Chapter 3
Harry liked Cassandra Figg. She was the only Muggle who had ever shown any friendly interest in him. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Dudley wasn't around. At the school he attended before Hogwarts, no one had wanted Dudley to think they liked him for fear of being beaten up. Cassandra didn't have that problem and seemed quite determined to become Harry's friend.
She asked Harry a lot of questions. She asked him about his school. He answered what he could without letting her know that they taught magic about her school, which wasn't very much. He asked about her school and she talked about it for hours, much to Harry's relief. She asked about his life with the Dursleys. He told her everything, even his cupboard under the stairs. She listened sympathetically. She squirmed and made faces as if on cue and called them several names that he agreed with wholeheartedly. She even took it upon herself to get Harry some proper-fitting clothes. He was so grateful that he gave her a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which she had lots of fun with, even though after a while she was too scared to eat them.
Harry's birthday came. Hedwig returned from the Weasleys with a note from Ron and a large package. He opened the note first. The not e said that the best place for Harry to be was with Mrs. Figg. There was also a card. Harry unwrapped the package. It was a box. He opened it. Inside were several presents. A note explained who sent what. Mrs. Weasley had made the cake. Ginny had helped decorate it. Ron had sent a poster of the Chudley Cannons, Harry's favorite quidditch team. Fred and George had sent him a pack of canary creams, ton-tongue toffees, fake wands and other similar things. It was the best birthday present Harry had ever gotten.
Hermione had sent Harry a book, Quidditch through the Ages. She had lent it to him before, in their first year. She also sent him a card and a picture of Rome, where she and her parents were vacationing. Sirius had also sent a cake along with a brief note. Harry was almost hurt by its shortness considering the last time he saw Sirius he had been in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Hagrid sent him a box of chocolate frogs. He also received several pairs of mismatched, odd-looking socks from Dobby.
For Harry's birthday, Mrs. Figg and Cassandra took him to the movies, followed by the zoo. Harry was a bit nervous about the zoo, remembering the last time he had been. His worries disappeared amid Cassandra's exclamations of delight. They saw the tigers, which were Cassandra's favorite. They saw elephants and zebras and giraffes, which bore some resemblance to Aunt Petunia. They saw gorillas too, which still reminded Harry of Dudley.
Mrs. Figg bought them all ice cream sundaes, which they finished on their way to see the snakes. There was a large python behind the glass, sunning itself. "I wonder if snakes get bored," Cassandra said offhandedly. Harry couldn't resist.
"I'll ask it," he said.
"How?" she asked.
"Watch," he replied.
He leaned forward and spoke. "Hello," he said. He heard Cassandra gasp.
"Whassssss up?" the snake hissed.
"My friend and I were wondering if snakes get bored."
"If you were ssstuck in a cage for monthsss at a time. Wouldn't you be bored?" the snaked replied.
"I suppose. Sorry to bother you."
"No problem, kid."
Harry drew back from the glass. He was almost afraid to face Cassandra. He looked at her. She gaped at him. Harry looked down. "Oh my god! Harry, you can talk to snakes!" she gasped.
"Yeah," he replied, still looking down.
"Harry, that was awesome!" she said. He looked up quickly.
"What?"
"That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen! What did it say?" she asked. She was thrilled. She thought it was wonderful. He gave a sigh of relief. Everyone else he had ever met gave him grief about being a parselmouth.
"Well, the answer to your question is yes. Snakes do get bored," he answered. She laughed and linked arms with him.
"Come along, now Auntie Arabella's waiting."
Late that night there was a knock at his door. Harry ran over to Hedwig's cage and quickly threw a cover over it. "Yes? " he called. It opened and Mrs. Figg came in.
"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" she inquired.
"Not at all."
"I thought you might be doing homework," she said. Harry shook his head.
"I haven't got my books," Harry replied. She frowned.
"Why not?"
"Uncle Vernon wouldn't let me bring them."
"Nonsense! We'll get them tomorrow," Mrs. Figg said firmly. She closed the door muttering under her breath. Harry was certain she had muttered something about Muggles.
The next morning Mrs. Figg marched Harry and Cassandra over to 4 Privet Drive. "Do you have a key?" Mrs. Figg asked him.
"Yes," Harry lied. He stepped up to the door and felt in his pocket for the penknife Sirius had given him for Christmas. Please let this work, he prayed. He put one of the attachments in the lock and turned it. The door sprung open.
"You run upstairs and get your books. Cassandra and I will wait here," Mrs. Figg instructed. Harry didn't have to go that far. At the foot of the stairs lay all his school things right where Uncle Vernon had dumped them. Harry gathered them up in his arms and walked back to the door.
"Would you like some help with that?" Cassandra asked.
"No," Harry replied quickly. He didn't need Cassandra to see what kind of books he had to use for school.
"You'll drop them."
"No, I won't."
"Yes, you will. We'll get to the corner of Walsingham and Birch. You'll step out onto the road. A car will come by, and you'll jump back, dropping everything," Cassandra said matter-of-factly.
"I will not," Harry said.
"I know what I'm talking about."
"You're being silly."
"I am not."
"Whatever," Harry muttered. HONK! HONK! Harry jumped backwards, frightened half to death. A car had almost hit him.
"Oh, great," he groaned. His books lay scattered all over the road. Sheets of parchment were drifted away on the wind. Bottles of inks shattered all over his homework. Tires had flattened his quills. He looked at Cassandra. She leaned against a signpost that read Walsingham and Birch.
Harry liked Cassandra Figg. She was the only Muggle who had ever shown any friendly interest in him. Perhaps it was due to the fact that Dudley wasn't around. At the school he attended before Hogwarts, no one had wanted Dudley to think they liked him for fear of being beaten up. Cassandra didn't have that problem and seemed quite determined to become Harry's friend.
She asked Harry a lot of questions. She asked him about his school. He answered what he could without letting her know that they taught magic about her school, which wasn't very much. He asked about her school and she talked about it for hours, much to Harry's relief. She asked about his life with the Dursleys. He told her everything, even his cupboard under the stairs. She listened sympathetically. She squirmed and made faces as if on cue and called them several names that he agreed with wholeheartedly. She even took it upon herself to get Harry some proper-fitting clothes. He was so grateful that he gave her a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which she had lots of fun with, even though after a while she was too scared to eat them.
Harry's birthday came. Hedwig returned from the Weasleys with a note from Ron and a large package. He opened the note first. The not e said that the best place for Harry to be was with Mrs. Figg. There was also a card. Harry unwrapped the package. It was a box. He opened it. Inside were several presents. A note explained who sent what. Mrs. Weasley had made the cake. Ginny had helped decorate it. Ron had sent a poster of the Chudley Cannons, Harry's favorite quidditch team. Fred and George had sent him a pack of canary creams, ton-tongue toffees, fake wands and other similar things. It was the best birthday present Harry had ever gotten.
Hermione had sent Harry a book, Quidditch through the Ages. She had lent it to him before, in their first year. She also sent him a card and a picture of Rome, where she and her parents were vacationing. Sirius had also sent a cake along with a brief note. Harry was almost hurt by its shortness considering the last time he saw Sirius he had been in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Hagrid sent him a box of chocolate frogs. He also received several pairs of mismatched, odd-looking socks from Dobby.
For Harry's birthday, Mrs. Figg and Cassandra took him to the movies, followed by the zoo. Harry was a bit nervous about the zoo, remembering the last time he had been. His worries disappeared amid Cassandra's exclamations of delight. They saw the tigers, which were Cassandra's favorite. They saw elephants and zebras and giraffes, which bore some resemblance to Aunt Petunia. They saw gorillas too, which still reminded Harry of Dudley.
Mrs. Figg bought them all ice cream sundaes, which they finished on their way to see the snakes. There was a large python behind the glass, sunning itself. "I wonder if snakes get bored," Cassandra said offhandedly. Harry couldn't resist.
"I'll ask it," he said.
"How?" she asked.
"Watch," he replied.
He leaned forward and spoke. "Hello," he said. He heard Cassandra gasp.
"Whassssss up?" the snake hissed.
"My friend and I were wondering if snakes get bored."
"If you were ssstuck in a cage for monthsss at a time. Wouldn't you be bored?" the snaked replied.
"I suppose. Sorry to bother you."
"No problem, kid."
Harry drew back from the glass. He was almost afraid to face Cassandra. He looked at her. She gaped at him. Harry looked down. "Oh my god! Harry, you can talk to snakes!" she gasped.
"Yeah," he replied, still looking down.
"Harry, that was awesome!" she said. He looked up quickly.
"What?"
"That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen! What did it say?" she asked. She was thrilled. She thought it was wonderful. He gave a sigh of relief. Everyone else he had ever met gave him grief about being a parselmouth.
"Well, the answer to your question is yes. Snakes do get bored," he answered. She laughed and linked arms with him.
"Come along, now Auntie Arabella's waiting."
Late that night there was a knock at his door. Harry ran over to Hedwig's cage and quickly threw a cover over it. "Yes? " he called. It opened and Mrs. Figg came in.
"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" she inquired.
"Not at all."
"I thought you might be doing homework," she said. Harry shook his head.
"I haven't got my books," Harry replied. She frowned.
"Why not?"
"Uncle Vernon wouldn't let me bring them."
"Nonsense! We'll get them tomorrow," Mrs. Figg said firmly. She closed the door muttering under her breath. Harry was certain she had muttered something about Muggles.
The next morning Mrs. Figg marched Harry and Cassandra over to 4 Privet Drive. "Do you have a key?" Mrs. Figg asked him.
"Yes," Harry lied. He stepped up to the door and felt in his pocket for the penknife Sirius had given him for Christmas. Please let this work, he prayed. He put one of the attachments in the lock and turned it. The door sprung open.
"You run upstairs and get your books. Cassandra and I will wait here," Mrs. Figg instructed. Harry didn't have to go that far. At the foot of the stairs lay all his school things right where Uncle Vernon had dumped them. Harry gathered them up in his arms and walked back to the door.
"Would you like some help with that?" Cassandra asked.
"No," Harry replied quickly. He didn't need Cassandra to see what kind of books he had to use for school.
"You'll drop them."
"No, I won't."
"Yes, you will. We'll get to the corner of Walsingham and Birch. You'll step out onto the road. A car will come by, and you'll jump back, dropping everything," Cassandra said matter-of-factly.
"I will not," Harry said.
"I know what I'm talking about."
"You're being silly."
"I am not."
"Whatever," Harry muttered. HONK! HONK! Harry jumped backwards, frightened half to death. A car had almost hit him.
"Oh, great," he groaned. His books lay scattered all over the road. Sheets of parchment were drifted away on the wind. Bottles of inks shattered all over his homework. Tires had flattened his quills. He looked at Cassandra. She leaned against a signpost that read Walsingham and Birch.