Chapter Four - A Nothing Muggle Summer

About Alice, at holidays I found out that I was completely right. In my very first week at home, the Scorrel's own arrived bringing a half meter of parchment signed by her, and being honest with you, more than forty five centimeters fore spent with the word "Sirius". I myself have to confess that the guy is handsome, and not a little, but isn't too much to conquest a girl with only one gone out?

As much as she spoke about Black, as much I felt pity of Frank, the poor guy was realist and he knew that he didn't have great chances with her. Even with all the shame I felt of him, you remember, I still wanted to help him, but I didn't know how.

I was at the living-room reading the letter, my dad was at his job, he's engineer, and my mom was at her bedroom. I heard somebody coming downstairs and I prayed it to be a dementor, the devil, anything but… Petunia.

She saw the letter on my hands as soon as the reached the living-room and scowled as if I'd holding a dead mouse. I realized that she was going to seat on the sofa, but as I was just on its middle, she couldn't do that without accept the dangerous possibility of stay too near me. Then, she turned and went to the garden.

Lots of times I found jokes on her way to feel qualm of me just because I'm a witch. It was as if I was carrying something of very grave, like a worsened version of malaria or anyone of these illnesses, and she was avoiding me just because she was afraid to take it too. Sometimes ago I said her that witchcraft wasn't infectious, but she looked to me as if I'd spoke a four-letter word, gave a glance on the window, in that eternal persecution mania that was part of her. Then she turned to my mother, as waiting her to scold with me.

Rarely do we chat. In the beginning, I tried to keep the same cordiality with her, but she always replied me with insults like "aberration", "monster". So we soon decided for the silence. I don't talk to her, she doesn't talk to me, and then everybody gets happy.

I turned off the TV, which I was watching before the owl's arrival. Petunia wasn't at sight in the garden, so I thought that would have no problem in me to go for a walk. It was late afternoon and the weather there out was really pleasant.

I got out home and began to walk without a right path to follow. I reached a square, sat on a bench and I began to watch a baby sitters group that was chatting animatedly not really far away from me, while children were running around. Actually, I was almost dieing of pure tedium, and it was still too early to think about my holidays' homework, that was only the first week.

I was entertained with a squirrel running over a tree stem, when I heard a loud burst, and I looked to the baby sitters. They didn't seem to have heard it either. They'd find strange If I'd get out there running like a crazy, and then I disguised myself, stood up seeming as weary as I was before, winded a tree and when I realized that they couldn't see me anymore, I walked faster and held my wand, which was really bad to carry using muggle clothes, but I still thought that would be better have it with me all the time. A voice inside my head remembered me that I'd be expelled if I'd make any magic far from the school, but if something of grave would be happening that very moment, I couldn't…

I removed a leaf and nearly fainted with the fright. No one more, no one less than James Potter was looking to me, droll, through the brush.

Immediately I reached out my hands from my clothes before I wouldn't resist to my renowned killer instincts.

- Did I scare you, Evans? - said Potter, who seemed to be as surprised as me for finding me there.

- Not really. - I replied. - I was just thinking in what someone as courageous and powerful as you could be doing here at this brush.

If Potter could know that I hate that, he wouldn't pass his hand through his hair again.

- You don't know if I'm really hidden… - he said, getting out a branch from his shoulder. - At home will have one of that damn wizard family dinners, and I want neither look to that idiot Malfoy faces. I thought in pay a visit to Sirius, but his house is even worse than mine. - he completed, smiling.

And I was wondering where my entrance at his story was.

- They want to convince me to become one of that… What's their name even?

- What, now you think I have to guess your thoughts, Potter?

- Ah, I recalled: they want me to be one of that Death Eaters. Can you believe it?

That once he managed to scare me. I always thought Potter was positively unsupportable, but from this until…

- Do you have any REAL notion of what this is, Potter??? - I asked seriously.

- Death Eaters? Well, I suppose that they are that stupid Slytherin guys who are planning to create a fan club for that wizard that people say he's dangerous, one called…

- I know how he's called. - I interrupted. - And I'm realizing that even living with wizards, Potter, you're less informed than me about this subject. This wizard that you almost said his name in loud voices is murdering everyone who doesn't agree with him.

- Well, I don't. - said Potter, delighted with the thought that his challenger attitude could be impressing me. And I must to say that he was completely mistaken. - And I want to see he come to kill me.

- Frankly, Potter, you are only fifteen, do you REALLY think that he would care with you?

- Never knows, isn't it? But how did you reach here?

- How did YOU reach here, is the question. - I retorted. - I don't live far away from here, I'm just going to a walk.

- Ohh, good to know it. - Potter laughed, pointing a wood cable and an old coat tossed beside. - I came with my broom.

- Broom? - I repeated, incredulous. - And how did no one see you flying till here?

- I have my tricks. - he said. - But the landing wasn't of the most delicate ones, so I guess I made a little noise…

- Yes, I heard it. - I grumbled. - It could be heard kilometers away from here. You almost infringed that don't to reveal witchcraft to muggles law.

- Who cares with a no importance law?

- I care, Potter.

- Ah, but you are paranoid. - he said, as if it has as importance as the laws for him.

- All right. Keep here running away of your family, Potter, because I'll back to mine.

I turned to get out, but he ran behind me.

- Hey, Evans, what's up to you? Will you leave me here, alone?

- What's the matter? Are you afraid of the dark? Do you want to take refuge at a muggle house?

- Do you know that it would be interesting? I have a great deal of time until they find out that I escaped. They'd never look for me at a muggle house. I mean - he added. - where almost everyone are muggles.

- My sister will look to you as if you are a trash sack.

- Well, you aren't used to do anything different of that.

- That's true. - I agreed, with the shadow of a smile. - Oh, what I'm saying, that's craziness.

- Evans, I am very VERY hungry. You aren't bad enough to leave me alone here with these human necessities.

- Back home. Everybody knows you're millionaire, Potter, don't try to disguise.

- So you prefer a rich Death Eater than just a hungry classmate?

Why he always has to be so cynical??

-Let it quite clear. - I said, pointing to him. - I don't support you.

- Do you know…? Sometimes neither I do. - he said, and then laugh again. He gave some steps backward, folded this broom inside his coat and immediately both things vanished. Suddenly, I understood.

- Potter, is that a Invisibleness Coat?

- Of course it is, what did you think? School uniform?

I was going to answer, but I kept walking. With a scream of "hey, Evans, waaaaaaaaaaait!", Potter followed me. I couldn't believe that I'd be obliged to have that damn boy beside me until that strange dinner would be over. I found strange he didn't mention if his parents were going or not to worry with him, but I preferred to keep going.

I resolved that would be safer wind around some trees than pass in front of that group of baby-sitters and children with Potter, and for this reason, every time Potter asked if there isn't a more civilized path to my home, and I neither accepted the work of answer him.

It missed just a few steps to get out that place when I staked. Potter dashed me, cursing, but I wasn't able to move with that stuff I was seeing. So he stretched out his neck and saw it too.

There was a man tossed there, with opened eyes in a surprise expression, glazed. A man body, only. A dead man, a cadaver.

That time, Potter seemed to understand faster than me that had happened. While I squatted over it, looking for any sign of cuts, injures, blows, shots or anything alike with my eyes, he just watched the body, without bend himself, and muttered:

- Avada Kedavra.

- This… This is an absurd, Potter. This is a completely muggle district. I'm the only witch that lives here in kilometers.

- I thought that - he said, his debauched tone failing while watched the man. - the most competent student of Hogwarts would know how to recognize the signs of an Unforgivable Curse.

- But who…? - I asked slowly, while a horrible suspect made my stomach turned around again. - Couldn't be…him, could?

- Let's get out here. - snapped Potter, pulling my arm to the direction where I was taking him before.