New Potion and the Enraged No-Nose (5)

"The potion... it was the potion... Slytherin's Gift of Protection saved my life... it really worked... it neutralized the petrifying gaze..."

Professor Flitwick said nothing. He looked at the ash-gray powder, then at Fuli's deathly pale face, streaked with tracks where tears had washed over it. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. He reached out and helped Fuli up from the ground. Fuli's legs were weak beneath him; he could barely stand, his whole body leaning against Professor Flitwick like a limp rag doll with its bones removed. Professor Flitwick did not push him away. Supporting Fuli with his small body, he walked step by step toward the staircase. His short legs trembled, but his arms remained steady.

The news spread faster than Floo Powder. In less than five minutes, all of Hogwarts knew: five pure-blood students who had bought "Slytherin's Gift of Protection" had been attacked. Four had been petrified, and one had survived. The survivor was Fuli Dolun, who had drunk the potion on the spot. The other four—the two Hufflepuffs and the two Gryffindors—had not had time to drink it.

The corridors erupted into chaos. Students poured out from classrooms, common rooms, the library, even the toilets, flooding toward the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. They were not going to see their petrified classmates. They were going to register to buy the potion. Some ran, some shoved, some cried, some shouted. Some rammed people out of their way, while others threatened those blocking the path with curses. When some pulled out their money, Galleons scattered all over the floor. They dropped to their knees to pick them up, their hands shaking as they did so, but they kept collecting them because that was money for the potion.

Draco