Dear Diggory

chapter 59

I trudged up the staircase to the fourth floor.

I could feel the vials of polyjuice potion in my pocket knocking against my hip. The mixture was finally ready and I'd arranged to meet the twins in a deserted bathroom.

I hadn't told Cedric or my friends about our plans, I figured they would worry too much if I did and as long as we completed the mission successfully there wouldn't be a reason for them to know.

I walked down one of the corridors until I arrived at the bathroom door. I opened it and crept inside, shutting it firmly behind me. The twins were already waiting and they jumped up from the ledge they were resting upon.

"Hey! Do you have the potion?" George asked.

I had finally figured out how to tell the difference between the two; Fred had a small scar above his left eyebrow whilst George didn't.

I nodded and opened my robe, pulling the three vials from the inner pocket. They took theirs and I chewed on my lip nervously.

If I had brewed the potion incorrectly it would have a catastrophic effect that I wasn't sure I would be able to fix. The twins had provided me with all the correct ingredients, but I dreaded to think where they had gotten the exotic items from, although I suspected they'd been stolen from Snape's personal store. I'd spent a lot of time following the recipe to the minute detail, but there was still a chance I'd gotten it wrong.

"Okay here are the hairs. They're from some local wizards at the inn. We got some clothing that will fit them for when we transform." Fred unravelled the napkin in his hand to reveal three scraggly hairs.

I took one tentatively and flicked the lid of the vial open. I dropped it inside and watched the brew shift.

The dark mud colour swirled into a new shade. It was a rich hematite green and light wisps of smoke drifted into my nostrils. It wasn't a particularly pleasant smell, it reminded me of sweat and rancid fish, but there was a hint of bonfire smoke to it too.

I grimaced at the mixture, the twins did the same and we all glanced at each other apprehensively.

"How long does it last?" George asked.

"About two hours, if my calculations are correct."

They nodded and cheersed their vials before downing them. I sighed and brought mine to my lips, tilting it to make the mixture slide down my throat.

It had the texture of a thick smoothie but lacked the delicious taste. I refrained from gagging, I knew I would have only retched it back up, but it was too late to turn back now. I emptied the contents of the vial and slipped it back into my pocket.

"Holy shit, this feels so weird." Fred spoke.

I glanced at the twins to see their skin transforming. It was bubbling in a strange fashion, as if there was gas hidden beneath their skin. The looked at one another in panic as their features shifted.

I glanced down at my hands, the potion was setting in for me now and the strange sensation made my skin crawl. It bubbled just like the twins and I watched in amazement as my hands turned into someone else's.

My slender fingers shortened into thick meaty claws as the size of my palm grew. I turned them over and inspected the result as the bubbling settled. They were very clearly the hands of a wizard who engaged in menial labour and I wondered what trade they participated in.

The skin was rough and calloused from their work. There was a slight dirty cast to them from some sort of mud and I was impressed that the potion mimicked the victim's reality to that degree.