Emma Potter

114: Skeeter Screwed

Dumbledore reckons You-Know-Who's getting strongeragain as well?" Zoe whispered.Everything i had seen in the Pensieve, nearly everythingDumbledore had told and shown me afterward, I had nowshared with Zoe — and, of course, with Sirius, towhom I had sent an owl the moment I had left Dumbledore's office. 

Me and Zoe sat up late in the commonroom once again that night, talking it all over until my mindwas reeling, until I understood what Dumbledore had meantabout a head becoming so full of thoughts that it would have beena relief to siphon them off. 

Zoe stared into the common room fire. I thought I saw her shiver slightly, even though the evening was warm. 

"And he trusts Snape?" Zoe said. "He really trusts Snape, eventhough he knows he was a Death Eater?" 

"Yes," said Harry.

Silence. 

"Rita Skeeter," I muttered finally. 

"How can you be worrying about her now?" said Zoe, in utterdisbelief. 

"I'm not worrying about her," I said to my knees. "I'mjust thinking . . . remember what she said to me in the ThreeBroomsticks? 'I know things about Ludo Bagman that would makeyour hair curl.' This is what she meant, isn't it? She reported histrial, she knew he'd passed information to the Death Eaters. AndWinky too, remember . . . 'Ludo Bagman's a bad wizard.' Mr.Crouch would have been furious he got off, he would have talkedabout it at home.""Yeah, but Bagman didn't pass information on purpose, did he?" I shrugged.

Zoe stared out the window. 

 "And Fudge reckons Madame Maxime attacked Crouch?" Zoe said, turning back to me. 

"Yeah,"I said, "but he's only saying that because Crouchdisappeared near the Beauxbatons carriage." 

"We never thought of her, did we?"Zoe said slowly. "Mindyou, she's definitely got giant blood, and she doesn't want to admitit —" 

"Of course she doesn't," I said sharply, looking up."Look what happened to Hagrid when Rita found out about hismother. Look at Fudge, jumping to conclusions about her, just because she's part giant. Who needs that sort of prejudice? I'd probably say I had big bones if I knew that's what I'd get for telling thetruth."

Zoe checked her watch "we better sleep. . ."

"You go" I sighed "I need to study." And I did. But as I made my way upto bed I couldn't sleep.

Harry and I often got sympathyfrom strangers for being an orphan, but I thought that Neville deserved it more than we did. Lyingin the darkness, I felt a rush of anger and hate toward the people who had tortured Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom. . . . I remembered the jeers of the crowd as Crouch's son and his companionshad been dragged from the court by the dementors. . . . I understood how they had felt. . . . Then I remembered the milk-whiteface of the screaming boy and realized with a jolt that he had dieda year later. . . . 

It was Voldemort, I thought, staring up at the canopy of hisbed in the darkness, it all came back to Voldemort. . . . He was theone who had torn these families apart, who had ruined all theselives. . . . 

"Ems" said Draco in surprise "did you sleep at all?" 

"Huh?" I said with a jolt. What with studying for exams, helping my brother, worrying about Sirius, thinking about Voldermort and trying to figure out a way to sneak into the tournament, I hadn't slept much. 

"You need sleep Ems" said Zoe, passing me a goblet of pumpkin juice. 

The mood in the castle as they entered June became excited andtense again. Everyone was looking forward to the third task, whichwould take place a week before the end of term. Harry was practicing hexes at every available moment. He felt more confident aboutthis task than either of the others. Difficult and dangerous thoughit would undoubtedly be, Moody was right: Harry had managed tofind his way past monstrous creatures and enchanted barriers before now, and this time he had some notice, some chance to prepare himself for what lay ahead.