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Chapter 157
Harry and Ron looked at them in disbelief.
"Is that really your solution? Even an idiot wouldn't fall for this," Harry said.
"Hermione, I think this plan is too simple," Harry added, lacking any confidence in such an overly straightforward idea.
"If Crabbe and Goyle find out, it could cause serious trouble," Ron also felt the risk was too high.
Hermione's gaze remained firm, as unshakable as Professor McGonagall after making a decision.
"Without Crabbe and Goyle's hair, the Polyjuice Potion won't work," she said decisively. "You're the ones who decided to investigate Malfoy, right?"
"Alright, fine," Harry said helplessly. "So what are you going to do? Whose hair are you going to pull?"
"I've got a better arrangement," Hermione said happily. "I'll follow you under the Invisibility Cloak. I can monitor everything and help prevent leaks. Even if you're discovered, I can clean up the mess. No backing out now."
Harry stared at her for a moment, unable to bring himself to say that the Invisibility Cloak actually belonged to him. But considering it was a safety measure, it would at least prevent things from spiraling out of control.
"That's… not bad," he said reluctantly.
Hermione quickly went to check the Polyjuice Potion again, while Ron sighed helplessly.
"Besides fixing the Invisibility Cloak issue from last time, everything else about this plan is worrying," he muttered.
Soon after, Harry and Ron found themselves forced to go through with the plan. But things developed more smoothly than they expected—perhaps like a prescription that depends entirely on execution. The first stage went almost exactly as Hermione had predicted.
After enjoying their Christmas snacks, they slipped into the corridor outside the Great Hall and waited at the crossroads where Crabbe and Goyle would pass.
Crabbe and Goyle were still sitting alone at the Slytherin table, eating and drinking. Only after finishing everything left on the table did they finally walk out of the hall, looking dissatisfied.
Harry placed the chocolate cake laced with sleeping potion in the most visible spot on the railing. Then he and Ron hid behind a suit of armor near the entrance.
"Do you really think they won't eat it?" Harry still couldn't believe it. Especially since Crabbe and Goyle had already devoured almost everything at the Slytherin table.
"They're unbelievably stupid," Ron said in disbelief.
As soon as Crabbe and Goyle saw the cake, they rushed over and grabbed it. They didn't care where it came from or whether it was dangerous. With greedy smiles, they stuffed the entire cake into their mouths and chewed without restraint, looking both satisfied and still hungry.
The sleeping potion worked perfectly. They didn't even show any resistance. After swallowing the cake, they collapsed backward onto the floor under the stairs.
Stuffing the two bulky boys into a storage cupboard was no easy task. Harry and Ron struggled for a long time before finally wedging them between mops and buckets.
At last, they had the chance to pull out Crabbe and Goyle's hair. The greasy strands disgusted both of them. They also took their shoes, since they would need them for the transformation.
Finally, after solving this part of the mystery, they rushed back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom—but this was only the beginning.
Hermione looked like a terrifying witch from a haunted house, surrounded by thick smoke. Her small figure bent over as she stirred something inside the cauldron. Harry and Ron couldn't help but shiver, as if they were witnessing a real witch.
"Harry!" they called out quietly.
Fortunately, nothing had gone wrong. Hermione Granger stepped out of the smoke with a normal expression. Her face was slightly flushed, with a hint of concern. Behind her was a bubbling, gurgling cauldron, and on the toilet seat beside it sat two glass tumblers.
"Is it done?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"Yeah, it's fine," Harry and Ron said, showing the hairs in their hands.
"Everything is ready. I got Crabbe and Goyle's spare clothes from the laundry room," Hermione said, holding up a cloth bag. "Once you transform, put on the Slytherin uniforms."
The three of them looked into the cauldron again. The finished Polyjuice Potion looked like thick black sludge, bubbling occasionally. They couldn't help wondering if it was even safe to drink.
"I'm confident every step was correct," Hermione said firmly, flipping through the blurred page of Moste Potente Potions. "Look, it matches the book exactly. After drinking it, you can become someone else for an entire hour."
"Can I change my mind?" Ron asked weakly.
"Absolutely not," Hermione said decisively. "We split it into two portions and added the hair."
Using a long ladle, Hermione scooped out the muddy potion and poured it into separate glasses.
When the sludge touched the hair inside, it bubbled violently and seemed to hiss. Moments later, it changed into an ugly, murky color.
"Are you really not going to regret this?" Harry asked, staring at the unappealing brownish potion. He no longer even felt like interrogating Malfoy.
Ron also looked at Hermione hopefully. Though embarrassed, his face carried the expression of someone abandoned by their leader, silently begging for sympathy.
Hermione crossed her arms and snapped, "Of course not. We've worked too hard to back out now. Malfoy's case will soon be solved. I'm not going to regret this. Drink it now—right now!"
Ron muttered inwardly but knew there was no turning back.
"Well, we're in a private room. Let's get the clothes first and change after transforming," Harry said.
Harry pinched his nose, closed his eyes, and swallowed the thick, sticky potion in one gulp. He dared not taste it. The moment it went down, a horrible aftertaste rose in his throat, and he nearly gagged.
(To be continued.)