𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐦 {𝐡.𝐣.𝐩}

XVI- Elf Tails

"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays?" said Fred.

It was evening; the hospital wing was quiet, the windows curtained, the lamps lit. Ron's was the only occupied bed. Evergreen, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting around him; they had spent all day waiting outside the double doors, trying to see inside whenever somebody went in or out. Madam Pomfrey had only let them enter at eight o'clock. Fred and George had arrived at ten past.

"This isn't how we imagined handing over our present," said George grimly, putting down a large wrapped gift on Ron's bedside cabinet and sitting beside Evergreen.

"Yeah, when we pictured the scene, he was conscious," said Fred.

"There we were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him," said George.

"You were in Hogsmeade?" asked Ginny, looking up.

"We were thinking of buying Zonko's," said Fred gloomily. "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 beside Harry and looked at Ron's pale face.

"How exactly did it happen?"

Evergreen and Harry retold the story they had already recounted, it felt like a hundred times to Dumbledore, to McGonagall, to Madam Pomfrey, to Hermione, and to Ginny.

"... and then I got the bezoar down his throat and his breathing eased up a bit, Slughorn ran for help, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey turned up, and they brought Ron up here. They reckon he'll be all right. Madam Pomfrey says he'll have to stay here a week or so... keep taking essence of rue..."

"Blimey, Eve, it was lucky you thought of a bezoar," said George in a low voice. His hand creeped up her arm, resting at her shoulder.

"Lucky there was one in the room," said Harry with a cold look.

Evergreen shuddered, thinking of what would have happened if Harry had not been able to lay hands on the little stone.

Hermione gave an almost inaudible sniff. She had been exceptionally quiet all day. Having hurtled, white-faced, up to Evergreen and Harry outside the hospital wing and demanded to know what had happened, she had taken almost no part in the pairs' discussion with Ginny's about how Ron had been poisoned, but merely stood beside them, clench-jawed and frightened-looking, until at last they had been allowed in to see him.

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

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

There was a pause while they all watched Ron mumble a little in his sleep.

"So the poison was in the drink?" said Fred quietly.

"Yes," Evergreen and Harry chorused at once. Evergreen was extremely glad to be talking about it again.

"Slughorn poured it out-"

"Would he have been able to slip something into Ron's glass without either of you seeing?"

"Probably," said Harry, "but why would Slughorn want to poison Ron?"

"No idea," said Fred, frowning. "You don't think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Meaning to get either of you?"

"Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry or Eve?" asked Ginny.

"I dunno," said Fred, "but there must be loads of people who'd like to poison Harry, mustn't there? 'The Chosen One' and all that,"

"But what's he got against me?" Evergreen said with a wave of her hand. "He could've just as easily poured that glass for me!"