Fred and George and the Toilers of Trouble (Year 1) ✔

Chapter 26:7

The swirling fog diminished, and they saw that the room now resembled a dormitory, fitted with blankets and pillows, stacks of books, half-eaten platters of food, and at least four changes of clothes. One of the chairs, however, had been smashed. When the door opened and Hagrid entered the room, the group was able to see more clearly that they were not alone. Aruzula was sitting on the ground next to a house-elf with oversized oxford shoes slumping off each foot.

"It's Dandy!" said Fred and George in one voice.

"Quiet!" squawked Filch.

"Brought yeh summor books," the young Hagrid said, completely out of breath. He stacked them on the floor beside another pile. "Might need ter find a bookcase nex'."

His grin vanished when he turned to find one of the chairs in pieces.

"Wha' happened? An' a house-elf?! I'll be expelled!"

"They won't expel you. And he's not going to say anything, are you Dandy?" asked Aruzula. The elf shook his head and smiled. "You know how bored I've been up here, Rubeus. Dandy's been visiting me, since he discovered the painting missing from the corridor. He's the one who cleaned up all the mess."

Hagrid scratched his head. "I was wonderin' how tha was sorted. Honestly, I thought it jus' vanished. I ain' learned enough 'bout magic ter know the difference, quite yet. Why didn' yeh tell me he's bin up ter see yeh?"

"Forget that. Watch this!"

From out of her borrowed Hufflepuff robe, Aruzula produced a magic wand. Then, with a beaming smile, she stood and cast an iridescent spell on the walls. Images of trees and all kinds of magical creatures sprouted across the wood-paneled walls, as if they were just transported to the center of the Forbidden Forest.

"You always talk about how beautiful it is down there! I wanted to see it for myself."

"Aruzula — yer a wizard! A witch, I mean," he corrected. "Tha's a complex glamour, tha' is. How'd yeh do it?"

"I mastered certain elements of magic by watching all these students from the painting. I've told you."

"An' where'd yeh find a bloomin' wand?!" he asked, looking amazed.

"She made it herself. From the chair," said Dandy, equally impressed. "That's hemlock wood. Suitable enough for a wand, indeed."

"Yeh made yer own wand? How'd ya learn tha'?!"

Aruzula was grinning deviously. "Books, mostly. But wandmaking was once commonplace. They used to teach that skill here, at Hogwarts, actually."

"But the core...was it...?" Hagrid's gaze faltered. The onlookers knew he was thinking of the hippogriff.

"This fine house-elf sacrificed his longest nose hair to the cause. They're extremely magical."

"It was a pleasure to help," Dandy replied, rubbing his nose as he got to his feet. He displayed his respect with a small bow. "Felt good, indeed. I haven't had anyone to obey in six hundred years! Indeed! Is there anything else I can do for either of you, before I adjourn to the kitchens?"

"I may have an idea." Aruzula rushed to one of her many books and flipped to a page she had marked with a dry, crinkled leaf of cabbage. "Right here, under the chapter on Memory Modification. It's a potion called Pectore Perpetuam. Brewed properly, it can alter a person's memories! If we made enough of it, and could somehow get it into the drinks at the Halloween feast you were telling me about...well, we could make them all believe that I'm a student, just like Rubeus!" she said eagerly. "Is it possible?"