p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="3b4d1e7f227a7f53b6fd781511ab1b5f"The Girl To Be Forgotten/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="15d29c0413fac88d21294c9acc37cf7e"M r. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly kind, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything criminal or illegal, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c130c3b377d16940d0a0e244df0b4099"Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a tall, thin man with hardly any meat on his body, he also has a very small mustache, but distinguished, mustache. Mrs. Dursley was plump and brunette and didn't have anything close to the usual amount of neck, which never came in very useful as she spent so much of her time trying crane over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small daughter called Daisy and in their opinion there was no finer girl anywhere./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="00297c42e421545357d0cee49251e7c8"The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her husband were in the middle of a secret civil war and couldn't bear to think about what was going on with them. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street all bloodied and half-way dead. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small girl, too, but they had never even seen her. This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with her, and her abilities until he was old enough to understand where they came from./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="586a73b7ad9e8df040a825e94f7bbfc5"When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the bright, blue Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the clear sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most nice looking tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she put a calm Daisy into her high chair./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="77d917dfce1b15930758cc99799762d1"None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="60b6a7b13c4800d58b70a9ab4f7793df"At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Daisy good-bye but missed, because she was having her own little dance party on the floor./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5a8fc40a72bff16d855c1533b8ea331a""Little ballerina," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0aa4d4fa2216fd85942d1d460d941bdd"It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a dog reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby dog standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map insight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the dog. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the dog in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; dogs couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the dog out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="db316b64fc31e0a48a7e954ab0fe44ea"But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — it reminded him of, Lily's kind. To keep his thoughts from wonder to her and her kind he told himself this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these people standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was curious to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! But Mr. Dursley just carried on his way. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f824bdfc565def4d84fa036fa2f603bb"Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He fixed the mistakes of five different people. He made several important telephone calls and fixed a bit more mistakes. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0e2ccfe0419c6f1e0f98af1e18ecbb5f"He'd for gotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them curiously as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him feel peculiar, probably because he knew where these people were coming from. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them,clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2f9ef467a3c111243f81c92a0c0a2329""The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1bc5dcaa2386c97e1b2b51595b81b1cc"" — yes, their daughter, Hailey —"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="37e97926e5094688b1fec370a8fe7563"Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to ask them something but thought better of dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking...no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a daughter called Hailey. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece was called Hailey. He'd never even seen the girl. It might have been Harley. Or Hannah. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister go missing like that...but all the same, those people in cloaks.../p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9376cc00e67711b4afe40c0f4a4c544c"He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7d65946635e2817e348a9f440b0bf738""Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today!Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="789602d4831994799014ef91f17bd62b"And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked . Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, he must of been a—. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a4b1eded45bc80130ca3836ec6905649"As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw —and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby dog he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="713de5440ad1a13f0717debf864df7ac""Come here boy!" said Mr. Dursley loudly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ab62399945ef3faa0b5d9530d39fa5ae"The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal dog behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="eab83060c1577a6c61de0bd7071ee10a"Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Daisy had learned a new word ("Song!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Daisy had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="cb15c7e5e9312e11f487465d9d71308d""And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed herself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jenna McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jenna?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4d93117a0e108387e8fc167fa648ca1d""Well, Tonia," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2f57534fae32112d26f7d0267fa4fdf0"Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain?Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters.../p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="94fdaca9b30195e6d32784c273550f56"Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er— Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and misery. After all,they didn't know if she was alive or had finally kicked the bucket./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="79144887e3636bee18196c6b87c3e55c""No," she said sharply. "Why?""Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls...shooting stars...and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today...""So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley."Well, I just thought...maybe...it was something to do with...you know...her crowd."Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter — she'd be about Daisy's age now, wouldn't she?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c690a6312acce44b6fab3575ff9eacb3""I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d8e23b98d5bb2bbbc9d4f2b88d644acd""What's her name again? Helen, isn't it?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="eae2e8c2a79df9dcd4c2dbf8c2ab471a""Hailey, a common name if you ask me"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1a25051c95fe1a1ec26a1af2e2f6517f""Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f94208934ebfdf73d57a1ed33553fe00"He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The dog was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="bd84610a3b7db6ccb455911ad80667f7"Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If they did...if they did die during they war — well, he didn't think he could bear it. Good people they were./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="dbbe18b809c416d54d7a1cd0d95d5902"The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were dead, there was no he and Mrs. Dursley would know. The Potters stopped all means of communication with them and their world — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect them.../p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="55ae1b7167e892407908f44b3b7cff08"How very wrong he was./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="065ee6e119036d6aab2041f8bc4bdc9c"Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the dog on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the dog moved at all./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c3f626d5af962b6fbac5529748f8ade8"A woman appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought she'd just popped out of the dog's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c4df4a6bc10f5365c9f1e8e2007d6c19"Nothing like this woman had ever been seen on Privet Drive. She was short,chubby, and very old, judging by the silver of her blonde hair, which was extremely long enough to tuck into her boots. She was wearing a long dress, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. Her brown eyes were light,bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and her nose was very short and straight. This woman's name was Ariana Dumbledore. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0dfff9e8792679acf01f57421fa522db"She seemed to realize she was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the dog, which was still staring at her from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the dog seemed to amuse her. She chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4a975cb996a0ff1c4f20d59f20b1ec7f"She found what he was looking for in her inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. She flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. She clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times she clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside her cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where she sat down on the wall next to the cat. She didn't look at it, but after a moment she spoke to it./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1bb9d03679132a74fe0a442490d3be8d""Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="eaa063c923986ff520a1c602cc125817"She turned to smile at the tabby dog, but it had gone. Instead she was smiling at a rather severe-looking man who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. He, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. His black hair was pulled into a short ponytail. He looked distinctly ruffled./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="e48af22492636396e726919ad15a4980""How did you know it was me?" he asked./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="61a58dc1c332899982b62b44cc4c215c""My dear Professor, I've never seen a dog sit so stiffly."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a371f71f5999c6f0403e076db223b361""You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="54c5682edef6b308cc7dd8c4f06ec856""All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="92a7cceb381740b18b3546ddcf7fdb7a"Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5c6f0022439130d69484c2992d032291""Oh yes, I've celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no —even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." He jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls...shooting stars...Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Pasiphaë Diggle. She never had much sense."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="61d3211394dcc4e002435bd145188422""You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f94b0030da7e760be9a475d13438c82c""I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="27e95ae6cd7309c387f955e897f5248c"He threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping she was going to tell him something, but she didn't, so he went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose she really has gone,Dumbledore?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="14eff96b38d1c07d14154328a4d836a9""It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="539f3b4e146edc919f6e7e478387da5e""A what?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="483376e816aa6240478be176ad2c0d0d""A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="db16f03ecff76488c5bb057d7e8b8177""No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="97ba83d8685dfe7bcc9cafab1c7dde0a""My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call her by her name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by her proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops,seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="cec2f607e7c9aaf57e0c3a5addd1bfa2""I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7e799c11bec441064698cec6f1114ff6""You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="141c07e5a1b0909d8046f291144fd3cd""Only because you're too — well — noble to use them."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a7d5a94b777e57ad5fad7f7ef1a0a36d""It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Healer Pomfrey told me he liked my new earmuffs."Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why she's disappeared? About what finally stopped her?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="edbeafbd3513262f0547e618cad26a9c"It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point he was most anxious to discuss, the real reason he had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a dog, nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying,he was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told him it was , however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7aabb140e51cf0cc84dfabafdbb7cb03""What they're saying," he pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. She went to find the Longbottom's. The rumor is that Alice and Frank Longbottom are — are — that they're — dead."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="8c5134f61d512535d7fed32beeb29524"Dumbledore bowed her head./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2b8f291d6ca849a8fa4b59a0b3e6f26e" Professor McGonagall gasped."Alice and Frank...I can't believe it...I didn't want to believe it...Oh,Ariana..."Dumbledore reached up and patted him on the shoulder. "I know...I know..." she said McGonagall's voice shook a little as he went on. "That's not 're saying she tried to kill the Longbottom's daughter, Nettie. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when she couldn't kill Nettie Longbottom, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why she's gone."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ec6fdea90492efecda9cbc40a87440ee"Dumbledore nodded glumly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="3496ee9517d9689f57df994812bf9e24""It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all she's done...all the people she's killed...she couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding...of all the things to stop her...but how in the name of heaven did Nettie survive?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9ed55f8a15e2961273949d9bf3826d9b""We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="e16a06a210164958828b71e2dc835c7f"Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes beneath his spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as she took a golden watch from her pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because she put it back in her pocket and said, "Hildagard's late. I suppose it was she who told you I'd be here, by the way?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d9df4d5381a1894fc531c6dcaaa78541""Yes," said Professor McGonagall. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c9d905e64d9a35a89570d8338e9d43bf""And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?""I've come to bring Hailey to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now after the Potters were tortured."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="74e117ec1cb4b75acadedd7e9e465520""You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to his feet and pointing at number four."Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. I wouldn't doubt if they forgot all about the Potters, there was no sign inside saying that they accept magic and Lily at all, added on the that they have a daughter of their own to look after."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4f9447ce57a13f522cd727952c345eb6""It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "Her aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9e398c941ecae628493bff4e8696a4d7""A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?These people will never understand him! She'll be of high society — part of the government — I wouldn't be surprised if she became the most important person in all of magic's history — every child in our world will know her name, she's the heir of the Black, Emrys, Potter and Peverell family!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="e2ab1c8dacb50b3031e24677dbd4a7ef""Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of her half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Knowing they're important to all before she can walk and talk! Can you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7f0699c6bf6d993768fbbcac79c617a2"Professor McGonagall opened his mouth, changed his mind, swallowed,and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course, just promise me that you'll at least let Sirius, her godmother, come and teach her the proper pure-blood customs at the age of eight. "/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a79fb92765f28b360bc075cc0f500a8f"All Dumbledore did was nod."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="84ca85ee91c101abd9e939ffdb930faf""But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed her cloak suddenly as though he thought she might be hiding Hailey underneath it./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9966280684eee5c74e60f9694a0061b3""Hildgard's bringing her."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="b62c5a2c8410f58a0c9bb4da072fe609""You think it — wise — to trust Hildgard with something as important as this?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4442550c58aa017ebab58eeab420d3e9""I would trust Hildagard with my life," said Dumbledore./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="969333bba21394b30baea4379444a1c0""I'm not saying her heart isn't in the right place," said ProfessorMcGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend she's not careless. She does tend to — what was that?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2e207941c7d2c223d4df1d451a413b2e"A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="17d4333227a1b753c18034d6e3115e7b" The motorcycle was huge, but with three people on it you could easily see their features as they took up all the space on the motorbike. The one if the front was almost twice as tall as a normal seven year old and at least two times as bigger then a bundle of twigs. She looked simply too small to be called an adult, but so tame — long strands of sleek strawberry blonde hair, she had hands the size of toddlers, and her feet in their leather boots were like those of a toddlers to. Behind her sat, a tall dark haired woman with stormy grey eyes, a pointed jawline and a friendly face, in her arms she was holding a bundle of blankets./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d93a51661482906a6c0d12b0bc06f436""Hildagard, and Sirius, I wasn't expecting you," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "And where did you get that motorcycle?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a951ac850483aac4a026470bdf6b6b19""Bought it recently, Professor Dumbledore, ma'am," said the lady, climbing carefully off the motorcycle. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ec95148ff74a1818239ac9ffa452f704""No problems, were there?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0d49d8f928e3221f95001ba0acf72968""No, ma'am — house was almost destroyed, but I got Hailey out all right beforethe Muggles started swarming around. She fell asleep as we was flying over Bristol."Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep. Under a tuft of vibrant red hair over her forehead. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="92fb2f4c9b821b726934b8bb40556d43""Well —give her here, Sirius — we'd better get this over with."Dumbledore took Hailey in her arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="6fde53721a3ff184271e2c135db5dab2""Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hildagard. Sirius carried the short woman over to Harry and gave him what must have been a very moist kiss. Then, suddenly, Hildagard let out a squeaky sob like a wounded mouse./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d60574ed41c5c321a2a9db14c1c94c64""Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="62bd0295462f76c163198e6abab67fed""S-s-sorry," sobbed Hildgard, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Hailey off to live with Muggles —"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4fb98dd37c91a000c269e3f99ac8ab8b""Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hildgard, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hildagard gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. She laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of her cloak, tucked it inside Hailey's blankets, and then came back to the other three. For a full minute the four of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hilagard's shoulders shook,Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="96de2660187a7c0f1bbfc4dad86571cd""Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c80441c0e23ac3ee9cd1122fe1cc5490""Yeah," said Hildagard in a very muffled voice./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4045f2b7f0e4b3480dceabb2a2ff8025""I'll be my and I bike back to Grimmauld Place. Goodnight, Professor McGonagall, Hildagard — Professor Dumbledore, ma'am."Wiping her streaming eyes on her jacket sleeve, Sirius swung herself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ec1de54b0304d7a0b5777dfd64436143""I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore , nodding to him. Professor McGonagall blew his nose in turned and walked back down the street along with Hildagard. On the corner she stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. She clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and she could make out a tabby dog slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. She could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f258b791fa115d3029f5ef301b14cc78""Good luck, Hailey," he murmured. She turned on her heel and with a swish of her cloak, she and Hildagard were gone./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="57d08147ba99fec8bf5f1109f47da34c"A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Hailey Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's surprised scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks playing dolls and dancing along with her cousin Daisy...She couldn't know that at this very moment,people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c4bb66ff41c5d7539950d5764905848d""To Nettie Longbottom and Hailey Potter— the Girl Who Lived and the Pureblood of the Century!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="15d29c0413fac88d21294c9acc37cf7e"M r. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly kind, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything criminal or illegal, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c130c3b377d16940d0a0e244df0b4099"Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a tall, thin man with hardly any meat on his body, he also has a very small mustache, but distinguished, mustache. Mrs. Dursley was plump and brunette and didn't have anything close to the usual amount of neck, which never came in very useful as she spent so much of her time trying crane over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small daughter called Daisy and in their opinion there was no finer girl anywhere./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="00297c42e421545357d0cee49251e7c8"The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her husband were in the middle of a secret civil war and couldn't bear to think about what was going on with them. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street all bloodied and half-way dead. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small girl, too, but they had never even seen her. This girl was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with her, and her abilities until he was old enough to understand where they came from./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="586a73b7ad9e8df040a825e94f7bbfc5"When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the bright, blue Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the clear sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most nice looking tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she put a calm Daisy into her high chair./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="77d917dfce1b15930758cc99799762d1"None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="60b6a7b13c4800d58b70a9ab4f7793df"At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Daisy good-bye but missed, because she was having her own little dance party on the floor./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5a8fc40a72bff16d855c1533b8ea331a""Little ballerina," chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0aa4d4fa2216fd85942d1d460d941bdd"It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a dog reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby dog standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map insight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the dog. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the dog in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, looking at the sign; dogs couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the dog out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="db316b64fc31e0a48a7e954ab0fe44ea"But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — it reminded him of, Lily's kind. To keep his thoughts from wonder to her and her kind he told himself this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these people standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was curious to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! But Mr. Dursley just carried on his way. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f824bdfc565def4d84fa036fa2f603bb"Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime. Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He fixed the mistakes of five different people. He made several important telephone calls and fixed a bit more mistakes. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0e2ccfe0419c6f1e0f98af1e18ecbb5f"He'd for gotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them curiously as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him feel peculiar, probably because he knew where these people were coming from. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them,clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2f9ef467a3c111243f81c92a0c0a2329""The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard —"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1bc5dcaa2386c97e1b2b51595b81b1cc"" — yes, their daughter, Hailey —"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="37e97926e5094688b1fec370a8fe7563"Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to ask them something but thought better of dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking...no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a daughter called Hailey. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his niece was called Hailey. He'd never even seen the girl. It might have been Harley. Or Hannah. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if he'd had a sister go missing like that...but all the same, those people in cloaks.../p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9376cc00e67711b4afe40c0f4a4c544c"He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7d65946635e2817e348a9f440b0bf738""Sorry," he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today!Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="789602d4831994799014ef91f17bd62b"And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked . Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, he must of been a—. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a4b1eded45bc80130ca3836ec6905649"As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw —and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby dog he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="713de5440ad1a13f0717debf864df7ac""Come here boy!" said Mr. Dursley loudly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ab62399945ef3faa0b5d9530d39fa5ae"The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look. Was this normal dog behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="eab83060c1577a6c61de0bd7071ee10a"Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Daisy had learned a new word ("Song!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Daisy had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="cb15c7e5e9312e11f487465d9d71308d""And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The newscaster allowed herself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jenna McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jenna?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4d93117a0e108387e8fc167fa648ca1d""Well, Tonia," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2f57534fae32112d26f7d0267fa4fdf0"Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain?Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters.../p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="94fdaca9b30195e6d32784c273550f56"Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. "Er— Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and misery. After all,they didn't know if she was alive or had finally kicked the bucket./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="79144887e3636bee18196c6b87c3e55c""No," she said sharply. "Why?""Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls...shooting stars...and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today...""So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley."Well, I just thought...maybe...it was something to do with...you know...her crowd."Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their daughter — she'd be about Daisy's age now, wouldn't she?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c690a6312acce44b6fab3575ff9eacb3""I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d8e23b98d5bb2bbbc9d4f2b88d644acd""What's her name again? Helen, isn't it?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="eae2e8c2a79df9dcd4c2dbf8c2ab471a""Hailey, a common name if you ask me"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1a25051c95fe1a1ec26a1af2e2f6517f""Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f94208934ebfdf73d57a1ed33553fe00"He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The dog was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="bd84610a3b7db6ccb455911ad80667f7"Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If they did...if they did die during they war — well, he didn't think he could bear it. Good people they were./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="dbbe18b809c416d54d7a1cd0d95d5902"The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were dead, there was no he and Mrs. Dursley would know. The Potters stopped all means of communication with them and their world — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect them.../p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="55ae1b7167e892407908f44b3b7cff08"How very wrong he was./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="065ee6e119036d6aab2041f8bc4bdc9c"Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the dog on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the dog moved at all./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c3f626d5af962b6fbac5529748f8ade8"A woman appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought she'd just popped out of the dog's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c4df4a6bc10f5365c9f1e8e2007d6c19"Nothing like this woman had ever been seen on Privet Drive. She was short,chubby, and very old, judging by the silver of her blonde hair, which was extremely long enough to tuck into her boots. She was wearing a long dress, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. Her brown eyes were light,bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and her nose was very short and straight. This woman's name was Ariana Dumbledore. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0dfff9e8792679acf01f57421fa522db"She seemed to realize she was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the dog, which was still staring at her from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the dog seemed to amuse her. She chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4a975cb996a0ff1c4f20d59f20b1ec7f"She found what he was looking for in her inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. She flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. She clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times she clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside her cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where she sat down on the wall next to the cat. She didn't look at it, but after a moment she spoke to it./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1bb9d03679132a74fe0a442490d3be8d""Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="eaa063c923986ff520a1c602cc125817"She turned to smile at the tabby dog, but it had gone. Instead she was smiling at a rather severe-looking man who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. He, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. His black hair was pulled into a short ponytail. He looked distinctly ruffled./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="e48af22492636396e726919ad15a4980""How did you know it was me?" he asked./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="61a58dc1c332899982b62b44cc4c215c""My dear Professor, I've never seen a dog sit so stiffly."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a371f71f5999c6f0403e076db223b361""You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="54c5682edef6b308cc7dd8c4f06ec856""All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="92a7cceb381740b18b3546ddcf7fdb7a"Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5c6f0022439130d69484c2992d032291""Oh yes, I've celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no —even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." He jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls...shooting stars...Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Pasiphaë Diggle. She never had much sense."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="61d3211394dcc4e002435bd145188422""You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f94b0030da7e760be9a475d13438c82c""I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="27e95ae6cd7309c387f955e897f5248c"He threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping she was going to tell him something, but she didn't, so he went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose she really has gone,Dumbledore?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="14eff96b38d1c07d14154328a4d836a9""It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="539f3b4e146edc919f6e7e478387da5e""A what?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="483376e816aa6240478be176ad2c0d0d""A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="db16f03ecff76488c5bb057d7e8b8177""No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops. "As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone —"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="97ba83d8685dfe7bcc9cafab1c7dde0a""My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call her by her name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by her proper name: Voldemort." Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops,seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="cec2f607e7c9aaf57e0c3a5addd1bfa2""I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7e799c11bec441064698cec6f1114ff6""You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="141c07e5a1b0909d8046f291144fd3cd""Only because you're too — well — noble to use them."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a7d5a94b777e57ad5fad7f7ef1a0a36d""It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Healer Pomfrey told me he liked my new earmuffs."Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why she's disappeared? About what finally stopped her?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="edbeafbd3513262f0547e618cad26a9c"It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point he was most anxious to discuss, the real reason he had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a dog, nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying,he was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told him it was , however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7aabb140e51cf0cc84dfabafdbb7cb03""What they're saying," he pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. She went to find the Longbottom's. The rumor is that Alice and Frank Longbottom are — are — that they're — dead."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="8c5134f61d512535d7fed32beeb29524"Dumbledore bowed her head./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2b8f291d6ca849a8fa4b59a0b3e6f26e" Professor McGonagall gasped."Alice and Frank...I can't believe it...I didn't want to believe it...Oh,Ariana..."Dumbledore reached up and patted him on the shoulder. "I know...I know..." she said McGonagall's voice shook a little as he went on. "That's not 're saying she tried to kill the Longbottom's daughter, Nettie. But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little girl. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when she couldn't kill Nettie Longbottom, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why she's gone."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ec6fdea90492efecda9cbc40a87440ee"Dumbledore nodded glumly./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="3496ee9517d9689f57df994812bf9e24""It's — it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all she's done...all the people she's killed...she couldn't kill a little girl? It's just astounding...of all the things to stop her...but how in the name of heaven did Nettie survive?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9ed55f8a15e2961273949d9bf3826d9b""We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="e16a06a210164958828b71e2dc835c7f"Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes beneath his spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as she took a golden watch from her pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because she put it back in her pocket and said, "Hildagard's late. I suppose it was she who told you I'd be here, by the way?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d9df4d5381a1894fc531c6dcaaa78541""Yes," said Professor McGonagall. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c9d905e64d9a35a89570d8338e9d43bf""And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?""I've come to bring Hailey to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family she has left now after the Potters were tortured."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="74e117ec1cb4b75acadedd7e9e465520""You don't mean – you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to his feet and pointing at number four."Dumbledore — you can't. I've been watching them all day. I wouldn't doubt if they forgot all about the Potters, there was no sign inside saying that they accept magic and Lily at all, added on the that they have a daughter of their own to look after."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4f9447ce57a13f522cd727952c345eb6""It's the best place for her," said Dumbledore firmly. "Her aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to her when she's older. I've written them a letter."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9e398c941ecae628493bff4e8696a4d7""A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?These people will never understand him! She'll be of high society — part of the government — I wouldn't be surprised if she became the most important person in all of magic's history — every child in our world will know her name, she's the heir of the Black, Emrys, Potter and Peverell family!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="e2ab1c8dacb50b3031e24677dbd4a7ef""Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of her half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any girl's head. Knowing they're important to all before she can walk and talk! Can you see how much better off she'll be, growing up away from all that until she's ready to take it?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7f0699c6bf6d993768fbbcac79c617a2"Professor McGonagall opened his mouth, changed his mind, swallowed,and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course, just promise me that you'll at least let Sirius, her godmother, come and teach her the proper pure-blood customs at the age of eight. "/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a79fb92765f28b360bc075cc0f500a8f"All Dumbledore did was nod."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="84ca85ee91c101abd9e939ffdb930faf""But how is the girl getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed her cloak suddenly as though he thought she might be hiding Hailey underneath it./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9966280684eee5c74e60f9694a0061b3""Hildgard's bringing her."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="b62c5a2c8410f58a0c9bb4da072fe609""You think it — wise — to trust Hildgard with something as important as this?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4442550c58aa017ebab58eeab420d3e9""I would trust Hildagard with my life," said Dumbledore./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="969333bba21394b30baea4379444a1c0""I'm not saying her heart isn't in the right place," said ProfessorMcGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend she's not careless. She does tend to — what was that?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2e207941c7d2c223d4df1d451a413b2e"A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="17d4333227a1b753c18034d6e3115e7b" The motorcycle was huge, but with three people on it you could easily see their features as they took up all the space on the motorbike. The one if the front was almost twice as tall as a normal seven year old and at least two times as bigger then a bundle of twigs. She looked simply too small to be called an adult, but so tame — long strands of sleek strawberry blonde hair, she had hands the size of toddlers, and her feet in their leather boots were like those of a toddlers to. Behind her sat, a tall dark haired woman with stormy grey eyes, a pointed jawline and a friendly face, in her arms she was holding a bundle of blankets./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d93a51661482906a6c0d12b0bc06f436""Hildagard, and Sirius, I wasn't expecting you," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "And where did you get that motorcycle?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="a951ac850483aac4a026470bdf6b6b19""Bought it recently, Professor Dumbledore, ma'am," said the lady, climbing carefully off the motorcycle. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ec95148ff74a1818239ac9ffa452f704""No problems, were there?"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0d49d8f928e3221f95001ba0acf72968""No, ma'am — house was almost destroyed, but I got Hailey out all right beforethe Muggles started swarming around. She fell asleep as we was flying over Bristol."Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl, fast asleep. Under a tuft of vibrant red hair over her forehead. /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="92fb2f4c9b821b726934b8bb40556d43""Well —give her here, Sirius — we'd better get this over with."Dumbledore took Hailey in her arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="6fde53721a3ff184271e2c135db5dab2""Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hildagard. Sirius carried the short woman over to Harry and gave him what must have been a very moist kiss. Then, suddenly, Hildagard let out a squeaky sob like a wounded mouse./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d60574ed41c5c321a2a9db14c1c94c64""Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="62bd0295462f76c163198e6abab67fed""S-s-sorry," sobbed Hildgard, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Hailey off to live with Muggles —"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4fb98dd37c91a000c269e3f99ac8ab8b""Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hildgard, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hildagard gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. She laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of her cloak, tucked it inside Hailey's blankets, and then came back to the other three. For a full minute the four of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hilagard's shoulders shook,Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="96de2660187a7c0f1bbfc4dad86571cd""Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c80441c0e23ac3ee9cd1122fe1cc5490""Yeah," said Hildagard in a very muffled voice./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4045f2b7f0e4b3480dceabb2a2ff8025""I'll be my and I bike back to Grimmauld Place. Goodnight, Professor McGonagall, Hildagard — Professor Dumbledore, ma'am."Wiping her streaming eyes on her jacket sleeve, Sirius swung herself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="ec1de54b0304d7a0b5777dfd64436143""I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore , nodding to him. Professor McGonagall blew his nose in turned and walked back down the street along with Hildagard. On the corner she stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. She clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and she could make out a tabby dog slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. She could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f258b791fa115d3029f5ef301b14cc78""Good luck, Hailey," he murmured. She turned on her heel and with a swish of her cloak, she and Hildagard were gone./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="57d08147ba99fec8bf5f1109f47da34c"A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Hailey Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and she slept on, not knowing she was special, not knowing she was famous, not knowing she would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's surprised scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that she would spend the next few weeks playing dolls and dancing along with her cousin Daisy...She couldn't know that at this very moment,people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: /p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="c4bb66ff41c5d7539950d5764905848d""To Nettie Longbottom and Hailey Potter— the Girl Who Lived and the Pureblood of the Century!"/p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" /p