31 Days of October - October 12 - Polyjuice (no challenge)
Title: Polyjuice
Summary: A discussion about polyjuice potion.
Characters/Pairings: MWPP+L, mentions of Mary MacDonald & Dorcas Meadowes
Genre: Gen
Rating/Warnings: None
Medium: Ficlet
October Prompt: Potion
Word Count: 714
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: No, thank you.
"If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you be?" Lily Evans asked the question to her end of the Gryffindor table, where she'd finally given in and started sitting with James and his friends. Of course she dragged her own friends with her, so the seven of them took up the end of the Gryffindor table closest to the Great Hall door. Though it was drafty (which Lily immediately pointed out), Sirius argued it was better this way to see who was coming and going and really, did they want to sit near the professors? He pulled a face and, like that, the discussion was over whether Lily wanted it to be or not.
Peter, with shifty, shrinking eyes, mumbled something that Lily thought was "James" but she couldn't hear him. She heard Remus when he suggested Dumbledore, and Mary when she said the name of some popular Muggle actress, and Dorcas said she'd want to be Wendall Watcherson, the star Falcons Quidditch player.
"Why are you asking?" James asked, his mouth stuffed full of some kind of pie that had appeared when it was time for dessert. He hadn't even looked to see the kind before taking a huge slice and digging in.
"It doesn't matter why I'm asking," Lily said back, exasperated. "I'm just curious."
Sirius poked a half-bitten piece of bread in her direction. "Actually, Evans, it does matter. If you're asking hypothetically, then we could answer anyone in the world, dead or alive, but if you're answering realistically --"
James picked up with, "then we'd have to narrow it down to people that we'd have access to or at least the chance of access to."
Lily looked between the two of them then over to Remus. "Please tell me it's not always like this. Finishing each other's sentences and such."
Remus shrugged, a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. "You'd be better off just answering the question," he said.
She didn't see how she had any other choice. With a heavy sigh that told all of them just how she felt about doing this, she said, "We've been talking in Potions Club about putting together a proposal to Professor Slughorn to let us all try Polyjuice Potion for an hour or two -- under supervision and in a controlled environment," she finished off when she noticed the excitement crossing James and Sirius's faces. "So before you go getting any ideas … "
But it didn't appear as though either of them were really listening to her by now, their heads bent closely together, the whispering undecipherable. Finally, James lifted his head. "My answer to your question," he said, "based on the stipulations you've placed on them, is Sirius."
"And I choose James. Naturally." Sirius grinned.
While neither of their answers surprised her, she did admit she was surprised at how boring the responses were. "Why?" Lily asked after a moment, folding her hands carefully on the table. "Why each other? You're practically the same person anyway."
Sirius started by ticking off a finger with each point. "For one, if it's Polyjuice it'll have to be someone willing to do it and give some hair. We'd do that for each other. For two, if it's controlled and under supervision, I'm not interested in being, say, you Mary," he gave her a charming grin, "because most of the stuff I'd want to do as Mary I wouldn't be able to do under supervision." While he didn't look at all abashed at making such a suggestive statement, both Lily and Mary blushed scarlet. "And three, we wouldn't really be each other, right? Polyjuice doesn't work that way. My answer would change dramatically if I could literally become someone else and live a day in their life. If it actually worked that way, I'd clearly pick David Bowie."
"And I'd pick Paul McCartney," James added.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I guess it doesn't really matter after all," she said a moment later. "I mean, it's not like you're going to get to do it or anything, whether controlled and supervised or not."
"Why's that?" James piped up.
A slow, small smile spread across her face, and she patted James on the arm. "You're not in Potions Club."
Sarah / Gryffindor / 24 points
Summary: A discussion about polyjuice potion.
Characters/Pairings: MWPP+L, mentions of Mary MacDonald & Dorcas Meadowes
Genre: Gen
Rating/Warnings: None
Medium: Ficlet
October Prompt: Potion
Word Count: 714
Can the Order post to Tumblr?: No, thank you.
"If you could be anyone else for a day, who would you be?" Lily Evans asked the question to her end of the Gryffindor table, where she'd finally given in and started sitting with James and his friends. Of course she dragged her own friends with her, so the seven of them took up the end of the Gryffindor table closest to the Great Hall door. Though it was drafty (which Lily immediately pointed out), Sirius argued it was better this way to see who was coming and going and really, did they want to sit near the professors? He pulled a face and, like that, the discussion was over whether Lily wanted it to be or not.
Peter, with shifty, shrinking eyes, mumbled something that Lily thought was "James" but she couldn't hear him. She heard Remus when he suggested Dumbledore, and Mary when she said the name of some popular Muggle actress, and Dorcas said she'd want to be Wendall Watcherson, the star Falcons Quidditch player.
"Why are you asking?" James asked, his mouth stuffed full of some kind of pie that had appeared when it was time for dessert. He hadn't even looked to see the kind before taking a huge slice and digging in.
"It doesn't matter why I'm asking," Lily said back, exasperated. "I'm just curious."
Sirius poked a half-bitten piece of bread in her direction. "Actually, Evans, it does matter. If you're asking hypothetically, then we could answer anyone in the world, dead or alive, but if you're answering realistically --"
James picked up with, "then we'd have to narrow it down to people that we'd have access to or at least the chance of access to."
Lily looked between the two of them then over to Remus. "Please tell me it's not always like this. Finishing each other's sentences and such."
Remus shrugged, a smile tugging on the corner of his mouth. "You'd be better off just answering the question," he said.
She didn't see how she had any other choice. With a heavy sigh that told all of them just how she felt about doing this, she said, "We've been talking in Potions Club about putting together a proposal to Professor Slughorn to let us all try Polyjuice Potion for an hour or two -- under supervision and in a controlled environment," she finished off when she noticed the excitement crossing James and Sirius's faces. "So before you go getting any ideas … "
But it didn't appear as though either of them were really listening to her by now, their heads bent closely together, the whispering undecipherable. Finally, James lifted his head. "My answer to your question," he said, "based on the stipulations you've placed on them, is Sirius."
"And I choose James. Naturally." Sirius grinned.
While neither of their answers surprised her, she did admit she was surprised at how boring the responses were. "Why?" Lily asked after a moment, folding her hands carefully on the table. "Why each other? You're practically the same person anyway."
Sirius started by ticking off a finger with each point. "For one, if it's Polyjuice it'll have to be someone willing to do it and give some hair. We'd do that for each other. For two, if it's controlled and under supervision, I'm not interested in being, say, you Mary," he gave her a charming grin, "because most of the stuff I'd want to do as Mary I wouldn't be able to do under supervision." While he didn't look at all abashed at making such a suggestive statement, both Lily and Mary blushed scarlet. "And three, we wouldn't really be each other, right? Polyjuice doesn't work that way. My answer would change dramatically if I could literally become someone else and live a day in their life. If it actually worked that way, I'd clearly pick David Bowie."
"And I'd pick Paul McCartney," James added.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I guess it doesn't really matter after all," she said a moment later. "I mean, it's not like you're going to get to do it or anything, whether controlled and supervised or not."
"Why's that?" James piped up.
A slow, small smile spread across her face, and she patted James on the arm. "You're not in Potions Club."
Sarah / Gryffindor / 24 points