Chapter Twelve: Vanessa's clever plan

* Vanessa's P.O.V *

I threw the last of the lacewing flies into the cauldron, and watched it bubble, leaning against the stone wall of an unused dungeon.

Even now, a month after I had formed this brilliant plan, I was amazed at how I thought of it.

All I needed now was one last ingredient.

Hermione's hair.

***

"Hermione," I said, from behind her shoulder. Her head whipped out of yet another book.

"Hm?"

"You're hair is so pretty!"

"Erm...thank you."

"Mind if I braid it? While you read?"

"Oh...er...sure," she burried herself in her book again. I grinned smugly. It was all too easy.

In the dim fire light, I began to brush her hair with my fingers.

I heard her say "Ow" a couple of times.

"Sorry...smoothing it out..."

I picked her hairs from my fingers and stuffed a few in my pocket.

I braided her hair happily, giddy with my own cleverness.

"There!" I said, twisting the last hair so the braid stayed.

She looked up.

"What?

"I'm done."

"Oh, yes...thank you..."

I frowned.

"Good book huh?"

She looked up again, eyes lingering on the page.

"Oh, yes," she began to read again.

I smirked and sprinted up to my dormitory, careful to make sure I had the hairs still.

***

I took a flask, and filled it with the frothing potion.

I remembered the conversation I eavesdropped on, between Ron and Hermione.

I'll be back from the library at 7, maybe before that.

Okay, I'll be waiting in the classroom next to the common room.

I let one frizzy hair drop into the potion. It frothed, and turned a pale, pretty sky blue.

Despite it's appealing color, it tasted awful. I gagged as I felt it go down my throat.

Instantly, my skin began to bubble, my boobs shrik, my hair go backwards into my skull, I felt my face being twisted painfully, my teeth growing slightly, I felt hot and sweaty, my whole body burning and twisting, I felt like hot wax...

Then suddenly, it stopped. I lay on the hard dungeon floor, freezing as ice from the November weather.

I looked down at myself.

My clothes were fitting, seeing as they were too small before. My shoes were too big. I kicked them off, not caring. I looked at my watch. A half hour 'till seven.

I set off quickly, feeling the cold stone floor on my- Hermione's?- bare feet.

Now I was running at a sprint, careful to remember the way to the common room, not wanting to take any wrong turns.

I heard the distant, rumbling snores of the Fat Lady, and I sped up.

Finally, I reached the door to the empty classroom that resided by the Gryffindor Common Room.

I examined my reflection in the handle for a split second, still bewildered by it, before I opened the door.

Ron was sitting on a desk, staring at his watch.

"Hermione!" He said, smiling.

I looked behind me, bewildered.

Then I remembered I was Hermione.

"Er...hi." I said, hearing Hermione's voice, but not really knowing what she would say.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here for another fifteen minutes."

"Well you're here."

"True."

I grinned at him. It was almost like a dream come true. I pretended that I looked like me, that he loved me for me, not her.

He ran at me and picked me up, bridal-style.

"Man, I missed talking to you. N.E.W.T.S are taking up all our time, and it's barely November,"

"Ron," I began, imitating Hermione's scolding voice. "N.E.W.T.S are important!" Damn. I was actually good at this!

He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. But so is spending time with you."

I smiled.

"I'm glad you think that." I said it like he had said that to me- the real me, not the Hermione me.

He pressed a kiss to my lips.

It was like a dream, his hands around my waist, mine around his neck, it was everything I had wanted from the moment I saw him. I knew Id be changing back soon, I had only taken a half-hours worth of Polyjuice Potion...

He ran his hands through my bushy hair, and I ran my tounge along his lips.

He tasted faintly of mint.

I loved it.

I wanted to stay here.

Slowly, I felt myself changing back, my boobs largening, my hair growing, but Ron didn't seem to notice, he kept kissing me. Right on plan.

I heard a shrill voice behind us.

"RON!" It was Hermione, hair bushier than normal, eyes red. I saw a tear roll down her cheek.

Ron mouthed soundlessly, like a gold fish.

"Hermione...but...I...she..."

Hermione burried her face in her hands and ran out.

"HERMIONE!" Ron yelled, sprinting after her.

I smirked.

My plan had worked.

***

Oh snap

Shiz just got real