Chapter 631: Into Water
Harry strained to lift his upper body, only catching sight of a round, plump tail tip.
Padma stifled a laugh and crouched down, her palm revealing a tiny mirror. At last, Harry could see himself.
His entire body was covered in emerald-green scales, his form coiled loosely on the floor. His head was plump and rounded, with a distinct ring of dark green markings around his eyes—clearly shaped like his glasses.
“Sssss—” Harry couldn’t help but exclaim. “This feeling is just too… strange.”
“Huh?” Hermione prodded his head, cautioning, “You’re speaking in Serpent Tongue, Harry.”
Harry flicked his tail. “Why a Serpent? I’d rather transform into a lion!”
The moment the words left his mouth, he popped back into human form. Harry staggered, barely catching himself against the sofa to steady, instinctively adjusting his glasses.
His legs felt wobbly—strange, almost unnatural.
“This is so strange!” he muttered again, shaking his head.
“Let me try too.” Theo casually picked a soft candy from the bowl and popped it into his mouth.
Pfft.
A soft puff of air, and he collapsed into a compact, round ball—then instantly reformed into a plump orange cat, standing on the floor. The cat shook its ears, blinking in confusion as it glanced around.
The group burst into laughter.
The orange cat wore a perpetually grumpy expression, its bulging eyes giving it the look of a drowned fish. Its belly hung so low it nearly touched the ground.
Liam couldn’t resist—it was too much. He scooped the cat up, weighed it in his hands, and whistled. “Merlin’s beard! I’ve never seen a cat this fat!”
The cat patted its fluffy belly with a paw and let out Theo’s voice: “I hope next time I transform into something lighter. I feel like I’m on the verge of a heart attack!”
After a moment, Theo returned to human form, rubbing his neck. “Why are all the transformations… so… unrealistic?”
George blinked. “Well, isn’t that the fun of it?”
“Exactly!” Fred nodded seriously. “We chose this deliberately. Even if you do nothing, the instant transformation brings pure joy!”
Wade set down the candy jar. “From a safety standpoint, hyper-realistic animal forms could cause panic. Imagine if someone suddenly turned into a venomous snake or a giant spider—even if you knew it was a transformation, you’d still be terrified.”
“And realistic transformations could be abused,” Wade added. “Imagine someone sneaking into a secure place, or posing as someone else’s pet…”
The group immediately thought of Peter Pettigrew.
“Honestly,” Hermione said, “I think we’re all relieved Percy handed him over to Ron instead of Ginny.”
“Ron?” Ron blinked. “Uh… what?”
Wade continued. “So we kept the playful, exaggerated features—but borrowed from Muggle cartoons, to keep it clearly not real.”
“So…” Harry mused, “you could make transformations look perfectly realistic… but you just chose not to?”
Fred nodded. “Exactly.”
Michael’s eyes lit up. “Then transforming into a fully realistic animal… wouldn’t that be like a basic version of an Animagus?”
George smirked, lounging on the table. “Oh, definitely. Which means the Ministry of Magic would be knocking on our door.”
Fred mimicked an Auror’s stern tone: “Prohibited! Production and sale banned! All products destroyed—else you’re headed straight to Azkaban!”
George spread his hands. “So it’s just a prank product. Got it? It’ll never replace real Animagus transformation.”
Hermione paused. “You two… actually thought this through. So… Aslan Magical Workshop will probably launch a new product soon?”
Fred coughed. George glanced upward.
“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well…” Fred scratched the back of his head, a rare look of nervousness crossing his face. “We… don’t want to hand this product to Aslan Magical Workshop.”
He shot a quick glance at Wade.
The Shapeshifting Candy had been built on the foundation of the Gold Finch Biscuit—but without Wade’s innovations, it would’ve stayed stuck at “turning people into oversized canaries.” It was Wade’s genius that made it this versatile, dynamic, and fun.
But if they sold it through their own joke shop—still just in the planning stages—it meant Wade would have to wait years to see any profit. And they couldn’t mass-produce like Machionni’s company, where inventors got substantial royalties.
“Of course,” George smoothly picked up, his voice slightly faster than usual, “this is just an early idea. We’ve got over a year until graduation! Maybe we’ll come up with something even better later.”
So if Wade refused, they’d respect his decision and keep researching other prank products.
Wade understood their meaning. He smiled. “Whoever sells it doesn’t matter to me. At the end of the day, it’s your invention. You two should decide.”
The Weasley Twins visibly relaxed. Then, sheepishly: “But… the payout might not be as big as what Machionni offers.”
“No problem,” Wade chuckled. “I’ve got more than enough. And I’m really looking forward to seeing your joke shop open.”
“Won’t disappoint you!” George grinned. “You’ll be our VIP—free access to every new product the moment it launches!”
“Sounds good,” Wade said, fighting a smile. “Sure, I might take a little hit now… but you’ll make it up to me later.”
“Absolutely!” Fred puffed his chest. “We’re going to open the world’s most popular joke shop—developing prank products that everyone will love!”
Hermione shook her head, whispering to Neville. “These three… who even likes prank products?”
Neville nodded. “Yeah, I don’t like them much… but… Shapeshifting Gummies? Kinda fun.”
Hermione: “….”
Neville pressed on. “You don’t like transforming into a Pegasus, do you, Hermione?”
“Well… flying isn’t that bad…” Hermione hesitated, her eyes flicking away. “I just hate the lack of control. I mean—I’m only studying it from an academic standpoint! That’s all!”
…
Shapeshifting Gummies quickly sparked a transformation frenzy across Hogwarts.
Even though the joke shop didn’t exist yet, Fred and George opted for small-scale sales—making the product feel even more exclusive.
Breakfast tables, corridors, lawns—Wade kept spotting students pop into existence: rainbow sloths, yellow dragons that blew soap bubbles, clumsy penguins with silly expressions.
One bold second-year even transformed into a slow-moving snail during Snape’s Potions class. The Professor erupted in fury, deducting points from the boy and his entire row—including his neighbors—and assigning detention to all.
Soon after, Filch’s list of confiscated items gained a new name. But the transformations kept happening.
When caught, students would insist, “I didn’t know what happened, Professor! Someone must’ve slipped a Shapeshifting Gummy into my lunch!”
Their innocent, indignant expressions even made Professor McGonagall chuckle.
For the first time, she said nothing about the Weasley Twins’ pranks. In fact, whenever she saw a transformation, she’d turn away—pretending not to notice.
But privately, she summoned Wade and the twins to her office, her face stern.
“Are you sure this product is safe?”
“What product?” Fred feigned ignorance.
“It’s completely safe, Professor,” Wade said. “We were the first testers. And over the past few weeks, we’ve recorded every transformation effect—collected tons of data.”
The twins shot a glare at Wade, as if he were a traitor. When McGonagall’s gaze swept over them, they both snapped straight, saying in unison: “Safe! Totally safe!”
She stared at them for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. “Just… don’t use them in class.”
That was close enough to a yes.
The twins kept their promise—but not all the students did.
Someone—later revealed to be a Gryffindor, though no one admitted it—slipped a Shapeshifting Gummy into the staff table’s food tray.
Dumbledore had just sat down when his sharp eyes caught the odd candy. He picked it up, studying it thoughtfully.
Snape’s face paled. “That… can’t be…”
His venomous gaze shot toward the Gryffindor table—specifically at Harry, who was sharing a roast chicken leg with Ron.
Harry: “…?”
He blinked, confused, then shot back a fierce glare.
Snape’s expression darkened further. His fork twisted with a sharp crack.
In the middle of their silent duel, Dumbledore, curious, popped the candy into his mouth.
Professor McGonagall gasped.
Boom!
A massive, brown elk stood in the Headmaster’s seat—nearly knocking McGonagall off her chair. She grabbed the table edge, furious. “Albus Dumbledore!”
The elk turned its head, its large, round blue eyes fixed on her. With a voice that sounded oddly gentle, it said: “Relax, Minerva. Just a little experiment.”
Even though he could’ve stopped it, Dumbledore chose to let the transformation take place. He even tried clumsily using his front hooves to grab a roasted potato.
As he turned his head, his enormous antlers cracked into Snape’s skull.
Snape froze. Slowly, he turned to face the elk. His expression was so murderous, even Harry flinched.
But Snape said nothing. He simply dropped his fork, swept his black robes, and strode out—pausing only to glare at Wade.
Wade: “…”
He had a sinking feeling Snape’s opinion of him was plummeting faster than a Bludger.
…
Deep in the quiet closet space, the Potion Room was empty. The magic puppets were deep underground. Only Wade remained.
A cauldron bubbled before him, glowing with eerie blue light. Pale green mist curled upward—giving off a strong “this potion is toxic” vibe.
But inside, the cauldron held the unfinished Shapeshifting Gummy Potion—now a global sensation.
Wade stirred the mixture with focus. Steam from the brew dampened his fringe. He stirred left three times, right three times—then froze.
The potion shifted from blue to clear, like water.
Normally, this was when mandrake leaf would be added, followed by a Transfiguration Charm. But tonight, Wade reached for a different ingredient: a slimy, rat-tail-like plant from a nearby jar.
This was the Gill Sac Grass Makki had given him.
The herbs dissolved instantly. Wade stirred slowly, then sprinkled in the last pinch of Moonstone Powder. He counted to thirty.
When the liquid turned thick and viscous, he removed the cauldron from the flame.
Flame-extinguishing—the liquid solidified into a translucent gel.
Wade raised his wand, murmured a long incantation. After several passes, the cauldron now held a few round candies.
He plucked one out, holding it up to the light.
This candy was twice the size of a normal Shapeshifting Gummy—gray-green, faintly smelling of the sea. It looked unappetizing.
But in the young wizard’s eyes, a spark of triumph glimmered.
After putting the rest away, Wade stepped out of the Potion Room and walked all the way to the lake.
His private space, like Scamander’s briefcase, connected to a real lake. The room even had a sizable pool within.
The lake water was cool. Small fish darted near the shore.
Wade removed his jacket and stepped into the water, letting the icy chill rise past his waist.
He swallowed the green candy.
“Good luck,” he whispered.
Boom!
The transformation smoke cleared. The figure on the shore vanished—only ripples spreading outward confirmed something had happened.
Suddenly—
Slap!
A long, elegant fish tail arced up from the surface, then plunged back down. Water droplets flew into the air, glinting like gems under the moonlight.
(End of Chapter)
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