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Of course, things were far too peaceful to last. They had barely been in the hospital wing for a half hour when the sound of raised voices reached them. They seemed to be coming closer.

"They'll wake him if they don't shut up," James said, annoyed.

"What are they shouting about?" Lily asked, "What else could possibly have happened?"

James got to his feet and took a few steps towards the door. "That's Fudge," he said, listening hard. "And that's McGonagall. Merlin, I didn't think she could yell like that."

Now, they could make out what the pair was saying. "Regrettable, but all the same Minerva…" Fudge was saying.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle," McGonagall yelled, "When Dumbledore finds out…"

The two of them stormed into the room, followed closely by Snape. "Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded.

"He's not here," James said, trying to remain calm, "Why would you look for him in a hospital wing? You need to…"

Dumbledore swept into the room before James could finish his sentence. "What has happened?" he asked. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you. I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch."

"There's no need to stand guard over him any longer, Dumbledore! The minister has seen to that!" McGonagall shrieked.

James was shocked speechless. After seven years of getting on her nerves, he was sure that he had seen Professor McGonagall at her best and worst, but he had never seen her lose control like this before or raise her voice to anything above a sharp tone.

"When we told the minister, we had caught the person responsible for tonight's events," Snape explained. "He seemed to think his personal safety was in jeopardy. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch…"

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore," interrupted Professor McGonagall. "I told him, you would never allow one inside the grounds!"

"My dear woman!" roared Fudge, "As Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous…"

McGonagall spoke over him. "As soon as that, that horror entered the room, it swooped down on Crouch and… and…"

James felt a cold feeling swoop over him. The dementor must have administered the kiss to Crouch.

"By all accounts, he is no loss," blustered Fudge. "It seems he has been responsible for several deaths."

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," Dumbledore pointed out. "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it?" Fudge retorted, "He was a raving lunatic. From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to think he was acting on You-Know-Who's instructions!"

"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, "Those peoples deaths were mere by products of a plan to restore Voldemort to his body. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has returned."

There was a stunned silence. He's not going to believe it, James realized with horror.

"You-Know-Who returned?" Fudge spluttered, "Preposterous! Come now, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore explained what Crouch said, Fudge insisted he was a lunatic, and Dumbledore told how Harry was taken to Voldemort, but insisted he couldn't question him tonight, a decision Lily and James immediately agreed with. There was no way he would allow Fudge to interrogate his son any time soon, minister of magic or not.

"You are prepared to take Harry's word on this, Dumbledore?" Fudge asked with a peculiar smile.

"Excuse me?" Lily demanded, getting to her feet. Sirius growled at Fudge.

"Certainly, I believe Harry," said Dumbledore, eyes blazing "I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup; the two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer."

Fudge's smile didn't drop, and James got the distinct impression that he was not going to like what the minister said next. "You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who… well…"

Everything suddenly made sense. James started forward, angry enough to hit him. Lily actually reached for her wand, but they were both stopped by Harry's voice.

"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," he said quietly. He was right, of course. This was all that horrible Skeeter woman's fault; if she hadn't written that article, Fudge wouldn't have a reason to doubt Harry. Not that he needed a reason to ignore the obvious.

"And if I have?" Fudge replied, defiantly, looking at Dumbledore. "If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And having funny turns all over the place – "

James clenched his fists, forcing himself to let Dumbledore handle this. Fudge respected him; he'd take the headmaster's word over one of his employees. He glanced at his wife. Lily's lovely face was twisted in an expression of fury. He wouldn't have been surprised to see steam coming from her ears.

"I assume you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar," Dumbledore said coolly.

"You admit that he's been having these pains, then?" Fudge said, quickly, "Headaches, nightmares, possible – hallucinations?"

"You…" Lily began but fell into a furious silence as Dumbledore spoke over her.

"Listen to me, Cornelius. Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Voldemort is close by or feeling particularly murderous."

"You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before…"

"Well, there hasn't exactly been a curse scar like Harry's before," James interrupted, icily.

"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted. He tried to get out of bed, but Lily shoved him back. "I saw the Death Eaters. I can give you their names. Lucius Malfoy…"

"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, affronted, "Very old family – don…"

"Because the age of the family is obviously the best way to determine whether someone is innocent or guilty," Lily practically snarled with cutting sarcasm.

"Macnair!"

"Also cleared! Now working for the ministry."

"Perfect spy," James pointed out. Fudge ignored him.

"Avery – Knott – Crabbe – Goyal!"

"You are merely repeating the names of those acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago," Fudge said, angrily, "You could have found those in old reports of the trials! For heaven's sake, Dumbledore, the boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too!"

"That…"

"You…" Both James and Lily tried to protest this, but Fudge merely raised his voice and continued yelling at Dumbledore.

"His tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them! The boy can talk to snakes, Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?"

"You imbecile!" Lily finally managed to get in an insult. "How can you be so blind? The deaths and disappearances that have happened over the past year…"

"Cedric Diggory!" McGonagall shouted, "Mr. Crouch!"

"Bertha Jorkins," James cut in.

"These deaths were not random!" Lily finished.

"I see no evidence to the contrary!" Fudge shouted. "It seems to me that you all are determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything that we worked for these last thirteen years!"

Dumbledore proceeded to explain that the minister needed to remove the dementors from Azkaban and send envoys to the giants at once, both of which Fudge refused because it would mean the end of his career. Dumbledore actually ranted at that, which was both surprising and awesome, and then said that if Fudge persisted in his position they reached a parting of the ways. Fudge started to threaten him, which was idiotic, but Dumbledore said that he only intended to work against Voldemort.

Fudge did not seem to know what to say to that. Finally, he pleaded, "he can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be."

For the first time, Snape joined the debate. James wondered if he had waited till the last possible second in order to keep his cover. He would almost certainly need to return to his role as spy.

Snape rolled up his sleeve and showed his dark mark to Fudge. "There," he said, harshly, "there. The dark mark. It is not so clear as it was an hour ago when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had this mark burned into them by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us. When he touched the mark of any Death Eater, we were to disapparate and apparate instantly at his side. This mark has been growing clearer all year, Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the mark burn; we both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Surely even Fudge cannot refute this evidence, James thought.

"I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I've had enough of it." Apparently, he could. "I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the ministry." He started to leave, then went back. "Your winnings," he said to Harry. He moved as if to go to the bedside table and place it there, but Lily blocked his path. He handed her the bag instead. "One thousand galleons. There should have been a presentation, but under the present circumstances…" He stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

At once, Dumbledore turned to the group, "There is work to be done. I need to send a message to Arthur Weasley and any other people in the ministry who might stand by us."

"I can do that," James said, "First thing tomorrow." His work as an auror would grant him easy access to the ministry. He was already thinking of people who could be persuaded of the truth.

"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "You will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge believes I am interfering in the ministry…"

"Discreet is my specialty," James said with a grin. Sirius made a peculiar sound that would have sounded like a laugh if a dog could laugh. Snape raised a skeptical eyebrow. James glared half-heartedly at them. He had gotten out of plenty of trouble at school, thank you very much. He could be discreet.

"Minerva," Dumbledore continued, "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. And, if she will consent to come, Madam Maxime."

Professor McGonagall nodded and left.

"Poppy," Dumbledore turned to Madam Pomfrey, "Would you be so kind as to go to Professor Moody's office where you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress. Do what you can for her and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us."

"Very – very well," said Madam Pomfrey, and she also left.

"And now," said Dumbledore, once she had gone, "it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are." James realized he must mean Snape and Sirius, as he had conveniently gotten everyone who didn't know Sirius' real identity except Snape out of the room. He noticed Lily looking a little apprehensive and couldn't blame her. He and Snape had come to a shaky truce when Lily and the potion's master had restarted their friendship, but James doubted Sirius would be as willing to let bygones be bygones, and Snape would never take the first step. "Sirius," Dumbledore continued, "if you could resume your usual form."

The great black dog transformed back into a man. Snape did not yell or jump backwards, but his expression did twist into a mixture of fury and horror. "Him," he snarled, "What is he doing here?"

"He is here at my invitation," said Dumbledore, "as you are, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other."

Well, that was never going to work; both Sirius and Snape were eyeing each other with the upmost loathing.

"I will settle in the short term," Dumbledore said, sounding a little annoyed, "for a lack of open hostilities. You will shake hands, you are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, there is no hope for any of us."

Very slowly, Snape and Sirius moved towards each other and shook hands, scowling all the while. They let go extremely quickly.

"Proof miracles do still happen," James joked, and he grinned as both glared at him.

"That will be enough to be going on with," said Dumbledore. "Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's reaction, while not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher – the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there."

"But…" Harry began.

"You'll see me very soon, Harry, I promise you," Sirius said, "But I must do what I can. You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Harry, "Yeah, of course, I do."

Sirius grasped Harry's hand briefly, nodded to Lily and James, transformed back into a dog, and ran from the room.

"Severus," Dumbledore turned to him, "You know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready… if you are prepared…"

"I am," said Snape, looking slightly paler than usual. James couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to willingly go to Voldemort and try and convince him you were loyal to his cause.

"Then, good luck," Dumbledore said.

Lily spoke as Snape began to leave. "Be careful," she said, quietly.

Snape nodded at her and swept from the room.

"I must go downstairs," Dumbledore said. "I must see the Diggory's. Harry, take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later."

After Dumbledore left, there was a long silence as everyone thought over what had just happened. Finally, Lily spoke. "You've got to take the rest of your potion, Harry. Try to think of something else for a while…" She set the bag of gold down and reached for the potion.

"I don't want that gold," Harry said suddenly. "I shouldn't have won it. It should have been Cedric's."

James saw where this was heading and didn't like it. "It wasn't your fault, Harry," he said, firmly.

"I told him to take the cup with me," Harry said, sounding a little chocked. Lily immediately leaned forward and embraced him. Mother and son held onto each other as if they would never let go. Then, there came a loud bang, and they broke apart. James looked around. Hermione was standing by the window holding something in her hand.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Your potion, Harry," said Lily, wiping her eyes quickly with the back of her hand. Harry drank it and at once fell asleep.

James looked at Lily. "I should go," he said, quietly, "I want to talk to Arthur before work tomorrow. You'll be staying here, right?"

Lily nodded. James kissed her and walked out of the room with a distinctly ominous feeling. He couldn't help but think that the second wizarding war had begun today, in a hospital wing, with a handful of people, and his son in the middle of it all.

Well, that's the end of the fourth book. I hope you're all looking forward to the next one! It's gonna be a lot of fun and a little different because, due to the unsafe postal system, there won't be any letters, just scenes.