VISIONS || part 1

Chapter 20: Promise me you'll be safe

I woke up to shouting. I didn't instantly recognize the voices. I opened my eyes to find the pearly white ceiling of the hospital wing. I recognized it from my first year, when I got lightly poisoned by a plant in Greenhouse 3. We were not supposed to go their, but I was just too curious. I looked down to see that I was still wearing my filthy Tournament clothes. Someone must have brought me here soon after I fainted.

The curtains around my bed were closed, but side facing the door was slightly parted. The people shouting seemed to be Professor Dumbledore and the Minister of Magic.

"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned on the word of a lunatic murderer and a boy who ... well and his lovestruck girlfriend," said the latter.

I sat up in my bed to get a clearer view of what was happening. I could see the foot of the bed next to me. At the foot sat Mrs Weasley and a big black dog.

"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr Fudge," said the Hogwarts Headmaster. I rolled my eyes at hearing the name of the Daily Prophet reporter. She always made my blood boil.

"And if I have discovered that you have kept certain facts about the boy very quiet? A Parselmouth, eh? And the girl. We all saw that she's no ordinary witch during her first task," argued Cornelius Fudge.

"Listen to me Cornelius," said Dumbledore. "Harry and Ariel are just as you or I. I believe the scar hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous. And Ariel will train to grow into her gift."

"You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before..." Fudge stated. His ignorance was starting to become annoying and I was about to say something in Harry's and my defense when someone preceded me.

"Look, I saw Voldemort come back!" Harry shouted. "And Ari in the next bed can confirm." I met Dumbledore's and Fudge's eyes through the parting in the curtains. Mrs Weasley walked over and pulled them apart so that I was now a part in the conversation. I shuddered as I met eyes with the big black dog as he reminded me of the Grim we studied in Divination, but the dog started panting and it seemed cute. Besides, if it had been a wild dog, it wouldn't have been here.

"We saw the Death Eaters," I said with a hoarse voice.

"Yes we did," continued Harry. "I can give you their names. Lucius Malfoy-" started Harry.

"Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge. "A very old family - donations to excellent causes -"

"Macnair!" Harry continued.
"Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!"
"Avery - Nott - Crabbe - Goyle -"

"Mills," I added quietly. Before this Fudge had seemed unnerved, but everyone in the room including him looked at me in awe as I mentioned my own father. Fudge quickly jumped back into his ignorant state.

"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" said Fudge angrily. "You could have found those names in old reports of the trials!"

"My father was accused of being a death eater thirteen years ago?" I asked shocked.

"Yes, but he was found innocent, like the others Potter just mentioned. For heaven's sake, Dumbledore - the boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too - his tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them - the boy can talk to snakes, Dumbledore, and you still think he's trustworthy?"

I groaned and laid back down on my bed. To block Fudge's nonsense I put my pillow over my hears and stared back at the ceiling. I looked over to see Fudge was leaving but he turned back and dropped a bag on the table inbetween Harry and me.