whisper about the Potters ...
Mrs. Dursley came into the living room with two cups of tea. It
was no use. He had to tell her something. Nervously cleared his throat
he himself. "Um - Petunia, dear - you haven't had anything latelyheard from your sister, right? "
As he had feared, Mrs. Dursley looked horrified and
angry at. After all, they usually pretended she had
no sister.
"No," she said sharply. "Why?"
"Weird stuff on the news," muttered Mr.
Dursley. "Owls ... shooting stars ... and today were one
Lots of weird looking people in town ... "
"Well?" Snapped Mrs. Dursley.
"Well, I was just thinking ... maybe ... it has something to do with
... you know ... her clique. "
Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea with her lips covered.
Dare he tell her he heard the name "Potter"? No, he couldn't. Instead
he remarked as casually as he could: "Your son - he would be
about Dudley's age, right? "
"I suppose," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly
"What was his name again? Howard, wasn't it?"
"Harry. An ugly, common name if you have me
ask. "
"Oh yes, said Mr. Dursley, and his heart slipped into hisTrousers. "Yes, I totally agree with you."
Until it was time to sleep and they went upstairs
he said no more about it. While Mrs. Dursley in the bathroom
Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and
peered down into the front yard. The cat was still there.
She stared down Privet Drive as if waiting for something.
Was he just imagining it? Could all of this have something to do with
the Potters have to do? If so ... and if
it would come out that they were related to a pair of - no,
he just couldn't stand that.
The Dursleys went to bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly,
but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over again
back and forth. Before he fell asleep, a last, comforting one came to him
Thought. Even if the Potters really get on with that story
had to do, there was no reason why they should be with him and Mrs.
Dursley should show up. The Potters knew very well what
Petunia thought of them and their kind ... He couldn'tthink how he and Petunia should get into something
what was going on out there - he yawned and turned up
the page -. that would mean nothing to him and his wife
do have ...
How wrong he was.
Mr. Dursley might fall into a restless sleep.
Slid down the mountain, but the cat pointed out on the wall
no trace of tiredness. She still sat there like one
Statue, eyes without blinking on the far corner
of Privet Drive directed. Not a single hair moved but one
A car door was slammed down the street or two owls
buzzed over her head. In fact, it was almost
Midnight when the cat first moved.
At the corner that she had been watching, a man appeared so
Suddenly and silently, as if it were straight out of the ground
grown. The cat's tail twitched and her eyes
narrowed to slits.
You've never had a man like this on Privet Drive
seen. He was tall, thin, and very old, at least the silver oneColor of his hair and beard according to inferring both like that
long that they were in his belt. He wore a long one
Robe, a purple cloak that grazed the floor, and
Buckle boots with high heels. His blue eyes
sparkled behind the crescent-shaped glasses
protruded, and his nose was very long and crooked, as if it were
would have broken at least twice. That man's name
was Albus Dumbledore.
Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to notice that he was just
had appeared in a street where everything about him, from his
Name up to his boots, was by no means welcome.
Lost in thought, he rummaged through the pockets of his cloak.
But apparently he noticed that he was being watched, because
suddenly he looked over at the cat who was holding him from the other end
still staring down the street. For some reason
the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled
happily and mumbled, "I should have known."He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket.
It looked like a silver lighter. He left the lid
Snap it open, held it up in the air and let it snap. With
A street lamp nearby went out with a faint "plop". He
clicked again - and the next lantern flickered and went out.
Twelve times he clicked the Ausmacher until the only ones
Lights that could still be seen all over the street, two
were little pinheads in the distance, and that was them
Eyes of the cat watching him. Nobody who is out now
would have looked at the window, not even the sharp-eyed Mrs.
Dursley, would have noticed anything now
happened down on the sidewalk. Dumbledore left the fixer
slide into the cloak pocket and set off on the
Walk down the street to number 4, where he is on the wall
sat next to the cat. He didn't look at her, but after a while
he spoke to her.
"What a surprise to see you here, ProfessorMcGonagall. "
He turned to the side with a smile, but she did
Tiger cat was gone. Instead of her, someone smiled
pretty serious looking woman with glasses too, her glasses
were square like the pattern around the cat's eyes.
She too wore a cloak, an emerald green one. your
black hair was tied in a tight bun.
She looked very confused.
"How did you know it was me?" She asked.
"My dear professor, I have never had a cat so stiff
see sitting there. "
"You'd be stiff too if you were on one all day
Brick wall, "said Professor McGonagall.
"All day? When you could have celebrated?" I have to attend at least a dozen celebrations on the way
and parties. "
Professor McGonagall snorted angrily.
"Oh yes, everyone is celebrating, very nicely," she said impatiently.
"You'd think they could be a little more careful
but no - even muggles noticed that something was going on.They got it on their news. " With a
She nodded toward the dark living room window of the
Dursleys. "I heard it. Swarms of owls ...
Shooting stars ... Well, they're not that stupid either.
They just had to notice something. Shooting stars
down in Kent - I'll bet it was Daedalus Diggel. That was still
never particularly sensible. "
"You can't blame them," said
Dumbledore gently. "For eleven years we have precious little to
had to celebrate. "
"I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But
there is no reason to lose your head. The people are simple
careless if they are outside in broad daylight
Drifting around the streets spreading rumors.
At least they could wear muggles. "
As she did so, she turned to Dumbledore with a sharp look, as if
she hoped he would tell her something. But he was silent, and so did she
continued: "That would be a nice mess, ifon the day of all things when you-know-who finally came
disappears, the muggles would find out all about us.
I suppose he's really gone, Dumbledore? "
"It looks like it," said Dumbledore. "We must
be thankful for a lot. Would you like an effervescent candy? "" A what? "
"A lemon soda drop. A Muggle candy, up
I'm very hot. "
"No thanks," said Professor McGonagall coolly, as if to be
Now is not the right time for lemon soda drops.
"Like I said, even if you-know-who really
is gone - "
"My dear professor, a sensible person like you can
surely call him by name? All the nonsense with
"You-know-who" - I've been trying people for eleven years
to get him to call him by his real name:
Voldemort. ”Professor McGonagall flinched, yes
Dumbledore, who fished two more candies out of the bag,
seemed to take no notice of it. "It just confuseswhen we keep saying 'you-know-who'. I never
Realized why I should be afraid of it, Voldemorts
Pronouncing names. "
"I know that," said Professor McGonagall halfway
upset, half admiring. "But you are different. All of them
know that you're the only one you-know- ... ah, well,
Voldemort was afraid. "
"You flatter me," said Dumbledore quietly. "Voldemort
had powers that I will never have. "
"Just because you're too - yes - noble to use."
"It's lucky that it's dark. I'm not that red anymore
ever since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked it
my new earmuffs. "
Professor McGonagall looked sharply at Dumbledore and said:
"The owls are nothing against the rumors that fly around.
Do you know what everyone is saying? Why did he disappear? What
finally stopped him? "
Apparently Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was dying to talk about, the real reason
why she was on a cold hard wall all dayhad waited, because neither as a cat nor as a woman had
Dumbledore pinned down with such a penetrating look
like right now. Whatever "everyone" might say, obviously
she didn't believe it until she got it out of Dumbledore's mouth
had heard. However, he took another one
Lemon soda and fell silent.
“What they're saying,” she urged, “is that Voldemort
Turned up at Godric's Hollow last night. He was up
looking for the potters. Rumor has it that Lily and
James Potter - they are - dead. "
Dumbledore slowly lowered his head. Professor Mc-
Gonagall caught his breath.
"Lily and James ... I can't believe it ... I wanted it
don't believe ... Oh, Albus ... "
Dumbledore reached out and patted it gently
shoulders. "I know ... I know ..." he said thickly
Voice.
Professor McGonagall went on in a trembling voice, "That
is not everything. It is said that he tried to get Potter's son Harry
kill. But - he couldn't.He knew this little boy
not dead. Nobody knows why or how, but it is called as him
Harry Potter couldn't kill Voldemort's power
together - and that's why he disappeared. "
Dumbledore nodded somberly.
"Is that - is it?" Stammered Professor McGonagall. "To
after all that he's done - after all of the people he's
killed - couldn't he kill a little boy?
It's just unbelievable ... that of all things makes him use it
End ... but how on earth could Harry do that
to survive? "" We can only speculate, "said Dumbledore." Maybe
we'll never know. "