𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫 | n. tonks

xxv

"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays?" Fred asked as soon as Harry was done telling him, George, and Hadley about how Ron ate some Chocolate Cauldrons that were laced with a love potion and then almost died from drinking mead that had poison in it.

"This isn't how we imagined handing over our present," George said grimly. He placed a large wrapped gift on the small table next to Ron's hospital bed and sat down beside Ginny.

"Yeah, when we pictured the scene, he was conscious." Hadley sighed. She looked down at her baby brother with sad eyes. She didn't understand how something like this could happen when security was so tight. But, then again, they probably wouldn't suspect there to be anything wrong with a bottle of mead.

"There we were in Hogsmeade waiting to surprise him–"

"You were in Hogsmeade?" Ginny asked, interrupting George. "All three of you?" she added, looking at her big sister.

Hadley nodded. "Yeah. Mad-Eye gave me the day off, so I surprised George and Fred at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, helped around the store for a bit, and then we Apparated here."

"We were thinking of buying Zonko's," Fred said. "A Hogsmeade branch, you know, but a fat lot of good it'll do us if you lot aren't allowed out at weekends to buy our stuff anymore...But never mind that now." He drew up a chair and a second one for Hadley, motioning for her to sit down.

"It was lucky you thought of a bezoar, Harry," Hadley said quietly, recalling what Harry had told them. "If Mad-Eye were here, he'd probably scold you for allowing Ron to drink something given to him by somebody else. He's crazy paranoid about that kind of thing, and after what's happened tonight, I understand why."

"Do Mum and Dad know?" Fred asked Ginny.

"They've already seen him," Ginny replied, nodding. "They arrived an hour ago. They're in Dumbledore's office now, but they'll be back soon."

They were quiet for a moment. Ron mumbled something in his sleep. Hadley reached out to him and placed her hand lightly on top of his, squeezing gently.

"So, the poison was in the drink?" Fred asked, looking to Harry.

"Yes," Harry said. "Slughorn poured it out–"

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

"Probably...but why would Slughorn want to poison Ron?"

"No idea." Hadley sighed, frowning. "You don't think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Maybe he meant to get you."

"Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry?" Ginny frowned.

"Probably for the same reason why You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters keep trying to kill Harry," Hadley said. "Are you 100% sure that Slughorn can be trusted? How do you know he's not secretly a Death Eater?"

"She's got a point," Fred agreed, nodding. "Anything's possible."

"He could be under the Imperius Curse," George suggested.

"Or he could be innocent," Ginny said. "The poison could've been in the bottle, in which case it was probably meant for Slughorn himself."

"Why would someone want to kill Slughorn?" Hadley frowned, exchanging looks with Fred and George.

"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side," Harry told them. "Slughorn was 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 said. Hadley's frown deepened. "So the poisoner could just as easily have been after Dumbledore."

"Then the poisoner didn't know Slughorn very well," Hermione said, and everyone looked over to her. This was the first time she's spoken since the triplets arrived. "Anyone who knew Slughorn would have known there was a good chance he'd keep something that tasty for himself."

"Er-my-knee," Ron croaked, his fingers twitching a little against Hadley's hand. Everyone fell silent and watched him anxiously. After a moment of incoherent mumbling, he began to snore.

The door to the hospital wing swung open, and Hagrid came in. His bearskin coat was flapping behind him, and he had a crossbow in his hand. Hadley raised a brow as she eyed the weapon, but knowing Hagrid, he probably had it because he was coming from the Forbidden Forest.

"Bin in the forest all day," Hagrid said, confirming what Hadley had guessed. "Aragog's worse. I bin readin' to him. Didn't get up ter dinner till jus' now, an' then Professor Sprout told me abou' Ron! How is he?"

"Alive, thank Merlin," Hadley mumbled, sighing as she continued to watch her little brother sleep.

"Not bad," Harry said. "They say he'll be okay."

"No more than six visitors at a time!" Madam Pomfrey scolded as she rushed out of her office.

"Madam Pomfrey, just this once–"

"No, it's okay," Hadley interrupted George. She stood up and grabbed her coat. "I really should be going, anyway. Mad-Eye said that I could go by myself as long as I was back before dark." She glanced out the window, where the sun was already starting to set. She looked at Harry and gave him a small smile of appreciation. "Thank you for saving my brother's life, Harry." She glanced down at Ron and gently brushed some of his red hair out of his face. She leaned down and kissed his forehead before hugging Fred, George, and Ginny goodbye.

She left the hospital wing. She took her time as she walked through the corridors and out the front door. Once she was outside of the Hogwarts grounds, she took one last look over her shoulder at the castle before disapparating with a crack. She'd have a lot to fill the Order in at dinner tonight.