| However, in the few moments it took for Ron to give a low groan and Harry to start crawling toward him, he realized that this was not the Forbidden Forest; The trees looked younger, they were more widely spaced, the ground clearer
He met Hermione, also on her hands and knees, at Ron's headThe moment his eyes fell upon Ron, all other concerns fled Harry's mind, for blood drenched the whole of Ron's left side and his face stood out, grayish-white, against the leaf-strewn earthThe Polyjuice Potion was wearing off now: Ron was halfway between Cattermole and himself in appearance, his hair turning redder and redder as his face drained of the little color it had left
"What's happened to him?"
"Splinched," said Hermione, her fingers already busy at Ron's sleeve, where the blood was wettest and darkest
Harry watched, horrified, as she tore open Ron's shortHe had always thought of Splinching as something comical, but this His insides crawled unpleasantly as Hermione laid bare Ron's upper arm, where a great chunk of flesh was missing, scooped cleanly away as though by a shop for chanel bags knife
"Harry, quickly, in my bag, there's a small bottle labeled 'Essence of Dittany'- "
"Bag - right -"
Harry sped to the place where Hermione had landed, seized the tiny beaded bag, and thrust his hand inside itAt once, object after object began presenting itself to his touch: He felt the leather spines of books, woolly sleeves of jumpers, heels of shoes -
"\iQuickly!\i"
He grabbed his wand from the ground and pointed it into the depths of the magical bag
"\iAccio Dittany!\i"
A small brown bottle zoomed out of the bag; he caught it and hastened back to Hermione and Ron, whose eyes were now half-closed, strips of white eyeball all that were visible between his lids
"He's fainted," said Hermione, who was also rather pale; she no longer looked like Mafalda, though her hair was still gray in places"Unstopper it for me, Harry, my hands are shaking
Harry wrenched the stopper off the little bottle, Hermione took it and poured three drops of the potion onto the bleeding woundGreenish smoke billowed upward and when it had cleared, Harry saw that the bleeding had stoppedThe omega constellation watches wound now looked several days old; new skin stretched over what had just been open flesh
"It's all I feel safe doing," said Hermione shakily"There are spells that would put him completely right, but I daren't try in case I do them wrong and cause more damageHe's lost so much blood already
"How did he get hurt? I mean" - Harry shook his head, trying to clear it, to make sense of whatever had just taken place - "why are we here? I thought we were going back to Grimmauld Place?"
Hermione took a deep breathShe looked close to tears
"Harry, I don't think we're going to be able to go back there
"What d'you - ?"
"As we Disapparated, Yaxley caught hold of me and I couldn't get rid of him, he was too strong, and he was still holding on when we arrived at Grimmauld Place, and then - well, I think he must have seen the door, and thought we were stopping there, so he slackened his grip and I managed to sake him off and I brought us here instead!"
"But then, where's he? Hang onYou don't mean he's at Grimmauld Place? He can't get in there?"
Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears as coco chanel leather handbags she nodded
"Harry, I think he canI - I forced him to let go with a Revulsion Jinx, but I'd already taken him inside the Fidelius Charm's protectionSince Dumbledore died, we're Secret-Keepers, so I've given him the secret, haven't I?"
There was no pretending; Harry was sure she was rightIt was a serious blowIf Yaxley could now get inside the house, there was no way that they could returnEven now, he could be bringing other Death Eaters in there by ApparitionGloomy and oppressive though the house was, it had been their one safe refuge; even, now that Kreacher was so much happier and friendlier, a kind of homeWith a twinge of regret that had nothing to do with food, Harry imagined the house-elf busying himself over the steak-and-kidney pie that Harry, Ron, and Hermione would never eat
"Harry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be stupid, it wasn't your fault! If anything, it was mine
Harry put his hand in his pocket and drew out Mad-Eye's eyeHermione recoiled, looking horrified
"Umbridge had stuck it to her office door, to spy on peopleI couldn't leave it there but that's chanel handbag knockoffs how they knew there were intruders
Before Hermione could answer, Ron groaned and opened his eyesHe was still gray and his face glistened with sweat
"How d'you feel?" Hermione whispered
"Lousy," croaked Ron, wincing as he felt his injured arm"Where are we?"
"In the woods where they held the Quidditch World Cup," said Hermione"I wanted somewhere enclosed, undercover, and this was -"
"- the first place you thought of," Harry finished for her, glancing around at the apparently deserted gladeHe could not help remembering what had happened the last time they had Apparated to the first place Hermione had thought of - how Death Eaters had found them within minutesHad it been Legilimency? Did Voldemort or his henchmen know, even now, where Hermione had taken them?
"D'you reckon we should move on?" Ron asked Harry, and Harry could tell by the look on Ron's face that he was thinking the same Ron still looked pale and clammyHe had made no attempt to sit up and it looked as though he was too weak to do soThe prospect of moving him was daunting
"Let's stay here for now," Harry prada clutch said |
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