Strange Connection (A Ron Weasley Love Story)

Chapter 18 - Snake Boy

I was laid down on a soft bed that molded to my impression. Ron sat down next to me and exchanged hasty, hushed words with Madame Pomfrey.

"Heehee, you talk funny," I giggled, poking Ron in the stomach. Madame Pomfrey glanced down at me, her face riddled with concern. Ron explained,  "She's lost a lot of blood from her leg. I know a Bludger didn't do that," he pointed to the gash through the tendons in my legs.

"She was, you know, human, right?" She whispered.

"Oh, yes! She was on a broomstick playing Quidditch."

"I know who did it!" I chimed in a sing-songy voice, feeling no pain as my eyes got heavy. They both turned to me quickly, "Who?!"

"Sssslithering Ssssnake boy! Hahaha! Sssslsithering through the grasssss!!!"
I emphasized the snake sounds the 's' letter made.

"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked. Madame Pomfrey explained, "She is probably light headed from losing so much blood," With a wave of her wand, an IV rack appeared beside my bed and, after manually sticking me, she began to pump clear fluids into my bloodstream, "She's talking nonsense. We can't take anything she says as gospel."

"No no! He did it, he did it!"

"Who's 'Snake Boy'?" Ron said before it clicked, "That son of a bitch!" Ron exclaimed as he threw his fist down on the nightstand so hard it nearly cracked it in two. He slumped down on the bed next to me, pinching the skin on the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. I touched his hand in a gesture to tell him I'm okay. He smiled at me sincerly, and held my hand for comfort.
"Can't you just heal her!?" His voice echoed in the silent room. I closed my eyes, unable to hold them open anymore and blacked out, but their voices still penetrated the void, as if I could hear them outside my body.

"I will wrap it up and apply pressure. I wish I could do more for the dear, but this gash was made by some sort of magical object..." There was a drawn out silence following this, and I had a strange thought I might be dead. The voice came back again, "...an unusual object at that. It will need time to heal. Time, new bandages, and luck."

"What do you mean 'luck'?" I heard Ron stand up, and felt his warm hand leave mine to fall limp.

"Well, she has lost much blood already, and if she loses too much more while I am changing out the bandages..." I heard a slight crack in her voice as it trailed off.

"No. I am not relying on pure luck for her life! Surly you wouldn't just gamble on her like that, either!"

"What other choice do we have?!" There was a silence, and her voice got softer, "her blood is so rare, the chances another's would match are a million to one..."

An idea popped into Ron's head,

"What about me? I bet my blood will match," He shivered at the thought of the cold metal sliding through his skin. I knew one of his greatest fears was needles, so saying he would do that for me was a huge gesture.

"You two share a lot of things, but blood is not one of them. She is an animagus, which means her blood is mixed with her animal. Where are we going to find a mixture of human to wolf animagus blood in enough time? We have to rely on muggle medical techniques for a hybrid."

"Wait, human to wolf... Would werewolf blood work?" Ron questioned. Madame Pomfrey looked skeptical, but then thought about it,

"Lychens and animagus aren't the same, but the wolf gene is present in both species.... surprisingly, it just might do. The only problem is that it has to be straight from the veins of a living werewolf, it can't just be a vile of blood on a store shelf. The werewolf blood at stores is only for potions, and not fit for a transfusion..."

"Well I know just where to find a living, breathing werewolf,"

"Don't let it in Hogwarts! Dumbledore would have your head!"

"I think Dumbledore will approve of this one," with that, Ron turned and left the hospital wing.