Chapter 2-12 The Polyjuice Potion

• Harry is left in Dumbledore's office. He's alone. He sees the Sorting Hat and tries it on to get some answers about it's decision to put him in Gryffindor House. It reads Harry's thoughts about him wondering and says the dicision was hard, Harry would have done well in Slytherin. Harry sees that he's not alone, there's a bird on a golden perch which suddenly bursts into flames. Dumbledore, who comes in, explains it's a Phoenix. Its name is Fawkes. Bursting into flames means it's their time to die and be reborn from the ashes. He also says it's a shame Harry is seeing it on a Burning Day, normally it's a beautiful creature.
• Hagrid bursts in, trying to explain that it couldn't have been Harry who did the harm to Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, since he saw him a few moments before. Dumbledore never thought it was Harry and Harry is allowed to leave.
• Term has ended. Most students have gone home for holiday, so now they can play Exploding Snap without bothering anyone. On Christmas morning Hermione comes into Ron and Harry's dormitory, telling them the Polyjuice Potion is ready and bringing them presents. Hedwig flies in, bringing a 'present' (a tooth pick) from the Dursleys. From Hagrid Harry got Treacle Fudge, from Ron a book called Flying with the Cannons, from Hermione a quill and from Mrs. Weasley a hand-knitted sweater and a plum cake.
• Christmas dinner is in the Great Hall. It looks magnificent, decorated with Christmas trees, holly and mistletoe. Enchanted snow is falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. Hagrid is drinking goblets of eggnog. To get bit's of the people to change into for the Polyjuice Potion, Hermione made some plump chocolate cakes, filled with Sleeping Draught. They know that Crabbe and Goyle will take them and then they will be able to get a hair from both of them. Hermione already got hers from Millicent Bullstrode while wrestling during the Dueling Club.
• Getting the hairs goes as planned. Ron and Harry also take their shoes and then they go to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Hermione finishes the Polyjuice Potion and they take it. Ron changes into Crabbe and Harry into Goyle. Hermione refuses to come out of the bathroom stall and Ron and Harry go alone, only having one hour before the Potion's effect will wear off.
• Searching for a Slytherin student to get them into their House, they are found by Draco Malfoy. He takes them to the Slytherin's common room, passing through a concealed stone door with the password "Pure-blood". Malfoy shows them an article from the Daily Prophet. It's about Ron's father Arthur Weasley who has been fined for bewitching a Muggle car. Draco's father Lucius Malfoy, who is a governor of Hogwarts, has called for his resignation from the Ministry of Magic, quoting "unable to draw up laws and his Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately". Draco mentions he wishes he knew who the Heir of Slytherin is, which means it's not him. Harry asks if they caught the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets the last time. Draco tells him he presumes they did and that that person is probably still in Azkaban, the wizard prison. Ron starts changing back to his normal form and he and Harry quickly depart for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Getting back they find out that the hair from Millicent Bullstrode was in fact a cat hair, giving Hermione the appearance of a cat. They take her to the Hospital wing.