EMBERS. ❪ Bill Weasley ❫ ✓

thirteen

⁀➷

No magic could bring someone back from the dead.

A few days later, Paisley and Bill attended Dumbledore's funeral. Some people had tears streaming down their face while others were emotionless, refusing to believe that he was really gone.

Paisley was one of those people. Tears were at the brim of her eyes and while one may have fallen, she coldly and remorsefully stared at his dead body. She didn't want Dumbledore's fall to be as simple as one of his most trusted friends betraying him. Dumbledore deserved better, and she would make sure that his death wouldn't go in vain.

Mad-Eye stomped into the room, shoving people out of the way. "Potter, you're underage, which means you've still got the Trace on you."

"What's the Trace?" Harry asked.

"If you sneeze, the Ministry will know who wipes your nose. Point is, we have to use those means of transport the Trace can't detect: brooms, Thestrals, and the like. We go in pairs. That way, if anyone's out there waiting for us - and I reckon there will be - they won't know which Harry Potter is the real one."

"The real one?" Harry asked with his eyebrows raised.

Mad-Eye fished out a bottle from his coat. "I believe you're familiar with this particular brew."

"No. Absolutely not," Harry answered.

"I told you he'd take it well," Hermione sassed.

"No, if you think I'm gonna let everyone risk their lives for me - "

"Never done that before, have we?" Fred asked George.

"No. No. This is different!" Harry exclaimed. "I mean, taking that - becoming me. No."

"Well, none of us really fancy it, mate," Fred retorted.

"Yeah, imagine if something went wrong, and we ended up a scrawny, specky git forever," George replied as he rolled his eyes.

"Everyone here is of age, Potter. They've agreed to take the risk," Mad-Eye replied.

"Technically, I've been coerced. Mundungus Fletcher, Mr. Potter," Fletcher introduced.

"Nip it," Mad-Eye growled at him. "All right, Granger, as discussed."

Hermione yanked off a piece of Harry's hair.

"Blimey, Hermione!"

"Straight in here, if you please," Mad-Eye instructed.

Hermione put the hair into the bottle.

"For those of you who haven't taken Polyjuice Potion before - fair warning: it tastes like goblin piss," he said as he handed the bottle to Fred.

"Have a lot of experiences with that, do you, Mad-Eye?" Fred joked.

Mad-Eye gave him a look.

"Just trying to diffuse the tension." Fred took a small gulp, then he handed it over to George.

The potion started getting passed around the room.

"I really don't want to be Harry," Paisley muttered as she stared at the potion.

Bill rested his hand on the small of her back and leaned in. "To be honest, neither do I."

Paisley pouted and swished the potion around. "Bottom's up." She tilted her head back and swallowed the potion.

Paisley immediately made a face of disgust as her body started morphing into Harry. Bill watched in amusement as his lover turned into a boy going through puberty.

"You ready, Paisley?"

"I don't like having a - " she gestured to her package downstairs.

Bill stifled a laugh and gave Paisley a noogie. She groaned and smacked his hand away. Everyone started shrinking and morphing into Harry.

"Wow, we're identical," the twins said as they looked down at their new bodies.

A pile of Harry's clothes was in the welcoming to take.

George picked up an article of clothing. "Haven't got anything a bit more sporting, have you?"

"Yeah, I don't really fancy this color," Fred replied as his face turned into a scowl.

"Well, fancy this; you're not you - So shut it and strip," Mad-Eye replied.

Paisley started taking off the jeans and top she was previously wearing.

"Can you guys not look?" she asked. "It's making me self-conscious."

"You're not even in your body! I should be self-conscious, watching you lot strip!" Harry exclaimed.

"I'm not even in the right gender, Harry!" Paisley exclaimed with a laugh.