Sky full of stars {Harry Potter Fanfiction}

40. Time Warp

Yellow light danced behind my eyes. My limbs felt both as light as clouds and as heavy as bricks. My head span but at the same time I felt perfectly sharp and clear. These contradictions told me one thing: I was recovering from delayed healing in the hospital wing.

I'd only felt like this after my rushed healing from the Quidditch match, so while I knew I was in safety, I felt on edge. So many questions raced through my head. What had happened after the silver light consumed us?

As the dizziness edged away from my mind, I was aware of voices. Keeping very still, I strained my ears to listen.

"Nasty burns you have there, Snape." It was Minister Fudge. "The work of Black, no doubt?"

"In fact, it was Elijah Carrow—remember, Minister, the one Dumbledore refused to expel despite him being a young arsonist?"

Anger began to flare inside me. Snape obviously knew about the experiments—he'd alluded to as much—and yet wouldn't tell the Minister that Elijah had powers.

"How dreadful! I always say Dumbledore is too soft—where is the boy now?"

"Dumbledore set him to his dormitory—pathetic if you ask me, no consequence to his actions." Snape sniffed. "Though I suppose he just stumbled into matters, led astray by Sasha and Lyra Black. They were bewitched by their Father—he told them tall tales of his innocence. Ridiculous."

Slowly, my brain began working. Did this mean that they'd captured Dad, that Pettigrew and Evelyn had gotten away? Had I lost Dad forever?

Fudge paused. "What of Cara Black? Do you believe she helped him get into the castle grounds?"

My heart beat furiously. Whatever Snape said now could either make or break my Mother, and I could potentially loose them both tonight.

Snape paused. "I don't believe she would do anything to put her daughters in danger." He paused and gulped. He sounded as if he was trying to swallow a lemon. "Despite her poor taste in men, she has morals."

"I see." Fudge sounded uninterested. "Do you believe she led Harry Potter astray, being his godmother?"

Snape scoffed. "Cara Rees couldn't control that boy if she tried. He's a nuisance, and Dumbledore has let him, and his friends get away with too much. Foolish, if you ask me."

"Hmmm...." Fudge said without interest. "Yes, well I'm more interested in what made those dementors retreat. Did you see?"

"No—by the time I stopped the children distracting me to get to Black: the dementors were retreating. Of course, Minister, I was the one to tie up Black and rescue the children."

"Ah, yes." Fudge again sounded un-interested by Snape's boasts. "Well—I must check on our prisoner. If you wish you accompany me, Snape, we can continue this conversation."

Painfully, I waited until the footsteps faded away and the click of the locks sliding into pace. Counting to three, I waited. Still, silence. Then, my eyes burst open.

Like I'd deducted, I was in the hospital wing. Sasha was on the bed to my left, Harry to the bed to my right. To my greater surprise, Ron and Hermione were opposite us: Hermione with a cut on her cheek and Ron—in plaster cast?

Before I'd had time to process this, Sasha and Harry had both had leapt to action in a similar fashion to me. Harry automatically began pacing.

"How could they capture Sirius? We know the truth—we saw Pettigrew, we saw his daughter!" Harry tugged at his hair. "They can't give him the Dementor's kiss!"

"What?" I had to clutch onto the bed frame, swaying at the intensity of Harry's words. "They're---they're going to give him the dementor's kiss?"

Harry nodded grimly. "I must have woken up before you—Snape was sucking up to Fudge, telling him how brilliant he thought the Dementor's kiss was." He let out a growl of frustration. "They have to believe us!"