CH-18

Frowning, I look around the room again, planning to ask how he found a place like this, and how he could be sure that it was safe. "How did you—"

"You should leave," he says, interrupting me. "I have to get going too."

He stands.

I hesitate. He doesn't have a wand. "Do you need me to take you anywhere?"

He laughs at me, and I immediately regret asking.

"Do you really think you'd be able to take me to any place where I'd have to be? The Manor maybe?" he scoffs. "Just get going."

I glare at him. I don't even know why I bothered trying to be nice. He's a haughty prat. Why oh why did the others have to plop him down on me?

"Bye, Malfoy."

I lift my wand and Disapparate before he can say anything.

I reappear on the doorstep of Number 12 a moment later and rap on the door.

This time, Ginny is the one who opens the door, and after the same routine questions, I'm allowed to enter the house.

"Harry and Ron wanted to—" she begins, but she's interrupted when Harry and Ron come down the steps and see me.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaims, relief spreading over his face,

The curtains before Mrs. Black's portrait fly open, and she starts screaming again.

"Harry, how could you forget?" Ginny says exasperatedly, trying to pull the curtains back. Harry hurries to help her, looking apologetic.

I shut the door and turn around in time to get a hug from Ron.

"I'm so glad you got back safely," he says.

I disentangle myself from his arms and smile. "He was unarmed, couldn't have hurt me if he wanted to."

Mrs. Black's loud complaints are cut off mid-word, and Harry turns to me.

"Hermione, Blaise just got back. He didn't look very good, but—"

Before he can finish speaking, I dash up the stairs. What could have happened to him? I can hear Harry and Ron clambering up the steps behind me, keeping quiet to avoid waking Mrs. Black again. I move straight into their bedroom and see Blaise lying unconscious on his bed.

"What happened to him?" I ask, leaning over him and touching his forehead.

"We don't know," Harry says, glancing at Ron.

Ginny enters the room and shuts the door behind her.

"He showed up a few minutes ago and just fainted on the doorstep," Ron says. "Harry just took him into the house, without asking him anything."

"He was unconscious. What was I supposed to do?" Harry says defensively.

"Did Shacklebolt and the others leave already, then?"

"Yes," Ron says. "Katie's gone to find Lupin and Tonks."

I point my wand at Blaise. "Rennervate."

His eyelids flutter before slowly parting to reveal the gold-flecked brown of his irises. I sit down on the side of his bed so I can get a closer look at him.

"Hermione," he mutters in a hoarse voice that's hardly recognizable.

Hearing his voice, Harry and Ginny move closer.

"Blaise, you're awake. What happened to you? What do you feel—are you hurt?" I ask.

He smiles weakly and shakes his head minutely. Then his eyes close again.

"Blaise, no—stay with me," I say.

I take a deep breath and try to think of any healing spells I might know. But most of them are for visible wounds, and as far as I can see, there's nothing wrong with him.

"Boys, help me take his shirt off."

"What?" Ron says, flabbergasted.

"I want to see if there are any marks on him," I explain.

Then I realize that I don't have to remove the shirt manually and flick my wand to Vanish it. His chest and arms are unblemished, and I can't understand what's happened to him. His breathing seems to be getting shallower, and I glance back at Harry and Ginny.

"So he didn't say anything before he fainted?" I ask.

I turn back before they can answer and shake his shoulders, wondering if I can get him to say just a word, anything that'll hint to me what happened to him.

"Maybe he's not saying anything because he can't," Harry says.

An idea occurs to me. I conjure a small knife and nick his shoulder lightly, just deep enough to draw blood.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Harry asks, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Sure enough, the blood that oozes out is a dark brown color.

"He's been poisoned," I inform them. "It was a Bloodroot Potion—we can cure it with the Antidote for Uncommon Poisons. I'm sure we have some downstairs…"

Harry leaves without another word to get the antidote, and Ginny follows him out.

"What exactly does Bloodroot Poison do to people?" Ron asks.

"It's called Bloodroot Potion, not Poison—that's a common mistake. If brewed correctly, it rots their insides," I say, looking at Blaise. "The Antidote should be able to restore everything to normal, if it hasn't been too long."

"Why wouldn't he be able to speak?"

"The um… the potion works through vocal chords pretty quickly. Since he was able to say my name earlier, he must not have drunk it too long ago."

Oh, he must be in so much pain. I murmur a charm that's supposed to numb pain. I don't know how much help it'll be for internal injuries, but I hope it'll do something for him. He opens his eyes a crack, and I lean closer.

"Blaise, we know what's wrong now. You'll be fine, I promise," I say.

Another weak smile, and his eyes close again.

Then Harry and Ginny return with a small vial. I take it from them and turn to Blaise.

"Conjure a bucket. He'll have to throw up the poison that he drank," I say without looking at them.

I remove the stopper and pull on Blaise's jaw, forcing his mouth open. I pour all the contents of the vial into his mouth—I don't know how much of the poison he drank.

The reaction is almost instantaneous. He jerks upward, and his torso twists so that he can throw up over the side of the bed. Harry places the bucket next to his bed just in time. The liquid that comes out of his mouth has a violet hue, as I'd expected.

When he's done, I gently push him back onto the bed, resting his head on the pillow.

"Do you feel any better?" I ask.

He looks at me and gives me yet another weak smile.

"Is that really all you're capable of?" I ask him, smiling back.

He shakes his head again and closes his eyes. A moment later, his breathing deepens, an indication that he's fallen asleep. I let the feeling of relief wash over me. Thank goodness.

"So… he'll be all right?" Ginny asks.

"Yes," I reply.

She sighs, relieved, and sits down on Harry's bed.

"Hermione?" Ron says quietly from behind me.

I nod to acknowledge that I've heard him, but I don't turn to face him.

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

I'm loath to part with Blaise right now—for some reason, I want to be there when he wakes up. But I suppose I can spare some time to talk to Ron, see what he wants from me.

"It's okay, Hermione," Harry says, patting my shoulder. "Ginny and I will be watching over him. He'll be right here when you get back."

I get to my feet, take another look at Blaise's face, and then turn to follow Ron out of the room. We cross the hall into my room, and I sit down on the bed.

"What did you want to talk about?" I ask.

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