After that brief burst of fear and panic, Ron closed his eyes and shook his head, and his awareness and reason returned. Gradually, he could make out the meaning of the noisy voices ringing around his ears.
Suddenly, he saw a figure lunge at him. Instinctively, he backed up two hoof-steps, but the other person grabbed him around the neck and hugged him fiercely. Startled, he thrashed his head with all his strength and finally broke free. Following the sound, he realized it was his mother, Molly, casually wiping tears with her sleeve, her reddened eyes fixed on him as she murmured, still shaken, "Ron, it's Mum. Are you all right..."
"Moo~" Ron answered, only to realize what came out was a cow's cry, so he hurriedly shook his head from side to side to comfort his mother.
"Don't worry, Molly. Ron has successfully transformed and regained his senses without incident. There's nothing wrong with him now, I'm certain..." Dumbledore's eyes beneath his thick silver brows looked at Ron, and his aged voice, filled with relief, steadied the panicked Molly.
"Merlin be praised!" Molly raised a hand and wiped away her tears. Then she looked at Allen, and in her excitement she went straight over and hugged him. "Allen, if not for you and Dumbledore, Ron..."
Allen had only just gently freed himself from Molly's embrace when the twin brothers pounced on him from both sides. George clapped Allen hard on the back. "Good lord, lucky you were here, or that idiot Ron would've had to live with a bull's head."
"And all he'd be able to say is moo... moo..." Fred put his hands on his head like horns and made a muffled cow noise. Noticing Ron, standing in the middle of the round platform, snorting angrily because of