Colonel Fubster leaned over stroking his dog's head as he attached his collar. He gazed out his side window at Marge's back garden and noticed the sparkling gray car in her drive.

"Ah look Charger. They're already here, that's their car. And they've brought that other boy with them again. See, he's back here behind the fence and foliage. Thinks he's quite hidden I'd imagine—out of striking distance at least, from man or beast," he commented, chatting to his dog like an old friend.

"Looks as though he's reading a book. Quite peculiar indeed, perhaps I've misjudged the boy. Let's go see then."

Wrapping the leash around his hand, he made his way along the back path until he was almost in line with the ratty haired boy in the bushes. He could tell that the boy was trying to remain very quiet and still to avoid detection.

Smirking he halted, "What's that Charger? You smell something?", and indeed the dog was sniffing along the edge of the path.

"Perhaps another of those horrid rats that have been plaguing us. Well, have at it then!" he said, reaching down to unhook the Doberman's collar.

"WAIT!" the boy shouted as he leapt from his hiding place.

Smiling widely, he commanded his dog to sit. "Well, well, much larger than Charger's normal fair I must say. Potter's your name, isn't it? What are you reading boy?"

The boy stared at him with an open mouth and reddened face, before thrusting the book behind his back and stammering lamely, "Oh nothing…nothing interesting. J-just my…um, one of my textbooks. From school."

"Ah, and what are they stuffing young brains with these days. Hand it over like a good lad," he said, holding out his hand for the large book.

"Um…I mean, not really a textbook, just something I'm reading on the side. Only a—"

"Come now!" he insisted. "I must know what has you so enthralled to have you hiding in bushes to read." And he reached again for the book, grabbing it from Potter's resigned hands.

As he opened the book and read the first page, 'Defensive Magical Theory' by Wilbert Slinkhard, he only half heard the young man's lame excuses. "You know now they can put computer chips in books so they have moving pictures, ha, isn't that funny?…and it's pretty dumb how they write about things like magic as if it's real isn't it?..."

He looked up from the page glaring sharply at the boy. "Tell me, Potter…How is Poppy Pomfrey doing? I haven't heard from her in over 6 months. She gets so wrapped up in Pepper Popper Poultices or whatever they're called and in healing up the bursting boils of every imbecilic twelve year old, that she forgets to send an owl off to her brother on occasion."

Potter returned to his previous open-mouthed pose. "Y-you're a-a wizard?" he asked staring in awe at the man before him.

"Oh no, boy. Certainly not. Pure muggle. Poppy was the only one in the family with that talent. You have met Poppy have you not?"

"Uh…yes, yea of course. Madame Pomfrey's fixed me up loads of times."

"Glad to hear it." He handed him back his book and looked up at the sky. "Not much daylight left, best finish your reading. Make sure to give Poppy my love next you see her." He moved to walk on then paused, "Well, perhaps wait until after she's fixed you up."

Laughing he continued down the lane. "If you ever need a bit of an escape, feel free to hole up in my yard, Potter. Charger can take on any dog of Marge's and he won't mind you."

"Oh, thank you, Colonel…sir."