by my side¹ - d. malfoy

Thirty-One

"THOSE BLOKES are so noisy," Blaise grumbled.

Laura blinked her eyes open. She was still exhausted, wanting to keep sleeping, yet everyone was whispering.

"Great, they're both going to wake up," her mom sighed.

"Oi, you two need to stop arguing about nonsense. If those blokes don't wake her up, you're going to wake her," Draco said to Blaise and Nick. Laura could tell since the two of them made sounds of annoyance.

However, with whatever it was, everyone was too distracted to realize that Laura was awake now, not that she minded.

"Isn't that Fudge, though?" Pansy asked, "And Professor McGonagall... What in Merlin's beard are they arguing about?"

Laura could hear them now. It was slowly getting louder and louder.

"Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva-" Cornelius Fudge said loudly.

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

The hospital wing's door burst open, and everyone leaned to see what was happening. Laura sat up, but Draco didn't notice, though his grip on her hand became tighter.

Fudge had just come striding in with Snape and McGonagall at his heels.

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

"He's not here," Mrs. Weasley said angrily. "This is a hospital wing!"

"Cornelius, Harry, and Laura are trying to sleep," Laura's dad said, slightly ticked off. Laura could tell his tone hadn't quite crossed the line of anger, but it was close.

"He's right," Mrs. Weasley said. "Minister, don't you think you'd do better to–"

But the door opened, and Dumbledore came sweeping up the ward.

"What has happened?" Dumbledore asked sharply. "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!"

Laura furrowed her eyebrows. She had the slightest feeling she knew what had happened.

"When we told Mr. Fudge that we caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," Snape interjected 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-"

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" McGonagall fumed. "I told him you would never allow Dementors to set foot inside the castle, but-"

"My dear woman!" Fudge roared, who likewise looked very angry. He was getting on Laura's nerves. "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-the- the moment that thing entered the room," McGonagall screamed, pointing at Fudge, trembling all over, "it swooped down on Crouch and- and–"

The Dementors kiss.

Laura didn't need Professor McGonagall to finish her sentence to know what had happened. The Dementor's kiss was awful. Laura wouldn't wish anyone to endure... Well, not yet.

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

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. He stared at Fudge as though seeing him plainly for the first time. "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."