The Recipe

The Recipe

II

The Friday evening fell nice and soothing. But instead of getting the well earned rest after the school week, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were eager to start doing their so-called homework. They gathered in a small storeroom on the fourth floor.

"Nobody uses any of these rooms along this corridor, I checked. Don't worry," said Hermione and laid an enormous package on the table. "Harry, did you get the equipment?"
"Yeah... Here they are; I had to hide them under these... " He rummaged through a pile of some old newspapers. Then he carefully lifted a complicated glass instrument in sight.
"Where did you get that?"
"Fred and George... Don't ask." He smiled.
Hermione nodded. "I wasn't going to. We don't have the permission to brew this potion anyhow. Even the professors would need an official permit from the Ministry."
She opened the scroll of parchment where they had the ingredients listed up.
"Let's see... Good. I have everything, except the blood. Ron?"
Ron took a very dirty and ragged piece of cloth from his pocket and shoved it to her. She caught it and hung it by two fingers.
"Eww, from Quidditch practice? Whose is it?"
"Er... Don't ask," Ron said with a lopsided smile.

***

Meanwhile in the dungeon, there was a knock on Snape's door, and Professor Ash stepped in.
"Evening, Ash... The list of the ingredients is on the desk," Snape said coolly, without lifting his look from a black and white carcass of a small bird he had been cutting up.
She took a look around. Snape's dim study was looking now more like a distillery.
"Good evening, Snape... You've been busy, I see. What's that, a swallow?"
"You have the permit?" he asked without answering the question.
"Yes, here it is." She showed him a very distinguished looking piece of parchment, which had a Ministry stamp on it.
He took a brief glance at the parchment, with absolutely no interest at all. Then he returned to examine the dead swallow again.
"Not to worry, it should be valid," she added dryly.
Snape had of course seen quite clearly that the request for the permission of brewing this potion had been denied. Now he eventually turned to look at her.
"Very well, Ash. Now, the less talk the better, if you get my meaning."

Soon they both were so deep into the task of preparing the potion, that they forgot their mutual dislike for a while. Indeed, it was an enchanting task. Apart from the conventional potion making, this one required unusual techniques and even more unusual ingredients.
"Virgin's blood...Where would I find that?"
"That cupboard over there... Left compartment, blood-shelf, and third bottle from the right, as far as I recall..."
"Thank you... My goodness. You do have a fine collection of blood here. By the way, did you know that you could gain a fortune by this stuff at the Knockturn Alley black market? Oh, here it is..."
Snape cast her a contemptuous look.

***

The three Gryffindors had much more difficulties with the complex potion, but they also had much more fun, and only one accident. After Harry had dropped his glasses in the distillery, it was left to Ron to recite the recipe to Hermione, who was handling the fire, so Harry was bound to cut the thistle roots. At this attempt he managed to cut Ron's wand in to small pieces too.
"Harry!"
"Ooops... Sorry, Ron. I'll get you a new one, I promise."
"Well, okay... Never mind, it was an old piece of junk, anyway... What next? Oh, the blood. Ready, Hermione? You have to add it with left hand, remember?"
"Ron, listen... Whose blood is this? I mean, we are not really sure what happens if something goes wrong."
"Trust me a bit, Hermione," said Ron impatiently. "Hurry up, it'll start boiling soon."

***

In Snape's study the job was almost finished. The attentive silence of the room was disturbed only by the soft bubbling of the distiller and the dripping sound of the liquid.
Eventually Professor Ash yawned. She straightened her back up, and then tapped the last bits of the leftover rat teeth carefully back into their tiny container.
"I suppose you get along with it from now on... I really have to go get some sleep," she said, heading for the door. "Good night, then."
"Ash," said Snape absently, arranging the ingredients back in place. She stopped on the threshold.
"Thank you," said he after a pause. "For your assistance," he added, as though for a necessary further remark.
She turned on her heels and gave him a small bow.
"For my partnership in crime, more like. You're welcome."
Then she went to bed, dead tired. Not so much from the hard work, but from holding back all the interesting topics of conversation which had came in her mind. It appeared to be the only way to stay on polite terms with the morose Potions master.

***

On Saturday morning the predictable disaster finally took place. The only mistake Hermione had made was to have obeyed, when Ron had asked her to 'trust him a bit'. And to his credit it must be said that he hadn't screwed it all up intentionally. He even volunteered to be the first one to taste the new potion, which had been added to his pumpkin juice.

"Cheers," said Ron and took a large gulp from his goblet.
"Well?"
Both Harry and Hermione were gaping at Ron with anticipation.
"Srtyhbv brrr ayhzk," said Ron.
"What?" laughed Harry.
Ron looked puzzled. "Hguhnnggh. Quthrc trrg zxtch."
Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance.
"Come on, that's not funny. Oh, well, how would I know, what if it is funny... What did you say?"
Ron's eyes widened in shock.
For a moment he just stared at them. Then he very slowly shook his head, and turned to Seamus, who was eating his bacon and eggs by his side. The smile froze on Harry's face.
"Hmm, ahmkogrr, tsdfg 'ewwwph," said Ron to Seamus, with a hint of panic in his voice. Seamus stared back at him blankly.
"I beg your pardon?" he replied after a pause.
"AAaagh! Wzxnhumm!" cried Ron, and turned to Harry and Hermione, and now there was pure horror in his eyes.
Hermione jumped up so vigorously that the plates on the table clattered. Then she grabbed the boys by their arms and dragged them out from the Great Hall.

"What, Ron? What's the matter? Say something in English," Harry demanded. "You can do that, can't you? Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Bzzch igrrrr... Btthiy!"
Harry was just watching him, petrified, and Hermione was clutching her mouth with both hands. They all started to realize the matter.
"Ron, do you hear me? Please, say something in English," pleaded Hermione almost tearfully.
"Ahffftschgll... AAAaah!"
"Ron!"
Hermione buried her head in her hands.
"Oh, Harry! What have we done?"