Chapter Five: Harry's Questions

After Harry had introduced Chandler to Cho and settled Chandler down on one of the plush couches, he sat down across from him and decided to ask about Dog again. "Chandler, does Dog have a name?"
Chandler looked surprised. "I don't know. It never occurred to me to name him or find out if he had a name."
Harry frowned. "How long has Dog been with you?"
"He's always been with me." When Harry urged him, the boy continued. "For as long as I can remember, Dog has been in my dream. The dream is a little bit different every night, but every night Dog is there." He paused, but Harry didn't move to interrupt, so Chandler went on, "Then I had a nightmare a while ago and Dog wasn't there. Since then I haven't had any more dreams, but it was after that that I first saw the real Dog." He grimaced and added, "But no one else can see him." He eyed Harry before asking, "You don't believe me, do you?"
Harry paused to consider before answering. "I've never heard of a story like yours, Chandler," He admitted, but went on to add, "But I will tell you that I have heard of stranger stories and believed those. I have no reason to think you might be lying to me." Or crazy, was left unsaid.
Chandler looked relieved at that and Harry decided to press further. "What can you tell me about Dog? Does he live in your house with you?"
Chandler shook his head. "No, Dog has never been in my house." He paused, glancing at his side, where Harry assumed Dog was sitting, "But he isn't a stray." He sounded almost like it was a personal revelation.
"How do you know?" Harry found himself asking.
"Because he has a collar." Chandler replied, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world, yet with a slight 'why didn't I think of that before' tone.
Again the boy succeeded in surprising Harry. He leaned forward. "He does? Can you. Chandler, can you take off the collar?"
Chandler shrugged. "Sure, I suppose." Reaching down, he began to work at something in the thin air. Then with a silent click that Harry sensed, but could not see, Chandler lifted his hands. Harry blinked once, and then in Chandler's hands sat a large leather collar with a shining brass tag.
Harry stared. The collar wasn't just large, it was huge. The dog that wore that had to be the size of a small horse! Gingerly, he accepted it and tilted it to get a good look at it. The brass tag flickered in the lamplight. There seemed to be a large paw-print carved into the tag. Harry reached down to steady it, hoping to better see the inscription. When he touched it, however, a spark caught him off guard, forcing him to jerk his hand back. Yet more surprises. Harry was beginning to get upset. Something about the tag held a lot of power.
Harry looked up at Chandler. The boy was watching him, one hand reaching down in what could only be a scratch for the invisible dog. "Chandler, do you mind if I keep this tag? I want to get a better look at it later."
Chandler looked down at the dog, as if for confirmation. Then he shrugged. "Sure." Harry nodded and forced himself to touch the tag again, unclipping it from the collar and slipping it into his robe pocket. Then he handed the collar back to Chandler and the boy reached down to clip the collar back onto Dog. Harry had glanced towards the kitchen door for an instant and when he looked back, Chandler was standing up, staring at the front door. "Chandler, what is it?"
Chandler frowned. "He wants to go." The boy stepped forward, moving to follow after the dog.
Harry didn't think twice. He was on his feet, reaching for his cloak. "Cho, we're going for a walk. Be back in a bit."
By the time Cho had stepped out of the kitchen to protest that dinner was almost finished, Harry, Chandler and Dog were already gone.