"The name of the first chapter is 'DUDLEY DEMENTED'",said the voice.
Everyone wondered who Dudley was,while Harry froze at the mention of his cousin.
The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive. Cars that were usually gleaming stood dusty in their drives and lawns that were once emerald green lay parched and yellowing; the use of hosepipes had been banned due to drought. Deprived of their usual car-washing and lawn-mowing pursuits, the inhabitants of Privet Drive had retreated into the shade of their cool houses, windows thrown wide in the hope of tempting in a nonexistent breeze. The only person left outdoors was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flower bed outside number four.
"Ah,that's a cute description.And who's that boy lying just outside his house?",said Fred in a dry,sarcastic tone.
"Pretty sure it's someone we have met",said George in an equally dry,sarcastic tone.
Harry slightly smiled at the twins' humor.
He was a skinny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who had the pinched, slightly unhealthy look of someone who has grown a lot in a short space of time. His jeans were torn and dirty, his T-shirt baggy and faded, and the soles of his trainers were peeling away from the up-pers. Harry Potter's appearance did not endear him to the neighbors, who were the sort of people who thought scruffiness ought to be punishable by law, but as he had hidden himself behind a large hydrangea bush this evening he was quite invisible to passersby. In fact, the only way he would be spotted was if his Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia stuck their heads out of the living room window and looked straight down into the flower bed below.
"Wait wait wait,torn pants?Faded t-shirt?Harry,why are you wearing such clothes?",asked Dean,narrowing his eyes.
"And why do your neighbours think of your appearance to be unacceptable?",asked Lavender,frowning.
Ron and Hermione shot subtle looks at each other.They knew to an extent that Harry's home life with the Dursleys was far from acceptable.
"You'll probably find out",was all Harry said.
No one liked the implications behind his words,but everyone continued.
On the whole, Harry thought he was to be congratulated on his idea of hiding here. He was not, perhaps, very comfortable lying on the hot, hard earth, but on the other hand, nobody was glaring at him, grinding their teeth so loudly that he could not hear the news, or shooting nasty questions at him, as had happened every time he had tried sitting down in the living room and watching television with his aunt and uncle.
"Why do they treat you like this?",asked Ernie Macmillan,with a frown.Similar questions were arising in everyone's mind.
Meanwhile,the teachers were discussing Harry's relatives at the table.More specifically,McGonagall and Dumbledore were discussing about the Dursleys.
"I don't think the Dursleys have treated him well,Albus.You shouldn't have left him there that night",said McGonagall.She didn't like the situation that the book was implying.
Dumbledore couldn't help but agree.But at the same time,the special protection that had been applied on Harry thanks to Lily's sacrifice could only be maintained by keeping Harry at the Dursleys,i.e,Lily's only blood relatives.
Almost as though this thought had fluttered through the open window, Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle, suddenly spoke. "Glad to see the boy's stopped trying to butt in. Where is he anyway?"
"I don't know," said Aunt Petunia unconcernedly. "Not in the house."
Uncle Vernon grunted.
"Watching the news . . ." he said scathingly. "I'd like to know what he's really up to. As if a normal boy cares what's on the news — Dudley hasn't got a clue what's going on, doubt he knows who the Prime Minister is! Anyway, it's not as if there'd be anything about his lot on our news —"
"Vernon, shh!" said Aunt Petunia. "The window's open!"
"Oh — yes — sorry, dear . . ."
"What does he mean by 'our lot'?",asked Draco Malfoy,narrowing his eyes.As much as Malfoy was disliked by a majority of the school,everyone frowned in agreement at Malfoy's question.
"The Dursleys hate anything and everything related to magic",said Harry,remembering his past,when Vernon had wanted to 'stamp that dangerous nonsense' out of him."It's actually the main reason why they hate me so much",he added in response to Ernie's earlier question.
There were frowns of disapproval amongst everyone,including the teachers.
The Dursleys fell silent. Harry listened to a jingle about Fruit 'N Bran breakfast cereal while he watched Mrs. Figg, a batty, cat-loving old lady from nearby Wisteria Walk, amble slowly past. She was frowning and muttering to herself. Harry was very pleased that he was concealed behind the bush; Mrs. Figg had recently taken to asking him around for tea whenever she met him in the street. She had rounded the corner and vanished from view before Uncle Vernon's voice floated out of the window again.
"Dudders out for tea?"
"At the Polkisses'," said Aunt Petunia fondly. "He's got so many little friends, he's so popular . . ."
Harry repressed a snort with difficulty. The Dursleys really were astonishingly stupid about their son, Dudley; they had swallowed all his dim-witted lies about having tea with a different member of his gang every night of the summer holidays. Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley had not been to tea anywhere; he and his gang spent every evening vandalizing the play park, smoking on street corners, and throwing stones at passing cars and children. Harry had seen them at it during his evening walks around Little Whinging; he had spent most of the holidays wandering the streets, scavenging newspapers from bins along the way.
Everyone, especially the teachers and the adults frowned.That was no way for kids to behave.There were looks of disapproval at the mention of Dudley and his gang throwing stones at children and cars.
"What kind of boy is he?",asked Hermione with disapproval and disgust.
"And don't his parents know anything about this?",added Seamus Finnigan.
"They don't know anything about it.In fact,they think that Dudley is a perfect little cupcake.",replied Harry.At his words,the looks of disgust deepened.
The opening notes of the music that heralded the seven o'clock News reached Harry's ears and his stomach turned over. Perhaps Tonight — after a month of waiting — would be the night —
"Record numbers of stranded holidaymakers fill airports as the Spanish baggage-handlers' strike reaches its second week —"
"Give 'em a lifelong siesta, I would," snarled Uncle Vernon over the end of the newsreader's sentence, but no matter: Outside in the flower bed, Harry's stomach seemed to unclench. If anything had happened,it would surely have been the first item on the news; death and destruction were more important than stranded holidaymakers. . . .
He let out a long, slow breath and stared up at the brilliant blue sky.Every day this summer had been the same: the tension, the expectation, the temporary relief, and then mounting tension again . . . and always, growing more insistent all the time, the question of why nothing had happened yet. . . .
He kept listening, just in case there was some small clue, not recognized for what it really was by the Muggles — an unexplained disappearance, perhaps, or some strange accident . . . but the baggage-handlers' strike was followed by news on the drought in the Southeast ("I hope he's listening next door!" bellowed Uncle Vernon,"with his sprinklers on at three in the morning!"); then a helicopter that had almost crashed in a field in Surrey, then a famous actress's di-vorce from her famous husband ("as if we're interested in their sordid affairs," sniffed Aunt Petunia, who had followed the case obsessively in every magazine she could lay her bony hands on). Harry closed his eyes against the now blazing evening sky as the newsreader said, "And finally, Bungy the budgie has found a novel way of keeping cool this summer. Bungy, who lives at the Five Feathers in Barnsley, has learned to water-ski! Mary Dorkins went to find out more. . . ."
Harry opened his eyes again. If they had reached water-skiing budgerigars, there was nothing else worth hearing. He rolled cautiously onto his front and raised himself onto his knees and elbows,preparing to crawl out from under the window.
He had moved about two inches when several things happened in very quick succession.
"What happened?" was the question on everyone's minds.
A loud, echoing crack broke the sleepy silence like a gunshot; a cat streaked out from under a parked car and flew out of sight; a shriek, a bellowed oath, and the sound of breaking china came from the Dursleys' living room, and as though Harry had been waiting for this signal, he jumped to his feet, at the same time pulling from the waistband of his jeans a thin wooden wand as if he were unsheathing a sword. But before he could draw himself up to full height, the top of his head collided with the Dursleys' open window, and the resultant crash made Aunt Petunia scream even louder.
Although there were snickers at the mention of the cat running away from under the car,everyone winced at the part where Harry's head collided with the open window.
"Ouch",said a few people.
"That had to hurt",said Ginny sympathetically.
Harry felt as if his head had been split in two; eyes streaming, he swayed, trying to focus on the street and spot the source of the noise,but he had barely staggered upright again when two large purple hands reached through the open window and closed tightly around his throat.
"What?!",yelled many students and teachers at the last part.Many of them looked towards Harry in shock.
"Who strangled you?",asked Hermione in a dangerously calm voice.Almost everyone was furious,except Umbridge,who seemed to be indifferent.
"Put — it — away!" Uncle Vernon snarled into Harry's ear. "Now!Before — anyone — sees!"
"Get — off — me!" Harry gasped; for a few seconds they struggled, Harry pulling at his uncle's sausage-like fingers with his left hand, his right maintaining a firm grip on his raised wand.
"Get your fithly hands off him!",snarled Ron.
Fred and George were planning to teach the Dursleys a lesson.The rest of Harry's housemates weren't faring better. Neville, Katie, Dean, Alicia, Seamus, Angelina etc were all furious with the way one of their own was being treated by his 'family'.
At the teacher's table,Snape and McGonagall were whispering to Dumbledore furiously.
"I told you before,Albus!Leaving Harry with his relatives wasn't the right thing to do!",snapped McGonagall angrily.
"Albus,what were you thinking,leaving Potter with those muggles?!I may not approve of Potter's behaviour in this school,but not even he deserves to be treated like this!",said Snape in a furious tone.
"I had hoped that they would look past their prejudice for magic and treat Harry as one of their own. It seems I was wrong.",said Albus sadly.
"When this book is over,we will discuss and make arrangements for Mr Potter to live with a family who can live and care for him,most probably the Weasleys",said McGonagall in a tone indicating that she truly meant it.
Dumbledore was worried about the blood protection,but he agreed with McGonagall.The protection didn't protect Harry from whatever abuse he was suffering at the Dursleys,did it?
Then, as the pain in the top of Harry's head gave a particularly nasty throb, Uncle Vernon yelped and released Harry as though he had received an electric shock — some invisible force seemed to have surged through his nephew, making him impossible to hold.
The entire hall was shocked at the mention of the invisible force.
"How did you do that?",asked Terry Boot.
"No idea.I guess my magic reacts when I'm in desperate need of it or when my emotions are high.",said Harry,suddenly reminded of how he had made Aunt Marge swell up like a balloon.
The professors observed Harry with interest."How powerful is he?",was the question that went through everyone's minds.
Panting, Harry fell forward over the hydrangea bush, straightened up, and stared around. There was no sign of what had caused the loud cracking noise, but there were several faces peering through various nearby windows. Harry stuffed his wand hastily back into his jeans and tried to look innocent.
"Lovely evening!" shouted Uncle Vernon, waving at Mrs. Number Seven, who was glaring from behind her net curtains. "Did you hear that car backfire just now? Gave Petunia and me quite a turn!"
He continued to grin in a horrible, manic way until all the curious neighbours had disappeared from their various windows, then the grin became a grimace of rage as he beckoned Harry back toward him.
Harry moved a few steps closer, taking care to stop just short of the point at which Uncle Vernon's outstretched hands could resume their strangling.
"What the devil do you mean by it, boy?" asked Uncle Vernon in a croaky voice that trembled with fury.
"What do I mean by what?" said Harry coldly. He kept looking left and right up the street, still hoping to see the person who had made the cracking noise.
"Making a racket like a starting pistol right outside our —"
"I didn't make that noise," said Harry firmly.
Aunt Petunia's thin, horsey face now appeared beside Uncle Vernon's wide, purple one. She looked livid.
Every student snickered and Snape snorted at the mention of Petunia's description.He had never liked the woman to begin with.
"Why were you lurking under our window?"
"Yes — yes, good point, Petunia! What were you doing under our window, boy?"
"Listening to the news," said Harry in a resigned voice. His aunt and uncle exchanged looks of outrage.
Harry rolled his eyes." Drama queens",he thought.
"Listening to the news! Again?"
"Well, it changes every day, you see," said Harry.
There were snickers and snorts in the hall.
"Where has this side of yours been hiding,Harry?",asked Fred and George.
"Don't you be clever with me, boy! I want to know what you're really up to — and don't give me any more of this listening to the news tosh! You know perfectly well that your lot . . ."
"Careful, Vernon!" breathed Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon lowered his voice so that Harry could barely hear him, ". . . that your lot don't get on our news!"
"That's all you know," said Harry. The Dursleys goggled at him for a few seconds, then Aunt Petunia said, "You're a nasty little liar. What are all those —" she too lowered her voice so that Harry had to lip-read the next word, "— owls — doing if they're not bringing you news?"
"Nasty little liar?",asked Ginny in a dangerous voice,which cause those close to her to edge away from her a bit.
"Aha!" said Uncle Vernon in a triumphant whisper. "Get out of that one, boy! As if we didn't know you get all your news from those pestilential birds!"
Harry hesitated for a moment. It cost him something to tell the truth this time, even though his aunt and uncle could not possibly know how bad Harry felt at admitting it.
"The owls . . . aren't bringing me news," said Harry tonelessly.
"What do you mean,they're not bringing you any news?",asked Michael Corner.
"There wasn't anything related to Voldemort or the Death Eaters.",said Harry.
"I don't believe it," said Aunt Petunia at once.
"No more do I," said Uncle Vernon forcefully.
"We know you're up to something funny," said Aunt Petunia.
"We're not stupid, you know," said Uncle Vernon.
"Well, that's news to me," said Harry, his temper rising, and before the Dursleys could call him back, he had wheeled about, crossed the front lawn, stepped over the low garden wall, and was striding off up the street.
He was in trouble now and he knew it. He would have to face his aunt and uncle later and pay the price for his rudeness, but he did not care very much just at the moment; he had much more pressing matters on his mind.
"Mr Potter,how do your relatives treat you?",asked Professor McGonagall suddenly.
The entire hall looked towards Harry for an answer."They're OK, professor.We don't get along,but honestly, it's not that bad.", replied Harry. He didn't want anyone to know about how much the Dursleys had abused him.
McGonagall looked unconvinced."We will be discussing about them later then,Mr.Potter." ,said McGonagall.
Harry was sure that the cracking noise had been made by someone Apparating or Disapparating.
"That's true.A cracking noise only occurs when someone appeared or disapparates.But who was it?",asked Susan Bones.Amelia Bones was also thinking of the same thing.
But Harry,Ron and Hermione shot each other look.They knew that it had been Mundungus Fletcher,since he had been there on duty to keep a watch on Harry.
It was exactly the sound Dobby the house-elf made when he vanished into thin air. Was it possible that Dobby was here in Privet Drive? Could Dobby be following him right at this very moment?
"Who's Dobby?",asked Ernie.
"A house elf whom I met a few years back.",responded Harry,smiling slightly at the mention of the elf.
" When did Potter meet Dobby?",thought Draco,as he narrowed his eyes.
As this thought occurred he wheeled around and stared back down Privet Drive, but it appeared to be completely deserted again and Harry was sure that Dobby did not know how to become invisible. . . .
He walked on, hardly aware of the route he was taking, for he had pounded these streets so often lately that his feet carried him to his favourite haunts automatically. Every few steps he glanced back over his shoulder. Someone magical had been near him as he lay among Aunt Petunia's dying begonias, he was sure of it. Why hadn't they spoken to him, why hadn't they made contact, why were they hiding now?
"Because they are only assigned to watch over me",thought Harry with a tingling feeling of darkness.
The members of the Order of the Phoenix shot each other knowing looks.
And then, as his feeling of frustration peaked, his certainty leaked away.
Perhaps it hadn't been a magical sound after all. Perhaps he was so desperate for the tiniest sign of contact from the world to which he belonged that he was simply overreacting to perfectly ordinary noises.
Could he be sure it hadn't been the sound of something breaking inside a neighbor's house?
Harry felt a dull, sinking sensation in his stomach and, before he knew it, the feeling of hopelessness that had plagued him all summer rolled over him once again. . . .
Tomorrow morning he would be awoken by the alarm at five o'clock so that he could pay the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet — but was there any point in continuing to take it?
"Yes you should",said Hermione."It's best to know what the enemy are saying.You never know when it could come in handy."
Many people nodded in agreement with Hermione's words.
Harry merely glanced at the front page before throwing it aside these days; when the idiots who ran the paper finally realized that Voldemort was back it would be headline news, and that was the only kind Harry cared about.
If he was lucky, there would also be owls carrying letters from his best friends, Ron and Hermione, though any expectation he had had that their letters would bring him news had long since been dashed.
"We can't say much about you-know-what, obviously. . . ." "We've been told not to say anything important in case our letters go astray. . . ."
"As much as I hate to admit it,I have to agree.Can't let anything reach to the enemy,otherwise we would be giving them the advantage.",said Harry.
"We're quite busy but I can't give you details here. . . ." "There's a fair amount going on, we'll tell you everything when we see you. . . ."
"Why isn't anyone telling you anything?Especially Ron and Hermione?Is it something so important?",asked Susan.
"We had our own reasons",said Ron and Hermione."And yes,it was important",added Hermione.
But when were they going to see him? Nobody seemed too bothered with a precise date. Hermione had scribbled, "I expect we'll be seeing you quite soon" inside his birthday card, but how soon was soon? As far as Harry could tell from the vague hints in their letters, Hermione and Ron were in the same place, presumably at Ron's parents' house.
The trio shot each other subtle looks,which didn't go unnoticed by those sitting close to them.
Up at the table, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape were doing the same thing as the trio.This book was surely going to reveal the Order of the Phoenix to everyone.
He could hardly bear to think of the pair of them having fun at the Burrow when he was stuck in Privet Drive. In fact, he was so angry at them that he had thrown both their birthday presents of Honeydukes chocolates away unopened, though he had regretted this after eating the wilting salad Aunt Petunia had provided for dinner that night.
Harry looked ashamed,while Ron and Hermione looked shocked.So were the rest of the hall.
"I'm sorry",said Harry."Uptill that point I thought you both were holed up together at the Burrow,having fun."
Ron and Hermione hugged Harry closely."It's alright mate.I would've probably done the same thing has I been in your place.",said Ron.
And what were Ron and Hermione busy with? Why wasn't he, Harry, busy? Hadn't he proved himself capable of handling much more than they? Had they all forgotten what he had done? Hadn't it been he who had entered that graveyard and watched Cedric being murdered and been tied to that tombstone and nearly killed . . . ?
Dumbledore sighed.He couldn't deny the truth.Harry had done a lot more than the order combined in the past 4 years.And given how the war was approaching,Harry was at the center of it.
He had wanted to give Harry a normal childhood,but with every passing day,it was becoming undeniable that Harry would have to know everything.
Don't think about that, Harry told himself sternly for the hundredth time that summer. It was bad enough that he kept revisiting the graveyard in his nightmares, without dwelling on it in his waking moments too.
Harry was shot sympathetic looks at the mention of the nightmares by those who did believe him that Voldemort had returned.He was hugged by Ron,at which Harry slightly smiled towards him,muttering "I'm fine.".
He turned a corner into Magnolia Crescent; halfway along he passed the narrow alleyway down the side of a garage where he had first clapped eyes on his godfather. Sirius, at least, seemed to understand how Harry was feeling; admittedly his letters were just as empty of proper news as Ron and Hermione's, but at least they contained words of caution and consolation instead of tantalizing hints:
"I know this must be frustrating for you. . . ." "Keep your nose clean and everything will be okay. . . ." "Be careful and don't do anything rash. . . ."
"Wait wait wait wait wait,Sirius,as in Sirius Black?!",exclaimed Neville.At that, everyone's eyes widen.Sirius,who was in his animagus form,wagged his tail at the mention of his name.
"Yeah,that's him.And before anyone says a word against him,Sirius was innocent.",said Harry,daring anyone to counter him.
"But that can't be true.He was seen murdering those muggles!",yelled Fudge.
"I agree with Cornelius.Mr Potter,please do not spread any further lies.Or do you wish to do further detentions with me?",spoke up Umbridge in her sweet voice,which every student and teacher loathed.
"I can assure you that Mr Potter is not lying,Dolores",said Dumbledore." Might as well defend Sirius",thought Dumbledore."If you wish,we can question him under Veritaserum to determine the truth."
"But headmaster-",began Umbridge.
"Sirius was never given a trail to begin with,Dolores.Would you go against the law and deny a man a fair trial to determine if he is truly guilty of whatever crimes he has committed?",asked Dumbledore,leaning over his spectacles.
"Of-of course not!",Umbridge stuttered.
"Good.Then a trail shall be held.Amelia,We require your assistance in this.",said Dumbledore.
"Very well,Albus",replied Madam Bones.She wasn't about to deny a fair trial.The mysterious voice continued to read.
Well, thought Harry, as he crossed Magnolia Crescent, turned into Magnolia Road, and headed toward the darkening play park, he had (by and large) done as Sirius advised; he had at least resisted the temptation to tie his trunk to his broomstick and set off for the Burrow by himself. In fact Harry thought his behavior had been very good considering how frustrated and angry he felt at being stuck in Privet Drive this long, reduced to hiding in flower beds in the hope of hearing something that might point to what Lord Voldemort was doing.
Nevertheless, it was quite galling to be told not to be rash by a man who had served twelve years in the wizard prison, Azkaban, escaped, attempted to commit the murder he had been convicted for in the first place, then gone on the run with a stolen hippogriff. . . . Harry vaulted over the locked park gate and set off across the parched grass. The park was as empty as the surrounding streets. When he reached the swings he sank onto the only one that Dudley and his friends had not yet managed to break, coiled one arm around the chain, and stared moodily at the ground. He would not be able to hide in the Dursleys' flower bed again. Tomorrow he would have to think of some fresh way of listening to the news. In the meantime, he had nothing to look forward to but another restless, disturbed night, because even when he escaped nightmares about Cedric he had unsettling dreams about long dark corridors, all finishing in dead ends and locked doors, which he supposed had something to do with the trapped feeling he had when he was awake.
"How do you bear those nightmares?",asked Neville.
"I do.I just manage to tolerate them.",said Harry sadly.
"Maybe you can try something like Occlumency?",suggested Neville.
The purebloods nodded at his suggestion.Harry thanked Neville and filed the information in his mind for later.
Often the old scar on his forehead prickled uncomfortably, but he did not fool himself that Ron or Hermione or Sirius would find that very interesting anymore. . . . In the past his scar hurting had warned that Voldemort was getting stronger again, but now that Voldemort was back they would probably remind him that its regular irritation was only to be expected. . . . Nothing to worry about . . . old news . . .
The injustice of it all welled up inside him so that he wanted to yell with fury. If it hadn't been for him, nobody would even have known Voldemort was back! And his reward was to be stuck in Little Whinging for four solid weeks, completely cut off from the magical world, reduced to squatting among dying begonias so that he could hear about water-skiing budgerigars! How could Dumbledore have forgotten him so easily? Why had Ron and Hermione got together without inviting him along too? How much longer was he supposed to endure Sirius telling him to sit tight and be a good boy; or resist the temptation to write to the stupid Daily Prophet and point out that Voldemort had returned? These furious thoughts whirled around in Harry's head, and his insides writhed with anger as a sultry, velvety night fell around him, the air full of the smell of warm, dry grass and the only sound that of the low grumble of traffic on the road beyond the park railings.
The hall with the exception of some people who didn't believe him,was shocked.What was going on?Why was Dumbledore so bent on keeping him in the dark?What could be the reason for which even his two best friends were remaining silent?
Dumbledore looked down sadly.He didn't want Harry to think that he was deserting him,but he couldn't afford to let Voldemort possess Harry just because Harry was personally close to him.
He did not know how long he had sat on the swing before the sound of voices interrupted his musings and he looked up. The streetlamps from the surrounding roads were casting a misty glow strong enough to silhouette a group of people making their way across the park. One of them was singing a loud, crude song. The others were laughing. A soft ticking noise came from several expensive racing bikes that they were wheeling along. Harry knew who those people were. The figure in front was unmistakably his cousin, Dudley Dursley, wending his way home, accompanied by his faithful gang.
Harry's face darkened at the mention of that part.Because he remembered and knew what Dudley was about to say.And what was about to follow.
Those sitting around him saw the dark glare on his face and knew that something bad was about to happen.
Dudley was as vast as ever, but a year's hard dieting and the discovery of a new talent had wrought quite a change in his physique. As Uncle Vernon delightedly told anyone who would listen, Dudley had recently become the Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing Champion of the Southeast. "The noble sport," as Uncle Vernon called it, had made Dudley even more formidable than he had seemed to Harry in the primary school days when he had served as Dudley's first punching bag.
"Punching bag?!",exclaimed Hermione angrily."Harry,what does that mean?!",she demanded,not liking the sound of that.
Harry winced."It's not much,Herm-""Don't tell me it's not much Harry!What did he do to you?!",asked Hermione.
"Dudley beat me a lot when we were kids.",said Harry sadly.The hall was furious at Dudley on his behalf.
Harry was not remotely afraid of his cousin anymore but he still didn't think that Dudley learning to punch harder and more accurately was cause for celebration. Neighborhood children all around were terrified of him — even more terrified than they were of "that Potter boy," who, they had been warned, was a hardened hooligan who attended St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys.
"Excuse me?Incurable criminal boys?",asked Ginny,with a calmly dangerous edge to her voice.
"How is Harry a criminal?!",asked Michael incredulously.Around the hall,there were similar murmurs of disapproval.Not even one of the students believed that he was an outright criminal.
McGonagall shot an angry "I told you so" look towards Dumbledore,who look ashamed. Snape was looking towards Harry in shock,realising that Harry's situation was worser than he expected.
Harry watched the dark figures crossing the grass and wondered whom they had been beating up tonight. Look round, Harry found himself thinking as he watched them. Come on . . . look round . . . I'm sitting here all alone. . . . Come and have ago. . . .
Harry was shot many incredulous looks."What was I supposed to think?I am used to how they used to beat me up for years.",Harry snapped,causing the looks to disappear.
If Dudley's friends saw him sitting here, they would be sure to make a beeline for him, and what would Dudley do then? He wouldn't want to lose face in front of the gang, but he'd be terrified of provoking Harry. . . . It would be really fun to watch Dudley's dilemma; to taunt him, watch him, with him powerless to respond . . . and if any of the others tried hitting Harry, Harry was ready — he had his wand . . . let them try . . . He'd love to vent some of his frustration on the boys who had once made his life hell —
Harry ignored the sympathetic looks which were aimed towards him.Meanwhile,Fred and George were planning to do an encore of what they had done to Dudley the previous summer.
But they did not turn around, they did not see him, they were almost at the railings. Harry mastered the impulse to call after them. . . . seeking a fight was not a smart move. . . . He must not use magic. . . . He would be risking expulsion again. . . . Dudley's gang's voices died; they were out of sight, heading along Magnolia Road.
There you go, Sirius, Harry thought dully. Nothing rash. Kept my nose clean. Exactly the opposite of what you'd have done . . .
He got to his feet and stretched. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon seemed to feel that whenever Dudley turned up was the right time to be home, and anytime after that was much too late. Uncle Vernon had threatened to lock Harry in the shed if he came home after Dudley again, so, stifling a yawn, still scowling, Harry set off toward the park gate.
Everyone scowled at the mention of Vernon threatening to lock Harry in the doorshed. McGonagall had made up her mind:Harry was going to go to a family who would treat him with love and care;most probably the Weasleys.
Magnolia Road, like Privet Drive, was full of large, square houses with perfectly manicured lawns, all owned by large, square owners who drove very clean cars similar to Uncle Vernon's. Harry preferred Little Whinging by night, when the curtained windows made patches of jewel-bright colors in the darkness and he ran no danger of hearing disapproving mutters about his"delinquent" appearance when he passed the householders. He walked quickly, so that halfway along Magnolia Road Dudley's gang came into view again; they were saying their farewells at the entrance to Magnolia Crescent. Harry stepped into the shadow of a large lilac tree and waited.
". . . squealed like a pig, didn't he?" Malcolm was saying, to guffaws from the others.
"Nice right hook, Big D," said Piers.
"Big D?",said Fred with a grin.
There were snickers at the nickname.
"Same time tomorrow?" said Dudley.
"Round at my place, my parents are out," said Gordon.
"See you then," said Dudley.
"Bye Dud!"
"See ya, Big D!"
Harry waited for the rest of the gang to move on before setting off again. When their voices had faded once more he headed around the corner into Magnolia Crescent and by walking very quickly he soon came within hailing distance of Dudley, who was strolling along at his ease, humming tunelessly.
"Hey, Big D!"
Everyone looked at Harry as if he wanted to get into trouble.
"Don't rile him up,Harry",said Hermione.Harry didn't bother to correct Hermione that she was talking to a book.
Dudley turned.
"Oh," he grunted. "It's you."
"How long have you been 'Big D' then?" said Harry.
"Shut it," snarled Dudley, turning away again.
"Cool name," said Harry, grinning and falling into step beside his cousin. "But you'll always be Ickle Diddykins to me."
By now everyone in the hall was laughing.Dudley deserved it,given how much and the Dursleys had abused Harry for all those years.
"Ickle Diddykins",said Lee Jordan,betweenfits of laughter.
"I said, SHUT IT!" said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists.
"Don't the boys know that's what your mum calls you?"
"Shut your face."
"You don't tell her to shut her face. What about 'popkin' and 'Dinky Diddydums,' can I use them then?"
The laughter increased at all the weird nicknames that had been kept for Dudley being mentioned.
Dudley said nothing. The effort of keeping himself from hitting Harry seemed to be demanding all his self-control.
"So who've you been beating up tonight?" Harry asked, his grin fading. "Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago —"
"Does he like to beat up other kids?",asked Dean,disgusted.
"He's a bully.Look at how he treated Harry,what do you expect?",Ron spat.
"He was asking for it," snarled Dudley.
"Oh yeah?"
"He cheeked me."
"Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? 'Cause that's not cheek, Dud, that's true . . ."
A muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw. It gave Harry enormous satisfaction to know how furious he was making Dudley; he felt as though he was siphoning off his own frustration into his cousin, the only outlet he had.
They turned right down the narrow alleyway where Harry had first seen Sirius and which formed a shortcut between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk.
"First seen Sirius?",asked Neville.
"A few years back from now,I saw Sirius for the first time when I left the Dursleys,after accidentally blowing up aunt Marge in anger.",explained Harry.
"Oh alright.",said Neville."Wait,blowing up Aunt Marge?"
Harry and Ron snickered,much to everyone's surprise,though Harry's face darkened when he remembered what Marge had said to rile him up.
"I'll tell you later.",said Harry.
It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked because there were no streetlamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other.
"Think you're a big man carrying that thing, don't you?" Dudley said after a few seconds.
"What thing?"
"That — that thing you're hiding."
Harry grinned again.
"Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I s'pose if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time. . . ."
Harry pulled out his wand. He saw Dudley look sideways at it.
"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once. "I know you're not.You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."
"Freak school?!",questioned many students, narrowing their eyes dangerously.
"How dare they accuse us of being freaks?",asked Professor Burbage with a look of disgust on her face.
"Like Mr Potter mentioned earlier, they hate magic",said Professor Sinistra,who had a frown on her face.
"How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?"
"They haven't," said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely convinced. Harry laughed softly.
"You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?" Dudley snarled.
"Whereas you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten-year-old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?"
There were snickers going on around the hall.
"He was sixteen for your information," snarled Dudley, "and he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you. You just wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out —"
"Running to Daddy now, are you? Is his ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Harry's wand?"
Everyone was laughing openly now.
"I like how you're coming back him harder,Harry.For every insult he makes to humiliate you,you humimilate him even worser.",said Fred,laughing madly.
"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley.
"This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this."
"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.He had stopped walking. Harry stopped too, staring at his cousin.From the little he could see of Dudley's large face, he was wearing a strangely triumphant look.
"What d'you mean, I'm not brave in bed?" said Harry, completely nonplussed. "What — am I supposed to be frightened of pillows or something?"
"I heard you last night," said Dudley breathlessly. "Talking in your sleep. Moaning."
"What d'you mean?" Harry said again, but there was a cold, plunging sensation in his stomach. He had revisited the graveyard last night in his dreams.
"Uh-oh",said a few people.
"He probably heard everything you said",said Hermione,shooting a concerned look at Harry.Harry nodded and Hermione sighed.
Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter then adopted a high-pitched,whimpering voice. " 'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric — your boyfriend?"
The Hufflepuffs and Harry narrowed their eyes angrily at Dudley's words.
"Is he mocking Cedric?",asked Ernie furiously.
"It sure seems like he is",said Justin.
Susan and Hannah were planning to teach Dudley a lesson.Hufflepuffs were loyal to each other to the core,and they wouldn't tolerate anyone mocking or bullying them.
"I — you're lying —" said Harry automatically. But his mouth had gone dry. He knew Dudley wasn't lying — how else would he know about Cedric?
" 'Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad! Boo-hoo!' "
"Shut up," said Harry quietly. "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!"
" 'Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to —' Don't you point that thing at me!"
"Good",said Hannah savagely."Threaten him with your wand.".The other Hufflepuffs nodded in agreement.
"Mr Potter!",said the teachers,shocked.
"Potter,as much as I appreciate you defending one of your own schoolmates and not tolerating any mocking words,please refrain from using magic against the Muggles.",said McGonagall.
"I didn't hex him,professor",said Harry,a little bit annoyed.
Dudley backed into the alley wall. Harry was pointing the wand directly at Dudley's heart. Harry could feel fourteen years' hatred of Dudley pounding in his veins — what wouldn't he give to strike now, to jinx Dudley so thoroughly he'd have to crawl home like an insect,struck dumb, sprouting feelers —
"Don't ever talk about that again," Harry snarled. "D'you understand me?"
"Point that thing somewhere else!"
"I said, do you understand me?"
"Point it somewhere else!"
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"
"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM —"
Dudley gave an odd, shuddering gasp, as though he had been doused in icy water.
"Why?What happened?",asked a first year,receiving no answer.
Something had happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch-black and lightless — the stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant grumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.
"Oh no….",said Neville,slowly coming to a realisation.Everyone else was slowly catching on,recognizing the symptoms.The ones in Harry's third year and above had all gone pale:There were dementors in Little Whinging.
Meanwhile the members of the Order of the Phoenix exchanged dark looks.They agreed with Dumbledore's suspicion that someone from inside the Ministry had sent those 2 Dementors.
For a split second Harry thought he had done magic without meaning to, despite the fact that he'd been resisting as hard as he could — then his reason caught up with his senses — he didn't have the power to turn off the stars. He turned his head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on his eyes like a weightless veil.
Dudley's terrified voice broke in Harry's ear.
"W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!"
"I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move!"
"I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I —"
"I said shut up!"
Harry stood stock-still, turning his sightless eyes left and right. The cold was so intense that he was shivering all over; goose bumps had erupted up his arms, and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up — he opened his eyes to their fullest extent, staring blankly around, unseeing . . .
It was impossible. . . . They couldn't be here. . . . Not in Little Whinging . . . He strained his ears. . . . He would hear them before he saw them. . . .
"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered. "W-where are you? What are you d-do — ?"
"No offence Harry,but your cousin is an idiot.",said Angelina.
"None taken.He is",said Harry.
"Will you shut up?" Harry hissed, "I'm trying to lis —"
But he fell silent. He had heard just the thing he had been dreading.There was something in the alleyway apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths. Harry felt a horrible jolt of dread as he stood trembling in the freezing air.
"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you, I swear I will!"
"Dudley, shut —"
WHAM!
A fist made contact with the side of Harry's head, lifting Harry off his feet. Small white lights popped in front of Harry's eyes; for the second time in an hour he felt as though his head had been cleaved in two; next moment he had landed hard on the ground, and his wand had flown out of his hand.
"What the heck?!",exclaimed everyone. They were furious with Dudley;this was purely wrong.
There were mutters about how horrible Dudley was being.
Sirius growled in his dog form.Remus was calm;but in the inside he was as furious as everyone else was.
"You moron, Dudley!" Harry yelled, his eyes watering with pain, as he scrambled to his hands and knees, now feeling around frantically in the blackness. He heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley fence, stumbling.
"DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!"
"Listen to your cousin,Dudley!",muttered a few second years.
There was a horrible squealing yell, and Dudley's footsteps stopped. At the same moment, Harry felt a creeping chill behind him that could mean only one thing. There was more than one.
The tension in the hall went up further.One dementor was bad enough,but two of them?!
"DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!" Harry muttered frantically, his hands flying over the ground like spiders. "Where's — wand — come on — Lumos!"
He said the spell automatically, desperate for light to help him in his search — and to his disbelieving relief, light flared inches from his right hand — the wand tip had ignited. Harry snatched it up, scrambled to his feet, and turned around.
His stomach turned over.
A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly toward him,hovering over the ground, no feet or face visible beneath its robes, sucking on the night as it came.
Stumbling backward, Harry raised his wand.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silvery wisp of vapor shot from the tip of the wand and the dementor slowed, but the spell hadn't worked properly; tripping over his feet, Harry retreated farther as the dementor bore down upon him,panic fogging his brain — concentrate —
A pair of gray, slimy, scabbed hands slid from inside the dementor's robes, reaching for him. A rushing noise filled Harry's ears.
"Expecto Patronum!"
His voice sounded dim and distant. . . . Another wisp of silver smoke, feebler than the last, drifted from the wand — he couldn't do it anymore, he couldn't work the spell —
"Oh no",said everyone.Ron and Hermione had gone white:The full realisation of the situation Harry was in had hit them.This was the second time Harry had come close to being kissed by a dementor,the first time being his third year.
Harry mentally thanked himself for having learnt the Patronus Charm from Remus 2 years back.
There was laughter inside his own head, shrill, high-pitched laughter. . . . He could smell the dementor's putrid, death-cold breath, filling his own lungs, drowning him — Think . . . something happy. . . .
But there was no happiness in him. . . . The dementor's icy fingers were closing on his throat — the high-pitched laughter was growing louder and louder, and a voice spoke inside his head — "Bow to death, Harry. . . . It might even be painless. . . . I would not know. . . . I have never died. . . ."
He was never going to see Ron and Hermione again —
And their faces burst clearly into his mind as he fought for breath —
Ron and Hermione smiled at Harry,who smiled back at them.They held each other's hands as the hall looked at them in shock.How close were they?
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
An enormous silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand; its antlers caught the dementor in the place where the heart should have been; it was thrown backward, weightless as darkness, and as the stag charged, the dementor swooped away, batlike and defeated.
Everyone cheered.
"Mr. Potter,I wasn't aware that you were able to produce a fully corporeal Patronus Charm.",said McGonagall,shocked yet impressed by Harry's magic.
Everyone's eyes widen,remembering that a stag had burst from Harry's wand."How powerful was Harry?",was the thought going on in everyone's minds.
Ron and Hermione grinned at a blushing Harry,while the rest of the DA mentally opted to learn the spell from Harry later.
"THIS WAY!" Harry shouted at the stag. Wheeling around, he sprinted down the alleyway, holding the lit wand aloft. "DUDLEY?DUDLEY!"
He had run barely a dozen steps when he reached them: Dudley was curled on the ground, his arms clamped over his face; a second dementor was crouching low over him, gripping his wrists in its slimy hands, prizing them slowly, almost lovingly apart, lowering its hooded head toward Dudley's face as though about to kiss him. . . .
Everyone paled.As much as they all hated Dudley for how he treated Harry,they didn't want him to die.
"GET IT!" Harry bellowed, and with a rushing, roaring sound, the silver stag he had conjured came galloping back past him. The dementor's eyeless face was barely an inch from Dudley's when the silver antlers caught it; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its fellow, it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness. The stag cantered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist.
Moon, stars, and streetlamps burst back into life. A warm breeze swept the alleyway. Trees rustled in neighboring gardens and the mundane rumble of cars in Magnolia Crescent filled the air again.
Everyone breathed sighs of relief.
Harry stood quite still, all his senses vibrating, taking in the abrupt return to normality. After a moment he became aware that his T-shirt was sticking to him; he was drenched in sweat.
He could not believe what had just happened. Dementors here, in Little Whinging . . .
"Us neither.How did 2 Dementors reach Little Whinging?",asked Seamus,his previous feud with Harry about Voldemort's return forgotten.
No one answered him,because many people had the same question,except Dumbledore,who suspected that someone from the ministry had sent them.
Dudley lay curled up on the ground, whimpering and shaking. Harry bent down to see whether he was in a fit state to stand up, but then heard loud, running footsteps behind him; instinctively raising his wand again, he spun on his heel to face the newcomer.
Mrs. Figg, their batty old neighbor, came panting into sight. Her grizzled gray hair was escaping from its hairnet, a clanking string shopping bag was swinging from her wrist, and her feet were halfway out of her tartan carpet slippers. Harry made to stow his wand hurriedly out of sight, but —
"Don't put it away, idiot boy!" she shrieked. "What if there are more of them around? Oh, I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!"
"Mundungus Fletcher? Who's he?",thought everyone,except the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore,the Weasleys,Harry and Hermione.
Fred and George were secretly snickering at the mention of Mundungus.
"The first chapter of this book is over",said the voice,and everyone discussed with each other about what they had just read.
Dumbledore then stood up,gathering everyone's attention."Before we proceed,I would like to call Sirius Black front and center.It is time to interrogate him and clear him of all charges",said Dumbledore.
At that instant,Sirius transformed into his human self and came in front of the hall.Everyone kept their cool, albeit some students screamed in horror.
"SILENCE!",yelled Dumbledore.Everyone fell silent.
"Amelia,if you will.",said Dumbledore.Amelia nodded and instructed Sirius to take the Veritaserum she provided.
"Are you Sirius Black?",asked Amelia.
"Yes,that would be me.",said Sirius.
"Were you the Potter's secret keeper?",asked Amelia.
"No.",replied Sirius.
"Who was the secret keeper?",asked Amelia,surprised.
"Peter Pettigrew.",replied Sirius".
"But Pettigrew's dead!",bellowed Fudge.
"Peter never died.He faked his own death.",said Sirius.
"Please elaborate further Mr. Black.",stated Amelia.
"I tracked down Peter after handing Harry over to Hagrid.I tracked him down to a Muggle Alley.But when I confronted him,he yelled about how I betrayed James and Lily,and then blew up the street,changing into a rat while everyone was killed or distracted.He escaped via the sewers.",explained Sirius.
"How did Pettigrew turn into a rat?",asked Amelia.
"Peter,James and I discovered about Remus being a werewolf during our school days.We became unregistered animagi to help Remus during his werewolf transformations in school."
"Very well,Mr. Black.",said Amelia,giving him the antidote to the Veritaserum.She cleared her throat.
"Sirius Black,the Ministry finds you clear of all charges.You will be compensated with a huge sum of money considering that you wrongfully spent 12 years in jail,with a fine penalized,considering that you were an unregistered animagi.",said Amelia.
Sirius was glad and returned to the Gryffindor table,only to be hugged by Harry,Tonks and Remus.Everyone smiled at the reunion.
"I'm free!",said Sirius.
"And I'll get to live with you!",exclaimed Harry,grinning now that he would have a chance to live with his godfather.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Very well,let's continue the book now.",said Dumbledore.With that,everyone sat down,ready to continue the story.