Emma Potter

121: A fork in the path

I woke up, so warm, so very sleepy, that I didn't open my eyes, wanting to drop off again. The room was still dimly lit;I wassure it was still nighttime and had a feeling that I couldn't havebeen asleep very long.

 Then he heard whispering around me. 

"They'll wake them if they don't shut up!"

 "What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?" 

I opened my eyes blearily. I could see the outlines of Mrs. Weasley and Billclose by. Mrs. Weasley was on her feet. 

"That's Fudge's voice," she whispered. "And that's MinervaMcGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?" 

Now I could hear them too: people shouting and runningtoward the hospital wing."Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva —" Cornelius Fudgewas saying loudly. 

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" yelled Professor McGonagall. "When Dumbledore finds out —"

 I heard the hospital doors burst open. Unnoticed by any ofthe people around my bed, all of whom were staring at the door asBill pulled back the screens, I sat up .Fudge came striding up the ward. Professors McGonagall andSnape were at his heels. 

"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded of Mrs. Weasley.

 "He's not here," said Mrs. Weasley angrily. "This is a hospitalwing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to —"

 But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping up theward."What has happened?" said Dumbledore sharply, looking fromFudge to Professor McGonagall. "Why are you disturbing thesepeople? Minerva, I'm surprised at you — I asked you to standguard over Barty Crouch —" 

"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore!" she shrieked. "The Minister has seen to that!"

 I had never seen Professor McGonagall lose control likethis. There were angry blotches of color in her cheeks, and herhands were balled into fists; she was trembling with fury. 

"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eaterresponsible for tonight's events," said Professor Snape, in a low voice, "heseemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted onsummoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. Hebrought it up to the office where Barty Crouch —" 

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" ProfessorMcGonagall fumed. "I told him you would never allow dementorsto set foot inside the castle, but —" 

"My dear woman!" roared Fudge, who likewise looked angrierthan I had ever seen him, "as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous —" 

But Professor McGonagall's voice drowned Fudge's."The moment that — that thing entered the room," shescreamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, "it swooped downon Crouch and — and —" 

I felt a chill in my stomach as Professor McGonagall struggled to find words to describe what had happened. I did not needher to finish her sentence. I knew what the dementor must havedone. It had administered its fatal kiss to Barty Crouch. It hadsucked his soul out through his mouth. He was worse than dead.

 "By all accounts, he is no loss!" blustered Fudge. "It seems he hasbeen responsible for several deaths!"

 "But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. He was staring hard at Fudge, as though seeing him plainlyfor the first time. "He cannot give evidence about why he killedthose people."

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