The Potter Twins and the Order of the Phoenix {5}

29. Valentine's Day

"Just a couple kids on a summer street, chasing around to a flicker beat. Making mistakes that were made for us, we dust off them off like paper cuts" ~ Last Young Renegade, All Time Low

My question is answered the very next morning. When Hermione's Daily Prophet arrives she smooths it out, gazes for a moment at the front page and gives a yelp that causes everyone in the vicinity to stare at her.

"What?" Harry, Ron, and I ask at once. Tay and Riley move closer to us at the outburst, looking concerned. 

For answer, she spreads the newspaper on the table in front of us and points at ten black-and-white photographs that fill the whole of the front page, nine showing wizards' faces and the tenth, a witch's. Some of the people in the photographs are silently jeering; others are tapping their fingers on the frame of their pictures, looking insolent. Each picture is captioned with a name and the crime for which the person had been sent to Azkaban.

Antonin Dolohov, reads the legend beneath a wizard with a long, pale, twisted face who is sneering up at me, convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett.

Algernon Rookwood, says the caption beneath a pockmarked man with greasy hair who is leaning against the edge of his picture, looking bored, convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic secrets to He Who Must Not Be Named.

But my eyes are drawn to the picture of the witch. Her face had leapt out at me the moment I had seen the page. She has long, dark hair that looks unkempt and straggly in the picture, though I have seen it sleek, thick and shining. She glares up at me through heavily lidded eyes, an arrogant, disdainful smile playing around her thin mouth. Like Sirius, she retains vestiges of great good looks, but something--perhaps Azkaban--has taken most of her beauty.

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

Hermione nudges Harry and me and points at the headline over the pictures, which I concentrating on Bellatrix, have not yet read.

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

"Black?" Harry says loudly. "Not - ?"

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

"It doesn't matter anymore," I hiss furiously. "He's been cleared! Everyone knows he's innocent!"

Though I read it quietly nonetheless;

The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban.

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 the Sirius Black escaped,' said Fudge last night. 'Regardless that we recently cleared Black's name, we do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An 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 others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have been inspired by Black. We will be following these claims up with Mr Black and will act accordingly if need be. 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 says looking awestruck. "That's why he was happy last night."

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