Immortal Magic (Book 1)

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Allison's Point of View.

Dumbledore stepped back from Barty Crouch Junior and raised his wand. Thick ropes burst from the tip and wrapped tightly around the Death Eater, binding his arms and chest securely.

Crouch only grinned up at him madly. Dumbledore looked down at him with clear disgust before turning toward Professor McGonagall and speaking quietly to her.

I barely heard what he said. My attention remained fixed on Crouch. The same man who had manipulated Harry all year. The same man who had delivered him straight to Voldemort.

"Come, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said gently, resting a hand against my shoulder. I blinked and tore my gaze away from Crouch before nodding silently.

Harry and I turned toward the door together. "Sirius is waiting in my office for both of you," Dumbledore informed us as Harry and I instinctively began moving toward the hospital wing instead. "He is very anxious to see you."

Harry and I exchanged a glance before quietly following Dumbledore from the room. "Professor," Harry spoke quietly after several moments. "Where are Mr and Mrs Diggory?"

At Cedric's name, tears instantly filled my eyes again. Cedric. My friend. Someone who had once been one of the people closest to me. And now he was gone.

The realisation that I had barely spent any time with him this year hit me like a physical blow. "They are with Professor Sprout," Dumbledore answered sadly as we walked. "She was Cedric's Head of House. She knew him very well."

Harry lowered his head slightly, guilt and grief written all over his exhausted face. We reached the stone gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster quietly spoke the password, and the gargoyle leapt aside.

Together, the three of us climbed the moving staircase. The office door swung open. The very first thing I noticed was Sirius. He looked pale and frantic, pacing the office while biting nervously at his nails.

The second he saw us, he rushed forward. "Harry!" Sirius exclaimed hoarsely. "What happened? Are you alright?" Before Harry could answer, Sirius pulled him into a fierce hug.

Dumbledore gently began explaining what Crouch had confessed while leading Harry and me toward the chairs in front of his desk. Harry and I sat down side by side while Sirius positioned himself protectively behind us, one hand resting on each of our shoulders.

As Dumbledore spoke, I quietly threaded my fingers through Harry's beneath the desk and distracted him by lightly tracing patterns against his skin.

A soft rush of wings filled the room. I looked up and smiled faintly as Fawkes glided gracefully through the air before landing on the arm of Harry's chair. "Hello, Fawkes," Harry and I greeted softly at the same time.

The phoenix let out a low musical trill. Dumbledore stopped speaking and looked toward Harry with a gentleness that somehow made my chest ache.

Harry avoided meeting his eyes. I knew why. He knew what was coming next. "Harry," Dumbledore said softly, "I need you to tell me everything that happened tonight."

"Couldn't it wait?" I asked immediately, looking at Dumbledore pleadingly. "He's lost a lot of blood. He should be resting." Sirius made a low sound of agreement behind us.

Harry turned toward me with an exhausted but soft smile. "It's okay, Allison," he murmured, squeezing my hand gently. Dumbledore sighed sadly.

"If I believed I could help you by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone reliving tonight, I would," Dumbledore admitted quietly. "But I know better."