Oh wow! EIGHT reviews! I am flattered.
Guys, you are great. Really, my goal was ONE...
Of course I want to continue this fiction.
I just don't have all too much time to do so, I'm afraid. I hope you can wait.
Honestly, as long as I know someone is
still reading this I will
not dare quitting! Count on it.
Now to my dear reviewers:
Tatiana: You were my first! Thanks! Hope
you stay with me.
A Girl Who Knows: He, he! Yes, Fudge has
quite a temper! At least in this fic.
Borg: Well, well, well! If you were so
kind as to tell me WHAT you didn't like I might
change it.
Lily KittyKat: I will!
Darth Yoda: Funny screen name. I now have
a Beta! She'll help me through my bad
spelling, count on it.
Morrighan: I like cliffies, too. (Are you
still writing on "Damascus", btw? It's great!)
Frogstar: Like I said before, I intend to
continue a long as there's a reader.
Clio: I hope this fic will live up to your
expectations. (Although I fear Dumbledore
acts a little too 'tame' in this chapter... He has his reasons; trust
me!)
All right, do you want me to write a
disclaimer? I guess not.
(Still no new characters, unless you count
Fudge's two guards.)
Last but not least I want to thank my new,
wonderful beta-reader Della! You're great.
I don't know what I'd do without you. What
an improvement!
Now let's get on with it.
Have fun!
THE CHAOS BEGINS
From: Caius Julius
Chapter 2: Confrontation
Nothing happened.
Harry and Hermione
were just staring at each other. Snape closed his eyes slightly and eyed Fudge
with scorn but Harry got the
impression the
minister's announcement did not surprise the professor in the least.
He didn't seem to
think of giving Fudge his wand, either. He just sat back silently, the ghost of
one of his trademark sneers on his face.
"Cornelius,
what is the meaning of this?"
Dumbledore stepped between Snape and Fudge.
"Do you know
what you are doing?"
"Of course I
do! Who do you think I am?" He was shaking with rage now.
"I am the
Minister of Magic! But that is something some of you seem to have forgotten
about. I decide for the better of the people.
If you are against
me, you are against the people, which I have sworn to protect."
He needed to breath
out.
"And you
always did, Cornelius. But you cannot handle everything yourself."
Dumbledore put a
hand on his shoulder.
"There are times when you need to
rely on others as well."
Fudge eyed him
carefully.
"Oh, so you
are saying I don't see that I need someone right now. But just because that
'someone' I rely on isn't you doesn't mean
I don't have
anyone! There are quite a few very capable wizards and witches inside the
ministry."
"That's good,
Cornelius. But still, I don't understand your move. Why do you wish to arrest
Severus?
It has been months
since the Triwizards Tournament."
The minister
snorted, his anger only seemed to grow.
"Maybe I
needed time to think, Dumbledore. It doesn't happen everyday that someone you
have trusted as long as you can remember
begins to act...
strangely."
Dumbledore frowned
slightly but Fudge continued before he was able to answer.
"You know I
always counted on you, Dumbledore. But then I had to learn you hired a WEREWOLF
of all creatures.
When I found out I
was convinced it couldn't get any worse. But it did!"
He shot a glance
full of disdain towards Snape.
"Can you even
imagine how I felt when this - this teacher of yours revealed his loyalty to
You-know-Who?"
Snape scowled at Fudge,
who did not notice it. Harry wondered if Fudge was aware that the potions
master still had his wand.
Probably not. He
was too enraged. If Snape wanted to, he could blast the minister in a
heartbeat.
Harry saw Snape's
knuckles turn white as the professor grabbed hard at his chair.
He clearly had the
same thoughts as Harry.
"Of
course," Fudge went on, "I didn't want to believe you hired someone
with such a despicable past, Dumbledore.
I always thought
you were in your right mind when choosing your staff. I returned to the
ministry and began to do some research.
I was just about
to drop the whole matter because your prediction of the Dark Lord's return was
so unbelievable when your horror
scenario became true.
"I think you can
understand why I immediately began to look closer into the matter of your
beloved potions master. It was by mere
coincidence that I
came across some very interesting things. Do you want me to continue?" He
asked menacingly.
Dumbledore sighed
as if to explain a very obvious fact to a stubborn child.
"Cornelius, I know that Severus has
once been one of Voldemort's supporters."
At this Fudge gave
him a victorious grin but Dumbledore continued.
"He saw his
error, though, and has been our spy against the Death Eaters ever since."
Again, the
minister snorted.
"And you want
me to believe THAT!? Ha, what proves do you have? Oh, I know of Karkaroff's
trial. Believe me, I did a thorough research.
You vouched for
him, all right! But that is not enough in my opinion. What made you believe he
didn't lie to you?
Who checked his
confession?
He was never tried
in public. I would have known of that!"
Again, Fudge
reminded Dumbledore of an angry child.
"After his
surrender we held a private trial. We, that was Barty Crouch, Alastor Moody and
myself-"
Fudge's mirthless
laughter interrupted Dumbledore.
"Of course! I
should have known. Barty Crouch, who is dead, unfortunately, and thus cannot
confirm your statement, and Moody of all people.
Not very
trustworthy, either. At least not after this last year here at Hogwarts. He's a
little confused, you know, and who knows what your
potions master did
to him while his crony Crouch Jr. was teaching here.
You have to excuse
me but I don't quite take this as a 'proof' for Mr. Snape's innocence."
Harry saw
Dumbledore close his eyes as if to control him. When he opened them again he
was as calm as before but his voice
developed a
certain edge.
"Cornelius,
if you stopped being prejudiced for just a minute, you might be able to
understand what I am talking about.
These are
dangerous times. We MUST not begin a cold war amongst ourselves. We need
everyone we can get and, you must realise
that a spy of
Severus's calibre is simply invaluable! If you strip us of that source-"
Fudge took a
menacing step towards Dumbledore.
"I don't want to start a war. To be
honest, I try to prevent one. Trust me to understand a spy's value. I am
perfectly aware of what details
your 'friend' Snape will provide his
master with. A valuable spy indeed, for the enemy! You are a fool, Dumbledore,
if you don't realise that."
Harry noticed that
Dumbledore closed his eyes again as if he had to fight hard not to let anger
get the better of him.
"Cornelius, I
can assure you, Severus is truly on our side."
Fudge raised an
eyebrow. He was suddenly very calculating.
"Is he now. On ours... or on
yours?"
Dumbledore simply
stared at this display of ignorance. "What are you implying?""
"Oh, come
on!" Fudge continued, a mocking smile on his lips.
"You don't
believe I haven't noticed how you've always tried to hold the reins.
And now at the
dawn of chaos you want to secretly overpower me. Even if it means to rely on
dark creatures and scum.
You are
unfortunate, because I noticed!
"It wasn't easy, I
always trusted you, like I said before. Maybe I would never have found out if
it wasn't for my capable ministry workers.
One of them, a Mr.
Nott, former student of yours, was able to reveal some interesting details
about your potions master.
We have evidence
that Snape was at the scene of the Death Eater's last crime - and not as a
victim.
He was sloppy
because someone recognised him."
Dumbledore
exchanged glances with Snape who was shaking his head. The potions master's
eyes burned with anger and
his lips were
forming a thin line.
"That's a
lie, Cornelius." Dumbledore continued, looking at Fudge again. "Your
paranoia has got the better of you,
and your 'capable
ministry workers' made a use of it. You have to wake up before it is too late.
Be careful-"
Again, Fudge
interrupted him, his eyes dangerously closed to slits.
"You better
be careful, Dumbledore. You cannot save your potions master. I don't want to
question your loyalty as well."
For a few seconds
nobody spoke.
Hermione and Harry
just stared at each other. If the headmaster provoked Fudge any further he
might be arrested as well.
Dumbledore seemed
ready to fulfil their worst fears. But before he was able to say anything,
Snape stood up.
Dumbledore stopped
dead and everyone stared at the potions master.
He reached into
one of his pockets and Fudge made a face as if he expected Voldemort himself
would appear out of it.
Snape gave him a
pathetic smile and revealed his wand.
"Gentlemen,"
he said sarcastically to Fudge's companions who were still standing next to the
door.
"I believe
this is what you wanted." He threw the wand onto the desk.
He stepped behind
Dumbledore and Fudge towards the two men.
When nobody said
anything, Snape seemed to loose patience.
"What are you
waiting for?" his voice was cold and full of bitterness.
"Arrest me.
That's what you came here for, wasn't it?"
Hesitating, the
wizards exchanges glances and looked at Fudge. The minister nodded and one of
the men cast a spell that
tied Snape's hands
at his back.
Fudge cast a
satisfied glance over his prisoner and turned back to the headmaster.
"Well, it
seems he's indeed on your side, Dumbledore."
He waved at his
guards. "Take him away!"
The men grabbed
Snape's upper arms and led him out of the room.
Dumbledore seemed
unable to speak while Fudge simply stared at the door for a few seconds.
Finally, he said,
"All right, I
think my work here is done. If you would calm down, we could return to everyday
life."
Now it was the
headmaster who stared.
"Everyday
life? You have just arrested one of my teachers, Cornelius! Not only because he
once was a servant of Voldemort,
but also because
he contradicted you about the return of Voldemort - and you're talking about
'everyday life'. Your so-called proves
will never stand a
thorough examination. Your actions were arbitrary, and you know it!"
Dumbledore didn't
seem to care about control any more.
"Maybe they
were," Fudge admitted calmly. "But I am the one to make decisions here.
And about your 'thorough examination':
I am sure many
people, parents to be exact, wouldn't be too pleased if they knew you hired a
former Death Eater - let alone someone
who has returned
to You-Know-Who's fold. Trust me, I will find many who want to see your
precious potions master in Azkaban right now.
You can try to set
him free, Dumbledore, but I wouldn't advise it. I hope you will be a little more
co-operative in the future.
I do not wish to
doubt you again."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Thank you for your discretion, Cornelius. But when you bring Severus to
trial, I want to be his advocate."
Fudge raised an
eyebrow with a strange smile. "You are too late. Your Mr. Snape will not
be tried in public but I won't trial him
otherwise, either.
He's already been sentenced. As long as his innocence isn't proven he'll stay
in Azkaban.
I do appreciate
how you stand up for your staff, though."
He sighed.
"Well, now that that's over with I have to return to the ministry.
These are dark
times and there's a lot of work to do. Good day, Dumbledore."
He nodded towards the headmaster and left.
Dumbledore stared
at the door, shaking. Harry thought he looked extremely sad.
"Wasn't it
'innocent until proven otherwise', Cornelius? Dark times indeed!" the
headmaster murmured.
Finally, he turned to the table, pocketed
Snape's wand and left, obviously deep in thought.
Under their
invisibility cloak, Harry and Hermione did not dare to move for several
minutes. They were too shocked.
"I can't
believe it." Hermione whispered finally. "did you-"
Harry shook his
head to silence her.
"Let's get
back to the Gyffindor tower first. We can talk then, Ok?"
Hermione seemed to
think about it and nodded. Silently, she followed Harry out of the room and
back to their tower.
The common room
was no longer empty, a few students had already returned, so the two went
straight to Harry's dormitory.
Fortunately,
nobody was there.
Harry let himself
fall onto his bed. "Oh boy, and I really thought Fudge wanted to
apologise. I even liked him once!"
Hermione nodded,
bitterly. "He didn't arrest Snape only because of his past with Voldemort
but also to show Dumbledore his limits."
"That
self-important fool! What do you think the headmaster will do now?"
Hermione sighed.
"What CAN he do? I mean, somehow, Fudge's right! He's the minister, it's
up to him to decide.
He has every
justification to arrest Snape. He DID confess his former connection with the
Dark Lord rather impressively last year.
It seems to make
sense to put him away.
"Not enough, Fudge
almost blackmailed Dumbledore. If the headmaster stands up for Snape in public
and wants to set him free,
he will have to
reveal Snape's past. That would be a major blow to Dumbledore's reputation.
Imagine the shock when it becomes
known he hired a
former Death Eater! Fudge wanted to provoke Dumbledore. Who knows what would
have happened
if Snape hadn't
surrendered..."
Harry grimaced.
"Yeah! You know what, I never thought I'd say something like this, but I'd
prefer the slimy git to such an
unpredictable minister
of magic anytime!"
He paused.
"Ron was
right! We should've joined him. I'd rather risk a bad mark in Transfiguration
than have to think about a problem like this."
"You are only
too right." Hermione admitted. "Besides-" she stopped and
thought.
"That reminds
me: We mustn't talk about this to anybody, not even Ron. Do you understand,
Harry?
It's bad enough we
know about Fudge's visit."
"But..."
Harry didn't like it. Ron was their friend.
"Think of
Fudge's rage, Harry!" Hermione reminded him.
Before he was able
to reply anything the door opened and Ron burst into the room a large bag
filled with sweets in one hand.
He wore an
expression as if it were Christmas and Eastern together.
"You won't
believe what I've just witnessed," he panted completely out of breath.
Harry and Hermione
looked at each other with a frown but said nothing.
Ron only grinned.
"Snape's been
sacked! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"What did you
see?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"Well,"
Ron said. "I just returned from Hogsmeade and wanted to see if you were
still at the Quidditch field. So I went there.
You weren't -
obviously - and I was about to go to the castle when I noticed some people in
the distance who clearly weren't students
or teachers. Curious
as I was, I went to look. One of them was Fudge, the minister! And another was
Ol' Snapey!
His hands were
tied and two wizards let him away. I always knew he was a traitor!
Finally the
minister took out something - must have been a portkey - and the four of them
vanished."
He waited for a
reaction. "Now, what do you say? It's just too good to be true! I feel
like I could celebrate the whole day!"
Harry and Hermione
exchanged a look.
"Well,"
said Hermione finally, "Not for long, Ron."
Ron stared
confused at his friends. "What is that about? All we had ever wanted -
well, at least one of the things we'd wanted - has just
become true and
you seem... sad. Even worried. Is there something I didn't get?"
When Hermione
began to tell him what they had witnessed this evening, Harry could see that he
understood.
TBC...
EW! That took ages to write but I kind of
like it. It was fun to write Fudge, he, he! Hopefully nobody was too much out
of character.
Well, unless somebody comes up with a
serious cause to stop this I'll work on the next chapter. (A simple 'This is
bad.' doesn't count!)
;=)
CJ
