August | Hermione Granger x OFC

Chapter 100

guys i- pls do not take the "dating ur dad" part from the last chapter seriously. it's a JOKE. olivia is not going to date her dad. this is not that kind of fic. in fact pls do not take anything i say seriously ever. OKAY????? chill. she does not want to date her dad. let me repeat: SHE DOES NOT WANT TO DATE HER DAD!!!!!!!!!

ARE WE GOOD??????

ON WITH THE CHAPTER (100!!!!) 😭😭😭 it's a long one. and a tough one🤔

oh wait CW: death 💀 and brief injury and sewerslidal thoughts

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Ron's poisoning shocked the school, not just because it was him, and not just because it was a poisoning in and of itself. It was the fact that it was the second poisoning in only a few months that was scaring people.

Snape tried to get Robyn in trouble for it, but she told him outright that it had nothing to do with her, so he yelled at her brother instead, and that satisfied her somewhat. But Willow was still gone, and Olivia was still giving her the cold shoulder, and Hermione...

Well, things were okay...mostly.

~~

Robyn caught up with Hermione as the girl walked furiously along a deserted corridor.

"Hermione, wait! Ron- is he okay?"

"He will be," she sighed. "Better than Olivia was, at least, since Harry was able to give him a bezoar really quickly. I just don't understand. Is this poisoning connected to Olivia's, or are they just really unfortunate coincidences? And who's behind it? Were they trying to get Harry, or Professor Slughorn, or Professor Dumbledore? And if they aren't connected, who were they trying to get the first time?"

"Slow down, 'Mione," said Robyn, taking her hand cautiously. "You don't have to have all the answers right now."

"I'd like to have them."

Considering Robyn had the answers, she stayed silent.

Hermione pressed on, "Fred thinks it's someone after Harry, Harry thinks it's someone after Professor Slughorn, Ginny thinks it's someone after Professor Dumbledore..."

"What's Dumbledore got to do with it?" Robyn asked hesitantly.

"Well, Professor Slughorn had intended to give it to Dumbledore." She laughed briefly, then. "The poisoner clearly doesn't know him very well, or they would've known there was a good chance he'd keep something that tasty for himself."

Of course they didn't know him well. Neither Lloyd nor Draco were in the Slug Club.

"And...what happened to the mead? What did they do with it?"

"I don't know, but maybe they'll be able to do some sort of diagnostics on it – find fingerprints or something like they might in the Muggle world. But..." she trailed off, frowning, "how did you even know it was mead?"

Robyn's fear of what had happened to the mead – in case they were indeed able to do some sort of diagnostics magic on it – dispersed in favour of coming up with something, and quickly.

"The whole school knows by now...and I thought we thought the poisonings were connected. Same methods, surely?"

Hermione looked away. "I suppose. Do you know who came to visit him in the hospital wing?"

"Who?"

"Astoria."

Robyn frowned, thoughtful. "...Really?"