'Chapter 4 Back to the Burrow\r'

'By twelve oclock the following day, chevys school tree trunk was packed with his school occasions and only(prenominal) his most(prenominal) prized possessions †the Invisibility Cloak he had genetical from his father, the b inhabitstick he had gotten from Sirius, the enchanted map of Hogwarts he had been given by Fred and George Weasley last grade. He had emptied his cin one caseal place under the loose floorboard of whole food, double-checked e precise nook and cranny of his bedroom for disregarded spellbooks or quills, and thinkn down the chart on the w entirely counting down the days to family line the first, on which he compar up to(p)d to cross eat up the days remaining until his return to Hogwarts.\r\nThe atmosp present inner number four, Privet Drive was extremely tense. The imminent stretch at their house of an assortwork forcet of wizards was making the Dursleys restive and irri wander off. Uncle Vernon had shadeed downright alarmed when encrust in formed him that the Weasleys would be arriving at five oclock the truly a justting day.\r\nâ€Å"I hope you told them to dress properly, these people,” he snarled at once. â€Å"Ive seen the sort of stuff your rush wear. Theyd better spend a penny the decency to put on normal clothes, thats all.”\r\n irritate tangle a s lighthearted sense of foreboding. He had rarely seen Mr. or Mrs. Weasley wearing anything that the Dursleys would call â€Å"normal.” Their children mogul bust Muggle clothing during the holidays, entirely Mr. and Mrs. Weasley usually wore long robes in varying states of shabbiness. nark wasnt b otherwiseed ab come forward what the neighbors would think, solely he was anxious about how rude the Dursleys mogul be to the Weasleys if they turned up facial expression similar their worst idea of wizards.\r\nUncle Vernon had put on his outdo suit. To some people, this might drive looked like a gesture of welcome, simply waste knew it wa s because Uncle Vernon wanted to look impressive and intimidating. Dudley, on the other hand, looked somehow diminished. This was not because the diet was at last taking effect, but due to fright. Dudley had emerged from his last encounter with a fully grown wizard with a curly pigs in arrears poking out of the seat of his trousers, and aunty genus genus genus genus Petunia and Uncle Vernon had had to pay for its removal at a esoteric hospital in London. It wasnt alto birthher surprising, therefore, that Dudley kept track his hand nervously over his natesside, and walking obliquely from room to room, so as not to demo the same tar apprehend to the enemy.\r\nLunch was an to the highest degree smooth meal. Dudley didnt even protest at the food (cottage high mallow and grated celery). auntie Petunia wasnt, eating anything at all. Her build up were folded, her lips were pursed, and she seemed to be manducate her spittle, as though vinegarish tush the furious diatribe sh e longed to throw at raise.\r\nâ€Å"Theyll be driving, of course?” Uncle Vernon barked across the table.\r\nâ€Å"Er,” tell get at.\r\nHe hadnt thought of that. How were the Weasleys going to pick him up? They didnt have a machine anymore; the old interbreeding Anglia they had once owned was currently running fantastic in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. just now Mr. Weasley had borrowed a Ministry of Magic car last year; possibly he would do the same directly?\r\nâ€Å"I think so,” express Harry.\r\nUncle Vernon snorted into his moldinessache. Normally, Uncle Vernon would have asked what car Mr. Weasley set; he tended to judge other men by how big and expensive their cars were. only if Harry doubted whether Uncle Vernon would have taken to Mr. Weasley even if he drove a Ferrari.\r\nHarry spent most of the afternoon in his bedroom; he couldnt hurt ceremonial occasion aunt Petunia peer out through and through the net curtains ever soy few seconds , as though there had been a warning about an open frame loose rhinoceros. Finally, at a quarter to five, Harry went back downstairs and into the brio room.\r\n auntie Petunia was obsessionally straightening cushions. Uncle Vernon was pretending to read the paper, but his tiny look were not moving, and Harry was sure he was very listening with all his might for the healthy of an orgasm car. Dudley was crammed into an armchair, his porky hands beneath him, clamped firmly around his bottom. Harry couldnt take the tension; he left the room and went and sat on the stairs in the hall, his eye on his watch and his copt pumping fast from agitation and nerves.\r\nBut five oclock came and thus went. Uncle Vernon, perspiring slightly in his suit, opened the front door, peered up and down the street, then withdrew his head promptly.\r\nâ€Å"Theyre late!” he snarled at Harry.\r\nâ€Å"I know,” utter Harry. â€Å"Maybe †er †the traffics bad, or something.â⠂¬Â\r\nTen past five…then a quarter past five…Harry was get-go to feel anxious himself now. At one-half past, he ascertaind Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia conversing in kinky mutters in the keep room.\r\nâ€Å"No consideration at all.”\r\nâ€Å"We mightve had an engagement.”\r\nâ€Å"Maybe they think theyll get invited to dinner if theyre late.”\r\nâ€Å"Well, they most certainly wont be,” verbalize Uncle Vernon, and Harry heard him stand up and start pacing the living room. â€Å"Theyll take the boy and go, therell be no give earing around. Thats if theyre approach shot at all. Probably mistaken the day. I dare differentiate their material body dont set much store by punctuality. both that or they drive some tin-pot car thats humbled d -AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!”\r\nHarry jumped up. From the other side of the living room door came the sounds of the three Dursleys scrambling, panic-stricken, across the room. neighboring moment Dudley came flying into the hall, aspect terrified.\r\nâ€Å"What happened?” give tongue to Harry. â€Å"Whats the affaire?”\r\nBut Dudley didnt seem able to speak. Hands take over clamped over his buttocks, he waddled as fast as he could into the kitchen. Harry hurried into the living room.\r\n specious bangings and scrapings were coming from behind the Dursleys boarded-up displaceplace, which had a fake char evict plugged in front of it.\r\nâ€Å"What is it?” gasped Aunt Petunia, who had endorse into the wall and was staring, terrified, toward the fire. â€Å"What is it, Vernon?”\r\nBut they were left in doubt barely a second longer. Voices could be heard from inside the blocked hearth.\r\nâ€Å"Ouch! Fred, no †go back, go back, theres been some kind of mistake †check George not to †OUCH! George, no, theres no room, go back quickly and tell Ron -â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Maybe Harry loafer hear us, Dad †maybe hell be able to permit us out -â€Å"\r\nThere was a audible hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric fire.\r\nâ€Å"Harry? Harry, can you hear us?”\r\nThe Dursleys rounded on Harry like a pair of black wolverines.\r\nâ€Å"What is this?” growled Uncle Vernon. â€Å"Whats going on?”\r\nâ€Å"They †theyve tried to get here by Floo powder,” said Harry, fighting a sick(p) desire to laugh. â€Å"They can travel by fire †only youve blocked the fireside †hang on -â€Å"\r\nHe approached the fireplace and called through the boards.\r\nâ€Å"Mr. Weasley? Can you hear me?”\r\nThe hammering s raisingped. Somebody inside the chimney rear said, â€Å"Shh!”\r\nâ€Å"Mr. Weasley, its Harry…the fireplace has been blocked up. You wont be able to get through there.”\r\nâ€Å"Damn!” said Mr. Weasleys role. â€Å"What on earth did they want to block up the fireplace for?”\r\nâ€Å"Theyve got an electric fire,” Harry explained.\r\nâ€Å"Really?” said Mr. Weasleys voice excitedly. â€Å"Eclectic, you say? With a plug? Gracious, I must see that….Lets think…Ouch, Ron!”\r\nRons voice now conjugated the others.\r\nâ€Å"What are we doing here? Has something gone wrong?”\r\nâ€Å"Oh no, Ron,” came Freds voice, very sarcastically. â€Å"No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up.”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, were having the time of our lives here,” said George, whose voice sounded muffled, as though he was squashed against the wall.\r\nâ€Å"Boys, boys…” said Mr. Weasley vaguely. â€Å"Im nerve-wracking to think what to do….Yes…only way…Stand back, Harry.”\r\nHarry retreated to the sofa. Uncle Vernon, however, travel forward.\r\nâ€Å"Wait a moment!” he bellowed at the fire. â€Å"What exactly are you going to -â€Å"\r\nBANG.\r\nThe electric fire shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outward, expelling Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a debauch of rubble and loose chippings. Aunt Petunia shrieked and fell backward over the coffee table; Uncle Vernon caught her forrader she hit the floor, and gaped, speechless, at the Weasleys, all of whom had able red hair, including Fred and George, who were identical to the last freckle.\r\nâ€Å"Thats better,” panted Mr. Weasley, brushing pass around from his long green robes and straightening his glasses. â€Å"Ah †you must be Harrys aunt and uncle!”\r\nTall, thin, and balding, he moved toward Uncle Vernon, his hand outstretched, but Uncle Vernon backed away several paces, dragging Aunt Petunia. language utterly failed Uncle Vernon. His best suit was covered in white clean, which had settled in his hair and mustache and made him look as though he had just aged thirty years.\r\nâ€Å"Er †yes †muddied about that,” said Mr. Weasley, lowering his hand and looking over his shoulder at the blasted fireplace. â€Å"Its all my fault. It just didnt occur to me that we wouldnt be able to get out at the other end. I had your fireplace connected to the Floo Network, you see †just for an afternoon, you know, so we could get Harry. Muggle fireplaces arent supposed to be connected, strictly speaking †but Ive got a useful contact at the Floo jurisprudence Panel and he fixed it for me. I can put it right in a jiffy, though, dont worry. Ill light a fire to send the boys back, and then I can repair your fireplace before I Disapparate.”\r\nHarry was ready to bet that the Dursleys hadnt understood a single word of this. They were s money box gaping at Mr. Weasley, thunderstruck. Aunt Petunia staggered upright again and hid behind Uncle Vernon.\r\nâ€Å"Hello, Harry!” said Mr. Weasley brightly. â€Å"Got your trunk ready?”\r\nâ€Å"Its upstairs,” said Harry, grinning back.\r\nâ€Å"Well get it,” said Fred at once. nictitation at Harry, he and George left the room. They knew where Harrys bedroom was, having once rescued him from it in the dead of night. Harry suspect that Fred and George were hoping for a glimpse of Dudley; they had heard a lot about him from Harry.\r\nâ€Å"Well,” said Mr. Weasley, swinging his arms slightly, teeny-weeny-arm he tried to find words to break the very nasty silence. â€Å"Very †erm †very exquisite place youve got here.”\r\nAs the usually spotless living room was now covered in dust and bits of brick, this remark didnt go down too salutary with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernons formulation purpled once more, and Aunt Petunia started chewing her tongue again. However, they seemed too scared to actually say anything.\r\nMr. Weasley was looking around. He loved anything to do with Muggles. Harry could see him itching to go and examine the television receiver and the video recorder.\r\nâ€Å"They run off eckeltricity, do they?” he said knowledgeably.  "Ah yes, I can see the plugs. I collect plugs,” he added to Uncle Vernon. â€Å"And batteries. Got a very oversize collection of batteries. My wife thinks Im mad, but there you are.”\r\nUncle Vernon clear thought Mr. Weasley was mad too. He moved ever so slightly to the right, screening Aunt Petunia from view, as though he thought Mr. Weasley might suddenly run at them and attack.\r\nDudley suddenly reappeared in the room. Harry could hear the clunk of his trunk on the stairs, and knew that the sounds had scared Dudley out of the kitchen. Dudley edged along the wall, gazing at Mr. Weasley with terrified eyes, and attempted to conceal himself behind his return and father. Unfortunately, Uncle Vernons bulk, while sufficient to hide bony Aunt Petunia, was nowhere near enough to conceal Dudley.\r\nâ€Å"Ah, this is your cousin, is it, Harry?” said Mr. Weasley, taking another brave thrust at making conversation.\r\nâ€Å"Yep,” said Harry, â€Å"thats Dudle y.”\r\nHe and Ron exchange glances and then quickly looked away from each other; the temptation to burst out laughing was almost overwhelming. Dudley was still clutching his bottom as though shitless it might fall off. Mr. Weasley, however, seemed genuinely concerned at Dudleys peculiar behavior. Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, Harry was quite an sure that Mr. Weasley thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursleys thought he was, except that Mr. Weasley felt sympathy rather than fear.\r\nâ€Å"Having a good holiday, Dudley?” he said kindly.\r\nDudley whimpered. Harry truism his hands tighten still inviolableer over his colossal backside.\r\nFred and George came back into the room carrying Harrys school trunk. They glanced around as they entered and spotted Dudley. Their faces cracked into identical evil grins.\r\nâ€Å"Ah, right,” said Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Better get cracking then.”\r\nHe pushed up the sleeves of his robes and to ok out his wand. Harry saw the Dursleys draw back against the wall as one.\r\nâ€Å"Incendio!” said Mr. Weasley, pointing his wand at the hole in the wall behind him.\r\nFlames arise at once in the fireplace, crackling mirthfully as though they had been burning for hours. Mr. Weasley took a small drawstring bag from his sacking, untied it, took a get up of the powder inside, and threw it onto the flames, which turned emerald green and roared higher than ever.\r\nâ€Å" saturnine you go then, Fred,” said Mr. Weasley.\r\nâ€Å"Coming,” said Fred. â€Å"Oh no †hang on -â€Å"\r\nA bag of sweets had spilled out of Freds pocket and the contents were now rolling in every direction †big, fat toffys in brightly colored wrappers.\r\nFred scrambled around, cramming them back into his pocket, then gave the Dursleys a well-provided wave, stepped forward, and walked right into the fire, saying â€Å"the Burrow!” Aunt Petunia gave a little shuddering g asp. There was a whooshing sound, and Fred vanished.\r\nâ€Å"Right then, George,” said Mr. Weasley, â€Å"you and the trunk.”\r\nHarry helped George carry the trunk forward into the flames and turn it onto its end so that he could hold it better. Then, with a second whoosh, George had cried â€Å"the Burrow!” and vanished too.\r\nâ€Å"Ron, you next,” said Mr. Weasley.\r\nâ€Å"See you,” said Ron brightly to the Dursleys. He grinned in the main at Harry, then stepped into the fire, shouted â€Å"the Burrow!” and disappeared.\r\n flat Harry and Mr. Weasley alone remained.\r\nâ€Å"Well…bye then,” Harry said to the Dursleys.\r\nThey didnt say anything at all. Harry moved toward the fire, but just as he reached the edge of the hearth, Mr. Weasley put out a hand and held him back. He was looking at the Dursleys in amazement.\r\nâ€Å"Harry said good day to you,” he said. â€Å"Didnt you hear him?”\r\nâ€Å"It doesn t matter,” Harry muttered to Mr. Weasley. â€Å"Honestly, I dont care.”\r\nMr. Weasley did not remove his hand from Harrys shoulder.\r\nâ€Å"You arent going to see your nephew till next summer,” he said to Uncle Vernon in bonkers indignation. â€Å"Surely youre going to say good-bye?”\r\nUncle Vernons face worked furiously. The idea of being taught consideration by a man who had just blasted away half his living room wall seemed to be causing him intense suffering. But Mr. Weasleys wand was still in his hand, and Uncle Vernons tiny eyes darted to it once, before he said, very resentfully, â€Å"Good-bye, then.”\r\nâ€Å"See you,” said Harry, putting one posterior forward into the green flames, which felt pleasantly like warm breath. At that moment, however, a horrible gagging sound erupted behind him, and Aunt Petunia started to scream.\r\nHarry rotate around. Dudley was no longer standing behind his parents. He was kneeling beside the co ffee table, and he was gagging and sputtering on a foot-long, purple, slimy thing that was protruding from his mouth. peerless bewildered second later, Harry realized that the foot-long thing was Dudleys tongue †and that a brightly colored toffee wrapper lay on the floor before him.\r\nAunt Petunia hurled herself onto the ground beside Dudley, seized the end of his increase tongue, and attempted to wrench it out of his mouth; unsurprisingly, Dudley yelled and sputtered worse than ever, trying to fight her off. Uncle Vernon was bellowing and gesture his arms around, and Mr. Weasley had to shout to make himself heard.\r\nâ€Å"Not to worry, I can sort him out!” he yelled, locomote on Dudley with his wand outstretched, but Aunt Petunia screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, protect him from Mr. Weasley.\r\nâ€Å"No, really!” said Mr. Weasley desperately. â€Å"Its a simple performance it was the toffee †my son Fred †real practic al bomb †but its only an Engorgement Charm †at least, I think it is †please, I can correct it -â€Å"\r\nBut far from being reassured, the Dursleys became more panic- stricken; Aunt Petunia was sobbing hysterically, tugging Dudleys tongue as though determined to rip it out; Dudley appeared to be suffocative under the combined pressure of his mother and his tongue; and Uncle Vernon, who had lost control completely, seized a china number from on top of the sideboard and threw it very hard at Mr. Weasley, who ducked, causing the pad to shatter in the blasted fireplace.\r\nâ€Å"Now really!” said Mr. Weasley angrily, brandishing his wand. â€Å"Im trying to help!”\r\nBellowing like a weakened hippo, Uncle Vernon snatched up another ornament.\r\nâ€Å"Harry, go! Just go!” Mr. Weasley shouted, his wand on Uncle Vernon. â€Å"Ill sort this out!”\r\nHarry didnt want to miss the fun, but Uncle Vernons second ornament narrowly missed his left ea r, and on ease he thought it best to leave the bit to Mr. Weasley. He stepped into the fire, looking over his shoulder as he said â€Å"the Burrow!” His last ephemeral glimpse of the living room was of Mr. Weasley blasting a third ornament out of Uncle Vernons hand with his wand, Aunt Petunia screaming and lying on top of Dudley, and Dudleys tongue lolling around like a enceinte slimy python. But next moment Harry had begun to spin very fast, and the Dursleys living room was whipped out of sight in a rush of emerald-green flames.\r\n'