━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

chapter eighteen | unexpected gold

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

CROOKSHANKS LED the way down the stairs. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron went next, looking like entrants in a six-legged race. Maddie stood on Ron's other side, glancing cautiously at the ginger. She'd been in his position before - thinking she can easily carry on with a serious injury as if it were nothing, and it never ended well. She'd convinced herself Ron was about to topple over at any moment, so she felt as though she ought to be at his side just in case he did.

Next came Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held up by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius. Harry and Hermione brought up the rear.

Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it, Maddie close behind them. Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. Crookshanks was still in the lead. Harry went right after Black, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. Maddie had the impression Black was making no effort to prevent this - she couldn't blame him. She wouldn't either.

"Fair play to you," she said to Ron, as they walked. "Getting up on that leg. It looks like shit - and that's a lot coming from me,"

"Yeah, well, you'd know all about smashing bones up, wouldn't you?" Ron replied, trying his best to sound normal but the pressure of keeping Pettigrew up and standing on his broken leg was quite exhausting.

"At least you can add this to your end-of-year heroic stories list," Maddie said lightheartedly.

"Yeah, and you can start yours, now," Ron nodded.

She laughed and a short silence followed. Maddie found herself observing Pettigrew with disgust. She still couldn't imagine how Ron felt about his pet rat turning into a horrible old man.

"Shall I say a few words?" she suggested.

"Eh?" Ron frowned.

"For your not-so-pet rat,"

"Erm..." Ron said, still confused. "OK?"

Lupin glanced her way questionably.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Maddie began, putting on a serious tone.

"We're the only ones that can hear you-" Ron said, gesturing to him, Pettigrew and Lupin. Maddie shushed him.

"We are gathered here today to mourn the transmogrification of Scabbers, a decent pet, into Peter Pettigrew - a fucking bastard scum-of-the-earth snitch."

Lupin looked away so they couldn't see him crack a smile. Ron snorted. Pettigrew avoided eye-contact, and instead chose to stay silent, minus a slight whimper every now and again.

"At least I won't have to worry about Crookshanks anymore," said Ron.

"I will, I'm fucking allergic," Maddie said. "Did you not see my eyes keep welling up back there every time the thing got near?"

"Oh, I thought you were trying not to cry or something, not gonna lie," Ron said.

"Pfft. As if,"

"Out of anger, of course. Not terror. You won't catch the fearless Madison Jordan who jumps off staircases for a laugh getting scared of being trapped in a room with a supposed mass-murderer," he added sarcastically. Maddie rolled her eyes and held her arm out to give him a playful shove.

"Oi, are you trying to break my other leg?" Ron dodged her hand just as realisation hit the girl.

"Oh yeah, shit," Maddie said. "Sorry,"

"'S'Alright," said Ron. "Perhaps it'll give me even more street cred if I get a few more injuries - I might even be as cool as you," he added, again, with a huge amount of sarcasm.

Maddie laughed.

"You are gold, Ronnie Weasley," she said with a grin.

"Didn't think it before, did you?" he retorted with a matching smile. "You thought I'd be a grumpy git all along,"

"Yeah, yeah, alright. Maybe your mood change was a bit unexpected," Maddie said. "I knew I'd make you crack though. Can't resist the Jordan charm - it turns everything to gold, you know,"

"Shut up, I was already gold," Ron said with a light-hearted manner. "You just didn't expect it,"

"Bit cocky," Maddie said, giving him a playful glance.

"You're one to talk," Ron raised an eyebrow, giving the girl the same comical energy back. "You think you're made of bloody candy,"

"Maybe I am,"

"Ooh, bit cocky," Ron mimicked.

The young Jordan laughed.

Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel. Crookshanks darted up first, followed by Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambering upward. Maddie kept close behind.

Black saw Snape up through the hole, then stood back for Harry and Hermione to pass. And, at last, all of them were out.

The grounds were very dark now; the only light came from the distant windows of the castle. Without a word, they set off. Pettigrew was still wheezing and occasionally whimpering.

"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin threateningly. His wand was still pointed sideways at Pettigrew's chest.

Silently they tramped through the grounds, the castle lights growing slowly larger. Snape was still drifting weirdly ahead of Black, his chin bumping on his chest.

And then a cloud shifted. There were suddenly dim shadows on the ground. Their party was bathed in moonlight.

Snape collided with Lupin, Pettigrew, Maddie and Ron, who had stopped abruptly. Black froze. He flung out one arm to make Harry and Hermione stop.

Maddie looked up to see Lupin gone had rigid. And then she saw his limbs begin to shake. She frowned, confused - until it hit her.

"He didn't take his potion tonight!" Hermione spoke loudly. "He's not safe!"

"Oh - you can fuck right off with that!" said Maddie, backing away slightly, until she also realised Ron was currently chained to both Pettigrew and Lupin.

Harry leapt forward but Black caught him around the chest and threw him back.

"Leave it to me - RUN!"

There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching and hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws. Crookshanks's hair was on end again and he was backing away.

"No - use your wand!" Maddie yelled. "What are you doing?! You can't out-run a wolf!"

As the werewolf reared, snapping its long jaws, Black disappeared from Harry's side. He had transformed. The enormous, bearlike dog bounded forward, and Maddie hovered, unsure of what to do.

The werewolf wrenched itself free of the manacle binding it, the dog seized it about the neck and pulled it backward, away from Ron and Pettigrew. They were locked, jaw to jaw, claws ripping at each other.

And then Hermione screamed.

Pettigrew had dived for Lupin's dropped wand, and Ron, unsteady on his bandaged leg, fell. Maddie rushed forward, but she wasn't quick enough.

There was a bang, a burst of light - and Ron lay motionless on the ground. Another bang - Crookshanks flew into the air and back to the earth in a heap.

Maddie yelled.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, pointing his own wand at Pettigrew. Lupin's wand flew high into the air and out of sight. "Stay where you are!" Harry shouted, running forward.

But it was too late. Pettigrew had transformed. Maddie saw his bald tail whip through the manacle on Ron's outstretched arm and heard a scurrying through the grass. She began to sprint.

"The fucking rat!" she yelled, ignoring all commotion and heading straight for the tiny animal.

"Sirius! He's gone! Pettigrew's transformed!" she heard Harry yell behind her.

Maddie could hear the rat's squeaks, and continued to speed through the grass as fast as she could, getting further and further away from the group but closer to Pettigrew.

"Where are you?" she hissed out of frustration. "I'm gonna step on you,"

But all the odds seemed to be against the young Jordan. The sky was dark, the grass was thick and the rat was small. The only thing she had to help her out was the rat's squeaks, and that was hard enough to hear amongst the yells and growls of the commotion happening behind her.

And the Hogwarts grounds were bumpy, and uneven. Her ankles and legs were twisting in all kinds of directions as she sped, tumbling every now and then but determined to keep her balance in order to hunt down Pettigrew. He couldn't get away, he was right there - he was too close. She couldn't let him go.

Maddie didn't know how far she'd ran off, but she could no longer hear what was going on behind her. She was uncontrollably sprinting downhill now, unable to stop herself. But the rat was right there, she could hear the squeaks and the scuffles.

"Where are you, you fucker-?" she growled, once again, in frustration.

And then a massive squeal sounded, and Maddie felt something under her left foot.

She'd stood on its tail.

Yes! Yes! She's fucking got it, she's got it-

The brunette bent down, keeping her foot firmly on the ground and reached forward. The rat squirmed and wriggled, desperate to free itself. Maddie stretched out her arm, seizing it with her hand.

It continued to wriggle as she lifted it up, almost in disbelief that she'd managed to catch it, and so yelled immediately.

"Harry!" she bellowed, starting to run back up the hill. "I've got him! I've got the thing-"

And then sharp pain shot through her finger and she flinched, her grip on the rat loosening. It had just bitten her - in fact, Maddie was sure the bite was so deep it hit the bone.

She swore as blood spilled out of her finger, and the rat continued to squirm as aggressively as ever.

And then all seemed to happen so quickly, Maddie couldn't comprehend what had happened. It's fir slipped out of her palm, and she yelled, thrusting her other arm forward in order to catch it.

But the rat hit the floor with a thud yet again, and Maddie had never felt so panicked. It sped off further downhill and she sprinted after it.

But there was a hug dip and a large mount of dirt that caught Maddie's foot - it sent her tumbling down the steep descent of the hill, several body parts hitting the ground with huge thumps. And then a crack and snap sounded in Maddie's arm and agony began to ripple all the way through it. She let out a painful yell.

She continued to tumble, her hands and arms scrambling at the dirt to try and stop her fall, but she was unsuccessful - until she reached the very bottom of the hill where several trees stood.

Her head crashed into the bottom of one of the tree trunks and the already dark world around her turned to complete emptiness.

And the last thing she saw before being knocked out cold was - well, nothing. Because nobody was with her, she'd ran off.

No one had remembered to follow her - or, rather, everyone was much too busy with their own issues to try and help her. She was completely alone.

Alone to plunge into a deep unconsciousness, unaware of anything else that could be happening, at this moment in time.

And so, if anyone were to venture down the Hogwarts grounds, they'd meet the unconscious body of Madison Jordan, knocked out not because she was being stupid or was craving laughter from others, this time. Knocked out because she desperately was trying to help her friends, trying to do something with meaning, not just for giggles, even if nobody was around to see it.

The moonlight caressed her skin as she lay, as though it were trying to keep her visible to any passers by, ensuring she wouldn't get lost in the night's darkness around her. Blood still trickled from the cuts the Willow gave her all over her face and arms, as well as the fresh bite in her finger given to her by the rat. Her arm sat in a twisted, unnatural position.

And yet, the same moonlight that seemed to protect Maddie from being consumed by the shadows around her is also the cause of the turmoil happening several feet away from her, and the events that will soon follow.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

It's the praise of Severus Snape that wakes Maddie with a start. Or perhaps it was his voice, considering that always seemed to trigger some kind of fight or flight response in the young Jordan's system.

She found herself lying in the hospital wing, wounds patched up and her arm in a sling. Her legs felt numb at this moment - she supposed it would take some time to get some feeling back in them. That's what usually happened.

However, this time, she couldn't really remember why she was in the hospital wing. It wasn't an unusual occurrence, but then again, of all the accidents she'd ended up in at Hogwarts, she'd only been knocked out once or twice before, and yet she still knew immediately what caused it when she came around.

Maddie wondered what she could've done this time.

"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."

The fuck is Snape getting praise for?

Maddie turned to her right and saw Ron sleeping in a hospital bed next to her - and that's when, slowly but steadily, the events of the past few hours came flooding back.

"Nasty cut you've got there... Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Jordan, Weasley, and Granger, Minister..."

Fuckin' snitch. Maddie thought, as she continued to listen in on their conversation, wondering how long it'll take for them to realise she was awake.

"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... even Jordan. She's not usually involved with the other three, but I assure you she can be just as bad on her own. 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 license by the headmaster-"

Maddie swore to herself there and then next Potions lesson she'll act up as if she'd never acted up before. If Snape thought she was bad before, he's got no idea what's coming to him.

"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 and 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..."

Maddie's eyes flickered around the room to see if anyone else was awake. Harry had his eyes shut. Ron was being tended to by Madame Pomfrey, however. Hermione was the only one awake - her eyes were wide with terror, and once they met Maddie's, she immediately pressed a finger to her lips.

All three of Maddie's friends looked awful, and she became filled with curiosity, wondering what could've happened to them whilst she was off chasing Pettigrew.

"What amazes me most is the behavior 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 girl-"

"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 and a slight movement from Harry's bed, and Maddie turned her head to see him just about open his eyes. He stayed silent for a few moments, until Madame Pomfrey noticed him.

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

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

"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "So will you, Miss Jordan - then again, you have me wondering if you're immortal the amount of times you've been in here for your accidents and then left perfectly fine again."

Maddie smiled.

"As for you two, you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're - Potter, what do you think you're doing?"

Harry was sitting up, putting his glasses back on, and picking up his wand.

"I need to see the headmaster," he said.

"Potter," said Madam Pomfrey soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The Dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now-"

"WHAT?"

Maddie jumped up, Harry and Hermione doing the same. But Harry's shout had been heard in the corridor outside - next second, Cornelius Fudge and Snape had entered the ward.

"Harry, Harry, what's this?" said Fudge, looking agitated. "You should be in bed - has he had any chocolate?" he asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously.

"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the Dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's-"

But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face. Maddie hurried forward, ignoring the woozy feeling in her head due to her standing up so quickly.

"Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control..."

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said. She had hurried to the pair's side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and-"

"And me," Maddie nodded. "We all did! The rat ran off - I caught him and he bit me, look, my finger's literally bandaged up for proof!"

"You see, Minister?" said Snape. "Confunded, all of them... Black's done a very good job on them...."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roared.

"Minister! Professor!" said Madam Pomfrey angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen-"

But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry"s mouth - he choked, and she seized the opportunity to force him back onto the bed.

"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave."

The door opened again, and finally, Dumbledore showed up. Maddie thought he'd buggered off on holiday somewhere, he hadn't been around for so long.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black --"

"For heaven's sake!" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist --"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter, Miss Jordan and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black-"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind?" spat Snape. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive-"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore, surveying Snape closely.

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Snape. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"That was because you were knocked out, Professor!" said Hermione earnestly. "You didn't arrive in time to hear."

"Miss Granger, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"Well she's not wrong, is she?!" Maddie spoke up with fury.

"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances-"

"I would like to speak to Harry, Maddie and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy - please leave us."

"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest-"

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The Dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

Snape took a step toward Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

Don't blame him, Maddie thought, before mentally cursing herself out again. Nope - Mads you can't say that.

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.

Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to Harry, Maddie Hermione. They both burst into speech at the same time.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth - we saw Pettigrew - he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf-"

"-he's a rat-"

"-Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off-"

"-Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius-"

But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word - and the word of three thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"Professor Lupin can tell you-" Harry said.

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends-"

"But-"

"Listen to me, Harry. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."

"He hates Sirius," Hermione said desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him-"

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady - entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife - without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

"But you believe us."

"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic...."

Maddie was in disbelief. Wasn't Dumbledore supposed to solve anything? She'd expected Dumbledore to pull some amazing solution out of the air. But no - their last hope was gone.

"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes moved from Harry to Hermione, "is more time."

"But-" Hermione began. And then her eyes became very round. "OH!"

"Huh?" Maddie's face scrunched up.

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, both of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law - you know what is at stake... you - must - not - be - seen."

Maddie looked towards Harry to see if he had any idea what was going on, but by the look on his face, he certainly didn't.

Dumbledore turned on his heel and looked back as he reached the door.

"I am going to lock you in. It is-" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

But Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from beneath them a very long, very fine gold chain.

"Harry, come here," she said urgently. "Quick!"

"What's going on?" Maddie frowned. Hermione paused.

"Sorry, Mads," she said. "I don't think it'll be a good idea for you to come, since your arm's broken,"

Maddie looked down at her sling - she'd almost forgotten her arm was indeed broken.

"Uh - right, fair enough," she said, though she still didn't quite understand what was happening. "I'll watch over Ron, I guess?" she nodded back towards the ginger, before a smug look overcame her face and she said, "Don't want him running off,"

Harry and Hermione let out a half-hearted laugh at Maddie's joke, but were clearly more focused on the task at hand (of which Maddie didn't have a clue what it was).

Harry moved toward Hermione, completely bewildered. She was holding the chain out. Maddie could make out a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it.

"Here-"

She had thrown the chain around his neck too.

"Ready?" she said breathlessly.

"What are we doing?" Harry said, completely lost.

Hermione turned the hourglass over three times.

And then Maddie blinked - and Harry and Hermione strolled through the door Dumbledore had just locked.

She couldn't be more confused.

"Okay..." she said, slowly. "You guys just fucking teleported?"

"Huh?" Hermione frowned - though, Maddie could clearly tell she was putting it on.

"Your heads all funny after being concussed, Mads, it's probably that," Harry said, with an equally smug look, heading back to his own hospital bed. Hermione did the same.

"Yeah, plus you lost a lot of blood - that's got to have a large effect, especially since you're anaemic," she nodded, taking the golden chain off and tucking it back in her pocket.

Maddie gave them both strange looks.

"...Yep, that's obviously it," she said sarcastically. "Are we forgetting Sirius?"

"It's all sorted," said Harry. "Don't worry,"

The girl's eyes flicked between the pair as if they were from another planet.

"How is it sorted?!" she began, but was interrupted by a very pissed off Madame Pomfrey re-entering the room.

"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"

Harry and Hermione accepted their chocolate quietly. Maddie wasn't really sure why they were being fed so much chocolate, but whatever, she'd get the details later.

And then a distant roar of fury echoed from somewhere above them.

"What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey in alarm.

Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door.

"Really - they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"

Maddie was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing nearer...

"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out-"

"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS - HAS - SOMETHING - TO - DO - WITH - POTTER!"

Maddie's face lit up, and looked over at the other two Gryffindors with a small, hopeful smile on her face.

"Severus - be reasonable - Harry has been locked up-"

And then the door of the hospital wing burst open.

Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Maddie started laughing.

"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw-"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry, Maddie and Hermione. His face was twisted - spit was flying from his mouth.

"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT-"

Harry passed Maddie some chocolate to stuff in her mouth so her laugher wasn't so obvious. She didn't even need the chocolate, really, but she happily took it.

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"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, Maddie and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

"What did you do?" Maddie mouthed to the pair with a bright expression, her back to the adults so they couldn't see. They both responded with smug grins.

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

"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..."

They did what?!

"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 and Hermione. 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 groan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. They could see him sitting up, rubbing his head, looking around.

"What - what happened?" he mumbled. "Harry? Why are we in here? Oh shit, Maddie's back - we couldn't find you, we didn't know where you'd gone," he told the curly haired girl.

"I chased a rat, and it got me knocked out," she shrugged. "Bit embarrassing, really,"

"Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?"

"Yeah, what did you two do?" Maddie asked, turning to the other two.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other.

"You explain," said Harry, helping himself to some more chocolate.

And so they did.