The Half-Blood Prince Read online

  ‘Yeah, when we pictured the scene, he was conscious,’ said Fred.

  ‘There we were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him –’ said George.

  ‘You were in Hogsmeade?’ asked Ginny, looking up.

  ‘We were thinking of buying Zonko’s,’ said Fred gloomily. ‘A Hogsmeade branch, you know, but a fat lot of good it’ll do us if you lot aren’t allowed out at weekends to buy our stuff any more … but never mind that now.’

  He drew up a chair beside Harry and looked at Ron’s pale face.

  ‘How exactly did it happen, Harry?’

  Harry retold the story he had already recounted what felt like a hundred times to Dumbledore, to McGonagall, to Madam Pomfrey, to Hermione and to Ginny.

  ‘… and then I got the bezoar down his throat and his breathing eased up a bit, Slughorn ran for help, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey turned up, and they brought Ron up here. They reckon he’ll be all right. Madam Pomfrey says he’ll have to stay here a week or so … keep taking Essence of Rue …’

  ‘Blimey, it was lucky you thought of a bezoar,’ said George in a low voice.

  ‘Lucky there was one in the room,’ said Harry, who kept turning cold at the thought of what would have happened if he had not been able to lay hands on the little stone.

  Hermione gave an almost inaudible sniff. She had been exceptionally quiet all day. Having hurtled, white-faced, up to Harry outside the hospital wing and demanded to know what had happened, she had taken almost no part in Harry and Ginny’s obsessive discussion about how Ron had been poisoned, but merely stood beside them, clench-jawed and frightened-looking, until at last they had been allowed in to see him.

  ‘Do Mum and Dad know?’ Fred asked Ginny.

  ‘They’ve already seen him, they arrived an hour ago – they’re in Dumbledore’s office now, but they’ll be back soon …’

  There was a pause while they all watched Ron mumble a little in his sleep.

  ‘So the poison was in the drink?’ said Fred quietly.

  ‘Yes,’ said Harry at once; he could think of nothing else and was glad for the opportunity to start discussing it again. ‘Slughorn poured it out –’

  ‘Would he have been able to slip something into Ron’s glass without you seeing?’

  ‘Probably,’ said Harry, ‘but why would Slughorn want to poison Ron?’

  ‘No idea,’ said Fred, frowning. ‘You don’t think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Meaning to get you?’

  ‘Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry?’ asked Ginny.

  ‘I dunno,’ said Fred, ‘but there must be loads of people who’d like to poison Harry, mustn’t there? The “Chosen One” and all that?’

  ‘So you think Slughorn’s a Death Eater?’ said Ginny.

  ‘Anything’s possible,’ said Fred darkly.

  ‘He could be under the Imperius Curse,’ said George.

  ‘Or he could be innocent,’ said Ginny. ‘The poison could have been in the bottle, in which case it was probably meant for Slughorn himself.’

  ‘Who’d want to kill Slughorn?’

  ‘Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side,’ said Harry. ‘Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. And …’ he thought of the memory Dumbledore had not yet been able to extract from Slughorn, ‘and maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way, maybe he thinks he could be valuable to Dumbledore.’

  ‘But you said Slughorn had been planning to give that bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas,’ Ginny reminded him. ‘So the poisoner could just as easily have been after Dumbledore.’

  ‘Then the poisoner didn’t know Slughorn very well,’ said Hermione, speaking for the first time in hours and sounding as though she had a bad head-cold. ‘Anyone who knew Slughorn would have known there was a good chance he’d keep something that tasty for himself.’

  ‘Er-my-nee,’ croaked Ron unexpectedly from between them.

  They all fell silent, watching him anxiously, but after muttering incomprehensibly for a moment he merely started snoring.

  The dormitory doors flew open, making them all jump: Hagrid came striding towards them, his hair rain-flecked, his bearskin coat flapping behind him, a crossbow in his hand, leaving a trail of muddy dolphin-sized footprints all over the floor.

  ‘Bin in the Forest all day!’ he panted. ‘Aragog’s worse, I bin readin’ to him – didn’ get up ter dinner till jus’ now an’ then Professor Sprout told me abou’ Ron! How is he?’

  ‘Not bad,’ said Harry. ‘They say he’ll be OK.’

  ‘No more than six visitors at a time!’ said Madam Pomfrey, hurrying out of her office.

  ‘Hagrid makes six,’ George pointed out.

  ‘Oh … yes …’ said Madam Pomfrey, who seemed to have been counting Hagrid as several people due to his vastness. To cover her confusion she hurried off to clear up his muddy footprints with her wand.

  ‘I don’ believe this,’ said Hagrid hoarsely, shaking his great shaggy head as he stared down at Ron. ‘Jus’ don’ believe it … look at him lyin’ there … who’d want ter hurt him, eh?’

  ‘That’s just what we were discussing,’ said Harry. ‘We don’t know.’

  ‘Someone couldn’ have a grudge against the Gryffindor Quidditch team, could they?’ said Hagrid anxiously. ‘Firs’ Katie, now Ron …’

  ‘I can’t see anyone trying to bump off a Quidditch team,’ said George.

  ‘Wood might’ve done the Slytherins if he could’ve got away with it,’ said Fred fairly.

  ‘Well, I don’t think it’s Quidditch, but I think there’s a connection between the attacks,’ said Hermione quietly.

  ‘How d’you work that out?’ asked Fred.

  ‘Well, for one thing, they both ought to have been fatal and weren’t, although that was pure luck. And for another, neither the poison nor the necklace seems to have reached the person who was supposed to be killed. Of course,’ she added broodingly, ‘that makes the person behind this even more dangerous in a way, because they don’t seem to care how many people they finish off before they actually reach their victim.’

  Before anybody could respond to this ominous pronouncement, the dormitory doors opened again and Mr and Mrs Weasley hurried up the ward. They had done no more than satisfy themselves that Ron would make a full recovery on their last visit to the ward: now Mrs Weasley seized hold of Harry and hugged him very tightly.

  ‘Dumbledore’s told us how you saved him with the bezoar,’ she sobbed. ‘Oh, Harry, what can we say? You saved Ginny … you saved Arthur … now you’ve saved Ron …’

  ‘Don’t be … I didn’t …’ muttered Harry awkwardly.

  ‘Half our family does seem to owe you their lives, now I stop and think about it,’ Mr Weasley said in a constricted voice. ‘Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry.’

  Harry could not think of any reply to this and was almost glad when Madam Pomfrey reminded them again that there were only supposed to be six visitors around Ron’s bed; he and Hermione rose at once to leave and Hagrid decided to go with them, leaving Ron with his family.

  ‘It’s terrible,’ growled Hagrid into his beard, as the three of them walked back along the corridor to the marble staircase. ‘All this new security, an’ kids are still gettin’ hurt … Dumbledore’s worried sick … he don’ say much, but I can tell …’

  ‘Hasn’t he got any ideas, Hagrid?’ asked Hermione desperately.

  ‘I ’spect he’s got hundreds of ideas, brain like his,’ said Hagrid staunchly. ‘But he doesn’ know who sent that necklace nor who put poison in that wine, or they’d’ve bin caught, wouldn’ they? Wha’ worries me,’ said Hagrid, lowering his voice and glancing over his shoulder (Harry, for good measure, checked the ceiling for Peeves), ‘is how long Hogwarts can stay open if kids are bein’ attacked. Chamber o’ Secrets all over again, isn’ it? There’ll be panic, more parents takin’ their kids outta schoo
l, an’ nex’ thing yeh know the board o’ governors …’

  Hagrid stopped talking as the ghost of a long-haired woman drifted serenely past, then resumed in a hoarse whisper, ‘… the board o’ governors’ll be talkin’ about shuttin’ us up fer good.’

  ‘Surely not?’ said Hermione, looking worried.

  ‘Gotta see it from their point o’ view,’ said Hagrid heavily. ‘I mean, it’s always bin a bit of a risk sendin’ a kid ter Hogwarts, hasn’ it? Yer expect accidents, don’ yeh, with hundreds of under-age wizards all locked up tergether, but attempted murder, tha’s diff ’rent. ’S no wonder Dumbledore’s angry with Sn—’

  Hagrid stopped in his tracks, a familiar, guilty expression on what was visible of his face above his tangled black beard.

  ‘What?’ said Harry quickly. ‘Dumbledore’s angry with Snape?’

  ‘I never said tha’,’ said Hagrid, though his look of panic could not have been a bigger give-away. ‘Look at the time, it’s gettin’ on fer midnight, I need ter –’

  ‘Hagrid, why is Dumbledore angry with Snape?’ Harry asked loudly.

  ‘Shhhh!’ said Hagrid, looking both nervous and angry. ‘Don’ shout stuff like that, Harry, d’you wan’ me ter lose me job? Mind, I don’ suppose you’d care, would yeh, not now you’ve given up Care of Mag—’

  ‘Don’t try and make me feel guilty, it won’t work!’ said Harry forcefully. ‘What’s Snape done?’

  ‘I dunno, Harry, I shouldn’ta heard it at all! I – well, I was comin’ outta the Forest the other evenin’ an’ I overheard ’em talkin’ – well, arguin’. Didn’t like ter draw attention to meself, so I sorta skulked an’ tried not ter listen, but it was a – well, a heated discussion, an’ it wasn’ easy ter block it out.’

  ‘Well?’ Harry urged him, as Hagrid shuffled his enormous feet uneasily.

  ‘Well – I jus’ heard Snape sayin’ Dumbledore took too much fer granted an’ maybe he – Snape – didn’ wan’ ter do it any more –’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘I dunno, Harry, it sounded like Snape was feelin’ a bit overworked, tha’s all – anyway, Dumbledore told him flat out he’d agreed ter do it an’ that was all there was to it. Pretty firm with him. An’ then he said summat abou’ Snape makin’ investigations in his house, in Slytherin. Well, there’s nothin’ strange abou’ that!’ Hagrid added hastily, as Harry and Hermione exchanged looks full of meaning. ‘All the Heads o’ House were asked ter look inter that necklace business –’

  ‘Yeah, but Dumbledore’s not having rows with the rest of them, is he?’ said Harry.

  ‘Look,’ Hagrid twisted his crossbow uncomfortably in his hands; there was a loud splintering sound and it snapped in two, ‘I know what yeh’re like abou’ Snape, Harry, an’ I don’ want yeh ter go readin’ more inter this than there is.’

  ‘Look out,’ said Hermione tersely.

  They turned just in time to see the shadow of Argus Filch looming over the wall behind them before the man himself turned the corner, hunchbacked, his jowls aquiver.

  ‘Oho!’ he wheezed. ‘Out of bed so late, this’ll mean detention!’

  ‘No it won’, Filch,’ said Hagrid shortly. ‘They’re with me, aren’ they?’

  ‘And what difference does that make?’ asked Filch obnoxiously.

  ‘I’m a ruddy teacher, aren’ I, yeh sneakin’ Squib!’ said Hagrid, firing up at once.

  There was a nasty hissing noise as Filch swelled with fury; Mrs Norris had arrived, unseen, and was twisting herself sinuously around Filch’s skinny ankles.

  ‘Get goin’,’ said Hagrid out of the corner of his mouth.

  Harry did not need telling twice; he and Hermione both hurried off, Hagrid and Filch’s raised voices echoing behind them as they ran. They passed Peeves near the turning into Gryffindor Tower, but he was streaking happily towards the source of the yelling, cackling and calling,

  When there’s strife and when there’s trouble

  Call on Peevsie, he’ll make double!’

  The Fat Lady was snoozing and not pleased to be awoken, but swung forwards grumpily to allow them to clamber into the mercifully peaceful and empty common room. It did not seem that people knew about Ron yet; Harry was very relieved, he had been interrogated enough that day. Hermione bade him goodnight and set off for the girls’ dormitory. Harry, however, remained behind, taking a seat beside the fire and looking down into the dying embers.

  So Dumbledore had argued with Snape. In spite of all he had told Harry, in spite of his insistence that he trusted Snape completely, he had lost his temper with him … he did not think that Snape had tried hard enough to investigate the Slytherins … or, perhaps, to investigate a single Slytherin: Malfoy?

  Was it because Dumbledore did not want Harry to do anything foolish, to take matters into his own hands, that he had pretended there was nothing in Harry’s suspicions? That seemed likely. It might even be that Dumbledore did not want anything to distract Harry from their lessons, or from procuring that memory from Slughorn. Perhaps Dumbledore did not think it right to confide suspicions about his staff to sixteen-year-olds …

  ‘There you are, Potter!’

  Harry jumped to his feet in shock, his wand at the ready. He had been quite convinced that the common room was empty; he had not been at all prepared for a hulking figure to rise, suddenly, out of a distant chair. A closer look showed him that it was Cormac McLaggen.

  ‘I’ve been waiting for you to come back,’ said McLaggen, disregarding Harry’s drawn wand. ‘Must’ve fallen asleep. Look, I saw them taking Weasley up to the hospital wing earlier. Didn’t look like he’ll be fit for next week’s match.’

  It took Harry a few moments to realise what McLaggen was talking about.

  ‘Oh … right … Quidditch,’ he said, putting his wand back into the belt of his jeans and running a hand wearily through his hair. ‘Yeah … he might not make it.’

  ‘Well, then, I’ll be playing Keeper, won’t I?’ said McLaggen.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Harry. ‘Yeah, I suppose so …’

  He could not think of an argument against it; after all, McLaggen had certainly performed second best in the trials.

  ‘Excellent,’ said McLaggen in a satisfied voice. ‘So when’s practice?’

  ‘What? Oh … there’s one tomorrow evening.’

  ‘Good. Listen, Potter, we should have a talk beforehand. I’ve got some ideas on strategy you might find useful.’

  ‘Right,’ said Harry unenthusiastically. ‘Well, I’ll hear them tomorrow, then. I’m pretty tired now … see you …’

  The news that Ron had been poisoned spread quickly next day, but it did not cause the sensation that Katie’s attack had done. People seemed to think that it might have been an accident, given that he had been in the Potion master’s room at the time, and that as he had been given an antidote immediately there was no real harm done. In fact, the Gryffindors were generally much more interested in the upcoming Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, for many of them wanted to see Zacharias Smith, who played Chaser on the Hufflepuff team, punished soundly for his commentary during the opening match against Slytherin.

  Harry, however, had never been less interested in Quidditch; he was rapidly becoming obsessed with Draco Malfoy. Still checking the Marauder’s Map whenever he got a chance, he sometimes made detours to wherever Malfoy happened to be, but had not yet detected him doing anything out of the ordinary. And still there were those inexplicable times when Malfoy simply vanished from the map …

  But Harry did not get a lot of time to consider the problem, what with Quidditch practice, homework, and the fact that he was now being dogged wherever he went by Cormac McLaggen and Lavender Brown.

  He could not decide which of them was more annoying. McLaggen kept up a constant stream of hints that he would make a better permanent Keeper for the team than Ron, and that now Harry was seeing him play regularly he would surely come around to this way of thinking, too; he was also keen to criticise the other pl
ayers and provide Harry with detailed training schemes, so that more than once Harry was forced to remind him who was Captain.

  Meanwhile, Lavender kept sidling up to Harry to discuss Ron, which Harry found almost more wearing than McLaggen’s Quidditch lectures. At first, Lavender had been very annoyed that nobody had thought to tell her that Ron was in the hospital wing – ‘I mean, I am his girlfriend!’ – but unfortunately she had now decided to forgive Harry this lapse of memory and was keen to have lots of in-depth chats with him about Ron’s feelings, a most uncomfortable experience that Harry would have happily forgone.

  ‘Look, why don’t you talk to Ron about all this?’ Harry asked, after a particularly long interrogation from Lavender that took in everything from precisely what Ron had said about her new dress robes to whether or not Harry thought that Ron considered his relationship with Lavender to be ‘serious’.

  ‘Well, I would, but he’s always asleep when I go and see him!’ said Lavender fretfully.

  ‘Is he?’ said Harry, surprised, for he had found Ron perfectly alert every time he had been up to the hospital wing, both highly interested in the news of Dumbledore and Snape’s row and keen to abuse McLaggen as much as possible.

  ‘Is Hermione Granger still visiting him?’ Lavender demanded suddenly.

  ‘Yeah, I think so. Well, they’re friends, aren’t they?’ said Harry uncomfortably.

  ‘Friends, don’t make me laugh,’ said Lavender scornfully. ‘She didn’t talk to him for weeks after he started going out with me! But I suppose she wants to make up with him now he’s all interesting …’

  ‘Would you call getting poisoned being interesting?’ asked Harry. ‘Anyway – sorry, got to go – there’s McLaggen coming for a talk about Quidditch,’ said Harry hurriedly, and he dashed sideways through a door pretending to be solid wall and sprinted down the short cut that would take him off to Potions where, thankfully, neither Lavender nor McLaggen could follow him.

  On the morning of the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff Harry dropped in on the hospital wing before heading down to the pitch. Ron was very agitated; Madam Pomfrey would not let him go down to watch the match, feeling it would overexcite him.