Study Date | James Potter

Chapter 27 - "I'll Always Stay"

The Great Hall was bedecked with carved pumpkins. Some of them floated above the tables, holding flickering candles, and live bats flitted about above, occasionally swooping down and scaring students. It was Halloween, and the feast was about to begin.

Dumbledore finished his speech, and as he sat down, food and drink appeared over the tables. Everybody eagerly tucked in, and a low rumble of noise spread across the hall.

Rose lifted her cup and tapped it against Tina's and Alicia's. "Cheers," they said together, then they each took a large gulp of pumpkin juice.

Immediately, Rose doubled over. Beside her, her friends were in the same state, and alarmed shouts filled the room as students began to change. Some sprouted upwards while others shrank. Hair either grew or shot back into people's skulls, becoming dark, lank and greasy. Skin bubbled, turning paler. Noses grew long and hooked. Some students - mostly the younger ones - grew too big for their robes, seams splitting loudly.

The only student who wasn't affected was sitting at the Slytherin table, and after a few minutes, a bewildered Severus Snape stared back at a room full of equally confused Severus Snapes.

Some of the teachers hadn't started to eat before they had noticed the commotion, so Professors McGonagall and Andrews, and Madam Hooch were still themselves, while the rest were Snapes dressed in various sets of ill-fitting robes.

For a moment there was silence, then uproar, and Rose, Tina and Alicia shared a grin at the chaos they had created. Each was easily identifiable by the purple daisy in their top pocket - Tina's favourite flower in Alicia's favourite colour.

"SILENCE!" Roared a Snape dressed in overlarge purple robes at the head of the teachers' table.

"Thank you," said Dumbledore, the words sounding strange coming out of Snape's mouth. "It appears we have all fallen victim to a particularly good practical joke. If I am correct in believing this is the work of Polyjuice Potion, then the the effects will likely wear off within a few hours and cause no lasting damage. In the meantime I would like you all to remain here in the Great Hall and enjoy the new feast that will be sent up from the kitchens soon." He waved his wand and the food disappeared, to more than a few groans.

Less than five minutes passed and then suddenly spherical shapes were falling from the high ceiling and bursting against whatever they hit, whether it be the wall, floor, table, or a person. Wherever they exploded, the dungbombs created thick, brown, putrid-smelling clouds that hung in the air. There were more shouts from around the hall, all in Snape's voice. Rose and Tina quickly cast a Bubble-Head charm on themselves and on Alicia, so they had a supply of fresh air.

Rose saw four Snapes across the hall who had also used the charm, and one caught her eye and winked at her.  She laughed, then turned to her friends.

"Alright, let's get out of here, otherwise we're going to stink for weeks."

The other two nodded, and the three of them quietly stood and slipped out in the chaos. Their laughter echoed around the empty Entrance Hall as they headed down to the Dungeons.

"Did you see Snape's face?" Tina was almost crying she was laughing so hard.

"Which one?" Rose asked, sending them all into fits of giggles that sounded incredibly uncharacteristic in Snape's voice. That only made them laugh harder.

They had tested one dose of the potion to see how long it would last, and Rose had turned into Tina for two hours, however when spread across the food and in the pumpkin juice the dosage wasn't consistent. That meant it would wear off quicker for some and slower for others, and would likely last no longer than an hour. Rose's, Alicia's and Tina's would hopefully wear off quicker, since they had only drunk a small amount of pumpkin juice - just enough to transform them to avert suspicion.