Lost Memories

lii. tears and pain

With Harry and Professor Slughorn taking Ron to the Hospital Wing, I ran to get Hermione and Ginny who had no idea what had happened. Harry, Ginny, Fred, and George spoke about all the possibilities of why Ron would have gotten poisoned by Professor Slughorn while he laid unconscious in his bed. Hermione cried softly in my arms; she had gotten over her little grudge against Ron and almost more worried than Ron's parents.

"But you said Slughorn had been planning to give that bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas," Ginny reminded Harry. "So the poisoner could just as easily have been after Dumbledore."

"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-knee," croaked Ron unexpectedly from between us.

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

"Quick thinking on your part, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Using a Bezoar. You must be very proud of your student, eh, Horace?"

"Hm? Oh. Yes," Slughorn said distractedly, "very proud."

"I think we all agree that Mr Potter's actions were heroic," McGonagall said grimly. "The question is: Why were they necessary?"

"Why indeed," Dumbledore said, grabbing the half-empty bottle from Slughorn's hands and smelled it. "This appears to be a gift, Horace. You don't by chance remember who gave you this bottle, do you — which by the way possesses remarkably subtle hints of liquorice and cherry when not polluted with poison."

"Actually," Slughorn sighed heavily, "I had intended to give it as a gift myself."

"To whom might I ask?"

"You, Headmaster."

I gulped as Harry looked up at me and towards the professors in surprise. But just then, the doors burst open to reveal Lavender Brown. Great.

"Where is he?" she shrieked. "Where's my Won-Won! Has he been asking for me —?"

Her shrieks stopped at the sight of Hermione holding Ron's hands. She flickered her gaze to me but decided to send daggers to Hermione instead.

"What's she doing here?" Lavender asked bitterly.

I stepped towards her, but Harry only grabbed my arm to restrain me.

"I might ask you the same thing," Hermione said, looking up from Ron to Lavender.

"I happen to be his girlfriend," scoffed Lavender.

"I happen to be his... friend," Hermione's voice was unsure, but she stood up to her full height in means of threatening Lavender.

"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."

"Lavender," I growled and she only shot me a look.

"He's been poisoned, you daft bimbo!" Hermione seethed. "And for the record, I've always found him interesting."

At her little confession, Hermione frowned slightly as though she were a bit embarrassed. Ron snorted slightly and stirred. I gasped and pulled my arm out of Harry's grip and went over to Ron's side, next to Hermione. Lavender followed on the other side.

"Ha! See? He senses my presence. I'm here, Won-Won. I'm here—"

But Lavender was cut off my Ron's dreamlike mumbling: