"I hope this won't cause problems for you, sir?" the soldier impersonating Ron asked with slight concern. "We tried to hit them carefully but painfully, so as not to cause serious injuries or leave any marks."
"Everything's fine, lads," Richard said. "Actually, that makes things even better. Plenty of people probably saw the fight, which is a huge boost to our alibi."
"Sir, I wouldn't exactly call it a fight." Weasley's double grimaced faintly. "It was more like beating up babies. But there were definitely a lot of students watching."
"Ron, Harry, it's time for you to go," Richard told the boys.
"Come on, Ron," Potter called to his friend.
Still grinning, Ron reluctantly headed towards the exit of the tunnel. He would have happily listened to the full story of how his double had thrashed the loathsome Malfoy.
Richard packed the ninja suits into his bag. Ron and Harry left the secret passage and entered the corridor of the One-Eyed Witch.
"How much time is left before the appearance-changing compound wears off?" Richard asked.
Ron's double glanced at his watch before replying:
"Seven minutes, sir."
"In that case, we head to your belongings and wait for the compound to wear off," Richie began issuing orders. He removed a bag from his shoulder and handed it to the redhead. "This special cargo is to be delivered intact to the Duke of Westminster and placed directly into his hands. Do not open the cargo. Do not lose it. You may handle it without concern—it isn't bothered by shaking or being dropped."
"Yes, sir. Deliver the special cargo," Weasley's double replied, snapping a military salute. "What should we report to command?"
"You can tell them the operation was successful. We'll discuss the rest personally with the handler. I'm pleased with your performance, lads. I hope the atmosphere of the castle didn't frighten you too much?"
"Everything's fine, sir," Potter's double replied. "All of us grew up in wizarding families until we were eleven and dreamed of visiting Hogwarts. You could say our dream came true. Though admittedly, not quite in the way we'd imagined."
"Those ghosts, though..." Richard's double muttered quietly. "When I saw them, I nearly shat myself."
"Too right," Ron's double agreed with his mate. "To hell with encounters like that..."
The Polyjuice Potion wore off. The boys' doubles began transforming back into sturdy adult men. Fortunately for them, the soldiers had been carefully watching the time and had managed to undress beforehand. They quickly changed into their uniforms and armed themselves.
Richie opened the passage into the cellar of Honeydukes but came to an abrupt halt before the door leading from the cellar out into the street. Normally, Harry Potter handled locked doors with an unlocking charm, but Richie had never bothered to learn it.
"Sir, if I may..."
The special forces officer who had been impersonating Ron immediately understood the boy's predicament and gently moved him aside. Producing a set of lock picks from a pouch on his tactical vest, he opened the lock in a matter of seconds.
Richard was astonished. The soldier had taken only slightly longer to break in than Harry usually did with magic.
The soldiers held a brief, quiet conversation over the radio with the colleagues covering them from an ambush position outside. Afterwards, they swiftly left the cellar and seemed to melt away into the far end of the alley.
Richie hurried back towards Hogwarts.
In the corridor of the One-Eyed Witch, Richie looked around and found no one. He pulled out his wizardphone and called Harry.
"Richie? Hello?" Potter answered immediately.
"Where are you?"
"Listen, we're in the Weasley twins' laboratory. You know where that is?"
"I do. Harry, don't tell me you actually went to beat them up?"
"What?!" Potter replied in surprise. "No! No, we asked them to brew us a laxative."
"For you?!"
"Well... for the owl," Harry whispered.
"Ahhh, for the owl..." Richard drawled knowingly. "Got it. In that case, I'll go and blend into the crowd. Where and when are we meeting?"
"Fred says the potion will be ready in twenty minutes. I suggest we meet... er..." Harry's voice sounded uncertain. "Actually, I don't know."
"I suggest the first floor of the North Tower," Richard said.
"Why there?" Harry asked.
Richard replied:
"First, the North Tower is far away from all the common rooms and the main routes through the castle. It's a full ten-minute walk from the Great Hall, so hardly anyone ever goes there. Students won't even think of wandering in that direction. Second, there aren't any living portraits there. Third, the Divination classroom is at the top of the tower, and according to the older students, the professor practically never leaves it. Follow my logic: students only go there for lessons, which means professors and Filch don't patrol the area, and Trelawney stays locked away in her little den all day. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more secluded place for a private meeting."
"Fair enough," Harry agreed. "Let's meet there by the staircase on the first floor in about forty minutes."
Richie stepped outside and immediately spotted Justin Finch-Fletchley, who noticed him at the same moment and waved. Justin was with Ernie Macmillan.
"How's it going, Justin?" Richard asked as he approached his classmates.
"Compared to you? Boring," Finch-Fletchley replied. "Ernie's already told me about your fight with the Slytherins."
"It was brilliant!" Macmillan exclaimed admiringly. "I had no idea Ron could fight like that. He knocked out Crabbe and Goyle so neatly, and then—blimey! I was worried when Malfoy pulled out his wand, but you twisted his arm and disarmed him so smoothly! Richie, will you teach me that move?"
"I'd love to," Richard replied with an apologetic smile, "but the problem is that I don't actually know that move myself, Ernie. It all happened on instinct. Danger, adrenaline pumping through my veins... I can show you a few fencing tricks, though."
"That's not bad either," Macmillan said, not looking disappointed in the slightest.
(End of Chapter)
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