Window into the Past

🌙74🌙

A/N Joy's wand (closest I could find to the description)

I opened my eyes slowly to hear shouting and arguing in the hospital wing. My head was still throbbing and I made out a blurry figure in front of me. "Dad?"

Dad turned around at the sound of my voice. "Joy! Oh, Merlin, are you alright?! What happened?!"

"Can you help me sit up," I asked him, deliberately avoiding his question.

He nodded and gently pulled me up, his hand supporting my back and he put a pillow behind me. "Joy, what happened?"

"I don't really want to talk about it right now, later," I said very quietly. "It's alright, tell me when you're ready," he gave me a soft yet sad smile. I could tell by the look in his eyes that it killed him seeing me like this. Luckily, I still had the locket.

I made out a tear rolling down his face, I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "It's going to be okay, Dad."

He shook his head and looked at me all teary eyed. "I'm the one who's supposed to be telling you that, Joy, not the other way around."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," I told him. "And a last," I heard him mutter under his breath. "Dad, don't be such a sour wolf," I said.

Before he could think of anything to say, McGonagall and Fudge stormed in. "You should never have brought it inside the castle!" McGonagall yelled at him. "When Dumbledore finds out.."

"Where is Dumbledore?!" Fudge demanded. "He's not here," Mrs Weasley stood up. "Minister, this is a hospital wing..."

Dumbledore walked into the room with Tia. "She's a little shaken Tatiana," he pointed over to me. She immediately rushed over to me. "Are you okay sweetie?"

I shook my head and I leaned forward a little, letting them know I wanted to listen to what was going on. "What has happened?" Dumbledore looked between McGonagall and Fudge. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch.."

"The Minister has already seen to that!" McGonagall hissed at him. "When we told Mr Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events, he felt his own personal safety was in jeopardy," Snape explained to Dumbledore. "He insisted on having a Dementor accompany him to the castle and brought it to where..."

"I told him you would never agree!" McGonagall interrupted Snape. "That you would never let Dementors set foot..."

"My dear woman!" Fudge cut her off. "As Minister for Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection when interviewing a.."

"The moment that thing entered the room it swooped down on Crouch!" McGonagall shrieked.

"He is no loss!" Fudge argued. "He was responsible for several deaths!"

"But now he cannot give testimony, Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly.

"He was a raving lunatic!" Fudge exclaimed. "He believed that his instructions were given by You-Know-Who."

"They were on Lord Voldemort's instructions," Dumbledore clarified. "The deaths were by-products to restore him to full strength. The plan succeeded, Voldemort has returned to his body."

"Oh, don't be preposterous!" Fudge scoffed. "I'm sure Minerva and Severus told you about his confession, he confessed to how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, how Voldemort knew he was alive because of Bertha Jorkins, went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry and abduct Joy Jones," Dumbledore explained to him.

"You can't be taking the word of a lunatic," Fudge shook his head in disbelief. "Harry witnessed him return, the Triwizard cup took him there," Dumbledore told him. "And the girl? Did she see it?" Fudge wondered. "I do not know what happened to her, I do not permit you to interrogate Mr Potter or Miss Jones."