"I think... you'd all be better off waiting outside."
Looking at the unbelievable scene before them, Professor Lupin forced a bitter smile.
Lewis nodded immediately.
He would have preferred that himself.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Hermione and Luna and hurried back out, leaving only the two professors and Harry inside.
The three of them quickly exited the tunnel, climbed out through the opening, and retreated a considerable distance.
Only after they were sure the smell couldn't reach them anymore did they finally dare look back.
The cold, crisp air of the Forbidden Forest suddenly felt incomparably fresh.
Everyone instinctively took several deep breaths, desperately trying to purge the lingering stench from their lungs.
Lewis was the most dramatic of all.
He felt like a fish that had finally been thrown back into water after nearly suffocating.
Every cell in his body seemed to rejoice as it soaked in the clean air.
"I can't believe it!"
Hermione exclaimed, utterly horrified.
"How did they end up like that? That's just... that's..."
"...so disgusting!"
She was practically incoherent.
"Why didn't they just use Scourgify? Why were they lying together like that?! How much food did they eat beforehand?!"
Lewis's tiny potion had delivered an earth-shattering lesson.
Truthfully...
Even Lewis himself was traumatized.
He silently swore never to enter that tunnel again.
In fact...
He didn't even want to go anywhere near the Whomping Willow anymore.
Just looking at the tree was enough to make that horrifying scene replay in his mind.
After quite some time...
Several figures finally emerged from the tunnel.
Harry supported Ron.
Professor Lupin helped Malfoy.
Professor McGonagall walked behind them with an expression so dark it could rival Professor Snape's.
Somehow...
The two unfortunate boys had recovered their wands.
No one knew where they'd managed to dig them out from.
Although both had already been thoroughly cleaned...
Their faces remained ghostly pale.
They leaned weakly against Harry and Lupin for support.
The moment Lewis, Hermione, and Luna saw them...
All three instinctively took several steps backward.
After breathing fresh air for so long...
Their noses had finally recovered.
Which meant...
They could once again smell the lingering odor on Ron and Malfoy.
Neither Ron nor Malfoy complained.
The nightmare they had just experienced...
And the fact that everyone had witnessed it...
Was already humiliating enough.
Neither of them even dared look anyone in the eye.
At that moment...
Both wished they could simply dig a hole and bury themselves alive.
Although Professor McGonagall had already used an exceptionally skilled combination of Aguamenti and Scouring Charm to wash every trace of filth from their bodies...
They still felt unbearably dirty.
As though invisible insects were crawling across their skin.
"Mr. Green, Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and Miss Lovegood."
McGonagall addressed them solemnly.
"I expect every one of you to keep today's events absolutely confidential."
Lewis nodded.
His intention had only been to prank the pair.
He had never wanted to ruin their lives.
"It's really not that serious."
Hermione tried to comfort the two miserable boys out of simple kindness.
"You'll feel much better after taking a proper bath."
"For at least two hours."
Luna added earnestly.
Kindness, however...
Couldn't overcome instinctive disgust.
After saying that...
The two girls immediately grabbed Lewis and hurried toward the castle.
It was almost as if staying beside Ron and Malfoy for one more minute might somehow contaminate them as well.
The professors and Harry followed behind with the two exhausted boys.
Although Ron and Malfoy desperately wanted to rush straight back to their dormitories and spend the rest of the night inside their respective bathrooms...
Professor McGonagall insisted on taking them to the Hospital Wing first.
As experienced witches and wizards...
Explosive diarrhea on that scale simply wasn't normal.
In her opinion...
There had to be some sort of curse or potion involved.
"It... it can be cured, right?"
Ron looked hopefully at Madam Pomfrey.
"I won't keep... you know... having stomach problems?"
"Of course."
Madam Pomfrey nodded reassuringly.
She immediately cast several diagnostic charms.
After a brief examination...
She reached her conclusion.
"It appears you've somehow come into contact with an extremely potent laxative potion."
She frowned in confusion.
"But why on earth would the two of you drink something like that?"
Ron exchanged a glance with Harry.
Both of them immediately reached the same conclusion.
Fred and George.
Ron had heard his twin brothers mention that they were developing prank sweets with powerful laxative effects.
Could they have secretly tested them on him and Malfoy?
But Ron didn't dare investigate.
If the twins ever learned what had happened today...
His humiliation would spread across Hogwarts before sunset.
This matter...
Was destined to remain buried forever.
After drinking Madam Pomfrey's antidote...
The two boys fled the Hospital Wing at top speed.
Ignoring the strange looks from passing students...
They dashed back toward their dormitories as though Sirius Black himself were chasing them.
Before entering the bathroom...
Ron did something completely unprecedented.
He threw every article of clothing he was wearing straight into the trash.
Poor and thrifty as he normally was...
He had never wasted clothes like that in his life.
Inside the bathroom...
Ron remained for an entire hour.
He wanted to scrub himself clean ten times over.
Eventually...
Harry's impatient voice came from outside.
"Ron!"
"We need to hurry!"
"Dinner's almost over!"
After everything that had happened...
Harry himself had absolutely no appetite.
Unfortunately...
Lewis's invention had emptied Ron's stomach completely.
Combined with lying unconscious for most of the afternoon...
If he didn't eat something soon, he might collapse.
Inside the bathroom...
Ron twitched helplessly.
Although it felt as though his last meal had been eaten in another century...
He still had no desire whatsoever to eat.
But...
To avoid fainting inside the dormitory...
He forced himself out.
Malfoy was suffering exactly the same dilemma.
Several students who had missed dinner finally met one another in the nearly empty Great Hall.
Only leftovers remained.
They spotted Lewis...
Who was hurriedly finishing dinner with Hermione and Luna.
The moment the three of them noticed Ron and Malfoy approaching...
They reacted as though they'd seen ghosts.
All three instantly sprang to their feet and instinctively backed away.
Ron sighed.
Then looked toward his lifelong rival.
Apparently...
Malfoy had something to say as well.
"Hey, Malfoy."
Ron spoke first.
"About what happened today—"
"Weasley!"
Malfoy interrupted immediately.
"What happened today..."
"...never happened."
"I was about to say the same thing."
To everyone's surprise...
Ron wasn't angry.
He simply nodded.
Then Malfoy turned toward Lewis.
There was even a trace of pleading in his voice.
"Lewis..."
"I'd like to ask you..."
"Of course."
Lewis interrupted before he could finish.
"We already promised back in the Forbidden Forest."
"But..."
"Could the two of you sit a little farther away?"
"I know you've cleaned yourselves..."
"But psychologically..."
"I'm not getting over this for at least a week."
For once...
The two mortal enemies displayed astonishing synchronization.
They both nodded vigorously.
Then they noticed the other doing exactly the same thing.
Both immediately snorted, turned away in disgust...
And attempted to walk off.
Only to bump into each other again.
"Hmph!"
"Hmph!"
Once again...
They simultaneously turned their heads away.
Each silently concluded...
That the other must be his natural nemesis.
Every encounter between them ended in disaster.
Watching the perfectly synchronized pair...
Lewis couldn't help laughing to himself.
For some reason...
Ron and Malfoy suddenly felt less like mortal enemies...
And more like a pair of bickering rivals who simply couldn't escape each other's company.
If you want to read 60 chapters ahead of the public release, head over to: Patreon.com/RedString