Faith .|. H. J. POTTER ✔

Chapter sixty-five

Faith noticed the look McGonagall and Kingsley shared. They understood as much of what he said as the others.

"Statement?" Fudge asked bewildered. "What - I don't - ?"

"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," Dumbledore said smiling. "Not Potter's Army. Dumbledore's Army,"

"But - but -" Fudge leapt backwards when he understood. "You?"

"That's right," Dumbledore said pleased.

"You organised this?"

"I did,"

"You recruited these students for - for your army?"

"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting," Dumbledore stated. "Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course,"

Marietta nodded again, still with the strangely blank gleam in her eyes.

"Then you have been plotting against me!"

"That's right," Dumbledore said happily.

"NO!" Harry shouted. He had realised what Dumbledore was doing, and despite the flashing warnings from McGonagall and Kingsley, he couldn't let that happen. "No - Professor Dumbledore -!"

"Be quiet, Harry, or I am afraid you will have to leave my office," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Yes, shut up, Potter!" Fudge snapped.

Faith felt another pinch.

"Well, well, well - I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter and a couple of his friends and instead -"

"Instead you get to arrest me," Dumbledore said delightedly. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"

"Weasley!" Fudge suddenly barked. "Weasley, have you written it all down, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"

"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" Faith noticed a splatter of ink on the tip of his nose, that's how fervently he had been writing.

"The bit about how he's been trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilize me?"

"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!"

"Very well, then," Fudge said satisfied, "duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the Daily Prophet at once. If we send a fast owl we should make the morning edition!" Percy hurried out of the room, slamming the door behind him in the process. Fudge turned back to Dumbledore. "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged, then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"

"Ah," Dumbledore said, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag,"

"Snag?" Fudge asked with a laugh. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"

"Well, I'm afraid I do," Dumbledore said a little more serious now.

"Oh, really?"

"Well - it's just that you seem to be labouring under the delusion that I am going to - what's the phrase? - come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course - but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing,"

Fudge didn't understand what Dumbledore was saying, he just stared at him, still with his pleased smile. He then clicked his tongue and the man that guarded the door with Kingsley stepped forward with his hand on his wand.