Merlin looked at the other. "Found it!" Cassie said, walking out to measure the amount needed, and a little more just in case.
"I've got the boomslang skin." Merlin said, doing exactly what Cassie had done while she returned the Bicorn to its original place. "You go ahead to the bathroom, I'll put the wards back up and meet you there." Merlin told her. When they had made sure everything was as they found it, Cassie left quickly, making sure not to spill any of the ingredients and hide them in the bathroom before anyone saw her. She paced the bathroom, waiting with bated breath for Merlin to return.
"Finally! It took you so long, I figured Snape had found you for sure. I was about to go back and save you." Cassie said, releasing the breath and hugging him tightly.
"Aww, I didn't know you cared!" Merlin said after returning the hug and pulling a face at her.
"Merlin Rhydderch! If you mention this to anyone, I will hurt you. Don't forget, girls can go into the boys' dormitories." Cassie said, warning him with her look, and failing to suppress a smile
"Come on, maybe we can catch the last bit of the game." Merlin said, making sure the ingredients were well hidden before peeking out to make sure no one was in the corridor.
"Filch!" he whispered loudly, pulling his head back in and pressing Cassie against the wall, holding his hand over her mouth. "Ew." Merlin said quietly, wiping his hand on his robe and looking at Cassie in disgust. "Why'd you lick my hand?!" he hissed at her.
"I really hate it when you do that." Cassie said angrily, glaring at him from the wall.
"Well, I knew you were going to ask me why I pulled back so quickly."
"I'm not daft! I wouldn't have said it loudly!" she hissed.
"I never said you were daft! But sometimes, you're a bit loud." Merlin said, expecting the punch in his shoulder when he said that.
"Well, never put your hand over my mouth again! It's gross!"
"Not as gross as you licking my hand!"
"Just don't ever do it again, Merlin." Cassie said, pushing past him and peeking out the door herself. "He's gone, come on." Cassie said, running out of the bathroom on her tippy-toes, Merlin trailing behind her though not as quietly. They made it down to the Entrance Hall when they heard the thundering of feet approaching.
"Game's over." Cassie said, trying to hide in the supply closet without anyone noticing.
"Why are we back in here?" Merlin asked her after she had dragged him in there.
"We have to blend into the crowd that's coming in! No one can know that we weren't there!" she said, peeking through the opening she had left. "Okay, now." Cassie said, stealthily leaving the closet with Merlin trailing behind.
"How are you two not wet?!" Cedric asked from behind them, dripping water.
"Magic." Cassie said, turning around and moving her hands over his face with a grin.
"Funny." Cedric said sarcastically.
"Thanks, I try." Cassie answered, following the others into the Grand Staircase.
"Where are you going? I would've thought you'd be first to the Hospital Wing after Lockhart removed all of Harry's bones."
"Y-yeah, we're just going to change, our clothes are dry, but not our socks." Merlin said quickly, hiding Cassie's look of concern.
"How many times do you change in a day?" Cedric asked Cassie.
"I resent that. I change thrice; in the morning for classes, after classes for dinner, and after dinner for bed." Cassie said with a pout. "It's a perfectly normal amount of times to change."
"Why don't you just use magic to dry your socks?" Cedric asked, looking at them suspiciously.
"Magic doesn't solve everything, Ced." Cassie answered, her heart battering against her rib cage.
"No, but it would solve that." Cedric pointed out.
"Fine. Merlin, do your thing." Cassie relented, stopping in the middle of the stairway and looking at Merlin expectantly.
"I don't really know what 'my thing' is, Cassie." Merlin said, confused.
"Ugh, let's just go." Cassie said, rolling her eyes exasperatedly and grabbing Merlin's hand to drag him up to the Hospital Tower.
"You should have come straight to me!" she raged, her voice carrying out into the corridor. "I can mend bones in a second - but growing them back-"
"You will be able to, won't you?" said Harry desperately, looking at the door that had opened to let Cassie and Merlin inside.
"I'll be able to, certainly, but it will be painful," said Madam Pomfrey grimly, throwing Harry a pair of pajamas. "You'll have to stay the night..."
Hermione and Cassie waited outside the curtain drawn around Harry's bed while Ron and Merlin helped him into his pajamas. It took a while to stuff the rubbery, boneless arm into a sleeve.
"How can you stick up for Lockhart now, Hermione, eh?" Ron called through the curtain as he pulled Harry's limp fingers through the cuff. "If Harry had wanted deboning he would have asked."
"He has a point 'Mione." Cassie whispered, not letting Ron hear her agree with him.
"Anyone can make a mistake," said Hermione, looking at Cassie as if she had betrayed her. "And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it, Harry?"
"No," said Harry, getting into bed. "But it doesn't do anything else either." As he swung himself onto the bed, his arm flapped pointlessly.
"That is absolutely disgusting." Cassie commented when she walked around the curtain and saw it.
"You're in for a rough night," Madam Pomfrey said, pouring out a steaming beaker full of something called Skele-Gro and handing it to him. "Regrowing bones is a nasty business."
'So is taking the Skele-Gro' Cassie thought. It burned Harry's mouth and throat as it went down, making him cough and splutter. Still tut-tutting about dangerous sports and inept teachers, Madam Pomfrey retreated, leaving Ron and Hermione to help Harry gulp down some water. "We won, though," said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. "That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face... he looked ready to kill..."
"I want to know how he fixed that Bludger," said Hermione darkly.
"We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask him when we've taken the Polyjuice Potion," said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. "I hope it tastes better than this stuff..."
"If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking," said Ron.
"Hang, back up a few and tell us what happened first." Merlin said.
So the three Gryffindors proceeded to tell them everything that happened from the moment Harry walked onto the pitch, each one interjecting here and there and adding their two cents.
"Hooch should have noticed that bludger was tampered with! What type of referee is she?" Cassie asked, disgusted that she didn't notice, or if she did, she didn't do anything about it.
The door of the hospital wing burst open at that moment. Filthy and soaking wet, the rest of the Gryffindor team had arrived to see Harry.
"Unbelievable flying, Harry," said George. "I've just seen Marcus Flint yelling at Malfoy. Something about having the Snitch on top of his head and not noticing. Malfoy didn't seem too happy."
They had brought cakes, sweets, and bottles of pumpkin juice; they gathered around Harry's bed and were just getting started on what promised to be a good party when Madam Pomfrey came storming over, shouting, "This boy needs rest, he's got thirty-three bones to regrow! Out! OUT!"
"We'll come back later, Harry." Cassie said softly, kissing him on the temple and making him blush, which Fred and George noticed and wolf-whistled at.
And Harry was left alone, with nothing to distract him from the stabbing pains in his limp arm. A few hours later, Cassie came back with Merlin in tow.
"Hey Harry!" Cassie said as she walked in.
"Hey guys. Were you able to get everything?"
"We've got the boomslang and the bicorn." Cassie whispered, "But we were afraid that Snape would notice if we took anything else. And we weren't sure how much longer we had. Besides, Hermione can grab the other ingredients during your Potions class."
"Great. What's that?" he asked, looking at the basket in Cassie's hand.
"Well, we figured you'd want some food. So we stopped in the kitchens and grabbed some for you." Merlin answered before Cassie could.
"Thanks." Harry said, reaching over with his good hand and taking the basket from Cassie.
You should have seen Malfoy's face when all your teammates walked into the Great Hall. It was hilarious! I wish Colin had been around to take a picture." Cassie said, stifling her giggles so Madam Pomfrey wouldn't kick them out.
"He's a great photographer. You should see the picture he got of Cassie transfiguring Tommy's school robes into a kilt and ghillie." Merlin said.
"I don't doubt. I just wish he wouldn't be so…"
"Obtrusive?" Merlin offered.
"Persistent?" Cassie offered.
"Yes. Both." Harry said.
"He just needs time to get used to you, Harry."
"Took you all of three minutes to get used to it." Harry told her.
"Don't kid yourself, Harry. If it weren't for Ron vomiting slugs, I would have probably been as doe eyed as poor Colin." Cassie said, grinning at his look of astonishment.
"I don't believe that. Not for a second." Harry told her.
"Just because I hide it, doesn't mean I wasn't very excited to be Harry Potter's classmate. I almost wish I'd been sorted into Gryffindor. Gred and Feorge and I would have made quite the team in the common room." Cassie said almost wistfully.
"Oi! What about me?!" Merlin cried, quarter-insulted.
"Well, you just pander." Cassie told him.
"I do not!" he said
"Do to. But I will admit you have some good suggestions." Cassie conceded.
"Thank you." Merlin huffed, already planning how to get back at Cassie.
"I stick to what we told you that day, you two seem like siblings." Harry said with a grin.
"Eh, we're similar enough. Now imagine if we really were siblings, and we've known each other our whole lives. Good luck to the rest of the students. We'd be a nightmare!" Cassie said jokingly.
"Don't kid yourself Cassie," Harry smirked repeating her words, "You already are a nightmare."
"Well! I shouldn't stay for such insults!" Cassie cried in mock anger, her nose upturned. "I do believe that is our cue to leave." Cassie said with a smile, looking at Madam Pomfrey's office door opening and the matron coming out with a stern look.
"How do you do that?" Harry asked wide-eyed.
"I use my ears, dear Harry." Cassie replied with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Hope you have a semi-pleasant night. Skele-Gro is terrible." she said pityingly, remembering the time she had to take some when she was at Beauxbatons.
"'Night Harry." Merlin said following Cassie out the door.
The following morning, Merlin and Cassie ate their breakfast at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione, talking about how Harry was probably doing, when they heard Professors Mcgonagall and Flitwick speaking quietly on their way up to the Head table.
"Did you three hear what I heard?" Merlin asked, his pale face paler than usual.
"Colin Creevey's been petrified." Hermione whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
"We need to start that potion now!" Ron whispered urgently, dropping his food and standing up quickly.