Scarred from the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter Fan Fiction Retelling)

Chapter 11: I Feel Like We're Better Off Learning Judo

The girl's bathroom on the third floor outside the spot where Mrs. Norris was attacked, which was still roped off with caution tape, was unusually dingy and dirty. Clearly, Filch never tried to clean this bathroom since Moaning Myrtle probably always chased him away with her sobbing. Harry felt pretty uncomfortable sitting on a busted toilet in the bathroom (or it was because his last bone had just grown back) while he and Ron watched Hermione add a bagful of something green and fuzzy into their Polyjuice Potion cauldron.

"It smells so gross," Ron didn't have to point out. He snapped his wand in two and stuffed each end through each nostril. "That's better."

"Are you sure no one's going to come in here and see us?" Harry asked. He noticed a drinking fountain by the sink. "That's a weird thing to put in here."

Hermione shook her head while she stirred the potion counterclockwise four times. "I've told you. No one comes in here because of Moaning Myrtle. Well, except Terry Booth when he wants to be a girl. There." She tapped her ladle on the brim. "We just need one more ingredient. Then it has to settle for a month. We have the hairs, at least. I have two of Millicent's, a few of Goyle's, and a piece of Crabbe's skin."

"I ended up hitting him with George's Beater bat," Ron said nasally. "A huge chunk of his scalp flew off."

"So, what's the last ingredient we need?" Harry asked Hermione.

Hermione looked at Potions That Pop. "It's a full-grown saddleback caterpillar."

"Can you find those around here?"

"The saddleback caterpillar is native to the eastern United States," Hermione read, "proliferating in warmer and temperate climates. Its name comes from the characteristic markings that look as though these toxic caterpillars are wearing a bright green saddle with a brown seat. Irritating bristles called urticating hairs line the lower edges of the body with two fleshy horns on either end. These hairs hold venom, and human contact can cause painful swelling, rash, and nausea."

"And we have to put that thing in a potion we have to drink?" Harry gulped.

"Apparently."

"Where can we find one? There's not too many poisonous caterpillars here in England."

"First of all, we're in Scotland, somewhere near Dufftown. Second of all, Snape has a bunch of live caterpillars in his private storage. One of us will have to cause a diversion when another steals it. Like I said before, we've caused diversions before, so this shouldn't be a problem. However, Harry, I think you should do what we did with Lockhart and dress like Snape to make it look like you admire him."

"No way!" Harry yelled.

"Attention all students and other beings present," came McGonagall's voice from the stone owl over the door. "This is to inform you that a student has been petrified. Now that a human has succumbed to this awful fate, we are now very concerned. The student in question is Colin Creepy—Creevey. I know, boohoo. Anyway, if anyone has any idea where in this annoyingly gigantic castle Professor Sprout's mandrake is, please inform a teacher so that she can use it to create a potion that can reverse the petrification. Thank you."

"No!" came Lavender's distant cry.

"No is right!" another voice cried. Moaning Myrtle appeared out of the floor. "There shouldn't be any boys in the girl's bathroom! I hate boys. The last person I ever spoke to when I was alive was a boy. He was making fun of me. He said I smelled like rotten eggs."

"That explains that other smell," Ron whispered.

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Snape slithered around the desks as the second-years attempted to create a Melting Potion in their cauldrons. As he said at the beginning of class, he would know if they succeeded in brewing it correctly if the bottom of their cauldron melted. Hermione just had to raise her hand and object to this, stating they'd have to buy a new expensive cauldron if that happened. Snape just smiled and took off 200 points from Gryffindor, which was how many galleons a new cauldron cost. Ron didn't even bother trying to make his potion since he knew he couldn't afford a new cauldron.