𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 115

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN
✧
-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH MR WEASLEY IS
SUSPICIOUS

. . .

It had been decided that they were to go and visit Mr Weasley. Jane almost hadn't gone, knowing that the feeling in the utter pits of her stomach that encased her heart in sickening jealousy that she daredn't share with anyone else on account of how truly horrible it was. But seeing as she was unable to explain that to anyone, nor excuse herself to some task that needed doing because it was Christmas and nothing needed doing on Christmas, Jane had to go.

So she had added a jumper over the pretty blouse she had chosen in celebration of the holiday that was only really suitable for the heat inside the home, as well as two extra pairs of socks that peaked over the top of her boots, managed to find her coat (which Mrs Weasley had taken from the hook and put in the airing cupboard to properly dry) and followed dutifully behind them.

She sat next to Remus and Mrs Weasley.on the train, Ron having roped Harry into something to do with Hogwarts. Mr Lupin had forgiven her for the outburst when she apologised - something she insisted on doing despite him insisting the outburst was nothing but innocent in comparison to what he was familiar with. She sort of stuck to his side after that as they traipsed through the corridors of the hospital, somewhat aware that the situation was upsetting for him too; she was more that well-informed of the friendship between the Longbottoms and certain other Gryffindors at the time, and couldn't help but think that he would be in favour of avoiding another run-in as such.

Despite her slightly disparate mood, St. Mungos was cheery and filled with festive spirit; the reception area and each of the wards they peaked into as they passed on their journey to Mr Weasley's bedside had been decorated to the nines. The lights had been either tinted or circled in red and green so that they appeared as humongous baubles, holly hung on every doorway and the lower left and upper right corners of every portraits' frame, and shining white Christmas trees covered in magical snow and icicles glittered in every corner, each topped with a gleaming gold star.

Mr Weasley didn't seem so festive though. He held a rather sheepish expression to his face when they entered, propped up in bed with theremains of his turkey dinner on a tray in his lap.

"Everything all right, Arthur?" Mrs Weasley asked as she adjusted his bed sheets, after the yhad all greeted Mr Weasley and handed over their presents - Jane had gotten a variety of vintage muggle trinkets she had accumulated over several trips into other areas of London alongside Eleanor and Lucas (both of which truly believed Mr Weasley was a rather odd uncle of hers with... varied tastes).

"Fine, fine," Mr Weasley replied, a little too heartily. "You - er - haven't seen Healer Smethwyck, have you?"

"No," Mrs Weasley eyed her husband suspiciously, "why?"

"Nothing, nothing," Mr Weasley replied airily, waving his hand before starting to unwrap his pile of gifts. "Well, everyone had a good day? What did you all get for Christmas? Oh, Harry - this is absolutely wonderful - "

He had just opened Harry's gift of fuse-wire and screwdrivers, beaming at the sight of them and quickly trying to open the plastic case. Mrs Weasley did not seem entirely satisfied with Mr Weasley's answer. As her husband leaned over to shake Harry's hand, she peered at the bandaging under his nightshirt.

"Arthur," she said, with a snap in her voice like a mouse trap, "you've had your bandages changed. Why have you had your bandages changed a day early, Arthur? They told me they wouldn't need doing until tomorrow." She sounded almost overly concerned, however the look on her husband's face made it seem placed correctly.

"What?" Mr Weasley blinked, looking rather frightened and pulling the bed covers higher up his chest. "No, no - it'snothing - it's - I -" He seemed to deflate under Mrs Weasley's piercing gaze. "Well - now don't get upset, Molly, but Augustus Pye had an idea. He's the Trainee Healer, you know, lovely young chap and very interested in... um... complementary medicine... I mean, some of these old Muggle remedies... well, they're called stitches, Molly, and they work very well on- on Muggle wounds -"

Mrs Weasley let out an ominous noise somewhere between a shriek and a snarl. Lupin strolled away from the bed and over to the werewolf patient several beds away, who had no visitors and was looking rather wistfully at the crowd around Mr Weasley; Bill muttered something about getting himself a cup of tea and Fred andGeorge leapt up to accompany him, grinning. Harry, Jane and Hermione, all more than familiar with the concept of the particular muggle medicine which Mr Weasley spoke of, shared a glance. To them, at least, it seemed possible in the muggle world that stitches would be necessary for a snake bite, however in the case of a certainly magical snake it was certainly different.

"Do you mean to tell me," Mrs Weasley began, her voice growing louder with every word and apparently unaware that her fellow visitors were scurrying for cover, "that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?"

"Not messing about, Molly, dear," Mr Weasley replied imploringly. "It was just - just something Pye and I thought we'd try - only, most unfortunately - well, with these particular kinds of wounds - it doesn't seem to work as well as we'd hoped -"

"Meaning?"

"Well... well, I don't know whether you know what - what stitches are?"

"It sounds as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together," Mrs Weasley said with a snort of mirthless laughter, "but even you, Arthur, wouldn't be that stupid -"

"I fancy a cup of tea too," Harry announced, although he was sure that neither Mr or Mrs Weasley would hear him, and he jumped to his feet.

"Mhm, me too." Jane was frowning, all too ready to jump in with assurances with the usual success of stitches in the muggle world, yet more than aware that she would hinder rather than help and would do close to anything to be out of the room during the argument.

✧

a/n
so sorry for not updating last
week but my internet was being
a little bitch and by the time
that was fixed wattpad web was
down or the other way around or
whatever

anyways i got inhaler tickets for
leeds next year and someone else
better know who they are because
i'm legitimately obsessed with
them