Bones

Chapter 19

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

        She was in a very bad mood. Me, Harry and Hermione thought it best to accept our chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over us, making sure we ate it. But I could hardly swallow. The three of us were waiting, listening, our nerves jangling.... And then, as we both took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, we heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above us....

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

        Now we 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?"

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

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

        "HE 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 -- POTTER!"

        "Severus -- be reasonable -- Harry has 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, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

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

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

        "THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at me, Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.

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

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

        "That will do, Severus," Dumbledore said 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!" Madam Pomfrey said, bristling. "I would have heard them!"

        "Well, there you have it, Severus," Dumbledore said 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."

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

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

        "He's not the only one!" Fudge puffed. "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 laughingstock! Well... I'd better go and notify the Ministry....."