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Chapter 43
Obviously, aside from Lockhart, there was no better candidate. In the end, after Hermione said a few flattering words to him, Lockhart happily signed the slip without even checking which book they wanted.
With that, they easily obtained the recipe—but two problems still remained: they needed a place to brew it, and they needed the ingredients.
Hermione chose Moaning Myrtle's broken-down bathroom as their brewing site. No sane person ever went there, so the three of them were guaranteed privacy. Myrtle wept loudly in her stall as usual. They ignored her, and she ignored them.
Next came the second problem: ingredients. Most could be stolen from students' stores, but some rare ones were impossible to obtain. Powdered bicorn horn—they had no idea where to get it. Shredded boomslang skin—also extremely rare. They suspected Snape might store both in his private potions cupboard.
Finally, they needed something from the person they planned to transform into.
"We can hardly find a chance to get near her," Ron said helplessly.
"Opportunities can always be created," Harry encouraged.
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On Saturday afternoon, Malfoy deeply regretted one of his earlier decisions.
He had warned Dobby not to interfere with the Quidditch match because he feared an out-of-control Bludger might seriously injure someone. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the protagonist aura of a certain someone. Without Dobby interfering, Harry won the match far faster than anyone expected.
Now Pansy was crying miserably in the Slytherin lounge. She kept blaming herself—their strategy hadn't even been properly used before the match ended. She felt completely responsible.
In truth, Malfoy was very satisfied with their training, and their performance on the field had been normal. Harry's absurd luck was the only problem.
Malfoy spent most of the afternoon comforting Pansy. But that evening, news arrived: another student had been petrified. Colin Creevey—Harry's ever-present admirer—had gone to visit Harry in the hospital wing, and had been found petrified in the corridor.
Since Dobby had obeyed Malfoy's order and avoided tampering with the Bludger, he had instead focused his energy elsewhere. When everyone cheered for Harry and lifted him up after the match, Dobby cast a spell on the group at the same time. Malfoy guessed that Dobby's strength had slipped, causing the Gryffindor players to drop their hero straight onto the ground. History repeated itself—Lockhart attempted a "perfect" spell to fix Harry's arm and instead turned it boneless. Harry once again ended up hospitalized.
By Monday morning, news of Colin Creevey's petrification spread across the school. Suddenly, rumors flew everywhere. Everyone was on edge. First-years started traveling in groups of three or four, terrified that they might be next if they walked alone.
Business boomed again for the Weasley twins' fake magical rooster calls, and the two brothers made another small fortune.
In the second week of December, Professor McGonagall came around with the annual list of students staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all signed up. When they heard Malfoy would be staying as well, they found it extremely suspicious. During the holidays, they planned to use the Polyjuice Potion to force the truth out of him.
Of course, Malfoy was also staying to search for the truth.
Harry and the others had prepared almost everything—except the bicorn horn and boomslang skin. So during Snape's Potions lesson, Harry and Ron planned to sacrifice themselves by causing chaos, giving Hermione time to slip into Snape's private cupboard.
Potions was held in a gloomy underground classroom. As Thursday afternoon's lesson began, twenty cauldrons sat bubbling on wooden tables, with brass scales and jars of ingredients beside them. Snape prowled through the smoke-filled room, snapping harsh criticisms at the Gryffindors while the Slytherins snickered.
Harry and Ron were just about to use the Mischievous Smoke Pellets Fred had given them when a loud gurgling sound suddenly echoed through the room. Nearly all the students jumped. Several made mistakes at once. Potions splashed everywhere. Chaos erupted. Students ran around coughing and shouting.
"Neville Longbottom!" Snape roared. "If you ever bring that to my class again, I will have you expelled!" Then he snapped, "Twenty points from Gryffindor! Now quiet! QUIET! Anyone splashed by a potion—come forward for the antidote!"
"I think we should treat Neville to a meal," Ron muttered.
"Today's the first time I'm happy about losing points," Harry said, genuinely relieved.
After class, Hermione successfully secured the ingredients. They rushed to Myrtle's bathroom and tossed them into their cauldron.
"He knows it was me," Hermione said anxiously as she stirred the mixture.
"But he has no proof, right?" Harry tried to reassure her.
"He won't need proof, Harry," Ron said darkly.
"Alright," Harry sighed. "At worst, we'll admit it together."
"Are you kidding?" Hermione snapped. "I was the one who stole it because I'm the only one without a disciplinary record. Don't worry—he won't have evidence. At most, he'll make things difficult for us." She glared at Harry. "We're used to that, aren't we?"
"That's true…" Harry murmured, rubbing his nose.