If This Isn't Love (Fred Weasley Sequel)

Chapter 13 | Cup of Tea

Sunday, September 24

Maybe stealing Umbridge's bottle of acid was a bad idea.

She is furious that she can't give out her normal punishments to "misbehaving" students. Hopefully she doesn't think I stole them.

For my own protection, I will have to act like I'm on her side.

Today, she is starting to bring students into her room for questioning. I pray to Merlin no one else was there when I went inside her classroom.

She questioned Harry first, even though he had no clue what was going on. He's just her least favorite student, anything to punish him, huh?

I would be helping Hermione and the twins with McLaggen's potion if Umbridge wasn't questioning me.

Harry warns me that the teacher is using Veritaserum. Honestly, I'm not even surprised. When I get in her office, she makes me have a seat in the chair in front of me.

"Here, drink some tea," she says, and I know I don't have an option.

I pick up the cup and put my lips on the cup. I pretend to gulp some down and put on a surprised look. I see this satisfies her.

"Now," she starts. "I have this bottle, a very important bottle of acid in my drawer. It has come to me that this bottle was stolen."

She peers into my eyes as if she knows it was me. I look back steadily.

"Did you steal the bottle of acid?"

"No," I tell her. "I would have no use for that."

She is taken aback, but recovers quickly. "Oh, but wouldn't you know someone else who needs it?"

I pretend to think about it. "No. Who would need that type of stuff?"

She turns around to grab something from another drawer. I pour most of the tea in the pot of a plant. It seems other students had the same idea; the soil is very wet, while the one beside it is still dry. I almost smile.

When she turns back around, I pretend to drink the last of the tea. "Is this herbal? Chamomile? It's delicious," I comment.

"Yes," she says, not answering my question. She holds the same quill I've used to write "I must pay attention in class." I stiffen and my right hand instinctively covers my left.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Yes." My gaze never leaves it.

"If there should be students lying to me, this would be the ideal punishment," she says, twirling it around. "Don't you agree?"

"Yes, ma'am," I lie. I never want to come back here.

"Alright, then." She gets up and peers into my cup. "You drank all of it."

"It's delicious," I tell her.

"Right," she whispers. "You may go."

~~~~

The potion making has begun. Hermione and I are sitting in the bathroom and since she believes I'm better at making potions (liar), she's making me brew it while she gives the directions.

"The water is boiling?" She asks.

I confirm it. She reads the instructions. "Add all of the chopped mushrooms."

I take them out of their baggies and pour them in. The water hisses. "Stir clockwise twice." I obey.

"Let boil for five minutes." We wait.

"Add the octopus powder." Wrinkling my nose, I pour the powder into the cauldron. The brew sizzles at me.

"Stir thrice counterclockwise."

"Add the dragon's blood a toad tongue."

"Stir six times clockwise."

"Let boil for 6 minutes."

I try to wipe of excess potion on my legs. Lucky for me, it doesn't burn. After 6 minutes, Hermione continues with the instructions. "Add the green acid."

I open the flask and measure out 2 ounces. I drop it in the potion, which starts to bubble up. "Stir thrice clockwise."

And the last step, "Drain and bottle."

She helps me pour the brew into a strainer and down a bottle. When we are finished filling up two bottles, we clean up the rest the potion.

"I still have green acid left," I comment, swishing the stuff around. "What should I do with it?"

"Throw it out." Hermione waves her wand and the cauldron is clean. We wipe off the floor and it's like we were never here.

Now we just have to figure out when to poison him. That'll be the fun part.

Hermione tells me to keep the bottles under my bed. I hope to Merlin that nobody finds anything there. If they do... Well, I may be in more trouble than I originally thought.

Soon, we'll strike. But McLaggen is a clever wizard, so it might be difficult to trick him into drinking it. Since the color is such a weird neon green, it's easy to tell that it's a potion.

Maybe when he's drunk, he'll fall for it.

That gives me an idea.

~~~~
Published 5-9-20