The sitting room in which the two men sat was dark and had an unpleasant smell surrounding it. There were two arm chairs and inbetween them sat a spindly coffee table. Behind the chairs, the wall was covered in bookshelves and a grimy window getting hammered with rain was cut into the wall opposite the chairs. The only bits of light were coming from the window and a dusty lamp hanging next to one of the tall armchairs, where one of the men was sitting. Although they were both cloaked, the eriee lighting revealed a long hooked nose on the face of one and, on the other was a pair of bright red eyes.
"Severus, you have played your part very well. I am very pleased with you," said a hissing voice. "You have kept that old oaf in your pocket for months. I'm am quite proud."
The other man bowed, his hooked nose becoming conceled with greasy black hair.
"My Lord," he began, "Dumbledore is becoming weaker by the day. The ring has weakened him greatly. What are your orders?"
"I want you to keep near Dumbledore, make sure that he does not suspect you. Keep your nose clean and await further orders. You have been a great help to me, Severus," the hissing voice echoed off the walls of the tiny room. The now gentle pitter-patter of rain illuminated the silence.
"I will do anything you ask, My Lord," Severus replied.
Harry rolled over in his bed and kicked the unrequired comforter off, leaving just sheets. He was staying at The Burrow for the
end of summer and Mrs. Weasly insisted on being very motherly; which in this case included adding much to many blankets to
his bed in the middle of summer. Mrs. Weasly claimed the wind would chill him to the bone. It was still night outside although
Harry was not tired even in the least. Bad dreams seemed to flock to him even more now that he had contact with the magical
world again. In fact, Harry didn't remember having any interesting experiences while at his aunt and uncle's at all over the past
few weeks. He thought that possibly Dumbledore had made sure to cut him off from everything magical, but about this he was
very doubtful. The bedroom was alive with Ron's snoring and Hedwig's nervous hooting. Harry found it quite hard to fall asleep
again now that he was so wide awake, he got out of bed and slipped out of the room into the hallway. The house was dark and
no one but him was up. Suddenly, Harry fancied a glass of water and turned down the stairs and into the kitchen. The clock that
held all the faces of the Weasly's and what they were doing sat in it's normal place, atop a tittering tower of clean folds, and all
the hands were pointed to 'Mortal Peril' but, this was normal. It seemed that everyone was in mortal peril at the time being.