Trying | June Potter and the Mysterious Azkaban Escapee| Book 2

Time Travel, Resignation and End of Term

  June awoke, she felt very groggy. Her limbs felt like lead; her eyelids too heavy to lift... She wanted to lie here, on this comfortable bed, forever...

"Miss Granger, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

Her eyes opened. She was lying in the dark hospital wing. June moved her head over on the pillow. In the beds beside her were empty. Moonlight fell across her bed. June lifted her head slightly and saw the door. June saw Cornelius Fudge, Snape, Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore.

"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances —"

June was now confused about what was going on. How was Hermione disturbed in her mind? June tried to sit up but started feeling faint, so she lied back down.

"I would like to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy — please leave us."

"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest —"

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away. She pasted June and ended up giving her some chocolate, which started to help her faintness. She then strolled into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The Dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

Snape seemed to take a step toward Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.

Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them. June tried to sit up again and succeeded without feeling faint. Dumbledore turned to Harry and Hermione. They both burst into speech at the same time.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth — we saw Pettigrew — he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf —"

"— he's a rat —"

"— Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off —"

"— Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius —"

June struggled to follow exactly what they were saying, but Dumbledore seemed to understand. Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word — and the word of two thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"Professor Lupin can tell you —" Harry said, clearly unable to stop himself.

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends —"