Of Cunning Minds: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter 21 - The Polyjuice Plot

Thea woke to the sound of Ominis clearing his throat. He was wearing a dressing gown, holding a steamy cup of tea in one hand and The Daily Prophet in the other.

"Is the mattress in the guest bedroom not suitable for your liking?" he questioned.

Thea was still curled, rather uncomfortably, in the armchair of the library. A quick glance to her left confirmed that the other chair was empty. Sebastian must have retreated to his room at some point during the night. Thea uncoiled her limbs and rose from the chair, causing a blanket to fall to the floor in the process. She hadn't remembered having a blanket...

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I was reading and must have dozed off." Ominis eyed her suspiciously and gingerly sipped the contents of his mug.

"Very well. When you are ready, we can start forming a plan to retrieve the artifact." He nodded and exited the room. Thea rubbed her tired eyes. Judging by the lack of light coming in from the window, it must have been incredibly early in the morning.

After a brief, albeit refreshing, shower, Thea joined Ominis and Anastasia in the living room. He was sitting on the sofa, running a lazy finger across the newspaper. His other hand rubbed circles on Anastasia's back as she sat on the floor in front of him.

Thea felt awkward interrupting the sweet interaction so she lingered by the doorway. When Anastasia spotted her hesitant form, she abruptly stood and began offering an assortment of warm, caffeinated beverages.

Thea politely accepted a tea and positioned herself in a chair facing the sofa. "Do you have any ideas?" she asked Ominis.

He closed his newspaper and sighed. "Several, although they all require severe precision to be executed." He pinched his brow and closed his eyes. Thea could practically hear the gears turning in his head. "From my understanding, the relic will be removed from the vault early tomorrow morning. It will be virtually untouchable until it reaches the hands of its new owner."

"Clyde," Thea punctuated.

"Most likely," Ominis continued. He won't be able to disapparate within Gringotts, nor along the busy streets of Diagon Alley. There are wards preventing that," he added offhandedly.

"It would certainly be unpleasant to have a person appear on top of you while you're in the midst of weekend shopping," Thea chuckled.

Ominis gave her a pointed look. "Right. There are two Floo locations within the area: The Leaky Caldron, which is at the opposite end of the street, and Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. My best guess is that he would pick the latter. It's more secluded and well..."

"Evil wizard, evil shop."

"Exactly. We can be waiting nearby to stun him and grab the artifact." Ominis gave a brief nod indicating that was the entirety of his plan.

Thea placed her teacup on the coffee table and folded her arms. "It sounds simple enough to me. I just have one concern."

"Go on," Ominis prompted.

"Well, Diagon Alley is a rather populated area, and we do happen to be escaped criminals..." Her voice trailed off.

"Yes, that is where the severe precision comes in. We will be using Polyjuice Potion."

"Polyjuice potion?" Sebastian repeated from the doorway. Thea whipped around, wondering how long he had been standing there. He crossed the room and leaned against the fireplace mantel. His eyes met Thea's for a second before turning back to Ominis. "That can take up to a month to brew."

"I know that," Ominis gritted out. "Fortunately, we managed to acquire a small supply." He titled his chin, gesturing towards Anastasia who had moved to sit next to him on the sofa.