Chapter 102: The Polyjuice Potion
In his office, Professor Snape, free from his teaching duties, picked up his communicator and saw a message from Ryan. "Polyjuice Potion?" he murmured. Thinking of Dumbledore's elaborate plan, he set the communicator down and retrieved several large bottles of the potion from his private stores. They were clearly of the highest quality, bottled in elegant, long-necked crystal vials that were themselves worth three Sickles apiece. Such fine packaging was a rarity for Snape, who considered most potions to be beneath such extravagance.
"The Order of Merlin ceremony," he mused. "I hope the people Ryan has chosen don't make a complete mess of it." He enchanted the crystal bottles, and they floated out of his office, seemingly of their own accord, and made their way toward the Adventurers' Club.
Even after the potions were sent, Snape found he couldn't settle his nerves. While the award ceremony was taking place, another, far more important event would be unfolding at Hogwarts. An event where he, Severus Snape, would finally have the chance to settle some old scores. The thought of getting his hands on Voldemort, of finally delivering the punishment he so richly deserved, sent a thrill through him. He had to take a large gulp of Calming Draught to steady himself. "No," he decided, "I must speak with Dumbledore again, to go over the plan one more time."
He set down the potion vial and strode toward the Headmaster's office, his wide, black cloak billowing behind him like the wings of a bat. But this time, as the sunlight streamed through the castle windows, the bat was dancing in the light.
In the Adventurers' Club, Ryan heard a knock at the door. "Come in, it's unlocked," he called out. But no one entered. The knocking continued. "What is this, a horror movie?" he muttered, getting up to see what was going on. "Hogwarts can't be haunted, can it?" He figured it was probably a prank. And even if it was a ghost, there were plenty of them in the castle already. Unless Voldemort himself was at the door, this was a comedy, not a horror film.
As he approached the door, the knocking persisted. He cast a Sensory Charm but detected no one on the other side. "Is it Peeves?" he wondered, and pulled the door open, expecting to see the poltergeist's mischievous grin. But there was nothing there.
Suddenly, something floated past his head. He looked up to see three ornate crystal bottles drifting into the room. They settled gently on the table. Tied to one of them was a small note: Polyjuice Potion. Each bottle is enough for one person for three days.
So it was the bottles themselves that had been knocking. They must have been enchanted to find their way to the club but had been stymied by the closed door. The handwriting was Snape's. So it was Snape haunting my door, Ryan thought with a smirk. If he ever leaves Hogwarts, he'd make a fine horror movie director.
"Now I just need a hair from Professor Flitwick and the Headmaster," he said to himself, and sent them a message. He immediately regretted not having thought of it when he was in the Headmaster's office. The encounter with the dagger must have scrambled his brains more than he'd realized.
"The door was open, so I came in," a voice said. Pablo and Penelope walked into the room.
"What's so urgent that you had to call us out of class?" Pablo asked.
"Shouldn't you be preparing your acceptance speech?" Penelope added, then noticed the bottles on the table. "What's this?"
"Polyjuice Potion," Ryan replied.
"Polyjuice Potion?" they both repeated, confused.
Before Ryan could explain, Vaisey's voice came from the doorway, equally perplexed. "Polyjuice Potion?"
"Everyone's here. Have a seat," Ryan said, gesturing to the chairs. The three of them sat down, each with a bottle of the potion in front of them.
"This is a long story, so I'll give you the short version first," Ryan began. "At the Order of Merlin ceremony, you three will be taking our places. You will be impersonating the Headmaster, Professor Flitwick, and myself."
The three of them stared at him, completely bewildered. "Why?"
"If we're at the ceremony, where will you be?"
"This has to do with what you've been so busy with, doesn't it?" Penelope said. As she spoke, her pet rat, a plump, white creature, scurried out of her pocket and onto the table, sniffing at one of the bottles. Before Penelope could grab him, the small, pink Doro model leaped onto the table and onto the rat's back. "Look, a noble steed!" it chirped. The sight of the round Doro perched atop the chubby rat was more adorable than heroic. The rat, however, did not seem to agree, and began to squirm under the weight.
"I still can't believe that little thing isn't alive," Penelope said, scooping up both the Doro and the rat and cuddling them. "Look how full of life she is!"
Perhaps alchemy can create life, Ryan thought. After learning that the greatest alchemical creations were forged from concepts, the possibilities seemed endless. But that was a question for another day.
"Here's what's happening," he said, and began to explain everything.
~~~
Get early access to 50+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn