Honey Bee

Chapter 44

Dumbledore stood up. He stared down at Barty Crouch for a moment with disgust on his face. Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes that twisted themselves around Crouch, binding him tightly. He turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry and Melissa upstairs?"

"Of course," said McGonagall. She looked slightly nauseous, as though she had just watched someone being sick. However, when she drew out her wand and pointed it at Crouch, her hand was quite steady.

"Severus" - Dumbledore turned to Snape - "please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me." Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room.

"Harry? Melissa?" Dumbledore said gently.

I got up and swayed again; the pain in my leg, I don't know when it happened but it feels shattered. I also realised that I am shaking. Dumbledore gripped Harry's arm and helped him out into the dark corridor while Harry grabbed me.

"I want you to come up to my office first." he said quiedy as they headed up the passageway. "Sirius is waiting for us there."

Harry nodded while I just stayed silent. A kind of numbness and a sense of complete unreality were upon me, but I did not care; I was even glad of it. I didn't want to have to think about anything that had happened since we had first touched the Triwizard Cup. I didn't want to have to examine the memories, fresh and sharp as photographs, which kept flashing across my mind. Mad-Eye Moody, inside the trunk. Wormtail, slumped on the ground, cradling his stump of an arm. Voldemort, rising from the steaming cauldron. Cedric. . . dead . . . Cedric, asking to be returned to his parents. . . .

"Professor," Harry mumbled, "where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?" it's as if Harry and I are sharing the same thoughts.

"They are with Professor Sprout," said Dumbledore. His voice, which had been so calm throughout the interrogation of Crouch, shook very slightly for the first time. "She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best."

We had reached the stone gargoyle. Dumbledore gave the password, it sprang aside, and we went up the moving spiral staircase to the oak door. Dumbledore pushed it open. Sirius was standing there. His face was white and gaunt as it had been when I saw him on wanted posters around streets. In one swift moment, he had crossed the room.

"Harry, Melissa, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?" His hands shook as he helped Harry into a chair in front of the desk and I had to be picked up as I couldn't move without assistance. "What happened?" he asked more urgently.

Dumbledore began to tell Sirius everything Crouch had said. I was only half listening. So tired every bone in my body was aching, I wanted nothing more than to sit here, undisturbed, for hours and hours, until I fell asleep and didn't have to think or feel anymore. But I knew only one person knew how I was feeling and he was sitting right next to me, so I grabbed his hand and sat in silence with Harry, I'm guessing, my brother.

There was a soft rush of wings. Fawkes the phoenix had left his perch, flown across the office, and landed on Harry's knee.

"'Lo, Fawkes," said Harry quietly. He stroked the phoenix's beautiful scarlet-and-gold plumage. Fawkes blinked peacefully up at him.

Dumbledore stopped talking. He sat down opposite Harry and I, behind his desk. He was looking at us, we avoided his eyes. Dumbledore was going to question us. He was going to make us relive everything.