"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva —" Cornelius Fudge was saying loudly.
"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" yelled Professor McGonagall. "When Dumbledore finds out —"
"What the hell's going on?" I said
The hospital doors burst open. Fudge came striding up the ward. Professors McGonagall and Snape were at his heels.
"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded of Mum.
"He's not here," said Mum angrily. "This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to —"
But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward.
"What has happened?" said Dumbledore sharply, looking from Fudge to Professor McGonagall. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you — I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch —"
"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!" she shrieked. "The Minister has seen to that!"
We had never seen Professor McGonagall lose control like this. There were angry blotches of colour in her cheeks, and her hands were balled into fists; she was trembling with fury.
"Woah, hold on, Barty Crouch? What's going on, can someone explain?" said Demelza
"Miss Robins, please be patient" said Dumbledore
Demelza immediately fell silent, and I expected that, she was not the type to argue with Professors. If someone told her to hold on for information she would, no matter the situation.
"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," said Snape, in a low voice, "he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. 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!" Professor McGonagall fumed. "I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but —"
"My dear woman!" roared Fudge, who likewise looked angrier than we had ever seen him, "as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous —"
"That shows your insecurity then!" Amy shouted "that you don't have faith in defending yourself unaided!"
"Be quiet you silly girl, you clearly have no understanding of the situation!" Fudge snapped back at her "keep speaking to Ministry officials in that manner and you'll go the same way as your uncle!"
"How did you know-" Amy began, but McGonagall drowned her out
"The moment that — that thing entered the room," she screamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, "it swooped down on Crouch and — and —"
"Gave him the kiss" I muttered, but then I said in my normal voice "but why, what on earth did Crouch do? Why was he deserving of the kiss?"
"I'll tell you" said Harry.
We all jumped and turned around to look at him. None of us had realised he was awake!
"The person you have all believed was Alastor Moody this year was not. It was Barty Crouch Jr in disguise. He used Polyjuice Potion. It was all part of a plan to get me to Voldemort. That plan I unfortunately have to say, succeeded. Voldemort's back"
Even though we'd always known it would happen one day, that didn't stop a feeling of deep despair and fear rising inside me, and I could tell by the looks on the others faces that they felt the same way.
Fudge looked as though someone had just swung a heavy weight into his face. Dazed and blinking, he stared at Harry if he couldn't quite believe what he had just heard. He began to sputter, still goggling at Harry "You-Know-Who . . . returned? Preposterous. Come now, Potter. . ."
"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you," said Dumbledore, "we heard Barty Crouch Jr confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort — learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins — went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."
"See here, Dumbledore," said Fudge, and Harry was astonished to see a slight smile dawning on his face, "you — you can't seriously believe that. You-Know-Who — back? Come now, come now . . . certainly, Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders — but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore . . ."
"When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort," said Dumbledore steadily. "He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office." Dumbledore glanced around at Harry, but shook his head and said, "I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry tonight."
"You are — er — prepared to take Harry's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?" said Fudge
"Of course he would, as we all will" I said, "why wouldn't we?"
There was a moment's silence, which was broken by Sirius growling. His hackles were raised, and he was baring his teeth at Fudge.
"Certainly, I believe Harry," said Dumbledore. His eyes were blazing now. "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."
"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy who . . . well . . ." Fudge shot Harry another look, and Harry suddenly understood.
"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge," he said quietly
"And if I have?" Fudge replied
"And if you have?" said Amy incredulously "That woman is a serial liar, and almost everyone knows it! The Prophet only keeps her on because she sells papers!"
Fudge ignored her. "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 —" he continued
"I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?" said Dumbledore coolly. "You admit that he has been having these pains, then?" said Fudge quickly. "Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly — hallucinations?"
"Listen to me, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. "Harry is as sane as you or I. That scar upon his forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord 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. . . ."
"That's because his scar is unique, obviously!" I said "use some common sense!"
"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted. He tried to get out of bed, but Mum forced him back.
"I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy —"
"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, visibly affronted. "A very old family — donations to excellent causes —"
"Macnair!" Harry continued. "Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!" "Avery — Nott — Crabbe — Goyle —"
"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" said Fudge angrily.
"You could have found those names 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 — 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 fool!" Professor McGonagall cried. "Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths were not the random work of a lunatic!"
"I see no evidence to the contrary!" shouted Fudge, now matching her anger, his face purpling. "It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!"
"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Amy shouted, and now she, I and even the usually calm Demelza were on our feet.
"Why would we lie about this stuff!" I said "we don't want it to be true any more than you do, but it is!"
"Please listen to us, we aren't messing around here, honestly!" said Demelza
Mum tried to force me down, but I shrugged her off and walked straight up to Fudge.
"If anyone is trying to do any "destablization" it's you, Minister" I said, looking him right in the eyes and putting savage emphasis on the last word "you just seem determined to make Harry out to be an attention seeking liar, but let me tell you, continue down that path and you'll deeply regret it!"
"Ginny!" shrieked Mum
"Miss Weasley!" called McGonagall
"No, you tell him Ginny, keep going!" Amy said encouragingly
"Is that a threat?" Fudge asked me
I opened my mouth to reply, but Dumbledore stopped me.
"Please sit down, Miss Weasley. I admire your passion here, but getting up in the Minister's face will not help things"
I glanced around at Dumbledore, who nodded at my chair. Reluctantly I sat back down, I didn't dare disobey him.