The Half-Blood Prince | Hermione Granger x Male Reader (Book Six)

19. Ron's Recovery

Harry's POV

"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays?" asked Fred.

We were in the Hospital Wing, where Ron was the only patient. Myself, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting around him and the twins were standing up. They had arrived shortly after we arrived.

I had hastily brought Ron to Madam Pomfrey after what had happened.

"This isn't how we imagined handing over our present," said George grimly, putting down a large wrapped gift on Ron's bedside cabinet and sitting beside Ginny.

"Yeah, when we pictured the scene, he was conscious," said Fred.

"There we were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him-" said George.

"You were in Hogsmeade?" asked Ginny, looking up.

"We were thinking of buying Zonko's," said Fred gloomily, "a Hogsmeade branch, you know, but a fat lot of good it'll do us if you lot aren't allowed out at weekends to buy our stuff anymore. But never mind that now."

He drew up a chair beside me and looked at Ron's pale face.

"How exactly did it happen, Harry?"

I retold the story for what seemed to be the millionth time, it felt like a hundred times to Dumbledore, to McGonagall, to Madam Pomfrey, to Hermione, and to Ginny.

"...and then I got the bezoar down his throat and his breathing eased up a bit. Slughorn ran for help, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey turned up, and they brought Ron up here. They reckon he'll be all right. Madam Pomfrey says he'll have to stay here a week or so, keep taking Essence of Rue..."

"Blimey, it was lucky you thought of a bezoar," said George in a low voice.

"Lucky there was one in the room," I said, in my mind, I kept on thinking about what would have happened if I had not been able to get the bezoar.

"Do Mum and Dad know?" Fred asked Ginny.

"They've already seen him, they arrived an hour ago, they're in Dumbledore's office now, but they'll be back soon..."

There was a pause while we all watched Ron mumble a little in his sleep.

"So the poison was in the drink?" said Fred quietly.

"Yes," I said quickly, "Slughorn poured it out-"

"Would he have been able to slip something into Ron's glass without you seeing?" George asked.

"Probably," I replied, "but why would Slughorn want to poison Ron?"

"No idea," said Fred, frowning, "you don't think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Meaning to get you?"

"Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry?" asked Ginny.

"I dunno," said Fred, "but there must be loads of people who'd like to poison Harry, mustn't there? The 'Chosen One' and all that?"

"So you think Slughorn's a Death Eater?" said Ginny.

"Anything's possible." said Fred darkly.

"He could be under the Imperius Curse," said George.

"Or he could be innocent," said Ginny, "the poison could have been in the bottle, in which case it was probably meant for Slughorn himself."

"Who'd want to kill Slughorn?"

"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side," I explained, "Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. And maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way, maybe he thinks he could be valuable to Dumbledore."