Kassandra Bauer and the Order of the Phoenix. (Book 5)

Chapter 24: Beetle at the Bay.

(Kassandra P.O.V)

My question was answered the very next morning. When Hermione's Daily Prophet arrived, she smoothed it out, gazed for a moment at the front page and gave a yelp that caused everyone in th vicinity to stare at her. 

"What?" Harry, Ron, Ryan, Sophie, Ginny, Neville, and I asked at once. 

For answers, she spread the newspaper on the table in front of us and pointed at eleven black and white photographs that filled the whole of the front page, ten showing wizards' faces and the eleventh, a witch's. Some of the people in the photographs were silently jeering; others were tapping their fingers on the frame of their pictures, looking insolent. Each picture was captioned with a name and the crime for which the person had been sent to Azkaban for. 

'Antonin Dolohov.' Read the legend beneath a wizard with a long, pale, twisted face who was sneering at me. 'Convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett.'

'Augustus Rookwood.' There was a caption beneath of pockmarked man with greasy hair who was leaning against the edge of his picture, looking bored. 'Convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic secrets to He Who Must Not be Named.'

One I also noticed was one of Fletcher Snyde. Still looking as evil and nasty as ever. 'Fletcher Snyde. Convicted of brutal torturing and brutal killing of Daniel Bauer.' 

"They're only a year late." I commented sadly while thinking of Pater. 

But what turned my eyes elsewhere was the picture of the witch. Her face had leapt out at the moment I had seen the page. She had long, dark hair that looked unkempt and straggly in the picture, though I had seen it sleek, thick, and shining. She glared up at me through heavily lidded eyes, an arrogant, disdainful smile playing around her think mouth. Like Sirius, she retained vestiges of great looks, but it looked like Azkaban took most of her beauty. 

'Bellatrix Lestrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom.'

That's the woman... I looked at Neville who was looking at the Daily Prophet as in utter shock. 

I also saw an even bigger headline. 

'MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN. MINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS 'RALLYING POINT' FOR OLD DEATH EATERS.'

"Black?" Harry asked loudly. "Not-?" 

"Shhh!" Hermione whispered desperately. "Not so loud- just read it!" 

We read it more. 

Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, confirmed that ten high security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals.

'We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when Sirius Black escaped.' Said Fudge last night. 'We believe the two breakouts are unrelated. And escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help other follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals, and we beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached.'

"There you are, Harry." Ron said looking awestruck. "That's why Voldemort was happy last night." 

"I don't believe this!" Harry snarled. "Fudge is trying to blame the breakout on Sirius?"