Still on holiday. Still bored with nothing to do. Still writing! Arg, where was I, anyway? Oh yeah, hospital, Aurors, right. Okay, let's go!

Disclaimer: HP and all belong to J.K, blah blah. Prophecy belongs to Benjamin Brittan. Nice man. (:

Previously:

"I don't understand," said Vector. "How did you suffocate?"

Ron looked around. Of those present, only Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid and of course, Wendy, knew about the blood bond between himself and Harry, and about Sirius' innocence – and Wendy, Sirius' own sister, didn't even know the details about that. Everyone else was either nonplussed, unconscious, or – Ron glanced over at Remus and felt moisture fill his eyes.

"Well..."

The door burst open. Standing there was the Minister of Magic and at least ten Aurors.

Chapter 38

Sirius and Ron swore simultaneously. Hagrid, Dumbledore and Hermione all stood up as the Minister swept into the room with his guards standing behind him, wands out, looking wary.

"Dumbledore!" he gasped, grasping the other man's shoulders. It didn't seem to faze him that he had to stand on tiptoe to do so. "I came as soon as I heard – the squads are downstairs sorting out the dead ones – ah, you brought the survivors up here, I see. How is Mr. Potter?"

"He's recovering, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, in a normal tone of voice. Ron wondered why he was bothering to delay the inevitable. As it was, one of the Aurors was frantically tapping the Minister on the shoulder, while the others had their wands pointed - steadily or otherwise - at Sirius.

"What is it, Harrison?" Fudge snapped, before following the direction of the man's wand and coming face to face with the ex-convict.

"SIRIUS BLACK!"

"Yep," said Sirius. "What's your problem?"

"YOU!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Look, you single-minded, self-preservating moron. Right now, it isn't me you should be worrying about. I'm not trying to hurt anybody. What you should be worrying about is the group of Death Eaters who just tried to murder an entire school full of students, the body of a certain Dark Lord somewhere downstairs and the extremely dangerous man with the silver hand in one of the beds back there. Got it?"

Fudge stared at Sirius like a fish, with his mouth wide open and eyes bulging. Eventually he said; "Keep your wands on him, men. Harrison, get some of the squads up here as soon as possible to inspect and imprison the live ones. Erm… any other students injured in the attack, ma'am?"

"A few scratches and bumps," Madam Pomfrey snapped. "Nothing I can't fix in a jiffy, and the students have sense enough to bear with them until I've finished dealing with the more serious problems."

Even as she spoke she ducked behind the curtain separating Harry's bed from the others, potions in hand. Ron and Hermione looked at each other in horror. Harry was a serious problem?

"There was one other, Minister," said Professor Snape said, oiling up the aisle from where he'd been watching Malfoy from a stiff standing position. "Draco Malfoy fainted during the attack – we feel it was a reaction to the sudden termination of a prolonged Imperious Curse."

Fudge gasped. "Surely not –"

"Yes, Minister. Lucius Malfoy was discovered dead under the remains of the ceiling, along with Simon Duncan and Iain Forsaithe."

"No! Lucius Malfoy? But he…"

"Was a Death Eater, Fudge, get used to it," said Sirius.

"Shut up, Black." Snape growled. "You're making things worse for yourself."

"Why, Severus. I didn't know you cared."

Fudge went, if possible, even redder than before with shock and anger. "Snape? You were in on this too?"

Ron snorted. Snape's eyes narrowed considerably. "In on what, precisely, Minister?"

"This whole ridiculous idea that Black is innocent!"

"What's ridiculous?" Ron shouted, unable to stop himself. "Peter Pettigrew's in one of those beds – it was him who -!"

Sirius coughed meaningfully. Ron stopped yelling.

"What have you been doing to these children, Black?" Fudge spat.

"Ron's telling the truth actually, Minister," said Hermione. "Pettigrew is in one of the –"

"Enough," Sirius hissed. "I can speak for myself, thank you."

"Yes, and look how far that got you last time," said Snape. Ron sighed. This wasn't going anywhere.

---

Harry was having a very odd dream. Xera the dryad was pointing her bow and arrow at him, saying: "What a silly boy. I don't like this one anymore, Hagrid. Can I kill it?" And Hagrid was there, carrying a dead wolf in his arms.

"Harry," he said. "What 'ave you done?"

Harry stared at the wolf, and suddenly it wasn't a wolf anymore, it was Remus and he was covered in blood. "No," he tried to say, "It wasn't my fault –" but then the blood was spilling off Remus' body and onto the floor, getting higher and higher. It was up to his waist, and Hedwig was floating in it somewhere to his right. He tried to reach her but his feet were stuck to the ground and he could only fall over.

Then Sleeve was around his neck as usual, but he was too tight, Harry tried to tell him to stop but his mouth was full of chocolate. The snake squeezed him slowly and he couldn't breath. He was drowning and suffocating at the same time, trying to swim while trying to remove the snake from his throat. Just before his eyes slid below the surface of the water, the snake disappeared with a hissed "Goodbye, Black One."

"But you never call me that!" Harry tried to say, but he was being spun around and lifted out of the sea of blood. Dumbledore's face swum into his vision.

"Knew you'd find me," Harry told him, without knowing why. Dumbledore dropped him back into the blood. Harry screamed as he hit the surface and it swallowed him.

It was very dark, but Harry knew Sirius was there. He kept saying "The key… the key… if only I still had my key…"

And Dumbledore's voice was saying, "The stronghold, Sirius; you must protect the stronghold!"

"But I must get back to Harry!"

"Harry must go home!"

Harry's head spun. "Harry! Go home! Go home!" so many voices were screaming at him, the voices of the dead. "Go home!"

Suddenly there was light in the dark place. Great, Harry thought. Another trap. Now I know I'm dreaming. "Follow the light!" said Wendy's voice.

"Wendy?" Harry called. "Sirius is innocent! I have to tell you –!"

"Follow the light, Harry."

"Go home, Harry." That was Sirius…

"Go home." Hermione…

"Go home." Ron…

Harry followed the light.

---

From behind the curtain, Madam Pomfrey screamed.

Hermione got up and ripped the curtain aside. Harry was sitting up, pale and shaking, but conscious. "HARRY!" said about twenty people simultaneously. Harry clapped his hands to his ears. "Go home…" he whispered.

"Poor boy must be delirious," said Fudge. "I suppose you've done all you can, Madam Pomfrey, but I think it's best if we take the boy to St. Mungo's…"

He took a single step towards Harry's bed, but found his way blocked by his worst nightmare. "You're not taking my godson anywhere," he said.

"That's it, Black. You used up your last chance. Men, stun him!"

"NO!" A silver shield rocketed up around Sirius and Harry, vibrating from the sheer effort, glared at the Minister from the bed. "Leave him alone, Fudge!"

"Ah, Mr. Potter – if you'd like to come with us…"

"I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Sirius. As we've tried to tell you a million times, Sirius did not betray my parents to Voldemort, and he didn't kill all those people. Peter Pettigrew did. And he's…" Harry suddenly realised he didn't know what had happened. To Pettigrew, Voldemort, or anyone. He wasn't even sure where he was, entirely. Looking around, he felt a bit dizzy. He was in the hospital wing.

"It is actually Pettigrew, sir," said one of the 'squad' who'd come in and pulled back the sheet on the closest Death Eater.

"WHAT?"

"Harry," said Dumbledore, putting one hand on the boy's shoulder. "Take it down before you hurt yourself."

The shield came down, and Sirius rushed to Harry's side. "You promised you'd never do that to me again," he sobbed as he hugged his godson. Harry was as white as the sheets on the bed on which he lay, but he patted Sirius gently on the head.  

"Double promise this time," he sighed. "Gees Sirius, I'm fifteen. You can't expect me to always keep my promises."

"Black?"

They all turned to see the Minister and his group of Aurors looking slightly sheepish. "Ah – I wonder if you'd consider coming down to the Ministry for questioning…?"

Harry folded his arms threateningly. "Um – perhaps not," the Minister continued. "Ah, Professor Dumbledore?"

"You may have the use of my office, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. "But I must ask that both myself and Remus Lupin be present."

An eerie silence fell over the assembly. "Um… someone told me he died?" said Fudge.

Suddenly, someone coughed behind them. It was Remus - and he was sitting up. "Owch," he grimaced. "What hit me?"

"REMUS!" Wendy was instantly by his side. "What… how…?"

All of a sudden, Sirius laughed. "You didn't all really think he was dead, did you?"

"Glad you think it's funny," said Remus. "That really hurt."

Everyone who wasn't staring at Remus in shock was glaring at Sirius.

"What?" he said. "I thought you all knew only silver can kill a werewolf? Even Pettigrew knew that!"

"Yes – but the killing curse…?" Wendy stuttered.

"No conditions apply," said Remus sarcastically, rubbing his chest as though it ached. "Why, what happened?"

"Voldemort's dead," said Sirius.

"WHAT?"

"The ceiling in Great Hall collapsed."

Remus gaped open-mouthed. "And I MISSED all this?"

"You were unconscious! And you're a lot heavier than you look! I was starting to get really worried; it only took you a couple of seconds last time!"

Wendy looked as though she was about to faint. "Last time?"

"Sure," said Remus. "I thought we told you – I got hit with the curse when I was, what? Nineteen? You should have seen the look on the bugger's face when I hopped straight back up again and blasted him out of the window."

He looked positively gleeful. Harry had never seen him looking both so happy and so tired all at once.

"Oh, thank god," said Wendy, holding Remus close to her. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "Guess we should have known," said Ron, sheepishly.

"Definitely," said Hermione. "Especially after I did that enormous great essay for Professor Sna –" she suddenly realised that the Professor she was referring to was standing not three feet from her, and shut up. Harry said nothing, until;

"Who else got hurt? Is Sarah ok?"

"I'm fine," said a small voice. Harry looked over to where Sarah was lying in the bed next to his, so quiet and still up to now that she'd been forgotten. "You saved my life."

"You saved your own life, Sarah," he told her, suddenly feeling more tired than he'd ever been in his whole life and lying back down again. "Sounds corny, but it's true. You're the one with the elf blood."

"I'm very sorry, Sarah," said Wendy. "I shouldn't have shouted that all over the hall."

"That's ok," the little dark girl said, looking very embarrassed. "I couldn't have got away, otherwise."

"Ah, Dumbledore?" Fudge ventured, looking a little lost. Harry almost felt sorry for him.

"Ahem, of course. Remus, are you feeling well enough to accompany Sirius and myself up to my office?"

"Of course, Headmaster," said Remus. "But what-"

"Tell you later," said Sirius, helping him up. The Minister and several Aurors along with Sirius and Remus, left the room. Wendy went with them, giving Harry a tight hug as she exited. "Be back soon," she said. "Promise."

"You will believe him, won't you?" said Harry.

"I already do," she assured him, before leaving.

Dumbledore paused on his way out. "Harry?"

"I'm fine."

Dumbledore smiled. "What I mean to say is – well done."

He left. Once again, there was that uncomfortable silence, until most of the teachers, who looked incredibly relieved, if somewhat confused, coughed, excused themselves, and went downstairs to help with the excavation and repair of the ceiling. Wendy stayed.

"That's it?" Ron snorted. "You defeat You-Know-Who and kill or capture all his Death Eaters – from this country anyway – and all you get is a 'well done'?"

"Well, it is Dumbledore," said Hermione, wisely. "What did you expect, mountains of gold and a box of chocolates?"

"I expect the ministry will want to reward you," said Ron, grinning. "Money, power, money, Order of Merlin, money…"

"You can have it," said Harry, pulling a face. "Or Sarah. I'm not accepting anything from Fudge."

It was becoming quite crowded with all the people performing on the spot identification spells on the prone bodies at the other end of the room. Madam Pomfrey moved between them, administering basic healing.

"Why's she doing that?" Ron spat.

"It's the law, Ron," sighed Hermione. "They're prisoners of war."

"Wasn't much of a war," said Ron. "A hundred of them against a school full of kids and some old professors."

"Plus Harry, you, Fawkes, Hedwig, Mouxaile, and all the snakes," said Hermione, smiling. Harry had gone white.

"What?"

Harry pulled down his sleeve to where Zedik was curled around his wrist, apparently asleep. A burst of memory hit him like an anvil.

"Harry? What is it?"

"Hedwig and Sleeve," Harry breathed.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other. "I'm really sorry about Hedwig," said Ron. There was a pause.

"Sleeve, too?" Hermione ventured.

"Crushed," Harry remembered, trying desperately not to bring up the vision of the stone slabs falling all around his friend, but failing miserably.

"Oh…" said Hermione. "Harry – I'm really –"

"Stop apologizing," Harry snapped. "The others?"

"All fine, as far as I could tell," said Ron, looking a little shocked. "They must've backed into the Entrance Hall when the ceiling…"

Harry lowered his head into his hands. "It was an accident," he told himself, aloud. "The whole room wasn't supposed to cave in!"

"I know, Harry," said Hermione. "But you couldn't have known what that light thing would do!"

"Then I shouldn't have done it at all!" Harry protested. "That's one of the first things Wendy ever taught me."

888

Hey look – not a cliffie!! Decided to end this chapter here for personal reasons that would take to long to explain. Also, I realised that I neglected to announce that I've turned 15!!!! So that is now two birthdays I have had while writing this fic. Excitement. Anyway, school has started which might mean less updates, and might not. Don't forget to review – and this is not a cliffie so don't shout at me, k? (:

~*Laterose*~