Unravelling the Mystery

"Serves him right," said Hermione coldly. "Comeuppance for sacking Winky, just because she made an innocent mistake…"

"Hermione's obsessed with House-Elves," Ron muttered to Sirius, miming a movement to suggest she was crazy.

"Crouch's sacked his House-Elf?" said Sirius, his interest suddenly piqued.

"Slow down," said Lupin. "What mistake? And why were you so sure that Crouch was after you, Oleandra?"

It looked as though Hermione was eager to say her piece, so Oleandra nodded at her to signal that she could go first.

"After the Death Eaters appeared," Hermione began explaining, "the Dark Mark was cast not far from where we had taken refuge in the forest. After the Aurors Apparated all around us, sending Stunning Spells everywhere, they discovered Winky holding Harry's wand, unconscious. Mr. Diggory verified that it had been Harry's wand that had cast the Dark Mark."

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"And then Crouch sacked Winky, just for having picked up a wand," Hermione said. "It was an honest mistake, and it's a ridiculous law that non-humans can't even touch a wand in the first place!"

"Hang on," said Oleandra. "I thought that he had sacked Winky because she had attacked me for no reason!"

Sirius and Lupin exchanged a glance, excitement shining in their eyes.

"How did you lose your wand in the first place, Harry?" Lupin asked. "When was the last time you checked your pockets at the time?"

"I dunno when I lost it, to be honest," Harry admitted. "I had it in my back pocket, so it could have fallen out at any time, really. I only found out I had lost it when we were in the forest."

"For no reason," Sirius said, repeating Oleandra's words. "Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement… During the war, Crouch didn't need much of a pretext to arrest and sentence people to Azkaban— He's the one who sent me there without a trial! But this could still be important. Do you have any idea why Winky attacked you, and why Crouch seemed so dead set on bothering you?"

"What?" said Ron and Hermione together upon learning that Crouch was responsible for this dereliction of justice.

"You're kidding!" said Harry.

Oleandra hesitated a little; to reveal the existence of the man wearing an Invisibility Cloak sitting next to Winky meant revealing the existence of her Mystic Eyes, which was a sign of her inhumanity. And thanks to her History of Magic classes, Oleandra knew very well how humans reacted to non-humans who attempted to wield wands… She shook her head; why had she even considered herself to be non-human for even a second? She was a human, and that was that!

Sirius and Lupin were staring hopefully at her; it would be strange if she backed out now.

"There was a man sitting right behind Harry in the Top Box," Oleandra said slowly. "Right next to Winky, in the seat she was saving for Mr. Crouch."

"What are you talking about?" said Harry, a doubtful expression creeping onto his face. "There was no one there— Mr. Crouch never ended up coming."

Ron and Hermione nodded in approval; they had also noted that the seat had remained empty throughout the match.

"He was wearing an Invisibility Cloak," Oleandra explained.

"Then how did you know there was a man there?" Sirius said doubtfully. "Were his feet sticking out?"

Oleandra shook her head.

"How did you know it was a man, and not a woman?" Lupin asked curiously.

Oleandra looked around hesitantly; apart from Sirius, whom she didn't really know, these were all trustworthy people. As far as she knew, Harry and Ron were loyal; if Hermione could campaign for House-Elves, then there was no way she would discriminate against Fairies. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth; they would never understand… except maybe Lupin, who was not entirely human…

"Well, go on, say something," said Ron.

"I saw his face, and I can describe him to you," said Oleandra. "But I won't tell you how I saw through his Cloak."

"Can't, or won't?" said Sirius with a frown.

"We won't be able to use this information unless we can verify it," said Lupin gently. "Is there a reason why you can't tell us?"

Viviane and Oleandra had already discussed this; if there ever came a time when she needed to disclose her origins, she would employ certain methods to ensure that her secret remained secure.

"I will tell you, and only you, Lupin," said Oleandra with finality. "On the condition that we make an Unbreakable Vow; you will swear to never disclose the information I will reveal to you alone, and I will swear that I am telling the truth."

"Blimey, Oleandra!" Ron blurted out. "Is it really that important? Fred and George tried to make me do one with them one time. Dad stopped us just before we did, and I swear I'd never seen him so mad…"

"I'm afraid I cannot accept your offer, Oleandra," said Lupin, shaking his head. "I'm not afraid to make an Unbreakable Vow in order to keep your secrets, but as I was once your teacher, I still feel responsible for you. I cannot in good conscience accept; it's too risky for you: your clause is much too vague. If you accidentally lie to me, you will instantly die."

Oleandra couldn't explain that she was physically unable to lie until she explained her true nature, so there was no way to convince him there was no danger for her. At any rate, she had impressed them all with her conviction, so they were prepared to believe her words without proof.

"Let's see," Oleandra said, beginning her description of the man from her memories. "He looked like he was in his thirties… fair hair… freckles… rather pale skin…"

Sirius looked rather thoughtful for a moment, before shaking his head, murmuring, "Crouch? No, that's impossible…"

"Leaving aside this visible invisible person… assuming that your wand was taken from your back pocket in the Top Box, and that you didn't just drop it in the forest," said Lupin, "Was there anyone else suspicious behind you?"