Chapter 101 –

    {3rd Floor Corridor, Hogwarts}

    {18th Sep 1991}

    {3rd Person POV}

    Neville Longbottom, supposedly the other candidate for the prophecy, was quite possibly built from the same mold as Harry. Both of them are withdrawn and used to being alone, and Harry has to adapt since he is thrown into his new life as a muted celebrity. Neville didn''t have those distractions.

    Neville Longbottom was withdrawn and alone. That much Rigel could see easily. He was looking at the map, tracking the boy''s movement. In the three days he had spent preparing for this heist, he had easily seen Neville''s dilemma. In canon, he was a lot more withdrawn, and easily bullied by Draco, and his self-confidence was quite low.

    Freed from Draco''s torment, at least the boy wasn''t worse off now; he still was more used to being alone, but Neville here wasn''t an 11-year-old boy but an 18-year-old. He''s a lot more mature, not enough to escape the shadow of his own loneliness but enough that it wasn''t crippling.

    He still had the wrong wand, so he was the perfect target to emulate. But Rigel had to be sure that, among his long list of precautions for this operation, not being seen by Neville Longbottom was one of them. For this purpose, he was hiding in a broom cupboard in an isolated hallway, watching Neville Longbottom''s footsteps come closer and closer.

    For a brief moment, Rigel considered not tormenting the boy to this ordeal, but from all his research into stunners, a mild one was shown not to have any adverse effects. Overuse of the stunning spell, on the other hand, could lead to diminished control over magic and a fairly troublesome concussion.

    ''I just need to hit him once from the back; there are no paintings nearby and no ghosts in sight,'' Rigel thought as he once again checked the playing field. He watched as Neville walked over to the footsteps named ''Rigel Black'' and continued on.

    "Nox~" Rigel whispered. He still hadn''t figured out reliable silent casting yet, and he didn''t want to waste time right now. He pushed open the door, and as light flooded the enclosed space once again, he carefully walked out and simultaneously whipped his wand toward Neville''s retreating back.

    ...

    The change was immediate as the bubbling mess of dark brown sludge changed color, it was still as viscous as before but the potion stopped bubbling as it changed color from brown to red. Rigel stopped himself from smelling the potion as he closed his nose with one hand and gulped the potion down.

    The potion wasn''t as horrible as he assumed. It tasted a little sweet and salty at the same time, which puzzled him. At the same time, it wasn''t as murky as it looked, as the whole vial simply slipped down his throat without any problems. The change wasn''t as immediate as he assumed. There was a moment of waiting as Rigel thought about the plan when it happened.

    The situation went from zero to a horrible, melting reality in an instant. The change wasn''t progressive, as described in his potion book; everything happened in an instant as he was assaulted by different horrible sensations, one after the other. His stomach rumbled as he felt his insides shift. The rumbling, though, was overwhelmed by the feeling of his skin melting, and a sense of vertigo made it difficult for him to stand.

    As he used his hands to stabilize himself against the wall, his eyes were frozen as he stared at his hands. His fingers felt hot, the tips unbearably so as he watched them lengthen. His skin was bubbling and shifting, as shown in the movie, as he slowly watched his hand enlarge slightly.

    The weird feelings stopped suddenly as Rigel panted, and as the normal sensations returned, he realized that everything was a little tight. His T-shirt felt a little restrictive, but it was his trousers that felt off. The belt was too tight, and his hands immediately latched onto the buckle, giving him much-needed relief.

    ''Okay, that wasn''t so bad. Other than being stretched a little bit, it wasn''t as bad as it was described in the notes.'' Rigel thought as he opened his inventory and pulled out another set of robes and pants. This one had a reddish trim compared to his green one, and he immediately began changing into his new clothes.

    ''What would the twins think if they find Neville Longbottom changing from Slytherin robes into Gryffindor colors?''

    ...

    AN—Sorry about the late chap! Let''s sneak into Gryffindor Tower! Does anyone have any ideas why Rigel chose to use Polyjuice instead of his own Metamorphmagus powers?

    P.S- 42+ chapters on Patreon!