Emma Potter

83: End of Year 3

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

 "What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey 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 thinkthey're doing?" I was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They weredrawing nearer —

 "He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have leftsomebody in the room with him. When this gets out —" 

"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very closeat hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS — HAS — SOMETHING — TO —DO — WITH —THE-- POTTER!"

 "Severus — be reasonable — Harry and Emma have 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 hewas quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape wasbeside himself."OUT WITH IT, POTTERS!" he bellowed. "WHAT DIDYOU DO?"

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

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's beenlocked, we just saw —" 

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snapehowled, 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  THE POTTERS!" shrieked Snape. "THEY DIDIT, I KNOW THEY DID IT —"

 "That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think aboutwhat you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the wardten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left theirbeds?"

 "Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would haveheard them!"

 "Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly."Unless you are suggesting that Emma, Harry and Hermione are able to bein two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troublingthem further."

 Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who lookedthoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyeswere twinkling behind his glasses.

"Ms Potter?" he asked, directing his question to me.

"Haven't been out of my bed professor" I said with an angelic smile.

 Snape whirled about, robesswishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward. 

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

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

"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slippedthrough our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story ofthat hippogriff 's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock!Well . . . I'd better go and notify the Ministry. . . ." 

"And the dementors?" said Dumbledore. "They'll be removedfrom the school, I trust?"

 "Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on innocent children. . . . Completely out of control . . . no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight. . . .Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance. . . ."