Chapter Nine

It was strange, Poppy observed, how very slow people's reactions could be when confronted with such a sudden shock. Even Albus, probably the wisest wizard alive and certainly not a slow one, just sat there, gaping at Rosmerta as if he couldn't believe the words that had just escaped her, neatly painted, lips. Then- after what felt like a sheer moment but was in fact quite a few of them- he looked up, as if in slow motion, and balled his, wrinkled yet, so Poppy knew, still powerful fists.

The words he spoke as he got to his feet were accompanied by a fierce twinkle of his sky blue eyes.

"I'll kill them!"

"No you won't!"

But the chubby school nurse found herself being totally ran over by the furious Headmaster, her words completely forgotten in the scraping sound of the chair against the wooden floor. Her cousin; luckily, was both quicker and more determined than she was to stop him, and even Albus had to give up his irate attempts to open the door as she, seemingly dead calm, pulled out her wand and pointed it at him.

"Albus, don't."

Albus was quite literally shaking with anger as he sent her a glare that would have made many a more powerful witch than Rosmerta shriek with fear.

"Rosmerta, listen to me. I don't care about whatever you can do to me- those two down there have hurt my wife and killed the only child I could ever have! I cannot just let them, let me pass!"

The tall, wiry wizard plainly radiated power as he stood before her, blue eyes locking with equally blue ones, fury meeting common sense.

"I'd have you stunned before you could ever open that door, Dumbledore."

He obviously filched at the mere mentioning of the curse that had hit Minerva, and Rosmerta immediately felt sorry, yet she crossed her arms.

"Albus, I am so sorry for you, but just imagine. You kill Fudge and Dolores. Fine. What happens next?"

Both she and Poppy eagerly awaited his answer- but it didn't come, and Rosmerta grimly smiled and nodded.

"Right. You get yourself into Azkaban- or, in the best possible situation, a refugee forever. Minerva awakes. We have to tell her what happened. She's all alone, with a husband she will never meet again. Oh anyway, that is probably the price one pays to VENT ONE'S USELESS ANGER!"

Only there, the fair-haired witch lost her cool, staring furiously into the much taller wizard's eyes. It was a battle of wills, Poppy knew, as she with interest watched the small war fought out before her eyes, and it had every appearance of becoming a hard one.

Yet it was Albus, in the end, who first lowered his eyes as he, with a barely muffled sob, sank down onto his chair again. In a voice barely controlled, he uttered

"Thank you, Rosmerta, I deserved that. You're right. Killing them is no solution. It wouldn't help Minerva anyway- or... or the child. It is hopeless, I know that."

He had spoken those last words very bravely, never averting his gaze from his two companions, but they heard the sadness in his slightly hoarse voice and Poppy's tone was much softer than usual as she, soothingly, rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Minerva will be alright, Albus, I promise you. I know her condition better than you do, and she won't die. Please believe me. I'll..."

She cast Rosmerta a questioning look, but her cousin nodded and faintly smiled.

"I'll go home now, Albus- I'll inquire once more about Minerva's situation and I promise I'll let you know something as soon as possible. Okay?"

Ever-practically, she raised herself to her feet, a gentle smile on her lips as she turned towards the door, where her cousin already impatiently tapped her feet.

"Pops, if I have to get you past Fudge and Dolores at the same time without arousing any suspicions, you'll have to make sure you're quickly downstairs and hurry out, alright?"

Poppy immediately nodded, casting one last glance at her employer.

"Okay. Bye, Albus, don't give up, everything will be okay!"

He responded by a faint twinkle of his sapphire eyes and an appreciative nod.

"Thank you, Poppy. You- you're a real friend, both for Minerva and me."

Poppy gravely nodded, a sad smile on her lips.

"You both more than deserve it, Albus."

With this, she was almost dragged down the steep stairs by her cousin, who looked uncharacteristically serious now. Right before entering the actual inn, Rosmerta turned towards Poppy who, all of a sudden, again felt very strongly that she was the youngest of both cousins.

"Listen, Poppy. For the reputation of my inn as well as Albus and Minerva's happiness, I want you to pretend as well as possible that you're just a school nurse visiting her idiotic cousin, okay? You know what this is about- they cannot suspect anything. Dolores has had two whiskeys, she's slightly drunk and she can thus say rude things about people you like. Don't let anything show."

Poppy indignantly shook her head, brown eyes shooting fire.

"Rosmerta, I am not a child." was her only comment.

But as soon as they entered the actual inn, she very well realized her cousin had not given her such a warning for nothing. Dolores and Fudge were seated at a small table, on a considerable distance from the other customers. A half-empty bottle of Firewhiskey stood between them, and it was obvious who of the two had drunk most of it. Dolores had a heavy blush on her chubby cheeks, while Cornelius just looked terribly embarrassed, and greeted Poppy with a faint, pompous smile.

"Madam Pomfrey, what a surprise to see you here!"

Poppy forced a terribly fake smile on her lips as slightly bowed.

"Hello, Minister. Well, I'm just visiting my cousin, actually- should be getting back to school."

The Minister gave her a curt nod, and she half turned towards the door, glad that she'd escaped so easily- but unfortunately, as usual, Dolores chose exactly the wrong moment to open her already too big mouth.

"Poppy! Join us, my dear, after all I think you do hiccup deserve better company than the hiccup old Gryffindor bitch, don't you?"

With a royal gesture, she poured out a small glass of whiskey for the Mediwitch too, but Poppy declined- still rather politely. Until "Professor Umbridge" showed off all her yellow teeth in one of her those typical, disgusting smiles.

"Yeah well, after all Mrs. Mugwump didn't do much more with her life than screwing the old guy, didn't she? Well she doesn't have the looks but I do admit she must have had some abilities... unfortunately for her, magic wasn't one of them!"

Poppy felt the blood thrumming inside of her veins. She'd never been a quick tempered one, true, but this woman was implying... was saying... As she felt her balled fists shiver, she knew she had to go quickly, or otherwise...

The Minister obviously noticed that too, for he cast a worried look at Dolores and muttered

"Perhaps, Miss Umbridge, you have had just a little too much whiskey? I suggest you order a glass of water next..."

But Dolores just laughed.

"Cornelius, I am not drunk! I know what I'm saying- the rigid cat's finally got what she deserved. I'd like to bring out..."

She raised her magically re-filled glass.

"...a Toast to Minerva McGonagall, the only female cat who can be called a bitch as well!"

The next sound that broke the shocked silence in the inn was the one Poppy created as she threw the door closed behind her. She could hardly believe what she'd just heard.
She could hardly believe that a man who couldn't even control his own staff was in charge of the wizarding world.

But unfortunately, it was true.

As Poppy arrived in her familiar quarters at Hogwarts again, she had every intention of writing an immediate letter to the Healers of St. Mungo's, but one simple thing stopped her. It was a note, a very small note, scribbled on the yellowish parchment by a Healer-in-Training both she and Minerva knew very well.

"Dear Madam Pomfrey,

Professor McGonagall has regained consciousness- they want to keep it a secret, but I thought you'd like to know.

Sincerely,
Mona Tonks"

Poppy almost smiled as she read the name of the twenty-year-old she'd known as a student for seven years. Despite her elder sister's Auror ambitions, the younger Tonks, by the name of Desdemona, had opted for a medical career in the end.

But she'd remained faithful.