Drarry : A Snake Life

Chapter 13 - Coldness seizes me

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to harm anyone!"

"I know, it's alright Malfoy" I try to calm him down. "I know it wasn't you..."

"Is this the end of me?" Ron whines dramatically. "Am I going to die?"

I turn towards him. Ron is lying in the hospital wing, Hermione and Neville at his bedside. Ms Pomfrey is taking care of his injured arm.

"You're not going to die, Mr Weasley, not today" the matron says stoically.

"But- but Malfoy is poisonous, right?" he stutters.

"Ronald Weasley, you are probably one of the most idiotic person I know!" Hermione yells at him. "Why did you get between the snake and I?! That was stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"And courageous..." Neville adds. (He sees Mione's face and almost strangle.) "No. That was stupid Ron. Bad, bad Ron!"

"I didn't think!" he protests. "Harry screamed, I saw the snake was ready to strike again... I just jumped in front of you so you wouldn't get hurt..."

"That was very chivalrous of you" the matron comments.

"But... I feel strange... Is Malfoy poisonous?" he insists.

"Yes, but I have an antidote so-"

"What?" I cut her. "But I thought you took his venom out..."

They all look at me, Malfoy darts his gaze on me.

"What is it Potter?"

"Wait." (I switch to human language.) Ms Pomfrey..."

She takes a needle and fill it with a red, translucent liquid.

"Yes, I took the poison out of his fangs, but since he still has his glands, he keeps producing venom. And the poison of the white-lipped pit viper is not lethal actually. It just makes people very ill."

"Oh... I see."

Ms Pomfrey sticks the needle into Ron's arm, I translate everything to Malfoy, that I'm holding into my arms. His tail waves faster, showing with anxiety.

"Merlin" he murmurs, his voice shaking. "If my venom had been lethal... if I had hurt him..."

"You didn't, don't worry" I reassure him. "He's gonna be fine..."

The doors of the hospital fling open, McGonagall steps in the room. She stops when she sees the group of people around Ron's bed and me, staying in the background, the snake winded around my arms and hands.

"Explain."

"Malfoy was beside me and he was nervous because of the group around" I say. "Hermione accidentally put her hand next to him and he got afraid. He tried to bite her, missed her once, but Ron got bitten the second time because he stood between them."

Her sharp eyes flicker from the snake to Ron, and then to me.

"Why? Why did he attacked her twice?" she snaps. "How does he justify this?"

I step towards her and lower my voice.

"I think I know why... but if I may, it would be better to talk about this in private..."

"Wait, is Malfoy dangerous?" Neville frowns.

"No, he's not" I answer, uncomfortable.

"I am not a very big fan of snakes" he insists. "If we are running any kind of risks by staying around him, I'd like to know about it..."