Chapter 12

A dead man's worth 1:

Snape's arrest was topic number one in the Gryffindor tower that evening and most of the students were in a real party mood. The hated Potions Master who never missed an opportunity to treat them like shit had been marched off like common meat stock. Oh, how it must have humiliated the proud Slytherin. Most of the Gryffindors thought that Snape's outburst and his threats towards Dumbledore were nothing more than a desperate try to cover his shame of being led, tied up and helpless, past the students and fellow teachers.

The mood became even more exuberated when Fred and George showed up, carrying a couple of kegs full of butterbeer and a few dozens mugs. They instantly nominated this day as an extra holiday, calling it the "Snapeoffday".

For the first time since Sirius' death, Harry did not feel so devastated, even though the real light-heartedness stayed out, a melancholic sting in his chest still lingering.

Ron though, he was going with the flow and having the time of his life, telling everybody who cared to listen how they had eavesdropped on Snape threatening Sirius and denying Dumbledore, and of the arrest, when his own brother had tied up and marched off the greasy git, and of course he told about the way Harry had beaten the Potions Master. He was letting his fantasy run free at that, so that Harry was suddenly looking like the shining hero, while Snape was described as the grovelling coward.

Harry had told his friends accurately what had happened in the dungeons, but he didn't interfere now as Ron put it out of all proportions. It felt pretty good to have others share his hatred for the Potions Master and they were now making that know by loudly swearing at the man. Every one was hanging onto each word of Ron as he told them that Snape was supposed to instantly get the Dementor's kiss, when using one of the Unforgivables and that only Dumbledore's intervention had saved him from it and allowed him a fair trial. When the redhead said this, the students around him erupted into wild discussions. Some were angry about the headmaster's intervention, while others were insisting that no one deserved such a cruel, barbaric punishment that was worse than death itself. The Weasley twins took the opportunity and founded a poll in which people could bet on the outcome of the trial and Snape's punishment.

This however was a bit too much for Harry's taste. He felt sick at the thought of someone making money on the situation. Not because of the sentence Snape would be facing but because the whole thing was only happening as a result of Sirius having been murdered.

Ron too was in the middle of the crowd, surrounding his brothers, willing to bet a few nickels on the sentence 'kiss'. Harry ignored him and simply said his good byes to Hermione who was standing a bit apart, scrutinizing him with worry.

"Are you all right, Harry?" she asked, gesticulating toward the shouting crowd. "You want me to stop this?"

Harry shook his head. "Let them celebrate, Hermione. I will go to bed though." He forced a smile on his face as he saw her doubting look. "Really. It's okay."

He turned and made his way to the dormitories, somehow regretting that he had nothing of Dumbledore's draught left, which had left him sleep in blessed dreamlessness, letting him forget for a few hours.

For what must have been the hundreds time, Harry glanced at his watch. The illuminated hands showed that it was ten minutes after two. Had it really been only seven minutes since he had last checked? It felt more like a few hours. Unsettled, he turned over, wrapping the sheets tighter around himself, but about five minutes later this position too felt painfully uncomfortable.

With a frustrated snort he threw the cover off him and sat on the edge of the bed.

No use to pretend otherwise. Without the draught of last night he would not be able to chase the pictures of the dead Sirius and the crazy Snape off his mind. It was not the first time he was haunted by nightmares but lately he had taken the habit to writing to Sirius in such nights, telling him about it. Even if he had not gotten an immediate answer, it had helped greatly to share his worries with his Godfather. Those moments were now gone forever.

Again he felt this burning pain in his chest. Dumbledore would surely want to discuss the funeral soon and then Sirius would be lost to him in body too.

His decision taken, Harry silently slipped on his shoes and pulled a robe over his nightshirt. He would go to Sirius for the rest of the night. To be close to him for as long as it was still possible.

He left the dormitories silently, carefully closing the door behind himself. Then he descended the stairs to the now empty common room, leaving through the hole in the wall, which a grumpy looking and sleepily blinking fat lady opened.

Harry didn't pay any more attention to it and hurried straight towards the hospital wing. He was still a few corners away from his destination when the sound of angry voices floated over to him, letting him stop abruptly.

"I hope you are satisfied now."

The voice was definitely Dumbledore's but never before had Harry heard the headmaster sound so angry. Another, just as angry voice answered and what it said definitely nicked Harry's interest.

"We're only doing our job headmaster. It's exactly like I've said earlier. Black is too dangerous a criminal. The worst kind there is. We had to be certain."

As silently as he could, Harry sneaked closer. Peering around a corner, he saw Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey face to face with two unknown men.

"I could have verified his identity perfectly well. It was not necessary to commit such a. …morbidity."

One of the men, a nondescript guy with glasses answered a bit condescending: "That may be so. But with all due respect, you're neither a medi-wizard, nor qualified to take into count all eventualities. The Ministry has already agreed to make the examination take place in the middle of the night, so that the students are not more unsettled by even more officials in this school. Be grateful for that."

Harry instantly decided that he didn't like those men, and what did they mean by examination?

"The ministry is claiming to be the good side, yet it works together with Dementors who are real monsters, doing terrible things to humans, and this all with the consent of people like you. The ministry is accepting a deceased person to be treated without the proper respect. There are other ways to confirm the identity of a dead person without using it as guinea pig for several curses and hexes, which I assume had nothing to do with your duty here. The Ministry is only taking out its frustration on a dead man. Why else would you want to practise an autopsy? It is a simple muggle practise and can perfectly be replaceable by other means. Means that are not disgracing and mutilate a deceased person."

Harry could not keep the terrified yelp from sorting his mouth, as he heard this. Those people could not have Sirius… He refused to finish the thought in his head. They couldn't do that. Yet suddenly the letter Dumbledore had gotten from the ministry and the headmaster's reaction on it made sense. Never would the old wizard approve of something like this.

"Harry, what are you doing here at this time?"

Dumbledore had noticed him now and he suddenly found himself in the centre of interest from all present.

He looked over to the two unknown men. "What have you done to Sirius?"

"What is this boy doing here, Dumbledore," the man who had talked before addressed the headmaster, pointingly ignoring Harry's question.

"This is none of your business. You have done what you came from. Now I ask you to leave this school. Poppy, would you please show those Gentlemen the way out?"

With a grim face, the medi-witch pushed passed the two men, walking down the corridor. With a last arrogant glance back at the old wizard the two men turned also, hurrying after Madame Pomfrey and disappearing around the next corner.

"Headmaster. Was this what was written in the letter? That those men would be coming?"

Dumbledore took a deep weary breath. "You should never have witnessed this Harry. I wanted to spare you this. At least this affair I wanted to keep away from you."

"What have they done to him?" Harry demanded to know.

"They have done tests on him. To assure his identity among other things."

"You have mentioned curses and an autopsy."

Dumbledore slowly shook his head. "Of this, you really should not know more."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Dumbledore stilled the words with a raised hand. He looked deep into Harry's eyes, as if he would want to see straight into his soul. "Just trust me on this, Harry."

Harry couldn't argue on this plea. He trusted the headmaster more than anybody else in his life. Probably more than he trusted his friends. He nodded reluctantly.

"Come with me in my office. I will give you another phial of the draught, so you can still get a few hours of sleep. Sirius' body has been freed by the ministry and we will bury him tomorrow."

At this words, a new cold shiver ran through Harry. Tomorrow already? After tomorrow, Sirius would be gone completely. Body and soul. He started to turn around to walk back to the hospital wing, but Dumbledore's Hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Harry, you need to sleep. You have to be strong tomorrow. You're the only thing coming close to a relative Sirius still has. He has nobody else."

Dejected, Harry submitted to Dumbledore's reasoning and followed the old wizard to his quarters.

T.B.C