Brighter Than the Sun

Chapter Eighty-One

"Dumbledore reckons You-Know-Who's getting stronger again as well?" Ron whispered.

Harry had just finished telling us about what he'd seen in the Pensieve and what Dumbledore had told us as well. He'd also told Ron and Hermione about my being a demigod. Almost immediately, Hermione was able to recall the day we'd swapped secrets last year, and Ron remembered me breaking out my bow on the train.

Harry had also sent an owl to Sirius the moment we'd left Dumbledore's office. We sat up late in the common room once again that night, talking it all over. Luke came in later and we told him what had happened, too, and while he wasn't too happy with what I'd done with the memories ("Chiron's gonna kill us," he remarked optimistically), he eventually got over it and we continued to discuss the events.

Ron stared into the common room fire. He shivered slightly, even though the evening was warm. "And he trusts Snape?" he demanded. "He really trusts Snape, even though he knows he was a Death Eater?"

"Yes," said Harry.

Hermione had not spoken for ten minutes. She was sitting with her forehead in her hands, staring at her knees. She looked like she could use a Pensieve herself.

"Rita Skeeter," she muttered finally.

"How can you be worrying about her now?" said Ron, in utter disbelief.

"I'm not worrying about her," Hermione said to her knees. "I'm just thinking... remember what she said to me in the Three Broomsticks?"

"Oh yeah," I remembered. "Something like 'I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl.' " I did a mocking imitation of her. "And then she made a dumb comment about your hair, as if she has the right to say anything about you when she's one of the ugliest things I've ever seen — and trust me, I've seen some pretty ugly things."

"She looks like a nasty blonde harpy," Luke said, then added for our friends' benefit, "They're these winged hags who cook and clean at Camp Half-Blood."

"Oh my gods, you're totally right," I said, snorting. "She does look like a harpy!"

"What was the point of bringing up Rita Skeeter, again?" Harry asked.

"This is what she meant, isn't it?" Hermione intervened. "She reported his trial, she knew he'd passed information to the Death Eaters. And Winky too, remember... 'Ludo Bagman's a bad wizard.' Mr. Crouch would have been furious he got off, he would have talked about it at home."

"Yeah, but Bagman didn't pass information on purpose, did he?"

Hermione shrugged.

"So Fudge thinks Madame Maxime attacked Crouch?" Luke asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah —"

"He's only saying that because Crouch disappeared near the Beauxbatons carriage," I said. "And because apparently he doesn't like giants, either."

"We never thought of her, did we?" said Ron slowly. "Mind you, she's definitely got giant blood, and she doesn't want to admit it—

"Of course she doesn't," said Hermione sharply, looking up. "Look what happened to Hagrid when Rita found out about his mother. Look at Fudge, jumping to conclusions about her, just because she's part giant."

"Who needs that sort of prejudice?" I said. "I'd probably say I had big bones if I knew that's what I'd get for telling the truth."

Hermione looked at her watch. "We haven't done any practicing! We were going to do the Impediment Curse! We'll have to really get down to it tomorrow! Come on, Harry, you need to get some sleep."