Leave Out All The Rest

Mischief Managed

Leave Out All the Rest

Chapter 29: Mischief Managed

POV: Albus & Third Person

Freddie straightened out his back, adjusting a stack of note cards by tapping them over the rim of his forgotten bowl of porridge. He cleared his throat, and in his best game-show host voice he said, "On today's episode of To Graduate or Not to Graduate we have Seventh Year Dominique Weasley. Dom, good to have you here. Tell us a little about yourself."

"Fuck off, idiot," Dominique said with gritted teeth at our cousin, clenching fists over her nibbled toast. "Just help me study or I'll ring your neck in."

"Your reputation precedes you—OW!" Freddie grunted when Dominique's empty goblet hit his shoulder. "Oi! I'm trying to help you!"

"Need you make everything a damn joke?" she hissed at him. "This is important."

Freddie rubbed his shoulder, glaring. "Who even are you? You invented this game!"

"Yeah, when Louis was the one on the receiving end of my breathtaking wit! You, on the other hand, are not witty, nor will you leave this table with your life until you help me study, so I suggest you get to it!"

I grimaced along with all the other eavesdropping Gryffindors. Dominique's sharp attitude was famous throughout Hogwarts; professors, ghosts, students, and creatures alike knew you must always tread carefully around her or the chances of finding yourself missing a limb was high. Still, she had a decent heart and good humor, so the fact that she was completely demented evened out. Lately, however, it was like being around a ticking time bomb. We all knew Dominique was going to explode soon.

Freddie was reckless, but even he knew the danger of messing with Dominique. As such, he grudgingly asked, "What are the ingredients needed to brew a Polyjuice Potion?"

Dominique looked relieved at the question. "Fluxweed, knotgrass, lacewing flies, leeches, powdered unicorn—no, wait, powdered bicorn horn and powdered moonstone."

"Powdered moonstone?" There was a loud scoff from the other end of the table. Louis turned away from his own pile of notes and textbooks, forgetting all about how he and Dominique were not in speaking terms since Lily revealed details about her intimate life he never believed she had in the first place. 

"Easy mate," Freddie warned Louis. "Your last shouting match ended up with a dislocated shoulder and someone crying, all which were you."

Louis frowned at Freddie, but ignored the warning. "Powdered moonstone is not used in potions that alter the drinker outwards, but rather inwards, such as it being a key ingredient for the Drought of Peace, because it calms from within."

"Who taught you that? Your little nonexistent girlfriend, Corney McDonald?"

"Her name is Coral McLaggen and she is real," Louis input immediately when some of his fellow Gryffindors snickered at Dominique's comment, "and I learned that when you were shagging a Slytherin. Not only did you lose your dignity, but you also seemed to have lost the fact that you need shredded boomslang skin and, most importantly, you have to include the essence of the person the drinker wishes to turn into."

In unison, everyone currently in Dominique's swinging zone backed away, holding up plates like shields when her cheeks turned red and her fists started to shake. This was it. This was the day we all warned Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur would come: The Day Dominique Killed Louis.