Plan Begins

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The little wizards who remained at the school for Christmas began to arrive one after another, filling the Great Hall with noise. Ron, Harry, and Hermione arrived early, ready to put their plan into action after a quick meal. Their priorities were to secure advantageous positions and locate the closest spot to the food.

Spotting Ethan sitting in the professor's chair after a long time, Ron enthusiastically waved his new wand at him, expressing his appreciation for Ethan's gift. Hermione and Harry also greeted Ethan with nods, sharing in the joy.

As other students noticed Ethan, they looked at him with admiration. After all, according to rumors, Ethan was the man who defeated three fire dragons.

"It seems you're quite popular with the students, Professor Ethan," Dumbledore remarked with a smile as he approached Ethan.

Ethan quickly humbled himself, attributing everything to Dumbledore and the school. He mentioned making only small, insignificant contributions. Dumbledore didn't anticipate Ethan's response to mirror his words, and his smile momentarily froze.

The Christmas dinner commenced, with Dumbledore leading a few of his favorite Christmas carols. Unbeknownst to Percy, Fred had enchanted the words on his prefect badge to read "Stupid Melon," leading Percy to inquire about the source of everyone's laughter. Draco Malfoy, seated at the Slytherin table, made a snide comment about Harry's new sweater, which Harry brushed off, anticipating that Malfoy would face consequences within a few hours.

Following their Christmas pudding, Hermione led Harry and Ron out of the Great Hall to carry out the next phase of their night's plan.

Meanwhile, Ethan sat in the professor's chair, fully engrossed in a plate of grilled and oily pork chops, oblivious to the trio sneaking out of the auditorium.

The first phase of Harry, Hermione, and Ron's operation unfolded smoothly. After their Christmas refreshments, they discreetly entered an empty hallway, patiently waiting for Crabbe and Goyle, who were finishing the fourth sponge cake left unattended at the Slytherin table. As Crabbe and Goyle exited the Great Hall, Harry and Ron quickly concealed themselves behind a suit of armor near the main entrance.

"How brilliant" exclaimed Ron with glee. He watched as Crabbe pointed happily at the cake, then grabbed it in his hand. Grinning, they shoved the entire cake into their mouths. The two of them chewed greedily, their faces smug. Shortly after, without any change in expression, they rolled backward and fell to the floor.

The trickiest part was concealing Crabbe and Goyle in a cabinet across the hall. After a bit of effort, though, they were safely tucked away between a mop and a bucket. Harry hastily plucked two short, stubby hairs from Goyle's forehead, while Ron extracted a few from Crabbe. They also took Crabbe and Goyle's shoes since their footwear wouldn't fit the larger feet of Crabbe and Goyle. With their hearts still pounding from what they had just done, they hurried to the women's bathroom.

Hermione was still stirring the cauldron in the small cubicle, producing so much black smoke that visibility was severely limited. Harry and Ron pulled their robes up over their faces and knocked softly on the door.

"Hermione?"

The door lock screeched, and Hermione appeared, her face aglow but anxious. Behind her, the bubbling, syrupy concoction rumbled. Three flat-bottomed glasses were arranged on the toilet seat.

"Do you have it?" Hermione asked, holding her breath.

Harry presented Goyle's hair.

"Very well. I swiped these changes of clothes from the laundry room," Hermione said, revealing a small cloth bag. "When transforming into Crabbe and Goyle, you must wear oversized clothing."

Harry and Ron eyed a pot of black, sticky mud-like potion with some embarrassment. They were less than thrilled about drinking such a concoction.

Hermione nervously retrieved the Polyjuice Potion, carefully reviewing the instructions for making the complex brew. She sighed in relief after confirming that all the steps were correct.

"It's fine. It takes a full hour after we drink it to transform back into ourselves," Hermione assured them seriously.

"What's next?" Ron asked in a hushed tone.

"We divide it into three cups and add the hair to each."

Hermione used a long-handled spoon to scoop up the potion and poured it into the waiting glasses. With trembling hands, she added Millison's hair to the first glass.

The potion made a loud, boiling noise and foamed vigorously, turning an unappealing yellow after a second.

Hermione, still recovering from her nausea, stared at the strangely colored potion and couldn't help but retch.

"Millicent's hair," Ron said, looking at the bubbling concoction with a chill. The thought of drinking it soon induced a faint sense of nausea.

"Alright, now it's time to add yours." Hermione's voice trembled slightly. She regretted having eaten so much for dinner, and the ordeal wasn't helping.

Harry tossed Goyle's hair into the middle glass, and Ron added Crabbe's hair to the last glass. Both glasses hissed and bubbled, Goyle's turned a tank-like khaki, Crabbe's a dark tan.

Ron and Harry reached for their cups.

"Wait a minute," Hermione said. "We better not all drink here. Once you're Crabbe and Goyle, it won't hold up here. Millicent isn't a petite person either."

"That makes sense," Ron agreed, opening the door. "Let's each take a separate room."

The three young wizards held their potions with trembling hands, each selecting a private room and entering.

"Are you ready?" Harry called out.

"Ready," replied Ron and Hermione.

"One, two, three—"

Harry pinched his nose and swallowed the potion in two mouthfuls. It tasted like overcooked cabbage.

The transformation process wasn't pleasant. Harry felt his internal organs churning as if he had swallowed several live snakes. He briefly panicked, wondering if the transformation had failed. Suddenly, a burning sensation spread from his stomach throughout his body, down to his fingers and toes. Then, an unsettling melting sensation ensued, as if his skin were bubbling like hot wax. Harry fell to the floor, gasping. He watched as his hands started to grow—fingers thickening, nails widening, knuckles bulging like bolts.

His shoulders began to stretch, causing unbearable pain. The needle-like pain in his forehead indicated the hair was creeping toward his eyebrows. The bucket broke through the hoops, and his feet were squeezed into shoes four sizes too small, causing excruciating agony...