36 A Hero's Dilemma

"I believe he wanted to bring back Voldemort." Dumbledore answered, McGonagall did the expected shiver while Fudge let out a very unmanly squeak.

"But...but you-know-who is dead!" Fudge spluttered. "He can't be back! Preposterous! You-know-who is dead!"

"Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly. "it is my belief that Voldemort..."

"Stop saying his name!" Fudge hissed.

"It is my belief that he had never truly perished," Dumbledore continued. "I believe that he has simply been biding his time, trying to return to his former glory."

"That can't be!" Fudge said, shaking his head.

"My reason for having Severus here was to show you his mark," Dumbledore added. "the dark mark is a mark that Voldemort himself would place on his followers, he can use it to summon them and recently Severus's mark had been growing darker and darker. Voldemort..."

"Stop saying his name!" Fudge shouted.

"Minister, control yourself!" McGonagall said, glaring at him for his outburst.

"...placed the dark mark brand on his followers' inner left forearms both as a sign of their loyalty to him and as a method of summoning them to him when he desired." Dumbledore continued as if nothing had happened. "The deepness of the mark's colour is connected to Voldemort's physical health. When Voldemort suffered his first defeat, the marks on the Death Eaters faded, but as he began regaining his strength, the faded marks became clearer, and burnt slightly, a sign of Voldemort's return to his Death Eaters."

"This cannot be!" Fudge said, shaking his head. "There is no way he is back! What on earth would possess you to think that he could be back?! A tattoo?!"

"That is not my only reason, there is one dark ritual which involves taking the blood of an enemy." Dumbledore said. "I believe that Voldemort has used it to regain a body. If we bring in Severus then I can show you his mark."

"I don't want to see his mark!" Fudge said as if Dumbledore was offering him poison. "You," Fudge said to Harry. "did you see any sign of you-know-who?"

"The only person I saw was Pettigrew, which reminds me, you and I have something important to discuss Minister Fudge."

"Oh?" Fudge asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My godfather, Sirius Black, I told you in my third year that he was innocent. You did not believe me and accepted Snape's story about me being confounded. I would think now, that you've seen Pettigrew alive and witnessed Snape's behaviour, you might be willing to change your mind."

"Ah," Fudge's face screwed up in thought. Now that he thought about it he realised that Harry might have a point. Snape hardly seemed stable even back then and it was clear that he had a dislike for Harry Potter and vice versa, plus it was clear that the man disliked Black as well so maybe he wasn't being entirely truthful. Plus Snape, unlike Lucius, was never an imperius victim. The man had only gotten free because Dumbledore claimed that Snape was a spy.

Plus the biggest proof of all was the fact that Pettigrew was alive, everyone had seen it, and if Black did not kill Pettigrew then maybe he did not kill the muggles either.

But if Fudge admitted that Black was innocent then that could go over bad with the public...unless...unless he blamed the old administration. Yes, yes he could work with that. Playing it as if he had discovered some horrible mistake and fixed it, saving an innocent man, yes he could work with that. "I think you might be right Mr Potter." Fudge said eventually.

"While I am thrilled on Sirius's behalf, I do think that we are currently missing the bigger picture," Dumbledore said. "as I have said I do believe that Voldemort is still alive."

"He is not back!" Fudge said stubbornly. "I am not about to claim that he is back and cause panic and ruin all of our lives just because of one mark and the fact that Mr Potter lost some blood!"

"Cornelius I really do think..."

"Enough Dumbledore!" Fudge cut him off. "If you will excuse me I have to go work on helping an innocent man get free. Pettigrew must have faked his death."

"According to Sirius he had never gotten a trial, he was just tossed into Azkaban."

"That should not be possible," Fudge frowned. "I will look into it Mr Potter." Fudge said, after all Potter was not helping Dumbledore in this madness by claiming you-know-who was back so Fudge had no reason to dislike the boy, plus it couldn't be a bad thing to have the boy-who-lived supporting him. "Goodbye Mr Potter, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall."

"Cornelius, is there nothing I can say to convince you?" Dumbledore asked in a sad and disappointed voice.

"No," Fudge said, glaring at Dumbledore as he put his hat on. "he is dead Dumbledore, I will not have you causing a panic and convincing people otherwise." Fudge said before he walked out of the room.

"Harry," Dumbledore let out a deep breath as he turned to Harry. "you were not very helpful."

"I didn't do anything wrong." Harry shrugged as he leaned back in his bed. "You think Voldemort is back, I didn't see him at the graveyard so I didn't say anything. I am not going to lie about something like this. Besides, I got what I wanted, Sirius will get a trial and then it's goodbye Dursley's." Harry grinned.

"Harry, they are your family." Dumbledore frowned. "And while I would admit that it is good news about Sirius getting a trial, the world could suffer if it is not sufficiently prepared."

"If you wanted to prepare the world then you should have started when you found out that Voldemort had possessed Quirrell, or better yet you should not have let the world celebrate his passing if you didn't believe that he was gone." Harry said as he placed both of his hands behind his head and relaxed. "Plus, let's say that I did tell Fudge that Voldemort had returned, he would not have believed me."

"He might have Harry."

"Trust me sir, he would not."

"What makes you think that" McGonagall frowned.

"I am also curious to know," Dumbledore said, looking at Harry. "I do not mean to brag but between you and me our reputations can do a lot Harry, surely with the both of us Fudge would at least think about our words."

"He would not." Harry said, shaking his head. "Do you want to know why?"

"Yes, do tell."

"Because if I can't convince you that my relatives are scum then I do not at all believe that I can convince the minister that the most feared dark lord of all time who is supposed to be dead has somehow come back to life."

"Harry, your relatives..."

"Even now you defend them," Harry cut him off before he let out a yawn and stood up and began stretching. "and they're just my relatives. If you keep defending them despite me, someone who unfortunately lives with them, telling you that they are horrible then what on earth would make you think I am capable of convincing a man I have only met a few times to say to the world that the most feared, dangerous and deadly dark lord is back at the possible cost of his career and reputation? Huh?" Harry waited for a response, but when Dumbledore didn't provide him one Harry just shrugged and walked out the hospital wing. "That's what I thought." Harry called back.

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