Chapter 24

Only the day after her sentence started and just prior to the end of the year, Rita Skeeter submitted the first of her reports to the Ministry, as required by the terms of her release. When Dumbledore had proposed this as a part of Skeeter's sentence, he believed that the Wizengamot would think it hard punishment indeed to compel Skeeter to catalogue her humiliation on a regular basis. As usual, Dumbledore had judged correctly, for many of the members believed that Skeeter's reports would be nothing less than exercises in humiliating self- abasement, severe punishment indeed for the wayward wordsmith.

But a minor ministry official evidently did not share this view. Believing it was not punishment enough for Skeeter to write the reports, he thought they should be published as well, the better to increase Skeeter's public humiliation. Thus when readers turned to their Daily Prophet on a Saturday morning they were greeted by a new column, in which Skeeter's report was repeated verbatim, as if it were an article Skeeter wanted to share with the general public.

Even Umbridge was not too thick to appreciate the irony in Skeeter's being pilloried in print, and by her own pen, no less. The High Inquisitor read the article with malicious glee, chuckling occasionally between sips of her morning tea. Her pleasure decreased somewhat when she came cross another front page article.

"Missing Goblin Found

It is rare (the article began) that the whereabouts of a goblin would be of much interest to our readers, but because the disappearance of Balzad attracted much notice last week, this newspaper thought its readers should know that the goblin was recently discovered in his shop, keeping business hours as usual. Balzad refused to give the DP any explanation for his disappearance. But he did give a statement:

'I noticed that those who had placed winning bets with me were very concerned for my safety. But those who owe my shop money were not heard from. Well, I'm back, and any one owed money may come by and be paid: it's business as usual. There are others who ought to take notice of this as well. Defaulters who used my absence as an excuse not pay, should think again.'

With this, the goblin advised the DP's reporter 'to clear off right smart, if she knew what was good for her.'"

Malfoy was still missing, Umbridge noted. The Daily Prophet ran only a short note to this effect, along with the same photograph that had been run almost daily since the disappearance. The Ministry had given up the official search, and now only the Malfoy family, friends and some volunteers were hard at work trying to locate Draco. Unknown to those outside its membership, the Order persisted in its own efforts to find the boy. Umbridge had not troubled to join the volunteers. If she were sure that the boy had not been kidnapped by someone who mattered, she would have been in the forefront of the search party. But suppose the Ministry were behind the disappearance? After all, Umbridge herself had orchestrated the Dementor attack on Harry Potter over the summer. Perhaps other Ministry officials had taken the boy. It was also possible that he-who-must-not-be-named was responsible, in which case Umbirdge would be wise to keep away from any role in the boy's recovery.

She was disappointed that the goblin had been found. Umbridge had laughed aloud when she'd read of the goblin's disappearance, hoping that he had come to a bad end. His surreptitious return puzzled her - what could Balzad be hiding?

Balzad's associates in Knockturn Alley had similar thoughts, but only Handsome the loan shark had the standing to raise this bluntly with goblin, sitting with him in a private room in the Hanged Man, for the goblin, much as he respected Handsome, did not care to be seen publicly sitting with a human.

"So what gives, Balzad? First you go away somewhere for days, no word to anyone - nuffink. And now yer back, again - no reason given. Yer just back, as if you'd never been gone. So what gives?"

"It was that damn Mundungus. He has friends."

Handsome laughed out loud.

"You be pullin' me leg, Balzad. I don' know anyone that'd admit he be friends with that useless twit."

"I thought the same. But with a friend like this, you don't need any others. And this friend paid me a visit. Albus Dumbledore."

Handsome almost dropped his drink. The unscarred half of his face paled at Dumbledore's name, for it was bad news indeed if Handsome had come to the Headmaster's attention. Handsome could fend off other criminals with ease. The Ministry he kept at bay with bribes, and by not committing crimes that would embarrass the powers that be. But Dumbledore was altogether different. It was laughable to think of anyone in Knockturn Ally, either singly or in combination, resisting Dumbledore if he chose to impose his will on any of them.

"I'd've never touched a 'air on that stupid man's 'ead if I'd known," said Handsome. "Did my name get mentioned? Not that I'd blame yer if yer did - but tell me - did yer?"

"I'm sorry to say I did," replied Balzad. "I was hardly in any position to do otherwise."

Balzad shuddered at the memory. He'd been in the back of his shop, working on the books in preparation for the year end report, when he'd heard a noise outside the door - it sounded like his clerk, as if he'd tried to say something, and then had been silenced. Then the door whipped open, and Balzad had had only the briefest glimpse of a tall, aged wizard, wearing a look of furious righteousness, which was scary enough, but even worse, with his wand out and pointed directly at him. Paralyzed, wrapped in a canvas bag and levitated, Balzad had then been taken on a short journey, ending in a dark room, the location of which was still unknown to him.

This was the worst nightmare of any goblin, to be helpless at the hands of angry wizards - the goblins' nemeses since ancient times. Balzad had often privately cursed his ancestors for repeatedly losing their wars with wizards. If only they'd been brave enough to stand up for themselves, the goblins would be a lot better off now. He'd always been sure that had he been alive a few centuries before, he would have put up a better fight than the ancient ones did.

But Balzad had been bound, helpless and alone, and Lupin had broken him with shocking speed. In only a few minutes Balzad's limited powers of resistance had collapsed. Lupin knew all he needed to know with a quarter of an hour of his arrival. Then Balzad had been left alone in the dark room for several days, the only interruption the occasional delivery of a meal. And then Dumbledore himself had returned.

"I'm sorry, Handsome," said Balzad, sickened at what he had said and done to save himself, "but Dumbledore knows all about the oath I made Mundungus swear, and your role in it. And he's determined that Mundungus' unbreakable oath must be broken."

"Can't be done, not without me, anyhow, and I'll take a pass on that one," said Handsome. But even as he pronounced these words, a look of understanding, of sad resignation, passed over his shattered face.

"So that's it, then, is it?" he said.

"Yes," said Dumbledore, opening the door and joining them. Handsome had always been very quick with his wand, but he knew better than to reach for it. His situation was utterly hopeless, and he was determined to meet his fate as bravely as he could. A lesser man in this situation, Mundungus, for instance, might have started stammering apologies and offering explanations. But Handsome knew better, and waited respectfully for Dumbledore to speak.