𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒~ 𝐹.𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

EIGHTY FOUR

"Lyra!" My head snaps up from where I was sat in the hospital wing falling asleep to see Harry running in professor Slughorn close behind him with and unconscious Ron.

"What happened?" I ask as I immediately get Ron into the bed, "poisoned drink." My eyes widen, "do you know what poison? Also how long ago was it ingested?" Professor Slughorn flounders a bit so I turn to Harry who tells me everything including how he used a bezoar to save him, "good thinking." I say knowing how Ron could've been dead if he hadn't.

Madam Pomfrey joins us almost immediately as I tell her what I know and what I think he needs to be treated. She does a quick examination on him and nods. "Very well, I'll leave Mr Weasley in your capable hands miss Malfoy, good work." She says after coming to the same conclusion that I had. "He's going to be ok isn't he?" Harry asks making me nod, "he's going to be fine because of you Harry, he just needs to get his strength back up." I assure him making him breath out relieved.

Some birthday it was for him, I think as I glance back down at Ron.

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"Blimey, it was lucky you thought of a bezoar," I heard George say in a low voice as I made my way back to Ron's bed, it was evening now and I'd been checking up on him every so often, more than I needed to but I couldn't help it I was worried and I needed to make sure that he'd be ok. "Lucky there was one in the room," said Harry quietly.

Hermione gave an almost inaudible sniff. She had been exceptionally quiet all day. Having hurtled, white-faced, up to Harry outside the hospital wing and demanded to know what had happened, she had taken almost no part in Harry and Ginny's obsessive discussion about how Ron had been poisoned, but merely stood beside them, clench-jawed and frightened-looking, until at last they had been allowed in to see him.

"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 they all watched Ron mumble a little in his sleep.

"So the poison was in the drink?" said Fred quietly.
"Yes," said Harry at once; he could think of nothing else and was glad for the opportunity to start discussing it again. "Slughorn poured it out-"

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

"Probably," said Harry, "but why would Slughorn want to poison Ron?"

"No idea,"Fred frowned. "You don't think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Meaning to get you?" I frown at this, I don't think Slughorn had anything to do with this, he looked beyond frightened and confused once they brought Ron to the hospital wing, like he couldn't work out how this had happened. "Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry?" Ginny asked.

"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. My mouth runs dry as I listen to their conversation stopping my checking up on Ron, this couldn't have been Draco could it?

"He could be under the Imperius Curse," George added.
"Or he could be innocent," Ginny supplied. "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," said Harry. "Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. And...And maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way, maybe he thinks he could be valuable to Dumbledore."

"But you said Slughorn had been planning to give that bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas," Ginny reminded him. "So the poisoner could just as easily have been after Dumbledore." I try and drown their conversation out not wanting to think of it, hoping with all of my soul that it wasn't Draco who had done this, even though deep down I knew it couldn't have really been anyone else.

"Then the poisoner didn't know Slughorn very well," said Hermione, speaking for the first time in hours and sounding as though she had a bad head cold. "Anyone who knew Slughorn would have known there was a good chance he'd keep something that tasty for himself."
"Er-my-nee," croaked Ron unexpectedly from between them.

They all fell silent, watching him anxiously, but after muttering incomprehensibly for a moment he merely started snoring.

"Is he ok?" I turn around to see Fred who had asked me the question. "He's ok, just needs rest." I assure him softly making him smile at me, "thank you." I shake my head, "firstly Harry literally did everything and secondly it's my job." He grabs my hand to stop me and shakes his head, "I know it's your job but you don't have to spend this much time with him, I know your shift finished hours ago."

"Well it's Ron, I want to make sure he's ok I do care about him." He nods, "I do too, even if we tease him a bit." I squeeze his hand gently at the nerves in his voice. "He knows that."

"Is Noah ok?" My head snaps back up fear bubbling up in me wondering why Fred had asked that, it'd been three months since Noah had kissed me and I still hadn't told Fred which was bad I know, but the longer I waited the less it seemed I should tell him. "I don't know, why?" Fred shrugs, "just he looks a bit off." I turn to see where Fred had been looking across the room at Noah who was indeed watching us with a guilty look on his face. We'd kinda gone back to normal as he had claimed he was over me.

I was going to tell him right there and then but it just didn't seem right not when his younger brother was laying unconscious after being poisoned, besides I knew Fred would completely freak and may have even started a fight with Noah and I didn't want that, especially not now when he was already emotional.

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"Where is he? Where's my Won-Won? Has he been asking for me? What's she doing here?" It'd been a few days and Ron's girlfriend had just come barrelling into the hospital wing pushing her way past the professors who'd gathered now trying to determine what lead up to this. Anyways lavender was glaring at Hermione who'd stood and was giving her own unimpressed look back.

"I might ask you the same question." She shoots back making lavender scoff, "I happen to be his girlfriend." She replies a sort of smugness behind her words. "And I happen to be his... friend." Ginny and I share a glance at this awkward encounter.

"Don't make me laugh. You haven't spoken in weeks. I suppose you want to make up with him now that he's suddenly all interesting." Hermione looks beyond pissed at lavender's words, "He's been poisoned, you daft dimbo! And for the record, I've always found him interesting."

Before anyone can say anything else Ron starts with his mumbling again, "Ah see? He senses my presence. Don't worry, Won-Won. I'm here. I'm here." Lavender says leaning across the bed to her boyfriend, who mumbles some more before his words become distinguished.

"Hermione. Hermione." My eyebrows raise as Ginny and I share yet another look, Hermione's face warms and lavenders drops completely as she squeals out a cry and runs off in tears. I snort into my hand feeling kinda bad for the girl, she really did seem to like Ron and that must've stung but I couldn't help find it a bit funny too.

"Oh to be young and to feel love's keen sting. Well, come away, everybody. Mr. Weasley's well attended." Dumbledore says making me send Hermione and Ron a smile before making my way over to a first year who'd fallen down the moving staircase.