A/N: Thanks to all those who have reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I'm glad that people have been enjoying it. And a special thanks to Bonnie and Mainsail for beta reading this and thus improving on the original. If you have questions or concerns about what's going on, feel free to include them in a review or a PM — I'll try to answer.
For those who are interested, I've begun publishing the third installment of my Witches of SHIELD series: Iris Potter and the Exile from Asgard. New chapters will appear every Tuesday morning, and you can find it via my profile.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.
Recommendation: This chapter's recommended fic is "Don't Look Back in Anger" by robst. Hermione challenges Minister Fudge in his refusal to believe Harry's story about the return of Voldemort, asking him who he thinks is responsible for Cedric's death if Harry is lying or delusional. Fudge agrees — and promptly has Harry arrested! H/Hr/L.
Italics: a person's thoughts.
Chapter 25 - Back in Black
Monday, November 1, 1995, Very Early Morning.
Amelia Bones looked at the aurors and other reliable Ministry employees gathered in her office. She had been up extremely late the previous night making floo calls to people she trusted about holding an emergency Wizengamot session early Monday. At the appointed time, they would each try to find at least one other member of the Wizengamot and come to the Ministry. Secrecy was so great that few would know that they were being brought in for a trial. Most were being fed a story about hearing the results of a secret investigation; the actual trial wouldn't start until Sirius Black was led into the chambers.
First, though, Fudge needed to be removed. Everything hinged on Dumbledore's ability to attract Fudge to Hogwarts and keep him there for a day at least. How he would accomplish that when he was possibly more injured than Umbridge was anyone's guess, but she had assurances that they could pull it off, so she was going to stick her neck out to do her part. It was her plan, after all.
After one last check of the time, she nodded to her two lieutenants. O'Connor took half the people and would place them at various entry points around the Ministry to monitor who was coming and leaving. Scrimgeour took the rest to set up around the Wizengamot chambers so that that area could be controlled. Bones herself went to her private floo to alert Hogwarts.
After that, it would be out of her hands until Sirius Black arrived. She just hoped someone or something was watching over them all and would help guide events to a just conclusion. They needed all the help they could get.
Monday, November 1, 1995, Early Morning.
When Jasmine and Hermione entered the Great Hall for an early breakfast, they felt as alert and refreshed as they ever had. They didn't miss the fact that their friends were all watching them closely, wondering about what they had witnessed the night before. "We're going to have to tell them about that veela theory about the goddesses," Jasmine whispered. Hermione agreed, not seeing any other option that would be fair to the others.
Mail started arriving even before they could get their breakfasts dished up, and Jasmine was surprised to have a half dozen owls land in front of her. Even more surprising was what the owls were carrying: letters from people she didn't know. A few expressed support for her against what the Ministry had been saying, a couple were from critics who believed the Ministry, and the rest were from people who simply wanted to thank her for what she'd done as a toddler.
Jasmine looked at her girlfriend with a quizzical expression, but Hermione just shrugged. "I don't know why you'd be getting them all of a sudden."
The Daily Prophet that morning was once again dominated with stories about Sirius Black, this time in the context of yet another attack — an attack on the family of a muggleborn in York. Most of the Great Hall was subdued, though the laughter that kept coming from the Slytherin table was starting to make Jasmine see red.
"Did anyone survive?" Neville asked.
Hermione shook her head. "There were five people in the house and all were killed... very nastily, too, if I'm reading between the lines right. One of them was only eight years old."
"Was it anyone we know?" Ron asked.
Hermione shook her head again. "The family name is Daldry. I haven't heard of them before. So unless it's someone attending Hogwarts under a different name, they've already graduated or..."
"Or what?" Jasmine asked.
"Or they haven't started yet," Hermione said a bit more softly. "If they had already graduated, I think they'd say so in the article. But if they haven't graduated yet. If it was that little girl..."
"Then they wouldn't say anything because it would let people know that there's a security problem in the Ministry somewhere," Neville finished.
Just then they heard a commotion and looked to the entrance, where they saw Minister Fudge storm in, accompanied by several aurors and other Ministry officials. "Speak of the devil," muttered Hermione.
"What is the meaning of this?" Professor McGonagall demanded as she stood.
"I'm here to place the criminals who assaulted the Chief Inquisitor under arrest," Fudge announced.
"What?" McGonagall asked in genuine confusion.
"Potter and Grazer, obviously," Fudge said irritably.
"Miss Potter and Miss Granger had nothing to do with the injuries that were sustained by both Madam Umbridge and the Headmaster!" McGonagall exclaimed, outraged. "The portraits in the Headmaster's office all agree that the two people injured were the only ones present at the time."
"We'll find out for sure once those two violent rule-breakers have been taken to the Ministry and thoroughly interrogated," Fudge declared pompously, ignoring one of his assistants who was anxiously tugging on his robe.
He wasn't paying attention to the students behind him, so he hadn't noticed that a large number had stood up and drawn their wands, even as Jasmine and Hermione had backed away from the ministry group. They were being closely covered by Gabrielle, Neville, and Ron, while Fleur had stood and moved around the staff table to face the Minister's entourage directly.
The aurors, having expected to have an easy job arresting two underaged witches, suddenly realized that they were being encircled by a great many witches and a few wizards, all with their wands drawn and ugly looks on their faces.
"You have no right to remove students from this school without evidence of any wrongdoing — or even of any crime having been committed in the first place!" McGonagall retorted. "You will not remove either student or anyone else from this school without an official, signed order from the DMLE!"
"I'm the Minister for Magic!" Fudge cried out. "I don't need any signed orders — I can command the aurors on my own!" The tugging from his assistant finally got to be too much and he spun around, snarling, "What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" Only then did Fudge realize what had been happening in the Great Hall behind him as he saw how dozens of angry students were all facing down the Ministry employees.
All of Fudge's bluster abruptly evaporated. "Though perhaps I should talk to the Chief Inquisitor before making any decisions..." he hedged.
"That would be an excellent idea," McGonagall said tartly. "I'll escort you to the hospital wing, just to make sure there are no... problems along the way." As the aurors and other Ministry officials moved towards the doors, the students began to relax and start returning to their seats. Jasmine, Hermione, and Gabrielle, however, remained at the ready until all the Ministry officials had left the Great Hall entirely.
"Thanks, Lavender, Parvati," Hermione said to two of the witches who were among the last to sit down. They both smiled back proudly.
"We're going to have to be careful today," Jasmine whispered to her friends. "If he was willing to try it once, he'll try it again."
"Maybe," Neville said. "If he decided to do that at the last minute, he might not be very committed to the idea."
"Except that he was embarrassed. Publicly," Luna pointed out as her face darkened. "People who get embarrassed like that don't forget about it. They always strike back. Trust me, I know."
Hermione nodded. "Luna's right. He may not try again today, but after yet another public insult, he'll come after us again. And he's just shown that he doesn't respect Hogwarts enough to not come after us even here."
"Another reason why we have to get rid of Umbridge," Gabrielle said darkly. "As long as she is here, she is a threat to you."
Before anyone could respond, Gabrielle saw Fleur motioning to follow her into the side room where the champions had first met the previous year.
By the time Minister Fudge had arrived in the hospital wing, his previous bluster was well on its way to coming back, bolstered by his anger at having been embarrassed by all of those brats down in the Great Hall. Clearly Potter and Ginger have been an even worse influence on this school than I realized, he fumed. Dolores' reports were bad enough, but either she hasn't been paying enough attention or she has been holding something back! I need to remove those two before they incite a full-fledged rebellion against me and the Ministry! Yes, maybe Potter has been the real threat all along and not Dumbledore!
Most of his complaints were temporarily forgotten when he saw how bad Umbridge looked as she lay in the hospital bed. "What's wrong with her, exactly?" he demanded. "The message I received didn't contain any details."
Professor McGonagall, who had refused to engage him or respond to any of his complaints during the walk from the Great Hall, simply pursed her lips and stood to the side as Madam Pomfrey stepped forward to address him. "She was injured first from the shockwave of an explosion, then from more than two dozen pieces of magic-infused metal that struck her in the back. I finally finished removing all of that metal earlier this morning, but it was in her long enough for the magic to have affected her. I won't be sure about her prognosis until later today, but I expect her to have to stay here for at least another day or two."
"Why are you treating her here if her injuries are so bad?"
"Her condition is too delicate to risk moving her," Pomfrey explained.
Fudge nodded as he looked across the room and saw curtains around another bed. "Who's over there?" he asked.
"That's where we have Albus," Pomfrey answered. "He was injured much more severely. According to the portraits, he shielded Madam Umbridge from the explosion with his own body."
"I'd like to talk to—" Fudge started, but he was immediately interrupted by the Healer.
"I told you, he was much more severely injured. He's been unconscious ever since we brought him in here, and I don't expect him to wake up for a couple of days at least. In fact, I may have to call St. Mungo's for some expert advice on his condition."
Fudge was taken slightly aback at that, but he quickly recovered and moved over to Umbridge's bed. "Well, I suppose there is nothing to be done right now. I should return to—"
"Cornelius!" Umbridge said as she suddenly opened her eyes and stretched out one hand. "Cornelius, you came!"
Startled by her abrupt actions, Fudge jumped back a step, but then he moved forward again and sat in a chair that had been left next to her bed. "Of course I did, Dolores," he said. "I'm glad to see you're awake. You'll be out of here soon, I'm sure of it."
"Cornelius," Umbridge whispered hoarsely. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but then she looked at all the people standing nearby. "We need to talk," she continued. "The danger is greater than we realized!"
Fudge looked around as well, then ordered everyone to move away from the bed. After casting a privacy charm around them for good measure, he said, "Tell me, what have you found?"
"I've been keeping detailed notes," she explained as her eyes darted around furtively. "I've spelled them so that only you and I can access them. And they can't be removed from my office!"
"Why would you do that?" Fudge asked with a frown.
"We can't take a chance on anyone else finding out about it," she said, the desperation clear in her voice. She reached out and grabbed Fudge's robes, trying to pull him closer as she pulled herself up slightly up off the bed. "Some of those... some of those close to you... Cornelius, you can't trust anyone! I'm sure... I'm sure that I have all the clues to identify the traitors, but I haven't had the time..."
Umbridge then collapsed back on the bed, falling unconscious just as quickly as she had woken. Fudge stood slowly, his hands shaking as he thought about what he'd just heard. Some of the people I've been trusting might not deserve my trust? he asked himself. There might be traitors on my staff, people who have been working to help overthrow the Ministry? I have to find out who they are... I have to learn what Dolores managed to find out. What if this was an assassination attempt by those who feared what she learned? I will have to be extra careful...
Dispelling the charm he'd cast, he turned to the Ministry officials who'd come to Hogwarts with him and ordered them back to the Ministry, then asked McGonagall to take him to Umbridge's offices. She sent for a house elf, saying that she wanted to sit with the Headmaster for a bit before her first class. Fudge barely listened as he followed the elf out of the hospital wing, focusing instead on how he could protect himself and wondering if he should cut off all contact with the Ministry until he was sure that he'd found all the traitors in his administration.
Shortly after the door to the hospital wing closed, Umbridge opened one eye, looked around, and whispered, "Is he gone?"
"Yes, he's gone," Poppy said as she walked over and started casting diagnostic charms.
"Good," Umbridge said with a sigh. "That was quite a bit more difficult than I had anticipated." She looked over at McGonagall and added, "Minerva, if you would?"
She nodded and cast a patronus, knowing that Madam Bones would recognize it now. After whispering a single word to it, the cat disappeared through an outer wall.
"The die is cast," Umbridge said slowly. "We just have to hope that everyone else will be able to fulfill their roles properly. Do you know if Sirius is ready?"
McGonagall rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Molly promised that she'd have him sober and ready, even if it killed him."
Umbridge chuckled. "I have no doubt that she will succeed, then. I almost feel sorry for him."
"At least I was able to get Remus sober," McGonagall continued. "I'm not sure who else would have had the skills and imagination to forge all of those documents in time."
"Will you want another dose?" Poppy asked.
"No," Umbridge responded. "A house elf will notify us if Fudge or anyone else approaches the hospital wing. In the meantime, just keep us both concealed by your curtains and leave a dose by my bed."
"Very well, Albus," McGonagall said. "I need to go teach my first class. Do get some rest, if you can."
Monday, November 1, 1995, Late Morning.
When Sirius stumbled through the floo into the Ministry atrium, he was barely able to stay on his feet. He didn't have difficulty with floo travel like his goddaughter, but he was suffering from one of the worst hangovers he'd ever had the misfortune to experience. It's even worse than the night of graduation, he thought, though not nearly as bad as the one after James' bachelor party. Ooh-wee, that was a doozy...
"Sirius Orion Black?" came a very officious-sounding voice.
Blinking hard against the bright lights of the Ministry atrium — Molly had taken just enough pity on him to keep the lights low at headquarters, but that had been the extent of her compassion — he looked around, trying to figure out who was talking to him. Finally he found the red-robed auror and immediately gulped, recognizing the man he'd pissed on in Hogsmeade last spring.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I'm to take you into custody pending your trial," the auror answered. "You will not be restrained or even technically placed under arrest so long as you do not resist and obey all instructions — and I have been informed that you intend to cooperate. Do you understand these conditions?"
Sirius nodded reflexively, then clutched at his head as his headache shifted back into high gear. "Yes," he gasped. "I understand and intend to cooperate."
"Did we call you in at a bad time?" came a new voice.
Sirius opened his eyes slowly and saw Amelia Bones flanked by more aurors step up. "Last night was... well, I guess you know what it was," Sirius responded. "I have a tendency to get drunk on that night every year, remembering the deaths of my best friends and the mistakes I made which helped cause those deaths."
All of the aurors quickly had more sober expressions on their faces, and Bones nodded understandingly. "I usually do too, as a matter of fact, but preparation for today took precedence." She then gestured for Sirius to follow her.
"I'd have refrained myself if I'd had any idea this was coming," he went on as he fell into step beside her. "But I was already too far gone when someone came to tell me. Mo... er, a friend spent the last few hours getting me awake and sober."
Bones eyed him appraisingly. "I'm guessing it wasn't a pleasant process."
"Not for me, no," Sirius said ruefully. "I think she enjoyed it, though."
"Well, hopefully the rest of the day will go better," Bones said, changing the subject. "We've already got enough of the Wizengamot to hold a trial, but I'd like to wait a little longer to see if anyone else makes it in. The more people there, the more legitimate the verdict will appear. So I'll conduct a preliminary interview with you, and you'll need to give me an overview of everything that happened. Anything that you can think of which we might be able to use, I need you to tell me — no matter how small. This should be an easy case, but we can't take any chances."
Sirius murmured his agreement as they entered the lift to go down to one of the DMLE interrogation rooms, racking his brain for anything which might help his case... and trying not to let his growing hopes carry him away.
When Hermione and Jasmine arrived in the dungeon, there was a sign on the lab door saying that all Potions classes had been cancelled for the day.
"Room of Requirement?" Hermione whispered. At Jasmine's nod, they told their friends they were going to go study in private before quickly making their way to the seventh floor.
They couldn't see or hear anyone following them, but they were sure that someone was there, just as they were sure that there had been someone lurking nearby in their History of Magic class. They couldn't explain exactly how they knew, but they were certain that there was a presence of some sort. After what had happened at breakfast that morning, this worried them.
Once inside the Room of Requirement, they took a moment to close their eyes and feel for the presence that had been dogging their steps. When they decided that they were alone, they sat down to get some work done using their tried-and-true system of rewards. For some reason, they managed to get much more done than usual, despite taking time for longer rewards than was normal.
Neither of them saw any reason to complain about that.
Cornelius Fudge wished he had someone he could complain to, but he didn't. Even if the material he was working through hadn't been keyed to him and Dolores alone, he wouldn't have trusted anyone else with it. He couldn't be sure that they weren't working with the very traitors who wanted to overthrow the Ministry and who had clearly tried to assassinate the Chief Inquisitor when she started getting too close to the truth.
The reason why he was so frustrated was that Dolores had inexplicably chosen not to limit herself to magic to conceal her notes on what she had learned. Every page first had to have a complicated counter-charm cast on it, then the code on it had to be deciphered — but he had a limited window of time to do it. If he wasn't fast enough, he had to cast the counter-charm again. And sometimes the code changed, which meant he'd have to start once more from the top.
It was maddening, but he couldn't deny that any method which frustrated him so much would have also made it difficult for any spies who managed to break the enchantment limiting access to him and Dolores. Despite the frustrations, he was making progress. He'd only been at it for a few hours, but he'd already come across several tantalizing clues about spies, traitors, and saboteurs working in the Ministry.
If only I had some names, he grumbled to himself as he cast the counter-charm for the third time on the same piece of parchment. There aren't any obvious patterns of behavior that would point to anyone, but that just means that the conspiracy is so large that there are quite a few people involved. Should I go back and ask...?
Fudge was abruptly hit by a strong urge to keep working and not share his findings with anyone else. No, no, if she had known any names for certain, she'd have told me, Fudge concluded. The more rest she gets now, the sooner she'll be back on her feet and working for me again. I'll just keep plugging away at this... who knows, maybe I'll see something she missed. I am the Minister for Magic, after all!
Monday, November 1, 1995, Lunch.
Amelia Bones closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath, trying to relax while giving no sign of the real exhaustion she felt. Can't show any weakness, she repeated to herself. No matter how well it seems to be going, I can't show any weakness.
"This has been a very interesting morning," came a familiar voice. "A very interesting and, dare I say, curious morning as well."
"Why do you say that, Madam Longbottom?" she asked as she opened her eyes.
"It's interesting because so many assumptions that people have held since the end of the war have been overturned here over the course of the morning," she answered. "It's curious that we were all brought in under strict secrecy to hear it... and even more curious that we aren't being allowed out for the short lunch recess."
"There are still a few more important issues that need to be covered," Bones explained, "and I don't wish the wrong people to find out before the Wizengamot has a chance to decide if any action should be taken."
"Wrong people?" Madam Longbottom asked with one raised eyebrow. "I noticed that Minister Fudge isn't here, which is highly irregular."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say right now," Bones replied. "But it will all be clear before the session ends this afternoon."
"Oh, of that I have no doubt," the older witch said as she made her way back to her seat. Bones looked around the chambers, wondering how many of those present suspected what was coming. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out, Bones thought. Pettigrew's interrogation wasn't the only thing presented so far, but it was the most controversial. More than a few people here should have figured out by now that if there is any chance that Black is innocent, then a hearing of some sort has to be coming sooner or later.
Mentally shrugging, she started eating her lunch, trying to get it finished as quickly as possible so she could make last-minute preparations for the afternoon circus.
As Hermione and Jasmine ate lunch, they kept casting suspicious glances at Gabrielle, who herself was looking everywhere but at the other two girls. They knew she was watching for potential dangers to them, which they appreciated. What had them concerned was the fact that there was something about her presence that they thought they could feel.
For a while now they'd felt comforted by the presence of the two veela — nothing obvious or overt, just a general feeling of calmness and safety. Now, though, there was something more. They couldn't identify it, except to say that there was something. It also started to dawn on them that they had occasionally been feeling it even when Gabrielle wasn't around, and that concerned them even more.
Monday, November 1, 1995, Afternoon.
Nymphadora Tonks smiled in barely-disguised glee as she observed the chaos erupting around her in the Wizengamot. She kept an eye out for anyone who looked like they might become a threat, but she couldn't help but take pleasure in what her cousin Sirius had just done with his testimony — and testimony given under veritaserum, no less!
Her mother had always found it difficult to believe that Sirius had betrayed the Potters, and Tonks' own hazy memories of the man had all been positive, so she hadn't grown up hating him quite as much as everyone else. That had made it easier for her to accept his innocence and reconnect with him over the past summer. No one in the Order had dared hope that he would get a trial this quickly, but now it looked as though she'd finally be able to talk to her mother about Sirius. She'd hated keeping that from her.
She tensed when she saw out of the corner of her eye a wizard reach into his robes, but relaxed again when she realized that it was only a piece of parchment that he pulled out. Stay focused, she told herself. You can celebrate tonight, assuming the rest of the trial goes as well as everything else has today.
Both Hermione and Jasmine had trouble concentrating on what Professor Babbling was saying during Runes class. Almost as soon as the class had started, they looked at each other and wordlessly confirmed that they were both able to detect the mysterious presence that they had felt that morning in History. They still weren't sure what it was, but the more they concentrated on it, the more... distinct it felt. And familiar.
Whatever or whoever it was, they were sure they'd figure it out — and then they'd express their displeasure at being spied on.
Monday, November 1, 1995, Late Afternoon.
Sirius stopped and took a long, deep breath as he looked up at the bright blue sky.
"Something wrong?" Tonks asked.
"Just enjoying my first breaths as a free man," Sirius answered as he adjusted his black dragonhide jacket and put on a pair a dark sunglasses. "A truly free man, not on the run or wanted anymore. It's been too long."
"There will be a lot more of those to follow — that's why Madam Bones assigned me to be your escort and bodyguard for the next few days," she said.
Sirius grinned. "Feels weird having my much-younger cousin as my bodyguard, but I don't want to have to duel every other person as people try to collect the reward on me."
"So, where to first?" Tonks asked.
"To get a new wand. I'm still mad that the Ministry destroyed my old one, but I can't delay getting a good, matched wand for myself."
"After all you've been through, your old wand might not have worked as well for you anymore," she pointed out.
"Huh," he said, looking over at her in surprise. "I never considered that — you might be right. Well, let's not waste any more time hanging around here outside the Ministry. First, Ollivander's. Then, better clothing. Finally, Gringotts!"
"Then someplace to buy booze for the party tonight?" Tonks asked with a mischievous grin.
"Ugh, no!" Sirius moaned, putting his hands on his head. "Please, I only just got rid of my headache from last night!"
Tonks couldn't help but laugh as Sirius started walking away. "C'mon, let's walk," he said. "It's only about fifteen minutes to Diagon Alley, and I feel like enjoying my freedom!"
"Hey," she called out, "you still need to make an appointment to meet Madam Bones!"
Hermione and Jasmine remained in their seats as the rest of the students left Defense, though they had to reassure Neville, Ron, Lavender and Parvati that they'd be alright before the others were willing to leave them behind completely. Once Fleur had sealed the door, she turned to them with a questioning look and noticed that both seemed more than a little miffed.
"OK, Gabrielle," Jasmine said. "You can come out now."
Fleur groaned as the girls turned in their seats to see Gabrielle shimmer into visibility in the back of the room. "I told you," the younger veela said with a smirk as she walked up to the front of the classroom. She held out her hand while Fleur reached into her robes and pulled out a galleon coin which she handed over.
"Would either of you like to tell us what's going on?" Hermione asked, clearly annoyed.
"My sister was worried zat ze Minister or one of his minions might try something today," Gabrielle responded. "She asked me to follow you while disillusioned so I could help if something happened."
"And the galleon she just gave you?" Jasmine asked.
"I told her zat you would figure out I was around," Gabrielle said, looking justifiably smug. "She didn't believe me."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione asked.
"I didn't want you to inadvertently give it away," Fleur answered before her sister could say anything. "If you knew she was there, I zought you might keep looking in her direction. Zat would have tipped off any competent auror. I take your protection very seriously, and I didn't want to take any chances."
Jasmine sighed, still clearly irritated. "OK, that's understandable, but we still don't like it. If you have simply told us about the possible problem, we'd have avoided doing anything wrong."
"Not telling us was probably more of a risk," Hermione said. "We knew someone or something was watching us as early as History of Magic class this morning—" Gabrielle shot her sister a triumphant look "—but we were worried that it was a threat, like maybe an auror following us and waiting for the right moment to strike. We've been on edge all day."
"When did you know it was me?" Gabrielle asked.
"We first started to wonder at lunch," Jasmine answered. "After spending so much of the morning focusing on the mysterious presence, seeing you at lunch felt... odd. Once we came to Defense class, though, everything started falling into place because Fleur felt different as well; then the feeling increased, which we concluded was you coming into the room."
"How is it zat you are feeling us?" Fleur asked.
Hermione shrugged. "We don't know. We didn't notice anything before today."
Fleur slumped back in her chair. "Ah, yes, ze ritual. Zat must be it. Gabrielle said zat she could feel your presence already zis morning. Now zat your soul bond has been consummated, you will be able to sense each other on some level. I guess it makes sense zat you will be able to sense us as well, since you also have a bond to us."
"I believe zat my spending more time around ze two of you made it easier," Gabrielle added.
"Just... don't do it again, OK?" Hermione asked. "I mean, assuming there's time or opportunity to tell us, then please do so."
"Alright," Fleur conceded. "I'm sorry I acted without talking to you first."
"So, enough with ze drama already!" Gabrielle said as she plunked herself down in a chair opposite the girls and looked at them eagerly. "Tell us all about last night!"
"Gabrielle!" Fleur cried indignantly as the other two witches started blushing.
Monday, November 1, 1995, Evening.
Immediately after dinner, Professor McGonagall told Jasmine and Hermione about Sirius having gotten a surprise trial that day and having been declared completely innocent of all charges. Once they heard that, there was really no hope of getting any more work done for the rest of the day. Ideally they would have been able to go visit him; since they couldn't do that, they decided to celebrate on their own.
That's why they ended up in the Room of Requirement, dancing and laughing. All day they'd felt a strong pull towards one another, but there had been so many problems and mysteries that they hadn't had much chance to act on it — not that there was much they could have done in public anyway. Now, though, they could do pretty much as they wished — and what they wished was as much physical contact as possible.
"Do you think Professor McGonagall will help me deliver a letter to him?" Jasmine asked.
"I don't see why not," Hermione responded. "Just don't ask her too often. She wouldn't like being treated like an owl. Oh! Why not ask Dobby and Winky? We have so little for them to do as it is!"
"Ugh, you're right," Jasmine said. "I totally forgot that they can deliver letters if necessary."
"Just don't use them too often, either," Hermione pointed out. "Remember that the long distance travel tires them out."
"Now that that problem is solved, let's forget about everyone else for a while, hm?" As Jasmine said this, the bed from the previous night appeared nearby.
It only took a few seconds for clothes to be shed so the two witches could embark on the first of several more round trips on the Hogwarts Express.
Severus Snape wasn't having nearly so pleasant of an evening. He'd barely been able to catch more than a few minutes sleep here and there since he'd been summoned to Malfoy Manor the previous night. As a Potions Master he had quite a bit of familiarity with magical ailments and the potions needed to treat them, but he wasn't a Healer and couldn't easily substitute for one. Nevertheless, he was expected to examine, diagnose, and treat not only the Dark Lord, but also the Dark Lord's familiar.
Merlin, he lamented to himself, I know even less about how to treat snakes than I do about how to treat humans. For me, snakes are potions ingredients, not patients! I'm pretty sure that Nagini is going to die. I've been lucky that I've been able to keep her unconscious and comfortable so far. I have no idea what caused her condition, and skelegrow would be more likely to kill her than it would to repair her spine.
The Dark Lord was still unconscious, which might be good or bad. As long as he was unconscious, he couldn't torture Snape into insanity or worse for his failure to heal Nagini. The longer he remained that way, though, the more displeased he would be when he finally awoke.
He and Snape had been working for months to figure out why he was still experiencing pain and why he fell unconscious periodically. So far, they'd been unable to determine what was happening, nor had they been able to develop any successful treatments. Most recently Snape had experimented with a modified form of Rat Tonic, this one made with the brains of actual rats, and administered it almost as soon as he arrived a little less than twenty-four hours earlier. He didn't really expect it to work, but given the danger he was in, he was willing to grasp at any straw that came along.
I'm not sure that I should inform the Dark Lord that I've been dosing him with pureed rat brain every few hours, though, Snape thought tiredly as he drifted off to sleep.
Cornelius Fudge wasn't even able to enjoy the bliss of sleep. An elf had put a cot in a corner of Dolores' office, but he was extremely reluctant to stop working. Every time he began to think that it would be nice to take a short nap, he seemed to discover something new in what he was deciphering and felt a burst of desire to keep pushing forward, convinced that he was on the brink of making a major discovery.
No such discovery came, but that never caused him to become disillusioned with his project. If anything, it merely reinforced his conviction that there was a massive conspiracy against him and the Ministry which only he, the Minister for Magic, could uncover.
I'm close, he thought feverishly, I know I'm close! I can feel it... I just need a bit more information, then I'll finally be able to put all of the pieces together! Once I know who all the traitors are, I'll round them up and ship them off to Azkaban. I just need to keep going for a little longer...