Chapter 38

♗♗♗

As Dumbledore pushed the door open, Y/N saw Mrs and Mr Weasley, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Caleb,Lizzy and Aidan all grouped together around Madam Pomfrey, who looked like she was being harassed by a jumble of questions from the group.

The sound of Y/N, Sirius as a dog and Dumbledore entering seemed to have caught their attention as they all whipped around, "Y/N!"  she heard a muffled scream of her name, however the voice didn't sound like anyone she knew who was in the room, instead someone who she knew wasn't here before.

Just then, a moment of shock rushed upon her as she watched her mother hurrying towards he, but was soon stopped by Dumbledore who stood between them.

"Y/M/N." he said as he held up a hand, "please listen to me for a moment. Y/N has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. She has just had to relieve it for me. What she needs now is sleep, peace and quiet. If she would like you all to stay with her." he stated before glancing up to the group then back to Y/N's mother, "you may do so. But I do not want you questioning her until she is ready to answer, and certainly not tonight."

The Ravenclaw watched as her mum return a slow nod, her face was very white and pale as she cupped her hand onto Y/N's cheek, she felt herself melt into her hands, the feeling of warmth, a mother's warmth.

"Headmaster." Madam Pomfrey greeted as she stared at the great black dog curiously, "may I ask what-"

"This dog will be remaining with Y/N for a while." Dumbledore reassured simply, "I assure you he is extremely well trained, Y/N I will wait until you get to bed."

Gratitude towards Dumbledore flashed through the Ravenclaw, she was glad that he had told them not to question her for the night, she wanted them there with her, she needed their company but the idea of reliving everything one more time, was more than she could handle.

"I will see you as soon as I have met with Fudge, Y/N." Dumbledore told, "I would like you to remain here tomorrow, until I have spoken to the school."

And after that he left as Madam Pomfrey came up to the Ravenclaw and led her to a nearby bed. In the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the real Moody lying motionless on a bed at the end of the room, "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine." Madam Pomfrey reassured as she handed the Ravenclaw some pyjamas and pulled the screens around her. She took off her dirty triwizard sweatshirt and joggers and slipped on the pyjamas and got onto bed, the feeling of the soft surface hitting her back felt incredible.

Just then, Harry, Y/M/N, Mrs and Mr Weasley, Hermione, Ron, Lizzy, Caleb, Aidan and the black dog came around the screen and settled themselves on the chairs that were placed either side of her.

She could tell the worried look on their faces, all of them had their lips pursed together, their eyes showing sympathy as Mrs Weasley began to smoothen out her blanket unnecessarily, "I'm fine." the Ravenclaw sighed softly as she leant further onto her pillow, "Just tired."

She could make out the tears beginning to swell up in her mother and Mrs Weasley's eyes, though they held them back, the Ravenclaw could tell they were trying to be strong for her, not wanting to break down in case that'll affect her.

Suddenly, she felt a hand motion to intertwine hers, recognizing the touch she glanced over to the bushy-haired girl who had a frowned expression, though as they locked eyes the Ravenclaw caught her face softening up into a more comforting one.

A lazy smile curled up the corner of her lips as she felt a comforting squeeze being sent from her girlfriend, she hadn't smiled the entire night, it felt good in the moment, it felt like she was finally at peace.

Just then, Madam Pomfrey returned from her office, holding a goblet and a small bottle of some purple potion, "You need to drink this, Y/N." she told as she poured the substance in the small bottle into the goblet, "It's a potion for dreamless sleep."

The Ravenclaw nodded as she reached out her empty hand and took the goblet, chugging the potion down her throat and instantly, she felt her entire body becoming drowsy at once.

Everything around her turning hazy, the lamps around the hospital wing looked as if they were winking at her, she felt her body sink deeper and deeper down onto the soft bed, her arm leaning closer and closer for the warmth touch of her girlfriend.

After she finished the last of her potion, she didn't have time to say a single word, she felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier each second until finally, all she could see was darkness.

♗♗♗

Y/N slowly regain her conscious, feeling very warm, still very drowsy, keeping her eyes shut wanting to go back to sleep. She could tell the room was still dim, meaning it had to still be night time, but why would she had woken up at night?

Then, she heard whispers emerge around her, "They'll wake her if they don't shut up." she heard a voice whisper out angrily, "What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened can it?" Another voice responded.

The Ravenclaw opened her eyes slightly, not wanting to fully wake up, she could make out the outlines of her mom, Mr and Mrs Weasley still sat at her side, "That's Fudge." Mrs Weasley whispered out, "And that's Minerva McGonagall's isn't it? But what are they arguing about?"

It was then, Y/N could hear the argument outside the hospital wing, two people shouting and running towards the hospital wing. "Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva." Fudge scoffed loudly.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle!" McGonagall yelled back, "When Dumbledore finds out-"

Just then, the Ravenclaw heard the doors of the hospital wing burst open, Mr Weasley pushed the screens, revealing indeed, McGonagall ,Fudge and Snape in the Hospital wing, both of them look led heated at each other.

As everybody's attention was now towards the three adults that had barged in, the Ravenclaw slowly sat herself up, though it seemed she hadn't realise her hand was still intertwined with her girlfriends as her head immediately wheeled towards her at the feeling of movement.

Hermione's eyes went slightly wide as she noticed the Ravenclaw was now awake, her mouth parted, about to say something before Y/N quickly stopped her, raising her index finger onto her own lips, signaling the bushy-haired girl to keep quiet.

Hermione reluctantly nodded before they both turned back to the front, "Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded at Mrs Weasley as a scowl formed on her face, "He's not here." she grumbled angrily, "This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to-"

Just then, the doors swung open again as Dumbledore sweeped into the ward, "What has happened?" he asked sharply, flickering his gaze between McGonagall and Fudge, "Why are you disturbing these people? I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch-"

"There is no need to stand guard over him any more, Dumbledore!" McGonagall shrieked, startling the Ravenclaw at the sudden loudness of tone, "The Minister has seen to that!"

"When we told Mr Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events." Snape mentioned lowly, "He seemed to feel his personal safety was at question. He insisted on summoning a Dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch-"

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" McGonagall stormed furiously,"I told him you would never allow Dementors to set foot inside the castle! But-"

"My dear woman!" Fudge roared loudly, "As Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous-"

"That moment that, that thing entered the room." McGonagall screamed, cutting Fudge's sentence short, "it swooped down on Crouch and, and-"

That was when Y/N felt chills being sent down her spine, she knew exactly what had happened from the look on McGonagall's face, the Dementor's had performed the Kiss on Barty Crouch Junior.

"By all accounts, he is no loss!" Fudge blustered, "It seems he has been responsible for several deaths!"

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius." Dumbledore stated calmly, staring hard into Fudge, "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it?" Fudge scoffed, "He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!"

"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius." Dumbledore confirmed, "Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to his full strength again. The plan succeeded . Voldemort has been restored to his body."

"See here, Dumbledore." Fudge said lowly, a slight smile dawned onto his face, "you can't seriously believe that. You-Know-Who back? Come now...come now, certainly Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders, but to take word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore..."

"When Y/N touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, she was transported straight to Voldemort." Dumbledore stated steadily, "He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you would step up to my office."

Dumbledore then glanced over to the Ravenclaw, he seemed to have noticed that she was now awake, but he shook his head, "I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Y/N tonight."

To Y/N's surprise she noticed Fudge's curious smile lingered as he too took a glance at the Ravenclaw then back to Dumbledore, "You are prepared to take Y/N's word on this, are you Dumbledore?"

Then, the Ravenclaw could hear Sirius in the form of a black dog began to growl lowly, baring his teeth at Fudge. "Certainly, I believe Y/N." Dumbledore assured, his eyes blazing at Fudge, "I heard Crouch's confession, and I heard Y/N's account of what has happened after she touched the Triwizard Cup, the two stories make sense, they explained everything."

Fudge kept the strange smile on his face, glancing at the Ravenclaw once more before answering, "You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort's returned, on the word of a lunatic, and a girl who, well, shares blood with-"

"You've read Rita Skeeter's article." Y/N huffed quietly, everyone around her, except for Hermione, Dumbledore and Fudge jumped at the sudden sound of her voice, they hadn't realised she was awake.

She watched as Fudge seemed a little taken aback by her tone of voice, his cheeks reddening slightly, "And if I have?"

Again, the same ball of anger began to fuel inside of her, how could this man be so oblivious, to all the evidence being given in front of him, "You think I made all those up?" Y/N scoffed as she felt a squeeze being sent to her hand, she could sense the scolding glare being given by her girlfriend and her mother, but she really couldn't care less.

"It is possible, hallucinations perhaps." Fudge retaliated, which only added onto her anger, but before she could say another word, Dumbledore had spoke, "Cornelius. Y/N is as sane as you and I am. The scar marked on her abdomen and Harry's forehead, it hurts them when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous."

Fudge took a small step back from Dumbledore, though his face still held a stubborn look, "You'll forgive me Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before-"

"I saw Voldemort come back!" Y/N snapped, she tried to get out of bed, but was forced back down by Mrs Weasley, her mother and her girlfriend. "Even if I shared blood with Voldemort, I couldn't have possibly made it all up!"

She was filled with rage, hot, burning, rage, "I saw everything with my own goddamn eyes! I saw all of the Death Eaters who came back! I have their names, Lucius Malfoy-"

"Malfoy was cleared!" Fudge retorted, clearly affronted, "A very old family, donations to excellent causes-"

"MacNair!" Y/N continued to yell, "Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!" Fudge countered, though the Ravenclaw wasn't going to stop, "Avery! Nott! Crabbe! Goyle!"

"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquainted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago!" Fudge fumed angrily, "You could have found those names in old reports! For heaven's sake, Dumbledore, the girl's always coming up with some crackpot story, just like last year with that Potter boy-"

"Crackpot my arse! And for your information, he has a name, Harry. James. Potter. Not some 'Potter boy'." she shouted furiously, "You're so narrow-minded to accept the fact that Voldemort's back! You blinded piece of-"

"That's enough, Y/N Y/L/N." her mother growled sternly to which the Ravenclaw irritatedly huffed at, though very unwillingly, she obliged.

"You fool!" Professor McGonagall cried out, "Cedric Diggory! Mr Crouch! These aren't random works of a lunatic!"

"I see no evidence to the contrary!" Fudge shouted, his anger matching McGonagall's, "It seems to me that you all are determined to start a panic that will destabilise everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!"

The Ravenclaw couldn't believe her ears, how could Fudge be so stubborn to accept the disruption of his comfortable and ordered world, so stubborn to accept that Voldemort has risen.

"Voldemort has returned." Dumbledore repeated sternly, "If you accept that fact straight away, Fudge, take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the Dementors-"

"Preposterous!" Fudge shouted again, "I'd get kicked out of my office for suggesting it!"

"Second step, you must take...and at once." Dumbledore pressed on, "is to send envoys to the giants."

"Envoys to the giants?" Fudge shrieked, "What madness is this? People hate them, Dumbledore, they'll end my career-"

"You're blinded." Dumbledore retorted, his voice rising, his eyes blazing once more, "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognise that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your Dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any, and see what that man chose to make out of his life! I tell you now, take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers for Magic we have ever known."

"Fail to act, and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside, and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!" Dumbledore exploded, earning a scoff from Fudge, "Insane."

"If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius." Dumbledore seethed, "we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit, I shall act as I see fit."

Dumbledore didn't show a hint of threat, instead it sounded just like he was stating a mere statement, though Fudge didn't thought of it like that, "Well then, if you're going to work against me-"

"The only one whom I intend to work against." Dumbledore interjected, "Is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, Cornelius, then we remain, on the same side."

"He can't be back, Dumbledore, he just can't be.." Fudge murmured, with a hint of plea in his voice as Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore and pulled his the sleeve of his robe, sticking out his forearm and showed it to Fudge who looked taken aback.

"There." he seethed sharply, "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burnt black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had it burnt onto them, when he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to disapparate and apparate, instantly, at his side."

"Why'd you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the mark burn. We both knew he had returned." Snape told, "Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed to many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back to his fold."

Fudge took a step back from Snape, shaking his head, he didn't seem to have taken a single word from Snape and looked up to Dumbledore, with disgust in his face, "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the runnings of this school, I must return to the Ministry."

He began to reach the door before abruptly he made a stop, he turned back around and strode down the hospital and stopped at Y/N's bed as she continued to glare at him with fire burning in her eyes.

"Your winnings." he told shortly as he took out a large bag of gold out of his pocket and dropped it onto Y/N's bedside table, "One thousand galleons."

Then, he turned back around and stormed off, slamming the door shut behind him. Y/N felt her anger still boiling inside of her, after all the evidence laid in front of him, he still can't accept it.

And now she had a thousand galleons sitting next to her, money for her 'winnings'. She hated it, she didn't want it, no, not at all, she lost someone she considered a big brother to have gotten this money, it was full of filth in her opinion, she couldn't take it.

Her heart still sore from everything that happened, how much she wished she could use the time turner and stop Cedric from touching the cup, if only she hadn't come up with the idea of going together. If only she just took the cup for Cedric. If only.

_____________________________