A Harry Situation
By Jill Weber/ Jelsemium
Characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling and used without permission or intent to make a profit.
Chapter 12: Visiting Hours
At Mrs. Figg's:
It's very hard to discreetly pull vincas from the back of your shirt, Harry discovered.
"Boy, just take your shirt off and shake it out," Mrs. Figg was really enjoying Harry's discomfort.
Harry looked at her sideways as he tried to pull some alyssum out of his hair and shove an overly affectionate Burmese cat away with the other.
"Really, Potter," Mrs. Figg smirked. "It's nothing I haven't seen before. I used to change your nappies and bathe you, remember."
"I've been trying to forget that," Harry muttered.
Mrs. Figg just laughed. "You sound like your father. I remember the time he had some Creeping Martians get into his pants and he got stung…"
"I think that's more information than I really need," Harry interupted hastily. Then he frowned. "What are Creeping Martians?" He pushed an lovelorn Persian cat off of his lap and scratched the ears of a Siamese cat that was rubbing its chin against his trainers.
"They're a type of insectivorous plant that like to creep into spiderwebs and ambush the spiders. They have a nasty sting."
"How'd they get into his pants?" Harry demanded.
"You'll have to ask Sirius about that," Mrs. Figg said with a grin. "James couldn't sit for a week."
"How come you know about this?"
"He was in my class," Mrs. Figg said smugly.
"Let me guess," Harry said wryly. "Defense Against the Dark Arts." He pulled a dandelion from his shoe and scowled. "Great, and now the dandelions are back." He picked up an amorous Abyssian that had begun chewing on his shin.
"No, I taught home economics," Mrs. Figg said facetiously.
Harry wrinkled his nose at her, then he was distracted when a silver tabby grabbed him around the ankle. "What is with these cats?" Harry demanded.
"It's the vinca," Mrs. Figg said. "It's almost like catnip to them."
"Really?" Harry grinned at her.
Mrs. Figg laughed.
"You wouldn't be plotting against you're loving godfather, now would you?" Sirius demanded, bounding into the room. His hair was wet and he was dressed in fresh Muggle clothing, blue jeans and a white t-shirt. He had tried to convince Mrs. Figg that all the dirt being tracked around was Harry's fault, but Mrs. Figg had simply glared at Sirius until the Animagus had retreated to the bathroom.
"Oh, no," Harry said. "I was just wondering if Snape liked cats, is all." He smiled sweetly at Sirius.
"You're much better at that faux innocent look than James was," Sirius said happily.
"Maybe Harry is actually innocent?" Mrs. Figg said.
"Silly girl, he's a Potter!"
Harry gave Sirius a sideways look.
"See? He's plotting already, my little Marauder!"
Harry gave Sirius a sour look. "That isn't funny," he said.
"Yes it is," Sirius said cheekily.
"Neither was that stunt you pulled in Aunt Petunia's garden," Harry went on.
"That was definitely funny," Sirius differed. "We got back at your aunt and you can't get in trouble for it."
"Can't get into trouble!? *I'm* the one who has to put that garden back to rights!" Harry exploded.
"Grumpy, aren't you? Didn't you get enough sleep?" Sirius dug his hands into Harry's tangled hair and came away with a handful of vincas, poppies and chocolate frogs.
Harry made a show of ignoring him. "May I use your bathroom?" he asked Mrs. Figg.
"Certainly, you can use a guest bedroom, if you'd rather," she replied.
"Oh, no, Harry needs the bathroom!" Sirius chimed in. "How else can he get some cat-attracting vincas into my flea dip?"
Harry stalked out of the kitchen, stalked back in, grabbed some of the chocolate frogs, stalked back out and slammed the bathroom door hard enough for it to bounce open.
Harry sighed and started to pull the door shut again. Then he heard Mrs. Figg and Sirius talking and couldn't resist listening for a few minutes.
"Tsk," Sirius said. "No manners, that boy."
"Got that from you," Mrs. Figg said. "Honestly, Sirius, you should have sent him home sooner, you know that. He needs his sleep."
Harry heard Sirius' voice get suddenly sober. "I know, I just… it's hard, you know, to send him away. I want to keep him."
"I don't blame you," Mrs. Figg said.
Harry gently shut the door. His desire for revenge against Sirius faded abruptly.
It came back during lunch, because Sirius spent most of the meal throwing out suggestions for pranks that Harry might pull on him to get even. Including short-sheeting his bed, substituting salt for sugar and making a shaving cream pie.
Harry endured this dourly until the shaving cream gag came up. "Do wizards use shaving cream?" he asked, perking up. "I thought they'd hex their whiskers off. Eloise Midgen tried hexing her acne off once."
"Really? What happened?" Mrs. Figg asked.
"Her nose fell off," Harry said.
"Which shows why one should be careful about throwing hexes at one's own self," Sirius said, earnestly. "There are charms for removing whiskers, but they can be tricky. If the wizard is impaired, sleepy, or just stupid, he can easily remove his eyebrows or the hair on his head."
"Or he could have something really nasty happen," Mrs. Figg said. "Something he can't reverse."
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"Haven't you ever wondered why Snape apparently never washes his hair? Or why he never seems to need to shave?"
Harry gaped. "No! A shaving charm?"
"Well, it's just a theory," Sirius admitted. "But it seems to fit."
Harry shook his head. "You're impossible," he said fondly.
"Full marks!" Sirius said, as if he'd been complimented. "As a reward, you get another lesson in the fine art of giving Snape a heart attack! Otherwise known as beginning animagus transfiguration." He handed Harry another chocolate frog.
"You are barking mad, Sirius Black," Mrs. Figg said. "Does Dumbledore know about this?"
"Not yet," Sirius admitted. "I have to get this project started while I have time to spend with my godson."
"Why? He's not even fifteen, for crying out loud. Human to animal transfiguration isn't a child's game."
"It's just that I have these numerical ambitions," Harry said glumly.
"Numerical ambitions?" Mrs. Figg asked.
"You know, like reaching my fifteenth birthday," Harry said, eyeing Mrs. Figg challengingly.
"Point taken," Mrs. Figg said. "All things considered, I rather prefer you alive." She thought of something sarcastic to add to that, but Harry actually smiled at her and she decided to leave well enough alone.
"Great," Sirius said. "Now all you have to do right now is sneak back into the Dursleys and grab the Survival Guide, unless you have it on you?"
Harry shook his head. "You didn't exactly give me a chance to grab it," he responded.
Sirius just grinned. "You needed some action to wake you up, kid," he replied.
"You're too kind," Harry said.
"I know," Sirius grinned.
Harry went back to contemplating Sirius Revenge.
At the Grangers:
Albus Dumbledore looked exactly how Emma Granger pictured him. Tall, dignified, with the white beard and moustache… 'He could easily play Merlin or Gandalf' was how Hermione had described him that first letter she'd written from school.
"Professor Dumbledore! Please, come in!" Emma said with a gracious smile.
"Thank you, Miss Granger," Dumbledore's voice was deep and soothing.
"Professor Albus Dumbledore, this is my mother, Mrs. Emma Granger," Hermione said.
"It's a pleasure to welcome you to our home, Headmaster," Emma said.
"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you," Dumbledore said, bowing over Mrs. Granger's hand.
Hermione got the rare treat of seeing her studious, self-possessed mother blush like a Weasley.
"Rupert has been delayed, but he should be arriving shortly. Please, allow us to show you around our house," Emma stammered.
"Thank you, I confess, it has been quite a while since I've been in a non-Wizarding home," Dumbledore murmured.
Dumbledore's interest was flattering and his manner so friendly that Emma found herself relaxing. It really was quite enjoyable to compare the Wizarding way of doing things with the Muggle way. Then they arrived at the area where Muggle technology and Wizarding magic were in complete harmony.
"And this is our library," Emma said. "Not as impressive as your own, I imagine," she added rather shyly.
"I beg to differ," Dumbledore said, looking at the cozy room with all its bookshelves and comfy chairs. There was a fireplace on one wall and a family portrait above it. "This is entirely as impressive as my private library." He smiled. "I confess I am not at all surprised to find that Hermione's home has its own library."
"Doesn't everybody?" murmured Emma.
Dumbledore looked at her and grinned at the twinkle in her eye. "All the best houses do, anyway," he replied. The pictures on the mantel caught his eye and he moved to take a closer look. "I confess I am amazed at color photographs," he said. "I wonder if some clever witch or wizard will find a way to make colour Wizarding photographs."
"I'd bet on a Muggle-born," Hermione said. "We're more used to the idea of having colour photographs."
Dumbledore nodded as he examined the pictures. There was a picture of Rupert and Emma looking radiantly happy on their wedding day. One was of a very young Hermione in a fluffy white dress sitting on a black and white Shetland pony. Both Hermione and the pony looked dubious about the whole affair.
"You don't look very comfortable in this picture," Dumbledore observed. His moustache twitched slightly.
"I've never enjoyed riding," Hermione said dryly. "Frankly, the higher off the ground I am, the less happy I am."
Dumbledore nodded, but made no comment. He had nothing admiration for Hermione's part in Sirius' rescue, considering her fear of heights. He decided that saying anything right now would only embarrass the girl. He picked up a photograph featuring a very familiar duo. "Speaking of unhappy, Mr. Potter looks rather distressed in this picture."
Hermione grinned. "That's Harry about to lose at chess," she explained. Her grin became wider. "Sorry, that's Harry about to lose at chess again."
"Ron Weasley is quite good, isn't he?" Dumbledore's moustache twitched again and his eyes filled with mischief.
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid that several of us on the staff have taken to teasing Professor McGonagall about her giant chess set losing to a first-year."
"Maybe Professor McGonagall should challenge Ron to a game of chess," Emma suggested. "See if she can redeem herself."
"I'll suggest that to her sometime," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. He tilted the picture and eyed it curiously.
Hermione took a guess as to what he was thinking. "That's not a particularly good picture of them, but it's the only Muggle photo I have of them, so it's the one that I can keep downstairs." She looked at the pictures critically. "I don't have one of Ginny down here, either. I'm going to have to take up photography, I guess."
"I think Mr. Colin Creevy would be more than happy to supply you with motionless pictures," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Somehow I don't doubt you," Hermione said. "Unfortunately, Colin has a talent for getting on Harry's nerves. He really hates that 'Boy-Who-Lived' rigmarole. Colin and Dennis make him uncomfortable. None of their pictures of him come out very well," she cocked her head and considered. "Although, I suppose they'd look better if the photographic Harry wasn't always trying to sneak out of the picture."
"Pity," Emma said. "I think that the Creevy boys would have an easier time making friends with Harry if they would just be themselves instead of trying to be the person they think Harry wants them to be."
"I agree," Dumbledore said.
"You're probably right," Hermione sighed. "Maybe I should offer him lessons in 'How to Be Harry Potter's Friend.' She thought that Ginny could use some tutelage in that, also.
Emma giggled, and then her attention was diverted to her watch. "If you'll excuse me, I need to finish my preparations." She hurried off with a preoccupied air.
"I have some more pictures in my room, would you like to seem them?" Hermione said, wondering how to explain herself.
"Please," Dumbledore said.
Hermione's room was tidy, clean and filled with bookcases. There were photographs everywhere: on the desk, on the bookcases, even on the shelves between the books and the edge. There were black and white photograph Wizard photographs as well as color Muggle photographs. There were photographs of Hermione studying, sitting in the Common Room with Ginny, and standing next to Hogwarts' gates with Ron and Harry.
There were less traditional poses as well.
"That's me before I entered Hogwarts," Hermione said, pointing to a color picture of a large book.
By squinting, Dumbledore could make out the top of Hermione's head over the book.
"This is me at Hogwarts," Hermione said, pointing to a black and white picture of even larger book. The top of Hermione's head wasn't visible, but every now and then her hand would appear and flip the page.
The black and white picture next to it was a very familiar scene. "I see you have a picture of the Gryffindor Common Room," Dumbledore murmured.
Hermione grinned. "Actually, that's a picture of Harry, Ron and me standing in front of the fireplace.
Dumbledore shot her a sideways look. "Wearing Mr. Potter's invisibility cloak, no doubt," he said in an amused voice.
Hermione grinned and nodded. "That's our story, and we're sticking to it."
Dumbledore nodded, but waited patiently. Hermione appreciated him waiting for her to get to the subject. "I'm worried about Harry," Hermione said. "I mean, I know we all are, but…" she hesitated.
"But there's something bothering you other than the outcome of the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"
"A couple of things," Hermione said. She took a deep breath. "I'd appreciate it if you would never repeat this to anyone, especially Ron, who already thinks so, but sometimes I think I read too much." She was gasping for breath and she could feel her face heating up; but Dumbledore didn't look scornful or amused.
She gestured to her books. "I was looking for something to read, and, well, there's a trend in my books that bothers me." She went over and began pulling out some books. "I was looking at all these books about heroes and, well, Robin Hood, Hercules, and Sigurd were murdered. Cuchulain, Brian Boru, Bellerophon, Theseus and Jason came to bad ends. Beowulf won against Grendel and his mother, but lost against the dragon.
She walked over to her bookcase as she continued her depressing catalog. "The whole Roundtable couldn't save Arthur. Most of the Fianna died violently. Roland dies in battle. The city of Troy is destroyed, and the Greeks didn't get happy endings, either. I mean, Odysseus finally managed to get home, but none of his crew did. And… I don't want Harry to die."
She stopped because her throat had tightened up and her eyes were burning. She was afraid that she was going to start crying. She didn't know why she was whining to Dumbledore, anyway. It wasn't like he could change the tragedies of the past. He might not be able to prevent a future tragedy, either.
Dumbledore gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Your concern does you credit, Miss Granger," he said. "I don't believe that you read too much. There's a saying: 'Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.'" He walked over to the bookcase and fingered some of the spines. "I wish I could assure you that Harry is safe, unfortunately, as you undoubtedly have realized, I do not have that kind of power. If I did, I assure you that Harry would not be an orphan."
Hermione nodded and moved a few steps to her desk so she could pick up a picture of Harry and Parvati dressed up to go to the Yule Ball. "It's just not fair," she said. She put that down and picked up a picture of Ginny and Neville.
"No, it is not fair," Dumbledore said. "However, it is not completely hopeless."
"What can we do?" Hermione said. "I want to do more than try to cheer him up with aromatherapy and telephone calls."
"One of the main things we can do is to learn from the mistakes of others," Dumbledore said. "I don't want to denigrate the heroes of the past, but a lot of heartbreak of the past might have been avoided. Arthur and the Roundtable, Sigurd and the Volsungs, Finn Mac Cumhaill and the Fianna were almost invincible… until they started fighting among themselves. Brian Boru was unassailable from without, it was his brother's constant war-mongering that doomed him."
"We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separate," Hermione said darkly.
"Indeed," Dumbledore was not surprised that Hermione could quote from American history. "Mr. Benjamin Franklin had a way with words, didn't he?"
Hermione nodded.
"The Greeks would have done well had Aesop been there to inform them about strength in unity, their expeditionary force against Troy spent as much time fighting among themselves, and the people they left at home, as they did fighting the Trojans. Odysseus and his crew would have been home safely, and in record time, except his crew's distrust and disobedience caused them to be blown off course."
Hermione blinked and the burning began to subside as she remembered. "Yes, I remember, Aeolus, the god of the winds, put the winds that were unfavorable to Odysseus into a bag. When they got within sight of Ithaca, the crew opened the bag because they thought they could steal some treasure."
"And the winds blew them back to Aeolus, who refused to help them again," Dumbledore said. "Odysseus' ego didn't help, either. He would have been better off if he had resisted the urge to brag to Polyphemus."
"And tell the Cyclops that it was Odysseus who had blinded him," Hermione added thoughtfully. "That got Polyphemus' father, Poseidon, after Odysseus."
"Yes, much as I hesitate to speak against past heroes, they had their weaknesses. Odysseus was proud. Hercules spent a lot of time and effort avenging slights he would have done better to forget. Theseus chose to believe liars and murdered his own son. Jason abandoned the wife who had sacrificed so much for him. Bellerophon let his fame go to his head. The whole Trojan war can be attributed to the Trojan royal family's habit of breaking promises and abusing hospitality."
"Somehow I can't see Harry getting that arrogant, no matter what Professor Snape says about him."
"I would hope not," Dumbledore said. "That's another thing we can work towards." He smiled at her and she smiled back.
Then Dumbledore became serious again. "There are two dangers that we need to be especially vigilant against. Cuchulain was overwhelmed by a great many enemies. Now, Harry isn't ruled by geas, the way Cuchulain was. However, Voldemort's followers may be able to outflank him because of one flaw that Harry may be prey to. The flaw that caused Roland's death."
"Roland refused to call for help… and Harry tends to think he has to do everything by himself," Hermione said wryly.
"He needs to learn that he can depend on others," Dumbledore said.
"He's afraid that someone else is going to get hurt because of him," Hermione said.
"Yes, his concern does him credit, but he cannot be allowed to cut himself off from everyone who cares about him." Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "And the last danger is treachery. Robin Hood was murdered by someone he trusted. Beowulf was deserted by all but one of his followers." Dumbledore suddenly looked very old. "James and Lily put their faith in the wrong man."
"Headmaster? This may be out of line, but…" Hermione tailed off uncertainly.
"You have my permission to speak freely, Miss Granger."
"It's not your fault," Hermione said. Then she plunged ahead. "You can't control other people's decisions. The Potter's decided who their secret keeper would be and Pettigrew decided to betray them. You are not to blame."
Dumbledore made a wry face, but he looked more like himself. "You sound like me trying to convince Sirius that it wasn't his fault the Potters were murdered."
"It will be harder to convince Harry that he's not to blame for Cedric's death if you and Sirius keep blaming yourselves for murders that you didn't commit."
Dumbledore actually grinned at that. "Point taken, Miss Granger. Speaking of points to make, I notice that you did not mention how Perseus or Gilgamesh died."
Hermione blinked and was silent for a few minutes. "Erm, I don't remember how they died," she confessed.
"I don't think their deaths were mentioned in mythology," Dumbledore said. "I'm afraid it's much too boring to talk about somebody living to a ripe old age and dying peacefully in his sleep."
Hermione smiled. "So it is possible, then," she said wistfully.
"Anything is possible," Dumbledore said. "It's up to us to determine which possibility becomes reality."
###
Author's Notes:
Doom Song: Thanks for the kind words! Sorry, I seemed to have been cut off during our IM conversation and I couldn't remember what SN you were using.
DaBear: Thanks! Yeah, Padfoot is probably more massive than poor Harry. The poor boy had no chance at all once he'd been pulled off his feet.
Rhiain: Thanks! I had to get Sirius in here!
Taself: Thank you! Ginny's one of my favorite characters, as you could probably tell.
Punkin: I've always had trouble meeting deadlines. It's lucky that I'm on a roll with this story. ** Thanks for all the compliments! You read my story to your roommate? WoW! I'm really flattered that you like it enough to read it out loud! Tell your roommate I said 'hi!'. ** I think it's about time Ron started to grow up. I think Rowling has taken him to the extreme of immaturity, time to head the other way. ** I figure Molly would want to take the opportunity to do a little female bonding, not to mention keep Ginny interested in a boy she approves of. (And right now, the fact that Harry isn't interested in Ginny is a plus. One less thing for Molly to worry about.) ** Good luck with your fiction!
Angel of North: Thanks!
Lan: No more cliffies? Snf. Not even one? Erm, I've got one coming up soon, sorry. Although this time I bowed to your wishes and stopped before I got to the one I had planned for this chapter.
Pegoheart144: Thanks! I love Sirius! Had to use him.
MoNmOn: Thanks! I think Ron is a sweetie, too!
VenusDeOmnipotent: Welcome back! Glad you still like my story! Whoops, I left Pixie out, didn't I? She's exploring the Weasleys' attic when she's not begging for food in the kitchen. ** Loved your story about Cho teaching Cedric to use chopsticks. ("No, they're not useless wands!") ** Krum putting the moves on Ginny? Nope, that's not why she slugs him.
Shyanne: Thank you! Harry is going to get back at Sirius in a way nobody was expecting and Ron's maturity about the All Girl's Trip to Bulgaria is going to have an unexpected payoff for him.
GingaNic1: Thank you! Chapter fourteen is half finished!
Andrea13: Thanks! Full marks, it was Sirius! I thought Harry deserved a Wizarding birthday party. ** I like Ron, he was noble in that chess game against McGonagall's chess set, so I'm expecting him to be noble again. ** I think I'd cry all during my daughter's wedding. ** Love your Thinking Cap stories!!
SailorChibi: Aw, Ron's been unselfish before, like in the chess game with the giant chessmen and when he let Harry practice hexes on him. ** I couldn't resist the image of Harry being dragged through the garden.
Yemming: Hi and thanks for the review! Yes, I have stories at Sugarquill and GryffindorTower.
Coolone007: You won't have to wait very long to find out what Harry turns into! ** Hm, Hermione pranking Ron? Hm.
Ozma: Thanks! I figure Ginny has that Gryffindor nobility, but she's a little young to have to exercise it all the time! ** Ron's the same, I think (as you can tell). He's really a good boy, the fight with Harry in the fourth book was only a temporary aberration. ** Sirius just can't stay serious for very long, can he? I think he is trying to make up for lost time. ** Yep, I'm including Ginny in this one, too! Hope you like the forms I've picked! ** Thanks for the nice long review! ** Yep, A Sirius Situation is coming soon. I hope I can finish these two stories in time!
Freak: Thank you! I think Sirius is trying very hard to have a good time after all those horrors he faced in Azkaban. He doesn't want to be grim when he can be A Grim!
Perri Smith: I am so flattered that you like my story enough to re-read it! Thanks! I'm also glad you think the dialog reads well, I work hard on that! I hope we see more of Ginny in Book Five! ** We're even! I stayed late at work to read your review! Thanks!
Alla: I try to keep my customers happy! ** I'm with you on the Harry/Sirius business. I really hope they get to have a happily ever after, but I'm scared they won't. ** Thanks for the positive feedback on my version of Mrs. Figg! I wanted something a little different for her, so I threw in a lot of me! (I'm not quite that bad, but I think like she does!) ** I figure it's natural for mothers to get teary eyed as their children grow up! (On the other hand, if Fred and George would grow up, Molly would be very happy!)
Three Sickles Short: As always, thanks for telling me the parts that really worked for you! ** Sirius is working on the hugs department. ** I think a lot of orphans go through what Harry's going through. It must be hard to never know the people who brought you into this world. ** I hope the readers haven't forgotten about the trunk! Got plans for it!
Lilia: Thanks for the kind words! Yep, Rupert and Emma. I wanted some really English names for Hermione's parents and who better to name them after than two of my favorite British actors?
Bob: You're reading my mind, but not about Ron's Animagus form. Turning Ron into a fish is cold-blooded and definitely me, but I already have their shapes all picked out (although I'm still flexible about Ginny's.) All the Animagus humor is going to be at Hermione's expense, I'm afraid.
tabula rasa: Thank you! There are a lot of things I'd love to see in the Potterverse that I don't think JK will get to, glad my version works for you! The only problem with canon is that it is only from Harry's POV. (On the other hand, if it had other POV's she'd probably still be writing Book Three!) Again, thank you for your kind review! Sometimes I wonder if all the writing is worth it, but reviews like this make me realize that it is!
Lourdes: Hedwig has shown signs of sarcasm, especially in Book Four. ** Nope, I'm American (but I have a high percentage of Scot in me.) ** Glad you thought my story was worth reading all in one sitting! I will do my very best to finish this off before June! (Have I lied to you? Lately, I mean.)
Storyteller: Thank you so much!
Little House Girl: Thank you! I plan to keep writing to the end and beyond!
Chary! There you are! Thanks for the info on Bonfire night! (Jill falls off her bed laughing as she gets the joke all the British readers got two books ago – Dumbledore's glorious phoenix is named after an anarchist! LoL!) ** Yep, socks and underwear are staple gifts at Christmas around here. ** She's a nutter, got it. (She's a nutter, I'm a nutter, wouldn't you like to be a nutter, too?) ((Sorry, Dr. Pepper ad flashback there.)) ** I don't think Harry's ever just talked to the Marauder's Map. Be interesting to see what the map had to say to him. ** Mrs. Figg is very practical and she hates seeing something done wrong. My take on her is that she was ready to strangle Petunia, not because she was especially fond of Harry, but she can see how Petunia is damaging BOTH boys. ** Thanks! I think Ron is a good kid with a lot of heart. He just needs a chance to shine a bit! ** Chapter fourteen is almost ready!
Alina: WHEE! (Throws confetti!) You are my two-hundredth review! Thanks! I am so happy that this story is going over well! ** You'll see the trunk soon. Harry will probably need the map. Harry repays the walk next chapter (which is fourteen, not thirteen, because there IS NO CHAPTER THIRTEEN!) ** Changing the Dursleys into Blast-Ended Skrewts would make them more dangerous, but at least they'd be less disgusting.
