Chapter VII Sirius Black

Aug 14, 1993

I checked on Harry because news just reached me that Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban. It was Sirius that gave Voldemort the location where Harry's parents were in hiding twelve years ago which lead to their deaths. I always found it hard to believe since he was the Potter's best friend and Harry's godfather but the evidence was overwhelming. I also wanted to see if Harry's aunt and uncle are still treating him badly. While I have to admit they don't have him locked up this summer like they did last year they still do not treat him well; but he will survive.

Harry's uncle's sister Marge is visiting and she is cruel to him. I would ask Molly and Arthur Weasley to take Harry for the rest of the summer but they are in Egypt visiting their oldest son Bill who works there. Harry will just have to put up with his family for a few more weeks.

Headmaster APWBD

Aug 15, 1993

Harry couldn't take the abuse any longer. I got word from the ministry he lost his temper; inadvertently inflating Aunt Marge like a balloon. He then packed his school things and left the house. Fortunately the trace on him allowed the ministry to follow him onto the Knight Bus and to the Leakey Cauldron where the minister stopped him and saw to it that he will have a place to stay until school starts. This is good since the Leaky Cauldron always has a number of witches and wizards around so Sirius is not likely to go after Harry while he is there.

I will have Molly and Arthur go there when they return from Egypt and see Harry gets safely on the Hogwarts Express with their own children. I let everyone know that I think it will be best if Harry doesn't find out about Sirius; if he knew Sirius betrayed his parents he may want revenge and do something foolish.

Headmaster APWBD

Sept 1, 1993

The Weasleys got Harry on the train but Arthur reported that Harry had overheard him and Molly talking the night before and knew that Sirius was after him but not that Sirius had

betrayed his parents and was Harry's godfather. Well it can't be undone so I will have to be sure Harry learns no more about the situation.

I arranged for Remus Lupin, the Potter's old friend, to be the new DADA teacher and to ride on the train to see to security. I had a difficult time convincing the other professors that a werewolf should be allowed on the faculty; but with the recently developed Wolfsbane Potion controlling the transformation and making it safer they agreed to Remus taking the position. Snape of course is against it since his hatred of James Potter and all his friends is still strong.

The ministry has requested, and I have reluctantly granted permission for dementors to be stationed at all the entrances to Hogwarts in case Sirius Black tries to enter the grounds to get to Harry. Since he has already slipped past them in escaping from Azkaban I doubt they will stop him from getting into Hogwarts but the Minister of Magic is a firm believer in their ability to find Black and I need to keep in the good graces of the ministry. I defy their authority often enough when I believe it is necessary for the good of the students and if the dementors stay on the boarders of the grounds they will do no harm to the students. I have warned the students to avoid the dementors and not to try to leave the grounds without authorization.

Headmaster APWBD

Sept 2, 1993

Lupin reported an incident on the train. A dementor boarded the train to search for Sirius Black and when it entered the compartment with Harry it began to draw from him the few happy memories Harry has. Lupin cast a Patronus and drove it away but not before Harry blacked out. Lupin gave him chocolate for energy and he has recovered but is still weak. Madam Pomfrey checked him and allowed Harry to return to the feast.

In the meantime, at the end of last year Miss Granger made a request and it has been granted. She wanted to take an overload of classes this year and Professor McGonagall arranged for a time turner so Hermione will be able to move back in time and essentially be in two classes at the same time. She is the smartest student to go through Hogwart's since Tom Riddle but I wonder how she will take the pressure of the class load and homework involved over the length of an entire year. I also have plans for training her, Ron, and of course Harry.

Headmaster APWBD

Sept 3, 1993

Harry had his first divination class with Professor Trelawney. Of course he doesn't know about her prophecy concerning him and how it affected his life. I hope her croaking's of doom don't affect his mood too much; she is sure to use him as her "omen of death student" this year

since his life story is made for her annual attempt to scare the students into believing in her powers of prophecy. I don't know how it went because I can't rely on her so I don't have her give me reports on Harry.

Hagrid did report about Harry's ride on the hippogriff Buckbeak. I no longer doubt his courage to do such things but I wish Hagrid's monster fetish didn't extend to bring creatures that dangerous into third year classes. If handled properly a hippogriff is no worse than a big dog but with students like Malfoy in the class who don't listen and don't follow directions a hippogriff can be nasty. I hope his injury from taunting Buckbeak doesn't lead to a major problem. Knowing his father, after being chastised by me last year in front of Harry, Lucius is sure to demand a hearing about the incident.

Headmaster APWBD

Sept 5, 1993

Sirius was spotted in a local town which indicated he may be trying to get at Harry while he is here in Hogwarts. I have reminded everyone on staff, all the ghosts, portraits, and the house elves to keep especially alert for any sign of unusual activity.

Headmaster APWBD

Sept 6, 1993

Professor Lupin reports that Harry has been especially friendly to him since the incident on the train with the dementors and I reminded Remus to be careful about how much he tells Harry about his parent's death and Sirius. He admits telling Harry that he was friends with Harry's parents and how much Harry reminds him of them but that is all.

He told me in his first class he had the students repel a Boggart but when it was Harry's turn he didn't allow Harry to try because he thought the Boggart would turn into Lord Voldemort and the other students might panic. Harry seemed upset that he didn't get a turn but Lupin promised to explain the reason to Harry as soon as he got an opportunity.

I told Remus he is right about Harry being like James and related some of Harry's escapade over the last two years. The story of Norbert the baby dragon made him laugh.

Headmaster APWBD

Oct 31, 1993

The first Hogsmeade weekend has arrived and the students were lead past the dementors into the town and back again without incident. Harry was not allowed to go because his aunt and uncle did not sign a permission form. This may be the first good thing they have done for him. I was not looking forward to telling him he couldn't go into town even if they had given their permission.

Headmaster APWBD

Nov 1, 1993

Sirius has gotten onto the grounds and attempted to enter Gryffindor tower during the Halloween feast last night. The Fat Lady refused to let him in without the password and he slashed her picture. While she is being repaired Sir Cadogan the mad knight is stationed at the door to Gryffindor tower. He is the only portrait brave enough to take the job and I hope his insane actions will not cause too many problems before the Fat Lady can be fixed and returned to her post.

Harry was at the Halloween feast so he was in no immediate danger but I kept all the children in the great hall over night while the castle was searched for Sirius. He was not found and I am concerned that he can slip in and out of the castle unnoticed. Professor Snape of course blames Remus Lupin for helping his old friend but I know Remus is as angry at Sirius for betraying the Potters as am I so he would not be helping him kill Harry.

I think Sirius is using his Animagus transformation to slip past the dementors but I have had all the portraits, house elves, and ghosts watching for a large black dog and no reports have been made of any such animal in the castle or on the grounds. I admit it would be easy enough for Sirius to avoid being seen on most of the grounds which are vast and thickly forested; but how a large black dog could come into or even close to the castle itself without being seen is a mystery.

Headmaster APWBD

Nov 11, 1993

Remus had a bad night with his transformation during the full moon last night. He looks all marked up so I asked Severus to take over his classes today. He is not happy about having to cover for Lupin but he assented; however he assigned the class an essay on Werewolves. He is trying to get someone to recognize Remus as a werewolf but I hope none of the third years will notice

Headmaster APWBD

Nov 12, 1993

Harry was attacked by a group of dementors during the Quidditch match against

Hufflepuff. The high emotions of the players and fans must have been too strong and the dementors left their posts at the boundaries of the grounds and closed in on the Quidditch pitch. When Harry flew off after the snitch he was attacked. Fortunately I decided to attend the match in case of a problem and when he blacked out and fell from his broom I was able to arrest his fall so he was not permanently injured. I drove the dementors back to the boarders of the grounds and informed Cornelius of the attack and asked that they be removed from the area; but he insists the dementors must stay.

Harry will spend the weekend in the hospital wing under Madam Pomfrey's care but his broom blew into the Whomping Willow and is beyond repair. I think he is taking the loss of the broom harder than the bruised he got from the fall.

Headmaster APWBD

Nov 17, 1993

Harry has asked Lupin to teach him how to defend himself against dementors and Remus promised to do so; but after the last full moon cycle he is in no shape to take on extra work right now. Harry and the children have been told Professor Lupin is ill and they have accepted the story just like twenty years ago when Lupin first came to Hogwarts.

Headmaster APWBD

Dec 14, 1993

Somehow Harry snuck out of the castle and joined Ron and Hermione in Hogsmeade. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick met Hagrid and the Minister of magic in the Three Broomsticks for a Christmas drink with the owner Madam Rosmerta. They started talking about Sirius Black being in the area and that led to the story of him betraying the Potters. As the story proceeded Flitwick who doesn't talk much noticed Ron and Hermione trying to hide behind a nearby Christmas tree.

He worried about them overhearing and telling Harry about what Black did when he noticed the slight shimmer of an invisibility cloak. By that time Harry had heard the whole story. All the Professors know Harry has one because I have had them watching for Harry moving around the castle at night since his first year when I gave him his father's cloak. I asked them not to interfere with Harry but to report to me where he was and what he was doing.

Flitwick did not know Harry didn't have permission to go to town until I mentioned it as he was telling me what happened and he thought Harry was hiding to get closer and better overhear the conversation.

The cloak makes you invisible to people but not dementors who sense feelings. I must find out how Harry got past them; it is not safe for him to be wandering around with Sirius Black after him. I can't ask Harry directly because it would let him know I have everyone watching and reporting on him.

Headmaster APWBD

Dec 26, 1993

I am afraid a rift has developed in my loyal threesome. Christmas morning Harry got a new broom, a Firebolt, from an anonymous friend. Hermione was worried that it could be from Sirius Black and be jinxed to kill Harry when he rides it. She told Professor McGonagall and she confiscated it for a safety examination. Harry took the loss of the broom badly and Ron has sided with Harry. McGonagall promised to return the broom if it found to be safe but Hermione doesn't understand the feelings of a Quidditch player for his personal broom; especially if it is a Firebolt. This is the first test of the loyalty between the three of them and I believe they will get over it whether the broom is safe or not.

Headmaster APWBD

Jan 4, 1994

Lupin gave Harry his first lesson on producing a Patronus. I thought they were wasting their time because, as a third year, Harry would not be unable to do it for at least another two or three years. Most adult witches and wizards can't make an acceptable patronus; which is why the spell is not even discussed until seventh year. Lupin has a soft spot for his friend's son and insisted on trying so I gave permission. Remus reported that Harry did make a Patronus on his third attempt that actually held off a Boggart in the form of a dementor. I never would have believed it was possible.

Harry wanted to continue to practice but Lupin rightly cut him off. It is hard enough for a beginner when you feel good; but with Harry tired failures during additional attempts would only discourage him. Better to let him rest and be encouraged by his success; then come back refreshed ready to try again.

Lupin also reported Harry asked questions about his father and Sirius Black. As my instructions Lupin told him nothing.

Headmaster APWBD

Jan 22, 1994

Harry has been able to produce a weak Patronus that can hold off the Boggart but not drive it away. Lupin has been giving him encouraging words about how well he is doing for a third year and to keep trying.

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick are still checking Harry's broom for jinxes and Harry, Ron, and Hermione are still not talking. I didn't think it would take this long for them to make up.

Headmaster APWBD

Feb 2, 1994

No progress with the Patronus getting any stronger, but I am still amazed by the fact that a third year produced any type of Patronus. On the better side Harry's broom was finally cleared by McGonagall and Flitwick and returned to him just in time for the Quidditch match on Saturday. I hope Harry and Ron will now make up with Hermione.

Headmaster APWBD

Feb 3, 1994

Ron's pet rat disappeared and some of Hermione's cat's hair was found near some blood stains on Ron's bed. Ron accused Hermione of letting her cat run loose and kill his rat. They are fighting worse than ever.

Headmaster APWBD

Feb 6, 1994

I witnessed the most wondrous sight today at the Quidditch match. Gryffindor was ahead by fifty point when Harry and Cho Chang the Ravenclaw seeker both spotted the snitch. As Harry raced toward it three Dementors appeared in Harry's path just below him. Without slowing his broom, Harry pulled his wand and produced a brilliant full body Patronus that flattened the Dementors as Harry grabbed the snitch.

It turned out that they were not Dementors, but Draco Malfoy and some other Slytherins in disguise. Still Harry made a corporal Patronus at the age of thirteen and a half; more than a year younger than any student I had ever heard of.

Headmaster APWBD

Feb 7, 1994

Sirius Black entered Gryffindor tower last night. Ron woke up to find Sirius standing by Ron's bed with a knife. When Ron yelled Sirius ran most likely because he realized he was at the wrong bed. In the dark with the curtains around the beds it would be hard to tell one boy from another. When questioned, Sir Cadogan admitted he let Sirius in because he knew the password. It turned out Neville had written down all the upcoming passwords since Sir Cadogan changed them twice a day and Neville could never remember the current one. Sir Cadogan has been removed from Gryffindor tower and the restored portrait of the Fat Lady returned to her post.

Headmaster APWBD

Feb 8, 1994

Hagrid asked Harry and Ron to tea and tried to get Ron to forgive Hermione. He thinks Ron softened a little but he refused to forgive her. I may have to step in because the three of them need each other.

Headmaster APWBD

Feb 12, 1994

Professor Snape came to me about nine this morning to report Harry was acting suspiciously. Today is a Hogsmeade weekend and he thinks Harry was trying to sneak out without permission so he sent Harry back to Gryffindor common room. Snape always suspects Harry of being up to something, but I hope he is wrong this time. With Sirius nearby I hope Harry is smart enough not to try and leave the castle; but with Sirius having entered the castle twice now I am not sure Harry is safe anywhere.

About four in the afternoon Snape returned to tell me Malfoy reported seeing Harry outside Hogsmeade near the Shrieking Shack. Harry denied being out and Ron backed Harry's story. When Snape searched Harry's pockets he found a parchment covered with insults addressed to Snape personally and with the names Wormtail, Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs on it. Snape called Lupin knowing these were the nicknames used years ago by Harry's father and friends including Lupin. Lupin would not admit he knew about the paper and suggested Harry got it at a joke shop. Lupin then took Harry, Ron, and the parchment with him as he left Snape's office.

I asked Lupin about the incident and he admitted the paper had been made by the four friends years ago but he claimed he did not know how Harry got it because he thought it was

lost or destroyed years ago. He denied knowing about it to Snape because he did not want to irritate Snape any further and get Harry in more trouble. He also claimed he knew nothing about Harry sneaking into town. He said he would like to keep the parchment as a remembrance of his old friends.

Headmaster APWBD

March 13, 1994

Harry, Ron, and Hermione have made up and are friends again; all it took was a tragedy. Lucius Malfoy has been pushing the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures into to rule on the Hippogriff that injured Draco during Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class in September. The committee ruled yesterday that Buckbeak was dangerous and was to be destroyed. The news was enough for the three children to forget their argument and unite to appeal the ruling. I'm afraid they don't understand the appeal is just a formality; Lucius has enough pull to get his way, and there is nothing I can do to prevent the poor animal's death.

Headmaster APWBD

March 30, 1994

Hermione finally is showing the strain of the class overload she is taking. I never thought she would last this long. Besides using the time turner to go back in time and attend two classes at the same time she has the homework from thirteen classes. She quit Trelawney's divination class in the middle of a crystal ball reading session. She is the brightest student I have known since Tom Riddle; the only one smart enough to recognize Trelawney's class is nonsense and brave enough to say so in front of Sybil.

Headmaster APWBD

Apr 18, 1994

The Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match that will determine the championship is next Saturday and things are getting nasty. Attacks on team members of both sides have the school on edge. The houses have organized guard details to accompany the players everywhere to prevent them from being hit by Bat-Bogey Hexes, Leg Lock curses and other such jinxes that make toe nails grow into claws and teeth grow into fangs. As long as no dangerous curses are used I will allow the teachers to handle the situation.

Headmaster APWBD

Apr22, 1994

The Quidditch match was the dirtiest one I ever witnessed with flagrant fouls on both sides. In the end Harry got the snitch and Gryffindor won the match and the cup. Hopefully, with the season over, thing will now settle down.

Headmaster APWBD

May 12, 1994

Things have been quiet since the Quidditch match. Fifth years are preparing for their OWLs and seventh years for their NEWTs. The remainder of the students have the regular end of the year papers and exams to study for.

There have been no further sightings of Sirius Black but I don't believe he has given up his attempts to get to Harry and all staff is alert in case he tries entering the castle again.

Headmaster APWBD

June 18, 1994

It was a long complicated day with much to write about. Today was the date set for the execution of the Hippogriff Buckbeak and I knew Harry, Ron, and Hermione would want to be with Hagrid when it happened. I talked it over with Hagrid and we agreed that Harry had seen so many awful things this would probably not bother him but it wouldn't be good for him either. I thought Ron and Hermione should see the gruesomeness of it to let them know what they may see if they continue to help Harry but Hagrid thinks they are too young to see such violence. He may be right about their age so we agreed if they show up he will make them leave before I arrive with the executioner.

I had the portraits watching them as evening approached and sure enough I got a report that they didn't return to Gryffindor tower after dinner. They were seen ducking into an empty classroom. The old witch in the portrait said when the door opened and closed again she didn't see anyone come out and I knew they were under Harry's invisibility cloak headed to Hagrid's.

As we headed down to Hagrid's just before sunset I saw the shimmer of the cloak barely visible even when one is expecting to see it and knows what to look for. As the three of them got to Hagrid's hut and went in I slowed the executioner and the minister by pointing out sights on the grounds to give the children a few minutes to talk with Hagrid. Then I knocked when we arrived and gave them time to get out the back door. I could still see them up on the hill near the castle when the executioner swung his ax but I was too far to see their facial expressions.

I went back to my study and began working on end of the year paper work that had piled up. Almost two hours later Professor Snape arrived and told me he captured Sirius Black and locked him in the astronomy tower. Also Ron was in the hospital wing having been bitten by Black while in his dog form and Harry and Hermione were also in the hospital wing having been attacked by dementors.

As we walked quickly to the hospital wing he filled in the details as he knew them. Before moon rise he took Professor Lupin's Wolfsbane potion to Lupin's office as he did every full moon cycle but Lupin was not there. On the desk was an unusual map of Hogwarts that showed the location of people in the castle moving about. The map showed Lupin walking down toward the Whomping willow and since Snape suspected him of helping Sirius Black he followed and saw Lupin immobilize the willow and enter the tunnel beneath.

As Snape followed he found an invisibility cloak near the tree and picked it up following Lupin through the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. As he stood outside the bedroom door he heard Lupin talking with Sirius and also the voices of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. As they argued he entered and disarmed Black and Lupin; taking them prisoner. Harry, Ron, and Hermione then attacked him together knocking him out. He thinks they were under Sirius' Imperious Curse.

He remembers nothing else until he recovered consciousness on the path back to the castle with Ron lying unconscious nearby and all the others gone. He assumed since it was a full moon that Lupin had transformed into a werewolf and the others took flight. He took Ron on a stretcher with him while he went to look for the others because with Lupin roaming the grounds he was afraid the children might be attacked. Near the lake he saw dementors approaching. The dementors, more than a hundred in number, were attacking Black, Harry, and Hermione about to give them the Dementor's kiss; sucking out their souls and leaving them as mindless vegetables. He was still to far away to act when the dementors were driven away by a powerful Patronus but he could not see who was casting it.

As we walked we discussed who had such power to do this but could not think of anyone that might be in this area. I could have of course and Snape also Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. I knew they would not have left the children alone after saving them but I did later talk to both and they were in the castle and knew nothing of the incident. I suggested Harry who had made that marvelous Patronus at the Quidditch match but Severus objected that there wasn't a real dementor at the match and it much more difficult to cast a patronus while the dementors are affecting you. He didn't think Harry could do it under those conditions; besides he could see Harry on the ground already and it was not his patronus. All three of them were unconscious from the dementors attack.

Severus said after reaching the place where they were laying unconscious he then

bound Sirius and placed him on a stretcher along with Harry and Hermione then brought them to the hospital before he came to get me. When we arrived at the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was busy running back and forth between patients with only Ron conscious. After she assured me they would recover I went to the astronomy tower to get Sirius' version of the story.

He told me he was innocent of everything. Peter Pettigrew was the one who betrayed the Potters. At the last minute James decided that nobody would suspect Peter was a secret keeper and Sirius would be the likely choice therefore more likely to be attacked to get the secret. Peter told Voldemort where the Potters were hiding.

When Sirius hear about the Potters being killed he went to see if he could do anything but had been there with Hagrid by that time. After Sirius left Hagrid with baby Harry he went to find Peter; but Peter tricked him. Yelling that Sirius was the traitor Peter blasted the area and transformed into his rat form escaping down a sewer making it look like Sirius had killed him. Since there was no trial Sirius was sent to Azkaban without getting to tell his story.

One day when the minister of magic was at the prison he left a newspaper with a picture of the Weasley family in Egypt and in the picture was Ron's pet rat which Sirius recognized as Pettigrew in his rat form. Now that he found that Peter was alive and living at Hogwarts with Ron and Harry, Sirius transformed into a dog which the dementors can not sense well just as I suspected. He escaped and came to protect Harry from Peter and kill Peter for betraying the Potters.

His story made sense to me since I always found it hard to believe he was guilty but I could do nothing to help him since this was a ministry matter and besides I needed proof of what he was saying. He said Lupin, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had seen Pettigrew alive in the Shrieking Shack and could verify his story. Peter had confessed in front of them all to helping Voldemort.

I hurried back to the hospital wing to hear the children's story since Lupin was still a werewolf and couldn't be questioned until he changed back in the morning. By that time I knew the minister would have had the dementors give Sirius a kiss and it would be too late to change things.

When I got back to the Hospital Harry and Hermione were awake and the three of them confirmed Sirius' story. I had to act but I couldn't be seen interfering with a ministry matter so

openly and Severus did not believe Sirius so I couldn't rely on him to help. The other professors were not involved and I couldn't ask them to defy the ministry and possibly be sent to Azkaban if caught. I would have to rely on the children who if caught I could protect somewhat since the ministry would assume children wouldn't do such things on their own and Snape had already told the minister he believed they must be under the Imperious Curse of Sirius.

Since I didn't know exactly what happened second by second and there was no time for the children to give me more than an outline of events I simply suggested that events could be changed if there was enough time and that Hermione should use three turns on her time turner to go back far enough to change to outcome of today's events. I had to rely on her judgment which I felt was sound but I did not feel she had the skill to repel the dementors. Ron could not walk because of the bite on his leg fro Sirius' dog form; and Lupin had only taught Harry the Patronus charm so he would have to go with her in case they ran into dementors.

Then it hit me; with Harry going back in time I knew who had cast the Patronus that save them earlier. I left quickly to meet Fudge and slow him down to give the children the opportunity to go back in time.

As I left the hospital wing met Harry and Hermione returning and they reported everything went well. After going back in time they rescued both Buckbeak and Sirius, both were safe and had left the school grounds. As they returned to their hospital beds Severus and Fudge arrived ranting that Sirius had escaped. Severus tried to blame Harry but Madam Pomfrey who had been in her office swore the children had not left the hospital wing and I could truthfully say I didn't know what happened since Harry and Hermione hadn't the time to tell me the story in detail.

Fudge agreed to remove the dementors because they had attacked the children without orders and didn't stop Sirius from escaping anyway. I can't wait to get the full story from Harry and Hermione. This was the first time they did not have me watching over them in secret and it makes me feel more secure of their ability to handle dangerous situations.

Headmaster APWBD

June 19, 1994

In my talk with Harry and Hermione I learned how Ron's rat, who was really Peter Pettigrew, had been in hiding as a rat with the Weasley family for twelve years. He feared the death eaters might kill him thinking he had betrayed Voldemort and the Potter's friends might kill him for betraying James and Lilly. When he learned Sirius had escaped Azkaban he no longer

felt safe with Ron and eventually faked an attack by Hermione's cat in order to disappear completely.

Sirius and Lupin met in the shrieking shack for the first time in years. They told the children the story and forced Peter to confess that he had betrayed the Potters. Then when Lupin changed into a werewolf Peter changed back into a rat and escaped.

They related how they followed Sirius down to the lake and about the dementors attack. None of them realized where the Patronus came from and Harry believed his father had returned to cast it. After going back in time and saving Buckbeak Harry returned to the lake to see who was casting the Patronus and only then realized it was him; with his returned self saving his earlier self. It confirmed what I had thought the moment I new he was going back.

Sirius is now safe in hiding out of the country and Harry will return to his aunt and uncle's house where my charm will protect him for another year.

Over the summer I will be busy with arrangement for the Triwizard Tournament which the ministry has been working on for more than a year. Fudge told me the other schools had agreed to participate here at Hogwarts and the final paperwork and details would be signed by the end of June.

In three years of planning to train Harry for his eventual encounter with Voldemort none of my plans have been completed; but because of unexpected events Harry has received better training and experiences than I could ever arrange for. In addition he has made two loyal friends to help him and they too have received important experiences to prepare them. Will the tournament cause more problems with Harry's training next year; I bet it does.

Headmaster APWBD