With neither Harry nor Draco wanting to face the rest of the school just yet, it was decided that everyone would just hang out in the Head Dorms. Initially Hermione wondered if the Gryffindors and Slytherins would split into two groups, but everyone remained in the common room as one group. Conversation and banter were flowing freely, and Hermione couldn't help but think that she'd never seen such good house unity before. Of course things could have been very different and Harry and Draco could have caused all sorts of problems, but they'd both taken the strange turn of events in their stride and made the effort to be civil to one another, and everyone else had followed their lead.
As the morning progressed, Hermione noticed that Ron was still slightly detached from the group. He was by far the quietest one on the room, and Hermione suspected he was finding it harder than everyone else to put old rivalries aside. For some reason, Ron had always been more reluctant to give the Slytherins a chance, and while Hermione considered it good that he hadn't stomped off, he still wasn't exactly over involved in what was going on around him. Hermione was just hoping that he was still adjusting and that given time, he would come round and accept the Slytherins were part of their lives, at the moment due to what was going on with Harry and Draco, but in the long term because she and Draco were together.
Although one person with no problems accepting the Slytherins was Ginny. In fact, Ginny's only problem seemed to be distinguishing Harry from Draco. When Harry was talking, her focus was on him and several time she forgot herself and went to pet Draco's body. However, at other times her focus was on Harry's body, and Hermione had lost count of the number of times Draco had been forced to remove her hands from the body he was in possession of. Not that Hermione could blame Ginny for her confusion as she wasn't exactly finding it easy with her boyfriend and best friend residing in each other's bodies. It was so bizarre to see and hear her best friend saying things and doing things that were pure Draco, and at the same time seeing what looked like her boyfriend behaving like her best friend. Although to counteract the confusion she'd settled herself across the other side of the room, so unlike Ginny she wouldn't be tempted to caress the wrong person.
"Have you decided what you're going to tell other people yet?" Theo asked, drawing Hermione's attention back to the conversation going on around her.
"Why do we have to tell anyone anything?" Harry asked.
"Surely other people are going to find out what's going on," Theo pointed out. "Unless this can be fixed before the end of the weekend."
"That did not sound likely," Draco conceded. "Theo's right. If we're still like this come Monday, everyone is going to find out what is going on. In fact, maybe even before then as while I don't mind staying in today, I don't fancy spending the entire weekend cooped up in the head dorms."
"I guess we tell people the truth," Harry remarked with a shrug.
"I suppose the question is, do we just tell people we trust and wait for news to slowly spread, or do we make some sort of big announcement," Draco mused.
"You won't need to wait for anything to slowly spread if you tell Pansy what's going on," Blaise snorted. "We all know she's the biggest gossip in the dungeons. Even if the gossip is about you, she'll still spread it around as fast as she can."
"True," Draco agreed, well aware of how hard Pansy found it to keep secrets.
"Are you sure Parkinson is a gossip?" Ginny asked with a confused frown. "I've never heard one rumour come from the dungeons. You Slytherins are all mysterious and closed off from the rest of the school."
"Pansy loves a good gossip, but like all good snakes she doesn't confide in others outside of Slytherin," Blaise explained. "Gossip about Slytherins tend to remain in house. If we're ever the subject of gossip in the rest of the school, the rumour will have started somewhere other than the dungeons. We do pride ourselves on keeping our business private."
"Well this won't be private since I'm involved," Harry said. "And once word spreads around Gryffindor Tower, it will soon filter through the rest of the school."
"Of course it will, you count Lavender Brown among your numbers," Theo chuckled. "She's a bigger gossip than Pansy."
"So what are we saying, we're just going to tell Lavender and let her spread it around the school?" Ginny questioned with a frown.
"We don't have to do anything so drastic," Harry assured his girlfriend. "I was thinking you and Ron could explain things up in Gryffindor Tower, and Zabini and Nott can do the same down in the dungeons. You only have to tell our friends, but nature will take its course and the rumours will begin. By tomorrow, the entire school will know what's happened."
"They better not turn up here for a glimpse of the show though," Hermione cautioned. "I think we better set some ground rules on who can visit. Obviously everyone here can visit, but other than that I think we need to stick to close friends."
"I agree," Harry said with a nod as Draco also gave his agreement. "To be honest aside from Ron and Ginny the only other people I would expect to visit would be Neville, Dean and Seamus. Yeah, I'm friendly with a few other people, but not enough to warrant them coming to visit."
"Okay, Neville, Dean and Seamus make the list of approved visitors," Hermione said. "What about you Draco, which of your other friends would you want to allow to in to see you?"
"Vince, Greg, Daphne and Pansy," Draco replied without even having to think about it. "Like Potter, I'm friendly with other people, but not close enough to warrant a visit."
"That's sorted then," Hermione said with a determined nod. "No-one else is allowed to visit. Anyone else who wants to see what is going on will have to wait for the pair of you to put in a public appearance."
"I guess we will have to do that sooner rather than later," Draco sighed.
"I don't think there's any way around it," Harry remarked, sounding as unenthusiastic as Draco.
"How will it work once you have to carry on as normal?" Theo asked. "Do you pretend your each other with Potter living Draco's life and vice versa, or do you carry on as normal, but with the wrong bodies?"
"I'm not sure, I would say be ourselves with the wrong bodies," Draco replied with an uncertain shrug.
"Yeah, I would go for that one as well," Harry agreed. "I don't see the point in pretending to be each other. It would never work."
"It's just a shame there wasn't some way for you to temporarily get back to yourselves while a proper solution is being found," Blaise remarked.
"What about Polyjuice Potion?" Ron suggested, speaking up for the first time in quite a while. "It would briefly allow you to be back in your own body."
"Now that's an idea," Harry said, a large smile breaking out over Draco's face. "We could be ourselves again, even if it is just for an hour here and there."
"It's worth considering," Draco agreed with a nod.
"It's worth being cautious, and seeking advice," Hermione cautioned. "We have no idea what has happened, so using Polyjuice might be a bad idea. I think before you get your hopes up, or decide to do something rash, you need to consult with Professor Snape."
"I suppose she does have a point," Draco sighed, exchanging a disappointed look with Harry.
"She usually does," Harry agreed. "I've found it pays to listen to Hermione."
"Okay, you can go and talk to Snape," Draco informed his girlfriend.
"I can go and talk to Snape?" Hermione questioned. "Why do I have to do it?"
"Potter and I can hardly go," Draco retorted. "Not until word has spread about our condition. But you could go and ask about Polyjuice for us."
"Fine, but only because I could do with getting some air," Hermione muttered as she got to her feet.
"Be a sweetheart and while you're out, pop into the kitchens and ask the elves if we can have lunch here," Draco called as Hermione headed towards the door.
"Is there anything else I can do for you while I'm up?" Hermione shot back sarcastically.
"No, that's it," Draco replied with a smirk. "Thanks, babe."
"Lazy git," Hermione muttered as she strode out of the head dorms, closing the door with slightly more force than was necessary.
However, Hermione wasn't really mad at Draco as she'd actually been planning a trip to the kitchens anyway to organise lunch to be served in the head dorms. Deciding to make that her first trip, she headed to the kitchens and spoke to a couple of the elves and politely asked them to provide food for the students in the head dorms. Once that was sorted she headed down to the dungeons, passing a few Slytherins who eyed her curiously as it wasn't every weekend you found someone who didn't live down in the dungeons walking the chilly corridors. Ignoring the peculiar stares she was receiving, Hermione made her way to Professor Snape's office and loudly rapped on the door.
It took several minutes for Snape to answer the door, and when he did, there was no sign of his trademark billowing robes. Instead he was dressed in a pair of black trousers and a black shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The rolled sleeves revealed The Dark Mark etched on his left forearm, but he seemed unconcerned by the fact as he stepped back and allowed Hermione into his office.
"I take it you wish to discuss the body swapping events," he remarked as he closed the door behind Hermione.
"Sort of," Hermione replied. "I'm sure you and the other Professors are doing all you can to find a solution."
"Indeed we are," Snape interrupted. "Unfortunately Professor Flitwick has never heard of a spell causing people to swap bodies, so we're all chipping in and trying to do some research. But since we have no idea what we're looking for, it's a time consuming job and since we will have classes to teach again come Monday, this weekend is vital for finding answers, so quite honestly, I could have done without the interruption."
"I'm sure you could have, but this is important," Hermione retorted, refusing to back down under Snape's stony glare.
"Very well," Snape sighed with a slight incline of his head. "What do you wish to discuss?"
"The idea of using Polyjuice Potion has been raised," Hermione explained. "Both Draco and Harry seem keen, but I'm worried it could be a risk since we don't know what exactly we're dealing with."
"I have to agree," Snape replied with a worried frown. "There are too many unanswered questions to be adding something as risky as Polyjuice Potion to the mix."
"Risky?" Hermione frowned. "I didn't think using Polyjuice Potion was risky."
"And this from the girl who turned into a cat creature when she tried to use it," Snape scoffed.
"That was different," Hermione muttered, flushing at the humiliating memory from her second year when she, Harry and Ron had used Polyjuice Potion to try and work out if Draco had been involved in opening the Chamber of Secrets. "I used the wrong hair. Harry and Draco are not going to make that mistake."
"I'm sure they won't, but what if the potion counteracts with the spell they've been hit with? What if something goes wrong and we can't reverse the spell? What if they end up stuck in each other's bodies forever? It's a risk, I am not willing to take. And it shouldn't be one they're willing to take either. No, I cannot condone the use of Polyjuice Potion. My answer is no."
"I'll tell them, but do you think you can pop up and see them at one point just to get the point across," Hermione said. "I don't want them to decide to go ahead anyway and take unnecessary risks."
"I will make the risks clear in person," Snape promised. "But for now, you can pass on my message. They are not to use Polyjuice Potion."
Thanking the Potions Master for his help, Hermione left him to get on with whatever research he'd been doing before she arrived, and she headed back to the head dorms to deliver the news that Polyjuice Potion was not an option. Like it or not, Harry and Draco would just have to stay as each other for a little while longer.