Harry's Murder

Fudge stared at him. "That is ridiculous."

"It may seem so," Ron said, "but I know it wasn't Hermione."

"And why couldn't it be her?"

"Well..." Ron said, "because..."

"You see?" Fudge said. "It could just as easily be her as it could any other suspect, minus the Dark Lord."

"Well..." Ron was losing hope, "why could it not be you?"

"I have no motive. She, however, does."

"And what might that be?"

"His money. He has piles of gold in Gringotts."

"She loved him more than life itself," Ron said. "And for a while, I was jealous."

"And there is your motive," Fudge said.

"But," Ron continued, as though he had not heard him, "I realized that they were meant to be."

Fudge gaped at him, but then realized the situation and called for Veritasum.

"I suppose I will simply have to question all of you," he said finally.

A witch returned with a large bottle of Veritasum.

Fudge started towards Hermione. "You first."

She looked up weakly. "Fine."

He handed her the bottle, and she swallowed a few drops, then her eyes became unfocused.

"Now," Fudge whispered, "did you murder Harry Potter?"

"No," Hermione said in a strange voice.

Fudge looked surprised. "Well, then who did?"

Hermione answered in the same strange voice. "I do not know."

"Fine," Fudge said angrily. He left her on the floor and moved towards Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy refused to swallow Veritasum, so one of the tough-looking wizards strode up and knocked him unconscious.

Fudge was mildly surprised, but thanked the wizard anyway.

He forced down a few drops of the potion.

"Can you hear me?"

Draco, like Hermione, spoke in a strange voice. "Yes."

"Did you murder Harry Potter?"

"No."

"Who did?"

"I do not know. I despise Potter, and I am disgusted that someone did not let me in on their plan."

Fudge spat and moved on to Neville Longbottom.

Neville looked nervous. "Will this hurt?"

"Not that I know of."

Neville swallowed some Veritasum reluctantly and fell into a stupor, his eyes unfocused.

"Did you murder Harry Potter?"

"No."

"Who did, then?" Fudge asked, now becoming slightly annoyed.

"I have no idea, but I hope Harry is in a better place."

Fudge turned away without a backward glance. He approached Seamus, sweating a little.

Seamus swallowed the potion confidently.

"Did you murder Harry Potter?" Fudge repeated.

"No."

Fudge sighed. "Then who did?"

"No idea."

This continued until all the suspects had said to have not murdered Harry Potter.

Fudge turned to the witch who had brought the Veritasum. "Is this stuff expired?"

"Check the date."

He looked. "1904! This potion is useless!"

"Well, sometimes things really work after the expiration date."

Fudge looked extremely nervous. "Are you sure? Because I think one of them lied."

"Positive. Let me see the bottle."

Fudge glanced around. "No," he whispered. "Don't you dare look at this bottle."

"Fine, if that's the way you want it."

Ron interrupted them. "I believe the only person who has not been interrogated is you, Minister."

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing at all."

"I should not be interrogated," Fudge said. "I am the Minister of Magic, I have no reason to have committed such a crime. Besides, this potion is old. Someone could have lied."

"Or someone could have not lied," Seamus put in.

Fudge was outnumbered.

"Fine!" Cornelious Fudge yelled maniacally. "I admit it. I murdered Harry Potter. And if I could, I'd do it again!"

He laughed insanely. "Potter was going to be Minister of Magic! I could not let that happen! And I could not let my Lord down! Potter would someday get my Lord, and I could not let it happen!"

He laughed again, shrilly and crazily. The former suspects stared. Hermione fainted, partly out of weakness, but mostly out of shock.

"And now the only thing to do is to kill Granger!" the Minister yelled.

"NO!" Ron yelled. I took out his wand and attempted to cut through the chains, but failed. They magically unlocked, and Ronald Weasley was free.

He rushed towards Hermione. "I won't let you!" he shouted. "You cannot murder an innocent girl."

Ron laid himself over Hermione, blocking her from the Minister's wrath.

"Then I shall kill you first."

"Go ahead," Ron said, but inside he was nervous.

Fudge pointed Hermione's wand at Ron's heart. He opened his mouth to utter the incantation...

Ron pulled his wand out from behind his back. "Stupefy!"

Fudge ducked, and the spell whooshed over him and hit Dean, who slumped in his chair.

Hermione, unnoticed by Fudge and prodded by Ron, crept behind the torturing board, now safe.

"You have forced me," Fudge whispered. "This has become a duel."

Ron and Fudge shot spells at each other, Hermione's screams of terror added to the noise of shouted incantations, whooshing noises as spells were shot everywhere, and the sounds of the former suspects scrambling out of the room, ducking for cover and magically freed from the chairs.

Finally, Ron shot a wonderful Accio Wand! and caught both Hermione's wand and Fudge's pocketed one triumphantly.

"It's all over now," Ron said to him.

"You're right," Fudge said quietly.

"Huh?" Ron said, confused that Fudge was so calm.

"I said, you're...a dead man!" Fudge yelled. He grabbed the three wands Ron was holding before he realized what was going on. Then Fudge leapt on Ron and grabbed his neck.

"I cannot allow you to live," Fudge whispered into Ron's ear, suffocating him.

The door slammed open. "Cornelius!" It was Dumbledore.

Fudge let go of Ron and leapt up.

"Cornelius," Dumbledore said, "I cannot allow you to treat my pupils in this savage way."

He pulled out his wand and Fudge disappeared with a little pop!

"Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked Ron.

He nodded weakly.

"Where is Ms. Granger?"

Ron, unable to speak, pointed towards the torturing board.

Dumbledore called Hermione out from behind it.

"Where-where's Fudge?" she asked nervously.

"He had been sent far, far away, to another Wizarding prison in Africa, for the mere fact that there are no longer any guards at Azkaban."

"Are you hurt?" he asked them. Ron's neck hurt rather badly, and Hermione's body still ached from Fudge's torturing.

"It's all right," Dumbledore assured them. "Though the loss of Harry must be terrible, and Lord Voldemort is now immortal.

But meanwhile, Sybil Trewlawney was prophesizing the birth of a girl with the power to vanquish Lord Voldemort, born to parents who had defied him twice.

The End