Reading the Books

by RavenclawElena

I know. This is SO original. Harry Potter, Liliana Black nèe Potter, Hermione Weasley and Ronald Weasley go to January of the year 1978 to read the 6th and 7th Harry Potter books with the Marauders and a few others. Hinny. Nuna. Romione. Riliana (Regulus/Liliana). Jily. Nee (Nicole/Lee). I own NOTHING. I simply modified the books by J.K. Rowling to fit a twin storyline.

4. HBP: Chapter 3

h3 id="docs-internal-guid-162a86ac-7fff-b406-31f9-7073ad6dc0e6" dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Chapter 3: Will and Won't/span/h3
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The Potter twins /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes! They have finally started writing about the twins!" Lily exclaimed childishly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"were snoring loudly. They had been sitting in chairs beside the bedroom window for the best part of four hours, staring out at the darkening street, and had both finally fallen asleep with Harry having one side of his face pressed against the cold windowpane, his glasses askew and his mouth wide open. Lily had her head resting on her twin brother's shoulder. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Such nice descriptions," Harry grumbled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The misty fog his breath had left on the window sparkled in the orange glare of the streetlamp outside, and the artificial light drained their faces of all color, so that they looked ghostly beneath. Harry especially, beneath his shock of untidy black hair./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""The Potter hair," Frank shook his head./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ah yes. Harry, does Danny have the Potter hair? I can't tell." /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"asked her brother./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, the messiness, yes. The color? No." Harry told her./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Who's Danny? Your son?" James asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No. Your second son. Turns out mum was a week pregnant when Voldy killed her. And when a person dies pregnant or as a child, the child is able to grow up. Danny is Daniel Potter. Being born in the afterlife, he can go to and from the afterlife as he pleases. He comes to visit us about once a month." Harry detailed. "He's married too. To Artemis Black."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Artemis Black?" Sirius asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh, yeah. Your fiancee was killed. But, she was a month pregnant. The two were a week apart. Danny a little early, and Artemis a little late." /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" shrugged./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""So, what does Danny look like?" Lily asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Messy auburn hair and hazel eyes. His hair is a combination of your's and dad's." Harry told them. "He also has white angel wings." They were quiet so Frank continued./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The room was strewn with various possessions and a good smattering of rubbish. Owl feathers, apple cores, and sweet wrappers littered the floor, a number of spellbooks lay higgledy- piggledy among the tangled robes on his bed, and a mess of newspapers sat in a puddle of light on his desk. The headline of one blared:/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-align: center; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONES?/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""So, was this publicity better or worse than now?" Delphini asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Eh. Better." Harry told her daughter./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Rumors continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything," said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance centered on the fabled Hall of Prophecy./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""And the Death Chamber." Ron said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Though Ministry spokes wizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the Wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry and Melody Potter, the only people ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call the Potters "the Chosen Ones," believing that the prophecy names them as the only ones who will be able to rid us of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""They're more right than wrong!" Hermione muttered./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown, although (/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"ctd. page 2, column 5/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;")/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Gonna point out, it was smashed!" Harry exclaimed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A second newspaper lay beside the first. This one bore the headline:/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-align: center; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"SCRIMGEOUR SUCCEEDS FUDGE/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Most of this front page was taken up with a large black-and-white picture of a man with a lion like mane of thick hair and a rather ravaged face. The picture was moving — the man was waving at the ceiling./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Rufus Scrimgeour, previously Head of the Auror office in the Department of Magical Law Enforce- ment, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic. The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the Wizarding community, though rumors of a rift between the new Minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Scrimgeour's representatives admitted that he had met with Dumbledore at once upon taking possession of the top job, but refused to comment on the topics under discussion. Albus Dum- bledore is known to (/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"ctd. page 3, column 2/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;")/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"To the left of this paper sat another, which had been folded so that a story bearing the title ministry guarantees students' safety was visible./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Newly appointed Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, spoke today of the tough new measures taken by his Ministry to ensure the safety of students returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this autumn./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""For obvious reasons, the Ministry will not be going into detail about its stringent new security plans," said the Minister, although an insider confirmed that measures include defensive spells and charms, a complex array of countercurses, and a small task force of Aurors dedicated solely to the protection of Hogwarts School./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Most seem reassured by the new Minister's tough stand on student safety. Said Mrs. Augusta Longbottom, /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hey! That's my mom!" Frank exclaimed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'EB Garamond',serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""My grandkids, Neville and Nicole — good friends of the Potters', incidentally, who fought the Death Eaters alongside them at the Ministry in June and —/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What! They were there too?" Alice asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes. Yes they were Alice. It's how they started getting along. They didn't really before." Ron shrugged./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"But the rest of this story was obscured by the large birdcage standing on top of it. Inside it was a magnificent snowy owl. Her amber eyes surveyed the room imperiously, her head swiveling occasionally to gaze at her snoring owners. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""She sounds beautiful," Lily smiled. Harry an /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" nodded, but couldn't say anything./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Once or twice she clicked her beak impatiently, but Harry and Lily were too deeply asleep to hear her./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A large trunk stood in the very middle of the room. Its lid was open; it looked expectant; yet it was almost empty but for a residue of old underwear, sweets, empty ink bottles, and broken quills that coated the very bottom. Nearby, on the floor, lay a purple leaflet emblazoned with the words:/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-align: center; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"— issued on behalf of —/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-align: center; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The Ministry of Magic/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-align: center; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"PROTECTING YOUR HOME AND FAMILY AGAINST DARK FORCES/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The Wizarding community is currently under threat from an organization calling itself the Death Eaters. Observing the following simple security guidelines will help protect you, your family, and your home from attack./span/p
ol style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"
li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;" aria-level="1"
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" role="presentation"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"You are advised not to leave the house alone./span/p
/li
li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;" aria-level="1"
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;" role="presentation"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Particular care should be taken during the hours of darkness. Wherever possible, arrange to complete journeys before night has fallen./span/p
/li
/ol
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Things being light is not going to stop Death Eaters!" Remus pointed out./span/p
ol style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;" start="3"
li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;" aria-level="1"
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" role="presentation"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Review the security arrangements around your house, making sure that all family members are aware of emergency measures such as Shield and Disillusionment Charms, and, in the case of underage family members, Side-Along-Apparition./span/p
/li
li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;" aria-level="1"
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;" role="presentation"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Agree on security questions with close friends and family so as to detect Death Eaters masquerading as others by use of the Polyjuice Potion (see page 2)./span/p
/li
/ol
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Except, wouldn't a death eater force the actual person to tell them the answer?" Arthur asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ah yes. That was Molly's point later this day." Harry remembered fondly./span/p
ol style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;" start="5"
li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;" aria-level="1"
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" role="presentation"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor is acting in a strange manner, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at once. They may have been put under the Imperius Curse (see page 4)./span/p
/li
/ol
ol style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;" start="6"
li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;" aria-level="1"
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;" role="presentation"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Should the Dark Mark appear over any dwelling place or other building, DO NOT ENTER, but contact the Auror office immediately./span/p
/li
/ol
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Dumbeldore could have used that info." Hermione commented quietly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Nope. It had to happen. You know that 'Mione," Harry whispered back./span/p
ol style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;" start="7"
li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type: decimal; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;" aria-level="1"
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;" role="presentation"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Unconfirmed sightings suggest that the Death Eaters /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"may /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"now be using Inferi (see page 10). Any sighting of an Inferius, or encounter with same, should be reported to the Ministry IMMEDIATELY./span/p
/li
/ol
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry grunted in his sleep and his face slid down the window an inch or so, making his glasses still more lopsided, but he did not wake up. An alarm clock, repaired by Harry several years ago, ticked loudly on the sill, showing one minute to eleven. Beside it, held in place by Harry's relaxed hand, was a piece of parchment covered in thin, slanting writing. Harry had read this letter so often since its arrival three days ago that although it had been delivered in a tightly furled scroll, it now lay quite flat./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Dear Harry and Lily,/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"If it is convenient to you, I shall call at number four, Privet Drive /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Did they treat you well?" Lily asked suddenly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Lily, it's your sister. I don't think so," Snape raised an eyebrow. She ignored him and continued asking them./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Um, how about we don't talk now? If you really want to know, then we can read a separate chapter after this one." /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" suggested. "I don't think we can describe it right right now."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"this coming Friday at eleven P.M. to escort you to the Burrow, /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hey! That's our house!" Arthur said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yeah. The Burrow is like a second home besides Hogwarts and now our actual houses." Harry smiled. "The Weasleys were where we got the most support from. Ron was literally like an older brother."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hey! No I wasn't!" Ron pouted./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ron, please. Harry trusted that the person I was dating and am now married to was safe because he trusted my judgement. You took the full on overprotective brother approach." /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" laughed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""How do you know that?" Ron asked angrily./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You did the same thing to Harry's now wife and your literal sister's now husband." Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're not even the eldest! I'm still older! And yet, you took the same approach to my sister!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The older generation laughed at their antics./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"where you have been invited to spend the remainder of your school holidays./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"If you are agreeable, I should also be glad of your assistance in a matter to which I hope to attend on the way to the Burrow. I shall explain this more fully when I see you./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Kindly send your answer by return of this owl. Hoping to see you this Friday,/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I am, yours most sincerely,/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Albus Dumbledore/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Though they already knew it by heart, Harry and Lily had been stealing glances at this missive every few minutes since seven o'clock that evening, when they had first taken up this position beside the bedroom window, which had a reasonable view of both ends of Privet Drive. Both twins knew it was pointless to keep rereading Dumbledore's words; Harry had sent back their "yes" with the delivering owl, as requested, and all they could do now was wait: Either Dumbledore was going to come, or he was not./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, I said I was coming, so I'm probably coming," Dumbledore commented./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"But Lily had not packed. It just seemed too good to be true that she was going to be rescued from the Dursleys after a mere fortnight of their company. She could not shrug off the feeling that something was going to go wrong — their reply to Dumbledore's letter might have gone astray; Dumbledore could be prevented from collecting them; the letter might turn out not to be from Dumbledore at all, but a trick or joke or trap. Lily had not been able to face packing and then being let down and having to unpack again. The only gesture she had made to the possibility of a journey was to shut their snowy owl, Hedwig, safely in her cage./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Why are you so insecure?" Remus asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We could ask you the same thing," Harry muttered before answering, "We just weren't used to good things happening."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The minute hand on the alarm clock reached the number twelve and, at that precise moment, the streetlamp outside the window went out./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""The Deluminator!" Ron exclaimed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes Ron. The Deluminator." Hermione laughed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry awoke, laying his sister down, /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Harry always tries to let me sleep as much as possible." /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" smiled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"as though the sudden darkness were an alarm. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh, wait. You two sleep in the same room?" Lily asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yeah. We always did at the Dursleys." Her daughter shrugged./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hastily straightening his glasses and unsticking his cheek from the glass, he pressed his nose against the window instead and squinted down at the pavement. A tall figure in a long, billowing cloak was walking up the garden path./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Dumbledore!" Everyone from the past shouted./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry jumped up as though he had received an electric shock, knocked over his chair, and started snatching anything and everything within reach from the floor and throwing it into Lily's trunk. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Knowing Dumbledore, he probably knew that at least one of you wouldn't pack," Ron said. "He knows you too well. Also, can't he see the future?" /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No. I am not the biggest fan of divination. It's one of the only classes I didn't take," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ron," /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" hissed. "Ariana is the visioneer, not Albus!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh, right."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Even as he lobbed a set of robes, two spellbooks, and a packet of crisps across the room, the doorbell rang. Downstairs in the living room his Uncle Vernon shouted, "Who the blazes is calling at this time of night?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry froze with a brass telescope in one hand and a shirt in the other. They had completely forgotten to warn the Dursleys that Dumbledore might be coming. Feeling both panicky and close to laughter, he clambered over the trunk and wrenched open the bedroom door in time to hear a deep voice say, "Good evening. You must be Mr. Dursley. I daresay Harry and Lily have told you I would be coming for them?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No they did not!" Remus said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry ran down the stairs two at a time, coming to an abrupt halt several steps from the bottom, as long experience had taught him to remain out of arm's reach of his uncle whenever possible. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Smart!" Snape said. "He and Petunia have walked by me. Doesn't look like the nicest guy in the world."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Honestly, he makes Voldemort look like a considerate person." Harry described. "Not a nice person, but a considerate one. At least Voldemort waited until the end of the school year to try to kill us."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"There in the doorway stood a tall, thin man with waist-length silver hair and beard. Half-moon spectacles were perched on his crooked nose, and he was wearing a long black traveling cloak and a pointed hat. Vernon Dursley, whose mustache was quite as bushy as Dumbledore's, though black, and who was wearing a puce dressing gown, was staring at the visitor as though he could not believe his tiny eyes./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Judging by your look of stunned disbelief, the twins did /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"not /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"warn you that I was coming," said Dumbledore pleasantly. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Told ya. Dumbledore knows you too well!" Ron smiled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You too! He knew that you'd need the deluminator!" /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" shot back. Hermione and Harry gasped a bit. "Oh wow. Sorry Ron! I didn't mean it like that."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It's fine. I deserved it. You and Harry didn't show any anger at me. I was expecting it at some point." Ron shrugged. The other three hugged him leaving everyone else in confusion./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""However, let us assume that you have invited me warmly into your house. It is unwise to linger overlong on doorsteps in these troubled times."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He stepped smartly over the threshold and closed the front door behind him./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It is a long time since my last visit," said Dumbledore, peering down his crooked nose at Uncle Vernon. "I must say, your agapanthus are flourishing."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes. The first time was November 2, 1981." Harry said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Huh? I thought it was November 1?" Ron asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Nope. After that night, Vernon was able to go about a full day before arriving a bit past midnight, so extremely early on November 2. Which begs the question, what was happening with you two that day?" Hermione asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hermione, we were a little over 15 months old. How would we know?" Harry asked rhetorically./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Vernon Dursley said nothing at all. Harry did not doubt that speech would return to him, and soon — the vein pulsing in his uncle's temple was reaching danger point — but something about Dumbledore seemed to have robbed him temporarily of breath. It might have been the blatant wizardishness /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""That's not a word!" Remus exclaimed, repulsed at the fake word in a book./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"of his appearance, but it might, too, have been that even Uncle Vernon could sense that here was a man whom it would be very difficult to bully./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes. As it is always a good idea to bully people taller and magical while you aren't." Arthur rolled his eyes./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ah, good evening Harry," said Dumbledore, looking up at him through his half-moon glasses with a most satisfied expression. "Excellent, excellent."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"These words seemed to rouse Uncle Vernon. It was clear that as far as he was concerned, any man who could look at either twin and say "excellent" was a man with whom he could never see eye to eye./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""IDIOT!" Molly shrieked. "They are just children!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I don't mean to be rude —" he began, in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""— yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often," Dumbledore finished the sentence gravely. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Everyone laughed at this. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Best to say nothing at all, my dear man. Ah, and this must be Petunia."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The kitchen door had opened, and there stood Aunt Petunia, wearing rubber gloves and a housecoat over her nightdress, clearly halfway through her usual pre-bedtime wipe-down of all the kitchen surfaces. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Let's point out that it is after midnight!" Alice shouted./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Especially when she doesn't work, well she didn't at the time. By this point, she's divorced and has two kids. Dudley and her adopted daughter Elizabeth." Harry commented. "Elizabeth is actually a witch!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Wow. Petunia took in a witch willingly without anyone asking her to. Not something I ever thought would come out of my mouth," Lily considered this. Severus nodde in agreement./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Her rather horsey face registered nothing but shock./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Albus Dumbledore," said Dumbledore, when Uncle Vernon failed to effect an introduction. "We have corresponded, of course." Harry thought this an odd way of reminding Aunt Petunia that he had once sent her an exploding letter, /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Why," Lily asked, "did Petunia get a howler?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It was Dumbledore reminding her that the way to keep us safe was to keep us at the house when Vernon wanted to throw us out the year before this," /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" answered./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"but Aunt Petunia did not challenge the term. "And this must be your son, Dudley?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Who names their kid Dudley?" Remus asked laughing./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh, that's nothing. You should hear her nicknames for him. Some of the funnier ones are Ickle Dudleykins or Dinky Diddydums." Harry gasped. "Luckily she now only calls him Dudley or Dudders."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Dudley had that moment peered round the living room door. His large, blond head rising out of the stripy collar of his pajamas looked oddly disembodied, his mouth gaping in astonishment and fear. Dumbledore waited a moment or two, apparently to see whether any of the Dursleys were going to say anything, but as the silence stretched on he smiled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Shall we assume that you have invited me into your sitting room?/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Dudley scrambled out of the way as Dumbledore passed him. Harry, still clutching the telescope and trainers, jumped the last few stairs and followed Dumbledore, who had settled himself in the armchair nearest the fire and was taking in the surroundings with an expression of benign interest. He looked quite extraordinarily out of place./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, Albus always did go the extra mile when it came to clothing," Minerva said playfully. Dumbledore blushed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Aren't — aren't we leaving, sir?" Harry asked anxiously as Lily came down to join them./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Anyone would want to get away from Petunia as soon as possible," Snape sniffed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Sev, she's still my sister," Lily told him shaking her warningly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes, indeed we are, but there are a few matters we need to discuss first," said Dumbledore. "And I would prefer not to do so in the open. We shall trespass upon your aunt and uncle's hospitality only a little longer."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You will, will you?" Vernon Dursley had entered the room, Petunia at his shoulder, and Dudley skulking behind them both./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes," said Dumbledore simply, "I shall."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Nice!" The boys cheered./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He drew his wand so rapidly that Harry barely saw it; with a casual flick, the sofa zoomed forward and knocked the knees out from under all three of the Dursleys so that they collapsed upon it in a heap. Another flick of the wand and the sofa zoomed back to its original position./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We may as well be comfortable," said Dumbledore pleasantly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"As he replaced his wand in his pocket, the twins saw that his hand was blackened and shriveled; it looked as though his flesh had been burned away./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What happened?" Frank asked Dumbledore./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, Mr. Longbottom, I am not quite sure as it has not happened yet," Dumbledore smiled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It sounds like the affects of a curse though," McGonagall said, scared./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Sir — what happened to your — ?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Later, Lily," said Dumbledore. "Please sit down."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily sat on Harry in the remaining armchair, choosing not to look at the Dursleys, who seemed stunned into silence./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes. On Harry. There wasn't enough space for us to sit side-by-side," /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" answered the incoming question. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I would assume that you were going to offer me refreshment," Dumbledore said to Uncle Vernon, "but the evidence so far suggests that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""This is, 'How to roast someone in the kindest way possible' brought to you by Albus Dumbledore!" Sirius said, acting like a news broadcaster./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A third twitch of the wand, and a dusty bottle and five glasses appeared in midair. The bottle tipped and poured a generous measure of honey-colored liquid into each of the glasses, which then floated to each person in the room./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Madam Rosmerta's finest oak-matured mead," said Dumbledore, raising his glass to Harry, who caught hold of his own and sipped. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Ron shivered. "I will never be able to drink that again."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He had never tasted anything like it before, but enjoyed it immensely. The Dursleys, after quick, scared looks at one another, tried to ignore their glasses completely, a difficult feat, as they were nudging them gently on the sides of their heads. Harry could not suppress a suspicion that Dumbledore was rather enjoying himself./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""He probably is," Minerva said knowingly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, Harry, Lily," said Dumbledore, turning toward them, "a difficulty has arisen which I hope you will be able to solve for us. By /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"us, /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"I mean the Order of the Phoenix. But first of all I must tell you that Sirius's will was discovered a week ago and that he left you two everything he owned."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It's good to know someone cares." Lily smiled at Sirius./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Over on the sofa, Uncle Vernon's head turned, but neither twin looked at him, nor could they think of anything to say except, "Oh. Right."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""This is, in the main, fairly straightforward," Dumbledore went on. "You add a reasonable amount of gold to your account at Gringotts, and you inherit all of Sirius's personal possessions. The slightly problematic part of the legacy —"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""His godfather's dead?" said Uncle Vernon loudly from the sofa. Dumbledore, Lily and Harry turned to look at him. The glass of mead was now knocking quite insistently on the side of Vernon's head; he attempted to beat it away. "He's dead? His godfather?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You don't have to sound so uncaring!" Lily snarled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes," said Dumbledore. He did not ask Harry why he had not confided in the Dursleys. "Our problem," he continued to Harry, as if there had been no interruption, "is that Sirius also left you number twelve, Grimmauld Place."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""They've been left a house?" said Uncle Vernon greedily, his small eyes narrowing, but nobody answered him./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Why would I leave you that house? It's an awful place!" Sirius asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Probably because you didn't want Bellatrix to get the past headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix." Hermione answered./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You can keep using it as headquarters," said Harry. "We don't care. You can have it, we don't really want it." Harry never wanted to set foot in number twelve, Grimmauld Place again if he could help it. He thought he would be haunted forever by the memory of Sirius prowling its dark musty rooms alone, imprisoned within the place he had wanted so desperately to leave./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yeah. That place is awful. At least it was until we cleaned it up. Removed all dark magic. Moved the artifacts. Fixed it. And now, we have made it into a place where people can go if need be. We're thinking about giving it to one of our kids later." /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" explained. "Probably Delphi since she is directly related to the Blacks. It's rather nice there now."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""That is generous," said Dumbledore. "We have, however, vacated the building temporarily."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Why?" This time it was Lily as Harry was lost in thought./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well," said Dumbledore, ignoring the mutterings of Uncle Vernon, who was now being rapped smartly over the head by the persistent glass of mead, "Black family tradition decreed that the house was handed down the direct line, to the next male with the name of 'Black.' Sirius was the very last of the line as his younger brother, Regulus, predeceased /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Wait, Regulus is dead?" Sirius asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yes. August 1980. No idea of anything more specific." Hermione said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"him and both were childless. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, are you counting their dead versions being childless? Because Regulus has a son, Aries and you have a daughter, Artemis. His girlfriend and your fiancee were pregnant with your kids when they died. It was quite the coincidence," Harry said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"While his will makes it perfectly plain that he wants you to have the house, it is nevertheless possible that some spell or enchantment has been set upon the place to ensure that it cannot be owned by anyone other than a pureblood."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A vivid image of the shrieking, spitting portrait of Sirius's mother that hung in the hall of number twelve, Grimmauld Place flashed into Lily's mind. "I bet there has," she said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Nope. She wanted to, but my father denied that." Sirius grinned./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Quite," said Dumbledore. "And if such an enchantment exists, then the ownership of the house is most likely to pass to the eldest of Sirius's living relatives, which would mean his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Without realizing what he was doing, Harry sprang to his feet; the telescope and shirt in his lap dropped onto the floor. Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius's killer, inherit his house?/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No," he said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, obviously we would prefer that she didn't get it either," said Dumbledore calmly. "The situation is fraught with complications. We do not know whether the enchantments we ourselves have placed upon it, for example, making it Unplottable, will hold now that ownership has passed from Sirius's hands. It might be that Bellatrix will arrive on the doorstep at any moment. Naturally we had to move out until such time as we have clarified the position."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Very smart!" Minerva said approvingly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""But how are you going to find out if we're allowed to own it?" Lily asked, pulling her twin back down./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Fortunately," said Dumbledore, "there is a simple test."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He placed his empty glass on a small table beside his chair, but before he could do anything else, Uncle Vernon shouted, "/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Will you get these ruddy things off us/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry looked around; all three of the Dursleys were cowering with their arms over their heads as their glasses bounced up and down on their skulls, their contents flying everywhere./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The marauders were on the ground laughing. Everyone else was laughing too. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh, I'm so sorry," said Dumbledore politely, and he raised his wand again. All three glasses vanished. "But it would have been better manners to drink it, you know."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You know Albus, you should really stop being so sarcastically polite!" McGonagall laughed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"It looked as though Uncle Vernon was bursting with any number of unpleasant retorts, but he merely shrank back into the cushions with Aunt Petunia and Dudley and said nothing, keeping his small piggy eyes on Dumbledore's wand./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You see," Dumbledore said, turning back to the twins and again speaking as though Uncle Vernon had not uttered, "if you have indeed inherited the house, you have also inherited —"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"He flicked his wand for a fifth time. There was a loud crack, and a house-elf appeared, with a snout for a nose, giant bat's ears, and enormous bloodshot eyes, crouching on the Dursleys' shag carpet and covered in grimy rags. Aunt Petunia let out a hair-raising shriek; nothing this filthy had entered her house in living memory. Dudley drew his large, bare, pink feet off the floor and sat with them raised almost above his head, as though he thought the creature might run up his pajama trousers, and Uncle Vernon bellowed, "What the /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"hell /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"is that?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Kreacher," finished Dumbledore./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Kreacher! I hate that elf almost as much as I hate the house!" Sirius said angrily./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You should really be nicer to the elf Sirius. It's not his fault that he was taught to be prejudiced," Harry defended./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"It sounded so much like Hermione that Ron was rolling on the ground. "Frank, continue." Hermione said as she smacked Ron./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Kreacher won't, Kreacher won't, Kreacher won't!" croaked the house-elf, quite as loudly as Uncle Vernon, stamping his long, gnarled feet and pulling his ears. "Kreacher belongs to Miss Bellatrix, oh yes, Kreacher belongs to the Blacks, Kreacher wants his new mistress, Kreacher won't go to the Potter brat, Kreacher won't, won't, won't —"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""As you can see, Harry, Lily," said Dumbledore loudly, over Kreacher's continued croaks of "won't, won't, won't," "Kreacher is showing a certain reluctance to pass into your ownership."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We don't care," said Lily again, looking with disgust at the writhing, stamping house-elf. "We don't want him."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""He's actually a very good cook," Harry said thoughtfully./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Won't, won't, won't, won't /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"—"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You would prefer him to pass into the ownership of Bellatrix Lestrange? Bearing in mind that he has lived at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix for the past year?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Won't, won't, won't, won't /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"—"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry stared at Dumbledore. He knew that Kreacher could not be permitted to go and live with Bellatrix Lestrange, but the idea of owning him, of having responsibility for the creature that had betrayed Sirius, was repugnant./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Kreacher betrayed me?" Sirius asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, yes and no. Yes, he did something that led to your death, but you brought it on yourself by being awful to him," Harry told him./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Give him an order," said Dumbledore. "If he has passed into your ownership, he will have to obey. If not, then we shall have to think of some other means of keeping him from his rightful mistress."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Won't, won't, won't, WON'T /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Kreacher's voice had risen to a scream. Harry and Lily exchanged a look, but could think of nothing to say, except, "Kreacher, shut up!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Good one," James complimented his kids./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"It looked for a moment as though Kreacher was going to choke. He grabbed his throat, his mouth still working furiously, his eyes bulging. After a few seconds of frantic gulping, he threw himself face forward onto the carpet (Aunt Petunia whimpered) and beat the floor with his hands and feet, giving himself over to a violent, but entirely silent, tantrum./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""That simplifies matters," Arthur smiled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, that simplifies matters," said Dumbledore cheerfully. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Now that's creepy." Frank teased./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It seems that Sirius knew what he was doing. You are the rightful owners of number twelve, Grimmauld Place and of Kreacher."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Do we — do we have to keep him with us?" Harry asked, aghast, as Kreacher thrashed around at his feet./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Not if you don't want to," said Dumbledore. "If I might make a suggestion, you could send him to Hogwarts to work in the kitchen there. In that way, the other house-elves could keep an eye on him."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yeah," said Harry in relief, "yeah, we'll do that. Er — Kreacher — I want you to go to Hogwarts and work in the kitchens there with the other house-elves."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Kreacher, who was now lying flat on his back with his arms and legs in the air, gave Harry one upside-down look of deepest loathing and, with another loud crack, vanished./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Good," said Dumbledore. "There is also the matter of the hippogriff, Buckbeak. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I had a hippogriff?" Sirius asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yeah. Buckbeak was actually Hagrid's, but Hermione, Lily and I used it to help you escape to freedom. You became quite fond of him." Harry smiled./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hagrid has been looking after him since Sirius died, but Buckbeak is yours now, so if you would prefer to make different arrangements —"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No," said Lily at once, "he can stay with Hagrid. I think Buckbeak would prefer that."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Hagrid will be delighted," said Dumbledore, smiling. "He was thrilled to see Buckbeak again. Incidentally, we have decided, in the interests of Buckbeak's safety, to rechristen him 'Witherwings' for the time being, though I doubt that the Ministry would ever guess he is the hippogriff they once sentenced to death. Now, Harry, Lily, is your trunk packed?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Erm . . ." Lily scratched her head./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Doubtful that I would turn up?" Dumbledore suggested shrewdly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""DO. NOT. DARE!" /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" threateningly brandished her wand in Ron's face who had opened his mouth to tease./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I'll just go and — er — finish off," said Lily hastily, hurrying to pick up her fallen telescope and shirt./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"It took her a little over five minutes to track down everything she needed; at last she had screwed the top back on her jar of color change ink, and forced the lid of her trunk shut on her cauldron. Then, heaving her trunk in one hand and holding Hedwig's cage in the other, she made his way back downstairs to where Harry's was at the base of the steps./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"She was disappointed to discover that Dumbledore and Harry were not waiting in the hall, which meant that she had to return to the living room./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Nobody was talking. Dumbledore was humming quietly, apparently quite at his ease, but the atmosphere was thicker than cold custard, and Lily did not dare look at the Dursleys as she said, "Professor — I'm ready now." Harry's eyes were dragged off of his feet, apparently thinking to himself./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What were you thinking?" Lily asked her son./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Honestly, I was thinking about how awkward it was in the room. Because it was awkward!" Harry said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Good," said Dumbledore. "Just one last thing, then." And he turned to speak to the Dursleys once more./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""As you will no doubt be aware, Harry and Lily come of age in a year's time —"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No," said Aunt Petunia, speaking for the first time since Dumbledore's arrival./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I'm sorry?" said Dumbledore politely./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""No, they don't. They're a month younger than Dudley, and Dudders doesn't turn eighteen until the year after next."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Ah," said Dumbledore pleasantly, "but in the Wizarding world, we come of age at seventeen."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Uncle Vernon muttered, "Preposterous," but Dumbledore ignored him./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Now, as you already know, the wizard called Lord Voldemort has returned to this country. The Wizarding community is currently in a state of open warfare. Harry and Lily, who Lord Voldemort has already attempted to kill on a number of occasions, /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""So you had to fight him multiple times?" Lily asked. She got a nod. "How many times?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Um, we had to keep count?" They asked with a raised eyebrow. She groaned./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"are in even greater danger now than the day when I left them upon your doorstep fifteen years ago, with a letter explaining about his parents' murder and expressing the hope that you would care for him as though he were your own." Dumbledore paused, and although his voice remained light and calm, and he gave no obvious sign of anger, Lily felt a kind of chill emanating from him and noticed that the Dursleys drew very slightly closer together. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well Dumbledore can be quite scary at time," Molly said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You did not do as I asked. You have never treated the twins as your kids. They have known nothing but neglect and often cruelty at your hands. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I will kill Petunia!" Lily screeched./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The best that can be said is that they have at least escaped the appalling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy sitting between you."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Both Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked around instinctively, as though expecting to see someone other than Dudley squeezed between them./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Us — mistreat Dudders? What d'you — ?" began Uncle Vernon furiously, but Dumbledore raised his finger for silence, a silence which fell as though he had struck Uncle Vernon dumb./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""The magic I evoked fifteen years ago means that the twins have powerful protection while they can still call this house 'home.' However miserable they have been here, however unwelcome, however badly treated, you have at least, grudgingly, allowed them houseroom. This magic will cease to operate the moment that Harry turns seventeen; in other words, at the moment he becomes a man. I ask only this: that you allow Harry and Lily to return, once more, to this house, before their seventeenth birthday, which will ensure that the protection continues until that time."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"None of the Dursleys said anything. Dudley was frowning slightly, as though he was still trying to work out when he had ever been mistreated. Uncle Vernon looked as though he had something stuck in his throat; Aunt Petunia, however, was oddly flushed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Because she knew about this and knows that she treated us like that to allow us to still stay in the house per Vernon's commands," Harry muttered./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Well, Harry and Lily . . . time for us to be off," said Dumbledore at last, standing up and straightening his long black cloak. "Until we meet again," he said to the Dursleys, who looked as though that moment could wait forever as far as they were concerned, and after doffing his hat, he swept from the room. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Bye," said Harry hastily to the Dursleys, and followed Dumbledore, who paused beside the trunks, upon which Hedwig's cage was perched./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""We do not want to be encumbered by these just now," he said, pulling out his wand again. "I shall send them to the Burrow to await us there. However, I would like you to bring your Invisibility Cloak . . . just in case."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You got my cloak!" James smiled excitedly./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You have an invisibility cloak?" Asked everyone who didn't know./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yep." James nodded. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry extracted the cloak from his trunk with some difficulty. When he had stuffed it into an inside pocket of his jacket, Dumbledore waved his wand and the trunks, cage, and Hedwig vanished. Dumbledore then waved his wand again, and the front door opened onto cool, misty darkness./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""And now, twins, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Leave it to Dumbledore to make something like an adventure so mysterious." Remus shook his head./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Can I read?" Hermione asked. She was handed the book. As she opened the book to read a figure walked in the door. It was a girl. She had on long pale blue robes and was wearing a red hooded cloak that was fastened with bronzy clips. Her golden hair was flowing out of her hood which covered most of her face except her chin./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Harry, Lily? Can I talk to you?" Her voice was oddly familiar to Dumbledore./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Sure. Excuse us for a moment please," Harry stood up. They walked into another room. "What is it?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Can I show myself now? I've waited years to be able to do this," she pleaded./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"They sighed, "Sure. Do you want the other here? Or just you and him for now?" /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Lily/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Just us. He can come later," the girl said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Alright." /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"They walked out. "So who are you?" Dumbledore asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The girl lifted her hands to her hood. "I think you know me pretty well Albus." Her hood was tossed back./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Dumbledore broke down in tears. "No. No. NO! She's dead. She's not here!" He continued this for a few seconds./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The girl walked forward and knelt in front of him, placing a gentle hand on his trembling arm. "Al, it is me."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""NO!" Albus cried. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"McGongagall gasped when she saw the girl's eyes. "Albus. It is her! Look at her eyes." He raised his head and looked into her kind eyes./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Minerva, she's dead!" Dumbledore insisted./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The girl sighed. "When you guys said he wouldn't believe me, I didn't think it would be this bad. Al, it is me!" Dumbledore was crying, shaking his head and couldn't see. She made her voice sound younger, "No. No. Stop! Stop fighting!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""It really is you! Ariana!" Dumbledore's smiled was wider than the world. He hugged his little sister close. "Oh Ariana. I'm so, so, so sorry!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Al. It's okay! It wasn't your doing, or anyone else's. Other than those three boys." Ariana assured him. "Hermione can probably explain best."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Hermione smiled. "When those boys attacked, she developed a block towards magic. When your father disappeared after that, it just enforced that. After your mother died, she lost control over the obscurus inside her. However, when an obscurus consumes it's host, it doesn't kill them. But at the same time it does. It curses them with 'Until the eldest dies, six months later, you will be dead.' Six months, give or take a few weeks, after your death, she came back to life."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I asked to come here with them. I got less than 14 years with you. I lived with Abe for years both before and after my death. But you, no." Ariana said./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Wait. How old are you?" Albus asked, taking her entire body./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""25. Or 123. Take your pick." She laughed. Her laugh was tinkly. It reminded Albus of his mother's./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Do you have a job? Or learn magic?"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Yeah. I teach potions." She smiled. "And yes. After the war, I went to Hogwarts. You don't know how odd it is to be a first year at 15. And I live on my own now," She turned on the other five from the future. "Now, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? YOU SAID YOU'D BE THERE!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Harry burst out laughing. "Ari! We told him where and when he should do it! We just figured you'd want some privacy!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Oh." She blushed./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""What do you mean?" Albus asked./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Um, my boyfriend just proposed to me." She showed her hand with an engagement ring on it. It was a golden band with a small red stone in the middle./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""And, she has yet to tell Aberforth," Ron reminded her./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""I will! Soon," Ariana insisted./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You haven't even told him you were dating someone for the past three years," Hermione raised an eyebrow. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Can we just read?" She asked, blushing furiously./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 12pt; margin-bottom: 12pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Alright," Hermione started reading as Ariana sat right next to Albus in a seat with her hand on his and her head resting on his shoulder./span/p