Not Who You Think

Eight

Harry groaned as he woke up, shivering slightly. He was extremely disoriented and knew he was saying something but had no clue what it was. And then he was throwing up while voices that he recognised but couldn't pinpoint murmured around him. The only thing that he could fully remember or work out was what the dream he had just woken up from was about. He had seen the whole thing from inside a snake. The snake had been somewhere that he recognised, but couldn't place in his half delirious state, and had ended up biting Mr Weasley. And from what he could remember from the quickly fading details, Mr Weasley was very badly injured and would need medical attention as soon as possible to avoid death.

"You alright mate?" he heard a voice say; he recognised it as Ron after a few moments. "Nev's gone to get McGonagall, you don't look good."

"Lion to Lemons. Your dad, injured," he managed to slur out.

"It's too late now and Lion is our Head anyway, so she would need to be notified," Ron said quietly. "What about dad?" Even though they had proof that Mrs Weasley had been in on the plan with Dumbledore and had been responsible for some of the potions, much like Neville's gran had been, they had nothing showing that Mr Weasley even knew what was going on; that and the fact that all the Weasleys still cared about their dad a lot, even as their affection towards their mum dwindled.

"Snake bite, bleeding, venom," he got out, still not able to coherently string a sentence together. He had no idea what the dream, or vision, or whatever it had been, was, but knew it had been real, and it had left him addled. He was just glad that he was still able to hold his morph in such a state; he hadn't been so delirious or incoherent before and had been slightly worried, but Ron would have told him if it dropped. He didn't have time to say anything else, or for Ron to ask anything, as that was then that McGonagall chose to enter the room, Neville hurrying nervously behind her.

"What's wrong Potter?" McGonagall asked briskly.

"He said something about a snake and my dad being injured Professor," Ron said, clearly seeing that Harry was still recovering.

"Was it just a bad dream?" Harry pushed himself up slightly so that he was sitting straighter in his bed.

"Not a dream," he managed to say, hoping that McGonagall would realise the seriousness of the situation. Even though he didn't want anyone to know that he had seen something from inside a snake, he knew that someone had to be told so that Mr Weasley could get medical attention. Plus, the spells that had been on him would have made him tell Dumbledore about it if he told anyone, and he had to keep his mask up, as hard as it was at the current time. McGonagall seemed to study him for a moment before she nodded.

"Come on then Potter. Headmaster's office. You too Weasley." Ron grabbed slippers for himself and Harry before helping Harry out of bed. Harry was leaning on Ron as they followed McGonagall through the castle and up to the Headmaster's office. As they continued through the castle, Harry slowly gained more control over himself, and was able to walk fully on his own by the time they reached the statue guarding Dumbledore's office.

"Fizzing Whizzbee," McGonagall said, causing the statue to leap aside, allowing them entrance. Dumbledore was clearly  still in his office and Harry guessed that the voices he was talking to were the previous Headteachers, although none of the portraits in there would want to talk to them; a point emphasised by the silence that occurred when McGonagall knocked. They entered when they were called in and found Dumbledore sitting behind the desk, while the portraits appeared to be sleeping. But appearances could be deceiving, and Harry would bet they would all be listening.

"Professor McGonagall. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, ignoring both Ron and Harry; although, he had been ignoring Harry all year, something Harry wasn't going to complain about, so that wasn't a big change.