"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!"

 "Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry, Hermione, and Amelia are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further." 

Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward. 

"He looked like Darth Vader there for a second," whispered Amelia, making Harry Hermione, and to their surprise, Dumbledore chuckle.

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore." 

"Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment." 

"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock! Well... I'd better go and notify the Ministry....

\ "And the dementors?" said Dumbledore. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?" 

"Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy... Completely out of control... no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight.... Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance...." 

"Hagrid would like that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry, Hermione, and Amelia. As he and Fudge left the dormitory, Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office.

 There was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up.