Hogwarts' Niffler: All I Need Is Galleons

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 headboard, gritting his teeth as he watched Draco, sipping on the bitter potion that was his only meal.

Ron had lost too much vitality and, upon regaining it, his body was too weak to handle normal food. Even the potion 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 ascend.

Draco, seeing Ron's frustrated and gloomy face, laughed with a schadenfreude expression, looking extremely 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 you right for being so arrogant!" Ron laughed 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 under the covers, muttering "Impossible, impossible."

Ron's laughter turned to confusion.

He looked over, but his view was blocked by a screen.

Ron scratched his head, puzzled, as he poured the last 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 wanted to get out of bed and run over, but his limbs were weak, and he nearly fell.

Hoare and Harry rushed over, helping Ron back onto the bed.

"Ron," Hoare said with a happy smile, standing by Ron's bed.

"Hoare, did you come to see me because you were worried?" Ron's eyes sparkled, looking very touched.

Pansy and Blaise went to the opposite bed to check on Draco, who was hiding under the covers, refusing to come out.

Harry and Hermione greeted Ron and then sat on the adjacent bed, each opening a bag of snacks, ready to watch the drama unfold.

Hoare sat on a small stool by Ron's bed, looking relaxed. "No, I've been at Hogwarts all along."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ron asked, confused.

"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 Flavor Bean from Harry's hand, popped it into his mouth, chewed twice, and made a disgusted face. "Ew—booger flavor."

"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 expression returned to normal, Ron finally processed what Hoare had said.

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He chuckled awkwardly, "Hoare, you're joking, right? You can'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 turned to 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 change the subject, refusing to face reality.

He scratched his forehead, wondering what there was to avoid.

Hoare didn't understand.

When he first arrived at Hogwarts, he was most afraid of encountering Ron. Ron was so familiar with his little habits and quirks that Hoare worried Ron would recognize him.

To prevent this, Hoare had deliberately picked fights with Ron several times to keep him at a distance.

But in reality, Ron never thought that much.

Hoare sighed and said, "Ron, look at me."

He wiped his face in front of Ron.

When his hand dropped, Ron saw Henry's face on Hoare's body.

"Henry! William?" Ron screamed, his voice trembling.

"Harry! Hermione!" Ron quickly turned to his friends on the next 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 black 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 returned to his usual self.

He cautiously confirmed, "Henry William from Slytherin?"

"Uh-huh," Hoare replied.

"The Henry William who played violently in the Quidditch match?"

"Uh-huh," Hoare replied.

"The Henry William who called me out in Potions class and cost me fifteen points?"

"Uh-huh," Hoare replied.

"The Henry William who stole all the Slytherin gems?"

Of course, Ron whispered the last 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 come? No, wasn't Henry William here from the start?"

"What happened? Hoare?"

"How did you become 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 mind went blank.

Before this, he didn't exactly hate Henry William, but he certainly didn't like him!

But now, Hoare was telling him he was Henry William.

Why!? Ron didn't understand.

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 blaming him, so he quickly waved his hands and explained, "Hoare, I'm not blaming 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..."