Harry was shaken and all he could think about was: either running for it through the back door or getting his wand. At the end, his feet decided for him and remained glued to the spot. He stared, thinking whether this was a good witch or not, leaning slightly towards the not. It was bad she had just blown up the door, but she had a good excuse… sort of… she had done it in response to Uncle Vernon. Soon, too many ideas were floating around his brain, both positive and negative, so he waited, sliding towards the cupboard under the stairs even so slowly. He kept his eyes fixed on the girl, who was now looking at Uncle Vernon through oval spectacles.
"Oh, sorry about that" said the girl in a would-be sarcastic tone, stepping on Uncle Vernon to get through. "Oh, dear! You must be Harry!" she said, changing her voice to a sweet amazement. Harry stepped backwards instinctively.
"Yes...I'm Harry" said Harry in a mixture of panic and confusion, trying to stop himself: from laughing, watching Uncle Vernon wiggle on the floor, and Aunt Petunia, who had run behind her husband almost beneath him, so petrified she almost ripped a piece off him digging her nails onto his shoulders; and from trying to force the cupboard open to reach his wand and attack.
"How dare you boy? If someone noticed about this...funny business... YOU ARE OUT OF HERE!" said Uncle Vernon finally finding his voice, getting back on his feet and starting to walk towards Harry, yelling in a face full of rage and panic, with Aunt Petunia tiptoeing behind him like a bony cloak. Uncle Vernon halted, making Aunt Petunia fall to the ground, rapidly getting back up, shielding herself with her beefy husband once again.
"What are you blind?...or perhaps just mental?" said the girl stepping between the two of them. "Didn't you notice I did that? Why are you yelling at the boy for?"
"Look at my house! She's one of those…freaks! I warned you boy..." said Uncle Vernon, ignoring the girl completely in a panicky face and a tone full of contempt... which he was about to regret.
"Look… Mr. Dursley…I can easily… repair…Oh, just wait a second!" she started in a tone Harry supposed it had to be an apology but didn't sound like it at all, searching inside her coat, seconds later she pulled out her wand again, and pointing it towards the door pieces she said out loud "reparo." The pieces of the door melted together again, and into the frame they went covering star light outside at the apparently eavesdropper-free street. Then she turned to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, and waved her wand saying "mutatis mutandis"giving them piggy's noses just like Duddley's - although his was AL natural. Uncle Vernon held Aunt Petunia, and stared at the girl who was laughing at them. They didn't seem to realize what had just happened. She seemed really amused, while Harry was having dwelling on his self-preservation continuing his sliding towards the cupboard, perhaps he could take his wand unnoticed within this commotion. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia raised their hands and with the tip of their fingers touched their new noses and started screaming bloody murder. They were shaking all over, and tears were flowing like a river on their faces. As the girl took a step forward they took a larger step backwards. Harry was having a hard time on setting up his mind, now he wasn't at all sure she was a good witch – besides being indiscreet as hell. Although, if she had wanted to kill either of them, Harry thought she would have done so by then. He didn't say anything, just looked from one to the other, over and over again, feeling his way to the lock with his eyes fixed on the strange scenario.
"Stop being such big babies!" yelled Tatum at them exasperated. She had the look of I-had-enough-crying. And Harry couldn't really blame her, after all, Uncle Vernon had been the one who provoked her in the first place. They kept on crying until Tatum raised her wand again. Harry was expecting Tatum's spell, but she conjured none. "Why don't you go upstairs? We'll call you if we need you" said the girl at last, starting to smile and rubbing her wand between her hands in an intimidating way. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia rushed upstairs tripping and trembling. Harry could hear them yelling at Duddley, begging him to let them in. There was a loud door slam, and more screaming, which told Harry they were already in the room. After a few seconds the screams had stopped, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were probably choking Duddley's yells.
"Don't worry, it'll wear off in a couple of hours" said the girl in a cheer up mode to Harry. He was still trying to open the lock on the cupboard, but it was firmly shut.
"You want me to open that for you?" Tatum said to Harry, whose eyes were on her since the Dursleys left the room.
"Please" Harry said moving aside. Tatum said "Alohomora"and the door burst open. Harry opened his trunk rapidly - he didn't intend on showing his backside too long to this particular person - and grabbed his wand turning around to look at Tatum, who was smiling.
"You mean you don't carry THAT with you at all times?" she said surprised. "Oh, I'm going to kill those morons!" she added staring at the empty stairs. Harry closed the cupboard door with his wand tightly in his hand. Tatum stared at it for a moment and Harry stuck it in his pants pocket.
"Well...that was…sorry, but would you mind telling me who you are and why you're here exactly?" asked Harry awkwardly, now very aware they were all alone downstairs, with all his doubts floating madly around his head again.
They went into the living room, sitting down on two different couches opposite to each other. Her hat flew off, and she gave a huge sigh.
She tapped her glasses with her wand and they cleared up from sun-glasses to transparent reading ones, revealing purplish eyes beneath them. "Sorry dear. I am Tatum Salem. I work for the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Wizard Care and Custody" said the girl showing Harry what seemed like a silver badge with her name and title on it, leaving Harry with a big question mark on his face: was he going to be sent to an orphanage or something? Did Dumbledore think he would be safer somewhere else, now? He hated living with the Dursleys, but for a second it felt almost like home. "I didn't mean to startle you, but when I'm on my assignments I have really little patience when I deal with muggles such as your Uncle and Aunt."
"That's fine, I have trouble dealing with them myself" said Harry breathing really slow now, trying to calm himself and sound cool at the same time. He felt a bit safer from the girl now he had seen the badge. On the other hand, what could her assignment be seemed scarier for now. Did the ministry intend to lock him up for his safety? Harry shuddered at the thought. He had a vivid flash of Azkaban.
"Are you alright?" said Tatum concerned.
"Yes, it's just... you still haven't told me why you're here and… well, with everything that has happened so far in the wizarding world… and…"
"And what dear?" asked Tatum interrupting Harry.
"Well, I'm going to have trouble for this when you leave, there's no way I can defend myself if I can't do magic... and I have nowhere else to go if they kick me out" – "Don't bring that up, you idiot!" He told himself – "…Don't get me wrong, I rather live here than at some other places!" He added to try and repair the damage "…but Vold-" said Harry in a desperate voice, thinking about the consequences of Tatum's arrival: if she did come to take him to some place to be kept safe, where would that be and for how long? And, if she was going to leave him with the Dursleys, the scene she had made would be something Harry would have to pay dearly for.
"I must apologize" said the girl raising her hand to stop Harry from saying anything else. "I didn't quite answer all you asked me fast enough, and I surely don't want to cause you any trouble! I'll try to say this briefly. Listen…" The seat seemed to be attacking her, she was moving from left to right nonstop. "Since…" She seemed to be afraid of talking all of a sudden. "You-Know-Who is around once again." She finally said, making Harry feel nervous. He felt himself shiver once more.
"…dear, I know what you have been through, but you got to listen to what I have to say." She stood up and sat beside Harry putting her arm around him grabbing his shoulder. "Since…then, there have been many requests to look after you in the muggle world...for your own safety." Harry's fear was coming true and he opened his mouth to protest he was doing alright but didn't even get started. He didn't want to be locked up in some vault like a precious jewel"…that is why I'm here to bring you to my house for the weekend, if you don't mind of course."
"I… don't mind, but...why…who sent you? I mean I don't even know you" said Harry, sweating off the fear of a sealed box and hoping she would say some familiar name, which would allow him to trust her. He really wasn't spending a nice birthday, and he surely wasn't safe from Voldemort or the Death Eaters here. The idea of going to this house sounded appealing. He had only been into a wizarding house once before, and thought it would be interesting to visit a different one.
"I'm afraid… the only name I can give you right now is… Arthur Weasley."
"What?" said Harry. He had expected to hear Dumbledore's name for sure, although the Weasleys always cared for him, and it wasn't all strange Mr. Weasley had sent someone over his place. Harry started to wonder though, why had Tatum said "the only name I can give you…" Who else was in on this? It made Harry wonder. Harry knew Dumbledore would be involved too somehow, but… who else? At the end of last term, not a lot of people had believed his story of Voldemort coming back to life. He was about to ask, but Tatum just kept talking.
"It's just Mrs. Weasley was so worried about you she asked him to do something…"
"And…" he tried to cut in, but failed.
"And I'm that something" said Tatum staring at Harry. His face reflected deep-thinking about whether believe her or not. "You don't have to believe me, why don't you write to Mr. Weasley and find out for yourself? Give me a call when you decide what to do." She gave Harry a card. "If you decide to go, after giving it a thought I'll explain everything you want to know then" added Tatum after a minute of Harry's silence. Harry hesitated; it seemed rather strange to call someone from the wizarding world by telephone, with the exception of Hermione perhaps whose parents were both muggles.
Harry looked doubtful, but just nodded. He wondered how just a girl alone, would keep him safe from such a strong enemy as Voldemort unless her home was a fortress of some kind. Harry wanted to ask, but thought better of it. Before he could ask anything else, he heard the steps of the Dursleys walking down the stairs behind him, who seemed to be coming to see if the mysterious woman had gone already. They were still wearing the pig's noses, but they had become slightly squashed and pinkish, apparently in middle process of wearing off.
"Oh good!" said Tatum making a hand gesture to her hat and purse, which jumped back into place. "I was just about to leave, but I left Harry my number so he can call me if he needs anything… or if anybody bothers him" she said turning her face to Harry and winked with a smile. She walked towards the door and waited until Uncle Vernon opened it for her - which he agreed to do after she pointed her wand towards him again - and finally said "Now THAT is how you're supposed to treat a visit...Oh, before I forget, you two must remember Harry is NOT allowed to do magic outside the school… but I am. Good day"
