Harry followed closely behind the Weasley siblings, sprinting all the way to the Headmaster's Office. By the time he rushed up the spiral staircase, his lungs felt like they were on fire.
The office was very crowded, and the wizard standing in the room, surrounded by the Weasley family, was Remus Lupin.
The Weasley siblings, having visited Lupin's house with Harry before, were not unfamiliar with him and immediately asked:
"Mr. Lupin, what's going on?"
"Why is Dad injured?"
"Is it serious? How is he now?"
Lupin raised his hands, making a calming gesture, and said, "Calm down, children. First, Arthur is alive—thank goodness, there are Unspeakables at the Ministry of Magic even on weekends. They found him and immediately sent him to St Mungo's."
Ginny asked tearfully, "He'll be okay, right?"
Lupin looked at them, trying not to show any sign of worry, and gently said, "St Mungo's has the best Healers, and they'll do everything to help him."
Ron stared blankly at him while the others' faces changed simultaneously.
—Lupin didn't directly answer, could it mean Arthur Weasley's condition is worse than expected?
George asked hoarsely, "Does Mom know?"
"Sirius went to notify Jasmine," Lupin said. "He should be able to bring her over soon."
"We want to go too!" Fred said anxiously. "We're heading to St Mungo's Hospital now."
"Of course, that's why I'm here," Lupin said patiently. "But wait a moment, to connect the school's fireplace to the Floo Network, we need Dumbledore's authorization..."
"Where is Professor Dumbledore?" Fred said impatiently.
At that moment, Ron seemed to have come to his senses, his voice trembling: "It's Sunday, why was Dad at the Ministry? Wasn't he... supposed to be at home with Mom? How did he get injured?"
"Your father was injured while working for the Order of Phoenix," a voice suddenly came from outside the door.
The next moment, Dumbledore strode in, his silver hair and beard less tidy than usual. His cloak carried the chill from outside, and his expression was unusually solemn.
He appeared and the room instantly quieted down.
"As for how he was injured..." Dumbledore paused and said, "No one saw it happen. We have to wait for Arthur to wake up and tell us himself."
"Will Dad wake up?" George said desperately. "Professor McGonagall said his life is hanging by a thread..."
"He will," Dumbledore looked into his eyes and said, "He'll recover and in a few days, will be spending Christmas with you."
Upon hearing this, the Weasleys finally calmed down a little. Ginny covered her mouth, tears welling up instinctively, and muttered, "That's great..."
Just then, in a blank portrait on the wall, an elderly witch with silver curls appeared.
Former Headmistress Dilys Derwent said, "Jasmine Weasley has already arrived at the hospital. I saw her run past the bottom of my portrait."
"Thank you, Dilys," Dumbledore said, looking at the Weasley family, "Now, I'll send you to St Mungo's..."
"We're ready!" The eager Fred and George already ran to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of Floo Powder.
Dumbledore took out his Magic Wand and tapped the fireplace, a green glow began to spread from the spot Dumbledore touched, illuminating the intricate patterns around the fireplace, then disappeared.
Dumbledore's gaze swept over Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny, and said:
"Remember, children, you are not only going to visit your father but also to support and protect your mother. She needs you to stay calm and united, rather than causing trouble, understand?"
"Of course." Fred took a deep breath and said, "We know what to do."
"And also," Dumbledore continued, "if your father gets better, wakes up, he might try to tell you something. Listen carefully, don't ask, remember every word he says, but don't let him exert too much energy, can you do that?"
Fred and George exchanged a glance, then said seriously, "We can."
Ginny squeezed her palm, and Ron, lacking the strength to speak, just nodded.
The fireplace flared up with green fire, and the Weasley family vanished one by one.
Harry stepped forward quickly, looking at Dumbledore, his lips moved:
"Professor... can I go too? I'm worried about Mr. Weasley too..."
Even though Harry has his godfather Sirius, the motherly care Jasmine provided him was something different.
She always worried about whether his sweater was warm enough, if he had eaten enough, and even helped him wash his socks and mend his clothes, giving Harry a sense that he was also loved by a "mother."
With the enthusiastic invitation from the Weasley family, nearly every holiday, Harry would spend a few days, even a week or two, at the Burrow.
To him, the Burrow seemed like another home.
Dumbledore looked down at Harry, his gaze deep and complex, filled with emotions Harry couldn't comprehend.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Dumbledore nodded slightly and said, "Of course you can, Harry. I think Jasmine and Arthur will feel comforted seeing you."
"But you must promise me that once you're at the hospital, stay with your friends or Sirius, don't go off alone."
Harry nodded in agreement, threw the Floo Powder into the fire, and stepped in confidently, loudly announcing, "St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries!"
"Boom—"
The emerald green light illuminated, brightening the entire office.
"I'm heading over as well," Lupin said at the fireplace. "Headmaster, is there anything else you need me to do?"
"Contact Alastor," Dumbledore said. "Tell him to drop what he's doing and get to St Mungo's as fast as possible. We don't know what Arthur saw before he got hurt, and we must prevent the attackers from trying to silence him."
"Understood." Lupin's expression turned urgent and he quickly left via the fireplace.
The next moment—
"Knock knock, knock."
There was a knock on the Headmaster's Office door.
Dumbledore turned to look, seeing Vid standing at the open door, knocking with his knuckles, asking, "May I come in, Professor?"
"Certainly." Dumbledore's voice returned to its gentle tone: "Come in."
The portraits on the wall glanced at the young boy entering, before Dilys Derwent worriedly said:
"Albus, I saw them carry Arthur Weasley past the bottom of my portrait... honestly, the situation does not look good. He's very badly hurt, you need to be prepared for that."
"I know." Dumbledore motioned Vid to sit down, and he himself sat and said, "Before coming here, I took a look at Arthur's situation. The most serious thing was the snake venom, but fortunately—we had prepared an antidote in advance."
His gaze fell on Vid, with a tone that carried some relief:
"Thanks to Fox, and you and Harry, Vid."