What Killed the Cat
Final Part
After he cast the spell, Peter told her the plan, driven by the debt that had hung over him ever since the Shrieking Shack incident. In a hushed whisper he ran through what she had to do, where to hide and when to run. Hermione had understood perfectly, but when it came to doing it - fleeing from a group of Death Eaters - a horrible heaviness settled in her stomach. Peter thought it was a combination of planning, luck and Gryffindor courage that got her through. The fact that he was momentarily 'inattentive' towards his prisoner helped. In truth, there was another Death Eater who's turning a blind eye assisted her greatly; from that point on, Hermione vowed never to raid Snape's store cupboard.
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In the summer of 1995, nurses at St. Mungo's hurried to the Department of Soulless Bodies as an ear-splitting scream echoed down the halls. When they found the source of the cry, they were amazed to see Barty Crouch Jr., a victim of the Dementor's Kiss, staring with wide, responsive eyes. It was both a medical and magical mystery.
Staff at St. Mungo's were baffled and, for a while, tempted to keep the story secret. But one as strange and unexplainable as the Crouch story leaked quickly. Soon, the Minister of Magic himself was involved. In the weeks that followed, Cornelius Fudge was given a lot of opposing advice. While some called for Crouch to be put back into Azkaban, others said it was more important to see how he had got his soul back. Minister Fudge, who still upheld his opinion of Crouch as "stark raving mad", was assaulted by voices, all telling him to do different things. But one voice stood out. When Albus Dumbledore says something, people take notice.
And so, medi-wizards were asked to give their opinion on Crouch's sanity. When what he said was classed as credible (to the horror of Minister Fudge) he was called forward to speak. It seemed the entire magical world listened to the Veritaserum on his breath. The Daily Prophet dedicated almost an entire issue to it. And, of course, it raised countless questions. Sirius Black was called to trial, as it emerged that one of the men he was accused of killing was still alive. There wasn't a Ministry official in all of Britain who didn't blush at this. It hadn't been one of the justice systems' finer moments.
~ An excerpt from "A Concise History of Dementors" by Professor Remus Lupin, published 2005
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Times were dark, everyone knew it. But somehow they made it through, found the time between long working days to listen to Quidditch matches on the wireless and gather together at the Burrow for some of Molly Weasley's delicious home cooked food. That evening, Harry sat proudly next to his Godfather, who was trying his hardest to eat instead of shovel food.
Remus wondered whether the price for Sirius' freedom had been a little too high. On the one hand, people were aware that the Dark Lord had returned, leaving the way clear for allies to be made and a resistance to be built up, and Sirius was a free man. On the other, Crouch had escaped days after Sirius was cleared. Voldemort was reunited with one of his most loyal supporters.
Remus glanced around the table. Smiling faces surrounded him, enjoying the food and company. Snippets of conversation reached his ear. How the Chudley Cannons were doing in the Quidditch League, the latest song by Celestina Warbeck and Bill Weasley's ponytail were all up for discussion. Maybe this was what would give them the edge, their sense of togetherness. Moments later he stopped thinking about it.
"Pass the peas, please, Moony."
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A/N: Yes, an unbelievably cheesy ending, I know. So, I finally wrote it. Still not happy with this, but at the very least it is done. Thanks to all the fabby reviewers. I hope you enjoyed reading this more than I did writing it, but most of all I hope you'll review!