𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒-ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪 ℙ𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣❥

𝐏𝐎𝐀 𝟏𝟗

"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"

She was in a very bad mood. Harry and Emily thought it best to accept their chocolate quietly.

Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it. But Emily could hardly swallow. She and Emily were waiting, listening, their nerves jangling... And then, as they both took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them...

"What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey in alarm.

Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door.
"Really, they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"

Emily was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing nearer.

"They must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with them. When this gets out-"

"THEY DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS-HAS-SOMETHING -
TO-DO-WITH -BLACK'S- DAUGHTER-AND- POTTER!"

"Severus, be reasonable, Harry and Emily have been locked up." BAM.

The door of the hospital wing burst open.

Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward.

Dumbledore alone looked calm.

Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself.

Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself.

"OUT WITH IT, LUPIN AND POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"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!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Emily. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.

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

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER AND LUPIN!" shrieked Snape. "THEY DID IT, I KNOW THEY DID IT-"

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!"

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

Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses.

Snape 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 and his son cornered and they 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 laughingstock! Well... I'd better go and notify the Ministry..."