Hopeless : Sirius Black's daughter Book 2

Padfoot returns

"Blaise, listen to me please." I pleaded after the lesson.

"Is it true?" he said turning around.

"Um...which part?" I asked nervously. He laughed bitterly.

"I was hoping it was all a crazy lie by Rita Skeeter to get back at you! How can you do this to me Camilla? After everything I have done for you? Really?" he shouted. I stepped back, I had never seen Blaise so angry. People turned to watch the row.

"I'm sorry, I-" I started.

"Sorry doesn't cut it Camilla." he said walking away.

"What are you all looking at? Get back to your miserable lives!" I fired at the spectators.

"It's not our fault that you messed up your life." snapped Pansy Parkinson walking by. I left the corridors and went to sulk at the dormitory. I decided to give Blaise some time to cool off.

The following day I woke up really late before remembering that I was supposed to meet Sirius at Hogsmeade. Everyone was gone by now so I just took a Strengthening Potion and I somehow knew the path that Harry, Ron and Hermione had taken. It went up a really high rocky hill. I took it all in stride.

Half an hour later, I arrived at a fissure in the rock which led into a dimly lit cave. There battling with a chicken leg, was my father. His dark hair was long and matted. He was too thin and his eyes were sunken and empty in their sockets. His robes were the ragged gray Azkaban uniform. In short, he looked worse than uncle Remus after a transformation.

"Daddy!" I said running and wrapping my arms around him.

"Cam." he said holding on to me.

"Sorry, I got up late and I couldn't get the food-which you desparately need by the way you look terrible- but I brought you a Strengthening Potion." I said.

"It's fine. Thank you." he said taking it.

"What were you guys talking about before I got here?" I asked.

"All these absences of Barty Crouch's ... he goes to the trouble of making sure his elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too... It's not like him. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'd eat Buckbeak."

"D'you know Crouch, then?" said Harry.

Sirius's face darkened."I know Crouch all right," he said quietly. "He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban - without trial."

"What?" I said.

"You're kidding!" said Harry.

"No, I'm not," said Sirius.

"Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?"

We shook our heads.

"He was tipped as the next Minister of Magic," said Sirius. "Barty Crouch is powerfully magical and power hungry. Never a Voldemort supporter," he said, reading the look on Harry's face. "No, Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side..you wouldn't understand...you're too young. ..."

"That's what my dad said at the World Cup," said Ron irritated "Try us, won't you?"

Sirius grinned.

"All right, I'll try you..." He walked once up the cave, and said, "Imagine Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know his supporters, who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, your family, and friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, torturing...the Ministry's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere...panic, confusion. That's how it used to be.

"Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he ordered harsh measures against Voldemort's supporters. Aurors were given new powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. I wasn't the only one who was handed to the dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized use of the Unforgivable Curses on suspects. He became as cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had supporters, - plenty of people thought he was going the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister. When Voldemort disappeared it seemed only a matter of time. But then his son was caught with Death Eaters." said Sirius smiling.

"Did he try to get him off?" I asked.

"No. He died in Azkaban." said Sirius

"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards," Harry said

"Yeah, I heard it's become a bit of a mania with him." said Sirius.

They started talking about why Crouch would search Snape's office. I tuned out, thinking, until Harry spoke about Karkaroff showing Snape his arm. When the others left, I showed Sirius my own mark.

"Show this to Dumbledore. No one else." he said urgently.

"It's bad news isn't it?" I asked. He didn't have to answer. The look on his face said it all.