Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Another perfect day, Harry thought.

Could days this happy possibly last until school began? Of course not. Staying at Suer’s house was already trouble enough for his friend.

Harry lay awake, staring at the ceiling and unwilling to fall asleep.

Across the corridor, Suer was awake as well. His bedside lamp was off, but his bright eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness.

Nothing had gone wrong during their visit to the zoo. They had gone to a small one near the house. It did not have many kinds of animals, but there had been more than enough to keep Angel delighted.

On their way home, however, a filthy great black dog that looked as though it had been wandering for a long time had watched them silently from a corner.

Neither Harry nor Angel noticed it, but Suer’s senses were sharper. He had not spotted the dog at first, yet when he searched carefully, he found it concealed in the shadows by its surroundings.

Suer kept one hand in his pocket throughout the walk home.

His wand was hidden there.

Fortunately, the feeling of being watched disappeared by the time they entered the house, turned out the lights and went to bed.

That great black dog could only be Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black.

Few people knew that Black was an Animagus, but Suer had the advantage of foreknowledge. He knew exactly what form Sirius took.

Still uneasy, Suer drew a deep breath, rose decisively and transformed into his Animagus form before slipping quietly out of the house.

The moon hung high overhead, casting clear, pale light. Apart from the soft chirping of insects, everything around the Ellison house was still.

Suer climbed the tallest tree, hid among its branches and waited. Two hours passed. From beginning to end, there was nothing but the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze. No person — and no dog — appeared.

Having gone to bed so late, Suer was swaying with exhaustion when he rose the next morning. Harry was already bustling around the kitchen in an apron, preparing breakfast.

“Morning.” Harry flashed a huge smile at Suer, who could barely keep his eyes open.

Harry had already begun imagining another day of happiness, but it was not to be.

“Can I come here again?” Harry asked gloomily, burdened with a heap of belongings.

“Of course.” Suer nodded. “Any time.”

Provided Dumbledore agreed, he added silently.

Suer glanced at a silver-grey car parked beside the road. A stout, round-bellied man stood beside it smoking a cigarette. When he noticed Suer looking, he offered an ingratiating smile.

It was Harry’s uncle, Vernon Dursley. The man had knocked on the Ellisons’ front door just as they were preparing to eat breakfast.

Harry did not know why his uncle had suddenly come to collect him. Bitterly reluctant to leave, he nevertheless had to pack his belongings and follow Vernon Dursley away.

The silver-grey car coughed exhaust and rolled slowly but steadily out of the street.

After eating the breakfast Harry had made, Suer could not help yawning. He and Angel were going to stay home for the day, mainly because Mr and Mrs Ellison were due back.

Suer did not dwell on Harry’s sudden departure. There was not long left of the holiday, and they would see each other again at school — or rather, when they went to Diagon Alley to buy their third-year supplies.
Lunch was pizza and fruit juice. It was not especially nutritious, but Angel and Suer were thoroughly satisfied.

“Ding… dang-dang-dang… ding… dong!”

Angel sat at the piano with Crookshanks in her lap. Holding the large cat’s front paws, she tapped them against the keys, producing a note each time. Crookshanks wore an expression of utter boredom, tongue hanging out, yet did not dare struggle.

The music was anything but beautiful, but Suer’s head soon lolled to one side and he fell asleep.

By the time he woke again, the light outside had turned golden.

He blinked groggily.

“Oh no — Angel.”

Suer shot upright on the sofa and turned towards the piano. Angel was no longer there. Only Crookshanks remained, sprawled lazily with narrowed eyes and a long tail swaying over the edge.

“You’re awake?” called a gentle voice. Mrs Ellison leaned halfway out of the kitchen. “Thank you for looking after your sister these past two days.”

“Mum? You’re back…” Suer relaxed and stretched enormously. He had slept so deeply that not even his parents’ return had woken him.

“Where is Angel?”

“A white owl turned up at some point. She is playing with it in that room.”

A white owl? Suer was bewildered.

It turned out to be Hedwig. She had not gone back with Harry. Then Suer remembered that Harry had left without her that morning.

“Bwother, you’re awake.” Angel giggled and waved while enthusiastically stroking the white owl in her arms.

The elderly Errol had already left the cage at some unknown point. That morning, Suer had sent Little Gray to Hogwarts with a letter asking Hagrid about the biting book.

“Hoo…” Hedwig gave a feeble cry from the little girl’s embrace.

“Harry has gone home. Aren’t you going back too?”

“Hoo.” Hedwig shook her head vigorously. At that house, she spent most of her time locked in a cage. She was far freer here.

How was Harry supposed to send letters, then? On second thoughts, the Dursleys probably would not let him write to anyone anyway.

That evening, the family sat together around the table for dinner.

“She belongs to Harry,” Angel explained to Mrs Ellison from her tall chair, her little feet swinging.

“He is one of my classmates,” Suer added. “He stayed here for two nights.”

“One of your wizard classmates? Where is he now?” Mr Ellison asked, puzzled.

“Gone. His family came to collect him this morning.” Suer speared a bacon roll and put it in his mouth, closing his eyes with satisfaction.

“And what is going on with that book? Your mother was nearly bitten when she was tidying this afternoon.” Mr Ellison pointed to the securely bound book lying quietly in the corner. “Is it alive?”

“Oh no, that belongs to Harry. He forgot to take it.” Suer slapped his forehead and jumped down from his chair. “It is one of our textbooks for next year.”

He picked up the book and wound another length of rope around it, making certain not the slightest gap remained.

“I’ll have an owl send it back to Harry.”