Chapter 5

I do not own any of J.K Rowling's characters

I slowly came around to soft voices and although I couldn't move nor open my eyes, my hearing seemed to be fine.

"Shocking business … miracle none of them died … never heard the like … by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape …"

"Thank you, Minister." I heard Severus say.

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."

"Nasty cut you've got there … Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Meghana Megera, Minister …"

"No!" Fudge sounded shocked.

"Black had bewitched her, it wouldn't have been hard considering their past, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, judging by her behaviour. She seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent. She wasn't responsible for her actions, but she obviously thought she was going to take Black single-handedly into the Ministry for questioning. On the other hand, her interference might have permitted Black to escape … and of course, there is Potter, who has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of licence by the Headmaster –"

"Ah, well, Snape … Harry Potter, you know … we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."

"And yet – is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? Any other student would be suspended for leading his friends into such danger. Consider, Minister: after all the precautions put in place for his protection – out of bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer –"

"Well, well … we shall see, Snape, we shall see … the boy has undoubtedly been foolish …"

I felt very groggy and my chest hurt with every shallow breath I was taking. I was having trouble remembering exactly what had happened but, I remembered enough to be furious with Severus for lying to the Minister. Me? Confunded? Please, as if I was that weak-minded.

If this cost me my job at the Ministry, I would never forgive him.

Their voices faded in and out as I tried to force my brain to remember what had happened.

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers and brought them all straight back to the castle."

I tried to open my eyes again, but my eyelids were so heavy I couldn't manage it and as my mind lingered on Harry and his friends' welfare flashed into my head before I fell into the darkness again.

"WHAT?" someone had bellowed, jolting my mind awake again.

"Harry, Harry, what's this?" I heard Fudge's voice. "You should be in bed – has he had any chocolate?"

"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can"t let the Dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's –"

Sirius. I fought hard to stay conscious, trying to focus on him.

What had happened to him?

Where was he?

Was he ok?

I tried again to open my eyes as all the questions flooded my aching head but failed.

"Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control …" came the Minister's voice.

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please," I heard Hermione's voice say "I saw him, too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and –"

"You see, Minister?" said Severus. "Confunded, just like Megera … Black's done a very good job on them …"

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roared "HE DIDN'T CONFUND ANYONE!"

"Minister! Professor!" came Madam Pomfrey's angry voice. "I must insist that you leave. These students are my patients, and should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen –"

I tried again to open my eyes. I could feel my eyelids fluttering but could not manage to open them fully. My chest was excruciating and felt like there was a boulder sitting on it.

"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave-" Madam Pomfrey said.

I heard the door open again and footsteps approaching.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black –" Harry spluttered.

"For heaven's sake!" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist –"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr Potter and Miss Granger," came Dumbledore's calm voice. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black –"

"And I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind?" spat Severus. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive –"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore.

"Does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Severus. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him in the grounds."

"That was because you were knocked out, Professor!" said Hermione earnestly. "You didn't arrive in time to hear –"

"Miss Granger, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" Severus yelled, making my head spin, pain busting through it.

Did he need to keep shouting?

"I would like to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy – please leave us."

"Headmaster!" spluttered Madam Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest –"

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

There was a pause, footsteps and someone slamming a door behind them.

"The Dementors should have arrived by now," came the Minister's voice. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

I heard a door open.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Severus' whisper seemed closer to me now.

"I wish to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," Severus breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.

I heard footsteps again and the door closed.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth – we saw Pettigrew –"

"– he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf –"

"– He's a rat –"

"– Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off –"

"– Pettigrew attacked Ron and Professor Megera, it wasn't Sirius –"

All the talking was making my head pound, but I forced my brain to stay alert to stop myself from passing out again. I needed to hear, needed to find out if Sirius was ok.

"It is your turn to listen, and please do not interrupt me, because there is very little time," I heard Dumbledore say. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word – and the word of two thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eye-witnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"Professor Lupin and Professor Megera can tell you –" Harry said "Professor Lupin is currently deep in the Forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so distrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little – and Professor Megera is also currently unable to tell anyone anything right now and, well, she has a past with Sirius which means her support will cost her more than her job at the Ministry."

My position at the Ministry? I thought through the fog in my brain. Did Dumbledore think it meant more to me than Sirius?

"But –"

"Listen to me, Harry. It is too late, do you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."

"But he hates Sirius," Hermione sounded desperate.

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady – entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife – without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius' sentence."

"But you believe us."

"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister for Magic … What we need," said Dumbledore slowly "is more time."

"But –" Hermione began "OH!"

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor-"

My head was slipping into the unknown again. The voices I was hearing were starting to sound like a radio trying to find the correct station.

"I am going to lock you in. It is – five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck." Dumbledore's voice floated around my mind.

"Good luck?" I heard Harry repeat "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

"Harry come here," Herminone's voice sounded as though it was far away "Quick!"

I heard footsteps and fell unconscious once again.

BAM.

The door of the hospital wing burst open and my eyes snapped open. I blinked a couple of times as my eyesight came into focus. My whole body hurt and my chest was still extremely painful as I breathed.

Fudge, Severus and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Fudge appeared angry. But Severus was beside himself.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" My head pulsed painfully at the noise.

"Professor Snape" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw –"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Severus howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione.

What was he talking about? I frowned at Severus who looked murderous.

"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"

Severus spun around glaring at me and shrieked "THEN IT WAS HER, I KNOW SHE DID IT –"

I was unable to form words right now, so I merely blinked at him.

He's finally lost the plot I thought to myself.

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have any of your patients left their beds?"

"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I've been with them ever since you left! Professor Megera has only just opened her eyes!"

"Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

Severus stood there, seething, staring from Fudge to Dumbledore before he whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him, if I were you, Dumbledore."

"Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."

"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that Hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughing stock! Well … I'd better go and notify the Ministry …"

My mind jolted - did this mean that Sirius had escaped…again?

"And the Dementors?" said Dumbledore. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"

"Oh, yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair.

He turned and looked at me, although it was as if he was looking beyond me. "Please keep me updated on Madam Megera's condition." He added as he turned to Dumbledore and left the hospital wing.

A couple of days later, I was still in the hospital wing, propped up on pillows, staring at an open book, my eyes reading the words but not really taking in what it was saying. I was still quite weak, but I was growing increasingly bored with this situation. The doors of the hospital wing opened and I looked over and winced as a twang of pain exploded from my chest at the movement.

Dumbledore was striding over to me "Meghana," he said smiling "It's so good to see you up. How are you feeling?" He took a seat at my bedside looking at me, his blue eyes full of concern.

"I have felt better, Headmaster," I said, my voice croaky but I managed a small smile.

"Remus said he came to see you this morning," Dumbledore said.

I nodded frowning "Yes, he did. I tried to convince him to stay but he insists it's for the best."

"Yes …Severus was quite upset" Dumbledore sighed sadly but his eyes glittered slightly.

He paused for a moment before continuing "And I assume Remus told you about Sirius"

I turned slightly to look at Dumbledore, wincing as the slight movement caused the pain in my chest again "Yes." I replied a bit more sharply than I had meant.

"How are you feeling about that?" Dumbledore asked after a slight pause.

I frowned at him "Why would I feel anything about that?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows "Meg…I must admit I was surprised that someone of your talents would have been cursed by mere Peter." He chuckled and then then smiled at me knowingly "Sirius told me that you were cursed by Peter because you pushed him out of harm's way. You obviously still care a great deal about him, even after all this time."

I looked away from Dumbledore, looking at the book in my hands and, swallowing the lump rising in my throat I said quietly.

"I have spent 12 years believing the man I loved so much was a murderer. That he was the reason Voldemort killed Lily and James. He destroyed me."

"But did you really spend 12 years thinking that?" Dumbledore asked casually as I turned my head slightly to look at him again, I spotted his eyes flicking back up from my left hand. He was right of course, I had spent the last few years questioning everything to do with Sirius. I remained silent and there

was a long pause in which Dumbledore moved slightly in the chair before he said softly.

"He still loves you" He touched my arm, gripping it slightly "and that's something."

He looked at me sadly before jumping up "Rest up" he said smiling down at me and turned to walk out of the hospital wing, leaving me so much more confused about what I was feeling than before.