Chapter 5
Like all other good things, Harry's stay with Mrs. Figg had to come to end. Harry was awakened one morning by the blaring of a very obnoxious horn. He stumbled downstairs in his pajamas and looked out the living room window. Uncle Vernon's car was right outside. Uncle Vernon honked his horn impatiently. Mrs. Figg came downstairs in her nightgown and a pair of boots with an evil scowl on her face.
She opened the door. "What do you want?" she hollered.
"Hello, Mrs. Figg. We've come for the boy," replied Uncle Vernon, sounding sincerely saddened at the thought of seeing Harry again.
"You'll have to come back."
"What?" Uncle Vernon said, shocked she would even suggest such a thing.
"He's asleep."
"Wake him up," Uncle Vernon demanded, getting angry that this crazy old woman was interfering in his plans.
"I'll do no such thing! I'll send him over at a reasonable hour. Now go on home!" Mrs. Figg snapped. Uncle Vernon turned red. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. At last he drove away. "Stupid git," she muttered. Harry stifled a laugh and went back upstairs.
He met Sirius in the hallway. "What was that?" Sirius asked, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"The Dursleys came to pick me up. Mrs. Figg told them she'd send me over later," Harry replied unhappily. Sirius thought for a moment.
"Harry?" he said.
"Yes," Harry responded glumly.
"Don't you think it's time I met the Dursleys?" Sirius asked with a grin. Harry's face brightened immediately. He looked at Sirius's neatly trimmed hair and thought of his clean new robe, and his smile faded some.
"I don't know. Can you look a bit more ragged perhaps?"
"And slightly deranged?" Sirius asked.
"Could you?" Harry asked hopefully.
"I can give it a try." Harry smiled.
"This will be wonderful! I can't wait to see Uncle Vernon's face!"
Harry and Sirius arrived at Number 4 around 4 o'clock. Harry rang the doorbell and Uncle Vernon answered. "Get inside," he snarled. Harry obeyed carrying Hedwig's cage. Uncle Vernon grabbed a trunk handle.
"Let me help you with that," Sirius said in a slightly rasping voice, taking the other. Uncle Vernon nearly dropped the trunk and his face turned deathly pale with fright. Harry grinned. They had done an excellent job altering Sirius's appearance. He had done a spell to make his hair grow, and Cassandra had butchered it with a pair of dull scissors. Mrs. Figg has used one sure fright to scare Sirius's tan away, leaving him as pale as when he left Azkaban. Together he and Harry had made the necessary changes to his robe, mainly by burning it and rubbing ashes into the cloth.
Once the trunk was inside. Sirius smiled just a little too broadly. "I'm Harry's godfather, Sirius Black." Uncle Vernon gulped and backed away from the hand Sirius offered him. He tried his best to look brave and took Sirius's hand.
"V-Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle," he said. Sirius cleared his throat.
"I know," he said in a more normal voice.
"Uh-uh, won't you come in?" Uncle Vernon practically squeaked.
"Yes, thank you," Sirius said still grinning.
"Petunia," Uncle Vernon called. "Harry's godfather is here!"
"His what?" replied Aunt Petunia stepping out of the kitchen.
"I'm sure you heard of me. I'm the convicted murderer, remember?" Sirius answered. Harry tried to stop laughing. Aunt Petunia's face fell.
"Oh, right," she replied. Sirius stepped forward.
"Sirius Black, nice to meet you, Mrs. Dursley." Aunt Petunia appeared to be trying to pass through the wall and turned paler than any of the ghosts Harry had seen at Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon took advantage of this opportunity to head towards the phone. "Please, none of that," Sirius said pointing his wand at the phone. "Accio!" he called. The phone jerked off the side table and flew into Sirius's hands quite useless since it wasn't connected to anything.
Sirius turned. The door underneath the stairs caught his eye. "Is that your cupboard, Harry?"
"Yes," Harry replied. Sirius's face darkened.
"May I see it?"
"I don't see why not," Harry replied innocently. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were positively trembling with fear.
"Uh, Harry," Uncle Vernon said, "why don't you show Mr. Black your room upstairs? It's much nicer." Harry knew this was a cover up. Uncle Vernon was afraid that if Sirius saw where Harry had spent most of his life, he would murder them all in a fit of rage, which didn't sound like such a bad idea to Harry.
"Later," Sirius said. "I want to see the cupboard."
Uncle Vernon almost peed his pants as Harry and Sirius approached the closet. The door was opened, and Sirius peered into the darkness. "Hmm," he remarked, looking none too pleased. "Lumos!" he commanded. The tip of his wand cast light into the cupboard under the stairs. Even Harry could hardly believe he had lived in such a dump for so long. There were cobwebs everywhere and a rickety old cot on which Harry used to sleep teetered in a corner. "Has it always looked like this?" Sirius asked grimly.
"Nearly always," Harry replied. "It used to have some clothes."
"Hmmm," Sirius responded more loudly. He looked very angry. Just then a spider decided to descend from the ceiling on a gossamer strand. Sirius whirled around to face the still-quaking figures of Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who had been joined by Dudley. Apparently, Dudley had been filled in on their situation because he was quivering like a bowl of Jell-O.
Harry couldn't blame them. He was terribly glad Sirius was on his side because the look on his face was absolutely monstrous. "You inhumane monsters! How could you keep a little boy entrusted to your care locked up in a dark, spider-filled cubbyhole?" Sirius roared. In an odd way, Sirius reminded Harry of Hagrid. The Dursleys trembled in response. "You don't even qualify as monsters! You're vermin. YOU deserve to be kept in cages!" He pointed his wand at them. Dudley squeaked. Sirius gave an odd sort of smile.
"You- you call us monsters? You're a convicted murderer!" Uncle Vernon gasped. The same smile played across Sirius's face.
"And don't you forget it, " he replied, distinctly pronouncing every word. Harry tugged at Sirius's sleeve.
"Come on," he said. "I'll show you my room."
Sirius's anger abated somewhat as Harry showed him around his bedroom. "What are these?" he asked, pointing to the holes in the window frame.
"They put bars on the window to keep me from escaping or sending an owl," Harry replied. Sirius scowled.
"And that?" he asked pointing to strange marks in the door.
"There was a flap in the door so that Aunt Petunia could give me food," Harry replied, struggling to keep his voice even. At this rate, the Dursleys would be dust by nightfall. Despite Harry's almost cheerful tone, Sirius's scowl deepened. He reflected for a moment before going downstairs.
The Dursleys had somewhat recovered from the shock of meeting Sirius and were seated in the living room. They looked very nervous as Sirius approached them. He smiled kindly. "Forgive my outburst, but I am very attached to my godson and I don't like to hear of him being mistreated," he said. Aunt Petunia nodded hastily.
"Will you be staying for dinner?" she asked timidly.
"Yes, I think I will," he said darkly. Harry almost died trying to suppress a laugh at the sight of the looks on Dudley and Uncle Vernon's faces.
Like all other good things, Harry's stay with Mrs. Figg had to come to end. Harry was awakened one morning by the blaring of a very obnoxious horn. He stumbled downstairs in his pajamas and looked out the living room window. Uncle Vernon's car was right outside. Uncle Vernon honked his horn impatiently. Mrs. Figg came downstairs in her nightgown and a pair of boots with an evil scowl on her face.
She opened the door. "What do you want?" she hollered.
"Hello, Mrs. Figg. We've come for the boy," replied Uncle Vernon, sounding sincerely saddened at the thought of seeing Harry again.
"You'll have to come back."
"What?" Uncle Vernon said, shocked she would even suggest such a thing.
"He's asleep."
"Wake him up," Uncle Vernon demanded, getting angry that this crazy old woman was interfering in his plans.
"I'll do no such thing! I'll send him over at a reasonable hour. Now go on home!" Mrs. Figg snapped. Uncle Vernon turned red. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. At last he drove away. "Stupid git," she muttered. Harry stifled a laugh and went back upstairs.
He met Sirius in the hallway. "What was that?" Sirius asked, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"The Dursleys came to pick me up. Mrs. Figg told them she'd send me over later," Harry replied unhappily. Sirius thought for a moment.
"Harry?" he said.
"Yes," Harry responded glumly.
"Don't you think it's time I met the Dursleys?" Sirius asked with a grin. Harry's face brightened immediately. He looked at Sirius's neatly trimmed hair and thought of his clean new robe, and his smile faded some.
"I don't know. Can you look a bit more ragged perhaps?"
"And slightly deranged?" Sirius asked.
"Could you?" Harry asked hopefully.
"I can give it a try." Harry smiled.
"This will be wonderful! I can't wait to see Uncle Vernon's face!"
Harry and Sirius arrived at Number 4 around 4 o'clock. Harry rang the doorbell and Uncle Vernon answered. "Get inside," he snarled. Harry obeyed carrying Hedwig's cage. Uncle Vernon grabbed a trunk handle.
"Let me help you with that," Sirius said in a slightly rasping voice, taking the other. Uncle Vernon nearly dropped the trunk and his face turned deathly pale with fright. Harry grinned. They had done an excellent job altering Sirius's appearance. He had done a spell to make his hair grow, and Cassandra had butchered it with a pair of dull scissors. Mrs. Figg has used one sure fright to scare Sirius's tan away, leaving him as pale as when he left Azkaban. Together he and Harry had made the necessary changes to his robe, mainly by burning it and rubbing ashes into the cloth.
Once the trunk was inside. Sirius smiled just a little too broadly. "I'm Harry's godfather, Sirius Black." Uncle Vernon gulped and backed away from the hand Sirius offered him. He tried his best to look brave and took Sirius's hand.
"V-Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle," he said. Sirius cleared his throat.
"I know," he said in a more normal voice.
"Uh-uh, won't you come in?" Uncle Vernon practically squeaked.
"Yes, thank you," Sirius said still grinning.
"Petunia," Uncle Vernon called. "Harry's godfather is here!"
"His what?" replied Aunt Petunia stepping out of the kitchen.
"I'm sure you heard of me. I'm the convicted murderer, remember?" Sirius answered. Harry tried to stop laughing. Aunt Petunia's face fell.
"Oh, right," she replied. Sirius stepped forward.
"Sirius Black, nice to meet you, Mrs. Dursley." Aunt Petunia appeared to be trying to pass through the wall and turned paler than any of the ghosts Harry had seen at Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon took advantage of this opportunity to head towards the phone. "Please, none of that," Sirius said pointing his wand at the phone. "Accio!" he called. The phone jerked off the side table and flew into Sirius's hands quite useless since it wasn't connected to anything.
Sirius turned. The door underneath the stairs caught his eye. "Is that your cupboard, Harry?"
"Yes," Harry replied. Sirius's face darkened.
"May I see it?"
"I don't see why not," Harry replied innocently. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were positively trembling with fear.
"Uh, Harry," Uncle Vernon said, "why don't you show Mr. Black your room upstairs? It's much nicer." Harry knew this was a cover up. Uncle Vernon was afraid that if Sirius saw where Harry had spent most of his life, he would murder them all in a fit of rage, which didn't sound like such a bad idea to Harry.
"Later," Sirius said. "I want to see the cupboard."
Uncle Vernon almost peed his pants as Harry and Sirius approached the closet. The door was opened, and Sirius peered into the darkness. "Hmm," he remarked, looking none too pleased. "Lumos!" he commanded. The tip of his wand cast light into the cupboard under the stairs. Even Harry could hardly believe he had lived in such a dump for so long. There were cobwebs everywhere and a rickety old cot on which Harry used to sleep teetered in a corner. "Has it always looked like this?" Sirius asked grimly.
"Nearly always," Harry replied. "It used to have some clothes."
"Hmmm," Sirius responded more loudly. He looked very angry. Just then a spider decided to descend from the ceiling on a gossamer strand. Sirius whirled around to face the still-quaking figures of Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, who had been joined by Dudley. Apparently, Dudley had been filled in on their situation because he was quivering like a bowl of Jell-O.
Harry couldn't blame them. He was terribly glad Sirius was on his side because the look on his face was absolutely monstrous. "You inhumane monsters! How could you keep a little boy entrusted to your care locked up in a dark, spider-filled cubbyhole?" Sirius roared. In an odd way, Sirius reminded Harry of Hagrid. The Dursleys trembled in response. "You don't even qualify as monsters! You're vermin. YOU deserve to be kept in cages!" He pointed his wand at them. Dudley squeaked. Sirius gave an odd sort of smile.
"You- you call us monsters? You're a convicted murderer!" Uncle Vernon gasped. The same smile played across Sirius's face.
"And don't you forget it, " he replied, distinctly pronouncing every word. Harry tugged at Sirius's sleeve.
"Come on," he said. "I'll show you my room."
Sirius's anger abated somewhat as Harry showed him around his bedroom. "What are these?" he asked, pointing to the holes in the window frame.
"They put bars on the window to keep me from escaping or sending an owl," Harry replied. Sirius scowled.
"And that?" he asked pointing to strange marks in the door.
"There was a flap in the door so that Aunt Petunia could give me food," Harry replied, struggling to keep his voice even. At this rate, the Dursleys would be dust by nightfall. Despite Harry's almost cheerful tone, Sirius's scowl deepened. He reflected for a moment before going downstairs.
The Dursleys had somewhat recovered from the shock of meeting Sirius and were seated in the living room. They looked very nervous as Sirius approached them. He smiled kindly. "Forgive my outburst, but I am very attached to my godson and I don't like to hear of him being mistreated," he said. Aunt Petunia nodded hastily.
"Will you be staying for dinner?" she asked timidly.
"Yes, I think I will," he said darkly. Harry almost died trying to suppress a laugh at the sight of the looks on Dudley and Uncle Vernon's faces.