Viola Cesario and the Polyjuice Potion

The Swap

“I can’t believe you shoved me in a trunk,” Viola growled from inside the tight space.
“Shhhhhh!” Sebastian shushed quietly.
Viola tried to listen outside of the trunk to get an idea of her surroundings. All she heard was the loud chattering of students and a train whistle very close by. She was about to get on the Hogwarts Express! He heart filled with joy but she remained quiet.
“Oi, you there!” shouted a muffled voice from outside the trunk. Sebastian stopped walking abruptly, Viola’s head knocking against the top. Viola made a strange sound like a dying cat.
“Oh heyyyy, Mal! How was your summer?” Sebastian said nervously.
“What’s in the extra trunk you have there?” asked the other voice suspiciously.
“Oh! This…. Thing right here…. It’s just uh…. My….”
“Patrick! Leave Sebastian alone!” shouted another voice, this time more feminine.
“Thanks, Olivia!”
Sebastian started to practically sprint away. Viola felt herself being dragged up some stairs, Sebastian grunting as he pulled up the two, heavy trunks. Finally after a few minutes of being dragged around, it became very still.
Sebastian yanked the compartment door shut and drew the curtain. After making sure that every window was covered, he leaned down, popped open the trunk, and Viola sprawled out.
“Oh my gosh, I could hardly breathe in there,” she said, standing up and stretching out.
“Yeah, but you were making so much noise! Malvolio almost found us out!” Sebastian growled.
“We’re completely fine. He didn’t suspect anything,” Viola said dismissively.
“You didn’t see his face,” Sebastian said, brushing himself off. “Do you have all the things I made you?”
Viola reached into her back pocket and pulled out a mini composition notebook. It was full of notes on all of the students and teachers at Hogwarts that Sebastian socialized with.
“I’ve got everything. You don’t have to worry,” Viola said, flipping through the pages, her eyes landing on Patrick Malvolio’s name for a second. The first words she saw under his name were “EVIL. DO NOT TRUST.”
“And the potion?” Sebastian questioned.
“I’ve got loads,” Viola said, pulling open the other trunk. Bottles full of polyjuice potion nearly spilled out of the overflowing trunk. “I just need a little bit of…”
Viola reached behind Sebastian’s head and pulled out a chunk of hair. He yelped and rubbed the back of his head.
“What’d you do that for? When I got my hair cut I gave it all to you!”
Viola chuckled and dropped some of his hair into the potion.
“Just wanted to see your face,” she said. She stared at the bubbling potion, then looked up at Sebastian. “Bottoms up.”
She cocked her head back and downed the whole potion with just one swig. Sebastian watched as Viola’s face fell. Her insides writhed as if she was full of live snakes. She doubled over, wondering if she was going to be sick. A burning sensation spread from her stomach to the ends of her fingers and toes, bringing her to her hands and knees. Her skin felt like it was melting, or bubbling like hot wax. Before her eyes, her hands began to grow, the fingers thickened, the nails broadened, and the knuckles were bulging like bolts. Her shoulders stretched painfully and a prickling on her forehead told her that hair was creeping down toward her eyebrows. Her sweater crumpled inward as her chest deflated like a sad balloon.
Laying face down on the floor of the compartment, she gasped for air. She suddenly felt normal again. She stood up and looked at her hands.
“This is really cool, but kinda gross,” she said, now staring into Sebastian’s fear-stricken eyes. She recoiled at the sound of her new voice.
“That was terrifying. Are you okay?” Sebastian asked, staring right back at her.
“Yeah, I’m Gucci,” she said, brushing herself off slightly.
“Gucci?” Sebastian repeated.
“It’s a muggle thing,” Viola said dismissively. “When does this potion wear off?”
Sebastian looked down at the floor and rubbed the back of his neck.
“About that…”
“What?” Viola asked worriedly.
“Twelve hours,” Sebastian muttered.
“Twelve hours?” Viola cried. “I was thinking more like twelve nights!”
“You’re just going to have to take some time to drink more during the day. Slip some into your pumpkin juice during the feast. You’ll be fine,” he said, shoving a bundle of robes into her chest. “Put these on. I’ll watch the door.”
Sebastian turned and peeked out of the curtain covering the door. Viola changed out of her girl clothes and into Sebastian’s Hogwarts robes.
“Done,” Viola said. Sebastian turned around. “How do I look?”
“Just like me,” he said sarcastically. “It’s kinda creepy.”
“You’re kinda creepy, to be honest,” she shot back.
Sebastian rolled his eyes and held out his wand to her.
“Here. If I’m correct the wand should be tricked into thinking you’re me, and will respond to you,” he said. “Cast a spell. I know you’ve tried to on my wand before. You study my books more than I study them.”
Viola cautiously took the wand and held it outward. She took a deep breath and said, “Lumos!”
A dim light appeared on the end of the wand. It blinked a few times then faded away. Sebastian kept back a laugh.
“It’ll take a while. You’re still learning,” Sebastian said, trying to make her feel better about her utter failure. “Another thing.”
Viola looked up at her brother.
“I can’t brew polyjuice potion outside of school, and I need some to stay you. I’m going to ask you to brew me some and send it to me,” he said.
“What? I thought you had enough!” Viola shouted.
“I have enough to last me about…” He started counting on his fingers. “A month.”
“A month?” she screamed. “How am I supposed to brew a polyjuice potion with no experience?”
Sebastian thought for a moment. “Anthony!”
“Your best friend?” Viola asked jokingly.
“We’re all fifth years, and he knows how to brew a potion. Anyway, he would do almost anything for me. He won’t ask questions.”
Viola sighed.
“Good luck,” Sebastian said.
The two shared a thoughtful hug then Sebastian turned and left the compartment.
Viola started lifting the trunks into the top compartment when she heard a voice behind her.
“Need a hand?”
She turned around to see a tall, dark-haired, dark-skinned boy in a Hufflepuff uniform leaning against the door. She thought about the notes Sebastian had given her.
“Yeah! Thanks, Tony,” she said.
She turned back around, and Anthony Sparrow’s hand found its way to the small of her back. Surprised, she turned to face him.
“What?” Anthony asked, leaning down to pick up one of the trunks.
“N-Nothing,” Viola stammered, her cheeks flushing red.
“You okay, Seb?” Anthony questioned, seeming genuinely worried about him.
“Y-Yeah. I’m Gucci. Why?” she said, internally screaming about saying “Gucci” again.
“You seem kinda off. I could’ve sworn I just talked to you, but I guess it was somebody else, cause you’re clearly right here. Also, did you just say, ‘Gucci?’” he said, shoving the trunk in the top compartment.
“I’m fine, and yes, I did say, ‘Gucci.’”
Anthony chuckled, which Viola found surprisingly cute. “You’re finally learning something from your sister I guess.”
Viola found herself blushing again, which she tried to suppress. “Yeah. She’s taught me loads of muggle sayings.”
“So you’ll finally be able to understand my language,” Anthony said, giving her a small smirk. “Lit.”
Viola smiled and laughed, and caught Anthony blushing too. She suddenly felt a pang in her chest, realizing she shouldn’t be flirting with random guys while in Sebastian’s body. She also got a horrible thought, that perhaps Anthony was into Sebastian and she was sending him false signals, since Sebastian had already openly expressed liking Olivia to her. She started to feel guilty and sat down.
“How was your summer? I hardly got any post from you,” Anthony said, sitting across from her.
“It was—” Before she could finish, some pale boy with dark hair and a lean face stuck his head into the compartment.
“Oh, it’s you two,” he sneered.
She could feel the venom dripping from his words. She had no idea who this kid was, but she recognized the voice.
“How about you buzz off, Malvolio,” Anthony growled.
Malvolio ignored him, and his eyes flickered over to Viola. “How’s the squib sister?”
Viola’s face twisted into a scowl. She brought out as much steel as she could in her voice and said, “Still ten times better at magic than you, Half-Blood.”
Malvolio looked taken aback, as if he didn’t expect that to come out of Sebastian’s mouth. Anthony sat there with his mouth wide open.
“Why the sudden bravery, Sebastian? I’m surprised. We all agreed you should be one of those weak Hufflepuffs.”
With that, Anthony shot out of his chair and stood over Malvolio. He was at least a foot taller than him. Malvolio staggered back.
“I said,” Anthony started, blocking the doorway. “Buzz off.”
Malvolio pulled himself together briefly, spun around, then stomped off.
“I want to punch him right in the mouth sometimes,” Anthony said, throwing himself down next to Viola.
She scooched away a bit, just enough so that Anthony wouldn’t find it weird.
“You’re tellin’ me,” she said, getting settled in to the seat.
Suddenly, another head peeked in the door. A flurry of blonde hair sat upon a rosy cheeked, Hufflepuff boy’s head. He looked somewhat nervous and confused.
“Seb! Tony!” he said, his eyes lighting up when he saw them. “Mind if we sit?”
“Not a problem!” Anthony said, flashing him a warm, charming smile.
The mystery kid waved another boy into the compartment, and they sat down across from Viola and Anthony.
“Heyyyy!” the second kid said as he walked in, somewhat in a drunken stupor.
That’s probably Toby Belch. Drunk… Hufflepuff… That means the other kid is—
“So, how was your summer, Andy?” Anthony asked, trying to start conversation.
Well that answers that question.
“It was decent,” Andy said shrugging. “Yours?”
“Great!” Anthony shouted. “My sister got her letter! She was so excited. I wonder where she’s at.”
“Are all of you jus’ gon’ ignore me?” Toby shouted.
“Hey,” Viola piped up, remembering Sebastian’s notes. “We were talking to Agueface.”
Toby busted out into full on laughter, shaking an annoyed Andy by the shoulders.
“Sebby got ‘is ‘umor back!” Toby yelled, continuing to laugh.
Is this really what boys do? How am I going to be able to handle this? It wasn’t even that funny.
Another voice seemed to be approaching the compartment. Viola looked up to see a tall Gryffindor boy peeking into the compartment, a golden pin with a ‘P’ on it pinned to his chest. His light brown hair fell perfectly over his forehead, and the group behind him seemed to be looking for seats as well.
“Looks like this one is full,” he said, turning to his friends. Without even taking another glance at any of the boys in the compartment, he turned and strutted away.
Viola just sat there, trying to think of who that could be.
Brown hair, tall, prefect… Henry! Henry Orsino, the most popular Gryffindor in the school! I have to get on his good side.
Viola turned her head to look out the window as the train began to move. She sighed and leaned her head on her hand.
This is going to be difficult.