Pansy got up very late today, she didn't have classes in the morning, but she still didn't feel good remembering why she was so tired. It was already late enough for the effects of the potion to have worn off.
She had missed breakfast, but when she met up with her classmates, she was thankful that they saved her some food. When the three girls saw how Pansy was eating, so roughly and with a pout, they couldn't help but ask.
"Pansy... are you okay?" Millicent asked
"Yes..." she replied without raising her head.
"You don't look like that... What's wrong with you? It's a nice day today" Tracey said
"What's so good about it?!" She answered again with a very aggressive rhetorical question.
"Hey, calm down, or I'll make you choke on your toast" Tracey also responded aggressively to Pansy's way of speaking "What's wrong with you? Yesterday you behaved quite well, in fact, I could say that you looked happier than we saw you in a long time"
"Sorry..." she apologized as she noted that if she was taking out her frustrations with her classmates "I don't want to talk about yesterday"
"Why? I could even tell you that you looked radiant, you stopped having that bitter face of the last few days" (Tracey)
"That's right, you even made friends with Weasley" (Daphne)
"Maybe we should call him, yesterday he went looking for you, and he was able to bring you looking happy" (Millicent)
"Don't talk to me about Weasley!" She said angrily.
"Why? Didn't you settle your differences yesterday?" (Daphne)
"Yes, yesterday they got along very well" (Millicent)
"I didn't want to get along with him! He...he...gave me a potion," she counted.
"We should look for him to give you another one" Tracey said laughing "I didn't know about happiness potions, but you're missing one, and one very strong"
"I don't want another fucking potion..." Pansy yells, alarming the others in the common room.
Feeling all eyes on them, the girls left the common room and continued talking on the way.
"What potion did he give you? Seriously, if you looked grumpy before, now you seem a little unhinged"
"It was...a love potion," Pansy confessed, hoping her friends would back her up.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Girls?" Pansy asked as they all fell silent looking at her.
"Are you sure?" Daphne asked.
"Yes, we didn't see you acting crazy in front of him, what's more, you hardly talked to him alone except for a few occasions. Didn't he give you something to relieve stress or similar?" (Tracy)
"I'm sure, he told me himself... but it wasn't a potion like the ones you know that make you obsessed" Pansy said "He said it was a potion that made you feel true love... that vampire bastard" In the end again there was that awkward silence "Why are you shut up now? I'm serious"
"Pansy... I think he lied to you" Tracey patted her shoulder.
"There is no potion capable of causing true love, for that reason there are only potions that cause obsession. Love is a very complex emotion and difficult to simulate, in part because each individual will have a different way of feeling that love. It is impossible that a potion that can cause true love exists, there is no magic that powerful. You can ask Snape, and he will tell you the exact same thing" Daphne explained.
"Yes, but how do you explain my behavior yesterday?" Pansy complained, feeling that her friends were against her.
"Pansy, do you have any way to prove that this potion exists? Whoever made it, or someone else who was affected for comparison?" Daphne asked.
"Nope..."
"I think Weasley tricked you," Tracey said.
"But yesterday..."
"Maybe it was just your mind playing against you. If he gave you a 'love potion' then I guess you didn't think of Draco."
"It was a love potion, she couldn't be in love with anyone but Weasley" she said, a little embarrassed.
"There it is, I think that Red could have given you a calming potion or even just water... I think what happened is that you believed that he gave you a love potion, and you acted like that thinking that it was the effects of the potion, without thinking of Malfoy who does not give you the slightest respect"
"That can't be! I hate Weasley" Pansy denied.
"Could be, but for a day you thought you loved him" (Daphne)
"I tell you the truth, why don't you fall in love with Red? You were much nicer that way, you didn't complain or walk away like a bitter" (Tracey)
"You weren't depressed either that Malfoy didn't pay attention to you like this whole week...or always."(Daphne)
"Why don't we ask him to give you more of that water?" Tracey scoffed.
"AAAhhgg" Pansy yelled annoyed "you can't talk seriously" she ran away from the place thinking.
'He seriously lied to me? Was it all my doing?' She wondered to herself, more and more afraid of the answer.
...
At the Tonks's house, Andromeda got up and while she was getting dressed, she was thinking about her date from yesterday. It may all be an act in the end, which she doesn't deny that she enjoyed it, but she regrets telling so many embarrassing secrets while she was drunk.
When she went down to the dining-room, she found her son-in-law giving her daughter a cooking class, putting a smile on her face.
"Good morning, Andromeda" I told her when I saw.
"Good morning mom" Tonks said, somewhat irritated and with part of her clothes stained with sauce.
"Good morning" she greeted us smiling.
"Looks like someone slept well, do you want a coffee or something? A hangover potion...?" I offered her.
"It's okay, I'm looking for it myself" she replied, relaxed to see that my actions did not have the seductive connotation of yesterday, verifying that it was true that it was all because of my ability.
...
I was outside the Headmaster's office, trying to say the correct password, but I've been trying for an hour and nothing. I kept trying until Professor McGonagall appeared and asked when she saw me.
"Mr. Red, what are you doing here?"
"I try to see the director"
"He called you?"
"No, but I have to talk to him about the Quidditch pitch" I lied "are you coming to see the headmaster?"
"Yes"
"Can I go up with you? I won't bother you, but I have to talk to the headmaster"
"Wait here, I'll go in and ask the headmaster if he can see you" The teacher said before standing in front of the statue "Iced sour lemon candy"
"Is that the password?"
"Yes, I don't understand why the headmaster changed it to something so long unlike the previous ones"
At that moment the teacher entered the principal's office and I followed her stealthily. She came through the door and when she was about to be greeted by Dumbledore, I came out from behind her.
"What about your new password?" I complained to the manager.
"Mr Red!" McGonagall yelled at me when she saw me enter, disobeying her
"Oh, did you hear it? I needed more security... I think even with these old bones I'm able to learn to adapt" He smiled mockingly at me "I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to visit me so soon, I didn't want to make you wait. How long have you been waiting?" He looked at me provocatively, clearly, he had been seeing me outside his office.
"Albus!" She now yelled at the headmaster, after seeing him bullying a student.
The headmaster put on a look as if he wanted to say 'he started', but he didn't say so.
"Mr. Red, I told you to wait outside" she scolded me.
"That's right, Mr. Weasley, I don't have time for you right now, come another time"
"You may not like listening to me, but... will you risk not doing it?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"..." The headmaster frowned, annoyed, and then turned to Professor McGonagall "What did you need Minerva?"
The headmaster ignored me for the time being talking to McGonagall, telling her not to worry about me, while I was left chatting and playing with Fawkes. Once the teacher left, the Dumbledore received me, albeit with annoyance.
"I will tell you my answer directly even without knowing why you came, NO!" Said the headmaster.
"I'll ignore that for now, I need your help"
"Don't you plan to listen sometime?" He raised his voice.
"This is nothing like the above... I think. It's a good thing, not just for me."
"Enlighten me then" he leaned back on his chair.
"I know that there are exchange programs with Castelobruxo, I need you to take care of finding a place for Hannah Abbott and me for the following year"
"Hum... interesting idea, for the answer... How was it spelled? N-O...? NEVER!" He yelled at me "I don't know with what courage you come to ask me for something like that, you are already over my tolerance limits with the above, and now you ask me to send you to another country where I can't even control that it doesn't cause disasters?"
"Look, I'm not planning to cause any trouble like with Tenebrius, I'm just going to learn there" I knew it was too much to ask, but I had to try.
"Do you really think I'll help you?"
"Well, you could. I don't think you want me to try it on my own without you knowing what I'm doing," I said in a kind of threat.
"Your parents would be very interested in knowing things like that, as well as everything you did during the year" He also threatened me.
"Hey! If you bring in my family, I'll bring in yours" I told him angrily.
We had a moment of silence where neither of us said anything, we looked at each other seriously and the only thing that could be heard was Fawkes yelling from time to time.
"You know those exchange programs are for higher grades, even if you could have the slightest chance to get into the program it wouldn't be for a few years..."
"That's why I need your help, if anyone is capable of achieving it, it's you... Otherwise, I wouldn't come to ask you"
"I'm not going to help you. Wait like everyone else, so you can get it by yourself because I won't get anything for you"
"I will not have the luxury of being able to do it the years after the next, there will be more important things"
"And what is it that will prevent you from waiting?" He questioned seeing my confidence in the matter.
"Look, we can make a deal" I changed the subject.
"You will not receive anything from me, you have no favors to extort me with or anything you can convince me with. Get out of my office" He moved his hands and a force pushed me out of there.
"I have information!" I exclaimed, but he didn't stop and when I was already at the door, holding onto the frame, I said "It's about you-know-who's plans" I yelled and at that moment the strength disappeared.
I walked over to his desk again, from where he was looking at me seriously with his fingers intertwined.
"I have information, and it's reliable, I have my contacts. You know I took out a lot of things that I shouldn't have access to to create the lair... I think you could understand"
"Tell me what you know" The headmaster looked at me seriously, with a completely different attitude from the angry one before, still angry but more vigilant.
"We have a deal?"
"Tell me what you know, and I'll see if it's worth it"
"You don't believe me and I don't believe you, we need a more formal agreement. I have a very practical method, but I don't think I have enough power to force you to fulfill your part of the bargain. Let's make an unbreakable vow" I demanded.
"You abuse those vow, you should know that there are many less deadly contracts"
"I know, but in this particular case I don't think I have anything else I can force you to do your part with... in other cases I won't need it, I have my own magical contract, but as I said, you are too strong to use it."
"I don't think you have enough relevant information to be worthwhile." Dumbledore didn't seem interested, he wouldn't risk it.
"I can swear I'll give you true information on you-know-who and his plans...or I'll die if I don't"
"I don't plan on carrying a student's corpse in front of their parents because of their stupidity."
"Well, I don't plan to die, I do plan to do my part"
Dumbledore got up from his desk and started pacing around his office, sort of pondering, but I think it was more to get on my nerves. He petted Fawkes and then turned to look at me.
"A third party is needed to make the vow" he mentioned.
"I'll take care of it" I said forming a clone "My clone will serve as a witness, I've tried it before by making a contract with myself, and it worked"
"..." The director was still silent, just looking at me.
I extended my hand to the director and after a while of staring at me, he did the same. My clone drew my wand and stood next to us. The director and I swore, I swore to tell him something I know about Voldemort and his plans, while I made him swear that he would help me enter Castelobruxo next year in an exchange program with Hannah, without meddling in my business when do it.
It was a difficult thing for him to accept, but the information I could give him tempted him, more so now that he knew that the dark lord was not quite dead.
"You have your insurance…tell me what you know" he demanded with his hands on his back.
"Well, the information about him is that the moment he went to attack the Potter family, something happened, for some reason, his spell rebounded, and it hit himself. His body was destroyed, turning him into some kind of spirit very weak, who took refuge in the forests of Albania" Detail that part of Voldemort's story.
When I said that, I could see the director's expression change. Dumbledore was now more intrigued by what he had to say, everything he had said was not wrong, so it was possible that he could get some valuable information.
"And about his plans?" his attitude seemed to change from annoyance to intrigue.
"Quirrell... Quirrell went looking for the dark lord in the woods of Albania trying to get power, and he got it, he was able to find him. The dark lord promised him what he wanted, but he gave Quirrell orders, Gringotts bank was attacked, and is he, trying to get something" I took out a bottle of water from my inventory and took a drink "What they wanted was the philosopher's stone that was stored there, they wanted to use it to revive the Dark lord, but the stone was no longer there. Although that part I think you know, the Philosopher's Stone is here on the third floor, guarded by Hagrid's dog, but the dark lord didn't give up and punished Quirrell for his failure. He possessed Quirrell, and now we have a professor who has the dark lord inside his body, who releases trolls and gives lousy classes, all because he keeps looking for the philosopher's stone..." I recounted the basics of the Philosopher's Stone book, without any further information.
"..." He looked at me.
"..." I saw him.
We both look at each other.
"And?" He asked me.
"Like what 'and'? I told you facts that nobody knew from 11 years ago, I told you what happened with Quirrell and that now we have a latent dark lord as a teacher, not just some dark wizard! What more do you want? The color of his underwear? This information is not free, now you have it, and you can move the philosopher's stone or kill Quirrell, or leave everything as it is and watch us be on the brink of death by administrative negligence… again" I looked at him reproachfully.
"Don't you have anything else?" He questioned again.
"Nothing I can tell you. Don't ask, I'm not allowed to spread certain information, knowing certain things has a price. I've done my part, I hope you'll do yours..." I took other drink as I prepared to leave, but before I turned around to look at the headmaster who was still standing there "And don't tell anyone that I was the one who told you. You can sell me, but if at some point my family ends up damaged by it... I'll come for you, I don't know what I'll do, but I'll come..." I looked at him seriously and then left, not looking back or seeing Dumbledore's reaction.