Jenna felt unable to move. It felt as if long hours had passed that she remained at the edge of the forbidden forest, her head hurting like never before. Although after a long while, she was snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Dumbledore approaching her.
"How's Harry feeling?" Jenna asked immediately the moment Dumbledore reached her.
"I sent him to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey gave him a Dreamless Potion, and now he's resting. Sirius, Molly, and Bill are with him at the moment, along with Ron and Hermione," he said, the usual glimmer in his eyes gone. "I asked Madam Pomfrey to go down to the kitchen and tend to Winky; Barty Crouch's house elf. She's rather shaken. In the meantime, you may come to the hospital wing as Madam Pomfrey, if you wish to see Harry."
Jenna nodded weakly, but soon transformed into the Healer, following Dumbledore back toward the castle. Jenna was surprised she could walk at all, because she felt too sick and anxious that she could barely feel her knees.
They were making their way up the ward, but that was when they heard the sound of people arguing from inside. A frown appeared upon Dumbledore's face, and so he strode on, quickly opening the doors and entering the hospital wing.
Jenna followed after him in silence, finding the ward rather crowded; there stood Professor McGonagall and Snape, both glaring at Cornelius Fudge. Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley and Bill were around Harry's bed, all three of them looking confused at all the yelling. Ron and Hermione were present, too.
Jenna sighted Sirius as well, sitting beside Harry's bed in his dog form. Jenna tried to catch his eyes, and when she did so, she gave him a meaningful nod, as if to tell him who she really was, which he realized it after a short pause.
"What has happened?" said Dumbledore sharply, looking from Fudge to Professor McGonagall. "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!" McGonagall shrieked. "The Minister has seen to that!"
There were angry blotches of color in her cheeks, and her hands were balled into fists; she was trembling with fury.
"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," said Snape, in a low voice, "he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch —"
"The moment that — that thing entered the room," McGonagall shouted, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, "it swooped down on Crouch and — and —"
Jenna felt a chill in her stomach. She understood that the dementor must've given Crouch the kiss. This meant that the biggest living evidence for Voldemort's return was now gone.
Madam Pomfrey was standing frozen on her spot, her hands over her mouth. Mrs. Weasley was still standing over Harry, her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising. Bill, Ron, and Hermione were staring at Fudge.
But no matter how much Dumbledore tried to reason with Fudge, he didn't seem to agree. He had closed his mind on this matter and nothing Harry said to describe what had happened that night could convince him.
"Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore repeated. "If you accept that fact straightaway, Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the dementors. The second step you must take — and at once," Dumbledore pressed on, "is to send envoys to the giants."
"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, finding his tongue again. "What madness is this?"
"Extend them the hand of friendship, now, before it is too late," said Dumbledore, "or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!"
"You — you cannot be serious!" Fudge gasped, shaking his head and retreating further from Dumbledore. "Insane! Mad!"
But Jenna knew that Dumbledore was speaking reason. She had been undercover as a Death Eater and this was exactly what Voldemort was planning on doing as she had informed Dumbledore after returning, though Voldemort's downfall had put a stop to it temporarily. But now that he was back, he was certainly going to continue what he had left unfinished all those years ago.
"If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, "we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit. And I — I shall act as I see fit."
"I don't know what you are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough," Fudge snapped. "I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry."
And so, taking a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropping it onto Harry's bedside table, Fudge stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned to look at the others after a long pause.
"There is work to be done," he said. "Molly... am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"
"Of course you can," said Mrs. Weasley. She was white to the lips, but she looked resolute. "We know what Fudge is."
"Then I need to send a message to Arthur," said Dumbledore. "All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius."
"I'll go to Dad," said Bill, standing up. "I'll go now."
"Excellent," said Dumbledore. "Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry —"
"Leave it to me," said Bill. He then clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, kissed his mother on the cheek, pulled on his cloak, and strode quickly from the room.
"Minerva," said Dumbledore, turning to Professor McGonagall, "I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also — if she will consent to come — Madame Maxime."
Professor McGonagall nodded and left without a word.
"And now," said Dumbledore after making sure that the door was fully closed, "it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are."
Jenna felt her heart lurch as she looked at Dumbledore. For a second, she thought that he was going to reveal her presence. Though she turned out to be wrong when Dumbledore turned to face the black dog sitting on the floor beside Harry's bed.
"Sirius... if you could resume your usual form."
The great black dog looked up at Dumbledore, then, in an instant, turned back into a man.
Mrs. Weasley screamed and leapt back from the bed. "Sirius Black!" she shrieked, pointing at him.
"Mum, shut up!" Ron yelled. "It's okay!"
"Him!" Snape snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed equal dislike. "What is he doing here?"
"He is here at my invitation," said Dumbledore, looking between them, "as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other."
Jenna's eyes had widened. She tried to go and organize the Potions on the shelf as a way of busying herself. She was sure one of them were going to punch the other across the face if the silence went on.
"I will settle, in the short term," said Dumbledore, with a bite of impatience in his voice, "for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any of us."
Very slowly, but still glaring at each other, Sirius and Snape moved toward each other and shook hands. They let go extremely quickly.
"That will do to be going on with," said Dumbledore, stepping between them once more. "Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher — the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there."
"But —" said Harry. He wanted Sirius to stay.
"You'll see me very soon, Harry," said Sirius, turning to him with a comforting smile. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah... of course I do."
Sirius grasped his hand briefly, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed again into the black dog, and ran the length of the room to the door. Although on his way, he caught Jenna's eye, and without anybody else noticing, he gave her a reassuring human-like nod. And just like that, he was gone.
"Severus," said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready... if you are prepared..."
"I am," said Snape.
"Then good luck," said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.
It was several minutes before Dumbledore spoke again. "I must go downstairs," he said. "I must see the Diggorys. Harry — take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later."
But on his way out of the door, he looked over at Jenna and said, "Poppy, do you mind if I have a word with you?"
Jenna nodded feebly, following him out as he closed the hospital wing's door behind him.
"I hope now you know why I had insisted on keeping your situation a secret?" Dumbledore asked her quietly, and Jenna nodded in response. "Severus will act as our spy as well... but we can use your situation to our advantage way more. You're a Metamorphmagus whom everyone believes to be dead. If you think you can —"
But Jenna cut him off, saying firmly, "I'll do whatever it takes. But this time, Dumbledore, I'm not taking any risks. I won't let history repeat itself."