The Potions Master's Daughter (Book Five)

Chapter 33

We all spent the next day, a Sunday, in the Hospital Wing with Hermione. Harry and I had left to get food for Ron because he refused to let go of her hand, as though he was the only thing keeping her tethered to this life.

When we were out getting lunch Severus approached me and Harry and pulled the two of us over, "I have some bad news."

"What?" I asked.

"I wanted to make sure first, but we just finished testing the drink and it was poisoned."

"Who would've done that?" Harry asked, more to himself than anything else.

Back in the Hospital Wing Harry and I told our findings to NEville, Ginny, and Ron, "Who would want to poison Hermione?" Ron muttered miserably.

"I don't think it was meant for her," I started slowly.

I of course, and Severus had soon figured out that this was the drink Draco had poisoned. Slughorn had meant to give this to Dumbledore as a Christmas present, but never did.

"Well then who would want to poison Slughorn? He's a bit annoying, but he hasn't done anything," Ron questioned aloud.

"Slughorn said he meant to give this to Dumbledore as a gift, maybe it was supposed to be for Dumbledore," Harry said, "Loads of people want to poison DUmbledore I'm sure."

We all sat in silence and mulled that over. Suddenly the door opened with a bang and Hagrid came in, looking like a mess. I winced as I saw him, we hadn't gone to see Hagrid in a long time, and I felt bad.

"I 'eard about 'ermione, is she okay?" Hagrid said, "It seems like ev'ryone is hurtin', first Aragog and now our 'ermione."

"She's going to be okay," I told him softly, "She just needs some time to let the toxins run out of her body, but then she'll be just fine."

Hagrid's spirits picked up a bit at this news but he still looked downtrodden, "What's wrong with Aragog?" Harry asked with a slight shudder remembering our encounter with Hagrid's pet spider.

"He's almos' done," Hagrid said with a sniffle, "I thin' he's only got a few more days."

"Oh Hagrid, I'm sorry," Ginny said comfortingly.

"Do you know who done it?" asked Hagrid, "Dumbledore's got to 'ave some ideas in that brain of 'is."

I shook my head, "He doesn't know anything more than we do, though I'm sure he can figure it out," I lied.

"It's some nasty business it is. Chamber o' secrets all o'er again. Soon parents will pull their kids from Hogwa'ts. The board o' govenors is thinkin' of closin' the school."

"They can't do that," Harry said with a frown, "It's much more dangerous out there than it is in here."

"You hav' to see it from their point of view don't ya? It's always risky sendin' your kids 'ere, but attempted murder is different. I hope they figur' it out soon."

We all retired that evening to our dorms after getting kicked out by Madame Pomfrey. Hermione still wasn't awake, and although I didn't say anything, I knew she should be up by now. I had even tried to heal her with my Draca powers secretly, but I couldn't which meant the poison was some sort of Dark potion. I wondered briefly where Draco had even gotten a potion like that.

By the next day word had gotten out about Hermione. Kids talked about it, but not nearly as much as they talked about Katie. I think most figured it was an accident, that he had drank something in the potions room by accident. The fact that she was going to be completely fine made for a boring story too, so there wasn't as much buzz. Ron refused to go to classes that day, so we brought him up his work from the day after all our classes.