Chapter 53 Preparing for Preparations for War

Dumbledore escorted me to the Hospital Wing another half an hour later. Ariel found me on the staircase going to the Wing and I was more than happy to pick her up.

"I will ask Madam Pomfrey if she can give you a Sleeping Potion as well." Dumbledore said when he opened the Hospital Wing door for me.

"Thank -" I didn't get to finish.

"She is not allowed in here!" Molly was suddenly next to us.

"Molly -" Dumbledore said.

"No! I will not have her near Harry!" She was yelling in a whisper.

Suddenly there was a growl at my hip.

Molly paled and backed away from Snuffles.

"Mum, leave Cassie alone. She hasn't done anything wrong." Bill was there, putting his hand on Molly's shoulder and pulling her away slowly.

"Snuffles, it's okay." Ron had walked up.

Snuffles kept growling and nudged me with his shoulder.

"Lead the way." I said to him.

Snuffles led me to the bed next to Harry and I turned to look at Dumbledore.

"Can I push -?" I pointed to the beds.

"Yes, just a moment." Dumbledore nodded and with a wave of his wand, the nightstand moved and the empty bed was pushed closer to Harry's bed.

"Thank you, Professor." I said to him and sat on the bed.

Snuffles jumped on the bed with Harry and settled his head close to me.

I started to pet his ears as Ariel purred next to us.

"Madam Pomfrey said you were going to be joining us, she said to give you these." Hermione spoke softly.

I blinked up at her, and saw that she had some pajamas in her hands.

"Oh, thank you!" I said.

Hermione pulled the curtain around us and stood with her back turned.

"Cassie, I -" She paused.

"It's okay." I told her.

"No, it's not okay." She said, her voice spiking in anger.

"Right now, Harry is more important than I am." I said.

"No!" She turned around and looked over my head.

"I'm decent." I giggled.

"You -" She shook her head.

"What is it?" I asked.

She shook her head again and next thing I knew, she was hugging me.

I hugged her back.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered to me.

My lip quivered, but no tears came out.

"Thank you." I whispered back.

"Miss Zwart." Madam Pomfrey said from outside the curtain.

I pulled back the curtain and she had a bottle of Sleeping Potion in her hand.

"This will put you in a dreamless sleep." She told me as she handed it to me.

"Thank you." I said.

Molly made a noise of protest, but Madam Pomfrey turned a death glare to the woman. Molly looked away in anger and started whispering angrily to Bill.

I took a drink of the potion and climbed into the bed next to Harry's.

Snuffles moved and waited until I was settled in next to Harry, with Ariel curled up against my stomach. Snuffles layed out between mine and Harry's feet, touching the both of us.

When I woke up, I didn't feel well rested.

"They'll wake him up if they don't shut up!"

"What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?"

I let out a little groan and opened my eyes.

I was a little surprised to see Harry opening his eyes as well.

"You're here." He whispered, blinking at me.

"I told you I would be." I whispered back.

"That's Fudge's voice." Molly whispered somewhere in the room. "And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?"

I heard them too: people shouting and running toward the hospital wing.

"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva -" Cornelius Fudge was saying loudly.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" yelled McGonagall. "When Dumbledore finds out -"

The doors burst open, and I finally sat up. No one noticed since everyone was focused on the doors.

I heard Harry sit up as well.

Fudge came striding into the ward. McGonagall and Snape were on his heels.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded Molly.

"He's not here," Molly said angrily. "This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to -"

But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping in.

"What has happened?" Dumbledore asked, looking from Fudge to McGonagall. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you - I asked you to guard over Barty Crouch -"

"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!" She shrieked. "The Minister has seen to that!"

I have never seen her as furious as she was now. Her cheeks had blotches of red, and her hands were in fists. She was shaking in anger.

"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," Snape's voice was low, but I could sense the anger in it as well. "He seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch -"

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" McGonagall interrupted. "I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but -"

"My dear woman!" Fudge roared, "as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous -"

But McGonagall's voice drowned Fudge's.

"The moment that - that thing entered the room," she screamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, "it swooped down on Crouch and - and -"

My stomach dropped.

He was given the Dementor's Kiss.

"By all accounts, he is no loss!" Fudge blustered. "It seems he has been responsible for several deaths!"

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," Dumbledore's stare was hard. "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery it is?" Fudge was getting uncomfortable under Dumbledore's stare. "He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!"

"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."

Fudge looked as though someone had swung a heavy weight into his face. Dazed and blinking, he stared back at Dumbledore as if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. He began to sputter, still goggling at Dumbledore.

"You-Know-Who… returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore…"

"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you," Dumbledore spoke over him, "we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort - learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins - went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."

"See here, Dumbledore," I was surprised, and then angry to see Fudge smiling, "you - you can't seriously believe that. You-Know-Who - back? Come now, come now… certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders - but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore…"

"When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort," Dumbledore said steadily. "He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office."

Dumbledore looked over at us and shook his head.

"I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight."

Fudge's smile lingered, and he turned to look at us, and then back to Dumbledore, "you are - er - prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"

There was a moment of silence, but it was broken by Snuffles growling. His hackles were raised at Fudge.

I put my hand on his head, but didn't do much else.

"Certainly, I believe Harry." Dumbledore's eyes blazed so brightly, I saw them. "I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer."

Fudge had that strange smile on his face still, he turned to face Harry, his eyes glazing over me.

"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who… well…"

I rolled my eyes.

"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge." Harry said quietly.

Everyone who had their back facing us jumped.

Fudge reddened, but he kept his head up.

"And if I have?" he said, looking at Dumbledore. "If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place -"

"I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?" Dumbledore's voice was cool.

"You admit that he has been having these pains, then?" Fudge said quickly. "Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly - hallucinations?"

"Listen to me, Cornelius," Dumbledore took a step towards Fudge, and he seemed to radiate that indefinable sense of power. "Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous."

Fudge had taken half a step away from Dumbledore, but his head was held high.

"You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before…"

"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted.

I flinched from the sudden volume.

He tried getting out of bed, but Molly was quick to move and keep him in bed.

"I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy -"

I flinched again.

I get that Harry wanted the Minister to know the truth, but damn.

"Malfoy was cleared!" Fudge was visibly affronted. "A very old family - donations to excellent causes - and taking care of extended family -" Fudge's eyes flickered to me for just a second.

"Macnair!" Harry continued.

"Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!"

"Avery - Nott - Crabbe - Goyle -"

"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" Fudge said angrily. "You could have found those names in old reports of the trails! For heaven's sake, Dumbledore - the boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too - his tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them - the boy can talk to snakes, Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?"

"You fool!" McGonagall cried. "Cassius Warrington! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!"

I flinched at Cassius' name.

"I see no evidence to the contrary!" Fudge shouted, now matching her anger, his face purpling. "It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!"

I didn't know what to say.

'I'm a Seer, you should listen to me.'

I looked at Dumbledore who shook his head.

"Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore repeated. "If you accept that fact straightaway, Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the dementors -"

"Preposterous!" Fudge shouted again. "Remove the dementors? I'd be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know the dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!"

"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant he asks them!" Dumbledore said. "They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for the powers and their pleasures than you can! With the dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!"

Fudge had no words, but he was trying to find them with the way he opened and closed his mouth.

"The second step you must take - and at once," Dumbledore pressed on, "is send envoys to the giants."

"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, his tongue working again. "What madness is this?"

"Extend them the hand of friendship, now, before it is too late," Dumbledore continued, "or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!"

"You - you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Dumbledore. "If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants - people hate them, Dumbledore - end of my career -"

"You are blinded," Dumbledore's voice started to rise, "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any - and see what that man chose to make his life! I tell you now - take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act - history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"

"Insane," whispered Fudge, still backing away. "Mad…"

And then, silence.

Madam Pomfrey had shown up at the foot of our beds, her hands over her mouth. Everyone else surrounded Harry and I.

"If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, "we have reached a parting of ways. You must act as you see fit. And I - I shall act as I see fit."

Dumbledore didn't carry a hint of a threat, but Fudge misheard his message.

"Now, see here, Dumbledore," Fudge said, waving a threatening finger. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me -"

"The only one against whom I intend to work," Dumbledore said calmly, "is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."

It seemed Fudge couldn't think of an answer. He rocked on his feet for a moment and spun his bowler hat in his hands.

"He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be…"

Snape stepped forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He stuck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled.

"There," Snape said harshly. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Fudge stepped back from Snape too. He was shaking his head. He did not seem to have taken in a word Snape had said.

I stood up, but it was Hermione who pushed me down, and McGonagall who pushed her hand at me to stay down.

Fudge whispered, "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry."

He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around, strode back down the dormitory, and stopped at Harry's bed.

"Your winnings," he said shortly, taking a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropping it onto Harry's bedside table. "One thousand Galleons. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances…"

He crammed his bowler hat back on his head and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned a look at the group around our beds.

"There is work to be done," he said. "Molly… am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"

"Of course you can," said Molly. "We know what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all those years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride."

"Then I need to send a message to Arthur," Dumbledore nodded. "All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as short sighted as Cornelius."

"I'll go to Dad," Bill stood up, "I'll go now."

"Excellent," Dumbledore nodded. "Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry -"

"Leave it to me," Bill said.

Bill clapped Harry on the shoulder, kissed Molly on the cheek, pulled on his cloak, and strode quickly from the room.

"Minerva," Dumbledore said, turning to McGonagall. "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also - if she will consent to come - Madame Maxime."

McGonagall nodded and left without a word.

"Poppy," Dumbledore turned to Madam Pomfrey, "would you be very kind and go down to Professor Moody's office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her, and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us."

"Very - very well," Madam Pomfrey looked startled at the request, but left.

Dumbledore waited until the door was closed, and Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had died away.

"And now," he turned towards us again, "it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius… if you could resume your usual form."

Snuffles looked at Dumbledore, slid off the bed, and then turned into a man.

Molly let out a shriek, causing everyone to flinch.

"Sirius Black!" Molly shrieked.

I stood up and turned to face Molly, glaring at her.

Snape had not reacted so obviously, but his face showed fury and horror.

"Him!" he snarled at Sirius, whose face I'm sure mirrored Snape's.

"What is he doing here?" Snape asked.

"He is here at my invitation," Dumbledore said, looking between them, "as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time to lay aside your old differences and trust each other."

Sirius put both hands on my shoulders.

"I will settle, in the short term," Dumbledore sounded impatient, "for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, there is no hope for any of us."

Very slowly, Sirius let go of my shoulders and walked over to Snape. They quickly shook hands and let go just as fast.

"That will do to be going on with," Dumbledore stepped in front of them and Sirius stepped behind me. "Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher - the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there."

"But -" Harry spoke up.

I'm sure I felt the same way he did.

Sirius just got here!

"You'll see me very soon, Harry." Sirius turned to Harry. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Yeah… of course I do."

Sirius let me go to grasp Harry's hand briefly. When he turned to me, I surprised him by hugging him around his middle.

"Please be safe." I mumbled into his shirt.

"Be safe, Treasure." He mumbled to me and let me go.

I couldn't bring myself to cry as I watched him transform back into Snuffles and walk out of the dormitory.

"Severus," Dumbledore turned to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready… if you are prepared…"

"I am," Snape nodded.

He looked slightly paler than usual, and his black eyes glittered with a strange emotion I couldn't place.

"Then good luck," Dumbledore told him, and watched him walk out too.

Dumbledore turned to me.

"I know what I have to do." I told him.

"What do you have to do?" Ron asked.

"Ronald." Molly hissed.

"No mum," Ron shook his head at his mother. "Cassie, what do you have to do?" He asked.

"Sit here with Harry, and hope that Sirius doesn't get caught." I said, walking back over to Harry and sitting next to him.

My shoulders didn't shrug this time.

"I must go downstairs," Dumbledore spoke up before I could be questioned further. "I must see the Warringtons. Harry - Cassie - take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later."

There was a long moment of silence, and then Molly turned to Harry.

Hermione was the one to hand me the rest of my potion as Molly and Harry shared a moment.

Harry waited until I was laying down before he slumped down, facing me. He placed his pinky finger over mine.

"You feeling okay?" I asked him.

"Honestly?"

"Honestly." I confirmed.

I heard Ron and Hermione whispering furiously with Molly about something.

"I'm not okay." He admitted to me.

"It's okay to not be okay, Harry." I whispered to him, the potion taking its effect on me.

I was suddenly startled by a loud slamming noise, but I couldn't lift my head to see what had happened, but I was pretty sure that Hermione had finally caught Rita Skeeter.

We had a cute little Sirius and Cassie moment! Ah! I'm sad it had to be cut short!

Shout out to Pamela Hutchins for leaving a review!

Pamela Hutchins: I'm freaking out too!