To join the Quidditch team, the key lay in Polyjuice Potion.
Polyjuice was a complex, time-consuming potion, and William had never attempted to brew it before—but he knew exactly where to find one.
In Snape's storeroom.
However, he couldn't retrieve it himself before the Quidditch match, as Snape hadn't yet been taken to Azkaban at that time.
But when in doubt, seek the Headmaster's help; that rule was timeless.
After a year of looping, William had perfected the art of quickly persuading Dumbledore to trust him.
This time, he could simply ask Dumbledore to fetch him a dose of Polyjuice.
The 366th Loop.
William got up, walked into the common room, and immediately spotted Cho tinkering with her worn-out hat.
"Good morning, William."
It was the same familiar greeting she gave him each day, followed by her inevitable question of which team he was supporting.
"Hufflepuff, of course," William replied with a grin.
Today, he planned to enter the match in Hufflepuff's place, so naturally, he'd support Hufflepuff.
He was confident that under his heroic leadership, the Badgers could crush Gryffindor by at least a hundred points.
Despite never having played Quidditch before, and with only the bare minimum of flying lessons under his belt, William was nothing if not confident.
"I've got something to take care of—going to see Cedric for a bit," he added.
With a tap of his wand, he enchanted Cho's hat; the little badger on it came to life, letting out a fierce roar and beating its chest like a gorilla.
"How'd you do that?" Cho gasped.
A group of Ravenclaws gathered around to admire the transformed hat. Amid the crowd, William slipped out and made his way to the Headmaster's office.
Less than twenty minutes later, he was in the Great Hall, where Cedric sat hunched over the table, picking anxiously at a pile of bread crumbs.
William took a seat beside him, pulling a small potion bottle from his pouch and passing it over.
"What's this?" Cedric asked, confused.
"A low-concentration Bartle Relaxing Draught. It helps release muscular tension and gets your body into peak condition. Don't worry; it's entirely Quidditch-legal."
The sport had strict regulations against certain potions, including Felix Felicis and various stimulants. In the magical world, there were over seven hundred restricted classes of potions and five thousand specific formulations banned from competitive games.
However, the Bartle Relaxing Draught was merely a muscle relaxant, with effects similar to a good stretch, and it wasn't on the prohibited list.
Dumbledore had specifically acquired this one from Snape's stores at William's request. William had used it often himself, particularly after intense training sessions.
Cedric trusted him, downing the cool potion in a gulp. Almost immediately, he felt his body relax, and even his nerves began to ease.
"Cedric, I actually need your help with something," William began.
"Just say the word." Cedric wrapped an arm around William's shoulder, his tone as easygoing as ever.
"Great! Could you lure your teammate Warrington into the boys' bathroom for me? I'll knock him out, transform into him, and take his place in today's match."
"…"
Cedric's face twisted into a strained smile, clearly unsure where to even begin responding.
"Actually," William continued, "I'm using a special spell. I traveled back from the year 2020, and a Dark wizard came back with me. He's planning to attack Dumbledore at the Quidditch match, and I'm here to catch him."
According to his script, William needed to enter the match in disguise to "search for the culprit."
Like in The Naked Gun, where Frank Drebin snuck onto the field disguised as an umpire, even managing to moonwalk mid-game.
For a moment, William had wondered if Drebin had actually been a time-traveling prankster himself.
Cedric's mouth dropped open, wide enough to fit a golf ball.
"Don't believe me?" William took out his wand, tapped it a few times, and transformed a plate on the table into a soaring eagle that circled the hall.
"How… how did you do that?" Cedric asked, astonished.
No one knew William's Transfiguration abilities better than Cedric. This level of skill was far beyond him, or at least the him of yesterday.
"Believe me now?" William asked, smiling.
Cedric eyed him with suspicion, as though trying to figure out if it was April Fool's Day.
"If you're from the future," he said at last, "then tell me—who am I dating?"
"Cho, of course," William replied without hesitation.
Cedric's skepticism vanished instantly. Grinning, he grabbed William's hand. "I believe you now! That was spot on!"
William couldn't help but smile.
He knew Cedric would believe him.
William's sudden, unexplained Transfiguration skills were beyond the norm, and Cedric was the sort who'd easily believe strange things.
He was a die-hard fan of The Quibbler, after all—hardly the type to question oddities.
"That means you can bring Warrington to me, right?"
Cedric hesitated briefly, then asked, "Can we use a different location? If people hear I lured him into the bathroom, that could hurt my reputation."
"Then bring him outside the Prefects' Bathroom and just say you wanted to go for a swim."
"…" Cedric rolled his eyes. That excuse was even worse than the first one.
They eventually settled on an abandoned classroom on the first floor, a place William knew like the back of his hand after so many loops.
Ten minutes later, Cedric led Warrington into the classroom, the third-year's cheeks pink as he stammered,
"Cedric, do you… have something you want to tell me? I don't have a boyfriend, so I'm open to the idea."
Cedric's smile was forced; clearly, he'd had to sacrifice his dignity for this favour, for hogwarts .
William slipped out of a shadowed corner, aimed, and hit Warrington with a perfectly executed Stupefy, knocking him out cold.
Cedric caught him and dragged him into the classroom, skillfully removing Warrington's robes.
"Wait, what are you doing?" William asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't we need to take off his clothes?" Cedric asked, looking puzzled. "How else will you match his look?"
"Take off your sister. Don't you notice how similar our builds are?" William rolled his eyes.
He'd chosen Warrington precisely because they had similar statures. Though only a first-year, William's height was close enough to Warrington's third-year frame.
Cedric let go of Warrington, letting him fall to the ground with a thud.
"So, Cedric," William smirked, "would you like to explain why you're so skilled at undressing people?"
Cedric coughed, looking away. "Never mind that. Let's focus on getting you to the match."
William plucked a strand of Warrington's hair and added it to the Polyjuice Potion.
The potion hissed and bubbled like a boiling cauldron, releasing a frothy steam. Within moments, it turned a ghastly shade of green.
Holding his nose, William gulped down two mouthfuls of the potion.
The taste was beyond vile.
In fact, it was horrific.
It reminded him of one of those horrendous herbal tonics.
How did anyone even drink this stuff?
[tl/n: the only Warrington mentioned in the canon is in Slytherin House. Maybe it's a mistake from the author? Anyway its ought to be a minor one.]
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