The Kind Hufflepuff

Chapter 58: Doxycide

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The Kind Hufflepuff - Year Three

Chapter Fifty- Eight: Doxycide

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The smell was pungent, Cali barely able to hold back a gag until Greta provided her with nose clips to prevent the stench from interrupting her. The potions classroom often smell horrid in Cali's opinion due to the various potions that were taught throughout the day but this particular class smelled absolutely rancid.

"I hate this," Cali whined. "This potion is absolutely disgusting in use and now it smells horrid?" Cali complained to her potions partner, Bertram Aubrey.

"Calista," Bertram sighed. "I am not making you assist me, so please shut the bloody hell up," Bertram snapped at the girl as he added a glug of cowbane essence and a dash of tormentil tincture. 

"I can help," Cali defending herself, her voice sounding odd due to her nose being closed.

"You're horrid at potions," Bertram snapped.

"Potions is literally one of my best classes," Cali rolled her eyes.

"Well, you sure seem to complain more than you do anything," Bertram pointed out.

"You don't let me do anything!" Cali snapped, "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Fine," Bertram sighed, walking away from the potion. "You finish it!"

"Fine," Cali rolled her eyes, looking at the instructions for a moment before slowly increasing the heat while she stirred the potion. Once the potion had turned into a nasty black color, she took out her wand and quickly waved it, finishing the instructions before raising her hand to grab the entire of Slughorn.

"Hello Miss. Higgs," Slughorn greeted the girl as he took a vial of the potion. "Let's test it."

"What do you mean?" Cali asked, her eyebrows furrowed before Slughorn disappeared into his office and came out with a cage of Doxies. Doxies were these little evil looking fairies that appeared to be a lizard, known for biting and wrecking havoc on everything. They were pretty much a nuisance within the wizarding community, but they were still a magical creature and Cali frowned deeply as she watched Slughorn spray her potion on the small creatures that immediately froze in place, the potion taking into effect.

"It works!" Slughorn cheered. "10 points to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw each."

"You just," Cali mumbled in surprise as she stared at the frozen doxies. "How dare you?" Cali snapped at the man.

"What do you mean?" Slughorn now seemed confused as Greta grabbed Cali's arm, trying to drag her back to her seat but Cali refused, wiggling herself free from the girl. 

"You just paralyzed them! How would you feel if I paralyzed you! We have spells ourselves that can make that happen," Cali yelled at the man. 

"It's a safe alternative when they are infesting your home," Slughorn attempted to reason. "They do not harm the creatures whatsoever."

"They paralyze them!" Cali snapped.

"So that they can be removed without fear of being bit. Miss. Higgs, I know how protective you are of creatures who can not speak for themselves but I assure you that Doxycide is a safe alternative," Slughorn defended the potion.

"How do you know it's safe?" Cali demanded.

"Miss. Higgs, the potion does not last forever. Only long enough to remove them without being bitten or hurting them in the process," Slughorn sighed, just as the frozen doxies began to move once more though slower than before. 

"You do not know if it hurts them," Cali groaned, "That's my entire point." With that, she stood up from her desk and stalked out of the classroom, not even aware of the calling after her that resulted in the yellow beads that indicated Hufflepuff's house points being removed from their particular house cup. 

"Cali!" Regulus shouted about twenty minutes later as Cali continued to walk. "Cal," he tried once more as he caught up to the girl, grabbing her shoulder as she turned to him slowly.

"Hey," Cali greeted quietly. "What's up?"

"I haven't seen you in awhile," Regulus shrugged. "How was Hogsmeade?"

"I wish you were there," Cali sighed before brightening up. "I actually have something for you, follow me to the Hufflepuff common room?"

"I'm not so sure I'd be welcome," Regulus meekly admitted as Cali shushed him.

"Nevermind that, come on," Cali grabbed the boy's hand. 

"Did you read the Daily Prophet this morning?" Regulus asked the girl. 

"Merlin no, I try not to read such a thing," Cali admitted. "Always so depressing."

"It's very war centric," Regulus admitted. "But you remember that Appeal Against House Elves Slavery?" he asked the girl and Cali nodded.

"Yes, of course! I've been waiting to hear something from it. How did it go?"

"It was thrown out," Regulus admitted, causing the girl to deflate.

"Dear Merlin, this day could not get worse," Cali sighed, wrapping herself more into the side of the Slytherin as they continued to walk towards her common room. She did the tapping mechanism that resulted in the doors to open, "Let's go."

"I can't go up there," Regulus pointed out. "I'm a guy."

"What are you going on about?" Cali questioned, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Guys cant go into the girls dormitory," Regulus pointed out, laughing at the girl.

"Oh, yes, that is true," Cali nodded. "But they can when a girl is on the steps alongside them, so please let's get a move on." 

"So outside of the Appeal, what's wrong?" Regulus asked the girl.

"We brewed doxycide in potions," Cali explained quietly. "We completed it first and he decided to test the potion on doxies."

"You didn't think he would?" Regulus guessed. 

"No, I did not," Cali sighed, as the bowtruckle moved to her other shoulder away from the boy.

"He really hates me," Regulus laughed at the bowtruckle who immediately blew a raspberry at him.

"He is quite picky," Cali shrugged, "But nonetheless, I just feel so bad for those poor doxies."

"Doxycide really is safe," Regulus assured her.

"How do you know?" Cali demanded.

"Have you taken doxycide yourself?" Regulus asked her.

"You can do that?" She seemed surprised as Regulus nodded in confirmation. 

"Of course you can," Regulus laughed. "Here, we'll take doxycide together later. I'll ask Slughorn to perform an experiment with you. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to spare a few bottles."