A Younger Generation of Keepers

Chapter 4: Connected by blood (part 1)

Mia's pov

A new year, supposedly signified a fresh start, but sadly, that was not the case for us as we still had some unfinished business from the previous year.

The second of January marked Headmaster Black's return to Hogwarts, which meant our plan was back in action. I was in the Great Hall watching George and Ominis play chess, whilst peering out the window, where snow covered the castle grounds

"How do you always do that?" George complained; he lost to Ominis again.

"It's called skill, George, you should try it sometime" Ominis joked, making me giggle.

Sebastian entered the Great Hall and rushed his way towards us.

"I've got it!" he proudly said with a smile spreading over his lips as he took out a small tube with Black's hair from his cloak.

"Congrats mate!" George exclaimed.

"What took you so long?" Ominis questioned.

"Are you kidding me? I've waited for hours hiding behind the Pensieve. Luckily his password remained the same since last year. For better results, I used an Invisibility potion to walk quietly to his drink and mix it with the sleeping draught that Mia made, whilst staying undetected. After a few minutes he fell asleep and I was able to act successfully" Sebastian's eyes were filled with pride.

"Fantastic work, Sebastian!" I could not hide my excitement; our plan was finally working. "Did you also find the book about Larissa?"

"The one he got from the library? If Black has it, it's definitely not in his office" Sebastian responded with certainty.

"That means he stole it for someone else!" George came to conclusion "Mia, could you send Garreth an owl, asking him to bring a few of the spare Polyjuice potions he keeps at his house? You never know when they might come in handy"

I nodded and pulled out a piece of paper to write my letter to Garreth. I heard footsteps approaching our table as the Slytherins were conversing.

"Hello" Adelaide kindly greeted us, sitting next to me.

"Adelaide! Weren't you staying with your uncle?" George asked her whilst initiating another chess match with Ominis.

"I was, but he had to travel, so I returned to Hogwarts a bit earlier, this morning to be specific! He sends you his regards, George" Adelaide explained. Her uncle was captured by Ranrok's loyalists during our fifth year, and George rescued him.

I love you and I miss you.

Your truly,

Mia

I finished writing my letter, feeling the butterflies in my stomach go wild; I could not wait to see Garreth again.

"George you're so funny" Adelaide laughed purposefully loud at a joke George made. It was not the first time I had witnessed Adelaide acting too friendly towards him.

"I'm going to send Garreth an owl!" I stood up from my seat "Adelaide, care to join me?"

She paused for a second, thinking about her reply and then gave me a fake smile ."Of course!" she replied and followed me.

I obviously did not need Adelaide to accompany me, I just wanted was to keep her from flirting with George; I could see right through her intentions. We made our way to the owlery, and she could not stop talking about her uncle and her wonderful time with him.

"Have you heard from Poppy? She must be having a lovely time with her Gran" Adelaide asked.

"Yes, she is! I think George went to visit them over the break" I lied, but I wanted to let her know that George was still dating Poppy, who, by the way, was my closest friend, alongside Jessica.

"Oh so they ARE still a thing?" she played dumb.

"Of course, why wouldn't they be?" I replied with a smirk on my face.

"Oh nothing! Pure curiosity. You know, George and I dated during the summer break, but he broke things off in August"

Astonished by what she revealed, I tried my best to remain calm. I was not expecting that, yet it instantly made total sense. That is why she felt so comfortable flirting with George in front of all his friends. Perhaps, Ominis and Sebastian already knew about that. She still had a crush on George, and she was petty since George broke up with her and was now seeing Poppy.

"George told me to keep it a secret, but I know I can trust you" she expressed with a smirk.

Lies, lies, LIES! Her manipulative tactics don't work on me. She doesn't trust me at all; she's hoping that if I tell Poppy what she said, it'll generate problems between her and George. She thinks she can outsmart me, but I won't fall for her foolish antics. Game on bitch!

I forced a grin as I sent my letter to Garreth.

George's pov

I was in the Room of Requirement with Mia, when she finished brewing the Polyjuice Potion. Luckily, only adding the hair did not require much time.

"Done!" Mia proudly exclaimed.

"You're amazing!" I could not contain my excitement "Let's head to the hospital wing"

We exited the Room of Requirement, using the Disillusionment spell to avoid being seen. We hid in the corridor outside the hospital wing, and I cautiously glanced inside. Nurse Blainey was in there, caring for a Gryffindor student. I grabbed Mia by the hand and led her to the Prefect's bathroom. We checked the room, and thankfully, it was unoccupied.

"Here goes nothing!" Mia murmured and took the potion from her pocket. She stared at me warily before drinking it. She suddenly fell to the ground groaning whilst holding her stomach.

"Are you alright?" I asked her, but she was not responding. Even though I knew what was going on, it was still a shocking to observe Mia suffering. Her appearance was changing, her hands, face, and torso were all morphing to match Black's appearance. Within a few seconds, Mia had entirely transformed to Headmaster Black.

"How do I look?" she questioned.

"Very hot!" I joked. She rolled her eyes before lightly punching my arm.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, looking herself in the mirror. "It worked!".

"Let's go!"

We left the Prefects Bathroom, and Mia entered the hospital wing, whilst I stayed behind to guard the corridor. At the same time, Sebastian and Ominis set out to stall Black in case he left his office, preventing him from meeting with the nurse.

"Mrs. Blainey! I heard that you were looking for me!" Mia perfectly imitated Black's tone.

"Headmaster Black!" she jumped. "When did you return from... anyway – as a matter of fact, I did! There has been an anonymously sent potion. There was a note with it" nurse Blainey pulled it out and handed it to Mia.

"I see, can I have a look at the potion! I want to see if it'll help miss, miss..."

"Crickett!" nurse Blainey said "It's in my office, give me a second please"

"Crickett yes!" Mia enthusiastically replied. Nurse Blainey came back from her office with the Potion in her hands. She passed it to Mia, who pretended to examine it.

"This potion is marvellous! If my memory serves me correctly, and it does, it is used at St. Mungos as well! Perfect! – Perfect! Please give it to miss...miss... to the student, anyway, immediately!" Mia's performance was splendid; I could not believe how well she impersonated Black.

"Are – are you sure Headmaster?" she let out seemingly hesitant.

"Dare to question me?" Mia raised her eyebrow.

"No – no, absolutely not"

"And please keep this between us Mrs. Blainey" Mia said in a serious tone.

"Of course, Headmaster Black!" she replied, terror formed in her eyes.

Mia left the hospital wing and we returned the Room of Requirement, where she transformed back to herself. After congratulating her once more on her outstanding accomplishment, I proceeded to the Headmaster's officed. I found Ominis and Sebastian waiting outside, and informed them of the success of our plan.