Magic? || Years 1-5

He's Back: Year 4

She fell back into her seat, watching him, waiting for him to awaken.

"Thank you," Madame Pomfrey, before disappearing off into her office with the goblet and potion bottle.

"You really went full healer mode," Ron joked meekly, but his voice was flat, the tone of the situation far too grim for laughter.

"Guess so..." Amisty smiled wanly.

And then there was shouting, vague but there. It sounded like the Minister and... Professor McGonagall.

Amisty looked up, eyes on the door.

No one noticed, too focused on the horrors that had just occurred, trying to put the pieces that didn't match up together without Harry's assistance.

The yells got louder.

Mrs. Weasley looked absolutely murderous and she shot to her feet, "They'll wake him if they don't shut up!"

"What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?" Bill added, sitting up.

"That's Fudge's voice. And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?" Mrs. Weasley whispered sharply.

Fudge's voice came first, "Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva -- "

"You should never have brought it inside the castle! When Dumbledore finds out -- " Professor McGonagall shouted furiously, and the hospital doors slammed open.

Bill pulled open the screens, blue eyes flashing. Fudge, Professor McGonagall and Snape were close behind. Mrs. Weasley went to greet them, her own eyes narrowed.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded.

"He's not here. This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to -- " Mrs. Weasley snapped back.

But she was cut off as Dumbledore stepped inside, eyes narrowed behind his spectacles as his gaze swept over everyone. "What has happened? 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! The Minister has seen to that!" Professor McGonagall shrieked angrily, her green eyes positively blazing.

"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events, he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question," Snape remarked, voice low, tone cold. "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! I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but -- " Professor McGonagall's hands were shaking.

"My dear woman, as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous -- " Fudge started to argue.

"The moment that -- that thing entered the room," Professor McGonagall shouted over him, pointing one finger at him in blatant fury, "it swooped down on Crouch and -- and -- "

Amisty's hands flew to her mouth. Not... not a Kiss.

"By all accounts, he is no loss! It seems he has been responsible for several deaths!" Fudge stumbled over his words, seeming to struggle to find reason behind his actions.

"But he cannot give testimony, Cornelius. He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people," Dumbledore replied.

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it? He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!" Fudge argued.