Grim | Harry Potter

✧ chapter {10} ✧

"Professor Dumbledore!" my brother yelled.

"For heaven's sake!" Pomfrey exclaimed with her hands on her hips. "Is this a hospital wing or a circus? Headmaster, I must insist you-"

    "I apologize, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Black," he motioned to me, "And Miss Black here could do with a dreamless sleep."

Madam Pomfrey took a deep breath, slowly letting it out before turning to Professor Snape and Minister Fudge again with a very forced smile plastered on her rosy cheeks.

"You may stay for a few minutes, Headmaster, but I do insist upon you gentlemen leaving. These children just went through something traumatic, and I will not have you disturbing them."

She turned to me with a softer smile, "Why don't you go sit beside your brother, Miss Black? I will be right back with your potions."

I nodded gratefully as she disappeared. Snape gave us all one last glare before stalking out with a swish of his cloak. The Minister was right on his tail.

I turned to look at my brother fully and gasped, "Zenith? Are you alright?"

I rushed over to his bed. His left arm was bandaged again, as was his forehead. His face was covered in bruises, and there was still a little dirt and dried blood on his torn clothing. It looked like he got in a fight with the Whomping Willow. And lost.

"Oh you will not believe what happened tonight, Cressida," my brother exclaimed. "It was- Wait no. I'm mad at you."

He crossed his arms and began to ignore me.

"Why?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore beat him to it.

"I will allow you two to catch up in a few minutes, but first," he reached into the pocket of his brightly colored robes, "lemon drop?"

Both of us shook our heads no.

Professor Dumbledore shrugged his shoulders and popped one into his own mouth before sighing.

"I have just been talking to Sirius Black-"

"Where is he?" my brother demanded.

"You found him?" I asked.

"Did he tell you what happened, Professor?" my brother asked, sitting up. "We saw Pettigrew! He was a rat, and he cut his own finger off and faked his death, and-"

"Woah, hold on a minute! You captured Sirius Black? And isn't Pettigrew dead?" I questioned.

My brother rolled his eyes, "I just said he faked it! He-"

Dumbledore held his hand up and we both stopped.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you not to interrupt, " he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support your story of Black's innocence. Except your word, the word of four thirteen year old students, and that will do nothing to convince anyone. A street full of people were witnesses to Black murdering Peter Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the ministry of Sirius being the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"But he wasn't! He switched with that rat at the last minute. Papa can tell you-"

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, and by the time he is human again, it will be too late. Might I add that with the distrust of werewolves, his support would count very little."

My eyes widened and I looked at Zenith. He was glaring at me with his arms crossed.

"Yeah," he drawled, "I know."