Double Dog Dare! -- Episode 20
Juliane, 17 March 2002

Viviane stood at the window, watching as Severus exited Hogwarts and hastily crossed the lawn towards Dumbledore. A sound behind her made her whirl around, sword in hand. She briefly grasped it more tightly when she saw Sirius Black step through the door, but she resheathed it as she stepped towards him, snorting in exasperation. "Dogboy! Where have you been? We've been-"

Sirius pulled out his wand. "Stupefy!" he said, and stepped over her body to awaken Janet.

*~*~*

Viviane woke, bound by the leather straps that Janet had been wearing, and gazed up at Sirius and Janet who were both smirking down at her. Sirius had her swordbelt in his hands. "Sirius? What the hell do you think you're doing? Why-"

"I only serve my true mistress, and you aren't my mistress of any kind."

Janet slapped him, then looked back down at Viviane. "I'm going to need your body, my dear. Haul her upright, Sirius."

He dragged her up and propped her against the wall. "Can I tweak her nose, mistress?"

"No, Sirius, but do pull out a few of her hairs." Sirius reached towards Viviane's head, and she promptly bit him.

"Ouch. You didn't need to do that," Sirius groused.

Viviane sighed, spat and took a keen look into Sirius' eyes, which were unfocussed and dull. "Yes, I did. Sirius, did you eat anything in Janet's house?"

"Why yes, I had some lovely fruit-"

"Brilliant move, Persephone. She put you under a long-term Command spell that way - low level Imperious, she can switch it off and on, doesn't take much energy to maintain. And you are unable to tell anyone about it. Clever." Viviane eyed Janet. "And how do you plan to use my body? I'm rather fond of it and don't like to lend it out to just anyone."

Janet stepped forward and pushed Sirius out of the way, yanking a few hairs from the dark locks straggling around Viviane's face, then gently tweaked out a few from her own shiny, chestnut mane. "Never mind. Sirius? Do your job."

The bespelled Sirius took out his wand and derobed both witches. "I always thought that knowing this spell might come in handy. A pity it's wasted on you, though," he commented, eyeing with distaste Viviane's naked form through the leather that bound it.

"You'll pay for this, Dogboy," whispered Viviane. "I don't care what sort of Curse you're under."

Janet had pulled a Thermos out of her robes and was busy filling the cup with a clear liquid. She carefully added Viviane's hair and after a few moments and a couple of graceful swirls, she tossed back the concoction. Her face contorted with pain as her body lengthened and her hair began to grow, darkening as it did. Janet stared down at her hands as they widened, the fingers growing and tapering into ragged nails, then gave a shriek as scars leapt to the surface of her body and began to snake down her arms and legs, leaving trails of pale, raised flesh. When Janet finally looked back up, Viviane found herself staring at her twin.

"Your turn," Janet said, rinsing out the cup in Dumbledore's washstand and refilling it, adding her own hair. "Sirius, open her mouth."

Sirius gripped Viviane's jaws and prised them apart, while Janet pinched her nose and forced Viviane to drink the Polyjuice derivative. She stepped back and began to laugh as Viviane writhed in her bonds, her body shrinking and her bones becoming smaller and more delicate. She fell over, unable to keep her balance as she transformed. "I'm short," shouted Viviane, in Janet's voice, furiously, trying to escape from the leather that encased her.

"Stupefy," said Janet, and with another wave of her wand dressed both women back into their clothing. She picked up the swordbelt that Sirius had dropped on Dumbledore's desk, and dismissed the protective hexes with which Viviane had imbued it. "Too easy. Ms. Devereaux is as stupid as she is scarred." Janet shrugged her shoulders in distaste and buckled on the weapon. "I can't wait to be done here, so that I can get back into a decent body again. Sirius, watch over her. Anything I need to know to pass, besides acting without thought and behaving as if besotted with Severus Snape, of all people?" She inspected her nails with distaste and grimaced.

Sirius' eyes reclaimed a hint of their normal spark. "Stubborn. Outspoken. But she's not really stupid."

"Well, if she comes to, just act like she's me, and tell any fool who asks that I'm raving mad." Janet smiled. "You won't get much argument from them."

At that moment, Dumbledore, Snape and the Weasley twins burst into the room.