Athena Black And The Goblet of Fire (sequel to The Story Of Athena Black )

Chapter 17: Meeting Everyone In Hogsmeade And The Madness Of Mr.Crouch

It was a couple of weeks after the second task and the gang were going to Hogsmead to meet Athena , Harry, Amber and Jason's family. They were meeting at the three broomsticks. The kids got there and Jessica saw Athena and toddled to her and said sissy I missed you. Athena said I missed you too little lioness and hugged her close to her. Jessica said up pwease.

Athena said okay and picked her up and carried Jessica to her family. The others followed her and grabbed some chairs and sat down. They all talked about everything that has happened in the past two weeks for a couple hours but the kids said we have to go pick up some stuff then head up to the castle for dinner love you guys. The adults said okay let us know when the final task is love you guys too.

The younger kids all started crying. Harry, Athena and Amber all kissed their younger siblings on the head and said love you guys. Athena said I will.

~Time Skip~

Athena,Harry,Hermione,and Ron went up to the Owlery after breakfast on Sunday to send a letter to Hunter, as Sirius had suggested, whether he had seen Mr. Crouch lately. They used Hedwig, because it had been so long since she'd had a job.When they had watched her fly out of sight through the Owlery window. they proceeded down to the kitchen to give Dobby his new socks.The house-elves gave them a very cheery welcome, bowing and curtsying and bustling around making tea again.

Dobby was ecstatic about his present. "Harry Potter and Athena Black is too good to Dobby!" he squeaked, wiping large tears out of his enormous eyes. "You saved my life with that gillyweed, Dobby, you really did,"said Harry. "No chance of more of those eclairs, is there?" said Ron, who was looking around at the beaming and bowing house-elves.

"You've just had breakfast!" said Hermione irritably, but a great silver platter of eclairs was already zooming toward them, supported by four elves.

"Dobby, where's Winky?" said Hermione, who was looking around."Winky is over there by the fire, miss," said Dobby quietly, his ears drooping slightly. "Oh dear," said Hermione as she spotted Winky.

Harry looked over at the fireplace too. Winky was sitting on the same stool as last time, but she had allowed herself to become so filthy that she was not immediately distinguishable from the smoke-blackened brick behind her. Her clothes were ragged and unwashed. She was clutching a bottle of butterbeer and swaying slightly on her stool, staring into the fire. As they watched her, she gave an enormous hiccup.

"Winky is getting through six bottles a day now," Dobby whispered to Harry. "Well, it's not strong, that stuff," said Ron. But Dobby shook his head. " 'Tis for a house-elf, sir," he said. Winky hiccuped again.

The elves who had brought the eclairs gave her disapproving looks as they returned to work. "Winky is pining, Harry Potter," Dobby whispered sadly."Winky wants to go home. Winky still thinks Mr. Crouch is her master, sir, and nothing Dobby says will persuade her that Professor Dumbledore is her master now." "Hey, Winky," said Harry, struck by a sudden inspiration, walking over to her, and bending down, "you don't know what Mr.Crouch might be up to, do you? Because he's stopped turning up to judge the Triwizard Tournament."

Winky's eyes flickered. Her enormous pupils focused on Harry. She swayed slightly again and then said, "M - Master is stopped - hic - coming?"
"Yeah," said Harry, "we haven't seen him since the first task. The Daily Prophet's saying he's ill." Winky swayed some more, staring blurrily at Harry.

"Master - hic - ill?" Her bottom lip began to tremble. "But we're not sure if that's true," said Hermione quickly. "Master is needing his - hic - Winky!" whimpered the elf.
"Master cannot - hic - manage - hic - all by himself. . . ." "Other people manage to do their own housework, you know, Winky," Hermione said severely.