Bella and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Fifty-Four

"Shocking business...shocking...miracle none of them died...never heard the like...by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape..."

"Thank you, Minister"

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister"

"Nasty cut you've got there...Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Swan, Weasley and Granger, Minister..."

"No!"

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behaviour. They seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent. They weren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape...they obviously thought they were going to catch Black single-handed. They've got away with a great deal before now...I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves...and of course Potter and Swan have always been allowed an extraordinary amount of licence by the Headmaster -"

"Ah, well, Snape... Bella Swan and Harry Potter, you know...we've all got a bit of a blind spot where they're concerned."

"And yet - is it good for them to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try to treat them like any other student. And any other student would be suspended - at the very least - for leading their friends into such danger. Consider, Minister: against all school rules - after all the precautions put in place for their protection - out of bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer - and I have reason to believe Harry's been visiting Hogsmeade illegally, too -"

"Well, well...we shall see, Snape, we shall see...they both have undoubtedly been foolish..."

I lay listening with my eyes tight shut. I felt very groggy. The words I was hearing seemed to be travelling very slowly from my ears to my brain so that it was difficult to understand. My limbs felt like lead, my eyelids too heavy to lift...I wanted to lie here, on this comfortable bed, forever...

"What amazes me most is the behaviour of the Dementors...you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister. By the time I had come round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances..."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, Bella, Harry and the girl -"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers and brought them all straight back to the castle"

There was a pause. My brain seemed to be moving a little faster, and as it did, a gnawing sensation grew in the pit of my stomach...

I opened my eyes. 

Everything was slightly blurred. I was lying in the dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, I could make out Madam Pomfrey with her back to me, bending over a bed. I squinted. Ron's red hair was visible beneath Madam Pomfrey's arm.

I moved my head over on the pillow. In the bed to my right lay Hermione. Moonlight was falling across her bed. Her eyes were open, too. She looked petrified, and when she saw that I was awake, pressed a finger to her lips, then pointed to the hospital-wing door. It was ajar, and the voices of Cornelius Fudge and Snape were coming through it from the corridor outside.

I heard shuffling from my right and when I glanced over, I saw Harry waking up so I pressed my fingers to my lips to silence him.

Madam Pomfrey now came walking briskly up the dark ward to my bed. I turned to look at her. She was carrying the largest block of chocolate I had ever seen in my life. It looked like a small boulder.

"Ah, you're awake!" she said briskly. She placed the chocolate on my bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer. 

"How's Ron?" the three of us asked together. 

"He'll live," Madam Pomfrey said grimly. "As for you three...you'll be staying here until I am satisfied you're - Potter what do you think you're doing?"

Harry was sitting up, putting his glasses back on and picking up his wand. 

"I need to see the Headmaster," he said. 

"Potter," Madam Pomfrey said soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The Dementors will performing the Kiss any moment now -"

"WHAT?"

I jumped up out of bed; Harry and Hermione had done the same. But my shout had been heard in the corridor outside; next second, Cornelius Fudge and Snape had entered the ward.

"Bella, Bella, what's this?" Fudge said, looking agitated. "You should be in bed - has she had any chocolate?" he asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously. 

"Minister, listen!" I said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the Dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's -"

But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"Bella, Bella, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control..."

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

Damn Harry's really hot when he's angry.

BELLA NOW IS NOT THE TIME OR PLACE! COOL IT DOWN GIRL!

"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said, she had hurried to my side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and -"

"You see, Minister?" Snape said. "Confunded, all of them...Black's done a very good job on them..."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" I roared.

"Minister! Professor!" Madam Pomfrey said angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Swan is my paitent, and she should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" I said furiously. "If they'd just listen -"

But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into my mouth. I choked, and she seized the opportunity to force me back onto the bed.

"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave -" The door opened again. It was Dumbledore. I swallowed my moutful of chocolate with great difficulty, and got up again. Here we go...

******

I think I owe you all an explaination of where I've been. Stay tuned for it...and try not to kill me please...