"No, Miss Clearwater just reported this to me," the Headmistress stated, her back growing straighter like a pufferfish. "Could you please examine this potion?" she added, gesturing to the frozen potion.
"Miss Clearwater just found it," the Potions Master said as he stepped forward to examine the mixture.
...
Several moments passed before the resident Potions Master answered, "Polyjuice Potion, I believe—a couple of days away from completion," just as the bathroom doors opened and the lioness herself entered.
"Neville, it will be done in a couple of days, this potion can't be rushed," Hermione stated, looking over her shoulder as Neville and Ron entered with Dean and Seamus in tow.
"Miss Granger, trust only you to have the arrogance to brew this mixture," Professor Snape stated immediately upon hearing the confession. She stepped back behind the professor, wondering if somehow Harry had engineered this, before dismissing the thought, as the lioness froze just past the doorway. It was just too perfect; there was no way Harry could have masterminded their arrival from the hospital wing. 'Maybe this way, I get both of their gratitude and support for the Head Girl position?' she privately wondered if this was Harry's plan all along.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Finnigan—you will come with me to my office at once," the Deputy Headmistress stated firmly. "Professor Snape, please dispose of the incomplete potion."
"Professor McGonagall," Professor Snape said smoothly, "I'd like to remind you that Polyjuice Potion is a Ministry-controlled substance, punishable by imprisonment of five years." He almost smiled as he looked at the five lions, as though he had just gotten an early Christmas present. The group paled, now realizing the real trouble they were in.
"I'm well aware of that little fact," the Deputy Headmistress replied coldly. "Their punishment will be fitting, I can assure you," she said, before looking over at me.
"Miss Clearwater, you are no longer needed. You are dismissed," the Head of Gryffindor stated.
"Yes, Professor," I answered back, fleeing the bathroom's oppressive atmosphere as quickly as I could, ignoring the five sets of stares.
...
(Next Morning)
Strolling to the gossiping Great Hall, he wondered what damage had been done to Gryffindor due to last night's events; after all, Penny had been unable to stay around and watch the fallout. Inspecting the hourglass, he saw that Gryffindor had gone from second place to last place overnight, losing a total of 210 points, to the point that the Gryffindor hourglass was actually empty.
The Slytherin table seemed ecstatic, almost celebrating, whilst the Gryffindor table looked heartbroken. Wood looked positively murderous as he tucked into his breakfast.
"So what happened?" he asked the table, lowering himself into his seat, wanting to get the facts.
"Some second-year Gryffindors got caught brewing a Ministry-controlled substance. Rumor has it that Neville got pulled off the Quidditch team too," Reese said.
"Oh, I was looking forward to playing against him," he answered back, playing the disappointment card but smiling on the inside at his handiwork—until he noticed Penny's frown. Moving over to sit next to her, he inquired, "What's up?" wanting to know what had gotten his friend down.
"Did you send Snape?" she accused quietly between bites of her toast.
"No," he answered back carefully. "But I think I know who did," he said as he watched the Slytherin Trio enter the hall. "Both Daphne and Tracy were tasked with talking to Myrtle, remember? They would have surely known about the potion."
...
Stepping off the Hogwarts Express after a rather tedious journey, his eyes began to dart around the platform, examining it in detail whilst looking for his godfather. The platform was decorated with traditional Christmas decorations, enchanted snow falling but disappearing upon the ground, and a grand Christmas tree standing off to one side, sparkling in the natural light as the charmed crystal snowflakes danced in the light.
Smiling at the sight before him—energetic parents reunited with their kids for the Christmas holidays after being parted for several months—it was truly moving to see first-years reunite with their parents and witness the clear happiness at simply being together again after so long apart. But it was bittersweet also, since it reminded him of what he had lost and that he could never have that same moment with his own parents. He could only watch, not feel. Yes, he was not alone anymore; he had Sirius now as his guardian, but Sirius could never replace his parents. Not that Sirius had tried—his godfather had fallen into the role of an older brother rather than a parent figure.
Of course, he also had the Tonks family who treated him like a son of their own, so it wasn't all bad. Finally, he spotted his godfather standing with Ted and Andy as the crowds parted, busy talking away with another couple. His godfather's best friend Remus stood in the background, clearly wanting to be there but uncomfortable interacting with the other couple.
Realizing they hadn't spotted him yet, he made his way slowly over to the group, weaving in and out of the crowds, watching their body language for any hints of who they were.
He then noticed Daphne standing in the lady's shadow, talking to what appeared to be a smaller version of herself, making it clear that it was Lord and Lady Greengrass with Daphne's younger sister.
"Nicholas, I'll be attending the Wizengamot after the new year. I just wanted to enjoy my freedom for a bit longer," his godfather explained in a reassuring tone. "Plus, the last couple of months have given me the necessary time to recover from my false imprisonment; I looked like a corpse before, and felt like one too," his godfather joked, before becoming surprisingly serious. "It also gave me the time needed to catch up on what I've missed in the last decade—who's who and where they stand, the new players in the Ministry, as well as my own family affairs that had been left unattended for so long—before I could even think about taking on any more responsibilities."
"Perfectly understandable, Sirius. I think all of us would want a long break after such an ordeal," Lord Greengrass said in a rich, refined male voice.
"Indeed, Godfather. It was only the sensible thing to do, rather than jumping right into the deep end of the political swimming pool of the Wizengamot," he said, making his presence known to the group. "Lord and Lady Greengrass, it's good to finally meet you in person. Once again, I'd like to apologize for canceling my visit with you this summer, but I had to focus on investigating my godfather's false imprisonment."
"Ah, Mr. Potter, so good to finally meet you," Lord Greengrass stated, offering his hand to shake before gesturing to his wife. "This is my wife and my youngest daughter you already know Daphne," he added, gesturing to each one in turn.
"I can see where Daphne gets her stunning beauty from," he said smoothly, kissing Lady Greengrass' hand while turning on the charm, before turning to their youngest daughter. "And you must be Astoria," he said, giving her small hand a peck on the knuckles and being rewarded with a blush. He could see Daphne rolling her eyes at his antics, already knowing it was nothing more than an act—a show.
"Ah, the famous Potter charm lives on. I think you might have some competition there, Sirius," Nicholas joked good-naturedly.
"Maybe, but the Pup still has much to learn," Sirius said, reminding Harry of a Jedi. "Give me a couple more years, and he'll have even Cynthia here blushing like a first-year," Sirius joked, earning a snort from Lady Greengrass. "How have you been, Pup?" Sirius greeted, pulling him into a tight hug, whilst Harry discreetly nodded to Remus in silent greeting, just so he didn't appear rude.
"Fine, even with the attempted assassination on me," he replied as he wormed his way out of the over-the-top hug, already knowing Daphne would keep reminding him of this for years to come. "It just stops the schoolwork from getting boring and adds some spice to the old place."
"Are you sure you're not a Gryffindor?" Sirius asked carefully. "That sounds rather Gryffindorish to me, hardly that of a bookworm Ravenclaw," he teased, while the group grinned with the exception of Lady Greengrass and her eldest.
Snorting, thereby making his disgust known to all before returning fire, he retorted, "Do you even know what a lion does in the wild? Look it up—you will be most disappointed. Actually, it might be perfectly suited to you. Far better to be an eagle than a lazy overgrown cat that spends most of his time eating and sleeping."
"Ah, play nice," Sirius scolded.
"Nah, I play to win," he said, making his philosophy clear. "Whoever said it was taking part that counts probably never won anything in his or her whole life," he added, while the Greengrasses watched the unfolding banter, clearly examining the dynamics of how their relationship worked. Or at least Daphne and her mother were, while Nicholas seemed busy trying not to chuckle at their antics.
"I don't think I'm going to win this," his godfather admitted, clearly wondering what his comeback should be, but unable to counter quickly enough in the end.
"You're not going to win a battle of wits and philosophy with a Ravenclaw, Sirius—not even a second-year one," Lord Greengrass advised, with clear humor in his voice and smile.
"Then I gracefully surrender. I take my hat off to you, good sir," Sirius joked, taking the offered path out and giving him a mocking bow.
"I accept," he said cheerfully and magnanimously. "But first we'll have to get you a hat. I think a top hat would be the most fitting, don't you?"
"Now that you boys are done," Lady Greengrass said with coldness that made Daphne's own seem like a warm summer's day. "Sirius, now that Harry's here, do the two of you fancy coming over for a meal over Christmas?" Lady Greengrass inquired, really giving the impression of a winter queen with her white fur coat, reminding him of the witch queen from the book series *The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.*
"I see no reason why not. I've got some plans for me and Harry up till Christmas, but we've got a couple of days free after that. How about the 29th?" Sirius answered back.
"Excellent," Lady Greengrass agreed. "What are your plans until then?" she asked, which was the very question he wanted to ask his godfather too, since Sirius had been extremely secretive about their Christmas plans.
"Well, I currently have an international portkey booked for this evening to take us to Paris, where we will spend the next four days. After all, you said you wanted to see the place—why not go now rather than wait?" His godfather grinned madly, completely taking him by surprise.
The news left him speechless; he never expected something so bold or so grand.
"That sounds wonderful, Sirius," Nicholas agreed.
...
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