SIRIUS.‐.BLACK.AS.HE.S.PAINTED?.
Notorious.mass.murderer.or.innocent.singing.sensation?.
Harry.had.to.read.this.first.sentence.several.times.before.he.was.convinced.that.he.had.not.misunderstood.it..Since.when.had.Sirius.been.a.singing.sensation?.
For.fourteen.years.Sirius.Black.has.been.believed.guilty.of.the.mass.murder.of.twelve.innocent.Muggles.and.one.wizard..Black.s.audacious.escape.from.Azkaban.two.years.ago.has.led.to.the.widest.manhunt.ever.conducted.by.the.Ministry.of.Magic..None.of.us.has.ever.questioned.that.he.deserves.to.be.recaptured.and.handed.back.to.the.Dementors..
BUT.DOES.HE?
Startling.new.evidence.has.recently.come.to.light.that.Sirius
Black.may.not.have.committed.the.crimes.for.which.he.was.sent.to.Azkaban..In.fact,.says.Doris.Purkiss,.of.18.Acanthia.Way,.Little.Norton,.Black.may.not.even.have.been.present.at.the.killings.
.What.people.don.t.realise.is.that.Sirius.Black.is.a.false.name,..says.Mrs.Purkiss...The.man.people.believe.to.be.Sirius.Black.is.actually.Stubby.Boardman,.lead.singer.of.popular.singing.group.The.Hobgoblins,.who.retired.from.public.life.after.being.struck.on.the.ear.by.a.turnip.at.a.concert.in.Little.Norton.Church.Hall.nearly.fiftee.years.ago..I.recognised.him.the.moment.I.saw.his.picture.in.the.paper..Now,.Stubby.couldn.t.possibly.have.committed.those.crimes,.because.on.the.day.in.question.he.happened.to.be.enjoying.a.romantic.candlelit.dinner.with.me..I.have.written.to.the.Minister.for.Magic.and.am.expecting.him.to.give.Stubby,.alias.‐Sirius,.a.full.pardon.any.day.now...
Harry.finished.reading.and.stared.at.the.page.in.disbelief..Perhaps.it.was.a.joke,
.he.thought,.perhaps.the.magazine.often.printed.spoof.Hems..He.flicked.back.a.few.pages.and.found.the.piece.on.Fudge..
Cornelius.Fudge,.the.Minister.for.Magic,.denied.that.he.had.any.plans.to.take.over.the.running.of.the.Wizarding.Bank,.Gringotts,.when.he.was.elected.Minister.for.Magic.five.years.ago..Fudge.has.always.insisted.that.he.wants.nothing.more.than.to..co‐operate.peacefully..with.the.guardians.of.our.gold.
BUT.DOES.HE?
Sources.close.to.the.Minister.have.recently.disclosed.that.Fudge.s.dearest.ambition.is.to.seize.control.of.the.goblin.gold.supplies.and.that.he.will.not.hesitate.to.use.force.if.need.be.
Tt.wouldn.t.be.the.first.time,.either,..said.a.Ministry.insider...Cornelius..Goblin‐
Crusher..Fudge,.that.s.what.his.friends.call.him..If.you.could.hear.him.when.he.thinks.no.one.s.listening,.oh,.he.s.always.talking.about.the.goblins.he.s.had.done.in;.he.s.had.them.drowned,.he.s.had.them.dropped.off.buildings,.he.s.had.them.poisoned,.he.s.had.them.cooked.in.pies….
Harry.did.not.read.any.further..Fudge.might.have.many.faults.but.Harry.found.it.extremely.hard.to.imagine.him.ordering.goblins.to.be.cooked.in.pies..He.flicked.through.the.rest.of.the.magazine..Pausing.every.few.pages,.he.read:.an.accusation.that.the.Tutshill.Tornados.were.winning.the.Quidditch.League.by.a.combination.of.blackmail,.illegal.broom‐tampering.and.torture;.an.interview.with.a.wizard.who.claimed.to.have.flown.to.the.moon.on.a.Cleansweep.Six.and.brought.back.a.bag.of.moon.frogs.to.pove.it;.and.an.article.on.ancient.runes.which.at.least.explained.why.Luna.had.been.reading.The.Quibbler.upside‐down.