George was unsure on what to do or what to say to the children, he slowly got to his feet, moving towards the door on the other side of the Hospital Wing, that led to Madam Pomfrey's office. Raising his hand, he knocked three times in quick succession.
On the other side of a door, there was a crumpling sound and then the sound of shuffling feet, getting louder as Pomfrey approached the door. The door opened with a clang and the Matron bustled out almost hitting George who had the sense to jump back quickly so not to be trampled.
"Yes, Mr Weasley," she asked looking down at George with a gentle smile.
"They're awake" He replied but his expression was closer to a grimace than a smile, causing Madam Pomfrey's expression to change to one of worry.
"They don't remember do they," she said it knowingly rather than as a question, George shook his head mutely in reply, and she went on "I was afraid of this, I've just been analysing a sample of the potion as well as one of their blood. The Aging Potion that you and your brother made has mixed with the ingredients in Miss Grangers potions kit." she told him.
"Well, what does that mean for Fred and Hermione?" George asked in frustration.
"The standard ingredients for her year group when mixed together create a Memory Draft that is designed to restore the memories of those who have been obliviated. The problem is that Miss Granger had the following ingredients that weren't on her school list in her potions kit; Dragons Blood, Unicorn Horn, Acromantula Venom, and a Bezoar. I can only imagine what these ingredients have done to the mix, but I think I have a very probable idea." She told him cautiously.
"What do you think the combination of ingredients has done?" George asked in a small, frightened voice.
"I think that the Aging Potion and Memory Draft alone would have worked as intended or they may have gained forgotten memories of themselves when they were younger, when you add into the mix the Unicorn Horn however you are purifying them. This could react with the Aging and Memory potions and reverse their effects to the point when they were purest in both mind and body. One of the 12 uses of Dragons Blood is that it strengthens any potion it has contact with so in this case it would increase the effects of the Unicorn Horn, overthrowing the original effects of the Memory and Aging Potions. I don't think that the Acromantula Venom or the Bezoar affected the potion, but they were effective on their own anyway. The poison that is in the Venom would have killed them had Miss Granger carried the Bezoar in her kit." She told him gravely.
"They could have died?" he asked worriedly.
"Yes, they most certainly could have but luckily the Bezoar counteracted the effects of the Poison. Of course, this is only my opinion of what happened and I'm no potions master so when Professor Snape gets back from collecting ingredients in the Forbidden Forest, I will have him analyse the concoction as well." she finished with a sad smile.
George had stood and listened to Pomfrey in shock that she could say so much and struggled to comprehend what she had told him. He felt the horror that his twin and one of his friends could have died; he also felt anger that Hermione could be so reckless as to carry around substances like Acromantula Venom; didn't she realise how dangerous it was. When she was, if she was re-aged, George was going to let her know just how reckless she had been, then he would be going through her potions kit and removing anything that was not required for school. A part of him new that this was hypocritical as he and Fred often experimented with dangerous and often highly explosive substances not on their school lists, but Hermione was like a little sister to him and he didn't want to see her to endanger herself.
George watched anxiously as Madam Pomfrey bustled over to Fred and Hermione, the thought that they might never be re-aged, planted firmly in his mind.