Before you (Fred Weasley)

CHAPTER 48

The next couple of weeks were mostly spent at the Quidditch ground. Quidditch season had begun and everyone was buzzing in excitement. Hufflepuff had won against Slytherin and Ravenclaw but lost the match with Gryffindor.

Today was the last match, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Ron was a bundle of nerves and everyone tried to calm him down. He was on the verge of dropping out of the team. Fortunately, Harry and I had a plan.

I sat at the Gryffindor table with Hermione, Ginny and Harry as we waited for Ron.

When Ron came, Harry nodded at me.

"Hey Ron" Harry said pushing a glass of pumpkin juice towards him.

"No, Ron! Don't drink it. I saw Harry pour something into it earlier" I said.

Ron looked at Harry and Harry looked at Ron.

"If I'm not wrong, it was felix felicis" I said.

Without any hesitation, Ron downed the whole glass of juice.

"That's unfair you know, it's cheating" muttered Hermione.

Ron immediately began to feel more confident.

"Let's do this" he pumped his fist in the air before walking out of The Great Hall.

I winked at Harry and he smiled back as he, Ginny and Hermione followed Ron outside.

"Are you not coming?" Hermione asked me.

"There's something I have to do first, I'll be there in a bit" I said to her.

Once all of them had left, I climbed up the moving staircases to the abandoned girls bathroom where Draco was waiting.

"Took you long enough" he said, sitting behind a cauldron of bubbling potion.

"Sorry sorry, is it ready?" I pointed at the cauldron.

"Yes, do you have the hair?" he asked.

"Nicked some from her sweater yesterday" I said, holding a small vial of Gertrude Meads' hair. She had fallen asleep on the Slytherin table while doing her homework, giving me the perfect opportunity.

"Okay then" Draco produced another vial from his pocket and carefully ladled some polyjuice potion into it. Then, he passed the vial to me and I added Gertrude's hair into it.

The potion bubbled and turned into a frothy green colour.

"Ew, I do not want to drink the essence of Gertrude Meads" I said with a grimace.

"Hurry up now, we don't have much time" said Draco.

I scrunched my nose and downed the whole thing.

It tasted like sweat squeezed from a year old pair of socks.

Soon, I began to feel the changes that took place. My height decreased as my hair grew shorter and shorter. My chest, feet and hands grew bigger. The clothes I was wearing were too tight but I just let it be.

"Perfect, now lets go" said Draco, leaving the bubbling cauldron in a small cabinet.

I followed Draco out of the bathroom. How weird would it be if the real Gertrude Meads saw us. Fortunately, all the students were at the Quidditch match which hadn't begun yet.

We began to take the familiar route to the Room of Requirement when suddenly, we heard footsteps.

"Act normal" said Draco.

As the person got closer, we realised that it was Harry. He glanced at the two of us.

"What are doing here Malfoy?"