"Aunt Petunia?" Harry called, "I've got the suit on."
Suddenly Aunt Petunia appeared at the top of the stairs. Her eyes were overbright with some emotion - fear?
"Harry," she said tersely, "You must leave now! Out the window. Quickly now! The cake - it's drugged!" Harry looked at the cake - he was the only one who had eaten any - even Dudley's piece was untouched. Harry's stomach went cold.
"Drugged?" he asked in a whisper. Aunt Petunia nodded, her eyes beginning to spill over with tears.
"Here," she said, handing him a scrap of paper and a letter. The letter was sealed, and Harry didn't both to open it, but he read the information on the scrap paper at a glance. It bore only an address, written in very hurried form of Aunt Petunia's usually tidy hand:
"Hermione Granger
14 Gloucester Gate
London"
Reading the address, Harry placed both the letter and the address into a tweed pocket, and looked at Aunt Petunia. "What is this? What's going on?"
Petunia shook her head in reply, and said, "Hurry! Vernon doesn't know I'm here. I'll try to keep your things safe until you come back for them, okay?"
Harry nodded, and would have pushed for further explanation, but he was beginning to feel like headed. He bent to get his broom from beneath the bed, and turned to the window to escape. He opened the window and was about to fly out, but he felt Petunia's hand on his shoulder. He turned back to her.
"Good luck," she said, and, looking uncertain, kissed his cheek. He smiled at her - the first genuine smile all night, and turned back to the window. His eyes were beginning to blur, but the fresh air cleared his head a little. He set out south for London.
The was a thin, low set cloud cover that night, and Harry decided to fly above it to avoid being seen. The cool mist of the fog as he passed through it refreshed him somewhat, but he could still feel the drugged cake taking its inevitable effect. "No wonder Mad Eye always probes his food," thought Harry, a little drunkenly. He noticed he couldn't make his broom obey him as well as usual, it was zigzagging through the air like crippled moth. "I just have to get as far away as I can. I can't just collapse here, for anyone to find me. I don't even have my wand."
The thought struck him with sudden, sickening impact, "My wand!" He had left it back in his bedroom, stuffed beneath his pillow. He had to go back for it, no matter what. What if Uncle Vernon found it and snapped it in two? Maybe that was why they had drugged him! To find his wand and break it, or to kill Hedwig, or something else, equally heinous. He turned the Firebolt around, and, straight as an arrow, flew back to Privet Drive. He darted back beneath the cloud layer, ready to quickly dive into his room, grab his broom, and make a second escape, but something make him stop his broom abruptly. When his head stopped spinning from the sudden jerk of his stop, he looked back at his window - it was flooded with light. Straining his eyes, which were bleary and starting to see double, Harry could just make out three figures in his bedroom - there was Aunt Petunia, smiling tightly, and wringing her hands, Uncle Vernon, sweating profusely and looking nervous, and, finally, confidently surveying the room with a look of cold dismay, there was Lucius Malfoy.
Harry's broom dipped suddenly, and he had to pull up swiftly to avoid crashing into the hedge outside his window. Suddenly Lucius looked straight out the window, straight in Harry's direction. Harry gulped, hoping Malfoy couldn't see him in the dark. Malfoy grinned, and Harry knew he had been discovered. He turned his broom swiftly around and tried to leap into the air and the saving clouds, but the turn made him dizzy and he could not longer keep his seat on the broomstick. As he struggled desperately to regain his balance, his broom flipped over, dumping Harry on the ground. Harry scrambled to his feet, and felt the blood rush from his head. His eyes blacked out, and Harry could feel his knees give way, and then he lost consciousness completely.
Suddenly Aunt Petunia appeared at the top of the stairs. Her eyes were overbright with some emotion - fear?
"Harry," she said tersely, "You must leave now! Out the window. Quickly now! The cake - it's drugged!" Harry looked at the cake - he was the only one who had eaten any - even Dudley's piece was untouched. Harry's stomach went cold.
"Drugged?" he asked in a whisper. Aunt Petunia nodded, her eyes beginning to spill over with tears.
"Here," she said, handing him a scrap of paper and a letter. The letter was sealed, and Harry didn't both to open it, but he read the information on the scrap paper at a glance. It bore only an address, written in very hurried form of Aunt Petunia's usually tidy hand:
"Hermione Granger
14 Gloucester Gate
London"
Reading the address, Harry placed both the letter and the address into a tweed pocket, and looked at Aunt Petunia. "What is this? What's going on?"
Petunia shook her head in reply, and said, "Hurry! Vernon doesn't know I'm here. I'll try to keep your things safe until you come back for them, okay?"
Harry nodded, and would have pushed for further explanation, but he was beginning to feel like headed. He bent to get his broom from beneath the bed, and turned to the window to escape. He opened the window and was about to fly out, but he felt Petunia's hand on his shoulder. He turned back to her.
"Good luck," she said, and, looking uncertain, kissed his cheek. He smiled at her - the first genuine smile all night, and turned back to the window. His eyes were beginning to blur, but the fresh air cleared his head a little. He set out south for London.
The was a thin, low set cloud cover that night, and Harry decided to fly above it to avoid being seen. The cool mist of the fog as he passed through it refreshed him somewhat, but he could still feel the drugged cake taking its inevitable effect. "No wonder Mad Eye always probes his food," thought Harry, a little drunkenly. He noticed he couldn't make his broom obey him as well as usual, it was zigzagging through the air like crippled moth. "I just have to get as far away as I can. I can't just collapse here, for anyone to find me. I don't even have my wand."
The thought struck him with sudden, sickening impact, "My wand!" He had left it back in his bedroom, stuffed beneath his pillow. He had to go back for it, no matter what. What if Uncle Vernon found it and snapped it in two? Maybe that was why they had drugged him! To find his wand and break it, or to kill Hedwig, or something else, equally heinous. He turned the Firebolt around, and, straight as an arrow, flew back to Privet Drive. He darted back beneath the cloud layer, ready to quickly dive into his room, grab his broom, and make a second escape, but something make him stop his broom abruptly. When his head stopped spinning from the sudden jerk of his stop, he looked back at his window - it was flooded with light. Straining his eyes, which were bleary and starting to see double, Harry could just make out three figures in his bedroom - there was Aunt Petunia, smiling tightly, and wringing her hands, Uncle Vernon, sweating profusely and looking nervous, and, finally, confidently surveying the room with a look of cold dismay, there was Lucius Malfoy.
Harry's broom dipped suddenly, and he had to pull up swiftly to avoid crashing into the hedge outside his window. Suddenly Lucius looked straight out the window, straight in Harry's direction. Harry gulped, hoping Malfoy couldn't see him in the dark. Malfoy grinned, and Harry knew he had been discovered. He turned his broom swiftly around and tried to leap into the air and the saving clouds, but the turn made him dizzy and he could not longer keep his seat on the broomstick. As he struggled desperately to regain his balance, his broom flipped over, dumping Harry on the ground. Harry scrambled to his feet, and felt the blood rush from his head. His eyes blacked out, and Harry could feel his knees give way, and then he lost consciousness completely.