Treating the Bite

"To life." Slughorn raised his glass and clinked it with Harry's and Hermione's, but Ron, off to the side, had already downed his in one gulp, impatient after being ignored and finally having a legitimate excuse to drink.

Before Slughorn, Harry, and Hermione had even fully drawn their glasses back, Ron's glass slipped from his hand and smashed to the floor. He collapsed, his wide eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Ron!" Harry shouted. He crouched down to check on him and used his wand to cut open Ron's collar. The red-haired boy was foaming at the mouth, his whole body convulsing violently. His face was turning green, veins bulging along his neck, and the gurgling from deep in his throat was terrifying, mixed with frightened hisses, like someone sucking the last hidden drops of a drink through a straw.

Ron tried to claw at his throat, but his spasming muscles only let his hand rake across his own chest. His fingernails left five bloody marks over the right side.

His best friend was about to die. Harry snapped back to himself, then looked up for help. "Professor, do something, quickly."

Professor Slughorn backed away a few steps with the bottle and glass in his hands, looking stunned by the sudden turn of events. "I don't understand..."

Beside them, Hermione's motion of raising her glass suddenly froze. She stared wide-eyed at her own drink, then flung the glass away as if she had touched a snake. Realizing Ron had been poisoned, she came back to herself slightly just as her eyes met Ron's face. His complexion had already begun to turn blue, the whites of his eyes bulging, his expression horrifying.

Hermione immediately pushed past the others and ran to the ingredients cabinet Professor Slughorn had opened, rummaging through