Dear Mym,

So how are you doing now? Sarah told me how scared she was when the Death Eaters marched at the Quidditch World Cup Final, although Reuben tried to pretend that he wasn't. I can imagine how terrifying it was for you all, especially when the Dark Mark appeared in the sky as well. Whoever would have thought we'd see that again? I certainly hoped we wouldn't, as just thinking about it makes me feel sick. I have to admit I'm glad I wasn't there as I'm already twitchy enough without that sort of nastiness going on. I think it's put a bit of a pall over everything and even here at Hogwarts it's all a bit tense, with no one quite sure what's happening out there. However, I have no doubt that Albus knows exactly what's going on and I'm positive he has something up his sleeve.

The most exciting (not sure if this is the right word) thing happening this year is that the Ministry of Magic has resurrected the Triwizard Tournament against two of the other wizarding schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, and it's being held here. It's going to take up most of the year so delegations from the other schools will be slotting into classes at Hogwarts, which should be interesting. I just thought I'd let you know about it in advance so that if you've heard anything about it already you can stop worrying about Sarah and Reuben being caught up in it, because I know I'd be worried if my children were possibly going to be taking part. Albus has told us the tournament will only be open to over-seventeens and that this will be strictly enforced.

I have no idea how they're going to do that yet but he seems confident that there's no way anyone underage can get through, so you can relax safe in the knowledge that however much Reuben may want to take part he's not going anywhere near any of the trials except as a spectator. This should mean that Harry and his friends will also be safe for once, which is good because as I understand it the tournament is actually incredibly dangerous. I had a quick look at the history of it after Albus told us about it and it seems it was stopped in 1792 because too many kids taking part were getting injured or killed and that year three of the judges, who were the Heads of the three schools, were injured by a rampaging cockatrice. It seems there have been several attempts to resurrect the tournament over the years, but for some reason it's never happened until now — I have no idea why they suddenly thought this year was a good year for it.

The tournament is made up of three 'trials' that are designed to test the students to the very limit of their capabilities (hence the cockatrice) and appear to be extremely gruelling for all who take part. As I understand it, the trials are likely to be open viewing, so if you want to attend any of them (to make up for there not being any Quidditch this year) just let me know and I'll arrange it. They've already started growing a maze over the Quidditch pitch, so I assume that will be one of them, but Albus hasn't yet revealed what the other trials are going to be.

I'm not sure who's going to be mental enough to go for it although I've no doubt there will be a long queue from all three schools to put their names down, and I'm sure there will be plenty of sixteen-year-olds and even younger who'll be upset at the introduction of the age limit. You know how fearless kids are at that age when they can't imagine anything bad ever happening to them. The other schools are due to arrive towards the end of October and the 'Champions', as they're called, from each school will be chosen at Halloween. Obviously I'll keep you updated on what's happening as it should be pretty interesting.

I've got no idea who the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is going to be this year. I don't think it's the Bastard as he's still busy brewing his potions in the dungeons (and yes, I did get drafted in to help him again, and he wasn't any more grateful about it than he was last year). Anyway, I'm still annoyed with him for what he did to Remus, so I'm glad he hasn't got the job regardless of who else gets it. Let's face it, whoever it is they can't possibly be as bad as the Fop was. It would be nice if it was someone that I could go to the pub with occasionally, though. I quite enjoyed getting out of school with Remus.

I think that's all my news for now. For the year ahead I'd like to hope that Draco Malfoy will have grown up a bit and have a better attitude in my class, even if it's just generally better than in previous years, but I'm not holding my breath on that. I fully expect him to be just as disruptive as before. Before you start going on about Lucius again I'm just going to put this out there — he's married so I'm not interested in him in a romantic way, but if he's going to buy me gifts I'm going to accept them on the condition that there are no strings attached. I still think he's just trying to be nice because his son's such a little shit all the time.

Time to head off to the dungeons for my daily dose of the Bastard.

Your ever-hopeful friend,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

Well, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher has certainly made his mark. He turned up in the middle of the opening feast, interrupting Albus just as he was making his big announcement about the Triwizard Tournament. I'm really not sure about his choice of teacher this year, but I suppose with the tournament he's after people who can help out in a crisis and Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody was apparently one of the Ministry of Magic's best Aurors (before he went a bit batty).

Mad-Eye has launched straight into some quite controversial lessons from what I've heard. He's been teaching the older kids about the Unforgivable Curses — and not just the theory either — although fortunately he hasn't killed anyone (yet). He did turn Draco into a ferret, which I have to admit I didn't feel at all bad about when I heard about it. Minerva wasn't very happy with him (publicly, at least) but I think he was pretty unrepentant. Draco was trying to attack Harry while his back was turned, which is despicable, so I can sort of understand why Mad-Eye did it (although as ever, I suppose I shouldn't say that, really).

He's actually quite nice to talk to as well, although as you might expect he's a bit odd. Apart from the 'mad' false eye he's also got a false leg and half a nose and he only drinks from his own hip flask because I assume he doesn't trust anyone not to poison him — yes, he really is that paranoid. He's always bellowing about 'constant vigilance'. It can be quite unnerving, especially if you're not expecting it. This means that the not drinking thing is going to make getting him down the pub a bit tricky but I might still invite him along and see if he says yes. At least I know he's not going to be trying to grope me or bore me to death with tales of how wonderful he is. He does have lots of fascinating stories to recount obviously, after all his years as a Dark wizard catcher, but interestingly, he always plays down his part in it.

Mad-Eye's also been very good with Neville. Obviously he was upset when he saw the Cruciatus Curse being performed (on a spider rather than a pupil, I'm happy to say, although I do find myself feeling rather sorry for the poor spider) as it must have reminded him of what his parents went through. Mad-Eye took him for a cup of tea afterwards, talked to him about Neville's favourite subject, Herbology, and even lent him a book on the subject. I thought it was nice that he'd taken the time to find out about Neville. He's so often overlooked because he's still not the strongest wizard and I think he feels a bit left out sometimes and certainly feels a bit out of place in Gryffindor.

I can't get a handle on how the Bastard feels about Mad-Eye. He certainly doesn't dislike him as much as all the previous DADA teachers but I still get the impression there's something about him he's not keen on.

We just about managed to get settled into the new term when the delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons arrived the day before Halloween. The students from Beauxbatons wear blue silk — stylish but a bit too cold for Hogwarts at this time of year, I would have thought — and arrived in a large blue carriage drawn by a dozen flying horses as large as elephants. I have to say that it was a pretty impressive sight. Their Headmistress, Madam Olympe Maxime, is a massive woman. She's even bigger than Hagrid so there's definitely giant blood in her family tree. She seems really nice, though, from the little I've spoken to her, and she's definitely in agreement about the need for Muggle Studies as a subject. She was telling me about the lesson plan at her school, which has given me quite a bit to think about. All the students she brought with her joined my lessons as they're interested to learn about British Muggle society, which is quite flattering, actually.

Talking of Hagrid, he's in his element with all the unusual creatures that are turning up at the school for the tournament — I understand there's a Sphinx coming over from Egypt for one of the trials — and he seems to have introduced some of his own, something called Blast-Ended Skrewts. They're part manticore, part fire crab (yes, really!) and are the weirdest creatures I've ever seen. I have absolutely no idea where he got them from (you know Hagrid, it's probably better not to ask). We also have no idea at the moment how dangerous they're going to be. They keep exploding,] which can be pretty uncomfortable if you're close to them when it happens. Also they seem to be growing very quickly and I'm not sure Hagrid knows just how big they're going to get.

So then Durmstrang arrived on a massive old-fashioned sailing ship which suddenly emerged from the depths of the Black Lake. The students all looked massive too, but as they got closer I realised it was just because they were wrapped in fur cloaks — much better clothing for Hogwarts, especially with winter on its way. Their Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff, was wrapped in silver furs that matched his hair. I think he was trying just that little bit too hard to be impressive (like someone else who used to work at Hogwarts) and it backfired on him. To be honest, Mym, I didn't really like him very much on first impression and my feeling hasn't changed since, although fortunately I've had even less contact with him than with Olympe. He's got a roving eye similar to the Fop, i.e., he talks to my breasts rather than my face; but unlike Gilderoy, who was just a complete idiot, I get the feeling that Karkaroff isn't a very nice man. I know for a fact the Bastard doesn't like him — I saw his face when Karkaroff stepped off the ship. They obviously know each other of old and I think the dislike is mutual. But the person Karkaroff really has a problem with is Mad-Eye. He went very pale when Alastor showed up.

The big surprise was when it was revealed that one of Karkaroff's students is none other than Viktor Krum, the star Seeker from the Bulgarian Quidditch team. He looks a bit surly although I'm not really surprised with the way everyone's been falling over themselves to talk to him and get his autograph. He must get really fed up with it, poor lad, especially when he's just trying to get on with his schoolwork. I understand he's taken to hiding out in the Library whenever possible because Irma won't stand for any nonsense and chucks out all the giggling girls that trail him around the school. Viktor and a couple of his friends have joined my class, but it doesn't seem to be as popular with the Durmstrang students as the Beauxbatons ones. He's actually a really nice lad, quiet and studious and clearly quite interested in Muggles. Fortunately, he's a couple of years ahead of Draco so he doesn't have him disrupting the class, although I suspect he'd be quite happy to put the sneaky little Slytherin in his place. Perhaps I should invite him to sit in on one of the fourth-year classes sometime and see what happens.

Two men called Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman (yes, the Quidditch bloke), representing the Ministry of Magic, were also in attendance, to get the party started as it were. After the meal had finished Albus introduced them and then had Filch bring in a casket from which he retrieved a large wooden cup that was full of blue flames, which he called the Goblet of Fire. Once the students had retired to bed this was placed on the Sorting Hat stool in the centre of the Entrance Hall, with a golden age line around it creating a ten-foot gap to stop those who were underage from entering. It worked brilliantly, or so we thought — it turns out we were wrong, but more on that shortly. Those who were underage and tried to enter anyway were forcibly ejected from the circle and suddenly found themselves sporting long white beards, which was quite entertaining to watch as several people tried to beat the age line. Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, who are a real handful at the best of times although lovely boys, were two of the casualties — being good sports they took it quite well.

After the Halloween feast the following evening, the fire in the Goblet, which had been moved back into the Great Hall by that time, turned red and released the names of the three Champions. Unsurprisingly, Viktor was the Durmstrang champion; a pretty part-Veela girl called Fleur Delacour was the Beauxbatons representative; and finally Cedric Diggory, a good looking young man who is the current Hufflepuff Quidditch team captain, was chosen for Hogwarts. But just when we thought it was all over the flames turned red again and Harry's name came out of the Goblet. I think everyone was equally shocked. I mean, there should have been no way he could get his name into the Goblet in the first place — he was far too young to take part. But somehow his name had ended up in there and was released — which also shouldn't have happened as there are only three schools taking part and the Champions had already been chosen. Harry was sent to join the other Champions with Albus, the other judges, Minerva and the Bastard following close behind. They were gone for quite some time but when they finally emerged it soon became clear that Harry was the second Hogwarts Champion although no one was very pleased about it — including Harry, I suspect.

Anyway, the first trial is on November 24th, so I expect there will be a lot of excitement from the students in the lead-up.

I ought to go as I've got so much marking to do I don't think I'm going to get my nice relaxing bath tonight.

Hoping you're well,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

Well, if anyone had any doubt that Harry didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire I think the first trial would have convinced them. Ron had been quite upset since the announcement of the Champions; I think he thought Harry had actually entered and was annoyed that his friend hadn't told him how to evade the age charm, so they weren't speaking, but I'm sure he's changed his mind now. I wouldn't want to take part and I'm considerably more experienced in magic than the students.

So the first task was dragons. I'm sure you can imagine that Hagrid was over the moon at that. They brought four, a different one for each Champion. They were all full-grown nesting mothers so were already more dangerous than normal, but Harry drew the short straw because he got a Hungarian Horntail and it was really evil. How he didn't get ripped apart I've no idea, but that boy is an amazing flyer. The task was to retrieve a golden egg from a nest also containing the dragon's own eggs, so you can see already how dangerous these trials are — and this is only the first one; Albus has said they get progressively more challenging.

Harry emerged in the quickest time with only a cut to his shoulder from a nasty swipe from one of the spikes on the dragon's tail to show for it, but Karkaroff didn't seem to be very impressed with his performance. He only gave Harry a four, which was a bit mean under the circumstances. I expect that was because Viktor was winning and Karkaroff didn't want to jeopardise his boy's chances. However, everyone else's scores meant that Harry is now tying with Viktor for first place. Suddenly he's gone from being extremely unpopular to being as much of a school Champion as Cedric, who everyone in the school except for a few Gryffindors seemed to be rallying round before today.

It turns out that the eggs contain a clue to the next task, so the Champions have to use them to work out what they've got to do. First they'll need to work out how to open them and decipher what the noise is. They make a terrible screeching sound whenever they're opened although it sounded to me like amplified Mermish, not that I've ever been able to speak it. Anyway, they've got until February 24th to work it out, which is ages away yet, although it will no doubt come round quicker than the Champions want.

Unfortunately, the tournament has given Draco and his friends the perfect excuse to misbehave. I assume it's not only in my lessons although in them he is exceedingly disruptive and intolerably rude. He's already almost into double figures for detention and we're not even at Christmas yet. Interestingly, I haven't had the Bastard berating me in the way he normally does so I'm not sure if Lucius finally had a word with him or whether he's given up on trying to keep the boy out of trouble. I wish I could say the detentions had done some good, but they've had no effect whatsoever.

I'm off to have a nice relaxing bath before I have an early night. I'm having to do hall duty before breakfast at the moment — with all these new students around they're forever getting lost because of the moving staircases (still!), and it means getting up a bit earlier.

Albus says he has some exciting news for us at tomorrow's staff meeting. I assume it'll be something else to do with the tournament.

Talk to you soon,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

No, I haven't seen Lucius yet. He hasn't been to the school at all this term, although when I do he's going to get a real ear-bending about his son's behaviour. I thought it was impossible for Draco to get any worse, but I was wrong. Before the tournament started he spearheaded a campaign against Harry by giving everyone badges supporting Cedric Diggory as the 'real' Hogwarts Champion, which changed to say 'Potter Stinks' every time Harry or his friends were around. It caused a real upset and one day he and Harry ended up having a duel outside the Bastard's classroom.

Draco's friend, Gregory Goyle, got hit with Harry's Furnunculus charm and poor Hermione got caught in the crossfire too and was hit in the mouth by Draco's Densaugeo spell. Her teeth erupted and grew down past her collar (they were already pretty big with a slight overbite). The Bastard, really living up to his name that day, told the poor girl that he couldn't see any difference in her. What sort of comment is that to make to an impressionable and insecure teenager, I ask you? He was lucky I wasn't there or I'd probably have hit him for that remark!

Anyway, Hermione disappeared off to the Hospital Wing in tears and when she reappeared her teeth looked better than they had before the spell, so she obviously took the opportunity to get them fixed. I'm not sure her parents will be happy about this as I understand their work involves looking after people's teeth and they wanted her to sort out the overbite the Muggle way.

The news I mentioned last time was a Yule Ball, which is apparently a traditional part of the tournament. I bet you can imagine how I groaned inwardly when Albus announced it. It's open to students from the fourth year and above and I've been informed that all the teachers have to attend (whether they want to or not). It's been interesting watching the students rushing around trying to find partners — at least we teachers don't have to do that, thank Merlin. The Champions have to open the dancing, and I don't think Harry is too keen from what I've seen. I don't think he's got a partner yet but he needs to get a move on with only a few days left until the end of the term. I don't think Minerva will be too impressed if he tries to go to the Ball alone. I've heard a rumour that Viktor hasn't just been going to the Library to work but has been trying to talk to Hermione, who spends most of her free time in there — which is interesting. I assumed she would be going to the Ball with Ron as there's definitely some attraction between them, but we shall have to see who appears with whom on the night.

The one good thing to come out of all this nonsense is that because the Ball is going to be so lavish and is being held on Christmas Day, Albus isn't holding his usual Christmas party for the staff. Instead we're having a few 'proper' drinks once the students have gone to bed. You know what that means? No mistletoe! Hurrah, for once I can let down my guard and just try to enjoy myself without needing to worry about avoiding Albus' clumsy attempts at match-making. This is particularly important this year as Hagrid is completely smitten by Olympe, so I'm not sure he would be prepared to step up and save me as he has done previously, in case it should upset her. I assume the Bastard is quite happy about this as well. The New Year's Eve party is still on, as always — as is Lucius' party. But also, as always, I've volunteered to do hall patrol.

Your Christmas presents will be on the Hogwarts Express with Reuben and Sarah. I really hope you like them.

I shall have a word with Albus about you coming along to the second trial of the tournament. Whatever it is I'm sure it'll be interesting, although maybe, hopefully, not quite as dangerous as the dragons were.

Have a lovely Christmas,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful presents as usual. You can never have too many scarves and gloves, especially in this place. They're forever going missing and it's always nice to have a new set for the annual snowball fight — which I'm pleased to say Gryffindor won, mainly thanks to the Weasley twins. I also loved that perfume you sent me. It's perfect for crisp winter days with its spicy scent that makes me think of Christmas. No, I didn't get a present from Lucius this year. I haven't seen him at all so I've no idea what he's doing, but I do want to have a word with him about Draco still — although not enough to attend his party when the Bastard was going too.

Yes, the Yule Ball was every bit as impressive as Albus promised it would be. The Great Hall looked amazing, and as much as I wasn't really looking forward to it I was impressed with the decorations which went way beyond my expectations. Albus, along with some extraordinary magic from Filius, turned the room into an ice palace and it was truly astonishing.

Hermione went to the Ball with Viktor, and she looked as beautiful in periwinkle blue as he looked dashing in his outfit. Ron, who seemed to be wearing an old velvet and lace dress of his grandmother's in a nasty maroon shade that clashed violently with his red hair, spent the whole evening sulking about it and completely ignored his partner. He and Harry took the Patil twins, who were colourfully dressed in pink and turquoise robes that were very pretty but completely wasted on the boys. Harry danced with Parvati at the start of the Ball, as all the Champions were expected to do with their dates, but then he and Ron sat out the rest of the evening while Ron raged about Hermione. She, poor girl, who had started the evening having a wonderful time with Viktor, I've no doubt, ended it in tears after a massive argument with her friends. Why are boys always so bloody insensitive?

Draco was there, looking like a vicar in rather strange-looking black velvet dress robes. He was partnered by one of the Slytherin girls, Pansy Parkinson, who was wearing an incredibly frilly dress in pale pink although the shade didn't suit her much. It was interesting to see his expression when Hermione entered the hall on Viktor's arm. He was lost for words for once, and I suspect it made him feel rather uncomfortable. She did look completely different, though. I think she's much prettier than he realised, especially since she's had her teeth fixed.

The Bastard took the somewhat surprising (or maybe not) decision to vacate the castle and head out into the grounds, searching out and separating those couples who were brave enough to go outside in the snow (it was far too cold for me). But having made the fatal mistake of staying inside, I ended up having to dance. First I danced with Albus, which was okay although I'm certain he only did it because he knew I didn't want to. This was followed by a dance with Karkaroff (sorry, I refuse to use his first name as I really don't like him). He was talking to my breasts, as usual, giving me his 'expert' opinion on Muggle Studies. His view is very much like that of Draco and I'm sure they'd get on famously. Anyway, his attitude explains why there are so few Durmstrang students taking the subject. He's obviously very proud of Viktor, that much came through in our conversation, but he's not happy that he and his friends have elected to take my class. I pointed out that it was good for them to be interested in Muggles, but he was extremely dismissive.

I then had three or four dances with various students before I finally found myself back with Karkaroff and his wandering eyes. He has wandering hands too, which I wasn't happy about, but fortunately Alastor came to interrupt us just as Karkaroff was suggesting we go somewhere quieter where we could get to know each other better, making some weak joke about inter-school cooperation or something. Alastor said he needed some help with a squabble that had broken out between my favourite student, Draco, and a couple of boys from Beauxbatons. It had all blown over by the time we got over there so I'll never know whether there really was an argument or whether Alastor just took pity on me and saved me from a teacher neither of us can stand. Either way, I was extremely grateful to him and decided the best option was to spend the rest of the evening at his side, especially once we moved on to the staff party. We actually made quite a good team that evening and I really do like him, despite him being quite a few years older than me.

The Bastard came back inside for the staff party but didn't come anywhere near me because of Alastor. He seemed in a really good mood for once, which I think was because he'd managed to ruin a good few people's evenings. Can you imagine the horror of being a courting couple engaged in whatever it is you were doing and suddenly being pounced upon by him? The idea is terrifying and I suspect there are several students who are suffering PTSD after that night.

Anyway, the rest of the festive period went relatively quietly after all that excitement and New Year's Eve went off without a hitch. I did, of course, volunteer for hall duty as usual and I made sure to stick my head into the party just before midnight so I wouldn't get any criticism about not turning up, so that was okay. Karkaroff was heading my way but Alastor managed to cut him off — I think he was trying to give me a kiss (Karkaroff not Alastor), which I wasn't expecting at all as there wasn't any mistletoe. The Bastard was talking to Albus and Minerva, so I made good my escape and went back to patrolling the corridors while I had the chance.

I'm sorry, but unfortunately I couldn't arrange for you to come to the second trial. I suspect interest in the tournament has increased considerably after Harry's performance in the first.

Anyway, it's time for me to have a bath and an early night for once so I'll leave it here. I look forward to hearing about your Christmas.

Write soon,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

No, there's still no sign of Lucius and it's becoming really frustrating actually because I urgently need to talk to him about his son's behaviour. The boy is driving me to my wits' end and it seems there's nothing I can do to stop him. Detentions and points removal aren't doing anything. It's so bloody frustrating. I even tried to have a word with the Bastard about it but you know what he's like — it's like banging my head against a brick wall. Anyway, I think you can stop getting worked up about Lucius trying to get into my knickers now. He obviously isn't that interested as there have been no messages, no visits and definitely no presents. I told you he was just being friendly and flirtatious and there was nothing to worry about. I've no idea why he hasn't been around though, maybe he's busy? I suspect Draco's playing up more because he's feeling unhappy as Harry is, surprisingly, doing remarkably well in the Triwizard Tournament. The two of them have always been huge rivals and it must be galling for Draco to see his great adversary not only surviving challenges that are designed for far older wizards but succeeding so well that he's close to winning the tournament.

To be fair, Harry has been extremely lucky so far. His handling of the first task was inspired but he was a bit of an idiot in the second. The message in the egg was in Mermish; it said the Champions had to retrieve something from the merpeople in the Black Lake. Albus had arranged with them for someone close to each of the Champions to be held underwater with a view to their particular Champion rescuing them and getting back to the surface within an hour. Harry was the last back and was well outside the time limit. Even Cedric, who returned first, didn't manage to do it in an hour (he was a minute late, bless him). But it turned out that Harry had actually arrived with the merpeople first and tried to save all four of the hostages and refused to leave without them. When it became clear that the Beauxbatons girl had failed, he rescued her hostage (her younger sister) as well as his own.

Knowing what Harry is like, that he did this wasn't actually much of a surprise to me, especially as both Ron and Hermione were among the hostages (Hermione was the one intended for Viktor). There was also a girl called Cho Chang, who I think Harry fancies, there as Cedric's hostage. His luck held, though, because instead of getting disqualified for being well outside the time limit the head of the merpeople talked to Albus and they ended up giving him enough points that he and Cedric are now tied for first place.

There's quite a break now as the next trial isn't until June 24th. I assume that's the one that's going to be in the maze growing over the Quidditch pitch. Obviously it won't be ready until then. Let me know if you want to come and watch. It should be spectacular as it's the final, and it's great that both Hogwarts Champions are in the lead.

I presume you saw that scurrilous article that Rita Skeeter wrote for the Daily Prophet about Hagrid? I've got no idea how she gets her information, but she's a nasty piece of work. Now she's gone and done the same to poor Hermione, presumably because Hermione was critical of her. I know she didn't like the way Rita was portraying Harry. The bloody woman keeps floating around the school, announcing that she's writing about the Triwizard Tournament as if it gives her carte blanche to go anywhere she wants. She's doing nothing but stirring up trouble — such a horrible woman. Unfortunately, it seems we're stuck with her for the rest of the year as well.

The Bastard seems to be in a foul mood at the moment too, and Karkaroff seems to be stalking him although I've absolutely no idea why. Alastor always seems to be watching them both — I don't think he likes either of them much, but I know he truly detests Karkaroff, as do I. I was hoping I'd be able to keep away from him but unfortunately he cornered me and invited me out for a drink. I tried to make excuses but he was extremely persistent and eventually I had no choice but to give in. Sadly, as I expected, the whole evening was truly horrible. From the minute we got to the Hog's Head (he refused to go to the Three Broomsticks, no doubt because it was too upmarket for him) all he seemed to be interested in was running down Muggle Studies and staring at my breasts. I don't think he even looked at my face the whole time we were in there. Then I got a lecture about how much better Durmstrang is than Hogwarts (yeah, right) and then he gave a lengthy monologue about how wonderful he is and listed all his achievements — he could honestly give the Fop a run for his money!

Karkaroff scares me a bit, though. When we got back to the castle he started trying to grope me and kept suggesting that I should take him back to my room — as if that was ever going to happen. But he was extraordinarily tenacious and I ended up having to slap him to get him to leave me alone. Do you know what, Mym, I thought for a second that he was going to hit me back. His dark eyes went all cold and his face turned rigid with fury and he definitely raised his hand. Fortunately he must have realised what he was doing and stopped, but it was close. Since then he glares at me every time he sees me and it gives me the creeps.

I did think about talking to Alastor about it but I don't want to cause trouble, especially when Karkaroff's supposed to be an esteemed guest. And it wasn't as if he did actually hit me. At least he hasn't invited me out again — which is a good thing.

Talk to you soon,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

You're right, Karkaroff shouldn't get away with what he did, and he hasn't. He accosted me late one night, having followed me back to my room, and wouldn't take no for an answer when I told him he couldn't come in. He got really nasty with me, actually — he grabbed my arm so hard he left a bruise. I was really scared because I didn't think I was going to be able to get rid of him, he's extremely strong for such a wiry man. Fortunately he wasn't holding my wand arm so I threatened to hex him, which did the trick.

The following morning I told Alastor what had happened and how much Karkaroff scared me. Alastor said Karkaroff used to be a Death Eater and that he'd had run-ins with him in the past and had been the one to arrest him after You-Know-Who disappeared. He assured me that he would have a little word with him and that I didn't need to worry about any further interference. So imagine my surprise when the following afternoon, just before the weekly staff meeting, the Bastard came to speak to me to tell me that Karkaroff had been neutralised and I had nothing to worry about from him in the future. How did he know? I mean, obviously Alastor told him, but considering the way the Bastard's always treated me I would have thought he'd be on Karkaroff's side rather than mine. Perhaps he's not all bad after all — if only he'd sort out Draco bloody Malfoy!

Anyway, since this thing with Karkaroff has been sorted out Alastor and I have been seeing quite a lot of each other. I know he's a lot older than me but he honestly doesn't seem it, Mym. If you heard him talk you'd think he was the same age as us. I know he's not handsome either, but he really is the most fascinating person to talk to and we get on so well, and I just really enjoy being with him. I keep worrying that something's going to happen to him and he'll leave the school — you know we can't seem to keep a DADA teacher for more than a year. He did tell me once that Albus had only drafted him in because of the Triwizard Tournament. I'm hoping that he might decide to stay on at the end of the year, though. We've still got a few months for me to make a positive impression on him.

Lucius has been to the school now, to see the Bastard obviously, but he did drop by my classroom en route although I rather suspect he wishes he hadn't. I like Lucius but his son is just uncontrollable and as I haven't seen Lucius all year I had a lot to report. He promised he would talk to Draco, but as I pointed out that hasn't been very successful in the past. In the end I warned him that unless Draco's behaviour improves he'll be removed from the class — as you said, I don't know why he's taking it anyway. Lucius begged me to reconsider as he feels it's important that Draco learn about the Muggle world (!), so I told him he needs to make sure he's reined in — no more troublemaking. Anyway, I don't know what he said to him, but it obviously worked. Draco's been as quiet as a mouse ever since and I've discovered the boy is actually very clever when he puts his mind to it. I'm not naïve enough to believe it will last, but if we could make it to the end of the tournament that would be a good start. I think if Harry wins Draco will be unbearable to everyone, but we'll cross that bridge if or when it happens.

So we did have a bit of a weird thing happen (when doesn't something weird happen at Hogwarts?). Barty Crouch (one of the Triwizard judges) apparently unexpectedly turned up on the school grounds and talked to Harry and Viktor. He seemed to be out of his mind and babbling so Harry went to get Albus, but when they returned to the spot Crouch was gone and Viktor had been stunned — by Crouch, apparently. The weird thing is that Crouch completely disappeared without a trace and no one's seen or heard from him since. Albus isn't talking about it but they've stepped up their security around Harry. I think they're worried someone might be out to get him after putting his name into the tournament. Honestly, I'll be glad when it's all over!

I look forward to seeing you for the final trial. I know Sarah and Reuben are pleased you're coming, and it's great that Robert can make it as well.

Counting down the days until I see you both,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

I'm sorry but this is going to be an epic letter, I'm afraid, because I have so much to tell you. In truth, I have two confessions to make; one won't surprise you in the slightest, the other I suspect will. First, I have to admit that you were right about Lucius. I can already hear you saying I told you so and rolling your eyes as I write this, but I honestly didn't believe what you've known for so long but has only just been made clear to me.

Just after I last wrote to you I was invited by Lucius (as was the Bastard) to a party he was holding. I still had some misgivings about attending a gathering where I only knew one or two other people but I thought it might be good for me to get away from school for the evening, particularly after that recent nastiness with Karkaroff, which left me feeling a bit shaken if truth be told. Also, after turning Lucius down for all the Christmas parties I didn't really have a good excuse for this one. I would have preferred it if Alastor could have come too, but unfortunately he wasn't invited. Obviously my usual wardrobe doesn't cater for the lavish parties the Malfoys hold so I treated myself to a new robe from a shop in Hogsmeade. It's beautiful, Mym — a forget-me-not blue silk sheath with a chiffon overlay with long floaty sleeves and subtle embroidery around the hem, wrists and neck. It actually made me feel pretty for once, without being too over the top, and of course the dress will be suitable for lots of occasions, should I ever need it. I wore the jewellery that Lucius bought me with the robe as it matched perfectly and I've never worn it except for that one time when he made me try it on. I know you're still not happy about it, even after all these years, but it seemed ridiculous to have such nice pieces of jewellery gathering dust in their boxes when they were the perfect things to wear. Don't worry, they've gone back in their boxes now and they won't be coming back out again, however beautiful they may be.

On the evening of the party I Apparated to Malfoy Manor, making sure I was a little late as I didn't want to appear too eager. To my surprise, despite my tardiness I was still the first person to arrive; even the Bastard wasn't there. I was a little concerned that I might have misunderstood and breached some sort of party etiquette or that I had simply misread the time on the invitation, but Lucius was gracious enough and assured me I hadn't made a mistake but that his guests often tended to run late. To be honest I felt a little nervous as it was just the two of us, although I assumed Narcissa was upstairs getting ready for the party. But Lucius was quick to put me at my ease and provided a glass of champagne and offered to show me the gardens while we waited for the other guests to arrive.

Both Malfoy Manor and its grounds are absolutely spectacular and I very much enjoyed the walk, taking in the magnificent lake with its impressive fountain, the swathes of immaculate lush green lawns that seem to stretch for miles with albino peacocks patrolling everywhere, and the myriad of brightly coloured flowers that smelt so wonderful, all in the company of a gorgeous man who was both extremely attentive and thoroughly entertaining. Once we reached the walled rose garden, which was full of massive blooms that were almost hypnotic in their scent, we sat on one of the benches and Lucius asked me various questions, mainly about Hogwarts although there were a few more personal ones in there as well. I got to learn a bit more about him too. It was an interesting and pleasant discussion and was a bit flirtatious at times, but nothing too serious.

When I noticed that my glass was empty I realised we had been outside for quite a while and Lucius' guests must have started to arrive, although strangely none of them had come into the garden to find him. Lucius told me that his guests could look after themselves perfectly well and there was no need for us to rush back to the house, but I'll be honest, I was feeling a little uncomfortable by then because of all the special attention being paid to me by him (you know how he makes me feel), so I told him I wanted another drink.

As we walked back towards the house I couldn't help but think it still looked deserted and this was confirmed when we went inside and Lucius poured me another glass of champagne. There were no other guests, nor any sign of Narcissa still. I was confused because I knew there was supposed to be a party — the Bastard was invited to it too — but for some reason no one but me had turned up. I was just about to ask Lucius where everyone else was and enquire after Narcissa when the doorbell rang. When the house-elf opened the door, the guests turned out to be singular. It was the Bastard, and although he was smiling I got the impression he wasn't very happy. The same could be said for Lucius although once again he was extremely gracious, welcoming his old friend into the house and providing him with a drink.

And that's when it all went a bit odd.

Lucius sounded a little icy when he said he'd thought the Bastard wasn't going to attend the party. The Bastard agreed that he hadn't been going to but when a meeting between him and Albus had been rearranged it left him free to come after all. He then expressed surprise that having talked to Lucius' other guests he'd found out they were all under the impression the party had been cancelled. The Bastard said he had assured them all that it was still on and that they were on their way and would be arriving shortly. He told Lucius it would have been a shame if all the food and drink he and Narcissa had no doubt prepared in readiness went to waste because no one turned up.

As you can imagine I was already confused by this turn of events, but when the Bastard asked where Narcissa was as he wanted to say hullo to her, Lucius told him that she wasn't at home; she had recently been unwell and had checked into a spa for the weekend because she wasn't up to a big party. I suddenly realised that Lucius and I had been alone all this time and that if the Bastard hadn't turned up . . . well, I don't know what would have happened. By now Lucius was almost glaring at the Bastard and I couldn't understand why he had invited him in the first place if he didn't want him there. I was also still trying to work out why everyone else thought the party had been cancelled when neither I nor the Bastard had received a cancellation and Lucius hadn't said anything about it when I arrived.

Yes, I'll admit, Mym, I was being extremely dim at this point, because despite what you'd always said about Lucius' motives I still didn't connect that to what had happened. Yes, I know I'm incredibly stupid sometimes and shouldn't be allowed out on my own — and that evening was definitely a case in point!

So as the atmosphere deteriorated, with me not knowing what to say to Lucius and having nothing at all to say to the Bastard, the two of them continued to glare at each other. Fortunately, just then the doorbell rang again and all these people poured in, talking raucously and laughing and joking. Lucius broke off his staring contest to go and play the perfect host, while the Bastard went to talk to various of the new arrivals. Meanwhile, I stood there feeling lost and confused and wishing I could just return to Hogwarts because there wasn't a single other person at the party I knew. You know I've never been one for pushing myself forward, so I was stuck on my own on the sidelines, sipping champagne while everyone else talked and laughed — apart from Lucius who still looked thunderous as he organised the food and drinks.

I was really surprised when the Bastard came to talk to me only a short while later. Obviously he'd seen me standing there awkwardly and felt sorry for me or something. He politely asked me how I was, and I was equally polite back (see, I can play nice when I need to) and told him I was fine but didn't have a clue who any of the people were. That was when the Bastard surprised me and made me feel even more uncomfortable (if that was possible). He told me that most of the guests were parents of pupils at Hogwarts (not really a surprise, I suppose, considering their ages) and all of them were Slytherin and Pureblood (again, not much of a surprise considering they were friends of Lucius') and that none of them would be impressed at discovering the subject I teach, especially considering I'm also a Pureblood.

To be honest, Mym, that really pissed me off — and not just because of who was saying it either. I'm fed up with everyone belittling Muggle Studies as if it's of no importance when actually it's something we all need to know about in order to keep things running smoothly between our two worlds. So I told the Bastard that I didn't understand all that Pureblood Supremacy crap, that I never had done while You-Know-Who was alive and certainly didn't now. He was even colder when he told me that I needed to keep my opinions to myself while I was at the party as supporters of the 'Dark Lord' (as he called him) could be found in many places. Of course, I was quick to point out that Death Eaters were unlikely to be at Lucius' party — not after they had put him under the Imperius Curse during the wizarding war — but all that did was make him laugh loudly. He said it depended on whether you believed Lucius' version of events or not.

I couldn't believe what the Bastard was insinuating — that Lucius had been a Death Eater the first time, not a victim, and that he and his friends still were. And all these friends were at the party. I wanted to refute the allegation, but something about the way he spoke made me think he was telling the truth, and let's face it, he would know — he used to be a Death Eater (I was right about that!), although Albus says he defected to join the Order of the Phoenix during the war. Anyway, I looked around at all those people trying to spot something that marked them out as being evil but they looked just as normal as everyone else. But of course, that was exactly what was so scary during the war, wasn't it? No one knew who was or wasn't a Death Eater; who had or hadn't been put under the Imperius Curse.

I could see the tension in the Bastard's face as he watched the other guests interacting and it wasn't long before he suggested we return to school. I was completely up for that as I'd been feeling ever more uncomfortable after his bombshell and was worried they were going to realise I wasn't a Death Eater and would curse me. I went to find Lucius to tell him I was leaving. At first I think he believed I was rescuing him from a boring conversation he seemed to be stuck in, and he smiled that wonderful flirtatious smile that makes my stomach do somersaults and tried to give me a hug. But when he discovered I was leaving his whole demeanour changed and the iciness was back, particularly when the Bastard came to join me, telling him that we had to return to school. Lucius said I couldn't leave as he hadn't shown me around the house yet, but I pointed out that although from what little I had seen of it the house looked magnificent, it probably wasn't the right time for him to set off on a guided tour and leave his other guests unattended. Not wanting to offend him, I suggested that I might return at some time in the future to take him up on his kind offer to show me around (that's never going to happen!)

Understanding that nothing he could say would change my mind, Lucius returned to his flirtatious manner. He kissed my hand and told me the party would be far duller without my presence (which was clearly untrue considering how little I had contributed thus far), causing in me that blushing and stomach squirming that always happens around him. Then, after another brief if somewhat chilly conversation between Lucius and the Bastard, we teachers left and Apparated back to the school gates.

Oh, bugger, sorry, we've just been called to a meeting and I need to go. I really hope it's nothing serious. I presume it's going to be about the tournament. Having looked at the length of this parchment, I think I've written enough for the time being anyway, so I'll send this off and then continue with the second confession next time I write.

I'll promise I'll write the rest soon,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

Okay, so I promised I'd write with the second confession, so here it goes — the Bastard is actually a really nice guy and I suppose I shouldn't call him that any longer but use his real name, Severus, as we've become friends (yes, you read that right — we're now friends). I know you're wondering what on earth could have happened to have me dropping this bombshell, although of course you know Lucius' party had to have had something to do with it. The truth is that Severus saved me from a predator every bit as bad as Karkaroff, maybe even worse if what he told me afterwards about Lucius is true (and I discovered later that Alastor really doesn't like Lucius either and has always thought he was lying about being under the Imperius Curse) so that's obviously going to change my opinion of him to some extent.

As we walked back up towards the school after Apparating away from the party, Severus apologised to me for ruining my evening and his manner was quite pleasant, nothing like the snide nastiness that usually accompanies our interactions. He suggested that as our evening had been unexpectedly cut short perhaps we could do something else instead and get to know each other better, rather than just scowling at each other all the time. I'm sure you can imagine that my immediate response was to say no. After all, it's taken him four years to get round to talking to me as a normal human being, and besides I was thinking of going to find Alastor to see if he knew anything about Lucius' trial and what he thought the chances were of him really having been a Death Eater rather than under the Imperius Curse as he's always publicly asserted. Fortunately, I'm not that pig-headed, you'll be pleased to hear, so although my idea of a perfect evening didn't involve Severus Snape I knew I ought to make the effort now he was finally making an overture. If nothing else we still have to work together and it would definitely be better as colleagues rather than as enemies, so I somewhat reluctantly agreed.

I have to admit I was a little surprised when he suggested the Astronomy Tower as the venue for a drink as we all know what that place is generally associated with and there was no way I was going to be making out with him. However, after a moment's reflection I realised that it's actually a nice place to sit out on a warm summer's evening and I couldn't think of anywhere better if we wanted a bit of privacy — and at that stage I wasn't sufficiently convinced by his sudden friendliness to want everyone to see us together. (Okay, also I'll admit I didn't want Alastor to see us because I know he has trust issues with Severus — understandably, what with him being an ex-Death Eater and everything.)

So, we went up to the Astronomy Tower and Severus called for a house-elf, who returned with a couple of its fellows a few minutes later carrying not only a bottle of wine but a large woollen rug and a hamper. Severus admitted that he'd asked them to pack a few items for a picnic, and being the Hogwarts house-elves they had provided enough for a small army. It was a lovely gesture and completely surprised me as I would never have imagined Severus to be that thoughtful. When I think about him at all, which is rarely, I either think of him as the mean, rude man from Diagon Alley or occasionally as the angry, bitter boy he used to be when he fought with Sirius and James. But that night and several times in the days since I finally got to see the side of him that Lily used to like so much.

Once we were settled and drinking the crisp, chilled white wine and eating some rather wonderful strawberries, Severus asked me again if I minded him dragging me away from the party. I admitted that I'd felt extremely uncomfortable once all the other guests turned up and was glad to get away. He seemed to find this amusing and was surprised that I felt uncomfortable then rather than when I was alone with Lucius. I explained that I hadn't realised we were alone, that I had thought Narcissa was in the house and everyone else was just running late. I admitted I was stupid for not realising, but Severus kindly refused to accept that and said I was just naïve. He then assured me that Lucius had targeted me because I was beautiful and innocent (it was enough to make me blush, Mym — thank Merlin it was dark up there). I argued both those points, obviously, and reminded him that Lucius is a married man. But he was insistent and said that my naïveté was what drew Lucius to me because he rarely finds that sort of innocence in the women with whom he's usually acquainted. He told me that Lucius and Narcissa both regularly take lovers as their marriage is a sham — apparently it's a façade kept up for Draco and so people don't guess at their true natures.

Looking back at it, I could see how Lucius had been subtly trying to seduce me when we were in the rose garden. I think it was only my strong sense of propriety mixed with my social awkwardness and my anxiety at being at the party in the first place that stopped him from succeeding. I was still confused about the whole cancelled party thing, but Severus explained that too. It turned out that Lucius had specifically arranged the party for a day when he knew Severus would be unable to attend and had never had any intention of it going ahead with anyone but the two of us. He was aware that I would have known Severus was invited, thus making my invite seem official, and if he had cancelled Severus' invitation as he had with everyone else it would have been suspicious that mine wasn't cancelled too. But Severus was already suspicious about the unexpected timing of the party, and when he checked with other friends he discovered that as far as they were concerned it had been cancelled. He had therefore changed his appointment in order to attend the party to find out what Lucius was up to — although it seems he already had a good idea — and foil his well-laid plans.

I was surprised that Severus had gone to all that trouble, especially for me, and asked why he had bothered. I said it was possible that I might have succumbed to Lucius' charms in the end, but the truth is that while Lucius is devastatingly handsome and incredibly sexy he's also married and that doesn't interest me in the slightest. Severus made it clear that if honeyed words and alcohol hadn't worked in seducing me then Lucius was quite likely to resort to using the Imperius Curse to get what he wanted. Stranded alone in Malfoy Manor I would have been powerless to stop him, and he could have done anything with me and even made it seem like I'd wanted him to do it so he couldn't be prosecuted afterwards. That was why Severus came to rescue me.

As you can imagine I was absolutely horrified at this news and it gave me the creeps when I remembered all those times Lucius had been so flirtatious with me in the past. Merlin only knows what he was thinking about doing all those times. Severus told me not to worry about it as now Lucius has been rumbled he's unlikely to try again, but he also warned me against being anywhere alone with him unless I have my wand somewhere within easy reach. I asked him why he was friends with Lucius when he knew he was such a terrible person. He explained that he's the Head of Slytherin House and Lucius is a rich and powerful Slytherin; those sorts of alliances mean keeping friends of many types, some more pleasant than others. They had known each other since school, and it seems that Lucius was the one who led Severus deeper into the Dark Arts. He convinced Severus to become a Death Eater, which is how Severus knew he was lying about the Imperius Curse.

We were up there for hours, Mym, got through a couple of bottles of wine and made quite a dent in the picnic food as we talked about everything under the sun. It was astonishing how easy I found him to talk to. We discussed Sirius and why that relationship didn't work out — how I couldn't bear his possessiveness and his recklessness, especially once we joined the Order of the Phoenix after leaving school. We skirted around the subject of Lily and James and Severus admitted he'd made a terrible mistake — from the initial M******d incident and with the way he'd handled the fallout — and how much he regretted that he hadn't managed to make up with Lily before she died. His hatred for Sirius because of what he thought Sirius had done to her is so immense and so hard to overcome, but he really is trying now he understands that it wasn't Sirius who killed them. I don't rate Pettigrew's chances much if Severus ever gets hold of him, though. Perhaps he and Sirius will finally work together because I'm damn sure, wherever he is now, Sirius is still plotting to take Pettigrew down and that's definitely on Severus' to-do list, too.

He was so easy to talk to that I found myself telling him all about what happened to my parents and everything I went through afterwards. I even told him about Simon (I know!) and about the accident that ruined everything. It just poured out of me, all the pain and grief that I'd kept bottled up for all those years. I was weeping relentlessly and Severus held me for what seemed like hours, comforting me while I let it all go; let all my hatred and anger flood out with the tears. It was actually really cathartic, although I was completely embarrassed afterwards, obviously. But somehow Severus managed to make me feel as if I had been right to talk to him, and he made me promise that I wouldn't bottle everything up in future and said that he's there for me to talk to whenever I need him. And I really think he meant it, Mym.

By the time we went back to our rooms in the dungeons — we are actually right next door to each other, which is handy — we were laughing and joking about his hair. He swears blind that it's only greasy because of all the potion-making and that he's tried every shampoo available in an attempt to stop it. I told him I'd take it on as a challenge because he can't have tried every shampoo, surely? Because I'd seen him as ugly I'd always thought he was unclean but that's not true. He clearly takes care of himself — he smells amazing as I discovered when he was hugging me — and strangely, when I look at him now I don't see an ugly, angry man. He's far more attractive and there's something playful about him, especially when he smiles, which isn't anywhere near often enough (and yes, I know I'm a fine one to talk).

Since that night we've chatted quite a lot and he's becoming the friend I've wanted ever since I started at the school. Funny how things work out, isn't it? It turns out that everyone (including Lily) was right, Severus really is very nice. I know Alastor has a problem with him still, but I think that's just because he knows Severus' history. I bet if he didn't know Severus had been a Death Eater he would like him.

Please don't rant at me about Lucius, Mym. I feel stupid enough as it is without you pointing out what an idiot I am. I think I've said enough for the time being. It's only another couple of weeks until you join us here at Hogwarts and I can introduce you and Robert to Alastor and Severus.

Looking forward to seeing you both,
Charlie

Dear Mym,

I'm sorry I haven't come to stay with you as we had agreed, but with everything that happened during and after the third trial I felt I had to stay at school and help out once the children left for the holidays as there's lots to do, as you can imagine. I have to admit I'm not really feeling in the mood for company right now, so I shall probably just go home once we've finished here. But I promise to keep in touch, and if I feel better in a few weeks I'll let you know and maybe I'll come over then. I feel I should apologise for what happened during the last trial as I kept urging you to come and watch, although I'm aware it's not my fault. Obviously no one knew that poor Cedric Diggory was going to get killed, otherwise they'd never have run the trial in the first place (at least I hope they wouldn't). Actually, I'm rather glad that you and Robert were both there as you could comfort Sarah and Reuben in the distressing aftermath of Harry's return.

So, once again Hogwarts is home to the most amazing and unbelievable events that will probably never be reported in the newspapers. I know there wasn't much information available when you left but hopefully I can fill you in on a few bits, although it doesn't make for comfortable reading, I'm afraid. Firstly, and it makes me feel nauseated just writing this, but according to Harry, You-Know-Who has returned. I know we would all like to believe that he's wrong or lying, but unfortunately I don't think he is, Mym, and neither does Albus. The Triwizard Cup turned out to be a Portkey. Harry and Cedric took the cup together as a joint win for Hogwarts and it transported them to a graveyard where You-Know-Who was waiting, along with Pettigrew (the little traitor), who was the one to kill Cedric. They used some of Harry's blood along with bones from a desecrated grave and other stuff to resurrect Voldemort into a new body. He immediately tried to kill Harry once again, but thank Merlin he didn't succeed.

Apparently something weird happened to his and Harry's wands that locked them together — it seems their wand cores share feathers from the same phoenix — and it caused something called Priori Incantatem, which is where a wand regurgitates the previous spells it has cast. Unsurprisingly, all You-Know-Who's spells were Killing Curses, so it brought back a lot of people. These spectres or whatever they are included James and Lily as they were among the last to be killed with the wand before Cedric, and some old Muggle who must have disturbed You-Know-Who and Pettigrew when they were in hiding, and some witch that Harry didn't know. They stopped You-Know-Who just long enough for Harry to grab the Portkey and Cedric's body and return to Hogwarts.

But the worst thing, especially from my point of view, is that Alastor turned out not to be Alastor at all. I know you saw us before the third trial, and you know how truly happy I was for the first time in years, so you can imagine how I felt when I discovered that the real Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody was locked in his trunk and had been since before the start of the school year, so I didn't know him at all. My Alastor, and I now bitterly regret having ever had anything to do with him, was Barty Crouch Jr, one of the Death Eaters who tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom — which explains why he seemed to be so young.

Everyone thought he was safely locked away in Azkaban and had died there, but it turns out that his parents helped him to escape and his stupid father (the Ministry official) was keeping him locked up and under the Imperius Curse at his home, with the help of a house-elf. He had eventually managed to break free of the curse — at the Quidditch World Cup of all places (although Merlin only knows what Crouch was thinking taking him there) — and after leaving that Dark Mark in the sky above the campsite he made his way to join You-Know-Who and Pettigrew. He hijacked the real Alastor and came to Hogwarts using Polyjuice Potion (that's why he drank out of a flask all the time), specifically to ensure Harry was entered into the Triwizard Tournament. It was he who put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire under the name of a fourth school and beat the age line. He then helped Harry to ensure he won the tournament, and he was the one who turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey. He killed his father, too, that night when Crouch disappeared.

They locked Crouch Jr up, intending to take him before the Wizengamot to give evidence about You-Know-Who's return, but that bloody twat, Cornelius Fudge, had brought a Dementor with him to the school (for his protection, he claimed) and it administered the Kiss before anyone could stop it, leaving Crouch Jr worse than dead with his soul sucked out, and Harry and Albus without any concrete proof of what had happened. I'll be honest, Mym, I was shocked by the whole thing, and upset, too. I find it so hard to believe that someone as lovely and kind as Alastor was actually this terrible Death Eater, and it makes me cringe when I think of the time I spent with him and all the things we talked about.

Harry tried to give that ass Fudge the names of the Death Eaters that had Apparated to the graveyard to be with their master, but Fudge wouldn't believe him. Before you ask, I've no idea whose names he mentioned as I wasn't there when Harry spoke to him, but I understand Fudge made it quite clear he thought Harry was lying. I think there were some names quite high up at the Ministry of Magic, though, which I suspect was why he was so keen to refute Harry's assertion.

As if things couldn't get any worse I bumped into Sirius, too. He'd returned to the school in the aftermath of the tournament, desperate to see Harry and make sure he was okay. Thirteen years since I had last seen him and the first thing he said to me was to ask whether I fancied a shag — tosser!

Also, it turns out that Sirius isn't the only unregistered Animagus in the vicinity. Rita Skeeter is one too — she's an insect (of course she is). Hermione discovered that when she worked out how Rita was able to get all that secret information that she shouldn't have had access to. The clever girl trapped Rita in her insect form, then forced her to agree not to write anything for a year in hopes that it might stop that acid quill of hers. Hermione really is the brightest witch of her age.

So with You-Know-Who's return I have no idea what the future holds, for either the wizarding world or Hogwarts. But my place is here now and I have to stay and help Albus in any way he needs me, just as all the other teachers are helping.

Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news,
Charlie