For a moment, Jon thought Snape might suspect him.
But judging by Snape's expression, that didn't seem likely… After all, he hardly even looked at him. Jon, of course, had no idea that Harry Potter was currently in the Potions office, secretly watching the memory of his father and his father's friends bullying young Snape. With Umbridge in charge, Snape—ever the cautious double agent—would never leave his office unprotected...
Still, the Hospital Wing was some distance from the Potions office, so it would be difficult for Snape to rush back in time to stop Harry Potter's snooping.
Umbridge and the other Slytherins, on the other hand, had no suspicions about Jon… Instead, they were amazed that a fourth-year Slytherin could perform a spell like Apparition.
Though Jon claimed he'd simply been lucky.
Jon Hart certainly hadn't been shoved headfirst into the second-floor Vanishing Cabinet by the Weasley twins… He'd cast an Obliviate on each of them, ensuring their memories made them believe they had done it themselves.
When the Weasleys left Hogwarts, they told Umbridge and Malfoy about the incident out of basic decency. Naturally, Umbridge believed it… After all, she had exhausted every avenue—including contacting multiple Ministry departments—and still failed to find any trace of Christopher Patrick. As far as she knew, he had truly vanished from the world.
So in her mind, the only explanation was that Patrick had been trapped inside the Vanishing Cabinet.
This morning, when Fawkes arrived to deliver food, Jon had her transport him to Hogsmeade… He then cast several spells on himself to make his complexion pale and to make himself look pale and gaunt—spells he had learned from Headmaster Phineas Black.
Afterwards, Jon pretended to collapse at the Hogwarts gates and waited for Filch to discover him during his cleaning rounds…
The wizarding world had no formal medical guidelines, and healers like Madam Pomfrey relied entirely on their experience for diagnoses. One look at Jon, combined with his explanation, and she promptly gave him a large bottle of restorative potion.
On the surface, Jon appeared to drink it all. In truth, he poured it onto the floor while Pomfrey wasn't looking and then used a Cleaning Charm to erase the evidence.
...
A few days later, Christopher Patrick was discharged. His body had nearly fully recovered, looking no different from before.
Over those days, the Slytherins who fancied themselves future Death Eaters visited him daily… Malfoy, worried Patrick might have suffered psychological trauma, even ordered Crabbe and Goyle to stay in the Hospital Wing to "provide emotional support."
This infuriated Madam Pomfrey, but with Headmistress Umbridge's approval, she was powerless to object… though Jon found the two brutes entirely useless.
Still, Crabbe and Goyle were loyal enough. More than once, they asked Jon if he wanted them to beat up Ron Weasley—the younger brother of the twins—to vent his anger.
Jon felt poor Ron had suffered a truly undeserved disaster, so he declined.
But Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem to take his refusal very seriously.
The day after Jon's discharge, Astoria returned to school as well… Students and teachers simply assumed she'd recovered from an ordinary illness, so her return caused no stir.
Jon didn't get a chance to approach her until Monday afternoon in Care of Magical Creatures.
...
In the days following Christopher Patrick's disappearance, Care of Magical Creatures professor Rubeus Hagrid had been placed under probation by Headmistress Umbridge.
She believed the Niffler that had broken into her office and caused extensive damage had been planted by Hagrid—though it had actually been the work of Lee Jordan, friend of the Weasley twins.
Perhaps because of concerns about his younger half-giant brother, Grawp, Hagrid's lessons had deteriorated… This week's class was about Thestrals, and while the material was interesting, the students were not.
Nearly twenty Gryffindor and Slytherin students attended the lesson, and not a single one of them had ever witnessed death. As a result, Hagrid was essentially lecturing to thin air, leaving the students bewildered (Thestrals can be seen only by those who have seen death firsthand).
With Umbridge repeatedly interrupting from the sidelines, Hagrid looked on the verge of tears.
When the bell rang, Umbridge left the hut beside the Forbidden Forest looking pleased with herself, spritzing a fresh layer of perfume. Hagrid trudged dejectedly into the depths of the forest.
Watching him go, Jon whispered to Avery and Selwyn, "Something's off about that half-giant. I'm going to follow him and take a look. You two head back to the castle."
Then Jon quietly slipped away.
...
Of course, Jon wasn't actually following Hagrid. Instead, he made his way to the grove where the Bowtruckles lived.
The little Bowtruckle that had helped Jon "deal with" Hermione spotted him immediately and hopped happily onto his shoulder.
Jon greeted it with a handshake while checking behind him occasionally, then slipped the ring off his finger.
Ten minutes later, Astoria Greengrass arrived as well… She had seen Jon rushing toward the Forbidden Forest earlier, understood the situation instantly, and made an excuse to come.
"Jon, I heard you were injured?" Astoria hurried toward him, worry in her voice. "Daphne told me you were missing for weeks before you escaped, and then you spent days in the Hospital Wing?"
"Nothing happened. I did it on purpose… I wasn't actually injured," Jon replied calmly, studying Astoria carefully.
Just as Headmistress Derwent had said, she appeared perfectly fine. After weeks of rest, her complexion looked rosier than ever.
Was he just overthinking it?
"That's wonderful!" Astoria let out a relieved breath and smiled faintly.
"And you?" Jon asked, his tone turning serious. "You were at St. Mungo's for weeks too…"
"I—I…" Astoria's smile vanished. She lowered her head, stammering as her voice weakened.