“Give Harry to me, Hagrid, I’m his godfather, I’ll look after him.”
“Here, take my motorbike. I won’t need it anymore.”
“Have you finished with your paper yet, Minister?”
“He’s at Hogwarts....he’s at Hogwarts...”
“Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor.”
“I thought you’d come and help your friend; your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I’m grateful...it will make everything much easier.”
“Lie down, you will damage that leg even more.”
“There’ll be only one murder here tonight.”
“No! I’ve waited to long! [to kill Peter]”
“Going to kill me, Harry?”
“I don’t deny it, [killing the Potters] but if you knew the whole story.”
“You’ve got to listen to me! You’ll regret it if you don’t, you don’t understand...”
“That’s not a rat! He’s an Animagus, by the name of Peter Pettigrew.”“I meant to, [kill Peter] but little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though!”
“We can explain afterwards!”
“All right, then. Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for.”
“They didn’t see what they thought they saw!”
“If you’re going to tell them the story, get a move on, Remus. I’ve waited twelve years, I’m not going to wait much longer!”
“Hurry up, Remus!”
“Snape? What’s Snape got to do with it?”
“It served him [Snape] right! Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to...hoping he could get us expelled...”
“The joke’s on you again, Severus. As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle; I’ll come quietly.”
“You-- you’ve got to hear me out! The rat-- look at the rat--”
“You shouldn’t have done that; you should have left him to me.”
“Fudge; when he came to inspect Azkaban last year, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page...on this boy’s shoulder. I knew him at once, how many times had I seen him transform? The caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts...to where Harry was.”
“He’s got a toe missing.”
“Just before he transformed [he cut off his finger]. When I cornered him he yelled for the whole street to hear that I betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself--and sped down into the sewer with the other rats.”
“This cat isn’t mad; he’s the most intelligent of his kind I’ve ever met. He recognized Peter for what he was right away. And when he met me, he knew I was no dog. It was awhile before he trusted me. Finally, I managed to communicate to him what I was after, and he’s been helping me.”
“He tried to bring Peter to me but couldn’t, so he stole the passwords into Gryffindor tower for me. As I understand it, he took them from a boy’s bedside table.”
“But Peter got wind of what was going on and ran for it. This cat--Crookshanks, did you call him?--told me that Peter had left blood on the sheets...I supposed he bit himself...well, faking his own death had worked once.”
“Yes, I have.” [come to kill Peter]
“Harry, I as good as killed them. I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me. I’m to blame; I know it. The night they died; I’d arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place he had gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn’t fee right; I was scared. I set out for your parents’ house straight away. And when I saw their house destroyed, and their bodies....I realized what Peter must have done, what I’d done.”
“Together?” [transform Peter]
“Voldemort, teach me tricks? Hahahahahaha!”
“What, scared to hear your old master’s name? I don’t blame you, Peter. His lot aren’t very happy with you, are they?”
“You haven’t been hiding from me for twelve years.! You’ve been hiding from Voldemort’s old supporters. I’ve heard things in Azkaban, Peter...They all think you’re dead, or you’d have to answer to them. I’ve heard the screaming all sorts of things in their sleep, sounds like they think they double-crosser double-crossed them. And not all of Voldemort’s supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out there, biding their time, pretending they’ve seen the error of their ways...if they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter--”
“How dare you?!? I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter--I’ll never understand why I didn’t see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who’d look after you, didn’t you? It used to be us, me and Remus, and James...”
“Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it! I thought it was the perfect plan, a bluff. Voldemort would be sure to come after me., he would never dream they’d use a weak talentless thing like you. It must have bee the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters.”
“I’ll tell you why. [Peter never hurt Harry] Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort’s been in hiding for fifteen years, they say he’s half-dead. You weren’t about to commit murder for a wreck of a wizard right under Albus Dumbledore’s nose, were you? You’d want to be sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn’t you? Why else Did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren’t you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength and it was safe to rejoin him.”
“I don’t know how I did it. I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. It wasn’t a happy thought, so the dementors couldn’t suck it out of me.. but it helped keep me sane and knowing who I am. It helped me keep my powers, so when it all became...too much..I could transform in my cell. Dementors can’t see, you know. They feel their way towards people by feeding off their emotions. They could tell that my feeling were less human, less complex when I was a dog. But they thought, of course, that I was losing my mind, like everyone else in there, so it didn’t trouble them. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand.”
“Then I saw Peter in that picture, I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry, perfectly positioned to act if one hint reached his ears that the dark side was regaining strength. Ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies, and deliver the last Potter to them. I the gave them Harry, who’d dare say he betrayed Lord Voldemort? He’d be welcomed back with honours. So, you see, I had to do something; I was the only one who knew that Peter was still alive."
“It was as if someone had lit a fire in my head that the dementors couldn’t destroy. It wasn’t a happy feeling; it was an obsession, but it gave me strength and cleared my mind. So, one night one they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog. It’s so much harder for them to sense animal emotions than human, that they became confused. I was thin, very thin, thin enough to slip through the bars. I swam as a dog back to the mainland. I journeyed north and slipped into the Hogwarts grounds as a dog. I’ve been living in the forest ever since, except when I came to watch the Quidditch, of course. You fly as well as your father did, Harry.”
“Believe me! Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed Lily and James. I’d have died before I betrayed them.”
“There’s enough filth on my robes without you touching them!”
“Forgive me, Remus.”
“Of course. [I will forgive you] Shall we kill him together?”
“If you made a better rat than human, it’s not much to boast about, Peter.”
“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HARRY? HOW DARE YOU FACE HIM? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES IN FRONT OF HIM?!?“
“You sold Lily and James to Voldemort. Do you deny it?”
“DON’T LIE! YOU’D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU-WERE-HIS-SPY!!!”
“What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed? Only innocent lives, Peter.”
“THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
“Harry, this piece of vermin is the reason you have no parents! This cringing bit of filth would have seen you die too, without turning a hair. You heard him, his own stinking skin meant more to him than your whole family.”
“You’re the only person who has the right to decide, Harry. But think, think what he did...”
“But if you transform, Peter, we will kill you. You agree, Harry?"
“And two of us should be chained to this, just to make sure.”
“You know what this means? Turning Pettigrew in?"
“Yes [I’m free]. But I’m also--I don’t know if anyone ever told you--I’m your godfather.”
“Well...your parents appointed me your guardian. If anything happened to them...”
“I’ll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle, but, well...think about it. Once my name’s cleared... if you wanted a...a different home...”
“Of course, I thought you wouldn’t want to. I understand, I just thought that I’d--”
“You want to? You mean it?”
“Run. Run, now.”
“Leave it to me--RUN!”
“Noooooo! Noooooo...please...”
“How--how--?”
“What happened to the other boy? Ron?”
“How can I ever thank--”
“We’ll see each other again. You are--truly your father’s son, Harry.”
•Letter from Sirius to Harry:
Dear Harry,
Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won’t tell you where, in case this owl
falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt as to his reliability, but he
is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job. I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven’t a
hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me
soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be
lifted. There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief
meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt. Crookshanks took the order to
the Owl Office for me. I used your name, but told them to take the gold from
my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays’ worth of
presents from your godfather. I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that
night last year when you left your uncle’s house. I had only hoped to get a
glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me
alarmed you. I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next
year at Hogwarts more enjoyable. If you ever need me, send word. Your owl will find me. I’ll write again soon, Sirius “I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter’s godfather, hereby give him permission to
visit Hogsmeade on weekends.” P.S. I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it’s my fault
he no longer has a rat. •Letter from Sirius to Harry Harry, I’m here. I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in
a series of strange rumors that have reached If it hurts again, go
straight to Dumbledore--they’re saying he’s got Mad-Eye Moody out of
retirement, which means he’s reading the signs, even if no one else is. I’ll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes
open, Harry. Sirius •Letter from Sirius to Harry
Nice try, Harry. I’m back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on
everything that’s going on at Hogwarts. Don’t use Hedwig, keep changing
owls, and don’t worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don’t forget
what I said about your scar. Sirius •Correspondence between Sirius and Harry Harry, I can’t say everything I would like to in a letter, it’s too risky in
case the owl is intercepted-- we need to talk face to face. Can you ensure
that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o’clock in the
morning on the 22nd of November? I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself, and while
you’re around Dumbledore and Moody I don’t think anyone will be able to hurt
you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that
tournament would have bee very risky, especially right under Dumbledore’s
nose. Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual.
Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can. Sirius “Never mind me, how are you?” “Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we’ll get to that in a minute--I
haven’t got long here...I’ve broken into a wizarding house to use the fire,
but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you
about.” “Karkaroff. Harry, he was a Death-Eater. You know what Death-Eaters are,
don’t you?” “He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he was released. I’d bet
everything that’s why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year--to
keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him in Azkaban in the first
place.” “He [Karkaroff] had a deal with the Ministry of Magic. He said he’d seen
the error of his ways, and then he named names, he put a load of people in
Azkaban in his place. He’s not very popular in there, I can tell you that.
And since he got out, from what I can tell, he’s been teaching the Dark Arts
to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the
Durmstrang champion as well.” “We know Karakaroff’s a good actor, because he convinced the Ministry of
Magick to set him free, didn’t he? Now, I’ve been keeping an eye on the
Daily Prophet, Harry--” “I was reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman’s article last month,
Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she
says it was another false alarm, but I don’t think so, somehow. I think
someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no
one’s going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye’s heard intruders a bit too
often. But that doesn’t mean he can’t still spot the real thing. Moody was
the best Auror the Ministry ever had.” “I’ve been hearing some very strange things. The Death-Eaters seem to be a
bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch
World Cup, didn’t they? Someone set off the Dark Mark...and then--did you
hear about that Ministry of Magick witch who has gone missing?”
“Exactly..she disappeared in Albania, and that’s definitely where Voldemort
was rumored to be last...and she would’ve known the Triwizard Tournament was
coming up, wouldn’t she?” “Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins. She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years
above your Dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none
at all. It’s not a good combination, Harry. I’d say she’d be very easy to
lure into a trap.” “I don’t know [if Karkaroff is acting by Voldemort’s orders]. I just don’t
know...Karkaroff doesn’t strike me as the type who’d go back to Voldemort
unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put
your name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can’t help thinking the
tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an
accident.”
“Right--these dragons. There’s a way, Harry. Don’t be tempted to try a
Stunning Spell--dragons are strong and too powerfully magickal to be knocked
out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to
overcome a dragon--” “But you can do it alone. There is a way, and a simple spell’s all you need.
Just--” •Letter addressed to Harry, sent by Sirius Dear Harry, Congratulations on getting past the Horntail. Whoever put your name in
the goblet shouldn’t be feeling too happy right now! I was going to suggest
a Conjunctivitis Curse, as a dragon’s eyes are its weakest point, but your
way was better, I’m impressed. Don’t get complacent, though, Harry. You’ve only done one task; whoever
put you in for the tournament’s got plenty more opportunity if they’re trying
to hurt you. Keep your eyes open--particularly when the person we discussed
is around--and concentrate on keeping yourself out of trouble. Keep in touch, I still want to hear about anything unusual. Sirius • Note to Harry from Sirius Send date of next Hogsmeade trip by return owl. •Message from Sirius Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and Banges) at
two o’clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can. “Chicken!”[Yeah! No more rats!] “Thanks. [for the food] I’ve been living off rats mostly. Can’t steal too
much food from Hogsmeade; I’d draw attention to myself.” “I’m fulfilling my duty as Godfather. Don’t worry about it, I’m pretending
to be a lovable stray.” “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.”
“You three and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I’m an
Animagus.”
“Crouch sacked his house-elf?”
“Let me get this straight. You first saw the elf in the Top Box. She was
saving Crouch a seat, right?” “But Crouch didn’t turn up for the match?” “Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you’d left the Top
Box?” “It’s possible” [whoever stole your wand was in the Top Box] “The elf wasn’t the only one in the box. Who else was sitting behind you?” “Anyone else?” “I don’t know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the
Wimbourne Wasps. What’s he like?”
“Does he, now?” I wonder why he’d do that?” [offer Harry help]
“Hmm....”
“When the Dark Mark was conjured, and the elf had been discovered holding
Harry’s wand, what did Crouch do?” “Of course. Of course, he’d want to pin it on anyone but his own elf...and
then he sacked her?”
“She’s got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to
know what a man is like, take a good look at how how 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 he doesn’t
even bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the
Triwizard Tournament, and then he 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.”
“Oh, I know Crouch all right. He was the one who gave the order for me to be
sent to Azkaban--without a trial.”
“No, I’m not kidding. Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical
law Enforcement, didn’t you know?” “He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic. He’s a great wizard, Barty
Crouch, powerfully magical--and power-hungry. Oh, never a Voldemort
supporter. No, 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...”
“All right, I’ll try you. 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 it hidden from 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 may have been good in the beginning--I wouldn’t
know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering out
harsh measures against Voldemort’s supporters. The Aurors were given new
powers--powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. . And I was the
only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial. Crouch
fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of 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 job.
But then something rather unfortunate happened...Crouch’s own son was caught
with a group of Death-Eaters who’d manage to talk their way out of Azkaban.
Apparently, they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power.”
“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.”
“I’ve no idea if his son was a Death-Eater. I was in Azkaban myself when he
was brought in. This is mostly stuff I’ve learned since I got out. The boy
was definitely caught in in the company of people I’d bet my life were
Death-Eaters--but he might have just been in the wrong place at the wrong
time, just like the house-elf.”
“Hah! 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 the 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.”
“That’s right. 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
to 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..” “No. No, he’s not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought
him in.” “He wasn’t the only one. 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 afterward. 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.”
“So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made. One moment,
a hero, poised to become the next Minister of Magic...next, his son dead,
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 Fudge got the top job and Crouch was shunted
aside into the Department of International Magical Cooperation.”
[Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards] “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.”
“Yes, and that doesn’t make sense at all.” [Crouch sneaking into Snape’s
office]
“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.”
“I think they’ve both got a point. Ever since I found out Snape was teaching
her, 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. Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the
kids in the 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 Imperious Curse--he’s still at large. But as far as I
know, Snape was never even accused of being 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.”
“He [Karkaroff] showed Snape something on his arm? Well, I’ve no idea what
that’s about...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.”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it past Mad-Eye to search every single teacher’s office
when he got to Hogwarts. He take 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 a Death-Eater. 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
turn up in the Top Box? What’s he been doing while he should have been
judging the tournament?”
“You say your brother’s Crouch’s personal assistant? Any chance you could
ask him if he’s seen Crouch lately?” “And you might try and find out if they’ve got any leads on Bertha Jorkins
while you’re at it.”
“Yes he [Bagman] is quoted in the article there. 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... maybe that’s why Bagman didn’t bother
to look for her for so long.”
“What’s the time?”
“You’d better get back to school. Now, listen; 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 leaving Hogwarts without
permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you.”
“I don’t care! I’ll breathe freely again when this tournament is over, and
that’s not until June. And don’t forget, if you’re talking about me amongst
yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?”[we love you, Snuffles!]
“I’ll walk to the edge of the village with you, see if I can scrounge another
paper.”
•Letters from Sirius Harry, What do you think you’re playing at, walking off into the forest with
Viktor Krum? I want you to swear, by return owl, that you are not going
walking with anyone else at night. There is somebody highly dangerous at
Hogwarts. It is clear to me that they wanted to stop Crouch from seeing
Dumbledore and you were probably feet away from them in the dark. You could
have been killed.
Your name didn’t get into the Goblet of Fire by accident. If someone is
trying to attack you, they’re on their last chance. Stay close to Ron and
Hermione, do not leave Gryffindor Tower after hours, and arm yourself for the
third task. Practice Stunning and Disarming. A few hexes wouldn’t go amiss,
either. There's nothing you can do about Crouch; keep your head down and
look after yourself. I’m waiting for your letter giving me your word you
won’t stray out-of-bounds again. Sirius Harry, If Voldemort is indeed getting stronger again, my priority is to ensure
your safety. He cannot hope to lay hands on you while you are under
Dumbledore’s protection, but all the same, take no risks: Concentrate on
getting through that maze safely, and then we can turn our attention to other
matters. Sirius “Harry, are you all right? I knew it--I knew some thing like this--what
happened?” “What happened?” “We can leave that till morning, can’t we, Dumbledore? Let him have a sleep.
Let him rest.” “The wands connected? Why?” “The Reverse Spell effect?” “So what happens when a wand meets its brother?” “Diggory came back to life?” “GRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!” “You’ll see me very soon, Harry. I promise you. But I must do what I can,
you understand, don’t you?”