NUMB | D. MALFOY {EDITING}

xix. poison

« POISON »    

The moment Anastasia walked out of the Slytherin common room the next day, Hermione tugged her robes to a completely different direction. As she jogged behind the frantic witch, the girl couldn't help to notice how early it was and that their steps were the only ones echoing the empty halls.

"What is happening, 'Mione?" The emerald-eyed girl questioned, the curiosity eating her alive as she watched Hermione's back with confusion.

"Ron has been poisoned." Hermione's thick accent echoed the halls and made Anastasia to look at her with big eyes and pursed lips.

"What do you mean he's been poisoned?" Anastasia was now getting frantic as she was being pulled by the other girl, who was just as scared like she was, if not more.

"I don't know!" Hermione snapped.

If Anastasia hadn't known Hermione for so long, she'd expect a punch right in the face—like the one she gave Draco a few years back—, but the girl was aware that that's how Hermione acted in stressful situations.

Soon enough, Anastasia and Hermione opened the tall, heavy doors of the hospital wing where they spotted Harry standing in front of Ron's bed and Ginny supportively holding his now cold hand. The brunette didn't flinch when Hermione quickened her pace and seated in the other chair, her hand instantly found Ron's.

Anastasia silently walked to them and greeted Harry with a side hug, the boy eyed her with raised eyebrows and took how tired she looked. In his mind, the memories of what he saw the previous night lingered in front of his eyes like some sort of spectrum. With a sigh, he shook his head and reminded himself to ask the girl about it.

"What happened?" He zoned out as soon as he heard Anastasia's question. "Who did this?" Harry noted how angry she was, because she pursed her lips together and played with her hair like a maniac.

"He accidently ate some sort of chocolates Romilda Vane put amortertia in." Harry quickly explained before they were interrupted.

McGonagall walked in with a concerned look in her eyes as Dumbledore and Snape looked at the passed out ginger in the white bed, Hermione's hand never left his even when the professors arrived.

"Quick thinking of your part, Harry," Dumbledore glanced at the quiet boy with a glimpse of pride in his eyes. "Using a bezoar. You should be very proud of your student, Horace." He then turned to see Slughorn who stood in the very back of the group with a bottle that Anastasia recognized and made her heart sink.

"Yes, very proud." The man replied vaguely, his eyes still scanning the unconscious boy.

"I think we agre Potter's actions were heroic." McGonagall interfered, looking between Harry and his other friends. "The question is: Why were they necessary?" The woman asked with raised eyebrows and worried eyes.

"I, indeed. This appears to be a gift, Horace." Dumbledore spoke out, making Anastasia to snap her head to the men next to her. Her emerald eyes glued to the bottle and she felt her hands start to shake behind her back. "You don't remember who gave you this bottle? By the way, it possesses remarkably subtle hints of liquor and cherry." The elder man pointed, bringing the bottle to his nose and smelling the contents inside. "When not polluted with poison." He quickly added, with alarmed expressions.

"Actually, I had intended to give it as a gift, myself." Slughorn clarified bashfully, not daring himself to look at the man.

The other three professors stayed silent and looked between each other. Anastasia couldn't concentrate with her heart pounding and making her unable to hear the rest of the conversation.