Blood Bound | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [5]

𝘅 | 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗴𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿

It took Madame Pomfrey over ten minutes to figure out how to stop the bleeding, a time in which Gwen slipped in and out of consciousness, vaguely listening to the ingredients that Fred and George listed while they panicked by her bedside. Eventually, though, the bleeding did stop, and Gwen was cleaned up and fixed up and was allowed to leave after dinner.

'I'm so sorry,' Fred kept saying. 'The Blood Blisterpods look like the antidotes for Nosebleed Nougats and--'

'Maybe you should change the colour then, Freddie,' Gwen said, grinning. She wasn't mad; she knew that it had been a genuine mistake, but that didn't stop Fred apologising excessively and George suggesting several ways to make it up to her.

'If you want to make it up to me,' she said, as they reached the moving staircases, 'you can come with me to get some food. I'm starving.'

So a short trip to the kitchens later, Gwen, Fred, and George had their arms laden with snacks and treats from the house elves and were trudging their way back up to the common room.

'Do not tell Hermione,' Gwen said as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, chomping on a pork pie. 'She'll kill you both.'

'Your lack of faith in us is insulting,' George said, popping the rest of a jam tart in his mouth. 'Mimbulus Mimbletonia.'

The portrait swung open once again, and the three of them clambered through the portrait hole.

'Lack of faith? For your information--'

Gwen broke off. They'd barely taken a step into the common room when Hermione converged on them, her hair and face seemingly crackling with electricity.

'You!' she snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Fred and George, who seemed to shrink under her fiery gaze. 'Both of you! What have I told you about those sweets! It's bad enough testing them on first years, but spiking--!'

'It was an accident!' Fred said, looking offended.

'We didn't mean to!' said George, mirroring his brother's expression.

'Hermione, please, it's fine,' Gwen said. 'It was a genuine mistake, I'm perfectly fine.'

But Hermione had a temper about her that was reminiscent of Mrs Weasley. 'I don't care! Those sweets are dangerous! They shouldn't be in the school!'

Gwen sighed. 'Hermione, I promise you, I'm fine.'

'If this continues,' she went on, ignoring Gwen, 'I will be writing to your mother.'

And she turned on her heel and marched back to the corner where Harry, Ron, and Ginny had been watching, looking sheepish.

Fred and George once again looked thunderstruck, though this time it seemed to be mixed with anger.

'Don't worry about her,' Gwen muttered. 'I'll talk her down. Thanks for the food.'

She smiled at them and followed in Hermione's wake.