Ron, Hermione, and Ginny arrived at the ground floor of St. Mungo's hospital. The last time they had been here, they had been being escorted by Moody and Tonks to visit Mr. Weasley after they had found out that he was bitten by a snake. That memory hit all three of them with a wave of grief. They missed them both. Their Auror abilities had been like no other's, and they felt their deaths like losing a father and a mother.

The reception seemed to be quite empty, unlike the last time they had visited. They had seen rows of witches and wizards seated on rickety wooden chairs back then. Some had been disfigured-looking patients, and the others had merely made very peculiar noises. This time, quiet pervaded the cold chamber, and only the flipping of pages could be heard from a couple of witches reading out-of-date copies of Witch Weekly.

They saw the familiar lime-green robed Healers walking up and down the hallway. The three of them approached the plump blonde witch at the desk marked INQUIRIES.

"We're here to see Rubeus Hagrid," said Hermione quickly.

"Oh, the giant," said the witch in a bored voice. She gave a yawn before adding, "He gave us quite a fright when he came in here."

"What happened to him?" Ron hissed with a somewhat offended look after hearing the witch call Hagrid 'the giant'.

The blonde witch didn't seem to notice his tone of annoyance, replying, "Well, he's got huge cuts in his arms and chest... He was bleeding so badly, he left with puddles of blood on the floor. He's probably resting now."

Ginny's speckled features creased with concern. "Where can we find him?"

"Fourth floor. Go through here," the witch raised a bony finger at the double doors to the side, beyond her desk. "There's a lift that'll take you there."

"Thank you," said Hermione.

They had been inside the double doors before as well and very much remembered the portraits of famous Healers that still lined the walls lit with candles floating up from the ceiling. Their footsteps sent bare echoes gliding across the marble rooms, and they only had to climb a flight of stairs to arrive at the first floor for creature-induced injuries.

Beyond the hall, they found two lifts that stood behind wrought silver grilles. They entered one of them when the grilles opened automatically. The lift ascended slowly once the grilles slid shut. After a few silent minutes, the lift came to a stop, and a cool female voice said, "Level four, Spell Damage." The moment the grilles opened, several paper airplanes swooped into the lift and flapped idly around above their heads. They stared at them for a moment as they read the one closed to them a word that said BILL stamped along the edges of their wings. They stepped out of the lift and looked around.

A motherly-looking Healer saw the three of them and immediately approached them. "How may I help you, dears?" she asked, smiling warmly at them.

"Could you direct us to the ward of Rubeus Hagrid?" asked Hermione.

"He's right there," The Healer pointed her finger at a door that was at the very end of the hallway.

The ward was small and rather dingy. It was set for four patients, but no one else was there except a rather huge form occupying a small bed and looking very uncomfortable. Hagrid looked up and gave a huge smile.

"Hagrid!" All three of them rushed to his side. His arms and chest were heavily bandaged, and although his face was fine, some gashes streaked along his cheeks, even if they did appear to be healing.

"Hi there," greeted Hagrid. "Good thing yeh got my letter."

"We got your letter this morning and came immediately," piped Ron at once. "Harry'd definitely want to come and see you if he found out."

Hagrid furrowed his thick eyebrows. "What d'yeh mean? Harry don' know I'm injured?"

"He's getting worse, Hagrid," Ginny informed him. "He can barely walk, move, or eat anymore. He's constantly exhausted. He was asleep when we decided to see you."

Hagrid looked sadly at her.

"So tell us what happened to you, Hagrid?" Hermione asked worriedly and put a comforting hand on his massive arm. "You gave us quite a fright when you wrote us that you were attacked by Death Eaters."

"I was," said Hagrid gruffly. "Good thing I made it in time in 'ere or else I would've lost 'oo much blood."

"But what happened?" Ron asked impatiently. "Were you attacked in that cave of the Thestrals? Did you recognize the Death Eaters?"

Hagrid turned and shifted his weight to the other side of the bed before filling them in. "I was doin' me search of the Thestrals in one o' the lands that were far east at Hogwarts and close to Ireland when I got yer letter, Ron," stated Hagrid. "I had suspected as much tha' there would be wild ones in there... only I didn't know exactly where until yeh told me on the letter. Did yeh check yer owl this morning, Ron?"

Ron's expression darkened. "No, why?"

"The thing is," said Hagrid. "When yer owl delivered yer letter ter me, his left wing was in a weird angle... he's most certainly injured. His feathers were badly ruffled, too."

"Do you think he was attacked?" asked Hermione, looking both perplexed and worried. "And that Ron's letter was intercepted?"

"It looked like it," he replied. "I was worried yer owl wouldn' make it back ter yeh, but it seemed he was alright, then?"

"I haven't totally checked him when he arrived," said Ron.

"Yer might want ter check him up when you go home later," Hagrid said firmly to him.

"And then what happened next, Hagrid?" Hermione asked. She quietly dropped herself on the chair opposite Hagrid.

"I managed ter Apparate close ter the cave yeh mentioned. No one was there at first, so I started looking for the Thestrals. I found 'em huddled on a very far corner of the cave. By the time I got the tail hair, dark cloaks started emerging from all sides."

"Is that how you got those injuries?" asked Ginny, indicating the bandages in Hagrid's arms and chest.

"Two o' the Death Eaters cast a Severing charm on me," said Hagrid while looking at his bandages. "The charm could've killed me, but they didn' do a pretty good job with it 'cuz it were so dark 'n all - I only managed ter get away jus' in time when they started to cast more. I Apparated straight ter here."

Ron's mouth hinged wide open, and Hermione covered her mouth with her hands.

"I wouldn't want to think what could've happened if you didn't get away quickly," said Ginny, shivering slightly as chills run down her spine.

"You didn't see any of their faces, Hagrid?" Ron asked worriedly.

"No, it was dark inside the cave."

There was a short silence. Hermione withdrew into deep thought, and she could tell the others were thinking the same thing. Who could possibly send the Death Eaters after Hagrid? Who attacked Ron's owl so that it could be intercepted? Was Malfoy behind all these?

"We were thinking that it was Draco Malfoy who sent those Death Eaters after you, Hagrid," Ron revealed at once.

"Draco Malfoy?" Hagrid asked in surprise.

Ron nodded, determined. "There's just no other way around it. He must be the only one who knew about the cave -"

"We don't know that for sure, Ron," interrupted Ginny. "You-Know-Who may have told some of his other followers about the cave."

"But..." protested Ron. "Malfoy said himself that You-Know-Who told him about it. We just weren't sure why he would betray Harry if he owed his life to him."

"He owes Harry?" Hagrid looked like he had found it hard to believe. "How?"

"Harry saved his life at the Battle of Hogwarts," Ron explained. With a dark look, he added, "I honestly would've let him die if it was me. If he did betray Harry and sent those Death Eaters to come after you, he doesn't deserve to be saved."

Hermione looked up and met Ron's eyes. "But we don't know if that's true, Ron," she protested. "There may be someone else out there planning the attacks. I still don't think Malfoy –"

"Yeah, I've heard that, Hermione." Ron cut her off, a note of annoyance souring in his voice. He crossed his arms before adding, "It feels like you're siding with him."

"I am not, Ron," Hermione replied heatedly. "I am only saying that he knew about Harry's dire illness and he was very willing to help even if it's against his will."

"He's only faking it, Hermione," insisted Ron. "He's very good at it. He'd never help Harry."

"So what was the point of him coming to the Burrow and talking to Harry?" Hermione questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I dunno. He was probably just there to snoop around."

Hermione sighed mentally to herself. She didn't know how else to argue. There were some parts that she agreed with Ron but some didn't. A sad look graced her face and she glanced apologetically at Hagrid.

"We're sorry, Hagrid. We didn't mean for you to get hurt for this mission."

"Tha's alright, Hermione," said Hagrid, trying to make a small smile, but it came across as more of a grimace. "I know what I signed up for. Besides, it's for Harry's health. I'd do anythin' for him."

"How long are you gonna be staying here?" she asked.

"A few days I would have expected, but since I'm... yer know, a giant n' all, I don' think they wan' me much longer - Oh!" Hagrid exclaimed all of a sudden. "I almost forgot –" he grabbed something out in his pocket and handed it to Hermione. "Here yeh go."

It was a blotchy envelope containing a Thestral tail hair.

Hermione's eyes welled up with tears as she took it from him. "Thank you, Hagrid. Harry would be so happy once we tell him." She pocketed it and raised her gaze again to meet Hagrid's. "Would you like to come with us?"

"I want ter. Hold on -" Hagrid stretched in bed before standing up and bending a little so as not to hit the ceiling. He grabbed his pink umbrella from the side of his bed and followed Ron, Hermione, and Ginny when they moved for the door.

They were about to take the stairs when they met Augustus Pye. Hermione recognized him from the time of Mr. Weasley's injury. His nametag was visibly attached to his lime green robe that showed his occupation as a Healer. His eyes lit up immediately upon seeing Ron and Ginny as one of the Weasleys.

"Hello," he greeted. "I thought the Weasleys would be here."

"What do you mean you thought we'd be here?" asked Ron, a look of confusion furrowing the features on his face.

"Aren't you visiting your brother?" Augustus asked in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny gasped, bewildered. "I wasn't aware of any of my brothers being here. Which brother?"

"Percy Weasley, of course."

Ron raised his eyebrows. "No, that's not possible. Percy is at home right now with our parents."

The Healer cocked his head, taken aback, and his eyes opened in sudden shock. "I assure you, Percy is here. He was admitted early this morning. He was unconscious when they brought him in. Looked like someone attacked him."

Ginny gaped at Augustus. "But that can't be! We talked to Percy; he was fine when he showed up, and he didn't look like he was attacked."

"Percy never left the hospital," informed the Healer. "Are you sure your brother went home? Because he's here right now. I can show you to his ward."

"That doesn't make any sense," whispered Hermione to Ron and Ginny as they hurriedly followed Augustus on the same floor but on the other side of the hallway. Hagrid stayed behind as the rest of them entered the ward since his huge form wouldn't allow him access inside the smaller room.

Upon entering, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny saw a red-haired young man with horn-rimmed glasses lying in bed and looking flustered from the pain. They immediately dashed to his side.

They caught the young man unawares, and when he saw the group enter, he gave a yelp. "I wasn't expecting you guys to come and visit."

"We weren't expecting you to be here either, Percy. What are you doing? Did something happen at the Burrow?" Ron asked quickly, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

"The Burrow?" a perplexed-looking Percy asked. "I've never been to the Burrow yet. I mean, I was going to but I never had the chance." He blinked rapidly for a moment at them.

Everyone's eyes went wide and round in surprise. "What do you mean you weren't expecting us?" Hermione asked curiously.

Percy brought his head down, looking embarrassed. "Well," he said in a low voice. "I didn't want anyone to know that I was admitted here. I didn't want all of you to worry. I was going to handle it on my own."

"You were attacked, Percy! The Healer just told us. How can you say that?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Of course, we'd be worried."

"I heard Harry is sick... Dad told me - but I didn't hear from him again after that. I planned on visiting, but work - you know..." Percy trailed off, not meeting their expectant gazes. "What are you all doing here, anyway? Are mum and dad here as well?"

"We came here for Hagrid," said Ginny.

A surprised look appeared on Percy's face. "Hagrid?"

"Yeah," answered Ron. "Death Eaters attacked him." He launched into details of what happened.

"...What?" Percy's eyes remained fixed on Ron.

"Hagrid's alright now," confirmed Ginny. "The Healers patched him up."

"Where is he?" asked Percy.

"Outside. He said he's fine with staying by the door while we talked to you."

"Tell us what happened to you," said Ron, looking closely at Percy.

Percy shifted uncomfortably in his bed. "I was in my office this morning... I actually don't remember much of anything else at the time the incident happened, but I woke up, and here I am. I had plans to visit the Burrow but... like I said, I never had the chance."

They exchanged nervous glances with each other. "The attack, did you see anyone or heard anything?" asked Hermione anxiously.

Percy shook his head. "No. I don't think I saw anyone... although I think I heard someone mutter something before I passed out."

Hermione tightened her grip on her fists, and Ron and Ginny had suddenly turned pale.

"What's going on?" insisted Percy. "You said I was at home?"

"Early this morning you Flooed to the Burrow," Hermione explained quickly, drops of stressed perspiration beginning to come out of her forehead. "We talked to you and – Oh Merlin!" She brought her shaking hands to cover her mouth.

Percy sat up straight in bed, panic blossoming across his face at the sight of Hermione's alarmed look. "Is there someone pretending to be me right now?"

No one said anything, but any suspicions would have been confirmed when he heard Ginny gasp, "Mum and dad – Harry!"

Percy scrambled out of his bed, and with no time to spare, they all darted quickly outside the ward.

"I'll come back, Augustus!" Percy said in a hurried voice, leaving a stupefied-looking Healer behind.

It was eerily quiet when they Apparated back outside of the Burrow. Even the gnomes hiding under the rose bushes seemed to have been hushed. Hagrid in the lead tramped as quickly toward the house as he could without letting his heavy footsteps fall too loudly, the teens at his heels. He pushed the front door very slowly, his pink umbrella raised and at the ready.

A stillness permeated throughout the whole house, and the scene of total devastation met their eyes. The kitchen was a mess; chairs were strewn across the floor with shards of glass and china. Even the windows stood cracked and jagged in their frames as well. Hagrid's sudden small intake of breath made the teens swivel their heads to follow his gaze. They gasped when they found Mr. and Mrs. Weasley unconscious on the floor, their wands inches away from their hands.

Ginny rushed to their sides, tears starting to well in her eyes. "Mum? Dad?" she called with a quivering voice. She immediately checked for their pulse, and she gave a sigh of relief. "It looks like they put up some sort of fight, but they were knocked out by a stunning spell."

"But wha' happened 'ere?" asked Hagrid quietly, looking around the small kitchen. Before someone could even say or do anything, a chuckle followed by a piercing cry of pain echoed in the living room. They hurried to see who had caused the noise but stopped in their tracks, and the remaining colour drained from their faces at once.

Percy Weasley was seated on a chair with his arms and legs crossed like some self-satisfied politician waiting for his next appointment. It seemed obvious that the impostor had used a Polyjuice potion to look like Percy. The real one raised his wand high, ready to strike his look-alike in front of them. But the fake Percy inclined his head to the side - Harry lay doubled over on the floor and writhing in agony.

"Funny how a few drops of this potion can cause so much pain," mused the impostor while examining the remaining liquid inside a small vial in his hand. He didn't look up at the small crowd that had formed in front of him nor flinched at the five wands pointed at him. He seemed as if he already knew who they were, so much as to act as if he were enjoying a cordial visit from them as he reclined upon the chair.

If Hagrid hadn't been holding him up and gripping his arm tightly to stop him, Ron would've succeeded in leaping straight to the impostor to tackle him. He only gritted his teeth in anger. "Who are you and what have you done to Harry?" he hissed in a deadly voice, his wand aimed directly at the fake Percy who grinned menacingly, making him growl in annoyance. The impostor reached his hand over to Harry's hair and pulled his head up sharply for everyone in the room to see his pained face.

"Don't you dare touch him!" barked Hagrid. He lunged at the impostor who immediately flicked his wrist, hanging him immobile in the air. Ron was having a hard time suppressing his fury. The tip of his wand was producing sparks.

But the fake Percy only ignored Hagrid. He flashed a triumphant and sadistic smile and replied casually to Ron, "I poisoned him, you see. You don't know how long I've waited to hear his scream and see him in so much pain." He paused momentarily as if to savour the sound of Harry's screams of pain.

"Why are you doing this?" Hermione asked, distraught. She advanced on the impostor slowly but stopped when he tilted the vial of poison close to Harry's lips as a warning.

Without preamble, the impostor drew out another vial of potion in his pocket and drank the contents; his appearance changing quickly. Before their eyes, curly red hair lengthened into long, pale blond hair that tied itself into a neat braid to hang down to his lower back, and his freckled features morphed into hard, blunt angles, but the unpleasant smile he wore remained.

Hermione's insides plummeted sickeningly, while Ginny and Percy gave a gasp of horror at the sight of a Death Eater. Hagrid sent death glares toward him.

Ron gasped. "Corban Yaxley," he muttered under her breath.

"That's right." Yaxley leaned his back against the chair again. "I have to say, I quite like that place where you tried to Disapparate to the last time you three were at the Ministry pretending to be someone else. I kept it for my hiding purposes, very useful."

"G–grim… mauld pl–lace isn't… y–yours to keep," croaked Harry weakly, through continuous writhes, and he cried out beside Yaxley as the poison intensified.

Yaxley gave a soft chuckle. "Oh, but it's mine now. You took away what was important to me, so I shall take away yours. The Dark Lord had plans, and you destroyed them." He kicked Harry's back and he let out a loud cry.

Ron looked as if he wanted to strangle Yaxley while Hermione and Ginny were on the verge of tears. They slowly advanced on him, their wands held high and unwavering.

"Oh, I heard Harry is dying," mocked Yaxley. He held up the poison and added, "This will speed up the process, won't it? But more painfully." His eyes shone with malice, and he grinned evilly at them before he flicked his wand and Disapparated.

A distressed "No!" burst forth from Ron's lips, but Hermione and Ginny instantly dropped their wands to rush to Harry's side. The real Percy cast the countercurse at Hagrid to make him move once again.

"Harry..." Hagrid scooped the limp boy into his arms. Harry's breathing wheezed heavily, and cries of pain still reverberated around the living room.

With Harry tucked safely in the giant's arms, Ginny dashed to the kitchen to begin nursing her parents who were still unconscious. Percy began muttering a charm to repair all the damages done in the house, a look of rage visible in his features.

"Hagrid, we have to take them to St. Mungo's and we need to go now!" yelled Hermione, shaking with panic.

"We have a Portkey that you can use," Percy told Hermione, pausing his mutterings. "It'll send you all straight to the hospital's lobby." He ran back in the kitchen to get it, and when he came back, he tossed an out-of-date Witch Weekly magazine to Ron who caught it. "I'll have to stay here at the Burrow. I'll contact the Minister and tell him what happened."

Hermione conjured a stretcher for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley while Hagrid cradled Harry and chanted some words of comfort to him. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny gathered around, and they all stood touching the Portkey, and after a moment, the magazine sucked them into oblivion.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were being treated in the same room together while Harry was placed in a separate and more secluded ward, both on the same floor. Augustus Pye had assisted the Weasley family once again when he was at the lobby. He had fumbled with his words a moment as if he wasn't expecting the group to arrive with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in separate stretchers and unconscious. He helped them right away to get checked in rooms. Ron stared at Augustus. He couldn't help but think whether the Healer found it odd to keep seeing his family always in a terrible state, or wondered what they had been doing with their life that they keep coming back to the hospital and always looking unstable.

Harry's screams were the only sound anyone could hear when they arrived at the lobby. The Healers had turned their heads and couldn't believe what they were seeing. For the first time after the war, the Boy-Who-Lived had shown himself but not how they were expecting. Anyone would have thought he would be living his life finally free from harm, but the reality couldn't have been any farther. Harry was instead, looking sickly pale, shaking, gasping for air with pupils dilated, and screaming wildly as excruciating pain hit his whole body.

Hermione shuffled in front of the desk again in the same day, looking breathless. "We need help fast! Harry has been poisoned."

Quite unsurprisingly, the bored-looking blonde witch nearly fell from her seat, momentarily taken aback when he heard the name. "Harry? Are you talking about the Harry Potter?"

"Yes!" snapped Hermione. "He needs help NOW!"

The blonde witch yelped. "Y–yes… right away." She frantically called over some Healers who bustled out of the room a second later, having taken Harry away from Hagrid. The witch then directed the rest of the group to go to the fourth-floor waiting room, but Hagrid disregarded it and followed Harry, parting aside a crowd of protesting Healers.

Inside the waiting room, Hermione started pacing. Ron huddled himself in a corner, silently thinking of what had just occurred. Ginny had her hands together and looked extremely worried. Three Weasley family members had been attacked, and everyone was still trying to figure out what had transpired.

"We have to act now and brew that potion," said Hermione fretfully to Ron and Ginny. "I don't want to think about what the poison could do to Harry even if the Healers can come up with that antidote. His body might not take it with his current sickness, and the poison could trap itself completely."

"The Healers have all sorts of very potent antidotes that could cure mild to rare poisons." Ron asserted to Hermione. "So they must have the one to that poison. We're in a bloody hospital! I'm sure they wouldn't let Harry die just like that."

"I wouldn't want to think that either," said Ginny in a distressed voice. "But Hermione's got a point as well. If they don't completely get rid of the poison, it can pose a graver threat to Harry's other sickness. I'm afraid he might not be able to handle it really well this time."

"That Yaxley!" burst out Ron, his face enraged. "I'll kill that bastard if I ever see him again. I'm sure he and Malfoy were behind all these attacks. We have to confront Malfoy, and the sooner the better. He won't get away with this. I will make sure he goes to Azkaban!"

To be continued...

Beta-read by KVeronicaP, Chirpo