Any "real sleuths among you"? Because I'm not so sure about this one.

[historygrrl1]

No: HPFGUIDX 95547

I don't know that I'm a real sleuth either, but I'll take a stab.

> PA10: (Hagrid's soliloquy.. edited)
> "...an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter 
> ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. <snip> Told me 
> ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it 
> anymore,' he says. I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' 
on 
> then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? 
Why 
> wouldn' he need it anymore?..."

I think this could be an example of a character's recollections not 
being entirely accurate.  In SS/PS, Hagrid talks about Sirius' bike 
as a loan.  Here he describes it as a gift.  This suggests that 
Hagrid wasn't able to return the bike, and still has it, but did try 
to return it at one point.  

But he could be remembering completely accurately, and have intended 
to return Sirius' bike despite Sirius' statement about not needing 
it.  Which would be the sort of thing Hagrid would do - to go after a 
friend who he thought needed help despite being told (in essence, if 
not in so many words) to stay away.  

And there *was* something fishy going on at the time, if not exactly 
the fishy thing the wizarding community eventually decided upon.  
Sirius knew right away who had betrayed James and Lily and felt 
responsible.  When Hagrid insisted on taking Harry to Dumbledore, 
Sirius must have concluded that he was presumed guilty.  And since he 
felt he was guilty, his response makes sense.  Sirius never tried to 
escape guilt or punishment until he thought Wormtail's presence at 
Hogwarts presented a threat to Harry.  So the motorcycle would have 
been useless.    

But I can't imagine Hagrid having a flying motorcycle all those years 
and never using it.  I don't think he held on to it.  

> OP7:
> "Here," said Kingsley brusquely to Mr Weasley, shoving a sheaf of 
> parchment into his hand. "I need as much information as possible on 
> flying Muggle vehicles sighted in the last twelve months. We've 
> received information that Black might still be using his old 
> motorcycle."

This feels like a bigger hint to me.  It seems to suggest a link 
between Mr. Weasley's flying car and Sirius' flying motorcycle.  

Or it could mean that Sirius still had the motorcycle in his 
posession at that point in the story.  

-Ellen
historygrrl1 at yahoo.com