Harry Potter and the Order Of the Phoenix [67]
“I believe the rest of you have potions to be making,” came a familiar voice. Harry looked over, and saw Professor Fletcher standing there, looking impatient.
“Oh, sorry professor!” said Harry, Ron, and Hermione together as they walked away from Professor McGonagall and over to their cauldrons, trying to ignore Malfoy’s snickers.
“Alright,” said Professor Fletcher. “Hagrid brought up your three animals this morning. I need each of you to get a piece of it, and then give it to me. Harry and Hermione, get a hair from your animal. Ron, yours will be a bit more difficult. You’ll have to get the chameleon’s tail.”
“His tail?” asked Ron, confused.
“Yes, but it will grow back. Don’t worry,” said Professor Fletcher. “Your animals are over there.” He pointed to three cages that were outside the bubble. Each one of them had an animal inside it.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped through the bubble, and towards the cages, the smoke significantly cleared since Malfoy’s potion had just stopped bubbling. They each arrived at the cage of their respective animal.
Harry’s cage was about three feet tall, and five feet long. He peered inside and saw a wonderful creature. It looked like a lion, but it was not a brownish-orange, it was a light gold with a huge bushy mane. Harry saw the wings on the gryffin, they were a bright white, and when light from the window shined on them, Harry had to turn away from the shine. The gryffin gave a lazy yawn, and the teeth were magnificent. They appeared to be made out of crystal, and there were hundreds of them, all perfectly clear and sparkling. When he finished with his yawn, the gryffin glanced over at Harry, and their eyes met.
Harry felt hypnotized. Whatever he did, he felt as though he could not leave the gryffin’s view. He fell deeper and deeper into them, and he felt as though he was the gryffin. He could feel fur all over his body, he felt extremely warm all over. Harry closed his eyes, and he felt himself flying. It wasn’t anything like being on a broom, he was flying under his own power…
“Harry!” yelled Hermione. Harry opened his eyes and suddenly remembered where he was. He looked over, and saw that Hermione was holding a long, silvery hair. The unicorn inside her cage was asleep. On top of that cage was a smaller one with a small green blur running all around it. Harry looked over next to that cage, and saw Ron holding a small green thing in his hand, far away from him, as if it were something revolting. Then, Harry remembered, it was something bad. It was the chameleon’s tail.
“Harry? Did you get your hair yet?” asked Hermione. Harry gave her a glazed look. “Are you okay Harry? You look like you’re asleep.”
“No, I’m okay,” said Harry. He reached his hand inside the cage containing the gryffin. It was still staring at Harry, not moving or blinking. What’s wrong with it? wondered Harry. He nervously moved his hand toward the mane of the gryffin, and quickly pulled out a hair from it. The gryffin didn’t move.
Harry stood up, and backed away slowly, returning to his cauldron which was now filled with a thick, black liquid that Professor Fletcher had obviously put in there. The same was in Ron and Hermione’s cauldrons.
“Okay, now put your animal piece into the potion, and wait until it changes color,” said Professor Fletcher to them. Harry dipped his hair into the cauldron, and bubbles suddenly started appeared near where it hit the concoction. After a few seconds, the potion turned a dark yellow. Harry looked over and saw that Hermione’s was a light-red, almost pink, and Ron’s was a deep green. Professor Fletcher was handing each of them a small box.
“Drop this box in now. It contains all the rest of the ingredients for the potion,” said Professor Fletcher to them. Harry dropped the box in, and the potion immediately started fuming. Thick white smoke poured out of the top, and into the air.
“Oh, this is exciting! Isn’t it?” said Professor Fletcher. Ron shrugged,
“Yeah,