Max POV
When we got home from the park, the flock and I all went our separate ways. Iggy and the Gasman walked off somewhere muttering quietly about 'big explosions', 'materials needed', and 'not big enough'. I didn't want to know. Nudge and Angel had taken advantage of our TV and had picked out some chick flick to watch. Fang was on his blog yet again, probably to recount our meeting with Harry and his fat cousin. I sat down in a chair that had come with the house (actually, most of the furniture came with the house, or we'd be sleeping on cardboard boxes) and watched the movie with Nudge and Angel. Tried to anyway. But the thing is movies like these, the ones that are all about romance and high school bore me to death within two seconds. Literally. All I could think about was Harry and how he had absolutely no fear when facing those thugs. He wasn't just a skinny bean pole that much was for sure. I half smiled at the nickname Harry had given Dudley. Ickle Diddykins... he hadn't liked that one teensy little bit. I remembered how Angel had reacted when Harry told us about his mum and dad's deaths. I wondered what that was about. Harry sure was an interesting person. I wondered where he lived. The flock and I might actually be able to make a non-flock friend.
I think I must of drifted to sleep about a quarter of the way through the movie, because the next thing I know, there was a loud crack! and an angry screech of 'MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!'
I jumped at bit and winced. That was loud. The other occupants of the room had looked around at the noise too, and Gazzy and Iggy entered, apparently interrupted from their scheming. I got up from my armchair and looked out the window in time to see a mad looking old lady swing her handbag at a short man who had droopy eyes that gave him the appearance of basset hound. I felt slightly sorry for the man. From the look of it, that bag was filled with something hard and heavy. I was surprised to see Harry standing next to the woman, a green-faced Dudley draped across his shoulders. I didn't do that to Dudley did I? I hadn't meant to hurt him too badly. But if I had, then one word. Oops.
The woman swung her handbag again and again, saying something with each whack. Unfortunately, they were at the other end of the street, so I couldn't make out what she was saying even with my super-enhanced bird-kid hearing. Boy, did she look mad though. The basset resembling man snapped something back at the lady (between cowering whimpers) and then suddenly, with no warning, he disappeared.
I leapt backwards away from the window right into Fang's hard chest. I hadn't realised that he and the flock were behind me. 'Huh?' I managed to get through my teeth. What the hell had just happened? None of the flock got out a reply. They were staring open-mouthed. You know things are really big, like really big, when Nudge, Nudge, is left speechless.
And you know what the really weird thing is? Neither Harry nor the person he was with seemed to find the man's disappearance anything but normal. They just kept walking down the street, towards our house, the lady speaking hysterically the entire time. I was still too shocked to do anything but stare. Yes, I know, I should be used to surprises by now, but a man disappearing?
They stopped outside the house right next to ours. Huh. Fancy that. The boy that can still surprise me even after all I've been through is my next door neighbour. This should be interesting.
The pair had a short conversation. 'I'm going straight home,' said the mad old lady. 'I'll need to wait for more instructions. Goodnight.'
'Hang on, don't go yet!' Harry protested. 'I want to know-' but the woman had already trotted away into the night. Scowling, Harry made his way up the garden path. They had a posh house alright. The again so did we. All the houses in this area were all prim and orderly with stuck-up owners who turned their noses up at anything new. Not exactly my type, but you probably already knew that, didn't you?
Harry rang the doorbell and I heard someone come to answer it. 'Diddy!' Said a female voice. 'About time too, I was getting quite- quite- Diddy what's the matter?' A horsy faced woman appeared in the doorway just in time to see Dudley barf all over their neat little doormat as Harry ducked out the way. Her face became panicked and she shrieked shrilly for her husband to come. I assumed that this was Harry's aunt and uncle. They almost slammed the door on Harry, but he managed to get inside just before it shut. I could see that he wasn't the most popular person in the household to put it lightly.
I raised my eyebrows at the flock. Intriguing or what?
Harry POV
Well, here I am getting yelled at by Vernon after a Dementor attack in a deserted alleyway. To say that I was pissed would be the understatement of the millennium. I couldn't believe that after all my 'lying low' all my 'keeping my nose clean', I still had the possibility of being expelled from Hogwarts. Could my life honestly get any suckier? Ah well, at least it was only a possibility.
After a bit more yelling on both Uncle Vernon and my part, I was forced to explain what the hell was going on. Even though I barely had an idea myself. I couldn't concentrate, so many things had happened today. Max and her family beating Dudley and his little gang up as though they did the same thing every other day, The Dementor attack, Mrs Figg being a Squib, the risk of expulsion. It was all too much.
There was more talk of wizarding and magic in the room then there had probably been since Lily was still around. I could tell why Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were paranoid of anyone eavesdropping on such talk. Anyone who heard what we were talking about would believe that we needed to be sent to a lunatic asylum. After a lot of owls, even more explaining, and a mysterious howler to Aunt Petunia, I was finally able to go to bed and sleep. I just wanted this day to end.
Max POV
The flock and I stared at each other in shock, up on the rooftop of number 4 Privet Drive. We had just eavesdropped on the entire conversation. They need to be sent to the wacky shack, I thought.
Yeah, I know, not my best chapter but oh well. Review?