"You are blinded," said Dumbledore, his voice rising now, the aura of power around him palpable, his eyes blazing once more, "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any — and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now — take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act — and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"
"Insane," whispered Fudge, still backing away. "Mad . . ."
And then there was silence. Madam Pomfrey was standing frozen at the foot of Harry's bed, her hands over her mouth. Mrs. Weasley was still standing over Harry, her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from rising. Bill, Kirra, and the Slytherins were staring at Fudge.
"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."
Dumbledore's voice carried no hint of a threat; it sounded like a mere statement, but Fudge bristled as though Dumbledore were advancing upon him with a wand.
"Now, see here, Dumbledore," he said, waving a threatening finger. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me —"
"The only one against whom I intend to work," said Dumbledore, "is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."
It seemed Fudge could think of no answer to this. He rocked backward and forward on his small feet for a moment and spun his bowler hat in his hands. Finally, he said, with a hint of a plea in his voice, "He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be . . ."
"Merlin, he is. Why would I lie?" Kirra snapped, "seriously, after everything, why the hell would I lie?"
"I understand your situation may be different to others Miss Potter, and I also understand that you played an important role in the first wizarding war, but this is rediculous," Fudge said to her
Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He stuck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled.
"There," said Snape harshly. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."
Fudge stepped back from Snape too. He was shaking his head. He did not seem to have taken in a word Snape had said. He stared, apparently repelled by the ugly mark on Snape's arm, then looked up at Dumbledore and whispered, "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. 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."
He had almost reached the door when he paused. He turned around, strode back down the dormitory, and stopped at Harry's bed.
"Your winnings," he said shortly, taking two large bags of gold out of his pocket and dropping it onto Harry's bedside table. "One thousand Galleons. 500 each since you tied. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances . . ."
He crammed his bowler hat onto his head and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The moment he had disappeared, Dumbledore turned to look at the group around Harry's bed.
"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. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride."
"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 clapped a hand on Kirra'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.
"Poppy," Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey, "would you be very kind and go down to Professor Moody's office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her, and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us."
"Very — very well," said Madam Pomfrey, looking startled, and she too left.
Dumbledore made sure that the door was closed, and that Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had died away, before he spoke again. "And now," he said, "it is time for two of our numbers to recognize each other for what they are. 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.
Kirra wrapped her arm around the man quickly, his arms wrapping around her instantly, "It's okay Moll!" she told Molly quickly
Snape had not yelled or jumped backward, but the look on his face was one of mingled fury and horror.
"Him!" he 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."
Kirra thought Dumbledore was asking for a near miracle. Sirius and Snape were eyeing each other with the utmost loathing.
"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."
Both of them continued to look at each other in disgust. "Merlin, you're both ridiculous, nobody is asking you to like each other, just tolerate each other. Stop acting like children," Kirra scolded sternly, making the three Slytherin boys smirk softly
Very slowly — but still glaring at each other as though each wished the other nothing but ill — Sirius and Snape moved toward each other and shook hands. They let go extremely quickly. Kirra snorted slightly, covering up her laugh with a small cough, earning a wide grin from both jasper and Theodore
"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 Lupins for a while; I will contact you there."
"I'm coming too," said Kirra.
She did not want to have to say goodbye again so quickly.
"You'll see me very soon, Em," said Sirius, turning to her. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"
"Yeah," said Kirra. "Yeah . . . of course I do."
Sirius leaned down and wrapped his arms around her tightly, his eyes filled with a mixture of affection and protectiveness. "Take care of yourself, all right? And don't do anything reckless."
"I promise," she replied with a grin. "I'll stay out of trouble."
He chuckled, ruffling her hair playfully. "Well we both know that's a lie." Sirius turned his attention to Mattheo, Jasper, and Theodore, who were giving the man unsure looks
"Look after her alright," Sirius began, his tone serious. "I don't care what house you're in, or what family's you all came from, I know you're going to take good care of her."
They all nodded. Kirra quickly grabbed her bag of coins, "give half of this to Rem, and you keep the other half. I don't need it, I've got to sought it out with the bank, but I'm sure Emily and Ophelia have both got quite the pile of coins in their accounts," she said with a small grin
Sirius went to protest but she shook her head, patting him on the arm, "think of it as my way for making up for all the Christmas' and birthdays that I've missed," she smiled
Sirius grasped her hand briefly, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed again into the black dog, and ran the length of the room to the door, whose handle he turned with a paw. Then 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.
He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely.
"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 finally. "I must see the Diggorys. Harry — take the rest of your potion. I will see all of you later. And Miss Potter, now that Harry has filled me in on some of the things that happened last night, I think that it would be best if you and I have a conversation."
Mattheo took a step forward, earning a small look from Dumbledore who spoke up, "you are more than welcome to bring who you want, but I feel the less people who know about our conversation the better... who knows what methods some may chose to take to gather certain information from others."
Kirra quickly caught onto what he was trying to say and nodded her head. Mattheo's brows furrowed as he grabbed onto her hand. Kirra turned to him with a small smile, "for now I think its best that I figure this out before I let you guys in on it..."
"Hey, we're in this together right?" Theodore spoke up. Jasper threw his arm around her shoulders and sent her a toothy grin
"You aren't gonna try and leave us out of all this top knot goss right? I mean come on, this shit is wild and I seriously have to know what the hell happened last night because I'm going out of my mind," Jasper says with a small laugh
"Voldemort or the death eaters could hurt you to try and get information out of you..." Kirra said unsurely
Mattheo crossed his arms, a stubborn look on his face. "Little badger, how many times do we have to tell you that we are all in this together? You can't just shut us out now."
Theodore chimed in, his voice firm. "Yeah, we're not just going to sit on the sidelines while you face this danger alone. We're in this, whether you like it or not."
Jasper, with his mischievous grin, added, "And think about it, Kirra. We're not going to let you have all the adventure and fun without us."
Kirra sighed, feeling torn between her desire to protect her friends and her realisation that they wouldn't back down easily. "Guys, this isn't like anything we've faced before. I don't even know the full extent of what's happening."
Mattheo raised an eyebrow, "Well we can figure it all out together, and I mean come on, we've all found out that you keep on getting reincarnated and slowly gain memories back over time, it can't be any more crazy than that right?"
"It could cause you all serious trouble," Kirra continued to argue
Theodore chuckled, joining in on the playful banter. "Sounds like our kind of thing, right, Jasper?"
Jasper grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "Absolutely. Besides, we've got the advantage of being some of the smartest wizards in our year."
Kirra rolled her eyes, unable to suppress a smile. "You lot are impossible."
Mattheo stepped closer to her, his voice softening. "We're just concerned, Kirra. We can handle danger, but not knowing what's going on and not being there to help you? That's even scarier."
Theodore added, "We're not asking you to carry this burden alone. We're your friends, and we've got your back, no matter what."
Jasper chimed in, "Plus, it'll make a great story for the grandkids someday. 'How we battled dark forces with Kirra Potter and lived to tell the tale.'"
Kirra couldn't help but laugh at their persistent and charming arguments. "Alright, alright, you win. But promise me one thing."
Mattheo grinned, his dimples showing. "Anything."
She looked at each of them in turn. "Promise me that you'll stay cautious and that you won't take unnecessary risks. We stick together and watch out for each other."
Theodore saluted. "You got it, Captain Kirra."
Jasper gave a mock salute as well. "Aye aye, Captain."
"Merlin you lot are real idiots you know," she said, her cheeks going slightly red
Mattheo leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "We aren't going anywhere."
"Right, well if you four could just follow me to my office please."
*
"So all of this started happening when you were on the brink of death?" Dumbledore reaffirmed as he listened to the girl tell her story. The three Slytherins didn't know how to react as they listened to it, they felt sad, scared, intrigued, and worried.
"Yes exactly," Kirra mumbled out
"And Harry says that you were unconscious when the dead were able to pass through you," Dumbledore explained, thinking back to what Harry had told him the night before when he had spoken to him and Sirius in his office. Kirra nodded her head, showing that she was listening
Dumbledore fell silent for a few moments, piecing all of the information from both Potters in his head as he tried to figure out the best explanation. "Its quite possible that you were already dead when you were lifted into the air and used as a portal..."
"Yeah I was thinking that might be the case," Kirra said with a small sigh
"When Tom Riddle tried to turn the resurrection stone into a Horcrux for you, it seems that it merged with your actual soul... or at least part of it did." Dumbledore's eyes held a mix of understanding and concern as he continued, "It seems that the combination of your connection to the Resurrection Stone and your near-death experience resulted in this unique manifestation of your abilities. The stone holds great power, it is one of the deathly hallows after all, a gift from death himself, may have retained a part of your essence, granting you this extraordinary power."
Theodore spoke up, his voice tinged with worry, "So, you're saying that Kirra can bring back the dead?"
Dumbledore shook his head, "Not exactly. What Kirra experienced was a manifestation of the Resurrection Stone's magic, a bridge between the living and the departed. It is not a power to raise the dead, but rather a connection that allowed the spirits of the deceased to briefly interact with her."
Mattheo furrowed his brow, deep in thought. "But why did they help fight Voldemort? What could they possibly do as ghosts?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he replied, "I'm sorry but I do not know the answer to that. That is a question that requires further exploration. We still do not know the full capabilities of the stone, nor do we know what kind of a toll last night took on her soul. However, we will need to delve deeper into these matters to fully understand."
Mattheo spoke up, worry in his tone, "toll on her soul? What do you mean?"
"She died and her body was used as a gateway between the world of the living and the afterlife, and we still don't know how she turned into a dr-"
"I believe that it is my animagus form," Kirra spoke up
Theodores scrunched his face up in confusion, "but I thought your animagus form was a badger?"
"Yeah but I wasn't able to turn into a badger for ages remember... I think this is why, I don't really understand it all myself, but I think it's all connected in some way." Kirra, feeling overwhelmed by the weight of her newfound abilities and the implications of their conversation, spoke up again, "Dumbledore, what does all of this mean? What should I do now?"
Dumbledore's gaze softened as he regarded Kirra. "First, we shall take things step by step. We will conduct research, explore the extent of your abilities, and work on controlling them. You must also focus on your studies, as the knowledge you gain will be your most potent weapon."