Defeating Malfoy brought Harry only a fleeting sense of satisfaction.Because right after that—he didn't change back!
A little earlier, after learning that Pikachu had beaten Malfoy, he had wanted to stay behind and mock him. But worried about being discovered, he left immediately. Outside the castle, he met up with Hermione, Ron, and Neville. The four of them found a secluded spot to hide and quietly waited for the potion's effects to wear off.
However, even after the full three hours had passed, Harry still hadn't changed back.
Panic set in.
"I can't turn back!" Harry sobbed, tears streaming down his face.
To be honest, it was the first time he'd ever cried. Not even when he'd broken his arm during a Quidditch match had he shed a tear. But now, the thought of never returning to being a boy—of Cho Chang smiling on Cedric's broom instead of his—filled him with unbearable sorrow.
"There has to be a way!" Neville said frantically. He looked just like the bumbling chubby boy from last year again.
"I should've known!" Hermione said, face ashen. "Since Snape modified the potion, we shouldn't have drunk it! Now we've learned nothing, and Harry's turned into a girl!"
"But nothing happened to us!" Ron's words struck the final blow to poor Harry.
Why was he always the unlucky one?
"Listen," Hermione said firmly, "we'll have to go to Snape. He's probably the only one who can undo this."
But Harry, Ron, and Neville all shook their heads in terror.
"He'll know we stole his potion!" Harry's bright green eyes shimmered like clear water. "Then he'll refuse to help, claim there's no antidote, and take off a hundred points from Gryffindor—each! And then he'll expel me!"
Harry really did understand Snape. Even Hermione fell silent at that.
But not well enough.
Because there was no way Snape would ever expel Harry Potter.
Impossible.
"But who else can help you?" Hermione said hopelessly.
Then, as if struck by the same thought, all four of them blurted out:"Professor Gold!"
Charles had been reviewing Team Rocket's expansion plans when Hermione's shout nearly made him drop everything. He quickly set the documents aside and turned around—to find Hermione, Ron, and Neville standing together, and beside them, a very cute young girl.
"Oh, it's you. What brings you here? And where's Harry? You're rarely apart."
"Professor, she's Harry!" Hermione shoved the flustered "girl" out from behind them. "He drank Snape's potion and turned into a girl! Now he can't change back!"
"Drank Snape's potion?" Charles blinked. He thought of the experimental potion Snape and Slughorn had been developing recently. "You mean the Transformative Draught?"
"That's right!" Ron nodded furiously. "Professor, please help Harry turn back!"
"If I remember correctly," Charles explained, "that potion's effects last only three hours. And if you truly want to revert, all you need to do is picture your original self. Though honestly, Snape shouldn't have forced Harry to drink it in the first place."
He assumed Snape had made Harry his test subject—and was already planning to lecture the man about professional ethics. But Hermione's next words made him realize they had no one to blame but themselves.
"Professor, it was my idea," Neville confessed, stepping forward. "If I hadn't told them about the Transformative Draught, they never would've stolen it."
"If anyone deserves punishment, it's me—but please, just change Harry back!"
Ron and Hermione quickly chimed in, saying they were also willing to take the blame.
"You're a loyal bunch," Charles said with a smile. "But since you stole Professor Snape's potion, and since he's modified it, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. You'd better confess to him yourselves."
Of course, he could undo the transformation. But since they'd gotten themselves into this mess, they should face the consequences. And he had to admit—seeing Snape's reaction would be hilarious.
"Professor, please don't hand us over to Snape…" Harry said miserably. "I don't want to be expelled…"
"Don't worry, he won't expel you," Charles assured him. "But if you didn't want trouble, why steal from him in the first place? Also, you should be calling him Professor or Sir."
Sometimes, Charles thought he was turning into Dumbledore.
"Tell me, why did you steal Professor Snape's potion?"
"We—we suspected Malfoy was the one who attacked Mrs. Norris," Hermione admitted. "So we wanted to disguise ourselves as Crabbe and Goyle to gather information."
"They were planning to brew Polyjuice Potion," Neville added shamefully. "But I mentioned Snape's Transformative Draught instead…"
Charles hadn't expected that. Even though the Malfoys had already been cleared, they still suspected Draco—and they'd acted much earlier than in the original timeline. Still, they weren't exactly wrong; the diary really was with Malfoy.
"And? Did you find anything?"
All four shook their heads. "No. Malfoy said he wasn't the Heir, and didn't know who was. He even told us not to judge people by their bloodline…"
Even now, they found that absurd. Malfoy, of all people, saying such a thing?
Charles frowned.
Malfoy didn't know about the Heir?That was strange. Dumbledore had personally "delivered" the diary to Lucius Malfoy. If Draco truly knew nothing, then something had gone off-script.
Still, that wasn't his problem anymore. Let Dumbledore deal with it—Charles just wanted to see the fun unfold.
"All right, let's go. Time to apologize to Professor Snape."
He led the little group toward the dungeons like a procession to the gallows.
Just as they entered, they heard Snape's voice echoing through the stone halls.
"You should've used a Seadra's scales, not a Pidgeot's feather!" Snape snapped. "It seems my colleague has grown forgetful. Do you even remember the fundamental principle of Predatory Potions?"
"The Seadra's unique trait, Sniper, can be temporarily transferred to a human through the correct ingredients," he lectured coldly. "But if you add a Pidgeot feather, you'll get Eagle Eye Elixir instead. And this brew wasn't designed for bird components at all! You've completely ruined it!"
"My apologies, Severus," Slughorn said sheepishly. "I'm afraid my knowledge of Pokémon is still rather lacking. Sniper, Keen Eye, Tinted Lens… ah yes, memory fails with age. But perhaps your attitude toward Harry Potter is the one tinted by such lenses?"
"I merely have no patience for stupidity," Snape replied, smirking.
Yesterday, after his class ended, he'd discovered his potion missing.He hadn't needed to think long to guess the culprit.
So instead of pursuing them, he waited—knowing they'd come crawling back.
And right on cue, Charles appeared with the guilty party.
"Hope we're not interrupting," Charles said casually.
Snape smiled faintly at Slughorn. "Not at all. The fools have arrived."
Charles: "???"
A few days apart and this brat had grown bold—calling him a fool?
He was about to snap back when Snape, smirking, swept past him. His black robes billowed like a bat's wings as he approached, parting Hermione, Ron, and Neville—revealing Harry.
Harry didn't dare look up. The last thing he wanted was to see Snape's gloating face. He wanted to disappear, to burrow underground and live as a sewer rat forever if he could.
But of course, Snape wouldn't let that happen.
"Well, well, who do we have here?" the old bat sneered. "A girl with round glasses—and a lightning scar! You must be Mr. Potter's dear little sister!"
"…I'm Harry Potter, sir…" came the timid reply.
"You're Harry Potter?" Snape's grin widened. "My apologies, Mr.—no, Miss Potter! I never realized you were a girl. Especially after living with four boys for an entire year!"What a scandal! Dumbledore must've mixed up the dorm assignments."
The more he spoke, the redder Harry's face became—until suddenly, all color drained from it.
"Do your friends know you're a girl?" Snape continued softly. "Perhaps Miss Cho Chang from Ravenclaw? Or maybe… Draco?"
That last name struck like a curse. The one he liked most—and the one he despised most. Especially after their duel today, the thought of either finding out made him want to die.
"No… I'm not—I'm not a girl…"
"Not a girl?" Snape echoed mockingly. He tilted Harry's chin up with a finger, forcing their eyes to meet. "Forgive me, but from where I'm standing, you look very much like—"
His voice faltered.Beneath the crooked glasses, those green eyes shimmered—eyes that glistened with tears, just like hers had all those years ago, when he'd called her that unforgivable word.
Snape froze, transfixed.Speechless.As if he'd forgotten every line he meant to say.
Even Charles found it amusing. Slughorn, clueless about the deeper emotions at play, stepped in quickly to defuse the tension.
"All right, Severus, that's enough! Don't be so harsh!" The pot-bellied professor waddled between them, separating the two.
Snape blinked, as if jolted out of a Dementor's grasp, his expression dazed.
"Slughorn!" he barked, his tone trembling with anger.
"What's the matter?" Slughorn asked, turning to Harry. "Ah, you must be Lily's child! You look just like her—especially the eyes! Severus, weren't you good friends with Lily? You should be gentler with her daughter!"
"Daughter?" Snape sneered.
Once he broke eye contact, his cold mask returned.
"Open your eyes, Horace. He's a boy. The Boy Who Lived!" Snape snapped.
How could anyone not know that Harry Potter was a boy?
Snape gave Slughorn a perplexed look, but didn't dwell on it. The old man had been retired for years and only returned for their Pokémon research collaboration.
"Boy? Ah, yes, I suppose so," Slughorn mumbled. "But then—why does he look like…?"
"I'd say," Snape interrupted coolly, "that some thief stole my potion and is now paying the price. Harry Potter—you're just like your father! Arrogant and deceitful!"He stole my spells to show off at Hogwarts, and now you've stolen my potion. But you're less fortunate—it was a failed prototype, and there's no antidote!"
Snape looked delighted.
"Failed prototype? I wouldn't say that," Charles said with a teasing smile. "Looks rather successful to me."
"It's not successful!" Snape shot back instantly. "His hair is still black!"
If it had truly worked, there wouldn't be a trace of James Potter left in her appearance.
Slughorn sighed, thoroughly lost now—but at least he'd pieced together enough to understand that Harry had stolen Snape's potion. Technically, he could've reversed it himself, but since it was a personal matter, he decided to stay out of it.
(End of Chapter)