Infirmary.
Draco sat on the hospital bed, enjoying a feast and loudly praising the food with an exaggerated and arrogant expression.
On the opposite bed, Ron leaned against the headbritting his teeth as he watched Draco, sipping oter potion that was his only meal.
Ron had lost too much vitality and, upaining it, his body was too weak to handle normal food. Eveion had to be sipped slowly, or he'd risk nausea.
The potion supplement provided nutrition, but without solid food, the hunger lingered.
Especially with that Malfoy across from him!
He always chose to have a feast when Ron was drinking his potion supplement!
Now Ron's mouth was both bitter and craving, feeling like his soul was about to asd.
Draco, seeing Ron's frustrated and gloomy face, ughed with a schadenfreude expression, lookiremely smug.
He had long been displeased with the red-haired Weasley.
Every time they argued, he was about to win!
And then Henry would intervene!
It infuriated him!
Draco took a big bite of stewed potatoes, then started coughing violently, "Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough."
"Hahaha, Malfoy, serves yht for being sant!" Ron ughed gleefully at Draco's choking.
Normally, if Ron mocked Draco like this, he would have retaliated.
But now, Draco looked terrified, staring at the entrance of the infirmary as if he had seen something horrifying.
He pushed the table aside and quickly dove uhe covers, muttering "Impossible, impossible."
Ron's ughter turo fusion.
He looked over, but his view was blocked by a s.
Ron scratched his head, puzzled, as he poured the st bit of potion supplement into his mouth.
"Hoare!!!" Ron shouted excitedly.
A very familiar person appeared in his line of sight.
Ron was so excited he wao get out of bed and run over, but his limbs were weak, and he nearly fell.
Hoare and Harry rushed over, helping Ron bato the bed.
"Ron," Hoare said with a happy smile, standing by Ron's bed.
"Hoare, did you e to see me because you were worried?" Ron's eyes sparkled, lookiouched.
Pansy and Bise went to the opposite bed to che Draco, who was hiding uhe covers, refusing to e out.
Harry and Hermione greeted Ron and then sat on the adjat bed, each opening a bag of snacks, ready to watch the drama unfold.
Hoare sat on a small stool by Ron's bed, looking rexed. "No, I've been at Hogwarts all along."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ron asked, fused.
"Oh, I went by the name Henry William for a while," Hoare said casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
He took a Bertie Bott's Every Fvor Bean from Harry's hand, popped it into his mouth, chewed twice, and made a disgusted face. "Ew—booger fvor."
"Hoare, drink some water," Ron said, seeing Hoare's disgust, and quickly handed him the cup from the bedside table.
After Hoare drank and his expressiouro normal, Ron finally processed what Hoare had said.
He chuckled awkwardly, "Hoare, you're joking, right? You 't be Henry William, he's a Slytherin!"
Hoare shook his robe, the green shimmering in waves.
Ron choked for a moment, swallowed, and his eyes darted around.
He turo Harry, "Hahaha, Harry, this is my brother Hoare, it's your first time meeting him, right?"
Harry, with his mouth full of snacks, shook his head quickly at Ron's question, "Not the first time." His voice was muffled.
Hoare watched as Ron desperately tried to ge the subject, refusing to face reality.
He scratched his forehead, w what there was to avoid.
Hoare didn't uand.
When he first arrived at Hogwarts, he was most afraid of entering Ron. Ron was so familiar with his little habits and quirks that Hoare worried Ron would reize him.
To prevent this, Hoare had deliberately picked fights with Ron several times to keep him at a distance.
But iy, Ron hought that much.
Hoare sighed and said, "Ron, look at me."
He wiped his fa front of Ron.
When his hand dropped, Ron saw Henry's fa Hoare's body.
"Henry! William?" Ron screamed, his voice trembling.
"Harry! Hermione!" Ron quickly turo his friends on the bed. "Did you see that!!!"
Harry and Hermione nodded, Hermione puzzled, "A whole person standing here, how could we not see?"
Hoare had his back to them, so only Ron saw the transformation.
"Ron! Weasley! Am I that scary?" Hoare's face was full of bck lines.
Hearing Hoare's slightly annoyed voice, Ron swallowed and slowly turned his head back. Hoare felt he could hear Ron's neck creaking with stiffness.
Ron still looked terrified as he gazed at Hoare, who had returo his usual self.
He cautiously firmed, "Henry William from Slytherin?"
"Uh-huh," Hoare replied.
"The Henry William who pyed violently in the Quidditch match?"
"Uh-huh," Hoare replied.
"The Henry William who called me out in Potions css and e fifteen points?"
"Uh-huh," Hoare replied.
"The Henry William who stole all the Slytherin gems?"
Of course, Ron whispered the st part so only Hoare could hear.
"Yes, that Henry William," Hoare shrugged.
Seeing Hoare's calm demeanor, Ron was about to explode. "Hoare!!! Why? No, why didn't you tell me!?"
"When did you e? No, wasn't Henry William here from the start?"
"What happened? Hoare?"
"How did you bee Henry William!?"
Ron's mind was a mess, and he felt like he had asked a barrage of questions.
The fact that Henry William was actually Hoare left him so shocked that his mi bnk.
Before this, he didly hate Henry William, but he certainly didn't like him!
But now, Hoare was telling him he was Henry William.
Why!? Ron didn't uand.
Why did Hoare do those things?
Why pretend to be Henry William?
Most importantly, why didn't he tell him?
But he was afraid Hoare would think he was bming him, so he quickly waved his hands and expined, "Hoare, I'm not bming you, I just, I just..."
By the end, Ron's head hung low, looking very dejected. "You didn't tell me anything, is it because you despise me..."
"I know I'm not as clever as you, Hoare, ever since we were kids..."
"But, but I'm your brother..."
"I want to help you too, Hoare..."
0Niffler0
