Chapter 43 Sirius

"Are you meeting Fred at Hogsmead today?" Emily asked passing me the platter of Waffles she knew I was looking for. I took the platter from her and glanced over at the Gryffindor table.

"Didn't we just have a trip to Hogsmeade?" I asked her still scanning the table for Fred. Emily's curls bounced as she shook her head.

"That was almost a month ago." She told me as she served herself some eggs. "So I guess Fred hasn't asked you to go with him?"

"No." I answered shaking my head. "But we've been spending so much time together maybe he needs some space." I told her contemplating my breakfast plate.

"Or maybe he just hasn't noticed there's a trip today." She reasoned. "Fred and George have been really busy trying to get their joke business up and running. I'm sure he's just been preoccupied."

"Oh good you're here!" I looked up to see George standing across the table from me.

"Where else would I be at breakfast time?" I asked him. He just shrugged in response.

"Fred sent me. We've been really busy the last few days workin' on something." George reached down and pulled an apple from the center of the Slytherin table. "Anyway we're so close to a breakthrough right now…Fred asked me to come down and tell you that he'd wanted to ask you to Hogsmeade, but he's been real busy."

"Tell him not to worry about it. I didn't even know there was a trip today! I'll probably just stay in and work on my Muggle Studies homework anyway."

"Alright then." George smiled. "I'll let him know."

"Hey George!" I called as he started to walk off. He turned to me. "Bring him these." I handed him a plate of fresh waffles.

"I'm sure he'll know they're from you." He said before taking the plate and walking away.

"What was that about?" Harry questioned from behind me.

"I guess Fred and George are busy working on some really complicated stuff. George said they're about to have a breakthrough and they can't get away from their work."

"Meaning?" I rolled my eyes at my brother's inability to connect the dots.

"Meaning I've got no one to go to Hogsmeade with." I told him.

"And who said you've got no one to go with?" He asked. "I just assumed you and Emily would come along with Hermione Ron and me like always."

"I might just sit this trip out. I don't really need to blow my galleons on Butterbeer and sugar quills."

"Well I suppose you could do that." Harry said before dropping his voice down low. "Or you and Emily could come with us to see Sirius."

"Sirius is here?" I whispered. "That's crazy! He's going to get caught!"

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's lasted this long Alice." Harry replied.

"I suppose you're right. I'd like to come along and see him."

"I thought you might." He stated smiling. After breakfast our small group made our way over to the village of Hogsmeade. "Everyone follow me." Harry said leading us up High Street, past Dervish and Banges towards the edge of the village.

"I don't think I've ever been this far out of town." I verbalized as we followed a winding lane past cottages and large gardens. "I like it though, reminds me of home."

"There he is!" Emily whispered, pointed to a very large shaggy black dog. It was carrying some newspapers in its mouth and looked distinctly familiar.

"Hello, Sirius," Harry addressed the dog. In response Sirius sniffed eagerly at the rucksack in Harry's hand. He then trotted off towards a rocky mountain on our left.

"I guess we follow him." Ron shrugged as he followed after the big black dog. Sirius led us to the foot of the mountain where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. It was easy for him, with his four paws, but the rest of us were soon out of breath. Panting we followed him even high up into the mountain. After thirty minutes of climbing, Sirius slipped out of sight.

"Where did he go?" Emily asked.

"A cave obviously." Hermione answered plainly as she followed in after him. Ron and Harry did the same with no trouble, but Emily looked hesitant.

"Come on Em, Not afraid are you?" I asked standing by her side.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed as she pulled me into the cave. It was a tight fit, but the six of us were able to squeeze into the cool cave. Tethered at one end of the cave sat Buckbeak. Instinctively I bowed at the sight of his waiting for him to bow back. Since he was already lying down, the hippogriff gave a simple bob of the head. I sat cross-legged at his side and began stroking his feathery neck. Looking back to where the other stood I could see that Sirius had just transfigured from his dog form.

Sirius was wearing ragged gray robes; the same ones he had been wearing when he had left Azkaban. His black hair was longer than it had been when we last saw him. Harry had produced a bundle of chicken legs and bread from his bag. Sirius thanked him and grabbed a drumstick before sitting on the floor of the cave.

"I've been living off rats mostly. Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself."

"What're you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asked concerned.

"Fulfilling my duty as godfather" Sirius answered back proudly. "Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray." Harry tried to smile but his eyes gave him away. Noticing Harry's anxiety Sirius attempted to answer more seriously. "I want to be on the spot. Your last letter , well, let's just say things are getting fishier. I've been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried." He nodded at a pile of yellowing Daily Prophets near the mouth of the cave. Ron and Emily picked up a few and started to read them.

"What if they catch you? What if you're seen?" Hermione asked worried.

"You five and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus," Sirius said trying to sound comforting. When he failed to do some, he just continued to fill his face with food.

"Harry get a loud of these!" Ron said nudging my twin with his elbow. Harry took two articles from him and looked them over. Harry scanned the first article reading bits of it out loud.

"Hasn't been seen in public since November…house appears deserted…St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and injuries declined comment…Ministry refuses to confirm rumors of critical illness…They make it sound like he's dying." Harry said looking up from the article suddenly.

"My brothers Crouch's personal assistant," Ron informed Sirius. "He says Crouch is suffering from overwork."

"Mind you, he did look ill, last time I saw him up close." I added in from Buckbeak's corner. "The night my name came out of the goblet. ..."

"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn't he?" Hermione smirked. "I bet he wishes he hadn't done it now - bet he feels the difference now she's not there to look after him."

"Hermione's obsessed with house-elfs," Ron told Sirius and I who both sent a confused look in Hermione's direction.

"Wait how do you know Crouch sacked his house-elf?" I asked walking away from Buckbeak.

"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup," Harry responded before launching into a tale about seeing Crouch and his House-elf Winky at the top box at the World Cup.

"Where was I during this?" I asked knowing that Harry and I had sat next to each other through the whole match.

"I think you had gone to the bathroom with Gin." Ron told me.

"Probably." I said remembering Arthur insist that Hermione or I accompany Ginny every time she had to go to the bathroom. "Did you tell Sirius about the rest of what happened at the world cup?" I asked Harry.

"Well, um no. I was just about to get to that." He answered recounted the story if the Dark Mark's appearance.

"Let me get this straight." Sirius asked. "You first saw the elfin the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?"

"Right," Harry, Ron, and Hermione said together.

"But Crouch didn't turn up for the match?" Sirius continued.

"No. I think he said he'd been too busy." Harry recalled. Emily and I looked at each other from across the cave, confused. Sirius paced all around the cave in silence.

"Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?" He questioned suddenly.

"No." Harry told him shaking his head. "I didn't need to use it before we got in the forest. And then I put my hand in my pocket, and all that was in there were my Omnioculars." He stared at Sirius. "Are you saying whoever conjured the Mark stole my wand in the Top Box?"

"It's possible," Sirius said seriously.

"Winky didn't steal that wand!" Hermione jumped to the Elf's defense.

"The elf wasn't the only one in that box. Who else was sitting behind you?" Sirius asked

"Loads of people." Ron jumped in. "Some Bulgarian ministers, Cornelius Fudge, the Malfoys. I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!"

"Oh give it a rest Ron. What would Lucius Malfoy want with Harry's wand when he's got his own?" I asked. Sirius seemed to shake the idea away too.

"Anyone else?" he asked Harry again.

"No one." Hermione answered certainly.

"Yes, there was, there was Ludo Bagman." I reminded.

"I don't know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps. What's he like?" I thought for a moment considering Sirius' question.

"He's okay," I told them all honestly. "He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament."

"Does he, now? I wonder why he'd do that?" Sirius thought out loud.

"Says he's taken a liking to me." I shrugged.

"When the Dark Mark had been conjured, what did Crouch do?" Sirius asked changing the subject back.

"He sort of lost it. Had a fit and then stormed off." Harry answered.

"Of course," Sirius muttered, pacing up and down, "of course, he'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf... and then he sacked her?"

"Yes, he sacked her, just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled -"

"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!" Ron burst out, but Sirius just shook his head at him.

"She's got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. All these absences of Barty Crouch's ... he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too. . . . It's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak."

"Do you know Crouch, then?" Harry questioned.

"Oh I know Crouch all right," Sirius answered darkly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban - without a trial."

"You-you didn't have a trial?" said not believing what I was hearing.

"No." Harry and he answered together. Sirius elaborated on the point. "Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?" We all shook our heads. He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic, He must still have a few friends in the department. He's a great wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical - and power-hungry. Oh never a Voldemort supporter. No, Barty Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side . . . well, you wouldn't understand . . . you're too young. ..."

"That's what my dad said at the World Cup." Ron told him sounding irritated.

"Try us." Emily said speaking up for the first time. A grin flashed across Sirius's thin face.

"All right, I'll try you. . . ." He said finally stopping his pacing. "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing . . . the Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere . . . panic . . . confusion . . . that's how it used to be. Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning - I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemorts supporters. The Aurors were given new powers - powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had his supporters, mind you - plenty of people thought he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister of Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened. .. .Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."

"Crouch's son was caught?" Emily gasped.

"Yep, nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd imagine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while . . . gotten to know his own son."

"Was his son a Death Eater?" Harry said.

"No idea. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I'd bet my life were Death Eaters - but he might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like the house-elf."

"Did Crouch try and get his son off?" Hermione whispered. Sirius let out a laugh that was much more like a bark.

"Crouch let his son off? I thought you had the measure of him, Hermione! Anything that threatened to tarnish his reputation had to go; he had dedicated his whole life to becoming Minister of Magic. You saw him dismiss a devoted house-elf because she associated him with the Dark Mark again - doesn't that tell you what he's like? Crouch's fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn't much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy . . . then he sent him straight to Azkaban."

"He gave his own son to the dementors?" I whispered horrified.

"That's right," Sirius said any amusement removed from his face. "He was in the cell next to mine, he can't have been more than nineteen. Died about a year after they brought him in."

"He died?" This time it was Emily who sounded terrified.

"He wasn't the only one. Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live." Hermione answered coldly.

"So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made. One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister of Magic...next, his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored, and, so I've heard since I escaped, a big drop in popularity. Once the boy had died, people started feeling a bit more sympathetic toward the son and started asking how a nice young lad from a good family had gone so badly astray. The conclusion was that his father never cared much for him. So Cornelius Fudge got the top job, and Crouch was shunted sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards." I answered.

"Yeah, I've heard it's become a bit of a mania with him. If you ask me, he still thinks he can bring back the old popularity by catching one more Death Eater."

"And he sneaked up here to search Snape's office!" Ron said sharing information with Sirius that I would have rather kept secret.

"That doesn't make sense at all." Sirius shook his head.

"Yeah, it does!" said Ron excitedly, but Sirius shook his head.

"Listen, if Crouch wants to investigate Snape, why hasn't he been coming to judge the tournament? It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Hogwarts and keep an eye on him."

"What do you think Hermione? Harry asked her.

"Look, I don't care what you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape -"

"Oh give it a rest, Hermione," Ron burst impatiently. "I know Dumbledores brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him -"

"If that's the case then why does Snape keep showing up to save us?" I asked putting my hands on my hips.

"I dunno - maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out-" Ron began.

"What d'you think, Sirius?" Emily piped of from her corner of the cave.

"I think they've all got a point. Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was," This caused Harry and Ron to smile. "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters. Rosier and Wilkes - they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges - they're a married couple - they're in Azkaban. Avery - from what I've heard he wormed his way out of trouble by saying he'd been acting under the Imperius Curse -he's still at large. But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater - not that that means much. Plenty of them were never caught. And Snape s certainly clever and cunning enough to keep himself out of trouble."

"Snape knows Karkaroff pretty well, but he wants to keep that quiet," Ron said still trying to prove his point.

"Yeah, you should've seen Snape's face when Karkaroff turned up in Potions yesterday! Karkaroff wanted to talk to Snape, he says Snape's been avoiding him. Karkaroff looked really worried. He showed Snape something on his arm, but I couldn't see what it was."

"He showed Snape something on his arm?" Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I've no idea what that's about…" I knew he was lying, but I was probably the only one who did. "But if Karkaroff s genuinely worried, and he's going to Snape for answers ...There's still the fact that Dumbledore trusts Snape, and I know Dumbledore trusts where a lot of other people wouldn't, but I just can't see him letting Snape teach at Hogwarts if he'd ever worked for Voldemort." I bit down hard on my lower lip. You'd be surprised how wrong you are Sirius.

"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snapes office then?" Ron said stubbornly.

"Well. I wouldn't put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher's office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts seriously, Moody. I'm not sure he trusts anyone at all, and after the things he's seen, it's not surprising. I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters. Crouch, though . . . he's a different matter ... is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Snape's office? And if he's not. . . what's he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been judging the tournament?" The cave fell silent as we all seriously pondered Sirius' question. "You say your brother s Crouch's personal assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he's seen Crouch lately?"

"I can try." Ron told him doubtfully. "Better not make it sound like I reckon Crouch is up to anything dodgy, though. Percy loves Crouch." Sirius heaved an enormous sigh and rubbed his shadowed eyes.

"What's the time?" he asked us. As Hermione was the only one with a watch we all looked to her.

"You'd better get back to school." Sirius again took in the sight of all of us. "I don't want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Hogwarts without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you."

"No one's tried to attack us so far!" I said. "Well except a dragon, and some merpeople."

"I don't care. I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June. And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?"

"I'll walk to the edge of the village with you, see if I can scrounge another paper." He transformed back into the great big dog before trotting back down the mountain. Once we said good-bye to dog Sirius, we sat on a cold stone wall waiting for the next couch to Hogwarts.

"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?" Ron questioned as we sat. "But maybe he doesn't care . . . It'd probably just make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He'd just say Crouch was refusing to break them for his own son."

"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors." Hermione shook her head.

"I don't know, if he thought we were standing in the way of his career…Percy's really ambitious, you know. ..." None of us knew what to say to that, thankfully Emily was there to change the subject.

"Poor old Snuffles," She said staring out into the road. "He must really like you. Harry. . . .Imagine having to live off rats." We all laughed at that.