Squib On The Run (sequel to Squib In The basement)

37. Bartemius

Cassiopeia knitted both Harry and Draco gloves that year, and Sirius sent Harry an enchanted knife that could open most locked doors.
Harry responded by sending them an entire Christmas dinner, which had to be carried by several owls.
So, even though they were stuck in a cold cave, with only each other and Buckbeak for company, at least they had a good meal to eat.
It warmed Cassiopeia's heart to know that Harry hadn't forgotten them. She just wished that they could be a proper family, like everybody else.

When the new year arrived, Harry and his friends took another trip into Hogsmeade to visit Cassiopeia and Sirius.
"Did you have a good Christmas?" Asked Cassiopeia, as she hugged Harry tight.
"Yeah, it wasn't too bad" answered Harry, as he released her.
"And was getting a date to the dance, just as terrifying as you feared?" Teased Cassiopeia.
Harry blushed, "It wasn't easy. But in the end, I took a girl in our house, and her sister in Ravenclaw went with Ron".
"Hermione was the one who suprised everyone, by going with-" started Ron.
"Viktor Krum. I saw it in the Daily Prophet. Sirius steals as many as he can from bins in the villiage" finished Cassiopeia, indicating to all the papers that scattered the cave.

"I just went to a dance with him. It wasn't a date or anything" insisted Hermione.
"I hope not. Krum is an 18 year old, famous Quidditch player from Bulgaria, and you are just 14" reminded Cassiopeia.
"That's what I said! He is too old for her" insisted Ron.
"Keep your nose out Ronald! Just because it took you 4 years to notice that I'm a girl, it doesn't mean everyone else is as blind as you" snapped Hermione.
"Please don't fight again" begged Harry.
"Blame me, I shouldn't have brought it up" apologised Cassiopeia.
"It's fine, you weren't to know that they've been arguing constantly, since the Yule Ball" replied Harry, causing Hermione and Ron to awkwardly stare at the floor.

"Thanks for the food" said Sirius, trying to fill the silence.
"You're welcome. I've brought you some more" announced Harry, as he placed his backpack on the floor and pulled out two brown paper bags.
He then handed one to Sirius and the other to Cassiopeia.
The pair then sat down onto the floor and began tucking into the chicken and potatoes Harry had brought.

To stop himself from watching them eat, Harry's eyes scanned the cave, his eyes catching the headline on one of the Daily Prophet's.
"They make it sound like he's dying" mumbled Harry.
Cassiopeia looked over at the paper about Barty Crouch, and sighed.
"I wish he was" she mumbled.
"He's not been seen in weeks. For all we know he could be" admitted Sirius.
"My brother is Crouch's personal assistant. He says Crouch is suffering from being overworked" informed Ron.

Sirius scoffed, "I doubt it. If Crouch has ever taken a day off before, due to being overworked, I'll eat Buckbeak".
"Yeah, he's not the type to take sick days, which is why his sudden absence is strange" added Cassiopeia.
Harry frowned, looking from Cassiopeia to Sirius.
"You two sound like you know him, like personally" said Harry.
"I didn't really have much to do with him during the wizarding war. He campaigned for stronger punishments to be used against death eaters. He even allowed aurors to use Unforgivable Curses in battle. Everyone said he was going to be the next Minister for Magic. I never met the man though... Until he sent me to Azkaban, without a trial" revealed Sirius.

Hermione gasped, "You didn't even get a trial?".
"Nope. Crouch decided there was enough evidence to sentence me to life in Azkaban, without the need of a formal trial" explained Sirius.
"That's illegal" replied Hermione.
Sirius shrugged, "It was the end of the war. Everyone wanted to forget the past and move on. No one wanted a lengthy trial, to drag things out. They were too busy celebrating the downfall of Voldemort, to care about whether another Black was innocent or not. The Black family had a pretty bad reputation afterall".

"I don't think that having a trial would have helped you, since everyone was pretty sure that you were guilty, and there was no evidence to suggest otherwise. Besides, I had a trial, and it didn't exactly help me. Crouch shipped me off to live with mother, and I ended up back in that fucking basement" murmered Cassiopeia.
"What do you mean, Crouch shipped you off?" Questioned Harry.
"My mother was at court that day. During my trial, she convinced everyone that I was a half-wit, who couldn't possibly live alone. So, even though I was old enough to make my own decisions, Crouch decided that since I was clearly delusional, and a woman of limited intelligence, I should be returned to my family home to be looked after by my mother. And well, you know what happened next" replied Cassiopeia.

"Crouch got his comeuppance in the end though" smiled Sirius.
"Hardly" countered Cassiopeia.
"He was forced to ship his only son off to the Dementors, for being in the presence of death eaters. His boy died in Azkaban shortly later, and then his wife also died. And he lost favour with the general public, so he never became Minister for Magic. I'd say that is the universe's way of getting revenge on him" replied Sirius.
"Poor little Barty. He was just a boy" Cassiopeia said quietly.

"Who?" Questioned Ron.
"Barty Crouch's son; Barty Crouch Jr. He was only like 19 when he died in Azkaban I think. His path and mine crossed quite a bit, since he was best friends with my brother Regulus. He was just a bit older than me, and like me, he didn't have a great family life. Crouch neglected his son, choosing to focus his priorities on his career instead. It's no wonder young Barty lost his way" admitted Cassiopeia.
"He didn't lose his way. He became a death eater" said Sirius coldly.
"That doesn't mean he was evil" countered Cassiopeia.

"I know where you are going with this, but Barty was different to Regulus. He had a choice. Crouch was a big anti-Voldemort preacher, so Voldemort never would have approached Barty, to try and convert him, it would have been too risky. Barty must have searched out Voldemort on his own. Regulus didn't have that luxury, as he was a Black, and there were a lot more expectations on him. There were also other death eaters in our family, who had recommended Regulus to Voldemort. Regulus never had a choice, but Barty willingly chose the dark path, so he reaped the consequences of his actions" announced Sirius.
"Loo, I'll admit that Barty was never my friend exactly. But he was always nice to me. We had a shared goal afterall, looking after our godson together, and we often shared baby sitting duties" reminded Cassiopeia.

"Me?" Frowned Harry.
"No Harry, not you. I share my other godson with Barty" answered Cassiopeia.
"Who?" Questioned Harry.
"It doesn't matter. It's not important to the story. The point is, Barty Crouch Jr was not evil. He was just a misguided boy, who didn't deserve to die alone in Azkaban" insisted Cassiopeia.
"You forget why he was sent to Azkaban in the first place. He tortured Frank and Alice into insanity!" Exclaimed Sirius.
"He was found in the presence of death eaters, it doesn't mean he committed those crimes himself" replied Cassiopeia.

"Even if he didn't commit the crime. He wasn't just hanging around low ranking death eaters. He was found with Bellatrix, who was the worst of the worst. She was Voldemort's right hand man. Anyone found wearing death eater robes in her presence, is not innocent" said Sirius.
"Well, agree to disagree. But after his death, Crouch became a changed man. Much less out spoken, but just as much a workaholic. His work was all he had left after the loss of his wife and son. He's been working to get the Triwizard Tournament reinstated for years. Which is why it is strange that he's stopped showing up to judge it" replied Cassiopeia.

Sirius turned to face Ron, "You said your brother is his personal assistant".
"He is. But Percy hasn't seen him in weeks. He gets all of his instructions via owl" explained Ron.
"Do you think you could write to him? Ask him when the last time he saw Crouch in person was. If anyone can find out more information about what he's up to, it's his assistant" replied Sirius.
"I can give it ago. But Percy isn't exactly the most reliable brother. He's a bit like Crouch by the sounds of it. He prioritises his career over his own family".

Hermione frowned, "Percy would never hand a family member over to the Dementors, like Crouch did".
"He could do. He's very ambitious and career focused... Anyway, I'll write to him to see what he knows about Crouch" said Ron.
"Good. In the meantime you three need to keep your heads down. Whoever put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire, is still out there. So, you need to sleep with one eye open" warned Sirius.
"What he means is, just be careful, please. And don't take any unnecessary risks" begged Cassiopeia.
"She's right. And you should refer to me as Snuffles around the castle. Because even saying Padfoot is too risky, since Snape has seen the Marauders Map".

"O.K" mumbled Harry as he stood to his feet.
"You should probably get back to the castle, before it gets too late" sighed Cassiopeia, as the others all joined Harry standing up.
Her and Sirius then threw their arms around Harry, holding him in a group hug.
"Whenever you get scared or anxious during this tournament. I want you to remember how you feel in this moment. Safe with us" whispered Cassiopeia.
"I will" smiled Harry.
"Good. Then go and have fun, and I will see you again soon" promised Cassiopeia.