"Honestly," Rowan Mercer said with a faint smile, "Hermione, you really do belong in Gryffindor."
She and Professor McGonagall were cut from the same cloth. Rule-abiding on the surface, reckless at heart. Most of Harry and Ron's rule-breaking escapades could be traced back to Hermione's ideas. Rowan had long suspected that her fury at the flying car incident wasn't about the danger, but about not being invited along.
Hermione flushed slightly but didn't argue. Instead, she sighed."I've searched the entire library, but I can't find the book Snape mentioned. Most Potent Potions. Without it, we can't brew Polyjuice Potion. Have you seen it?"
Rowan thought for a moment. "I think it's in the Restricted Section."
Her eyes widened. "You can get into the Restricted Section?"
"That's thanks to Professor Lockhart," Rowan said lightly. "Compliment his books, make up a decent excuse, and he'll sign a permission slip without thinking twice. Next time I go, I'll look for Most Potent Potions for you."
He winked.
Since borrowing a book on tracking spells, Rowan had visited the Restricted Section several times. He stayed away from Dark Magic. Advanced charms were enough. Even if he couldn't cast them yet, memorizing theory never hurt.
Helping the trio also served another purpose. It sent a clear signal to Dumbledore. Rowan was Harry's ally. Useful. Worth tolerating. If Dumbledore wanted to close the loophole Lockhart provided, he could do it anytime. Rowan preferred that not happen.
"That man really is an idiot," Ron muttered. After the Cornish pixie disaster, he'd made up his mind about Lockhart.
"He is not!" Hermione snapped. "I checked. Everything in his books is real!"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Because he said you were the brightest witch of your year."
Rowan raised a hand. "Enough. I'll help, but I have a condition."
They turned to him.
"I heard you froze an entire swarm of Cornish pixies in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Rowan said. "I've been studying the Freezing Charm myself. Thought we could compare notes."
The Freezing Charm was a wide-area binding spell. Ineffective against strong targets, but extremely useful against small or mechanical ones. More importantly, it disrupted modern technology. Cameras, alarms, sensors. All stopped cold.
Against something like powered armor, the implications were obvious.
Hermione straightened proudly. "Of course. I'll explain everything."
Harry and Ron exchanged looks.
Both arrived at the same conclusion.
Absolute menace.
The next day, Rowan used Lockhart's permission slip to retrieve Most Potent Potions and handed it to Hermione. Before doing so, he'd already copied every recipe into a secure digital archive through his other body.
Even Dumbledore wouldn't believe it took only a few hours.
With the recipe secured, Hermione began gathering ingredients and preparing the Polyjuice Potion. It would take a month to brew properly.
Rowan didn't interfere. He returned to his studies.
By late November, anticipation swept through the school. Quidditch season had arrived.
Saturday morning marked the first match. Slytherin versus Gryffindor.
At breakfast, the Gryffindor table was tense. Aside from Harry's Nimbus Two Thousand, their brooms were no match for Slytherin's Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones.
Slytherin, by contrast, was confident. That confidence rested squarely on Rowan's performance during training.
"Rowan," Captain Flint said hesitantly, "are we really doing this your way?"
Rowan calmly sipped his pumpkin porridge. "I cleared it with our Head of House. If we're going to win, we win cleanly. No excuses. No rumors."
Flint grimaced. "Fine. But if we lose, it's on you."
Rowan looked up. "You doubt my ability?"
Flint froze, then forced a smile. "Of course not. I trust you completely."
He had no intention of angering Snape's favorite student. Especially not when their championship streak depended on him.