Harry Potter 04 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

one out, and by the looks of things, I’m not the only one who’s getting worried.’
    He nodded at the yellowing Daily Prophet s 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 three 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 Prophet s. 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.
    Harry looked down the story about Crouch. Phrases jumped out at him: 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 Harry slowly, still reading the story. ‘The night my name came out of the Goblet …’
    ‘Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn’t he?’ said Hermione coldly. She was 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.
    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.
    ‘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!’
    ‘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. ‘He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament.’
    ‘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