Butterfly Effect ; H. Potter

18. the secret.

"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, Weasley, Granger, and young Lupin, Minister ..."

"No!"

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behavior. 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 has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of licence by the Headmaster -"

"Ah, well, Snape ... Harry Potter, you know ... we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."

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

"Well, well ... we shall see, Snape, we shall see ... the boy has undoubtedly been foolish ..."

Antheia lay uncomfortably on her side, listening to the conversation with her eyes tightly shut. Her head seemed too heavy to move so she couldn't fully understand the discussion happening next to her.

"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, and Harry, and the two girls -"

"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. Harry's brain seemed to be moving a little faster, and as it did, a gnawing sensation grew in the pit of his stomach ...

He opened his eyes.

Everything was slightly blurred. Somebody had removed his glasses. He was lying in a dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, he could make out Madam Pomfrey with her back to him, bending over a bed. Harry squinted. Ron's red hair was visible beneath Madam Pomfrey's arm.

Harry moved his head over on the pillow. In the bed to his right lay Antheia. Moonlight was falling on her hair. She slowly opened her eyes. She looked extremely nervous, and when she saw that Harry 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.

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

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

"How's Ron?" said Harry, Antheia, and Hermione together.