xvi. loose lips

ϟ

One of the best things about the aftermath of the second task was that everybody was very keen to hear details of what had happened down in the lake, which meant that for once Ron was getting to share Harry's limelight. Matilda noticed that Ron's version of events changed subtly with every retelling. At first, he gave what seemed to be the truth; it tallied with Hermione's story, anyway – Dumbledore had put all the hostages into a bewitched sleep in Professor McGonagall's office, first assuring them that they would be quite safe, and would awake when they were back above the water. One week later, however, Ron was telling a thrilling tale of kidnap in which he struggled single-handedly against fifty heavily armed merpeople who had to beat him into submission before tying him up.

"But I had my wand hidden up my sleeve," he assured Parvati Patil, who seemed to be a lot keener on Ron now that he was getting so much attention, and was making a point of talking to him every time they passed in the corridors. "I could've taken those mer-idiots any time I wanted."

"And what spell would you have used while asleep, Ronald?" said Matilda waspishly.

People had been talking and teasing about Matilda kissing Harry after the task. Despite it being innocent and, on the head,, they seemed to believe that it meant something. Matilda, since then had been in a testy mood.

Ron's ears went red, and he reverted thereafter to the bewitched-sleep version of events.

As they entered March the weather became drier, but cruel winds skinned their hands and faces every time they went out into the grounds. There were delays in the post because the owls kept being blown off course. The brown owl that Harry had sent to Sirius with the dates of the Hogsmeade weekend turned up at breakfast on Friday morning with half its feathers sticking up the wrong way; Harry had no sooner torn off Sirius' reply than it took flight, clearly afraid it was going to be sent outside again.

Sirius' letter was almost as short as the previous one.

Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish & Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can.

"He hasn't come back to Hogsmeade?" said Ron incredulously.

"It looks like it, doesn't it?" said Hermione.

"I can't believe him," said Harry tensely. "If he's caught..."

"He escaped from Azkaban, a heavily guarded prison," said Matilda. "I'm sure he'll be able to evade being seen."

"Tilly's right, he's made it so far, though, hasn't he?" agreed Ron. "And it's not like the place is swarming with Dementors anymore."

Harry folded up the letter. It was clear that he wanted to see Sirius again. He, along with his friends approached the final lesson of the afternoon – double Potions – feeling considerably more cheerful than he usually did when descending the steps to the dungeons.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door with Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls. All of them were looking at something Matilda couldn't see and sniggering heartily. Pansy's pug-like face peered excitedly around Goyle's broad back as Harry, Matilda, Ron, and Hermione approached.

"There they are, there they are!" she giggled, and the knot of Slytherins broke apart. Matilda saw that Pansy had a magazine in her hands – Witch Weekly. The moving picture on the front showed a curly-haired witch who was smiling toothily and pointing at a large sponge cake with her wand.

"You might find something to interest you in there Winters, we all know you love to read about yourself!" Pansy said loudly, and Matilda snatched the paper from her hands, leaving Pansy looking startled. At that moment, the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside.

"Surprised you know how to read, Parkinson," Matilda rolled her eyes.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron followed Matilda to a table at the back of the dungeon as usual. Once Snape had turned his back on them to write up the ingredients of today's potion on the blackboard, Hermione took the magazine and hastily rifled through it under the desk. At last, in the center pages, Hermione found what she was looking for, with Matilda peering discreetly over her shoulder. Harry and Ron leaned in closer. A color photograph of Harry headed a short piece of paper entitled HARRY POTTER'S SECRET LOVE AFFAIR:

A boy like no other, perhaps – yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in not one but two of his girlfriends at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger, and the academic Matilda Winters. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with a personal loss.

Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgaria Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has 'never felt this way about any other girl'.

However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms which have captured these unfortunate boys' interest.

'She's really ugly,' says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, 'but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it.'

Love Potions are of course banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.

Though that worthier candidate maybe the other girl in Harry's life. Miss Winters, known for her wit and intelligence at Hogwarts is certainly favored by not only the Professors but also the youngest Champion. The ever-so ambitious Matilda has taken her sights from her studies and focused them on Harry. Accompanying him to every task and even reportedly standing by him in his research. Even coming from a very reliable source the two have shared many intimate moments.

'They have seemed quite fond of one another since the kiss," says Cho Chang, a well-respected fifth-year student in Ravenclaw. 'Inseparable actually. Matilda's rarely seen in the Ravenclaw common room or even the dormitories anymore."

Perhaps love is in the air for these two?

"I told you guys!" Ron hissed at Hermione, as she stared down at the article. "I told you two not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made both of you out to be some sort of – of scarlet woman!"

Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter.

"Scarlet woman?" she repeated, shaking with suppressed giggles as she looked around at Ron.

"It's what my mum calls them," Ron muttered, his ears going red again.

"Would you two shut up about it already," Matilda hushed them. "The lessons began."

Neither of them listened or cared to listen to Matilda though.

"There's something funny, though," said Hermione ten minutes later, holding her pestle suspended over a bowl of scarab beetles. "How could Rita Skeeter have known ...?"

"Known what?" said Ron quickly. "That Tilly and Harry kissed? Quite easy, Cho told her."

Matilda had expected Ron to sound angry, but his tone was more disappointed – he sounded let down. Her stomach dropped and she continued pound beetles.

"No, Ron," said Hermione, her tone snappy. "No, it's just... how did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?"

Hermione blushed scarlet as she said this.

"He asked me right after he'd pulled me out of the lake," Hermione muttered. "After he'd got rid of his shark's head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to –"

"Maybe she interviewed Krum?" Ron suggested using his pestle to grin his beetles.

"And he did say he'd never felt the same way about anyone else," Hermione went on, going so red now that Matilda could almost feel the heat coming from her, "but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn't there... or was she? Maybe she has got an Invisibility Cloak, maybe she sneaked into the grounds to watch the second task..."

"Well, maybe you should quiet down," Matilda once again scolded them.

Once again Hermione was too invested in her own story now to listen, and so she continued.

"I didn't get to give him an answer; I was too busy seeing whether you and Harry were alright too –"

"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Granger," said an icy voice right behind them, "I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor."

Matilda's face scrunched up showing a mixture of disgust and annoyance as Snape walked up from behind them at the back table. Hermione had been in such deep thought that she hadn't even noticed him approaching their table.

The entire class was now looking back at their table. Malfoy even used this opportunity to flash his POTTER STINKS across the dungeon at Harry. Matilda was livid. All she had wanted to do was finish this class and forget about the words Rita Skeeter had written. Though she would be talking to Cho Change about her loose lips.

But she wasn't angry. People knowing that she kissed Harry was no bother to her like people would have believed. She wasn't going to cause a scene over it because the kiss was just something that happened. She didn't regret it and it wasn't like she was fussing over it everyday. She and Harry had already talked about it, the situation was fine.

"Ah... reading magazines under the table as well?" Snape added, snatching up the copy of Witch Weekly. "A further ten points from Gryffindor... oh, but of course..." Snape's black eyes glittered as they fell on Rita Skeeter's article. "Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings..."

The dungeon rang with the Slytherins' laughter, and an unpleasant smile curled Snape's thin mouth. To Harry's fury, he began to read the article aloud.

"Harry Potter's Secret Love Affair... dear, dear, Potter, what's ailing you now? A boy like no other, perhaps..."

Harry's face was burning red now. Snape was pausing at the end of every sentence to allow the Slytherins a hearty laugh. The article sounded ten times worse when read by Snape.

"... Perhaps love is in the air for these two. How very touching," sneered Snape, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the Slytherins. "Well, I think I had better separate the four of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than your tangled love lives. Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Miss Winters, ah switch with Mr. Goyle next to Mr. Malfoy. Potter – that table in front of my desk. Move. Now."

Matilda's blue eyes widened as she stared at Goyle grumbling as he gathered his things up to move from the table. Daisy elbowed Malfoy what seemed to be rather harshly as he began to sneer and mutter to himself about the sarcastic joys of Matilda Winters, a pointed look etched into her face.

As their professor turned away, his cloaks sweeping up beneath him, Matilda scoffed at her friends and she stood from her seat, "This is why I never like sitting with you lot."

The small girl gathered her things and moved to the now-abandoned station on the other side of Draco, clearly annoyed.

Her eyes were narrow as she glared at the smirking blonde next to her, "Say anything, I will not hesitate to hex you across this room."

A small smile tugged at the ends of Daisy's lips as his smirk was erased from his proud face and took a step to the side away from the Ravenclaw. Daisy shook her head, laughing to herself before continuing to her own work. Not too long after the three had settled into silence, the door of the classroom swung open and Igor Karkoff marched inside, everyone's eyes following him down the center of the classroom. He stood before Snape, his fingers playing with the end of his goatee agitatedly. The two spoke in hushed tones, where only Harry would be able to hear what they were saying. Snape brushed them off, but Karakoff stayed, hovering behind the desk, glaring over the students.

Matilda went on working, deciding not to try and guess what this visit from Karakoff meant. She'd had enough interruptions today. So, she went back to work on her potion, finishing quite quickly without the constant interruptions from her usual desk mates. Not that she enjoyed sitting beside Draco Malfoy. She made sure to give him a glare whenever the option presented itself. She raised her hand once she finished pouring the finished potion into the glass vile.

Hesitantly Snape made his way over to where she sat and inspected it. He spent longer than he needed to, looking at the liquid. Hoping to find an error, something to embarrass her over. But he found nothing, and with an agitated sigh, he dismissed her from class, making her the first one to have finished.

"Cho Chang!"

Cho and Padma lay lazily on Cho's twin-sized bed, looking over a witch fashion magazine, discussing the new nail polish that changes with one's mood. Matilda had started for the dormitory as soon as she was dismissed from class, not sure of what she wanted to say to Cho, but knowing she was going to say something.

"You're in trouble," said Padma, quickly getting up and moving to her own bed, careful to not be caught in potential crossfire. "I told you, you'd be in trouble."

"You've seen the paper..."

Cho's eyes went wide with fear as she realized what Matilda was on about.

"Couldn't keep those loose lips closed, could you? said Matilda, and Padma coughed suddenly to hide her laugh. "And how did you even know about the kiss?"

"Actually..." Cho struggled to find her words. "It wasn't me that seen it."

Matilda stopped in her tracks. This was new information.

"Claire saw it," Cho sighed. "She was coming back to the dorm after Roger Davies ended things with her. She was upset, and she saw the kiss."

"Honestly, I believe it, Tilly," Padma chimed in. "Claire Morgenstern is always lurking around the castle. Seems to know everyone's business, she does."

Matilda rolled her eyes, but Padma was right, Claire Morgenstern seemed to unintentionally be involved in all kinds of drama, "Then why would you talk to Rita Skeeter about me?"

Matilda was let down by Cho. She hadn't wanted to believe that Cho would do something like this. Even though the two of them weren't close, she thought they had some kind of trust due to sharing a room for so long. She never would have suspected Cho to run off and talk about her to some low-life journalist.

Disappointed. Matilda was disappointed in Cho.

"Because I was hurt, Tilly. After Claire told me what happened," Cho confessed. "You knew I liked Harry and then you go and kiss him."

"You don't even know him, Cho!" said Matilda, as she became angrier. "And besides, you like every boy at this school. How am I supposed to keep up?"

Padma nodded, "That's true. New crush each week it seems like. Just yesterday she was saying how cute George Weasley looked at the Yule Ball."

Neither Cho or Matilda paid much attention to Padma's beside commentary.

"I'm truly sorry Matilda," said Cho, sounding genuine. Tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. "I regret everything. I wish I could take it all back."

Matilda huffed, "I'm not angry. I've got much more important things to tend to right now than worry about holding a grudge against you."

"Important things like resolving the love triangle?" Cho asked.

Her lips pulled up into a smile as she teased Matilda about the supposed love triangle she was in with Harry and Hermione.

"Try square," Padma scoffed. "Not only is Tilly kissing Harry but she's planted one on Ron too."

"Really?" Cho sounded surprised.

"It was on the cheek. It doesn't count."

ϟ

Matilda and Padma were the last to wake in the room. Luna was always the first. Excited to skip down to breakfast and talk with everyone she passed by. Padma and Matilda got ready in the restroom side by side. Padma needing to use Matilda's toothpaste, having run out of her own.

"I still can't believe you and Potter were snogging," Padma whispered on their way back from the restroom and to their dorm.

Both of them still wearing their pajamas. Matilda a matching pajama set in a light purple shade. Padma a pair of joggers and a Ravenclaw Quidditch shirt.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Matilda laughed, shaking her head.

The two of them made it back into their room, Padma shut the door behind them.

"I mean, I called it," she shrugged, putting her toiletry bag back under her bed. "You getting with Harry, I mean. Both powerful and well-known. A true power couple."

Matilda sighed, "I'm not sure about that."

Padma turned to face Matilda who had started looking through her chest for something to wear on the cool March day. She'd be spending most of her time outdoors so she thought it better to find something warm.

"What do you mean?" Padma asked. "You do like him, don't you?"

Matilda shrugged, turning around to face her curious friend, "Maybe. I don't know. I care about him – I care a lot about him. I'm new to all of this – feelings and such."

Matilda couldn't believe the words coming from her mouth. And she certainly couldn't believe she was sharing them with Padma. A year ago she'd never been sharing such personal things with anyone. Not even Luna. And yet, here she sat, on the hardwood floor, digging through her chest of clothes, telling Padma about her first kiss. 

But it was obvious to everyone and Matilda that things between her and Harry have changed. From last year to know there has been a large dynamic shift in their relationship. The two were closer than they had ever been before. Maybe it was from Matilda saving his life so often, or her believing him, or her standing up for him when no one else would. Not even his own best friend. Maybe it's because of the amount of trust the two have for one another. No matter how she felt about Harry, romantic or not, there was certainly something holding them together. They are connected. 

Her head was still jumbled though. She would need to come to terms with everything soon. People would be asking questions, like Ron.

The lid on Matilda's chest closed shut as she decided on an outfit. She pulled on a plaid green mini skirt and a green sweater to match. Under the skirt, she wore a thick pair of black tights and a pair of ankle boots where the shade of green was just slightly darker than her sweater.

"Looking like a true Slytherin," Padma laughed upon seeing Matilda's outfit.

Looking in the mirror Matilda could see why Padma said what she did. She was wearing a lot of green.

"Daisy lend you this outfit too?"

Matilda shook her head, "Not really her style is it? She'd have given me some trainers instead of my boots."

The two girls laughed in agreement as they made their way out of the room to find their friends before it was time to set off to Hogsmeade.

They left the castle at noon to find a weak silver sun shining down upon the grounds. The weather was milder than it had been all year, and by the time they arrived in Hogsmeade, all of them had taken off their cloaks and thrown them over their shoulders. The food Sirius had told them to bring was in Harry's bag; they had sneaked a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and a flask of pumpkin juice from the lunch table.

They went into Gladrags Wizardwear to buy a present for Dobby, where they had fun selecting all the most lurid socks they could find, including a pair patterned with flashing gold and silver stars, and another that screamed loudly when they became too smelly. Then, at half-past one, they made their way up the High Street, past Dervish and Banges, and out towards the edge of the village.

Matilda had never been in this direction before. The winding lane was leading them out into the wild countryside around Hogsmeade. The cottages were fewer here, and their gardens larger; they were walking towards the foot of the mountain in whose shadow Hogsmeade lay. Then they turned a corner, and saw a stile at the end of the lane. Waiting for them, its front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, shaggy black dog, which was carrying some newspapers in its mouth, and looked very familiar...

"Hello, Sirius," said Harry, when they had reached him.

"That is still so weird. Imagine petting your godfather," Matilda murmured to herself as Harry began to pet Sirius.

The black dog sniffed Harry's bag eagerly, wagged its tail once, then turned, and began to trot away from them across the scrubby patch of ground which rose to meet the rocky foot of the mountain. Matilda, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed over the stile and followed.

Sirius led them to the very foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. It was easy for him, with his four paws, but Matilda, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were soon out of breath. They followed Sirius higher, up onto the mountain itself. For nearly half an hour they climbed a steep, winding, and stony path, following Sirius' wagging tail, sweating in the sun.

Then, at last, Sirius slipped out of sight, and when they reached the place where he had vanished, they saw a narrow fissure in the rock. They squeezed into it, and found themselves in a cool, dimly lit cave. Tethered at the end of it, one end of his rope around a large rock, was Buckbeak the Hippogriff. Half-grey horse, half-giant eagle, Buckbeak's fierce orange eye flashed at the sight of them. All four of them bowed low to him, and after regarding them imperiously for a moment, Buckbeak bent his scaly front knees and allowed Matilda to rush forward and stroke his feathery neck. Harry, however, was looking at the black dog, which had just turned into his godfather.

Sirius was wearing ragged grey robes; the same ones he had been wearing when he had left Azkaban. His black hair was longer than it had been when he had appeared in the fire, and it was untidy and matted once more. He looked very thin.

"Chicken!" he said hoarsely, after removing the old Daily Prophets from his mouth and throwing them down onto the cave floor.

Harry pulled open his bag and handed over the bundle of chicken legs and bread.

"Thanks," said Sirius, opening it, grabbing a drumstick, sitting down on the cave floor, and tearing off a large chunk with his teeth. "I've been living off rats mostly. Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself."

He grinned up at Harry, but Harry returned the grin only reluctantly.

"What're you doing here, Sirius?" he said.

"Fulfilling my duty as a godfather. Harry, you look so much older. All of you. Matilda, you've grown so much since the last I saw you," said Sirius, gnawing on the chicken bone in a very dog-like way.

"Oh! Thanks. It's the bang. Well, the lack thereof," Matilda thanked him, trying her best to be polite and smile, but it was hard because she was so grossed out by the sight of him ripping into the chicken.

Sirius was still grinning, but seeing the anxiety in Harry's face, said 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 the yellowing Daily Prophets on the cave floor, and Ron picked them up and unfolded them.

Harry, however, continued to stare at Sirius. "What if they catch you? What if you're seen?"

"You four and Dumbledore are the only ones round here who know I'm an Animagus," said Sirius, shrugging, and continuing to devour the chicken leg.

Ron nudged Harry and passed him the Daily Prophets. There were two; the first bore the headline Mystery Illness of Bartemius Crouch, the second, Ministry Witch Still Missing – Minister for Magic Now Personally Involved.

Matilda stood close to Harry to look down at the paper, phrases jumped out at her: hasn't been seen in public since November... house appears deserted... St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies decline comment... Ministry refuses to confirm rumours of critical illness...

"They're making it sound like he's dying," said Harry slowly. "But he can't be that ill if he managed to get up here..."

"My brother's 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," said Matilda slowly, still reading the story. "The night Harry's name came out of the Goblet..."

"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn't he?" said Hermione coldly. She was now stroking Buckbeak, who was crunching up Sirius' chicken bones. "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-elves," Ron muttered to Sirius, casting Hermione a dark look. "She's got Tilly in on it too."

Sirius, however, looked interested. "Crouch sacked his house-elf?"

"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup," said Harry, and he launched into the story of the Dark Mark's appearance, and Winky being found with Harry's wand clutched in her hand, and Mr. Crouch's fury.

When Harry had finished, Sirius was on his feet again, and had started pacing up and down the cave. "Let me get this straight," he said after a while, brandishing a fresh chicken leg. "You first saw the elf in the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?"

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

"Wouldn't know," said Matilda coldly. "Wasn't there. Dad locked me up in the house like Rapunzel."

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

"No," said Harry. "I think he said he'd been too busy."

Sirius paced all around the cave in silence. Then he said, "Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?"

"Erm..." Harry thought hard. "No," he said finally. "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," said Sirius.

"Winky didn't steal that wand!" said Hermione shrilly.

"The elf wasn't the only one in that box," said Sirius, his brow furrowed as he continued to pace. "Who else was sitting behind you?"

"Loads of people," said Harry. "Some Bulgarian ministers... Cornelius Fudge... the Malfoys..."

"The Malfoys!" said Ron suddenly, so loudly that his voice echoed all around the cave, and Buckbeak tossed his head nervously. "I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!"

"I agree with Ron, definitely Lucius Malfoy," Matilda was quick to place blame.

"Anyone else?" said Sirius.

"No one," said Harry.

"Yes, there was, there was Ludo Bagman," Hermione reminded him.

"Oh, yeah..."

"I don't know anything about Bagman, except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps," said Sirius, still pacing. "What's he like?"

"He's OK," said Harry.

"A bit obsessed with Harry if you'd ask me," said Matilda, scrunching up her nose. "Keeps offering to help him with the Tournaments, as if I'm not standing right there, perfectly capable."

"Does he, now?" said Sirius, frowning more deeply. "I wonder why he'd do that?"

"Says he's taken a liking to me," said Harry.

"Hmm," said Sirius, looking thoughtful.

"We saw him in the forest just before the Dark Mark appeared," Hermione told Sirius. "Remember?" she said to Harry and Ron.

"Yeah, but he didn't stay in the forest, did he?" said Ron. "The moment we told him about the riot, he went off to the campsite."

"How d'you know?" Hermione shot back. "How d'you know where he Disapparated to?"

"Come off it," said Ron incredulously, "are you saying you reckon Ludo Bagman conjured the Dark Mark?"

"You don't read much, do you?" Matilda asked, looking to Ron wearing an emotionless stare. "Ludovic Bagman was loyal to Vold— He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. He was put on trial for giving Ministry information to Death Eaters. Only reason he got off was because of his popularity and he was a snitch."

They all looked at Matilda with wide eyes, "Sometimes when I get bored, I read my father's old ministry files, okay?"

"Then it's more likely he did it than Winky," said Hermione stubbornly.

"Told you," said Ron, looking meaningfully at Sirius, "told you they're obsessed with house–"

Matilda stopped Ron with a hard glare, "This isn't about house elves, Ronald!"

Sirius held up a hand to calm Matilda. "When the Dark Mark had been conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding Harry's wand, what did Crouch do?"

"Went to look in the bushes," said Harry, "but there wasn't anyone else there."

"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," said Hermione in a heated voice, "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!" said Ron.

But Sirius shook his head and said, "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."

He ran a hand over his unshaven face, evidently thinking hard. "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."

"D'you know Crouch, then?" said Harry.

"Harry, of course he knows Crouch," Matilda chuckled awkwardly. "He's the man that sentenced him to Azkaban..."

Sirius' face darkened. He suddenly looked as menacing as the night when Matilda had first met him, the night when everyone had still believed Sirius to be a murderer.

"Tilly's right, I know Crouch all right," he said quietly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban – without a trial."

"What?" said Ron and Hermione together.

"You're kidding!" said Harry.

"Am I the only one who knew this? You lot are aware you can read old ministry case files, yes?" Matilda asked, genuinely curious.

"No, it's no joke," said Sirius, taking another great bite of chicken. "Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; didn't you know?"

"Yes."

Matilda nodded but Harry, Ron and Hermione shook their heads.

"He was tipped as the next Minister for Magic," said Sirius. "He's a great wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical – and power-hungry. Oh, never a Voldemort supporter," he said, reading the look on Harry's face. "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..."

Matilda rolled her eyes. She hated when adults would use that excuse. It made her feel inferior and stupid, "Please, you sound like my dad. Just tell us. No need to tip-toe around us. We can take it. I can take it. So try me."

A grin flashed across Sirius' thin face. "All right, I'll try you..."

He walked once up the cave, back again, and then said, "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 Voldemort's supporters. The Aurors were given new powers – powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the Dementors without trial. 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 for Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened..." Sirius smiled grimly. "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?" gasped Hermione.

"Yep," said Sirius, throwing his chicken bone to Buckbeak, and flinging himself back down on the ground beside the loaf of bread, and tearing it in half. "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... got to know his own son."

He began to wolf down large pieces of bread.

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

"No idea," said Sirius, still stuffing down bread. "I was in Azkaban myself when he was brought in. This is mostly stuff I've found out since I got out. 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 for 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?" asked Harry quietly.

"That's right," said Sirius, and he didn't look remotely amused now. "I saw the Dementors bringing him in, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can't have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though... they all went quiet in the end... except when they shrieked in their sleep..."

For a moment, the deadened look in Sirius' eyes became more pronounced than ever, as though shutters had closed behind them.

"So he's still in Azkaban?" Harry said.

"No," said Sirius dully. "No, he's not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought him in."

"He died?"

"He wasn't the only one," said Sirius bitterly. "Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming, because the Dementors could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. Crouch being an important Ministry member, he and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterwards. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The Dementors buried him outside the fortress, I watched them do it."

"Hmm. Tragic."

But there was no remorse behind Matilda's tone. Her three friends turned to look her, their eyes widened and glassy with tears. Sirius glanced up, but only for a moment, as her tone reminded him so much of someone he once knew. A person who he did not bring up because the pain of losing her still felt so fresh.

"I'm not going to apologize for not feeling bad for him," Matilda crossed her arms stubbornly. "He may have been nineteen but he was an awful person who committed awful crimes."

Sirius threw aside the bread he had just lifted to his mouth, and instead picked up the flask of pumpkin juice and drained it.

"So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made," he continued, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister for 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 towards him, 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 Co-operation."

"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards," Harry told Sirius.

"Yeah, I've heard it's become a bit of a mania with him," said Sirius, nodding. "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!" said Ron triumphantly, looking at Hermione.

"Yes, and that doesn't make sense at all," said Sirius.

"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."

"So you think Snape could be up to something, then?" asked Harry, but Hermione broke in.

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

"Oh, come off it, Hermione," said Ron impatiently, "I know Dumbledore's brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him –"

Matilda's head snapped upward and she quickly cut Ron off, "I'm going to cut you off before you say something even more stupid Ron."

Her protectiveness over Dumbledore was in overdrive.

"Dumbledore is extremely clever, also very calculated," said Matilda. "He knows just about everything. If he's keeping Snape around it may not be just because he trusts him, but also to keep an eye on him."

"I think Tilly's right," said Sirius, looking thoughtfully at Matilda. "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," Sirius added, and Harry and Ron grinned at each other. "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."

Sirius held up his fingers, and began ticking off names. "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," said Ron.

"Yeah, you should've seen Snape's face when Karkaroff turned up in Potions yesterday!" said Harry quickly. "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?" said Sirius, looking frankly bewildered. He ran his fingers distractedly through his filthy hair, then shrugged again. "Well, I've no idea what that's about... but if Karkaroff's genuinely worried, and he's going to Snape for answers..."

Matilda's eyebrows furrowed. She had caught the sudden change – forced change in Sirius' demeanor. He knew something about Karakaroff's arm but he was lying to them.

Sirius stared at the cave wall, then made a grimace of frustration. "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."

"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snape's office, then?" said Ron stubbornly.

"Well," said Sirius slowly, "I wouldn't put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher's office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defence 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?"

Sirius lapsed into silence, still staring at the cave wall. Buckbeak was ferreting around on the rocky floor, searching for bones he might have overlooked.

Finally, Sirius looked up at Ron. "You say your brother's Crouch's personal assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he's seen Crouch lately?"

"I can try," said Ron doubtfully. "Better not make it sound like I reckon Crouch is up to anything dodgy, though. Percy loves Crouch."

"And you might try and find out whether they've got any leads on Bertha Jorkins while you're at it," said Sirius, gesturing at the second copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Bagman told me they hadn't," said Harry.

"Yes, he's quoted in the article in there," said Sirius, nodding at the paper. "Blustering on about how bad Bertha's memory is. Well, maybe she's changed since I knew her, but the Bertha I knew wasn't forgetful at all – quite the reverse. She was a bit dim, but she had an excellent memory for gossip. It used to get her into a lot of trouble, she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. I can see her being a bit of a liability at the Ministry of Magic... maybe that's why Bagman didn't bother to look for her for so long..."

Sirius heaved an enormous sigh and rubbed his shadowed eyes. "What's the time?"

Harry checked his watch, forgetting that it hadn't worked since he forgot to take it off before the second task.

"It's half past three," said Hermione.

"You'd better get back to school," Sirius said, getting to his feet. "Now, listen..." he looked particularly hard at Harry – "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 me so far, except a dragon and a couple of Grindylows," Harry said.

But Sirius scowled at him. "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, OK?"

"That's so weird," Matilda whispered, shaking her head.

He handed Harry the empty napkin and flask, and went to pat Buckbeak goodbye. "I'll walk to the edge of the village with you," said Sirius, "see if I can scrounge another paper."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron started to leave the cave, but Matilda stood back a second longer, scribbling something down on a spare piece of parchment in the small bag she had brought with her. She handed it to Sirius. He looked over it, his full eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"It's a spell. It helps with styling your hair. I used it over summer a few times. Give it a try."

Sirius grinned at Matilda, tucking the piece of parchment under a rock for safety, "Thank you, Tilly."

Matilda shrugged, "You should really try a bath too. Maybe in human form so you don't smell like wet dog."

Sirius laughed just before he transformed into the great black dog before they left the cave, and they walked back down the mountainside with him, across the boulder-strewn ground, and back to the stile. Here he allowed each of them to pat him on the head, before turning and setting off at a run around the outskirts of the village.

Matilda, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way back into Hogsmeade, and up towards Hogwarts.

"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch?" Ron said as they walked up the drive to the castle. "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," said Hermione severely.

"I don't know," said Ron. "If he thought we were standing in the way of his career... Percy's really ambitious, you know..."

They walked up the stone steps into the Entrance Hall, where the delicious smells of dinner wafted towards them from the Great Hall.

"Poor old Snuffles," said Ron, breathing deeply. "He must really like you, Harry... imagine having to live off rats."

ϟ

After supper, Matilda had found her way into the library for some late-night reading. She'd been a little distracted lately and found herself letting herself forget about her studies, luckily, she was always a few lessons ahead, so she was never behind.

Ron sat across from her, watching her read in silence. He had said he wasn't quite ready for bed and needed to find a book for McGonagall's research paper anyway. He found the book in the library but hadn't opened it since he and Matilda had sat down at their empty table.

"What was it like kissing Harry?"

Ron blurted out his thoughts and instantly went red as the words left his mouth. Matilda who had been buried her book slowly looked up, a little confused.

"Excuse me?"

"I've heard you feel a spark," said Ron. "Was there a spark for you and Harry?"

"A spark?" Matilda questioned. "Like being electrocuted?"

Ron shrugged, "I suppose."

Matilda shook her head before going back to her book, "Then no. No spark."

Ron nodded as he traced his finger over the lettering on the leather-bound book sitting in front of him. He wanted to ask more questions; Matilda could sense it.

"Do you like him?"

Matilda sighed, she wasn't going to be getting out of this interrogation anytime soon, so she laid her book down on the table, making sure to mark it with her bookmark before.

"Why do you care, Ron?" Matilda raised her eyebrow at him.

Ron shrugged again, "Harry's my best mate. Just want to be sure he's in good hands."

Matilda chuckled. Ron was sweet, but a bad liar.

"Something has changed between Harry and me. I won't lie about that. It's like I'm closer to him – more connected," Matilda attempted to explain she felt about Harry. "He's very important to me, and just so you know, even if I don't feel romanticaly about him, I don't regret kissing him. He's my best friend and he makes me feel safe, and he isn't making things weird. I'm happy my first kiss was with Harry."

Matilda felt herself rambling and stopped, "I am sorry you had to find out through Rita Skeeter though."

"I'm not mad," he told her. He seemed to be telling the truth.

"What about me though?" Ron asked surprising Matilda.

"What about you, Ron?"

"Have things changed for us? The way you feel about me?"

Matilda opened her mouth, hoping to give Ron an easily explained answer, but closed it when she realized she didn't have an answer. She'd barely sorted out her feelings for Harry. With Ron, she'd been winging it, something she normally would never do.

Everything Matilda ever did was calculated but not with Ron; not recently.

"About the same as Harry I suppose," she said slowly, trying to choose her words carefully.

"No, not like Harry. It's different. I'm not sure how though. Maybe give me a little more time to figure it out."

Ron nodded, standing up, leaving his book laying on the table across from Matilda.

"I'll give you the time you need, Tilly," he said. "But you should know. I like you. I like you a lot. I think I've felt this way since the end of our second year. Just thought you should know."

And with that Ron turned around and stalked out of the library, his shoulders squared and the tips of his ears burning red. When he turned the corner, Matilda let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in.

She was right. Things with Ron were different.  

ϟ

V I S U A L S

( Matilda's Hogsmeade Outfit )

ϟ

AN:// more of a boring toned-down chapter.

But more insight to Matilda's feelings and emotions. And more of her friendship with Padma which has been getting a lot of attention lately. I promise more action is to come.

What are some theories for the future?