547. Dursley's Visitor
Harry Potter snores loudly. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info
For most of the past four hours, he had spent most of the time sitting in a chair against his bedroom window, watching the street get darker and darker, but finally he couldn't help but fall asleep with his face against the windowpane, his mouth wide open, his glasses crooked to the side. His breath was condensed on the windowpane, and the orange light outside shimmered in a man-made light that obscured the color of his face, and he looked like a ghost with unkempt black hair.
The room was littered with various items and garbage.
Owl feathers, apple cores, and candy wrappers were littered on the floor, robes were spread haphazardly on the bed, and a few spell books were mixed in, and the cloudy light on the table illuminated a few scattered newspapers.
One of them was written with a bold headline-
Harry Potter: True? Rumors of the recent mysterious unrest at the Ministry of Magic are still rife, and in the midst of this upheaval people have seen the Adversary whose name he can't even mention.
"We're forbidden to talk about this, don't ask me any questions," said an agitated amnesiac officer as he left the Ministry last night, refusing to give his name.
However, through well-informed sources in the Ministry, we can confirm that the turmoil took place in the legendary Hall of Prophecy.
While the spokesperson for the Ministry of Magic still refuses to acknowledge the existence of such a place, a growing public awareness is beginning to believe that the Death Eaters on trial in Azkaban for trespassing and attempted theft are preparing to steal the Prophecy Orb. While we don't know what kind of prophecy it was, it is widely speculated that it was related to Harry Potter, the only known person who escaped the curse of death, who also happened to be at the Ministry of Magic that night. Some now refer to Harry Potter as the "True Son", believing him to be the only one who can get rid of the Adversary who can't even mention his name.
However, the whereabouts of the prophecy orb, if it exists, are unknown.
That's what the newspaper is about, and there's another newspaper next to it.
It was written with a large headline - Scrimgeour succeeds Fudge.
A large portion of the front page is dominated by a black-and-white photograph of a man with lion-like hair and a scarred face. The picture is moving, and the man is waving at the ceiling.
Rufus Scrimgeur, the former head of the Auror Office of the Law Enforcement Division, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic. The appointment was very popular in wizarding society, but within a few hours of his inauguration, rumors of a feud between Albus Dumbledore, who had just reinstated his position as chief wizard of the Wizengamot, surfaced.
Scrimgeur's spokesman admitted that he had a meeting with Dumbledore immediately after taking office as minister, but declined to comment on the topics they discussed.
To the left of this one is a folded newspaper with a report titled "The Ministry of Magic Keeps Students Safe".
The new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeur, said today that they will be taking strong steps to ensure that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry students can return to school safely this fall.
"For well-known reasons, the Ministry of Magic will not release the details of this tight security plan," the Minister said, though we have been confirmed by sources familiar with the matter, which include a number of defensive spells, a complex set of spell-breaking spells, and a task force dedicated to the security of Hogwarts students, all made up of the Aurors.
Most people feel reassured by the new minister's strong stance on student safety.
Lady Augusta Longbottom said, "My grandson Neville, who was a good friend of Harry Potter, and by the way, was at the Ministry of Magic last June when he fought alongside Harry against the Death Eaters—"
But the rest was blocked by a large birdcage placed in the newspaper.
Inside is a beautiful snow-white owl. Its amber eyes looked down on the room arrogantly, and from time to time it turned its head to glance at its sleeping master. Once or twice he had cracked his mouth, but Harry had slept so soundly that it didn't wake him up.
In the middle of the house rests a large box.
Its lid is open: it looks like it's getting ready to pack up; It looked empty, though, with only a few pieces of old underwear, candy, an empty inkwell, and a broken quill wrapped in the end. On the floor near the chest, there is a beautifully decorated purple pamphlet that reads - The Ministry of Magic has authorized the publication of a magical society that protects you and your family from the dark forces, and is currently threatened by an organization that calls itself the Death Eaters. Following these simple safety rules can help protect yourself and your family from attacks.
1. Don't leave the house alone.
2. Pay special attention at night. Wherever you are, try to end your journey outside before dark.
3. Review the safety facilities around the house and make sure that everyone in the family knows what to do in case of an emergency. For example, the Iron Armor Charm and the Illusion Charm use Attachment Manifestation when there are underage family members.
4. Identify safety questions with your family members and close friends to prevent Death Eaters from using Polyjuice decoction to disguise themselves as other people.
5. If you sense something unusual about your family member, co-worker, friend, or neighbor, immediately inform the Magical Law Enforcement Team, as they may have been caught under the Imperius Curse.
6. If the Dark Mark appears anywhere, don't go inside, contact the Auror office immediately.
7. Unconfirmed sightings indicate that the Death Eaters may be using the Yin Fei Force. Anyone who sees anything like this should report it to the Ministry of Magic immediately.
Wait, this is the code of magic cloth just law, and it is also to give ordinary wizards in the wizarding world a certain ability to defend and resist.
Harry was snoring in his sleep, his face sliding an inch or so off the glass, which tilted his glasses even more, and he still hadn't woken up. An alarm clock that Harry had fixed years ago was ticking on the windowsill, and it was eleven o'clock in a minute.
Harry, who slept next to him, held a piece of parchment in his hand, and the paper was filled with thin, slightly slanted words. Harry had read it many times since he received it three days ago. Although the letter had been tightly tied into a cylinder when it arrived, it was now flattened and lay there quietly.
Dear Harry: If it is convenient for you, I will visit you at 4 Privet Road this Friday at 11pm and pick you up and take you to the Burrow, where you will be invited to spend the rest of your holiday. I would be glad if you could help me with something on the way to the Burrow, if you thought it fit. I'll explain this in more detail after meeting you.
Your sincerest of all, Albus Dumbledore, and Duten.
Although he could have memorized the letter, he had been sneaking it every few minutes since seven o'clock in the evening, and he sat against the bedroom window, through which he could see both ends of the privet road at the same time. He knew there was no point in staring at Dumbledore's letters repeatedly; He had long since sent the owl to send his "good", and as he was asked to do, all that could be done now was to wait.
Whether Dumbledore and Duten come or not.
He hadn't seen each other for most of the holidays, and he had missed Dumbledore and Duten very much. Especially Du Teng, the two are the same age and feel closer.
Despite the anticipation, Harry hadn't remembered to pack his things.
It only takes two weeks to get away with the Dursleys, and it seems too wonderful to be true. It was hard for him to shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong—his letter to Dumbledore might have been lost by an owl; Dumbledore might not be able to pick him up; Or maybe the letter wasn't written by Dumbledore at all, it was just a hoax or a joke, or even a trap.
Harry couldn't bear the frustration of packing up and having to open them all again. So the only preparation he had for this possible trip was to keep his snow-white owl Hedwig safely in a cage.
At the moment when the minute hand of the alarm clock reached 12, all the lights on the street outside the window went out.
The sudden darkness woke Harry like an alarm clock, and he hurriedly straightened his glasses, pressed his nose to the windowpane that was still against his cheek, and squinted his eyes at the pavement. Two slender figures, one large and one small, dragged the long rolled cloak to the path in the garden.
Harry jumped up like an electric shock and knocked over his chair, and he began to grab everything he could reach, piece by piece, and toss it into his suitcase. Just as he tossed his robes, two spell books, and a packet of potato chips from one end of the room to the other, the doorbell rang.
"Who is it, in the middle of the night?" His uncle, Vernon Dursley, screamed loudly as he came down from the upstairs living room.
Harry froze, brass binoculars in one hand and sneakers in the other, completely forgetting to tell the Dursleys that Dumbledore might come over in the evening. Panicked and amused, he stepped over his suitcase and unscrewed the door, just in time to hear a deep voice say, "Good evening, you must be Mr. Dursley." I'm guessing Harry told you I'm going to come and pick him up, right? ”
Harry rushed down the stairs in three steps and two steps, but when there were still a few steps left, he came to a sharp brake, and long experience had taught him to stay as far out of his uncle's hand as he could at all times.
In the doorway stood a tall, thin man, with a long silver-white beard and hair that had reached his waist. Half-moon shaped glasses frame the bridge of his nose, and he wears a black traveling cloak with a pointed wizard hat. Beside him was Du Teng, dressed in casual clothes, but wearing a trench coat over his casual clothes, which looked no different from the other residents around him.
Vernon Dursley's beard was about the same as Dumbledore's, but black, and he wore a dark brown dressing gown, staring at the visitor with his small eyes as if he couldn't believe it.
"Judging by your shocked and skeptical expression, Harry must not have told you about my visit," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "But let's assume that you will warmly invite me into your house. In such a turbulent situation, it is not wise to wait at the door for a long time. Dumbledore walked in in style, and Duten followed him, closing the door as he entered.
"It's been a long time since we last met," Dumbledore said as he gazed at Uncle Vernon from his towering nose. "I must say, your Purple Gentleman's Orchid is so good-looking."
Vernon Dursley didn't say anything, but Harry believed he was about to explode, and sure enough, after a while, the blood vessels in his uncle's temples bulged to the limit, but Dumbledore seemed to have taken Vernon's breath away in some way. Perhaps due to his ostentatious wizarding outfit. But it could also be that even Uncle Vernon felt that Dumbledore was a difficult person to intimidate.
"Ah, good evening, Harry," Dumbledore looked at him through his half-moon glasses, a satisfied expression. "Great, wonderful." These words seemed to wake up Vernon Dursley. As far as he knew, anyone who complimented Harry on being "wonderful" would not be the same as Vernon.
"I don't want to be rude—" he began to read word by word in a threatening tone.
"Still, it's worrying that pitiful, occasional rudeness still happens so often," Dumbledore said solemnly. "But it's better not to say anything, dear friend. Ah, this must be Penny. ”
The kitchen door opened, and there stood Harry's aunt, wearing a pair of rubber gloves and a civilian dress over her pajamas. She usually re-mops the kitchen before going to bed, and apparently she's busy. Her long horse face was nothing but shock.
"Albus Dumbledore," Dumbledore said before Vernon introduced him. "This is another student of mine, Harry's classmate, and of course, we've already passed the letter." Harry thought it was a bit odd to remind Aunt Petunia that he had sent her an explosive letter, but Aunt Petunia didn't object.
"This must be your son Dudley, right?" Dudley was peering through the living room door, his big golden head sticking out of the striped collar of his pajamas, looking as strange as if he had detached from his body, his mouth wide open in surprise and fear. Dumbledore waited, apparently to see if the Dursleys had anything to say, and after a moment, he smiled.
"Can we come in and talk?" When Dumbledore passed Dudley, he almost ran away.
Harry jumped down the last few steps and followed Dumbledore, still clutching his binoculars and sneakers, and Duten winked his eyes as he passed him. Dumbledore found an armchair by the stove and sat down, looking around with an amiable expression of interest on his face. He looked out of place in the tension.
"We ...... Shall we go? Harry asked anxiously.
"Yes, we do. But before we can do that, we have a few more issues to discuss," Dumbledore said. "And I tend not to talk about it outside. We're going to bother your aunt and uncle for a little while. ”
"Did you really decide you wanted this?" Vernon walked into the room, Penny holding him by the shoulders while Dudley hid behind the two of them.
"Yes," Dumbledore said simply, "that's it. ”
He drew his wand slightly, and with a subtle flick, the couch flew over and struck the Dursleys in the knee, causing them to sit on the couch. He shook again, and the couch flew back in.
"It'll be more comfortable for everyone," Dumbledore said pleasantly.
Du Ten smiled on the side, but the others, well, obviously couldn't laugh, and the atmosphere in the room was so heavy that it almost pushed people down.