Brutal. | Fred Weasley

eleven!

Fudge blinks, dazed and surprised. He stares between Aurelia and Dumbledore as though checking that they're real. He splutters. "You-Know-Who... returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore..."

"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you, we heard Barty Crouch 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 and take Aurelia. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."

"See here Dumbledore," Fudge says, a slightly delusional smile coming to 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..."

"Why don't we take the word of Wormtail?" Aurelia asks suddenly. "He was there, he's been working for Voldemort, too."

"Wormtail?" Fudge asks, giving her a confused look.

"Peter Pettigrew," Dumbledore explains. "His nickname was Wormtail at school and that is what Voldemort was calling him. You haven't destroyed his mind too, have you?"

Fudge frowns deeply. "No. He is still in rat form in the cage Miss Riddle conjured up."

"Then ask him. He's a spineless little shit, he'll probably tell you everything you need to know," Aurelia shrugs. She shoves her shoes back on her feet. "Can anyone give me directions to the kitchens? I'm starving."

Nico stands and offers to walk her down there. She accepts and snatches up her wand.

"Hang on just a second!" Fudge exclaims. "You can't just go running around the castle!"

"I'm just going to get something to eat," she replies, breezing past him. She grins at Cedric, who has also poked his head out of his curtain. "I'll bring some stuff back up for everyone." Fudge stares at her in disbelief for a second before turning back to Dumbledore.

"So you're just willing to take the word of a lunatic, some boy and a girl whose father is the very man that you're saying caused all of this?" he asks, the curious smile returning to his face. Silence follows the question, broken only by Sirius's dog form growling dangerously at Fudge. Aurelia feels her face harden as she freezes by the door.

"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr Fudge." Aurelia turns to see Harry sat patiently in his bed. She's not surprised that he's awake, nobody was exactly being quiet.

"And if I have?" he says, looking at Dumbledore. "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. If you're hiding things about the boy, I can only imagine the skeletons in the girl's closet."

"The girl is right here and my name is Aurelia," she says sternly, walking towards Fudge dangerously slowly with her voice deadly calm. "I understand your unwillingness to listen, Mr Fudge, but don't you dare project that onto anyone other than yourself. Just because you know that Voldemort's return will destroy your already fragile hold on your power, that people will look to someone more powerful and with much more direction than you, does not mean that we're immediately lying. I have given you one option in Peter Pettigrew or Wormtail or whatever his name may be. Take it, leave it, I don't care what you do. But your mistake was allowing the Dementors anywhere near Barty Crouch and I will make absolutely sure that nobody forgets that."

Fudge's face pales at the utter calmness and power that radiates off of the small girl. Her eyes are cold and hard and her words sharp and venomous. "Now, see here—"

"No, you see here," she snaps. "This is a make or break moment, Minister. It is your decision on which way it goes. I will not argue with you, I will not plead or beg you to listen. Dumbledore can explain to you everything that we know, but truly it's your choice on what happens. But just know that ignoring this will bring your government crumbling around itself when the time comes for Voldemort to reveal himself."

She turns on her heels and, looping her arm through Nico's, stalks out of the Hospital Wing. Once the door swings shut, Fudge is left gobsmacked. Silence stretches out around the people in the Hospital Wing, uncertain of how to react.

As Aurelia pulls Nico down the hallway, she's fuming. Despite being the picture of calm fury previously, she's now close to completely losing her temper.

"That absolutely pompous, power-hungry, delusional piece of shit," she seethes, her voice low. She lets him take the lead towards the kitchens.

"I don't think I've ever seen you do that before," Nico says, referring to the way she spoke to Fudge. She looks over at him nervously.

"It's how I deal with most of the Ministry people I come into contact with," she answers, the anger retreating somewhat. "They're insufferable."

"He was asking for it," Nico shrugs. "I believe you. You are many things, Lia, but you're not a liar."

Aurelia sends him a grateful smile as they approach a portrait of a bowl of fruit. Nico tickles the pair and a silver handle appears as it giggles. Aurelia raises an eyebrow.

"My God, this whole school is on some kind of crack," she jokes as Nico pulls open the door. He lets her walk in first before following, chuckling at her.