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Aurora Areli
"SHOCKING BUSINESS . . . SHOCKING . . . MIRACLE none of them died . . . never heard of 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 wrangle it!"
"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."
"Nasty cut you've got there . . . Black's work, I suppose?"
"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, the Areli daughter, Weasley and Granger, Minister . . ."
"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 . . . 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 licence by the Headmaster —"
"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 to 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's been visiting Hogsmeade illegally, too —"
"Well, well . . . we shall see, Snape, we shall see . . . the boy has undoubtedly been foolish . . ."
I gritted my teeth as I stared up at the ceiling in my bed, listening to Snape make up exaggerated stories to the Minister of Magic. I had been awake for a while now, having woken up minutes before Hermione, who was in the bed to my right. Ron was at the very end of the ward, still unconscious, and Harry was finally stirring to my left.
"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 by the entrances . . ."
"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the girls —"
"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."
