The Book of Morgan Le Fey

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Cure

Ron felt his feet slam onto a hard stone surface. He shook his head and blinked and found himself standing in the fireplace of the hospital wing.

'What on earth!' Madam Pomfrey came rushing toward him.

The wing was half-full of patients, all of whom were asleep. Ron didn't much care if he woke them up, he was so frantic.

'Madam Pomfrey!' Ron yelled, climbing out of the fireplace. 'Hermione-- she's sick. She needs--'

'Get her to that bed,' Madam Pomfrey ordered, and Ron obeyed, carrying Hermione to a nearby bed and laying her down gently on top. She was fully unconscious now.

A series of pops announced the arrival of the others.

'Good heavens!' Madam Pomfrey cried. 'What is going on?'

Bill stepped out of the fireplace. 'Long story, Poppy, but we need a cauldron. Severus, take Luna to your storerooms; she'll tell you what she needs.'

'Follow me, Miss Lovegood,' said Snape imperiously.

'Wait a minute!' Madam Pomfrey snapped. 'Severus, that girl has been injured! I insist--'

'Poppy, please, we're in a hurry,' Bill pleaded.

'I'm fine, Madam Pomfrey,' said Luna. She didn't look fine, Ron thought. She looked slightly mad, she was filthy, her hands were caked with dried blood and her clothes ripped, but she hurried after Snape.

'Neville, we'll need your plant,' said Bill. Neville tore out of the hospital wing.

'Ginny--follow him,' said Bill. 'He'll have forgotten--'

'The password, right,' said Ginny. She hurried out of the hospital wing.

Bill set Harry down on a bed next to Hermione. Another pop, and Draco appeared. Then came Tonks with Lupin, and Susan with Harry.

'Good heavens!' Madam Pomfrey repeated. 'Remus! And Potter!'

'Remus was slashed with a silver blade,' said Bill. 'Is there anything you can do?'

Pomfrey looked up Tonks, who was trembling and tearful.

'It's...doubtful,' Pomfrey said. 'But I'll try.'

'If you can't help him, we'll take him to St. Mungo's,' said Bill. 'Harry, too.'

Madam Pomfrey wasted no time; she set to work immediately. She disappeared into her office and a moment later came out, wheeling a cart whose shelves were full to bursting of potions, salves and bandages.

She began to poke and prod at Harry.

'What happened to him?' she snapped.

Bill looked a bit lost at this; Susan was sobbing silently and seemed incapable of talking. Ron, who was clutching Hermione's hand hard, spoke up.

'He fought Voldemort,' he said.

'Dear god,' Pomfrey gasped.

'Voldemort tried to possess him,' Ron explained. 'But Harry resisted and...and it made him pass out. At least, that's what it looked like.'

Pomfrey nodded and looked back down at Harry. 'I don't think there's anything to be done with him but wait until he wakes up. His color isn't good, but his pulse and breathing are steady. I'll need to prepare a few quick salves for that leg wound. I don't want to move him from here unless it becomes absolutely necessary.'

'Very well,' said Bill. 'And Remus?'

But Pomfrey was already preparing a syringe of some green liquid, which she injected into Lupin's bruised right arm.

'This will slow the effects of the silver,' she said. 'I'll have to put together something stronger if we're going to save his life, but this will buy me some time.'

Tonks whimpered and Bill put his arm round her shoulders.

The doors to the hospital wing opened. Neville, Ginny, Luna, Snape and Professors Flitwick and Sprout sailed in. Snape was carrying a small cauldron; Luna, the flask of incomplete antidote and the Book of Morgan Le Fey. Neville had his mimbulus mimbletonia in his arms. McGonagall was in her tartan dressing gown; Sprout in a dressing grown of grass green and carrying a large beaker in her arms. It was only then that Ron realized it was--according to the clock in the hospital wing--five o'clock in the morning. The faintest hint of daylight could be seen on the horizon.

'What on earth is going on?' Sprout demanded. Then her eyes fell on Harry. 'Oh, my! Potter! And Remus, and...oh dear! Miss Granger!'

'They're alive, Minerva,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'We may have to take Lupin to St. Mungo's--'

'Wait,' said Luna. 'The potion--it will cure him.'

Madam Pomfrey looked at her dubiously.

'Are you sure?' she asked, over raised eyebrows.

'Yes,' said Luna, her eyes wide and almost dreamy, like they had been so often before.

'Poppy, we have to let Miss Lovegood try,' said Flitwick.

'All right, then,' said Pomfrey briskly. 'I suppose you should get started. If there is anything else you need...'

'I have everything I need,' said Luna.

'Severus,' said Bill, gesturing to Snape. Bill pulled a small table in between Lupin's and Hermione's beds.

'Poppy, can you see to Hermione, then check on Ron and Mr. Malfoy?' Bill asked gently, and Madam Pomfrey--normally the only one allowed to give orders in the hospital wing--nodded.

'Step back, Mr. Weasley,' she ordered. 'I need to give her an injection.'

'Will it help?' he asked.

'I don't know,' said Pomfrey, 'but it's the best I can do at the moment.'

Ron nodded and stepped back, and Pomfrey lifted Hermione's limp right arm.

'Fever,' Pomfrey said. 'And black spots. Dear god. Is this child carrying the Plague?'

'Y-yes,' said Ron.

'In that case, Miss Lovegood, you had better make sure whatever it is you're making is enough to distribute to this whole hospital wing,' Pomfrey snapped. 'Plague isn't usually airborne but if there's Dark Magic involved--'

'There is,' said Ron.

'--then we could all be contaminated.'

'There'll be enough,' said Luna.

'Good,' said Madam Pomfrey, and she lowered Hermione's arm. 'Mr. Weasley, let me take a look at you.'

Ron submitted, and told her that he'd been hit with the Cruciatus Curse, and that his shoulder hurt, and that a tooth was loose.

Madam Pomfrey nodded, and without a word, she picked through the many potions on her cart and pulled out two, and measured out doses for Ron on a heavy wooden spoon.

'Take these,' she ordered. 'One will help with muscle soreness, the other will repair your damaged shoulder--looks like some tendons tore a bit.'

Ron obeyed silently and swallowed both spoonfuls of the foul-tasting potions.

'Open your mouth,' Pomfrey snapped, and he did, and she mumbled something, gave her wand a wave, and his tooth was fixed.

'You're all fixed, Mr. Weasley,' she said briskly. 'Now, Mr. Malfoy...'

Draco stood back, looking uncertain.

'Come here, Draco,' Madam Pomfrey ordered. Draco obeyed, his eyes on the floor.

'Well, said Madam Pomfrey, scrutinizing him. 'You seem all right. Some bruises and a few cuts; those are easy to mend. In the meantime, eat this.' She broke a piece of chocolate from a huge bar and put it in Draco's hand. He put the chocolate in his mouth and ate it. She brought her attention back to Harry.

'What happened to his leg?' she asked.

'Vol-Voldemort,' said Susan. 'He tried to get his snake to bite Harry but...but I killed the snake, so he used a Cutting Spell instead.'

'You killed the snake?' said Bill, impressed, and Susan nodded. She looked wretched and sad and worn out. She sat next to Harry's bed, but didn't touch him.

As Madam Pomfrey began to patch Harry's wounds, Luna and Snape began preparations to complete the antidote.

Snape had set the cauldron on the table. From it he removed several flasks of different types of powder.

Luna opened her flask of unfinished antidote. The potion glowed brilliant, opalescent turquoise. Carefully she poured the contents of the flask into the small cauldron.

'Madam Pomfrey,' she said. 'Do you have any Blood Replenishing Draught?'

Pomfrey looked up sharply. 'Of course I do. Why?'

'I'll need it later,' said Luna lightly. She opened the massive Book of Morgan Le Fey and began to read.

'Well?' Snape asked, sounding rather impatient.

'I--the recipe is to make a full gallon of the antidote,' she said uncertainly. 'I only have about a pint. I'll have to make adjustments. I need--a moment.'

Ron felt like screaming. A moment!? Even now Hermione was growing paler; livid dark spots were starting to appear on her neck and face. The disease was killing her! Why couldn't they hurry up?

'A tablespoon of powdered Graphook horn,' said Luna suddenly.

Snape opened a small flask, pulled a set of metal spoons from his robes, and poured the Graphook powder into one of the spoons.

'Make sure it's a level teaspoon,' Luna instructed. Snape gave her a look, then swept his index finger across the top of the powder in the spoon, leveling it flat. He handed her the spoon.

'Pour it in slowly,' she read on, gently tipping the spoon and letting the Graphook powder trickle into the potion. It hissed and bubbled, then glowed a deep, rich purple color.

Luna's eyes swept over the page of the book; again she seemed to be calculating, reducing the amount of the next ingredient to make it work with the small amount of antidote they had left.

'One two-inch slice of bezoar,' Luna read. Snape removed a scaly roll of what looked like dead skin and cut off a small piece of it with a knife he produced from his robes (Ron was beginning to wonder if Snape could carry his entire laboratory in the robes).

'Let it--flutter into the potion,' said Luna, sounding nervous. Snape handed her the bezoar, which Luna then held above the cauldron and released it. It floated gently down into the liquid, like a piece of stray parchment on a breeze. The potion hissed and bubbled again, turning shocking magenta.

'One teaspoon ground gingerroot,' said Luna, her eyes back on the book.

Snape poured the quantity of the pale yellow ginger into one of the metal spoons. 'Level?' he asked, eyebrows raised.

Luna nodded; Snape swept his finger over the powder and smoothed it and handed it to her.

'Three taps into the potion,' said Luna. She held the spoon over the cauldron and gave it three gentle taps. The powdered ginger plopped into the potion, which let out a loud, shrieking whistle.

'What the--' Ron began. Madam Pomfrey had jumped out of her seat.

'It's supposed to do that,' said Luna quickly. 'Uh, now, Professor Sprout, the--the Mandrake draught. One--one tablespoon.'

Snape made to hand his spoons to Professor Sprout, who had set her beaker down on the table. She took the spoons, selected the tablespoon, and dipped it into the beaker filled with putrid green liquid. She handed the spoonful of draught to Luna.

'Drizzle it into the potion,' read Luna. 'Count to--count to ten.'

Luna held the spoonful of Mandrake draught above the cauldron and began to count, tipping the spoon just slightly. The draught drizzled into the cauldron in a thin line of dark green. The potion began to swirl and again changed color, this time back to brilliant turquoise.

'N-Neville,' Luna said, looking up. 'I--I need a tablespoon of stinksap and four crushed leaves.'

Neville nodded. 'Uh, maybe I should just--go over here,' he said, pulling out his wand and a small flask and hoisting his mimbulus mimbletonia under his arm. Ron groaned inwardly. Not only was this potion taking way too long to finish, but now Neville was about to make the whole hospital wing smell like manure.

Neville took a deep breath and set down the plant. With a swift motion he poked one of the huge boils on it and immediately jets of stinksap burst from the plant, spraying him (he had, however, ducked in time to avoid getting a faceful). Quickly he raised his flask and held it up to one of the jets of stinksap, catching quite a lot of it. The smell was overwhelming, and Ron immediately started to feel queasy. Tonks and Bill, who were standing back from the beds, covered their faces with their robe sleeves. Malfoy and Susan screwed up their faces in disgust. Madam Pomfrey coughed and wrinkled her nose.

Neville quickly grabbed four leaves from the plant, earning him another squirt of stinksap in the chest, where it stained his shirt, then walked over to Luna.

'Sorry--sorry I s-smell so bad,' he muttered, looking at Luna and blushing furiously. Sprout smiled at him and held out the tablespoon. He poured the flask of stinksap into the spoon, slopping more of it onto the floor, but at last he filled the spoon. Neville then handed Sprout the four leaves. He pointed his wand at himself and muttered 'Scourgify' and he was clean of the stinksap.

'Dump the stinksap in quickly,' read Luna, 'and then crush the leaves one by one and let the pieces fall into the potion.' Sprout handed the spoon to Luna, who flipped the stinksap-filled spoon over. The nasty, muddy-looking liquid plopped into the cauldron. Nothing happened. Then Luna took one of the leaves, crushed it in her hand, and let the pieces sprinkle gently into the cauldron. The liquid turned slightly darker blue. She repeated the process with the other three leaves; with each addition the liquid turned still darker blue.

'That's it,' said Luna. 'I mean, that's all the--the external ingredients.'

'What now?' Neville asked.

'I wash my hands,' said Luna, standing up. She walked briskly over to the sink and ran the tap over her dirty hands. She scrubbed them with soap, grimacing as the soap touched the cuts on her palms, then patted them dry. She returned to the cauldron.

'Professor Snape,' she said calmly, 'I--I need to borrow your knife.'

Snape nodded, handing her his small pocketknife.

'What's that for?' Neville asked.

It was Draco who answered. 'The potion requires the blood of the descendant,' he said, in an oddly distant voice. He was staring alternately at Luna and the cauldron, his face a mask of awe.

'Blood?' said Neville, sounding horrified. 'But--'

'Quiet, Longbottom!' Snape hissed. Neville swallowed and bit his lip.

'It's all right, Neville,' said Luna, looking at him. She held the knife in her right hand. He nodded timidly.

Luna held up her left hand where the puckered scar tissue of the previous cut seemed to glow against the whiteness of her skin. She closed her eyes, opened her mouth and spoke, but the voice that issued from her lips was clear, loud and terrifying.

'Fata Morgana, regina aeterna, source of life and death, the beginning and the end, good and evil, with my blood I consecrate the Draught of Life...Nectare vitale...nectare vitale...'

Ron stared, unblinking, his jaw slack, as Luna, eyes wide open now, raised the knife and slashed the blade across her left palm, re-opening the wound.

She winced, but then made a fist with her left hand. Blood began to trickle out of it. Luna began to chant as one, two, three, half a dozen, a dozen drops of blood fell into the cauldron. 'Nectare vitale...' The liquid was changing color again, turning paler, paler blue. The potion was hissing loudly and began to whistle. But it was unlike any whistling Ron had ever heard. It was more like...singing. Eerie, high pitched, beautiful, wordless singing. The potion began to swirl and suddenly pearlescent fog began to pour from the cauldron, filling the room. Golden light poured rose from the potion and enveloped Luna, who was still chanting under her breath. The potion's scent enveloped Ron's nostrils; it was a scent so powerful and intoxicating and perfect that years from that moment Ron would be unable to put it into words. Like water, perhaps--the purest water imaginable. Like life itself.

Luna continued to stand over the cauldron, drops of her blood mixing with the potion, but now she was swaying. Her chanting mingled with the sounds of the singing coming from the cauldron. Her eyes rolled back and the brilliant light surrounding her became silver-white. The sounds reached a fever pitch, so high as to be almost unbearable. Ron blinked and felt tears on his face.

In the next instant, everything stopped. Luna's chanting vanished, the singing, the fog, the swirling, the light, all of it evaporated in a flash. Luna gave out a great, heaving sigh and began to slump to the floor.

'Luna!' Neville cried, catching her. Her hand was still bleeding, and her face was deathly pale.

'Madam Pomfrey!' Neville cried.

'Get her over here, Longbottom,' Madam Pomfrey snapped. Neville scooped up Luna and carried her over to an unoccupied bed.

'Hold her up,' said Pomfrey, and Neville lifted Luna into his arms and held her head still as Pomfrey gently poured some Blood Replenishing Draught into the blonde girl's mouth. Reflexively, Luna swallowed, and color returned to her cheeks at once, and she opened her eyes.

'Luna,' Neville said tentatively. 'Are you okay?'

She blinked and looked at him for a long moment, and then at Madam Pomfrey.

'Yes,' she said. 'I'm fine. But now I must destroy the book--'

'Are you mad, girl?' Pomfrey hissed. 'You're not getting out of this bed until you've rested and I've cleaned you up properly.'

'Please, Madam Pomfrey, the book has to be destroyed--' Luna begged.

'It can wait,' said Pomfrey firmly.

'Luna, please,' Neville begged.

'I have to destroy it,' said Luna, and her eyes filled with tears.

'I know,' Neville said, nodding. 'But...not right now.'

They looked at one another for a long moment, and she nodded. Neville stepped back as Pomfrey began to examine Luna over.

Ron blinked, coming to his senses. He wasn't sure just what had happened, but suddenly all he cared about was pouring that potion down Hermione's throat.

'Is--is the potion--can we use it?' Ron asked. He looked down at Hermione, who was now ashen-faced. Her eyelids were fluttering and she had begun to moan.

'In a minute, Weasley!' Madam Pomfrey snapped. 'Can't you see this girl is-- '

'It's ready,' Luna murmured. 'It's ready. You should all take it. Just a few drops each. But you have to do it now--it won't stay good for very long.' She turned her head toward Hermione, then to Harry and Lupin. Susan moved next to Harry's bed.

'William, fetch some flasks,' she continued. Bill nodded and raced into Madam Pomfrey's office, returning with four glass flasks. She turned to Ron, Susan and Tonks. 'Divide the potion up equally. Don't spill it.'

Snape stood; Madam Pomfrey handed him a ladle. 'I'll do it,' said Snape firmly. He dipped the ladle in the gently gurgling potion, which was clear but still glowing as though with opals. He began to portion out the liquid into the flasks, eyeing them carefully and taking his time. Ron began to tap his foot impatiently, but Snape gave him a murderous look and he immediately stopped.

After what seemed like ages Snape emptied the cauldron of its contents. Ron, Susan, Bill and Tonks each picked up a flask. Ron started to turn toward Hermione when Snape ordered 'Stop!'

Ron and Tonks repressed the urge to groan aloud and turned to him. 'Compare your flasks,' Snape ordered. Ron, Tonks, Bill and Susan held up their flasks next to each other. For almost a minute Snape stared at the four flasks. Ron's brain was screaming in impatience.

'Good,' said Snape. 'Take these spoons, and go to.'

Ron grabbed a wooden spoon from Snape and turned away. He knelt down beside Hermione's bed. 'A little help,' he called.

'I'll-I'll do it,' said Draco, shuffling toward Hermione. Ron glared at him.

'You?'

'Yeah,' said Draco, a challenge in his voice. 'I think...I think I owe it to her, don't you?'

'You?' Ron snarled. 'Owe something to a...a...'

'Mudblood?' Draco said softly.

Ron took two menacing steps toward Draco.

'Don't you call her that,' said Ron. 'Ever.'

Draco's grey eyes met Ron's blue ones unflinchingly. 'Fine. Now get out of my way so I can help you give her the antidote.'

Under other circumstances Ron might have regarded Draco suspiciously for several minutes, but at that moment Ron only cared about the potion down Hermione's throat. If that meant having Draco Malfoy helping him, so be it.

'Put three drops on the spoons,' Luna called, as Pomfrey cleaned one of the lacerations on her arm.

'Fine,' said Ron, and Draco knelt down beside Hermione's bed as Ron stood up.

'Lift her up,' Ron ordered. 'Gently.'

Draco shot Ron a dirty look but then turned to Hermione. He slid his left arm under Hermione's shoulders and wrapped his right arm around her and lifted her up into a sitting position. Her head lolled senselessly to one side.

'Mind her head,' Ron snapped. Malfoy shifted slightly and put a hand behind Hermione's skull. He tilted her head back slightly.

'That's good,' said Ron, and he sat down on the bed gently, holding the flask of potion steady. 'I'm going to give her the potion.'

Draco nodded, and Ron gently moved Hermione's mouth open. He tilted the flask and slowly poured three drops of it onto the spoon; he placed the spoon against Hermione's lips and tilted the spoon, and the drops of brilliant, viscous liquid slid into her mouth.

She gave a little cough.

Ron took his free hand and rubbed small circles on Hermione's throat. She began to swallow it.

It seemed to take an eternity but soon the spoon was empty; Ron gave it a very gentle shake, determined to get the very last drop.

Draco started to set Hermione back down, but Ron intervened.

'I've got her,' he said. 'Hold this and back off.' He thrust the flask of potion and the spoon in Draco's hands.

'Ronald,' said Luna, 'you and Malfoy should take some, too.'

'Right,' said Ron. He placed Hermione carefully back on the bed as Draco poured a dose of the potion into the spoon and took it. He handed the flask and spoon to Ron, who glared at him before measuring out a dose for himself and drinking it down.

It tasted sweet and pure. Like air and water and honey and earth. It was perhaps the only good tasting potion Ron had ever taken.

Susan and Ginny were just finishing giving Harry the last bit of potion, and Neville and Tonks attended Lupin, all before taking doses of the potion themselves.

'Let's distribute this among the other patients,' Pomfrey said sharply. Ron didn't want to leave Hermione's side, but as he started to get up he saw Draco pick up the potion and the spoon again, and make his way to the beds of other sleeping students and Aurors.

'Weasley, help me,' he snapped.

Ron glowered at him, but he nodded and got up, kissing Hermione's hand. Color had returned to her face, and the black spots on her skin seemed to be fading a little. Or perhaps it was just Ron's imagination, and his exhaustion, playing mental tricks on him. But she did not wake up.

Ron looked down at Hermione, brushing hair from her face. Please be okay, he thought desperately. Don't leave me.

'Weasley,' Draco repeated.

'I'm coming,' Ron hissed.

'She'll be okay, Ronald,' said Luna, sounding exhausted now. 'We all will. The potion takes time to work.' She looked up at him with her huge eyes, and Ron believed her.

'Okay,' he said. He joined Malfoy and they began to distribute the rest of the potion. Ron said nothing to the other boy, and Malfoy's face betrayed nothing, but for a set to his jaw.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, Ron and Draco managed to dole out Luna's healing potion to the rest of the students and Aurors in hospital beds. Tonks had fallen asleep in her chair perched next to Lupin's bed; her arm was draped across his waist and her head was next to his shoulder. Susan had gone with Professor Sprout back to Hufflepuff, on strict orders from Madam Pomfrey to rest; Susan was also given a dose of Dreamless Sleep Draught.

Ron, for his part, refused to leave Hermione's bedside. Even though it was now well past dawn and light streamed into the room, even though he was exhausted, he was determined to be with Hermione when she finally woke up. Both Luna and Pomfrey had warned Ron that this could be hours or even days--the poison in Hermione's bloodstream was powerful and it would take time for the antidote to completely eradicate it. Ron didn't care. He'd miss exams, he'd skive off lessons, but he would not leave Hermione's side.

Or Harry's. Harry's color had returned since being given the antidote, and his scar no longer glowed angry red. But he wouldn't wake, either. Madam Pomfrey could only speculate that the mental battle with Voldemort, coupled with Harry's physical injuries, took a tremendous toll on him. It could be days, too, before Harry woke up.

Ron couldn't remember ever feeling so alone, or so helpless. All he could do was wait. It was driving him mad.

As the day wore on, Ron slept a bit; his absolute exhaustion wouldn't allow him to keep his eyes open, and the moment he sat down in the chair next to Hermione and put his head down next to her, he dozed off. But his dreams were unsettled. Over and over again he saw himself killing Dolohov, interspersed with visions of Hermione, looking beautiful and smiling at him. It was altogether more disturbing than any straightforward nightmare. Ron didn't want the happy sight of his girl being mixed up with images of the death he had caused. Needless to say, his sleep was fitful, but he refused Madam Pomfrey's offer of Dreamless Sleep Draught.

Bill came in at lunchtime, clean and scrubbed and his hair neatly pulled back, and begged Ron to eat something; Ron stubbornly refused, and Bill's solution was to arrange for Dobby to bring Ron a bit of lunch on a tray. When the food arrived, Ron ate greedily, and Bill smiled and shook his head.

'At least one thing's still normal around here,' he said. 'Your appetite.'

'Yeah, well,' said Ron, swallowing a bite of roast beef sandwich and downing a glass of iced pumpkin juice in one, 'fighting Death Eaters is exhausting work.'

Ron felt slightly better for the food, but his mood grew darker the longer Hermione and Harry both remained unconscious.

He was also a bit disturbed when, in the late afternoon, he noticed that Susan hadn't yet been by to visit Harry. Perhaps Susan's family had come to the school without Ron being aware of it, and were visiting with her; perhaps she had even been given permission to visit her aunt in hospital (if she was still in there). Ron decided not to let Susan's absence bother him too much.

Draco Malfoy had disappeared that morning, and Ron hadn't seen him since. He had no idea what would happen to the other boy. Surely he was a candidate for expulsion, and Ron would not have minded this in the least. However much Draco might have done right in the end, Ron wasn't sure that could make up for over six years of misery he had caused. Draco's actions had led to a lot of suffering, and not just of the usual schoolyard variety. Ron would never forget how beaten Luna had looked when they'd found her cowering in the closet, and that was Draco's fault, as much as any of the other Death Eaters.

Still, that nagging hint of pity in the back of Ron's brain wouldn't entirely let go. Draco HAD, after all, lost his mother, at the hands of his own father, and that same father had only too eagerly cast his own son aside in order to please Voldemort. All in all, Ron thought, the Malfoys are a bloody sick family.

It was early evening and Ron was feeling sleepy again. Remus Lupin had been moved to St. Mungo's; Pomfrey was able to determine that he was out of danger but would be best served by the healers there, as she had far too many patients to devote proper attention to the needs of a werewolf. Professor Snape reluctantly agreed, at her insistence, to accompany Lupin and Tonks, so that he could give instructions to the healers on brewing a proper Wolfsbane Potion.

Hermione and Harry both remained as they were. Resolutely unconscious. Now and again, Hermione made a kind of weak sighing noise, and Ron would jump out of his chair and say her name, but she didn't wake. Harry stirred not at all, but Pomfrey appeared unconcerned by this. Both Harry and Hermione, she reported, were breathing easily and had steady heartbeats. They would wake up when they were ready.

By mid-evening Ron was feeling distinctly impatient, worried, frazzled and exhausted, and began to pace. Madam Pomfrey put a stop to this at once, ordering him to be still or get out. He sat down again.

An hour passed, and Ron was hungry again, but he didn't want to leave the hospital wing. He was debating whether or not to race to the kitchens and ask Dobby to throw something together for him when Bill, once again, came in.

'Hey,' he said. 'You still haven't left?'

'No,' said Ron, looking at Hermione and clutching her small hand in his. 'I told you, I'm not leaving--'

'--until they wake up,' said Bill. 'Well, then, you wouldn't have heard.'

'Heard what?'

'Dumbledore,' said Bill. 'He's back.'

Ron's head snapped up.

'What?' he said incredulously. 'Dumbledore? You're kidding.'

'Not kidding,' said Bill. 'He's completely cured, too. Some healer named Smethwyk was responsible. Anyway, my brief tenure as Acting Headmaster is thankfully over.'

Ron blinked. 'Wow,' he said. 'I mean...wow. What--does Dumbledore know what happened?'

'Yes,' said Bill. 'I filled him in on as much as I could. He wasn't too happy with me, taking you to the Riddle House, but he did mention that at least now, we have a better idea of how Voldemort plans to get to Harry.'

Ron looked at Bill blankly for a moment, and then he remembered. 'By possessing him.'

'Something like that,' said Bill. 'Although Dumbledore says it's a lot more complicated than, in his words, "mere possession".'

'What did he mean by that?' said Ron, confused.

'I don't know,' said Bill. 'You know Dumbledore; he talks in riddles half the time. Anyway, the reason I came here was to tell you that he wants to see you.'

'Dumbledore?' said Ron.

'No, the Giant Squid,' said Bill, rolling his eyes. 'Yes, Dumbledore.'

'Wants to see...me?' said Ron. 'Why?'

'He didn't tell me that, little brother,' said Bill. 'Only that he asked that you come to him now.'

'But...I don't want to leave Hermione,' Ron protested. 'What if she wakes up before I'm gone--'

'She won't,' said Bill. 'Luna told me that potion will take at least a full twenty-four hours to work, if not longer.'

'Are you sure?' said Ron.

'I'm inclined to believe Luna at this point, aren't you?' said Bill wryly.

'Yeah, right,' said Ron, smiling. 'Uh, okay. So...I'll just...go see Dumbledore, I guess.' He stood.

'You do that, little brother,' said Bill, and then he looked at Ron. 'Good god. Are you taller than me now?'

Ron gazed at Bill for a moment, and then it hit him. It was hardly noticeable, but Ron was indeed looking in a slight downward direction at Bill.

'I guess I am,' said Ron, with a hint of smugness. 'Not so little, am I?'

Bill gave Ron an affectionate shrug. 'You'll always be Little Ronnie to me, you brat. Now get out of here and go talk to Dumbledore. I have to talk with Madam Pomfrey about a couple of things.'

'Yeah, okay,' said Ron. He started out of the hospital wing. Halfway to the door, he turned. 'Bill?'

'What?'

Ron suddenly didn't know what to say, so instead, he crossed the room and pulled Bill, a bit roughly, into a hug. It was over before it started.

'What was that?' said Bill, grinning.

Ron blushed and looked at his shoes. 'I'm just...you know, glad you're okay.'

'I'm glad you're okay, too,' said Bill, and for a moment, they just looked at one another.

Bill broke the silence. 'Well, get out of here,' he said, grinning again. 'Don't keep the Headmaster waiting.'

'Right!' said Ron, and he started back out of the hospital wing, when Bill called out to him again.

'What?' Ron asked.

'You look like shit,' Bill said. 'Go have a shave, would you?'

Ron threw Bill a very rude hand gesture. They both laughed. Ron left the hospital wing, and made his way to Dumbledore's office.