The Lost Potter-Draco Malfoy

Chapter 45 (Year 5)

Charlotte had decided to take a power nap like everyone else did before they went to the hospital to see Mr. Weasley.

"How come everyone else's trunks are full? I only have like three shirts in my trunk!" Charlotte told Peter as she came and sat downstairs with him. She was still in her school robes, and they were getting uncomfortable.

"Did you finish packing? Everyone else did."

"Oh, I completely forgot! I got distracted." Charlotte said, covering her face with her hands, as Peter laughed.

"I'm going to go borrow something from Ginny's. How could I forget!" Charlotte muttered.

"Distracted by someone, Charlotte?" Peter asked, picking up a magazine, as Charlotte, who was in the middle of standing up, froze.

"What?"

"Distracted? Like from your friends Lavender or Parvati?" He asked, smirking.

"Oh... yeah... yeah, I was. Lavender...needed me." She said, standing up and running upstairs, leaving a laughing Peter alone on the couch.

"Ginny, you think I can borrow some jeans? I forgot to pack. I thought I would have more time." Charlotte said as she entered their shared dorm room. Ginny was picking a shirt out from the many she had in her trunk.

"Sure! Did you not pack any good ones?" She said as she put on a shirt.

"Or any at all. My trunk is empty." Charlotte said.

Ginny laughed as Charlotte walked over and grabbed a pair of jeans from her. She took out a green shirt from her trunk. The jeans were a little tight as she changed into them, but she didn't mind, since it was better than her Hogwarts robes.

---

"Hello!" Mr. Weasley said as they entered into his hospital room.

"Bill just left. Molly had to get back to work, but he says he'll drop in on you later."

"How are you, Arthur? You're still looking a bit peaky." Mrs. Weasley said, as she bent down and kissed him on the cheek before studying his face.

"I feel absolutely fine," Mr. Weasley said, as he tried to hug Ginny with one arm.

"If they could only take the bandages off, I'd be fit to go home." Mr. Weasley signed.

"Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try. It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snake's fangs that keeps wounds open. They're sure they'll find an antidote, though; they say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime, I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour. But that fellow over there. Bitten by a werewolf, poor chap. No cure at all." Mr. Weasley had summoned seven more chairs for them and put his wand on the bedside table.

"A werewolf? Is he safe in a public ward? Shouldn't he be in a private room?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"It's two weeks till the full moon. They've been talking to him this morning, the Healers, you know, trying to persuade him he'll be able to lead an almost normal life. I said to him - didn't mention names, of course - but I said I knew a werewolf personally, a very nice man, who finds the condition quite easy to manage." Mr. Weasley said, cheerfully.

"What did he say?" George asked.

"Said he'd give me another bite if I didn't shut up. And that woman over there," he showed the only other occupied bed, which was right beside the door.

"Won't tell the Healers what bit her, which makes us all think it must have been something she was handling illegally. Whatever it was took a real chunk out of her leg, a very nasty smell when they take off the dressings."

The Weasleys asked their father more questions about how he was attacked, but Mr. Weasley tried to avoid the answers but smiled brightly at Harry. Soon they were kicked out of the room for bothering Mr. Weasley.

"Fine, be like that. Don't tell us anything." Fred said after they shut the door in his face. He looked in his pockets for the extendable ears, but no luck.

"Looking for these?" George smirked.

"You read my mind. Let's see if St. Mungo puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?" Fred grinned.

"Can we ever leave them to have a private conversation?" Charlotte asked as he handed her one.

"I'm offended you would even think that, Charlotte! Of course we can!" Fred said, making Charlotte giggle. Fred offered one to Harry, who hesitated to take one.

"Go on Harry, take it! You saved Dad's life. If anyone's got the right to eavesdrop on him, it's you!" Fred explained.

"Okay, go!" Fred said, shoving the earpiece under the door.

"... they searched the whole area but couldn't find the snake anywhere. It just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur... but You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?" They heard Tonks say.

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout, 'cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there, the beast would've had a lot more time to look around. So, Potter says he saw it all happen?" Moody said.

"Yes, you know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this." Mrs. Weasley said.

"Yeah, well, there's something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that," Mad-eye said.

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning. He told his parents too," whispered Mrs. Weasley.

"Course he's worried! The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realize what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him —" Harry had yanked out the ear, not letting them hear the rest.

No one spoke. They stared at Harry, mouths gaping, until they heard someone coming down the hall.

"What are you lot doing waiting out here?" Lily said she was clearing in the middle of a shift at Saint Mungo's since she was still wearing the uniform.

"We were kicked out! The twins ask too many questions." Charlotte said, forcing out a laugh, as her Mum came to hug her and a still frozen Harry.

"Harry, are you okay? You look pale."

"Tired." He muttered.

"Okay, I'll tell Mrs. Weasley you guys need to go home. You look horrible." Lily said, before opening the door and walking into the hospital room.