Stay - Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 104

Harry and Kirra had met up with the others and then the two of them plus Hermione and Theodore made their way back to the hospital wing. They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall and listened. 

It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase. "... only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape was saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?" 

"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last... I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape... and once young Harry and Kirra are back in their right minds, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved them..." 

Kirra clenched her teeth. She caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed Kirra, Theodore, Harry and Hermione's hiding place. Their footsteps died away. Kirra, Theodore, Harry and Hermione waited for a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. 

"Hermione — what'll happen — if we don't get back inside before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry panted as the four of them ran. 

"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!" They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay — I can hear Dumbledore," said Hermione tensely. 

"Come on, quickly!" Kirra motioned to the three of them and they crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared. "I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "it is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck." Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it.

Panicking, Kirra, Theodore, Harry and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache. "Well?" he said quietly. 

"We did it!" said Harry breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak..." Dumbledore beamed at them. "Well done. I think —" He listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone too — get inside — I'll lock you in —" 

Kirra, Theodore, Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicked behind them, Kirra, Theodore, Harry and Hermione crept back to their own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes. 

A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came striding back out of her office. "Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?" She was in a very bad mood. The four students thought it best to accept their chocolate quietly, which Kirra didn't mind since she loved the food. 

Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it. They were waiting, listening, their nerves jangling... And then, as they all took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they heard a distant roar of fury echoing 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?" 

Theodore and Kirra shared smirks before they tried 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 —"