"Excellent!" she muttered. Then pulled down the boy's sleeve, being careful to ensure it was down neatly.
Meanwhile, Daphne had moved off to the side to another desk with the needle, hose and bladder. She carefully pulled the hose out of the bladder and sealed the skin around the hole, sealing the blood within.
Once ready, she cast a stasis charm on the bladder and its contents before then vanishing the tube, needle and the little bit of blood that had spilled.
Looking back, she said, "I'm ready."
She'd turned back just in time to see Hermione write the word 'Gay' on Nott's forehead.
"I thought the idea was for Nott not to know he'd been attacked?" she asked.
"No," replied Hermione. "It was for him not to learn we'd taken his blood. At least this way, when he wakes, he'll think he'll know why he was attacked."
Daphne thought about it for just a moment before she said, "Clever."
"We ready?" asked Harry, from where he was near the door looking for people outside. "We're ready," said Hermione.
"Okay, watch the door while I cover and levitate the wannabe rapist," he said.
Daphne moved over to the door and kept lookout while Harry threw his invisibility cloak back over Nott. He gave a small snort of amusement when he saw what Hermione had written on the boy's forehead.
Another body levitation charm and Harry was towing the boy back to the door. Daphne quickly checked in both directions before she ducked out and headed down the passage a bit to look around the corner.
She gave a quick, 'Come' gesture and Harry was out the door with Nott. He propped the boy sitting against the wall and pulled his invisibility cloak back off him. Looking back as Hermione pulled the door of the classroom closed again, all three then nodded to each other before they all cast Notice-me-nots on themselves and left the scene.
Returning to their apartment the three looked at each other and grinned.
"That was easier than I feared it might have been," said Hermione.
"I still find it hard to believe muggles take blood from each other like that," said Daphne, a little disgusted.
"As I've explained, muggles don't have blood replenishing potions," said Hermione. "So, often, the only way to get blood back into a person is through transfusion. It's all perfectly acceptable." On the eve of the final task, both wives demanded an intimate dinner for three in their room. Harry was happy to agree.
The Polyjuice Potion was now complete and being stored under stasis in a flask of similar size and shape to Moody's, which Crouch was using. The 'pig skin blood pouch' was with it, also under stasis.
"I know this is all planned out, Harry," said Hermione. "But, there's just so much that can go wrong."
"I know and agree," he said.
"You're still going to be careful, though, right?" she asked.
"Of course," he calmly replied, before he moved and took her into his arms. A move for which she was very grateful.
"Your plan is brilliant, Hermione," he soothed her. "When the rat pulls the bone out of the grave it'll be that of a stranger, not Riddle's father. And, when he jabs me in my elbow with the point of the knife, it'll be Nott's blood pooling in the grooves of it; not mine."
"The only thing we can't change is the flesh of the servant. But, with two of the three changed, that should dramatically weaken Riddle."
"I know," she sniffled. "But you'll also have all the death eaters there, as well. And they won't be weakened."
"I'll have the portkeys with me, I'll have the second wand with me, and this time I can apparate. If I can't get to the Cup, I've still got multiple ways out of there," he calmly said.
She nodded as Daphne said, "He's right. He's as prepared as he can ever be. And your plan was brilliant. Harry is far superior to any three death eaters in combat; and, with Riddle being weakened by the ruined ritual, I believe he'll be far superior to him, too.
"And, remember, he got away from the lot of them last time. And that was when his mind was muddied with potions, his head was killing him from the horcrux within his forehead, and Riddle was at his powerful best with all his horcruxes still existing. None of that exists in this timeline."
Harry looked from Daphne back to Hermione, smirked, and said, "What she said."
Hermione gave a quick burst of laughter, smacked him on the arm, and said, "Prat!"
"Good," said Daphne. "Now, let's eat. I want to make sure Harry feels very lucky, tonight."
"Da-aph!" exclaimed Hermione, blushing.
"Oh," said Daphne, as if she'd just thought of it. "I'm including you in that, too."
Harry, now used to Daphne's odd humour, laughed as Hermione went red to the tips of her fingers and ears.
After dinner, and a while of just talking a little more to allow their stomachs to settle, the three went to bed.
Over an hour later and just before drifting off to sleep with a very contented smile on his face, Harry thought it was the luckiest he'd ever been.
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