Chaos ensues when Harry gets Hermione to help him make a love potion.
Snow lay thick on the ground at Hogwarts. Through the windows of the Gryffindor common room, Harry could see it fall in flurries of flakes as big as the palms of his hands. He was glad to be indoors in the warmth, where a cheerful fire blazed in the hearth and his friends were busy doing their homework, playing games or chatting in small groups.
He turned again to the book that lay open before him on the table: the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making. Where was he going to get Ashwinder eggs, frozen or not? It wasn't as if Snape kept them in his cupboard... or was it? Hermione might be able to help, but it was unlikely she would approve of the use he intended to put them to. He turned to the index. The eggs were mentioned on several pages. 'But I don't have ague,' he thought. 'Wait a minute – bites, stings and burns... jinxes... the eggs are used for lots of stuff. Madam Pomfrey will have some in the hospital wing.'
"You're deep in thought, Harry," remarked Hermione.
"I want to get some Ashwinder eggs," he said quietly. "And I don't think we'll be able to nick them from Snape."
"You could send an owl to Slug and Jiggers," suggested Hermione, "unless you want them in a hurry. They're not that hard to get hold of. What do you want them for, anyway?"
Making it up as he went along, Harry said, "I thought it would be funny to make a love potion for Malfoy."
"What?" asked Hermione, her mouth slack with surprise.
Harry tittered. "Can you imagine Malfoy in love with Millicent Bulstrode?"
Where was Colin Creevey with his camera? Harry would have given anything for a picture of the look on Hermione's face at that moment. It was somewhere between fascination and revulsion. The curl of her lips and the creases round her eyes were hilarious to see.
"That is so gruesome, we just have to do it," she replied. "But why not just buy it from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?"
"I want to do it myself," explained Harry.
"Would you like me to help you," she asked, "or do you reckon you can handle it yourself?"
She jerked her head at the book.
"The Prince has made notes on the subject," said Harry, "but I'd appreciate your help with this. It doesn't mention bezoars, after all."
Hermione grinned. "Very well," she said, with a conspiratorial grin. "Let's do it. We'll have to work quickly. I'll set it up in Moaning Myrtle's toilet."
***
They sneaked in together, under the Cloak of Invisibility, then Hermione went to get the other things they would need.
"What are you up to, Harry?" asked a high-pitched ghostly voice.
"Oh, hello, Myrtle," said Harry. "How's it going?"
"Well, I've been sitting in the U-bend, thinking about my death," she replied. "The usual. What have you got there?"
"Ashwinder eggs," said Harry. "We're making a potion."
"I remember the last secret potion you made," said Myrtle, with a giggle. "Hermione went all hairy, like a cat. What's this one for?"
"A love potion," Harry replied.
Myrtle giggled. "How sweet!" she replied in a sickly tone.
She swung back and forth like a pendulum in front of Harry, then looped the loop and dived into a toilet with a splash.
Harry pulled a face and waited for Hermione to return.
After a while, she came back and announced, "You've got to cast a spell in which you mention the name of the intended to make this work. Do it when I say."
"Okay," said Harry. His face fell. How was he going to convince Hermione to agree to this? The Weasleys had love potions for sure, but not Amortentia, which was what they were making. He watched carefully as Hermione worked. He'd have to do this again when she wasn't looking.
When the potion had taken on the prescribed mother-of-pearl sheen, and the steam rose in the spirals described in the book, Hermione bottled it and passed it to Harry.
"Can I watch?" she asked. "This I've got to see."
"Yeah," said Harry.
"Now cast the spell."
Reluctantly, Harry held up the bottle, tapped it with his wand and said, "Draco Malfoy amat Millicent Bulstrode!"
"Now how are we going to make them drink it?" she asked.
"Have we got enough for another bottle?" asked Harry.
"Yes," replied Hermione, and gave him another bottle of the stuff. "Now let's go!"
"We can do it tomorrow at breakfast," he answered.
***
Early the following morning, Harry put the Cloak on, and carefully put the bottle meant for Millicent and Malfoy in his right pocket. The one meant for Cho was in his left. He crept into the Great Hall where the breakfast things were being laid out and waited for the others to arrive.
When the Slytherins had taken their seats, Harry sneaked over and dropped some of the potion into Malfoy's and Bulstrode's drinks. Then he went to the Ravenclaw table and did the same to Cho. After that, he slipped into an alcove, pulled off the Cloak and put it in his pocket.
He sauntered over to the Gryffindor table behind a group of latecomers and sat down as nonchalantly as possible. Hermione, who was seated opposite him, looked with interest at the Slytherin table.
To her vast amusement, gasps of astonishment and cries of "What? No way!" had broken out.
Harry grinned back.
"What's going on?" asked Ron.
"See for yourself," said Hermione.
Draco Malfoy, it seemed, had eyes only for Millicent Bulstode, whose bulky body loomed across the table from him.
"Oh, that's revolting!" cried Ron. "She's drooling over him."
"Look at the expression on Pansy Parkinson's face," sniggered Harry. "She looks more like a pug than ever!"
"They're holding hands across the table!" crowed Hermione. Her feet beat a tattoo of gleeful gloating.
"Oh my life!" said Harry, revolted. "If they snog, I'll throw up."
He was so caught up in the mayhem he'd unleashed on the Slytherins, who were crying out in consternation, he forgot all about Cho.
"Someone's slipped you a love potion, Draco," warned Pansy, with tears in her eyes. "People are laughing at you. Look at Potter. He's laughing at you!"
"Shut up, Parkinson," snapped Malfoy. "Millicent is beautiful and you're just jealous!"
"Beautiful?" cried Pansy. "She looks like the back of a b-arrrgh!"
Pansy spent the next few minutes fending off a flock of bats that kept flying out of her nose. She screamed and lashed out at them until Snape made his way over and called, "Finite incantatem!"
"What is this nonsense?" demanded Snape, who didn't look that much different to the bats himself.
The others went quiet.
Snape turned to the Gryffindor table. "Twenty points from Gryffindor!" he said.
"What about Prior Incantato?" asked Harry.
Dumbledore appeared at Snape's side. "He's right, Severus," said Dumbledore.
With a scowl, Snape checked all the wands on the Gryffindor table, then gave them back the twenty points.
Dumbledore checked the wands on the Slytherin table. "It seems your wand cast the Bat-bogey Hex, Malfoy," said Dumbledore. "Twenty points from Slytherin."
Snape scowled and returned to his seat.
"It is forbidden to cast spells outside of the classroom, Malfoy," said Dumbledore.
"But she insulted my Milly," replied Malfoy in a plaintive tone.
"Indeed," said Dumbledore, and returned to his seat.
Harry watched as Professors Dumbledore and Snape exchanged words. The thunderous look on Snape's face would have been funny if it wasn't aimed at him. Harry returned to eating his pancakes.
***
What with classes and the need to practice Disapparation, Harry barely noticed Cho mooning over him for the rest of the day. Besides, he had detention to do for Snape, who had decided that an answer given in class was not polite enough.
By the time he remembered the potion he had made and thought of seeking Cho out, he couldn't find her.
He couldn't turn to Hermione, but it occurred to him that one person would be able to help. He went to the girls' toilet on the second floor and called for her until she came.
"Oh, there you are, Harry!" Myrtle crowed. "That potion trick you played was very funny. Peeves thinks it's hilarious!"
"You didn't tell him, did you?" he asked nervously.
"Of course not!" she replied. "If you got expelled, I wouldn't see you again, and I do like having you around."
"Myrtle," he asked, "could you do me a favour?"
"What is it?" Myrtle's pearlescent glasses glinted in the flickering light.
"Can you find out where Cho Chang is?" he asked.
"I'm here," said a familiar voice. Cho stalked out of one of the stalls, her face streaked with tears.
"Oh, hello Cho," said Harry, embarrassed.
"Why did you do it, Harry?" she demanded. "Did you think it would be funny to get me mooning over you like Millicent Bulstrode over Draco Malfoy? Is that what I am to you? A joke? Well, I hope you enjoyed it!"
"I..." spluttered Harry. How could she possibly think he was playing tricks on her?
"You can't even find it in your heart to say sorry!" she snapped.
"Well, I am sorry, Cho," he said in a small voice. "I never meant to make you feel like this."
"Of course not!" she snarled. "You wanted to make me feel like this!"
Cho twisted her golden face into a soppy mockery of infatuation, knocked her knees together and hugged herself.
"No!" cried Harry. "Not like that! I just..."
"You just what?" snapped Cho, her arms folded and her tone belligerent.
"I wanted you to love me," he said simply.
"Amortentia just makes people obsessed, you fool!" she declared. "It doesn't last, Harry. I suppose I ought to thank you, though: I still liked you till you slipped me that potion. Now I can't bloody stand you!"
Harry stood aside as she flounced out. He felt as though she had slapped him in the face.
"Oh, that's really bad, Harry!" simpered Myrtle, who looked very happy. "Do you want to stay here with me for a while?"
"No thanks," muttered Harry, and slunk back to the Gryffindor common room.
On the way there, Millicent Bulstrode pushed past him, stony-faced, to the toilet he had just left. Tell-tale tear tracks on her face left him in no doubt as to the humiliation she felt. He bowed his head and crept along, feeling rather guilty, but just as he reached the stairway, he beheld a most gratifying sight.
Draco Malfoy sat on the corner at the top of the stairway that led to the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was. Hugging his knees, he looked as though all his worst dreams had come true.
The crash of falling armour heralded the approach of Peeves, who took great delight in taunting Malfoy about the events of the day.
"Millicent Malfoy, a beautiful name;
"'Twas but a potion – oh, what a shame!
"There won't be a wedding, no cake to be had
"'Cos Millie don't love 'im, the poor Malfoy lad!"
The poltergeist cackled wickedly as he chucked bits of armour at Malfoy until he had driven him downstairs to his common room.
Harry grinned. Cho hated him now, and when Hermione found out, she'd be furious; but who could feel bad when Malfoy was getting what he so richly deserved? Harry scampered back to the Gryffindor common room, gloating all the way.
The End.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment