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The Room of Requirement's dome was draped in dark purple curtains.
The dim light flickered uncertainly, echoing Ian's dreadful mood.
He stood in the center of the room with his hands on his hips, glaring furiously into the air and shouting, "Snape, that old bat! He actually dared to steal my potion ingredients! How shameless can he be!"
Cursing under his breath, Ian paced back and forth, his steps making the floor creak with every stomp. His face flushed red, and veins bulged on his forehead.
Every movement and expression radiated sheer frustration and indignation.
He finally understood!
Everything made sense now.
The truth had come to light through the effects of his backtracking magic! Ian hadn't expected to be on the receiving end this time. His good old "Uncle Snape" had actually started fleecing him!
"Damn it!"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
After all, when he used to raid Snape's stash, he would leave a few gold Galleons behind at first until Snape scolded him for it, saying he didn't need his "filthy" money. Only then did Ian start walking out empty-handed.
By that logic, reciprocity should go both ways, shouldn't it?
Ian could forgo payment, sure, but Snape not leaving behind even a single galleon? That was outrageous! The potion ingredients Ian had been brewing with were top-grade materials, most of which were premium picks set aside specially for him by his good friend, Hagrid.
"That vile old bat! It's not about the Galleons; it's about respect!" Ian fumed, nearly summoning the spirit of a feminist crusader. He was still unable to figure out how Snape had gotten into his private brewing room.
Even stranger was how Snape had known what kind of ingredients Ian kept there. The only thing Ian could be sure of was that Snape had likely tried, more than once, to refine the bizarre potion designed to turn Harry into Harriet.
Snape probably wouldn't have targeted Ian's stockpile if his own supply cabinet hadn't run dry. After all, Snape, the Head of Slytherin House, knew how explosive Ian's temper could be.
And when Ian exploded...
It usually gave Snape quite the headache, too.
"I guess my dear uncle's trying to make life miserable for Slytherin students again!" Ian muttered. He knew there was no point in holding a grudge against Snape directly, so he carefully chose a more productive target to blame instead.
"I wonder if he's just being a creep or if he's researching something," Ian mused after cooling down, his curiosity starting to override his anger.
Snape being a pervert seemed unlikely, so there must be a deeper reason behind his attempt to turn Harry into Harriet.
"Could he be trying to use Harry to lure Lily's spirit or something?" The thought barely formed in Ian's mind before he instantly dismissed it.
After all, The truth about Lily Evans was known to almost no one. James Potter might not have known, but Ian was certain of one thing: outside of those within the Soul Hall, that secret was buried deep.
Even Dumbledore probably had no idea that the mother who sacrificed herself to protect Harry Potter later became an apostle of the Soul Hall for reasons unknown.
If the old headmaster had missed that, there was no way his "good uncle" could have caught on. Love may conquer all, but not this kind of thing.
In short, Ian had no idea.
Whatever Snape's purpose for brewing that gender-bending potion was, it clearly wasn't simple. Ian rubbed his chin thoughtfully, but the spirit of Detective Conan failed to descend upon him this time.
As for Snape's true motive, he still couldn't figure it out.
But one thing was certain:
Any potion capable of changing a person's gender was insane.
Unlike Polyjuice Potion.
Polyjuice Potion lets you become someone else.
This potion, however, triggered a complete gender swap.
"Bring me a glass of water," Ian said. Ian said without looking back. The perfectly trained Dementor behind him immediately handed him a glass of water, chilled enough to pierce the bones without ice.
Ian took the glass, hesitated for a moment, and then drank it in one gulp. The icy liquid dripped from his chin, soaking the front of his robe. "Another glass."
Clearly, at first,
He hadn't actually wanted to drink the water; he just couldn't help himself once it was in his hand. It was like someone buying fried chicken for their girlfriend- they didn't really want it at first, but they couldn't resist showing off a piece once it was bought.
What?
Still no girlfriend?
That's unlikely.
"That sly uncle of mine's trick just gave me a new idea," Ian mused. "Maybe I don't need to 'resurrect' Voldemort to create a crisis that could upset Lily."
"Then I'll reveal a little clue, get caught by me, and I'll successfully find the Soul Hall." Ian stared at the glass in his hand, recalling the scent he had noticed when he first met Harry Potter.
One ingredient after another was confirmed.
As for the proportions, that was child's play for a Potions Master like Ian. He lightly waved his wand, and immediately, the water in the glass began to change.
Specifically, the water shifted.
Gradually, it turned from clear transparency to an oddly vivid crimson, this was Ian's transfiguration. He could ignore the usual laws of transformation to create things imbued with magical effects.
Whether alchemical artifacts, living creatures, or potions, Ian could transfigure them by understanding their structure and applying his "cheat-level" transfiguration.
Of course, there were drawbacks.
Maintaining this transfiguration consumed part of his magical influence. However, as with all things, there was a silver lining. As long as he didn't withdraw his influence, whatever he transfigured would exist indefinitely, and the potion's effects would persist as well.
Perhaps Snape's potion recipes, much like Polyjuice Potion, could only maintain their effects for a limited time. However, as long as Snape maintained his magical influence, the effects of the potion could last until the end of his life. Currently, however, the amount of magic he had committed to the potion was minimal.
"I wonder if Harry would even want to drink this," Ian thought. He wasn't the type to force anyone or poison them secretly. He figured that, by tying the potion to his "forestry mission," the Boy-Who-Lived, with his unusual craving for family connections, would willingly take it.
In any case, Ian didn't plan to maintain the potion's effects forever.
(To Be Continued…)