Chapter 19: Crime and Punishment
"I don't know how much longer it will be head master..." The voice of the nurse seemed to come from somewhere far away.
"...The child has been through quite an ordeal. She needs her rest."
Where was she?
"Then by all means, Poppy, let her rest." This voice was new. It sounded fairly raspy and quite old, but somehow gave off the impression of great energy.
"When she does wake up would you please be so kind as to escort her to my office? I will be speaking with the other's there until then."
"Of course headmaster."
The headmaster. Perfect. In an attempt to keep all of them out of trouble, she seemed to have created more.
Emily opened her eyes blearily only to find her self in a completely unfamiliar room that resembled a hospital. And judging from the light that was beginning to dawn outside the window, it had been at least seven hours since her "fainting spell".
Honestly, she had not intended to fall asleep, but somewhere between the whomping willow and the double doors that led into the castle, her mind decided to join her eyes. This meant that she had not been able to eavesdrop on much of the conversation that inevitably took place leading up to the castle.Maybe if she had been awake, she would have been able to hear what was in store for the others.
Before too much guilt could set in about this, however, the nurse came bustling over to her bed carrying a clear goblet that was full of clear brown liquid.
"Oh, you're up dear. How are you feeling?"
Emily squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light.
"All right I guess." She answered blearily.
"Here." The nurse said handing her the goblet and helping her up onto her pillows. "This should help any dizziness."
Emily looked hesitantly at the murky brown liquid (which was emitting great huffs of steam), before bringing it to her lips and swallowing. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the liquid had the distinct taste of chocolate.
"Any better now?" The nurse asked briskly.
"Yes. Much." Emily answered. She did, somehow feel astonishingly better after the (she supposed) chocolate drink.
"Good. Now finish the rest of that. I've been given instructions to bring you straight to the headmaster's office when you're done."
"Why?" Emily asked without really expecting a straight forward answer.
"Just finish the drink dear. You don't need to get too excited after all you've been through...that horrid tree it's a wonder none of them were seriously injured..." Emily heard the nurse mutter this almost to herself.
If figured. Adults never seemed to trust anyone below the age of twenty with the straightforward truth. It was as if you became eligible to handle the difficulties of life once you reached legal drinking age.
Emily finished her drink, and suddenly felt quite (there was no other word for it) perky. In fact if she were not so worried about what she would encounter in the head master's office, she would have jumped off of her bed, with out the assistance of the nurse.
With a slight bounce in her step, she followed the nurse out of the doors of the hospital wing and down a long corridor.
It was not long before they stopped, dead on in front of a marble gargoyle standing guard, over an unextraordinary wall.
"Ice mice." The nurse said directly to the gargoyle, which immediately sprang to life and hopped aside. The wall also began to slowly move, revealing a large grand staircase.
"Come along dear." The nurse said ushering her toward the steps.
It was not long before Emily found herself, in what was probably, the most intricate room in the castle. Out of the corner of her eye she could see silver instruments spinning and whirring along the walls, which were also lined with portraits, who's subjects appeared to be soundly asleep in their frames.
"Ah, Miss Gardner." A voice from the front of the room made her jump. She had been so fascinated by the room it's self that she had not noticed the others.
Sirius and James sat in wood back chairs on either side of each other. It was clear from the glares they sent back and forth every now and then, that they were currently not at all pleased with each other.
Peter sat between them, attempting to appear small and insignificant, perhaps hoping that he would not be noticed.
On the far right side of the room Severus Snape sat hunched in a small arm chair, looking disdainful as if he very much resented having to be there at all.
And At the front of the room, sat a very old man with a long white beard that disappeared behind the desk at which he was sitting. He wore half moon spectacles which were inadequate to hide the twinkle in his blue eyes.
If this was the head master he did not bear any resemblance at all to the disciplinarian who headed St. Magdalene. Still, fear mixed with a sense of guilt seemed to creep into her once again as she remembered that if she had simply stayed out of the whole mess, none of them would be there at all.
"Have a seat." The headmaster said indicating the small arm chair next to the desk. Emily simply nodded confused. He did not sound as if she were in any sort of trouble at all.
"I am afraid we have not been formally introduced." He continued genially. "I am Albus Dumbledore. Head master of hogwarts."
Emily gave another nod. Knowing that her Uncle would have reprimanded her for not, at the very least offering her hand. The headmaster however, did not seem to mind.
"Who is she?" Snape asked suddenly, a tone of aggressive indignation in his voice. Emily gave him a rather half hearted death glare. She was seriously beginning to regret saving his life.
"I think, Severus, that is a question that Miss Gardner can answer far better than I." Dumbledore was surveying her with a look of interest, as if waiting for her to begin the whole tale.
It was an impossible feat. There was no way that any word of her story would make sense to an outsider without getting the other four boys into more trouble.
"Well...er...I-"
"It's a long story." Sirius finished for her. Emily had never felt more grateful towards him. (Well, if you wanted to be technical, until that moment she hadn't thought herself capable of feeling grateful toward Sirus Black.)
"Sirius, if there is one thing I have learned in my life time," Dumbledore said. "It is that there is always time for the truth."
Damn. Now she would have to tell the whole story, or an incredibly convincing lie.
"Miss Gardner..." the headmaster waved a hand indicating for her to begin her tale. She would have to tell the truth. Somehow, even though he wasn't the disciplinarian that the witch of a nun who ran St. Magdalene's was, she had a feeling that no lie she could invent would be able to fool the man in front of her.
So with a heavy sigh, she began. She admitted of course that she was a bit hazy on the beginning. She did not remember much after falling out of the tree. However, she made sure to word her experience in the forest before the boys found her very carefully, so as to make sure that it didn't sound as if Remus had been anywhere that he was not supposed to be that night.
She told the headmaster nearly everything else. (She excluded the chivalry lessons, as she thought that those ought to be left as a private matter). Emily did, however, tell about her excursions with the cloak, how she had over heard Sirius's plan, (Sirius shot her a mutinous glare when she told this portion of the story) and informed James of it.
Admittedly, she made James sound more heroic than was entirely fair, and she left Peter's part in the prank out completely. She felt as though she owed them both something.
When she finished, there was a rather tense silence. Every eye was still riveted to her as if waiting for her to continue. (Perhaps she did have her mother's theatrical talent after all.)
"Very well," Dumbledore said finally.
"Madame Pomfrey?" He addressed the nurse, who had been standing dutifully by the door.
"Yes sir."
"If you will return to the hospital wing, I believe that Mr. Lupin will be waking up soon and will, no doubt be feeling a considerable amount of confusion. Make sure he does not over exert himself."
"Very well," the nurse answered. And with a last hesitant look at Emily, as if expecting her to faint again any moment, she walked briskly back down the staircase.
"Severus," He said moving his gaze toward Snape, who was attempting to hide a look of complete confusion with a rather sullen one.
"I must ask you not to repeat to any one what you saw in the tunnel last night." The headmaster fixed him with a serious look, that she knew even Snape could not reply indignantly to.
"Yes sir." He muttered.
"Well then, I suggest that you return to your common room and get some sleep." Snape got up from his chair and swept menacingly down the stair case, reminding Emily very much of a bat.
Once Snape was out of sight, Dumbledore turned to James, Sirius and Peter.
"If I could ask the rest of you to step outside for a moment, I would like to speak with Emily alone."
"So...can we go back to the common room then?" Peter asked hopefully.
"Not quite yet Peter." Dumbledore said simply.
Peter opened his mouth once more as if to protest, but James shuffled him off toward the door before he could say another word.
"We'll just be out here." He said before the three of them left. Emily looked to James once again silently begging them not to leave. But James only caught her eye and gave her another one of his winks, before descending the staircase with the others.
Perfect. Now she was alone in a strange office. Surely her punishment was coming. She thought vaguely of what the nun's used at her school. It was a large whip like switch, which they would hit your wrists with repeatedly until they bled. Would Dumbledore use the switch? Perhaps he would use some new sort of torture...
"Have a biscuit miss Gardner."
"Excuse me sir?" Emily asked. She was sure she had not heard him correctly.
"Please take a biscuit." Dumbledore said smiling and indicating a tin on his desk.
"I suggest the lemon flavored as they are my personal favorite. However, the chocolate covered are very nice as well..."
Emily hesitated for a moment. Before opening the tin and pulling out the smallest chocolate covered biscuit she could find.
"Thank you sir." She said slowly. Dumbledore smiled at her as if waiting for her to take a bite. Perhaps this was her torture. Maybe there was some kind of poison in that biscuit.
But what would he have to gain by poisoning her? Ransom? By the look of the room, it was highly unlikely. Still you could never be too careful (that was what her father said anyway).
Even with these reservations, she managed to take a very small bite of the chocolate covering. Apparently satisfied, Dumbledore began to speak.
"Now, as I'm sure you know, Emily. Running away like that brought along quite a few complications." Dumbledore looked to her for confirmation.
"Yes sir." She said. Though she feared the sort of complications Dumbledore was speaking of.
"I thought that I should explain to you before they arrive..." But at that moment steps were heard from the doorway. Emily turned her head to see a balding, seedy looking man with a long moldy trench coat standing in the door way.
"Headmaster," He said, displaying several missing teeth when he spoke.
"Yes Argus."
"Apparently, these two men wish to speak with you. They say that it's urgent." The man said with a hint of indignation.
"Send them in Argus." Dumbledore said with a nod to the man in the doorframe.
Emily could already make a very fair guess as to who one of those two men was. And if she was right, this fact in and of it's self was far more frightening than any physical punishment imaginable.