Harry Potter and the half-blood prince part 1 AUDIOBOOK

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#harrypotter  #audiobook #harrypotterfan  Narrator: James Dobinson

Transcript

00:00:00Chapter 1 THE OTHER MINISTER

00:00:04It was nearing midnight, and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a

00:00:08long memo that was slipping through his brain without even leaving the slightest trace of

00:00:11meaning behind.

00:00:12He was waiting for a call from the President of a far distant country, and between wondering

00:00:17when the wretched man would telephone, and trying to suppress unpleasant memories of

00:00:20what had been a very long, tiring and difficult week, there was not much space in his head

00:00:24for anything else.

00:00:26The more he attempted to focus on the print on the page before him, the more clearly the

00:00:29Prime Minister could see the gloating face of one of his political opponents.

00:00:33This particular opponent had appeared on the news that very day, not only to enumerate

00:00:37all the terrible things that had happened in the last week as though anyone needed reminding,

00:00:41but also to explain why each and every one of them was the Government's fault.

00:00:46The Prime Minister's pulse quickened at the very thought of these accusations, for they

00:00:49were neither fair nor true.

00:00:51How on earth was his Government supposed to have stopped that bridge collapsing?

00:00:54It was outrageous for anybody to suggest that they were not spending enough on bridges.

00:00:59The bridge was less than ten years old, and the best experts were at a loss to explain

00:01:03why it had snapped cleanly in two, sending a dozen cars into the watery depths of the

00:01:08river below.

00:01:09And how dared anyone suggest that it was lack of policemen that had resulted in those two

00:01:13very nasty and well-publicised murders, or that the Government should have somehow foreseen

00:01:17the freak hurricane in the West Country that had caused so much damage to both people and

00:01:21property?

00:01:22And was it his fault that one of his junior ministers, Herbert Chorley, had chosen this

00:01:27week to act so peculiarly that he was now going to be spending a lot more time with

00:01:31his family?

00:01:32A grim mood has gripped the country, the opponent had concluded, barely concealing his own broad

00:01:37grin.

00:01:38And unfortunately, this was perfectly true.

00:01:41The Prime Minister felt it himself.

00:01:42People really did seem more miserable than usual.

00:01:45Even the weather was dismal.

00:01:46All this chilly mist in the middle of July.

00:01:48It wasn't right.

00:01:49It wasn't normal.

00:01:51He turned over the second page of the memo, saw how much longer it went on, and gave it

00:01:55up as a bad job.

00:01:57Stretching his arms above his head, he looked around his office mournfully.

00:02:00It was a handsome room, with a fine marble fireplace facing the long sash windows, firmly

00:02:05closed against the unseasonable chill.

00:02:07With a slight shiver, the Prime Minister got up and moved over to the windows, looking

00:02:11out at the thin mist that was pressing itself against the glass.

00:02:15It was then, as he stood with his back to the room, that he heard a soft cough behind

00:02:19him.

00:02:20He froze, nose to nose with his own scared-looking reflection in the dark glass.

00:02:24He knew that cough.

00:02:25He had heard it before.

00:02:26He turned very slowly to face the empty room.

00:02:29Hello?

00:02:30he said, trying to sound braver than he felt.

00:02:32For a brief moment he allowed himself the impossible hope that nobody would answer him.

00:02:36However, a voice responded at once, a crisp, decisive voice that sounded as though it were

00:02:41reading a prepared statement.

00:02:43It was coming, as the Prime Minister had known at the first cough, from the frog-like little

00:02:47man wearing a long silver wig who was depicted in a small and dirty oil painting in the far

00:02:51corner of the room.

00:02:53To the Prime Minister of Muggles.

00:02:56Urgent, we meet.

00:02:57Kindly respond immediately.

00:02:58Sincerely, Fudge.

00:03:00The man in the painting looked inquiringly at the Prime Minister.

00:03:03Uh, said the Prime Minister, listen, it's not a very good time for me.

00:03:07I'm waiting for a telephone call, you see, from the President of...

00:03:11That can be rearranged, said the portrait at once.

00:03:13The Prime Minister's heart sank.

00:03:15He had been afraid of that.

00:03:16But I really was rather hoping to speak.

00:03:18We shall arrange for the President to forget to call.

00:03:21He will telephone to-morrow night instead, said the little man.

00:03:24Kindly respond immediately to Mr. Fudge.

00:03:26I...

00:03:27Oh, very well, said the Prime Minister weakly.

00:03:29Yes, I'll see Fudge.

00:03:31He hurried back to his desk, straightening his tie as he went.

00:03:34He had barely resumed his seat and arranged his face into what he hoped was a relaxed

00:03:37and unphased expression, when bright green flames burst into life in the empty grate

00:03:42beneath his marble mantelpiece.

00:03:44He watched, trying not to betray a flicker of surprise or alarm, as a portly man appeared

00:03:49within the flames, spinning as fast as a top.

00:03:51Seconds later he had climbed out, onto a rather fine antique rug, brushing ash from the sleeves

00:03:56of his long pin-striped cloak, a lime-green bowler hat in his hand.

00:04:00Ah!

00:04:01Prime Minister, said Cornelius Fudge, striding forwards with his hand outstretched, good

00:04:05to see you again.

00:04:07The Prime Minister could not honestly return this compliment, so said nothing at all.

00:04:11He was not remotely pleased to see Fudge, whose occasional appearances, apart from being

00:04:15downright alarming in themselves, generally meant that he was about to hear some very

00:04:18bad news.

00:04:19Furthermore, Fudge was looking distinctly care-worn.

00:04:22He was thinner, balder and greyer, and his face had a crumpled look.

00:04:26The Prime Minister had seen that kind of look in politicians before, and it never boded

00:04:30well.

00:04:31How can I help you?

00:04:33he said, shaking Fudge's hand very briefly and gesturing towards the hardest of the chairs

00:04:37in front of the desk.

00:04:39Difficult to know where to begin, muttered Fudge, pulling up the chair, sitting down

00:04:42and placing his green bowler upon his knees.

00:04:46What a week!

00:04:47What a week!

00:04:48Had a bad one too, have you? asked the Prime Minister stiffly, hoping to convey by this

00:04:51that he had quite enough on his plate already without any extra helpings from Fudge.

00:04:55Yes, of course, said Fudge, rubbing his eyes wearily and looking morosely at the Prime

00:05:00Minister.

00:05:01I've been having the same week you have, Prime Minister.

00:05:04The Brockdale Bridge, the Bones and Vance murders, not to mention the ruckus in the

00:05:07West Country.

00:05:08You, er, your, I mean to say some of your people were involved in those, those things,

00:05:14were they?

00:05:15said Fudge.

00:05:16Fixed the Prime Minister with a rather stern look.

00:05:18Of course they were, he said.

00:05:19Surely you've realised what's going on?

00:05:21I, er, hesitated the Prime Minister.

00:05:24It was precisely the sort of behaviour that made him dislike Fudge's visits so much.

00:05:27He was, after all, the Prime Minister, and did not appreciate being made to feel like

00:05:31an ignorant schoolboy.

00:05:33But of course, it had been like this from the very first meeting with Fudge on his very

00:05:36first evening as Prime Minister.

00:05:38He remembered it as though it were yesterday, and knew it would haunt him until his dying

00:05:42day.

00:05:43Fudge had been standing alone in this very office, savouring the triumph that was his

00:05:46after so many years of dreaming and scheming, when he had heard a cough behind him, just

00:05:51like tonight, and turned to find that ugly little portrait talking to him, announcing

00:05:55that the Minister for Magic was about to arrive and introduce himself.

00:05:58Naturally, he had thought that the long campaign and the strain of the election had caused

00:06:02him to go mad.

00:06:03He had been utterly terrified to find a portrait talking to him, though this had been nothing

00:06:07to how he felt when a self-proclaimed wizard had bounced out of the fireplace and shaken

00:06:11his hand.

00:06:12He had remained speechless throughout Fudge's kindly explanation that there were witches

00:06:16and wizards still living in secret all over the world, and his reassurances that he was

00:06:20not to bother his head about them in the Ministry of Magic, as the Ministry of Magic took responsibility

00:06:26for the whole wizarding community, and prevented the non-magical population from getting wind

00:06:30of them.

00:06:31It was, said Fudge, a difficult job that encompassed everything from regulations on responsible

00:06:36use of broomsticks, to keeping the dragon population under control.

00:06:39The Prime Minister remembered clutching the desk for support at this point.

00:06:43Fudge had then patted the shoulder of the still dumbstruck Prime Minister in a fatherly

00:06:48sort of way.

00:06:49Not to worry, he had said, it's odds on you'll never see me again.

00:06:53I'll only bother you if there's something really serious going on at our end, something

00:06:56that's likely to affect the muggles, the non-magical population, I should say.

00:07:00Otherwise, it's live and let live.

00:07:02And I must say, you're taking it a lot better than your predecessor.

00:07:05He tried to throw me out of the window, thought I was a hoax planned by the opposition.

00:07:11At this the Prime Minister had found his voice at last.

00:07:13You're not a hoax, then?

00:07:15It had been his last desperate hope.

00:07:18No, said Fudge gently, no, I'm afraid I'm not, look, and he had turned the Prime Minister's

00:07:22teacup into a gerbil.

00:07:24But, said the Prime Minister breathlessly, watching his teacup chewing on the corner

00:07:28of his next speech, but why has nobody told me?

00:07:31The Minister for Magic only reveals him or herself to the Muggle Prime Minister of the

00:07:36day, said Fudge, poking his wand back inside his jacket.

00:07:40We find it the best way to maintain secrecy.

00:07:42But then, bleated the Prime Minister, why hasn't a former Prime Minister warned me?

00:07:46At this, Fudge had actually laughed.

00:07:50My dear Prime Minister, are you ever going to tell anybody?

00:07:53Still chortling, Fudge had thrown some powder onto the fireplace, stepped into the emerald

00:07:58flames and vanished, and a whooshing sound.

00:08:01The Prime Minister had stood there, quite motionless, and realised that he would never,

00:08:05as long as he lived, dare mention the encounter to a living soul for who in the world, the

00:08:09wide world, would believe him.

00:08:12The shock had taken a little while to wear off, for a time he had tried to convince himself

00:08:15that Fudge had indeed been a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep during his gruelling

00:08:19election campaign.

00:08:20In a vain attempt to rid himself of all reminders of this uncomfortable encounter, he had given

00:08:26the gerbil to his delighted niece and instructed his private secretary to take down the portrait.

00:08:30The portrait of the ugly little man who had announced Fudge's arrival.

00:08:34To the Prime Minister's dismay, however, the portrait had proved impossible to remove.

00:08:38When several carpenters, a builder or two, an art historian and the Chancellor of the

00:08:42Exchequer had all tried unsuccessfully to prise it from the wall, the Prime Minister

00:08:46had abandoned the attempt and simply resolved to hope that the thing remained motionless

00:08:50and silent for the rest of his term in office.

00:08:53Occasionally, he could have sworn he saw, out of the corner of his eye, the occupant

00:08:57of the painting yawning or else scratching his nose, even once or twice simply walking

00:09:01out of his frame and leaving nothing but a stretch of muddy brown canvas behind.

00:09:05However, he had trained himself not to look at the picture very much and always to tell

00:09:09himself firmly that his eyes were playing tricks on him when anything like this happened.

00:09:14Then, three years ago, on a night very like tonight, the Prime Minister had been alone

00:09:18in his office when the portrait had once again announced the imminent arrival of Fudge,

00:09:21who had burst out of the fireplace, sopping wet and in a state of considerable panic.

00:09:26Before the Prime Minister can ask why he was dripping all over the Axminster, Fudge

00:09:30had started ranting about a prison the Prime Minister had never heard of, a name, a man

00:09:36named Sirius Black, something that sounded like Hogwarts, and a boy called Harry Potter,

00:09:41none of which made the remotest sense to the Prime Minister.

00:09:43''I've just come from Azkaban,'' Fudge had panted, tipping a large amount of water

00:09:47out of the rim of his bowler hat into his pocket.

00:09:50''Middle of the North Sea, you know, nasty flight.

00:09:53The Dementors are in uproar,'' he shuddered.

00:09:55''They've never had a breakout before.

00:09:57Anyway, I had to come to you, Prime Minister.

00:09:59Black's a known muggle killer and may be planning to rejoin you-know-who, but of course,

00:10:03you don't even know who you-know-who is!''

00:10:06He had gazed hopelessly at the Prime Minister for a moment, and then said, ''Well, sit

00:10:10down, sit down.

00:10:11I'd better fill you in.

00:10:12Have a whisky.''

00:10:14The Prime Minister had rather resented being told to sit down in his own office, let alone

00:10:18offered his own whisky, but he sat nevertheless.

00:10:21Fudge had pulled out his wand, conjured two large glasses full of amber liquid out of

00:10:26thin air, pushed one of them into the Prime Minister's hand, and drawn up a chair.

00:10:29Fudge had talked for over an hour.

00:10:31At one point he had refused to say a certain name aloud, and wrote it instead on a piece

00:10:35of parchment, which he had thrust into the Prime Minister's whisky-free hand.

00:10:39When at last Fudge had stood up to leave, the Prime Minister had stood up too.

00:10:42''So, you think that...?''

00:10:44He had squinted down at the name on his left hand.

00:10:47''Lord...

00:10:48Vol...

00:10:49He...

00:10:50Who must not be named,'' snarled Fudge.

00:10:51''I'm sorry.

00:10:52He who must not be named is still alive, then?''

00:10:55''Well, Dumbledore says he is,'' said Fudge, as he had fastened his pin-striped cloak under

00:11:00his chin.

00:11:01''But we've never found him.

00:11:02If you ask me, he's not dangerous unless he's got support, so it's black we ought to be

00:11:05worrying about.''

00:11:06''You'll put out that warning, then?

00:11:09Excellent.

00:11:10Well, I hope we don't see each other again, Prime Minister.

00:11:12Good night.''

00:11:13But they had seen each other again.

00:11:15Less than a year later a harassed-looking Fudge had appeared out of thin air in the

00:11:18cabinet room to inform the Prime Minister that there had been a spot of bother at Quidditch,

00:11:24or that was what it had sounded like, World Cup, and that several Muggles had been involved,

00:11:29but that the Prime Minister was not to worry.

00:11:31The fact that you-know-whose mark had been seen again meant nothing.

00:11:35Fudge was sure it was an isolated incident, and the Muggle liaison office was dealing with

00:11:39all memory modifications as they spoke.

00:11:41''Oh, and I almost forgot,'' Fudge had added, ''we're importing three foreign dragons and

00:11:46a sphinx for the Triwizard Tournament.

00:11:48Quite routine, but the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

00:11:52tells me that it's down to the rulebook that we have to notify you if we're bringing highly

00:11:56dangerous creatures into the country.''

00:11:58''I-I what?

00:12:00Dragons?''

00:12:01spluttered the Prime Minister.

00:12:02''Yes, three,'' said Fudge.

00:12:03''And a sphinx.

00:12:04Well, good day to you.''

00:12:05The Prime Minister had hoped beyond hope that dragons and sphinxes would be the worst of

00:12:09it, but no.

00:12:10Less than two years later Fudge had erupted out of the fire yet again, this time with

00:12:14the news that there had been a mass breakout from Azkaban.

00:12:17''A mass breakout?''

00:12:19the Prime Minister had repeated hoarsely.

00:12:21''No need to worry, no need to worry,'' Fudge had shouted already, with one foot in the

00:12:25flames.

00:12:26''We'll have them rounded up in no time.

00:12:28Just thought you ought to know.''

00:12:30And before the Prime Minister had been able to shout, ''Now, wait just one moment,''

00:12:34Fudge had vanished in a shower of green sparks.

00:12:37Whatever the press and the opposition might say, the Prime Minister was not a foolish

00:12:42man.

00:12:43It was only to his notice that, despite Fudge's assurances at their first meeting, they were

00:12:47now seeing rather a lot of each other, nor that Fudge was becoming more flustered with

00:12:51each visit.

00:12:52Little though he liked to think about the Minister, for magic, or, as he always called

00:12:56Fudge in his head, the Other Minister, the Prime Minister could not help but fear that

00:13:01the next time Fudge appeared it would be of graver news still.

00:13:04The sight, therefore, of Fudge stepping out of the fire once more, looking dishevelled

00:13:08and fretful and sternly surprised that the Prime Minister did not know exactly why he

00:13:12was there, was about the worst thing that had happened in the course of this extremely

00:13:16gloomy week.

00:13:17''How should I know what's going on in the, er, in the, er, wizarding community?''

00:13:22snapped the Prime Minister now.

00:13:24''I have a country to run, and quite enough concerns, at the moment, without-''

00:13:27''We have the same concerns,'' Fudge interrupted.

00:13:30''The Brockdale Bridge didn't wear out.

00:13:33That wasn't really a hurricane.

00:13:35Those murders were not the work of muggles, and Herbert Chorley's family would be safer

00:13:39without him.

00:13:40We are currently making arrangements to have him transferred to St Mungo's Hospital for

00:13:43magical maladies and injuries.

00:13:46The move should be effected tonight.

00:13:48What do you-?''

00:13:49''I'm afraid I-''

00:13:50''What?''

00:13:51blustered the Prime Minister.

00:13:52Fudge took a great deep breath and said, ''Prime Minister, I am very sorry to have to tell

00:13:56you that he's back.

00:13:57He, who must not be named, is back.

00:14:01Back.

00:14:02When you say back, he's, he's alive, I, I mean-''

00:14:06The Prime Minister groped in his memory for the details of that horrible conversation

00:14:10of three years previously, when Fudge had told him about the wizard who was feared above

00:14:14all others, the wizard who had committed a thousand terrible crimes before his mysterious

00:14:18disappearance fifteen years earlier.

00:14:20''Yes.

00:14:21Alive,'' said Fudge.

00:14:22''That is, I don't know, is a man alive if he can't be killed?

00:14:26I don't really understand it, and Dumbledore won't explain properly, but anyway, he's certainly

00:14:30got a body and is walking and talking and killing, so I suppose for the purposes of

00:14:35our discussion, yes, he's alive.''

00:14:37The Prime Minister did not know what to say to this, but a persistent habit of wishing

00:14:41to appear well-informed on any subject that came up made him cast around for any details

00:14:46he could remember of their previous conversations.

00:14:49''Is Sirius Black with a- he who must not be named?

00:14:53Black?''

00:14:54''Black,'' said Fudge distractedly, turning his bowler rapidly in his fingers.

00:14:57''Sirius Black, you mean?

00:14:59Merlin's beard?

00:15:00No.

00:15:01Black's dead.

00:15:02Turns out we were, er, mistaken about Black.

00:15:04He was innocent after all, and he wasn't in league with he who must not be named either.

00:15:08I mean,'' he added defensively, spinning the bowler, hat still faster, ''all the evidence

00:15:13pointed.

00:15:14We had more than fifty eyewitnesses, but anyway, as I say, he's dead, murdered, as a matter

00:15:19of fact.

00:15:20On Ministry of Magic premises, there's going to be an inquiry, actually.''

00:15:25To his great surprise, the Prime Minister felt a fleeting stab of pity for Fudge at

00:15:28this point.

00:15:29It was, however, eclipsed almost immediately by a glow of smugness at the thought that

00:15:33deficient though he himself might be in the area of materialising out of fireplaces, there

00:15:38had never been a murder in any of the government departments under his charge.

00:15:42Not yet, anyway.

00:15:43While the Prime Minister surreptitiously touched the wood of his desk, Fudge continued, ''But

00:15:48Black's by the by now.

00:15:50The point is, we're at war, Prime Minister, and steps must be taken.''

00:15:53''At war,'' repeated the Prime Minister nervously, ''surely that's a little bit of an overstatement.

00:15:59He who must not be named has now been joined by those of his followers who broke out of

00:16:03Azkaban in January,'' said Fudge, speaking more and more rapidly, and twirling his bowler

00:16:08so fast that it was a lime-green blur.

00:16:11''Since they have moved into the open, they have been wreaking havoc.

00:16:14The Brockdale Bridge, he did it, Prime Minister.

00:16:17He threatened a mass muggle killing unless I stood aside for him, and good grief.

00:16:21So it's your fault those people were killed, and I'm having to answer questions about rusted

00:16:25rigging and corroded expansion joints, and I don't know what else,'' said the Prime Minister

00:16:29furiously.

00:16:30''My fault,'' said Fudge, colouring up, ''are you saying you would have caved in to blackmail

00:16:35like that?''

00:16:36''Maybe not,'' said the Prime Minister, standing up and striding about the room, ''but I would

00:16:41have put all my efforts into catching the blackmailer before he committed any such atrocity.''

00:16:46''Do you really think I wasn't already making every effort?''

00:16:49demanded Fudge heartedly.

00:16:51''Every aura in the Ministry was and is trying to find him and round up his followers, but

00:16:57we happen to be talking about one of the most powerful wizards of all time, a wizard

00:17:01who has eluded capture for almost three decades.''

00:17:04''So I suppose you're going to tell me he caused the hurricane in the West Country too?''

00:17:08said the Prime Minister, his temper rising with every pace he took.

00:17:12It was infuriating to discover the reason for all these terrible disasters and not be

00:17:16able to tell the public, almost worse than it being the Government's fault after all.

00:17:21''That was no hurricane,'' said Fudge miserably.

00:17:24''Excuse me,'' barked the Prime Minister, now positively stamping up and down, ''trees uprooted,

00:17:29roofs ripped off, lampposts bent, horrible injuries.

00:17:33It was the Death Eaters,'' said Fudge, ''he who must not be named's followers, and, we

00:17:37suspect, giant involvement.''

00:17:39The Prime Minister stopped in his tracks as though he had hit an invisible wall.

00:17:43''What involvement?''

00:17:45Fudge grimaced.

00:17:46''He used giants last time, when he wanted to go for the Grand Effect.

00:17:49The Office of Misinformation has been working round the clock.

00:17:52We've had teams of Obliviators out trying to modify the memories of all the Muggles

00:17:56who saw what really happened.

00:17:58We've got most of the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures running around

00:18:02Somerset, but we can't find the giant.

00:18:05It's been a disaster.''

00:18:06''You don't say?'' said the Prime Minister furiously.

00:18:09''I won't deny that morale is pretty low at the Ministry,'' said Fudge.

00:18:13''What with all that and, er, and then losing Amelia Bones?''

00:18:16''Losing who?''

00:18:17''Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

00:18:21We think he who should not be named may have murdered her in person because she was a very

00:18:26gifted witch, and all the evidence was that she put up a real fight.''

00:18:32Fudge cleared his throat and with an effort, it seems, stopped spinning his bowler hat.

00:18:36''But that murder was in the newspapers,'' said the Prime Minister, momentarily diverted

00:18:40from his anger.

00:18:41''Our newspapers.

00:18:43Amelia Bones.

00:18:44It just said she was a middle-aged woman who lived alone.

00:18:48It was a nasty killing, wasn't it?

00:18:51It had rather a lot of publicity.

00:18:53The police are baffled, you see?''

00:18:56Fudge sighed.

00:18:57''Well, of course they are.

00:18:58Killed in a room that was locked from the inside, wasn't she?

00:19:01We, on the other hand, know exactly who did it.

00:19:03Not that that gets any further towards catching him.

00:19:07And then there was Emmeline Vance.

00:19:09Maybe you didn't hear about that one?''

00:19:10''Oh yes, I did,'' said the Prime Minister.

00:19:12''It happened just around the corner from here, as a matter of fact.

00:19:15The papers had a field day with it.

00:19:17A breakdown of law and order in the Prime Minister's backyard.''

00:19:19''And as if all that wasn't enough,'' said Fudge, barely listening to the Prime Minister,

00:19:24''we've got Dementors swarming all over the place, attacking people left, right and centre.

00:19:29Once upon a happier time, this sentence would have been unintelligible to the Prime Minister,

00:19:34but he was wiser now.''

00:19:35''I thought Dementors guard the prisoners in Azkaban,'' he said cautiously.

00:19:41''They did,'' said Fudge, wearily, ''but not any more.

00:19:44They've deserted the prison and joined he who must not be named.

00:19:47I won't pretend that wasn't a blow.''

00:19:49''But,'' said the Prime Minister, with a sense of dawning horror, ''didn't you tell me they're

00:19:54the creatures that drain hope and happiness out of people?''

00:19:58''That's right, and they're breeding.

00:20:00That's what's causing all this mist.''

00:20:02The Prime Minister sank, weak-kneed, into the nearest chair.

00:20:06The idea of invisible creatures swooping through the towns and countryside, spreading despair

00:20:10and hopelessness in his voters, made him feel quite faint.

00:20:14''Now see here, Fudge, you've got to do something.

00:20:17It's your responsibility as Minister for Magic.''

00:20:19''My dear Prime Minister, you can't honestly think I'm still Minister for Magic after all

00:20:23this.

00:20:24I was sacked three days ago.

00:20:25The whole wizarding community has been screaming for my resignation for a fortnight.

00:20:30Had never known them so united in my whole term of office,'' said Fudge, with a brave

00:20:34attempt at a smile.

00:20:35The Prime Minister was momentarily lost for words.

00:20:38Despite his indignation at the position into which he had been placed, he still rather

00:20:42felt for the shrunken-looking man sitting opposite him.

00:20:45''I'm very sorry,'' he said finally, ''if there's anything I can do.

00:20:51It's very kind of you, Prime Minister, but there is nothing.

00:20:53I was sent here tonight to bring you up to date on recent events and to introduce you

00:20:57to my successor.

00:20:58I rather thought he'd be here by now, but of course he's very busy at the moment.

00:21:02We have so much going on.''

00:21:04Fudge looked around at the portrait of the ugly little man wearing the long curly silver

00:21:08wig who was digging in his ear with the point of a quill.

00:21:12Facing Fudge's eye, the portrait said, ''He'll be here in a moment.

00:21:15He's just finishing a letter to Dumbledore.''

00:21:16''I wish him luck,'' said Fudge, sounding bitter for the first time.

00:21:20''I've been writing to Dumbledore twice a day for the past fortnight, but he won't budge.

00:21:24If he'd just been prepared to persuade the boy, I might still be... well, maybe Scrimgeour

00:21:30will have more success.''

00:21:33Fudge subsided into what was clearly an aggrieved silence, but it was broken almost immediately

00:21:37by the portrait, which suddenly spoke in its crisp official voice, ''To the Prime Minister

00:21:41of Muggles, requesting a meeting, urgent, kindly respond immediately, Rufus Scrimgeour,

00:21:47Minister for Magic.''

00:21:48''Yes, yes, fine,'' said the Prime Minister distractedly, and he barely flinched as the

00:21:53flames in the grate turned emerald green again, rose up and revealed a second spinning wizard

00:21:58in their heart, disgorging him moments later on the antique rug.

00:22:04Fudge got to his feet, and after a moment's hesitation the Prime Minister did the same,

00:22:08watching the new arrival straighten up, dust down his long black robes and look around.

00:22:13The Prime Minister's first foolish thought was that Rufus Scrimgeour looked rather like

00:22:17an old lion.

00:22:18There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows.

00:22:22He had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy,

00:22:28loping grace, even though he walked with a slight limp.

00:22:31There was an immediate impression of shrewdness and toughness.

00:22:33The Prime Minister thought he understood why the wizarding community preferred Scrimgeour

00:22:38to Fudge as a leader in these dangerous times.

00:22:41''How do you do?'' said the Prime Minister politely, holding out his hand.

00:22:45Scrimgeour grasped it briefly, his eyes scanning the room, then pulled out a wand from under

00:22:51his robes.

00:22:52''Fudge told you everything?'' he asked, striding over to the door and tapping the keyhole with

00:22:56his wand.

00:22:57The Prime Minister heard the lock click.

00:22:59''Er, yes,'' said the Prime Minister, ''and if you don't mind, I'd rather that door remained

00:23:03unlocked.''

00:23:04''I'd rather not be interrupted,'' said Scrimgeour shortly, ''or watched,'' he added, pointing

00:23:10his wand at the windows so that the curtains swept across them.

00:23:13''Right, well, I'm a busy man, so let's get down to business.

00:23:16First of all, we need to discuss your security.''

00:23:19The Prime Minister drew himself up to his fullest height and replied, ''I am perfectly

00:23:23happy with the security I've already got, thank you very... well, your...

00:23:27''Fear not,'' Scrimgeour cut in, ''it'll be a poor lookout for the Muggles if their Prime

00:23:32Minister gets put under the Imperious Curse.

00:23:35The new Secretary in your Sir Outer Office...

00:23:37''I'm not getting rid of Kingsley Shacklebolt, if that's what you're suggesting,'' said the

00:23:41Prime Minister hotly.

00:23:42''He's highly efficient, gets through twice the work the rest of them.

00:23:46That's because he's a wizard,'' said Scrimgeour, without a flicker of a smile, a highly trained

00:23:50aura who has been assigned to you for your protection.

00:23:53''Now, wait a moment,'' declared the Prime Minister, ''you can't just put your people

00:23:57into my office.

00:23:58I decide who works here.''

00:24:00''I thought you were happy with Shacklebolt,'' said Scrimgeour coldly.

00:24:03''I am, that's to say I was.''

00:24:05''Then there's no problem, is there?'' said Scrimgeour.

00:24:08''I... well, as long as Shacklebolt's work continues to be, uh, excellent,'' said the

00:24:13Prime Minister lamely, but Scrimgeour barely seemed to hear him.

00:24:17''Now, about Herbert Chorley, your Junior Minister,'' he continued, ''the one who has been entertaining

00:24:21the public by impersonating a duck.''

00:24:23''What about him?'' asked the Prime Minister.

00:24:26''He has clearly reacted to a poorly performed imperious curse,'' said Scrimgeour, ''it's

00:24:31addled his brains, but he could still be dangerous.''

00:24:34''He's only quacking,'' said the Prime Minister weakly, ''surely a bit of a rest.

00:24:38Maybe he'd go easy on a drink?''

00:24:39''A team of healers from St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is examining

00:24:44him as we speak.

00:24:45So far he has attempted to strangle three of them,'' said Scrimgeour.

00:24:48''I think it must, uh, well, it's best that we remove him from Muggle society for a while.''

00:24:53''I, uh, well, he'll be all right, won't he?'' said the Prime Minister anxiously.

00:24:58Scrimgeour merely shrugged, already moving back towards the fireplace.

00:25:01''Well, that's really all I had to say.

00:25:03I will keep you posted of developments, Prime Minister, or at least I shall probably be

00:25:07too busy to come personally, in which case I shall send Fudge here.

00:25:11He has consented to stay on in an advisory capacity.''

00:25:15Fudge attempted a smile, but was unsuccessful.

00:25:18He merely looked as though he had a toothache.

00:25:20Scrimgeour was already rummaging in his pocket for the mysterious powder that turned the

00:25:23fire green.

00:25:25The Prime Minister gazed hopelessly at the pair of them for a moment.

00:25:28Then the words he had fought to suppress all evening burst from him at last.

00:25:32''But for heaven's sake, you're wizards!

00:25:34You can do magic!

00:25:36Surely you can sort out, well, anything!''

00:25:40Scrimgeour turned slowly on the spot and exchanged an incredulous look with Fudge, who really

00:25:44did manage a smile this time, as he said kindly.

00:25:47''The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister.''

00:25:51And with that, the two wizards stepped one after the other into the bright green fire

00:25:55and vanished.

00:25:59Chapter 2 SPINNER'S END

00:26:02Many miles away the chilly mist that had pressed against the Prime Minister's windows drifted

00:26:06over a dirty river that wound between overgrown, rubbish-strewn banks.

00:26:10An immense chimney, relic of a disused mill, reared up, shadowy and ominous.

00:26:15There was no sound apart from the whisper of the black water, and no sign of life apart

00:26:19from a scrawny fox that had slunk down the bank to nose hopefully at some old fish and

00:26:23chip wrappings in the tall grass.

00:26:26But then, with a very faint pop, a slim hooded figure appeared out of the thin air on the

00:26:30edge of the river.

00:26:31The fox froze, wary eyes fixed upon this strange new phenomenon.

00:26:36The figure seemed to take its bearings for a few moments, then set off with light quick

00:26:40strides, its long cloak rustling over the grass.

00:26:43With a second and louder pop, another hooded figure materialised.

00:26:47Wait!

00:26:48The harsh cry startled the fox, now crouching at almost flat in the undergrowth.

00:26:52It leapt from its hiding place and up the bank.

00:26:54There was a flash of green light, a yelp, and the fox fell back to the ground, dead.

00:26:59The second figure turned over the animal with its toe.

00:27:02Just a fox, said a woman's voice dismissively from under the hood.

00:27:05I thought perhaps an oar or a…

00:27:08Sissy, wait!

00:27:09But her quarry, who had paused and looked back at the flash of light, was already scrambling

00:27:12up the bank.

00:27:14The fox had just fallen down.

00:27:15Sissy!

00:27:16Narcissa!

00:27:17Listen to me!

00:27:18The second woman caught the first and seized her arm, but the other wrenched it away.

00:27:22Go back, Bella!

00:27:23You must listen to me!

00:27:24I've listened already.

00:27:25I've made my decision.

00:27:26Leave me alone!

00:27:27The woman, called Narcissa, gained the top of the bank, where a line of old railings

00:27:31separated the river from a narrow cobbled street.

00:27:34The other woman, Bella, followed at once.

00:27:36Side by side they stood looking across the road, at the rows and rows of dilapidated

00:27:40brick houses, their windows dull and blind in the darkness.

00:27:43He lives here, asked Bella in a voice of contempt.

00:27:46Here, in this muggled dunghill, we must be the first of our kind ever to set foot.

00:27:51But Narcissa was not listening.

00:27:53She had slipped through a gap in the rusty railings and was already hurrying across the

00:27:56road.

00:27:57Sissy, wait!

00:27:59Bella followed, her cloak streaming behind, and saw Narcissa darting through an alley

00:28:03between the houses into a second, almost identical street.

00:28:06Some of the street lamps were broken.

00:28:08The two women were running between patches of light and deep darkness.

00:28:12The pursuer caught up with her prey just as she turned another corner, this time succeeding

00:28:16in catching hold of her arm and swinging her round so that they faced each other.

00:28:20Sissy, you must not do this!

00:28:22You can't trust him!

00:28:23The Dark Lord trusts him, doesn't he?

00:28:26The Dark Lord is, I believe, mistaken, Bella panted, and her eyes gleamed momentarily under

00:28:31her hood as she looked around to check that they were indeed alone.

00:28:35In any case, we were told not to speak of the plan to anyone.

00:28:39This is a betrayal of the Dark Lord's!

00:28:40Let go, Bella! snarled Narcissa, and she drew a wand from beneath her cloak, holding it

00:28:44threateningly to the other's face.

00:28:46Bella merely laughed.

00:28:47Sissy!

00:28:48Your own sister!

00:28:49You wouldn't!

00:28:50There is nothing I wouldn't do anymore, Narcissa breathed, a note of hysteria in her voice,

00:28:55as she brought down the wand like a knife.

00:28:57There was another flash of light.

00:28:59Bella let go of her sister's arm, as though burned.

00:29:02Narcissa!

00:29:03But Narcissa had rushed ahead, rubbing her hand.

00:29:06Her pursuer followed again, keeping her distance now, as they moved deeper into the deserted

00:29:10labyrinth of brick houses.

00:29:11At last, Narcissa hurried up a street called Spinner's End, over which the towering mill

00:29:17chimney seemed to hover like a giant odometry finger.

00:29:20Her footsteps echoed on the cobbles as she passed boarded and broken windows, until she

00:29:25reached the very last house, where a dim light glimmered through the curtains in a downstairs

00:29:29room.

00:29:31She had knocked on the door before Bella, cursing under her breath had caught up.

00:29:35Together they stood waiting, panting slightly, breathing in the smell of the dirty river

00:29:39that was carried to them on the night breeze.

00:29:41After a few moments they heard movement behind the door, and it opened a crack.

00:29:45A sliver of a man could be seen looking out at them, a man with long black hair parted

00:29:49in curtains, around a sallow face and black eyes.

00:29:53Narcissa threw back her hood.

00:29:54She was so pale that she seemed to shine in the darkness.

00:29:57The long blonde hair streaming down her back gave her the look of a downed, drowned person.

00:30:03Narcissa? said the man, opening the door a little wider, so that the light fell upon

00:30:08her and her sister too.

00:30:09What a pleasant surprise!

00:30:11Severus, she said in a strained whisper, may I speak to you?

00:30:14It's urgent.

00:30:15But of course.

00:30:16He stood back to allow her to pass him into the house, her still hooded sister following

00:30:21without invitation.

00:30:22Snape, she said curtly as she passed him.

00:30:25Bellatrix, he replied, his thin mouth curling into a slightly mocking smile as he closed

00:30:30the door with a snap behind them.

00:30:32They had stepped directly into a tiny sitting room, which had the feeling of a dark padded

00:30:37cell.

00:30:38The walls were completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather.

00:30:42A Fredbear sofa, an old armchair and a rickety table stood grouped together in a pool of

00:30:47dim light cast by a candle-filled lamp hung from the ceiling.

00:30:50The place had an air of neglect, as though it was not usually inhabited.

00:30:54Snape gestured Narcissa to the sofa.

00:30:56She threw off her cloak, cast it aside and sat down, staring at her white and trembling

00:31:01hands clasped in her lap.

00:31:03Bellatrix lowered her hood more slowly, dark as her sister was fair, with heavily lidded

00:31:08eyes and a strong jaw.

00:31:10She did not take her gaze from Snape as she moved to stand behind Narcissa.

00:31:14So, what can I do for you?

00:31:16Snape asked, settling himself in the armchair opposite the two sisters.

00:31:20We are alone, aren't we?

00:31:23Narcissa asked quietly.

00:31:24Yes, of course, well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we?

00:31:30He pointed his wand at the wall of books behind him, and with a bang a hidden door

00:31:34flew open, revealing a narrow staircase upon which a small man stood frozen.

00:31:40As you have already realised, Wormtail, we have guests, said Snape lazily.

00:31:45The man crept hunch-backed down the last few steps and moved into the room.

00:31:49He had small watery eyes, a pointed nose, and wore an unpleasant simper.

00:31:53His left hand was caressing his right, which looked as though it were encased in a bright

00:31:57silver glove.

00:31:58Narcissa, he said in a squeaky voice, and Bellatrix, how charming!

00:32:04Wormtail will get us drinks, if you'd like them, said Snape, and then he will return

00:32:09to his bedroom.

00:32:11Wormtail winced as though Snape had thrown something at him.

00:32:13I am not your servant, he squeaked, avoiding Snape's eye.

00:32:17Really?

00:32:18I was under the impression that the Dark Lord placed you here to assist me.

00:32:22To assist, yes, but not to make drinks and clean your house.

00:32:26I had no idea, Wormtail, that you were craving more dangerous assignments, said Snape silkily.

00:32:33This can be easily arranged.

00:32:34I shall speak to the Dark Lord.

00:32:36I can speak to him myself if I want to.

00:32:39Of course you can, said Snape sneering, but in the meantime, bring us drinks.

00:32:44Some of the elf-made wine will do.

00:32:47Wormtail hesitated for a moment, looking as though he might argue, but then turned and

00:32:51headed through a second hidden door.

00:32:53They heard banging and a clinking of glasses.

00:32:55Within seconds he was back, bearing a dusty bottle with three glasses upon a tray.

00:33:00He dropped these on the rickety table and scurried from their presence, slamming the

00:33:03book-covered door behind him.

00:33:06Snape poured out three glasses of blood-red wine and handed two of them to the sisters.

00:33:10Narcissa murmured a word of thanks, whilst Bellatrix said nothing but continued to glower

00:33:15at Snape.

00:33:16This did not seem to decompose him.

00:33:18On the contrary, he looked rather amused.

00:33:21The Dark Lord, he said, raising his glass and draining it.

00:33:25The sisters copied him.

00:33:26Snape refilled their glasses.

00:33:28As Narcissa took her second drink, she said in a rush, Severus, I'm sorry to come here

00:33:33like this, but I had to see you.

00:33:35I think you are the only one who can help me.

00:33:37Snape held up a hand to stop her, then pointed his wand again at the concealed staircase

00:33:41door.

00:33:42There was a loud bang and a squeal, followed by the sound of Wormtail scurrying back up

00:33:45the stairs.

00:33:46My apologies, said Snape.

00:33:49He has lately taken to listening at doors, and, well, you know, I don't know what he

00:33:57means by it.

00:33:58You were saying, Narcissa?

00:34:00She took a great shuddering breath and started again.

00:34:03Severus, I know I ought not to be here.

00:34:06I have been told to say nothing to anyone, but—

00:34:09Then you ought to hold your tongue, snarled Bellatrix, particularly in present company.

00:34:14Present company?

00:34:15said Snape sardonically, and what am I to understand by that, Bellatrix?

00:34:20That I don't trust you, Snape, as you very well know.

00:34:23Narcissa let out a noise that might have been a dry sob and covered her face with her hands.

00:34:28Snape set his glass down upon the table and sat back again, his hands upon the arms of

00:34:32his chair, smiling into Bellatrix's glowering face.

00:34:36Narcissa, I think we ought to hear what Bellatrix is bursting to say.

00:34:41It will save tedious interruptions.

00:34:44Well, continue, Bellatrix, said Snape.

00:34:47Why is it that you do not trust me?

00:34:49A hundred reasons, she said loudly, striding out from behind the sofa to slam her glass

00:34:53upon the table.

00:34:54Where to start?

00:34:55Where were you when the Dark Lord fell?

00:34:57Why did you never take any attempt to find him when he vanished?

00:35:01What have you been doing all these years that you've lived in Dumbledore's pocket?

00:35:04Why did you stop the Dark Lord procuring the Philosopher's Stone?

00:35:07Why did you not return at once when the Dark Lord was reborn?

00:35:11Where were you in a few weeks ago when we battled to retrieve the prophecy of the Dark

00:35:14Lord, and why, Snape, is Harry Potter still alive, when you have had him at your mercy

00:35:19for five years?

00:35:20She paused, her chest rising and falling rapidly, the colour high in her cheeks.

00:35:25Behind her Narcissa sat motionless, her face still hidden in her hands.

00:35:29Snape smiled.

00:35:30Before I answer you, oh yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer, you can carry my words

00:35:36back to the others who whisper behind my back and carry false tales of my treachery

00:35:41to the Dark Lord.

00:35:43Before I answer you, I say, let me ask a question in turn.

00:35:47Do you really think that the Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions?

00:35:53And do you really think that, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would

00:35:58be sitting here talking to you?

00:36:00She hesitated.

00:36:02I know he believes you, but you think he is mistaken, or that I have somehow hoodwinked

00:36:07him, fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished legiment the world has

00:36:12ever seen.

00:36:13Bellatrix said nothing, but looked for the first time, a little discomfited.

00:36:17Snape did not press the point.

00:36:19He picked up his drink again, sipped it, and continued.

00:36:22You ask where I was when the Dark Lord fell.

00:36:25I was where he had ordered me to be, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, because

00:36:31he wished me to spy upon Albus Dumbledore.

00:36:34You know, I presume, that it was the Dark Lord's orders that I took up the post.

00:36:39She nodded almost imperceptibly, and then opened her mouth, but Snape forestalled her.

00:36:44You ask why I did not attempt to find him when he vanished.

00:36:47For the same reason that Avery, Yaxley, the Carrows, Greyback, Lucius—he inclined his

00:36:52head slightly to Narcissa, and many others—did not attempt to find him.

00:36:57I believed him finished.

00:36:58I am not proud of it.

00:37:00I was wrong, but there it is.

00:37:02If he had not forgiven we who lost faith at that time, he would have very few followers

00:37:08left.

00:37:09He'd have me, said Bellatrix passionately, I who spent many years in Azkaban for him.

00:37:14Yes, indeed, most admirable, said Snape in a bored voice.

00:37:18Of course, you weren't a lot of use to him in prison, but the gesture was undoubtedly

00:37:23fine.

00:37:24Gesture?

00:37:25She shrieked.

00:37:26In her fury, she looked slightly mad.

00:37:28While I endured the Dementors, you remained at Hogwarts, comfortably playing Dumbledore's

00:37:32pet.

00:37:33Not quite, said Snape calmly.

00:37:35He wouldn't give me the Defence Against the Dark Arts job, you know, seemed to think it

00:37:38might bring about a relapse, tempt me into my old ways.

00:37:43This was your sacrifice for the Dark Lord, not to teach your favourite subject, she jeered.

00:37:48Why did you stay there all that time, Snape, still spying on Dumbledore for a master you

00:37:53believed dead?

00:37:55Hardly, said Snape, although the Dark Lord is pleased that I never deserted my post.

00:37:59I had sixteen years of information on Dumbledore to give him when he returned, a rather more

00:38:04useful welcome-back present than endless reminiscences of how unpleasant Azkaban is.

00:38:10But you stayed?

00:38:11Yes, Bellatrix, I stayed, said Snape, betraying a hint of impatience for the first time.

00:38:17I had a comfortable job that I preferred to a stint in Azkaban.

00:38:21They were rounding up the Defeaters, you know, Dumbledore's protection kept me out

00:38:25of jail.

00:38:26It was most convenient, and I used it.

00:38:29I repeat, the Dark Lord does not complain that I stayed, so I do not see why you do.

00:38:35I think you next wanted to know, he pressed on, a little more loudly, for Bellatrix showed

00:38:40every sign of interrupting, why I stood between the Dark Lord and the Philosopher's Stone.

00:38:45That is easily answered.

00:38:47He did not know whether he could trust me.

00:38:49He thought, like you, that I had turned from faithful Defeater to Dumbledore's stooge.

00:38:54He was in a pitiable condition, very weak, sharing the body of a mediocre wizard.

00:38:59He did not dare reveal himself to a former ally, if that ally might turn him over to

00:39:04Dumbledore or the Ministry.

00:39:06I deeply regret that he did not trust me.

00:39:09He would have returned to power three years sooner.

00:39:11As it was, I saw only greedy and unworthy Quirrell attempting to steal the Stone, and I admit

00:39:17I did all I could to thwart him.

00:39:20Bellatrix's mouth twisted, as though she had taken an unpleasant dose of medicine.

00:39:24But you didn't return when he came back.

00:39:26You didn't fly back to him at once, when you felt the Dark Mark burn.

00:39:30Correct.

00:39:31I returned two hours later.

00:39:32I returned on Dumbledore's orders.

00:39:35On Dumbledore's?

00:39:36She began in tones of outrage.

00:39:38Think, said Snape, impatient again.

00:39:40Think.

00:39:41By waiting two hours, just two hours, I ensured that I could remain at Hogwarts as a spy.

00:39:46By allowing Dumbledore to think that I was only returning to the Dark Lord's side because

00:39:50I was ordered to, I have been able to pass information on Dumbledore and the Order of

00:39:55the Phoenix ever since.

00:39:57Consider Bellatrix.

00:39:58The Dark Mark had been growing stronger for months.

00:40:01I knew he must be about to return.

00:40:03All the Defeaters knew.

00:40:04I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted to do, to plan my next move, to escape

00:40:09like Kakaroff, didn't I?

00:40:11The Dark Lord's initial displeasure at my lateness vanished entirely, I assure you,

00:40:17when I explained that I remained faithful.

00:40:18Although Dumbledore thought I was his man, yes, the Dark Lord thought that I had left

00:40:23him forever.

00:40:24But he was wrong.

00:40:25But what use have you been, sneered Bellatrix?

00:40:28What useful information have we had from you?

00:40:30My information has been conveyed directly to the Dark Lord, said Snape, if he chooses

00:40:35not to share it with you.

00:40:37He shares everything with me, said Bellatrix, firing up at once.

00:40:40He calls me his most loyal, his most faithful.

00:40:42Does he?

00:40:43said Snape, his voice delicately inflected.

00:40:46To suggest his disbelief.

00:40:47Does he still, after the fiasco at the Ministry?

00:40:51That was not my fault, said Bellatrix, flushing.

00:40:54The Dark Lord has, in the past, entrusted me with his most precious.

00:40:58If Lucius hadn't...

00:41:00Don't you dare, don't you dare blame my husband, said Narcissa, in a low and deadly voice,

00:41:04looking up at her sister.

00:41:06There is no point appointing blame, said Snape, smoothly.

00:41:10What is done is done.

00:41:12But not by you, said Bellatrix, furiously.

00:41:15So, you were once again absent while the rest of us ran dangers, were you not, Snape?

00:41:20My orders were to remain behind, said Snape.

00:41:23Perhaps you disagree with the Dark Lord.

00:41:25Perhaps you think that Dumbledore would not have noticed if I had joined forces with the

00:41:28Death Eaters to fight the Order of the Phoenix.

00:41:31And forgive me, you speak of dangers.

00:41:34You were facing six teenagers, were you not?

00:41:37They were joined, as you very well know, by half of the Order before long, snarled Bellatrix.

00:41:42And while we are on the subject of the Order, you still claim you cannot reveal the whereabouts

00:41:46of their headquarters, don't you?

00:41:48I am not the secret keeper.

00:41:50I cannot speak the name of the place.

00:41:52You understand how the enchantment works, I think.

00:41:54The Dark Lord is satisfied with the information I have passed him on the Order.

00:41:59It led, as perhaps you have guessed, to the recent capture and murder of Emmeline Vance,

00:42:03and it certainly helped dispose of Sirius Black, though I give you full credit for finishing

00:42:08him off.

00:42:09He inclined his head and toasted her.

00:42:11Her expression did not soften.

00:42:13You are avoiding my question, Snape.

00:42:15Harry Potter, you could have killed him at any point in the last five years.

00:42:19You have not done it.

00:42:20Why?

00:42:21Have you discussed this matter with the Dark Lord?

00:42:23asked Snape.

00:42:24He?

00:42:25Lately?

00:42:26We?

00:42:27I am asking you, Snape.

00:42:28If I had murdered Harry Potter, the Dark Lord could not have used his blood to regenerate,

00:42:34making him invincible.

00:42:35You claim you foresaw the use of the boy, she jeered.

00:42:39I do not claim it.

00:42:41I had no idea of his plans.

00:42:42I have already confessed that I fought the Dark Lord dead.

00:42:45I am merely trying to explain why the Dark Lord is not sorry that Potter survived, at

00:42:50least until a year ago.

00:42:52But why did you keep him alive?

00:42:54Have you not understood me?

00:42:55It was only Dumbledore's protection that was keeping me out of Azkaban.

00:42:59Do you disagree that murdering his favourite student might have turned him against me?

00:43:04But there was more to it than that.

00:43:06I should remind you that when Potter first arrived at Hogwarts, there were still many

00:43:10stories circulating about him, rumours that he himself was a great dark wizard, which

00:43:16was how he had survived the Dark Lord's attack.

00:43:19Indeed, many of the Dark Lord's old followers thought Potter might be a standard around

00:43:24which we could all rally once more.

00:43:27I was curious, I admit it, and not at all inclined to murder him the moment he set foot

00:43:32in the castle.

00:43:33Of course, it became apparent to me very quickly that he had no extraordinary talent at all.

00:43:38He has fought his way out of a number of tight corners by a simple combination of sheer luck

00:43:44and more talented friends.

00:43:46He is mediocre to the last degree, though as obnoxious and self-satisfied as was his

00:43:51father before him, I have done my utmost to have him thrown out of Hogwarts, where I believe

00:43:56he scarcely belongs.

00:43:58But kill him, or allow him to be killed in front of me?

00:44:01I would have been a fool to risk it, with Dumbledore close at hand.

00:44:05And through all this, we're supposed to believe Dumbledore has never suspected you?

00:44:09Asked Bellatrix.

00:44:10He has no idea of your true allegiance.

00:44:12He trusts you implicitly still.

00:44:14I have played my part well, said Snape, and you overlook Dumbledore's greatest weakness.

00:44:20He has to believe the best of people.

00:44:22I spun him a tale of deepest remorse when I joined his staff, fresh from my defeater

00:44:26days, and he embraced me with open arms, though, as I say, never allowing me nearer

00:44:31the dark arts than he could help.

00:44:34Dumbledore has been a great wizard, oh yes, he has, for Bellatrix had made a scathing

00:44:38noise.

00:44:39The Dark Lord acknowledges it.

00:44:41I am pleased to say, however, that Dumbledore is growing old.

00:44:45The duel with the Dark Lord last month shook him.

00:44:47He has since sustained a serious injury, because his reactions are slower than they once were.

00:44:54But through all these years, he has never stopped trusting Severus Snape, and therein

00:44:59lies my great value to the Dark Lord.

00:45:02Bellatrix still looked unhappy, though she appeared unsure how best to attack Snape next.

00:45:08Taking advantage of her silence, Snape turned to her sister.

00:45:12Now, you came to ask me for help, Narcissa.

00:45:15Narcissa looked up at him, her face eloquent with despair.

00:45:17Yes, Severus, I think you're the only one who can help me.

00:45:21I have nowhere else to turn.

00:45:22Lucius is in jail and…

00:45:24She closed her eyes and two large tears seeped from beneath her eyelids.

00:45:29The Dark Lord has forbidden me to speak of it, Narcissa continued, her eyes still closed.

00:45:35He wishes none to know of the plan.

00:45:36It is very secret, but…

00:45:39If he has forbidden it, you ought not to speak, said Snape at once.

00:45:43The Dark Lord's word is law.

00:45:46Narcissa gasped, as though he had doused her with cold water.

00:45:50Bellatrix looked satisfied for the first time since she had entered the house.

00:45:53There, she said triumphantly to her sister, even Snape says no, yet you were told not

00:45:58to talk, so hold your silence.

00:46:01But Snape had got to his feet and strode to the small window, peered through the curtains

00:46:05of the deserted street, then closed them again with a jerk.

00:46:08He turned around to face Narcissa, frowning.

00:46:11It so happens that I know of the plan, he said in a low voice.

00:46:15I am one of the few of the Dark Lord has told.

00:46:18Nevertheless, had I not been in on the secret, Narcissa, you would have been guilty of great

00:46:23treachery.

00:46:24To the Dark Lord!

00:46:25I thought you must know about it, said Narcissa, breathing more freely.

00:46:31He trusts you so, Severus.

00:46:33You know about the plan, said Bellatrix, her feating expression of satisfaction replaced

00:46:37by a look of outrage.

00:46:39You?

00:46:40No!

00:46:41Certainly, said Snape.

00:46:42But what help do you require, Narcissa?

00:46:44If you are imagining I can persuade the Dark Lord to change his mind, I am afraid there

00:46:48is no hope, none at all.

00:46:50Severus, she whispered, tears sliding down her pale cheeks.

00:46:54My son!

00:46:55My only son!

00:46:57Draco should be proud, said Bellatrix indifferently.

00:46:59The Dark Lord is granting him a great honour, and I will say this for Draco, he isn't shrinking

00:47:03away from his duty.

00:47:05He seems glad of a chance to prove himself, excited at the prospect.

00:47:09Narcissa began to cry in earnest, gazing beseechingly all the while at Snape.

00:47:14That's because he is sixteen and has no idea what lies in store.

00:47:17Why, Severus?

00:47:18Why, my son?

00:47:19It is too dangerous.

00:47:20This is vengeance for Lucius's mistake, I know it!

00:47:23Snape said nothing.

00:47:24He looked away from the sight of her tears, as though they were indecent, but he could

00:47:30not pretend not to hear her.

00:47:32That's why he's chosen Draco, isn't it?

00:47:35She persisted.

00:47:36To punish Lucius.

00:47:38If Draco succeeds, said Snape, still looking away from her, he will be honoured above all

00:47:43others.

00:47:44But he won't succeed, sobbed Narcissa.

00:47:47How can he?

00:47:48Even the Dark Lord himself?

00:47:49Bellatrix gasped.

00:47:51Narcissa seemed to lose her nerve.

00:47:52How can he mean that nobody has yet succeeded?

00:47:55Severus, please, you are, you have always been Draco's favourite teacher.

00:47:59You are Lucius's old friend, I beg you.

00:48:02You are the Dark Lord's favourite, his most trusted advisor.

00:48:05Will you speak to him?

00:48:06Persuade him?

00:48:07The Dark Lord will not be persuaded.

00:48:09I am not stupid enough to attempt it, said Snape flatly.

00:48:12I cannot pretend that the Dark Lord is not angry with Lucius.

00:48:15Lucius was supposed to be in charge.

00:48:17He got himself captured, along with how many others, and failed to retrieve the prophecy

00:48:21into the bargain.

00:48:23Yes, the Dark Lord is angry, Narcissa.

00:48:26Very angry, indeed.

00:48:27Then, I am right, he has chosen Draco and revenge, choked Narcissa.

00:48:32He does not mean him to succeed.

00:48:34He wants him to be killed trying.

00:48:36When Snape said nothing, Narcissa seemed to lose what little self-restraint she still

00:48:40possessed.

00:48:41Standing up, she staggered to Snape and seized the front of his robes, her face close to

00:48:45his, her tears falling onto his chest.

00:48:48She gasped.

00:48:49You could do it.

00:48:50You could do it instead of Draco, Severus.

00:48:52You would succeed.

00:48:53Of course you would.

00:48:54And he would reward you beyond all of us.

00:48:57Snape caught hold of her wrists and removed her clutching hands.

00:49:00Looking down into her tear-stained face, he said slowly, he intends me to do it in the

00:49:05end, I think.

00:49:06But he is determined that Draco should try first.

00:49:10You see, in the unlikely event that Draco succeeds, I shall be able to remain at Hogwarts

00:49:15a little longer, fulfilling my useful role as spy.

00:49:18In other words, it doesn't matter to him if Draco is killed.

00:49:22The Dark Lord is very angry, repeated Snape quietly.

00:49:25He failed to hear the prophecy.

00:49:27You know as well as I do, Narcissa, that he does not forgive easily.

00:49:32She crumpled, falling at his feet, sobbing and moaning on the floor.

00:49:35My only son!

00:49:37My only son!

00:49:39You should be proud, said Bellatrix ruthlessly.

00:49:41If I had sons, I would be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord.

00:49:46Narcissa gave a little scream of despair and clutched at her long blonde hair.

00:49:50Snape stooped, seized her by the arms, lifted her up and steered her back onto the sofa.

00:49:54He then poured more wine and forced the glass into her hand.

00:49:58Narcissa, that's enough.

00:50:00Drink this.

00:50:01Listen to me.

00:50:02She quietened a little, slopping wine down herself.

00:50:04She took a shaky sip.

00:50:07It might be possible for me to help Draco.

00:50:10She sat up, her face paper-white, her eyes huge.

00:50:14Severus!

00:50:15Oh, Severus, you would help him.

00:50:16Would you look after him?

00:50:18See he comes to no harm.

00:50:19I can try.

00:50:21She flung away her glass.

00:50:22It skidded across the table as she slid off the sofa into a kneeling position at Snape's

00:50:26feet, seized his hand in both of hers and pressed her lips to it.

00:50:30If you are here or there to protect him, Severus, will you swear it?

00:50:35Will you make the unbreakable vow?

00:50:37The unbreakable vow?

00:50:38Snape's expression was blank, unreadable.

00:50:41Bellatrix, however, let out a cackle of triumphant laughter.

00:50:44Aren't you listening, Narcissa?

00:50:45Oh, he'll try, I'm sure.

00:50:47The usual empty words, the usual slivering out of action.

00:50:50Oh, on the Dark Lord's orders, of course.

00:50:53Snape did not look at Bellatrix.

00:50:55His black eyes were fixed upon Narcissa's tear-filled blue ones as she continued to

00:50:59clutch his hand.

00:51:00Certainly, Narcissa, I shall make the unbreakable vow, he said quietly.

00:51:06Perhaps your sister will consent to be our bonder.

00:51:09Bellatrix's mouth fell open.

00:51:11Snape lowered himself so that he was kneeling opposite Narcissa.

00:51:14Beneath Bellatrix's astonished gaze they grasped right hands.

00:51:18You will need your wand, Bellatrix, said Snape coldly.

00:51:22She drew it, still looking astonished.

00:51:24And you will need to move a little closer, he said.

00:51:27She stepped forwards so that she stood over them and placed the tip of her wand on their

00:51:31linked hands.

00:51:33Narcissa spoke.

00:51:34Will you, Severus, watch over my son Draco as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's

00:51:38wishes?

00:51:39I will, said Snape.

00:51:41A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands

00:51:46like a red-hot wire.

00:51:48And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?

00:51:52I will, said Snape.

00:51:53A second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked with the first, making a fine,

00:51:58glowing chain.

00:52:00And should it prove necessary, if it seems Draco will fail, whispered Narcissa, Snape's

00:52:05hand twitching within hers.

00:52:07But he did not draw away.

00:52:09Will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?

00:52:13There was a moment's silence.

00:52:15Bellatrix watched her wand upon their clasped hands, her eyes wide.

00:52:19I will, said Snape.

00:52:22Bellatrix's astounded face glowed red in the blaze of her third tongue of flame, which

00:52:26shot from the wand, twisted with the others, and bound itself thickly around their clasped

00:52:30hands like a rope, like a fiery snake.

00:52:37CHAPTER THREE

00:52:38WILL AND WON'T

00:52:39Harry Potter was snoring loudly.

00:52:41He had been sitting in a chair beside the bedroom window for the best part of four hours,

00:52:45staring out at the darkening street, and had finally fallen asleep with one side of his

00:52:48face pressed against the cold windowpane, his glasses askew and his mouth wide open.

00:52:53The misty thug his breath had left on the window sparkled in the orange glare of the

00:52:57street lamp outside, and the artificial light drained his face of all colour so that he

00:53:01looked ghostly beneath his shock of untidy black hair.

00:53:04The room was strewn with various possessions, and a good smattering of rubbish, owl feathers,

00:53:09apple cores and sweet wrappers littered the floor, a number of spell books lay higgledy-piggledy

00:53:14among the tangled robes on his bed, and a mess of newspapers sat in a puddle of light

00:53:18on his desk.

00:53:20The headline of one blared, Harry Potter, the Chosen One?

00:53:23Rumours continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic,

00:53:27during which he who must not be named was cited once more.

00:53:30We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything, said one agitated obliviator

00:53:35who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.

00:53:38Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance

00:53:42centred on the fabled Hall of Prophecy, though Ministry spoke-wizards have hitherto refused

00:53:47even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the wizarding community

00:53:52believe that the Death Eaters, now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted

00:53:56theft, were attempting to steal a prophecy.

00:53:59The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry

00:54:03Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also

00:54:07known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question.

00:54:10Some are going so far as to call Potter the Chosen One, believing that the prophecy names

00:54:15him as the only one who will be able to rid us of he who must not be named.

00:54:19The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown, although, continue

00:54:24page 2, column 5.

00:54:26A second newspaper lay beside the first.

00:54:28This one bore the headline, Scrimgeour succeeds fudge.

00:54:32Most of the front page was taken up with a large black and white picture of the man with

00:54:36a lion-like mane of thick hair and a rather ravaged face.

00:54:40The picture was moving, the man was waving at the ceiling.

00:54:43Rufus Scrimgeour, previously head of the Aura Office in the Department of Magical Law

00:54:47Enforcement, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic.

00:54:51The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the wizarding community, though

00:54:55rumours of a rift between the new minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief

00:55:00Warlock of the Wisinger Motte, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office.

00:55:04Scrimgeour's representatives admitted that he had met with Dumbledore at once upon taking

00:55:11possession of the top job, but refused to comment on the topics under discussion.

00:55:15Albus Dumbledore is known to, continued page 3, column 2.

00:55:20To the left of this paper sat another, which had been folded so that a story bearing the

00:55:24title Ministry Guarantees Student Safety was visible.

00:55:28Newly appointed Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour spoke today of the tough new measures

00:55:33taken by his ministry to ensure the safety of students returning to Hogwarts School of

00:55:37Witchcraft and Wizardry this autumn.

00:55:39For obvious reasons, the ministry will not be going into detail about its stringent new

00:55:43security plans, said the minister, although an insider confirmed that measures include

00:55:47defensive spells and charms, a complex array of countercurses and a small task force of

00:55:52Aurors dedicated solely to the protection of Hogwarts School.

00:55:57Most seem reassured by the new minister's tough stand on student safety, said Mrs Augusta

00:56:02Longbottom.

00:56:03My grandson Neville, a good friend of Harry Potter's incidentally, who fought the Death

00:56:07Eaters alongside him at the ministry in June and...

00:56:10But the rest of this story was obscured by the large birdcage standing on top of it.

00:56:15Inside it was a magnificent snowy owl, her amber eyes surveyed the room imperiously,

00:56:19her head swivelling occasionally to gaze at her snoring master.

00:56:23Once or twice she clicked her beak impatiently, but Harry was too deeply asleep to hear her.

00:56:28A large trunk stood in the very middle of the room, its lid was open, it looked expectant,

00:56:33yet it was almost empty, but for a residue of old underwear, sweets, empty ink bottles

00:56:40and broken quills that coated the very bottom.

00:56:43Nearby on the floor lay a purple leaflet emblazoned with the words,

00:56:46Issued on behalf of the Ministry of Magic, protecting your home and family against dark forces.

00:56:52The wizarding community is currently under threat from an organisation calling itself

00:56:55the Death Eaters.

00:56:57Observing the following simple security guidelines will help protect you, your family and your

00:57:01home from attack.

00:57:021. You are advised not to leave the house alone.

00:57:052. Particular care should be taken during the hours of darkness, wherever possible,

00:57:10arrange to complete journeys before night has fallen.

00:57:143. Review the security arrangements around your house, making sure that all family members

00:57:19are aware of emergency measures, such as shield and disillusionment charms,

00:57:23and in the case of underage family members, side along apparition.

00:57:284. Agree security questions with close friends and family, so as to detect Death Eaters masquerading

00:57:35as others by use of Polyjuice Potion. See page 2.

00:57:385. Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend or neighbour is acting in a strange

00:57:43manner, contact the Magical Law Enforcement Squad at once.

00:57:46They may have been put under the Imperious Curse. See page 4.

00:57:516. Should the dark mark appear over any dwelling place or other building, do not enter, but

00:57:57contact the Aura Office immediately.

00:57:597. Unconfirmed sightings suggest that the Death Eaters may now be using Inferi. See

00:58:05page 10. Any sighting of an Inferius or encounter with same should be reported to the Ministry

00:58:11immediately.

00:58:13Harry grunted in his sleep and his face slid down the window an inch or so, making his

00:58:17glasses still more lopsided, but he did not wake up.

00:58:20An alarm clock, repaired by Harry several years ago, ticked loudly on the sill, showing

00:58:25one minute to eleven. Beside it, held in place by Harry's relaxed hand, was a piece of parchment

00:58:30covered in thin, slanting writing.

00:58:32Harry had read this letter so often since his arrival three days ago that, although

00:58:36it had been delivered in a tightly furled scroll, it now lay quite flat.

00:58:41Dear Harry, If it is convenient for you, I shall call at number four Privet Drive this

00:58:48coming Friday at eleven p.m. to escort you to The Burrow, where you have been invited

00:58:53to spend the remainder of your school holidays. If you are agreeable, I should also be glad

00:58:58if your assistance is a matter in a matter to which I hope to attend on the way to The

00:59:03Burrow. I shall explain this more fully when I see you. Kindly send your answer by return

00:59:10of this owl, hoping to see you this Friday. I am yours most sincerely, Albus Dumbledore.

00:59:16Though he already knew it by heart, Harry had been stealing glances at this missive

00:59:21every few minutes since seven o'clock that evening, when he had first taken up his position

00:59:26beside his bedroom window, which had a reasonable view of both ends of Privet Drive. He knew

00:59:30it was pointless to keep reading Dumbledore's words. Harry had sent back his yes with the

00:59:35delivering owl, as requested, and all he could do now was wait. Either Dumbledore was going

00:59:39to come, or he was not. But Harry had not packed. It just seemed too good to be true

00:59:44that he was going to be rescued from the Dursleys after a mere fortnight of their company.

00:59:48He could not shrug off the feeling that something was going to go wrong. His reply to Dumbledore's

00:59:53letter might have gone astray. Dumbledore could be prevented from collecting him. The

00:59:58letter might turn out not to be from Dumbledore at all, but a trick or joke or a trap. Harry

01:00:04had not been able to face packing, and then being let down and having to unpack again,

01:00:08the only gesture he had made to the possibility of a journey was to shut his snowy owl, Hedwig,

01:00:13safely in her cage. The minute hand on the alarm clock reached the number 12,

01:00:17and at that precise moment the street lamp outside the window went out. Harry awoke as

01:00:22though the sudden darkness was an alarm. Hastily straightening his glasses and unsticking his cheek

01:00:27from the glass, he pressed his nose against the window instead, and squinted down at the

01:00:31pavement. A tall figure in a long billowing cloak was walking up the garden path. Harry

01:00:36jumped up as though he had received an electric shock, knocked over his chair, and started

01:00:40snatching anything and everything within reach from the floor and throwing it into the trunk.

01:00:45Even as he lobbed a set of robes, two spell books and a packet of crisps across the room,

01:00:49the doorbell rang. Downstairs in the living room, his uncle Vernon shouted,

01:00:55Who the blazes is calling at this time of night? Harry froze with a brass telescope in one hand

01:01:00and a pair of trainers in the other. He had completely forgotten to warn the Dursleys

01:01:04that Dumbledore might be coming. Feeling both panicky and close to laughter, he clambered over

01:01:09the trunk and wrenched open his bedroom door in time to hear a deep voice say, Good evening, you

01:01:15must be Mr Dursley. I dare say Harry has told you I would be coming for him. Harry ran down the stairs

01:01:21two at a time, coming to an abrupt halt several steps from the bottom, as long experience had

01:01:26taught him to remain out of arm's reach of his uncle whenever possible. There in the doorway

01:01:31stood a tall thin man with waist-length silver hair and beard. Half-moon spectacles were perched

01:01:36on his crooked nose, and he was wearing a long black travelling cloak and pointed hat.

01:01:41Vernon Dursley, whose moustache was quite as bushy as Dumbledore's, though black, and who was wearing

01:01:46a pure puce dressing gown, was staring at the visitor as though he could not believe his tiny eyes.

01:01:53Judging by your look of stunned disbelief, Harry did not warn you that I was coming,

01:01:59said Dumbledore pleasantly. However, let us assume that you have invited me warmly into your house.

01:02:04It is unwise to linger over long on doorsteps in these troubled times.

01:02:09He stepped smartly over the threshold and closed the front door behind him.

01:02:14It is a long time since my last visit, said Dumbledore, peering down his crooked nose at

01:02:18Uncle Vernon. I must say your agapanthuses are flourishing. Vernon Dursley said nothing at all.

01:02:26Harry did not doubt that speech would return to him, and soon. The vein pulsing in his uncle's

01:02:31temple was reaching danger point, but something about Dumbledore seemed to have robbed him

01:02:35temporarily of breath. It might have been the blatant wizardishness of his appearance,

01:02:40but it might too have been that even Uncle Vernon could sense that here was a man whom

01:02:46it would be very difficult to bully. Ah, good evening, Harry, said Dumbledore, looking up at

01:02:51him through his half-moon glasses with a most satisfied expression. Excellent, excellent.

01:02:56These words seemed to rouse Uncle Vernon. It was clear that as far as he was concerned,

01:03:01any man who could look at Harry and say excellent was a man with whom he could never see eye to eye.

01:03:06I don't mean to be rude, he began, in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable.

01:03:12Yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often, Dumbledore finished the sentence gravely.

01:03:18Best to say nothing at all, my dear man. Ah, and this must be Petunia.

01:03:24The kitchen door had opened, and there stood Harry's aunt, wearing rubber gloves and a housecoat over

01:03:29her nightdress, clearly halfway through her usual pre-bedtime wipe-down of all the kitchen surfaces.

01:03:34Her rather horsey face registered nothing but shock.

01:03:37Help us, Dumbledore, said Dumbledore, when Uncle Vernon failed to effect an introduction.

01:03:42We have corresponded, of course. Harry thought this an odd way of reminding Aunt Petunia that

01:03:47he had once sent her an exploding letter, but Aunt Petunia did not challenge the term.

01:03:52And this must be your son, Dudley. Dudley had at that moment peered around the living room door,

01:03:58his large blonde head rising out of the stripy collar of his pyjamas, looked oddly disembodied,

01:04:04his mouth gaping in astonishment and fear. Dumbledore wanted a moment or two, apparently,

01:04:08to see whether any of the Dursleys were going to say anything, but as the silence

01:04:13stretched on, he smiled. Shall we assume that you have invited me into your sitting room?

01:04:20Dudley scrambled out of the way as Dumbledore passed him. Harry, still clutching the telescope

01:04:24and trainers, jumped the last few stairs and followed Dumbledore, who had settled himself

01:04:28in the armchair nearest to the fire and was taking in the surroundings with an expression

01:04:32of benign interest. He looked quite extraordinarily out of place.

01:04:37Aren't we leaving, sir? Harry asked anxiously. Yes, indeed we are, but there are a few matters

01:04:43we need to discuss first, said Dumbledore, and I would prefer not to do so in the open.

01:04:48We shall trespass upon your aunt and uncle's hospitality only a little longer.

01:04:53You will, will you? Vernon Dursley had entered the room, Petunia at his shoulder and Dudley

01:04:58skulking behind them both. Yes, said Dumbledore simply, I shall. He drew his wand so rapidly

01:05:04that Harry barely saw it. With a casual flick, the sofa zoomed forwards and knocked the knees

01:05:09out from under all three of the Dursleys so that they collapsed upon it in a heap. Another flick

01:05:14of the wand and the sofa zoomed back to its original position. We may as well be comfortable,

01:05:20said Dumbledore pleasantly. As he replaced his wand in his pocket, Harry saw that his hand

01:05:25was blackened and shriveled. It looked as though his flesh had been burned away.

01:05:30Sir, what happened to your... Later, Harry, said Dumbledore. Please sit down.

01:05:35Harry took the remaining armchair, choosing not to look at the Dursleys,

01:05:38who seemed stunned into silence. I, I, I would assume that you were going to offer me

01:05:45refreshment, Dumbledore said to Uncle Vernon, but the evidence so far suggests

01:05:50that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness. A third twitch of the wand and a

01:05:55dusty bottle and five glasses appeared in mid-air. The bottle tipped and poured a generous measure of

01:06:00honey-coloured liquid into each of the glasses, which then floated to each person in the room.

01:06:05Madam, it was murder's finest, oak-matured mead, said Dumbledore, raising his glass to Harry,

01:06:12who caught hold of his own and sipped. He had never tasted anything like it before,

01:06:16but enjoyed it immensely. The Dursleys, after quick, scared looks at each other,

01:06:20tried to ignore their glasses completely, a difficult feat as they were nudging them

01:06:24gently on the sides of their heads. Harry could not suppress a suspicion

01:06:28that Dumbledore was rather enjoying himself. Well, Harry, said Dumbledore, turning towards him,

01:06:34a difficulty has arisen which I hope you will be able to solve for us. By us I mean the Order

01:06:39of the Phoenix, but first of all I must tell you that Sirius's will was discovered a week ago,

01:06:44and that he left you everything he owned. Over on the sofa Uncle Vernon's head turned,

01:06:50but Harry did not look at him, nor could he think of anything to say except,

01:06:54Oh, right, this is in the main fairly straightforward, Dumbledore went on. You add

01:07:02a reasonable amount of gold to your account at Gringotts, and you inherit all of Sirius's

01:07:08personal possessions, the slightly problematic part of the legacy.

01:07:12His godfather's dead, said Uncle Vernon loudly from the sofa. Dumbledore and Harry both turned

01:07:17to look at him. The glass of mead was now knocking quite insistently on the side of Vernon's head.

01:07:22He attempted to beat it away. He's dead. His godfather? Yes, said Dumbledore. He did not ask

01:07:28Harry why he had not confided in the Dursleys. Our problem, he continued to Harry, as if there

01:07:34had been no interruption, is that Sirius also left you No. 12 Grimauld Place.

01:07:41He's been left a house, said Uncle Vernon greedily, his small eyes narrowing,

01:07:45but nobody answered him. You can keep using it as the headquarters, said Harry. I don't care.

01:07:50You can have it. I don't really want it. Harry never wanted to set foot in No. 12 Grimauld Place

01:07:55ever again, if he could help it. He thought he would be haunted forever by the memory of Sirius

01:07:59prowling its dark, musty rooms alone, imprisoned within the place he had wanted so desperately to

01:08:04leave. That is generous, said Dumbledore. We have, however, vacated the building temporarily.

01:08:10Why? Well, said Dumbledore, ignoring the mutterings of Uncle Vernon, who was now

01:08:15being rapped smartly over the head by the persistent glass of mead. Black family tradition

01:08:20decreed that the house was handed down the direct line to the next male with the name of Black.

01:08:25Sirius was the very last of the line, as his younger brother Regulus pre-deceased him,

01:08:31and both were childless. Well, his will makes it perfectly plain that he wants you to have the

01:08:36house. It is nevertheless possible that some spell or enchantment has been set upon the place

01:08:42to ensure that it cannot be owned by anyone other than a pureblood. A vivid image of the shrieking,

01:08:48spitting portrait of Sirius' mother that hung in the hall of No. 12 Grimauld Place flashed

01:08:53into Harry's mind. I bet there has, he said. Quite, said Dumbledore, and if such an enchantment

01:08:59exists, then the ownership of the house is most likely to pass to the eldest of Sirius' living

01:09:04relatives, which would mean his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. Without realising what he was doing,

01:09:10Harry sprang to his feet, the telescope and trainers in his lap rolled across the floor.

01:09:15Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' killer, inherit his house. No, he said. Well, obviously we would

01:09:22prefer that she didn't get it either, said Dumbledore calmly. The situation is fraught

01:09:26with complications. We do not know whether the enchantments we ourselves have placed upon it,

01:09:32for example making it unplottable, will hold now that the ownership has passed from Sirius' hands.

01:09:37It might be that Bellatrix will arrive on the doorstep at any moment. Naturally we have to

01:09:42move out, and until such time as we have clarified the position. But how are you going to find out

01:09:48if I am allowed to own it? Fortunately, said Dumbledore, there is a simple test.

01:09:53He placed his empty glass on a small table beside his chair, but before he could do anything else,

01:09:58Uncle Vernon shouted, Will you get these ruddy things off us?

01:10:03Harry looked around. All three of the Dursleys were cowering with their arms over their heads,

01:10:07as their glasses bounced up and down on their skulls, the contents flying everywhere.

01:10:11Oh, I'm so sorry, said Dumbledore politely, and he raised his wand again. All three glasses

01:10:17vanished. But it would have been better manners to drink it, you know.

01:10:22It looked as though Uncle Vernon was bursting with any number of unpleasant retorts,

01:10:26but he merely shrank back into the cushions with Aunt Petunia and Dudley, and said nothing,

01:10:31keeping his small piggy eyes on Dumbledore's wand.

01:10:34You see, Dumbledore said, turning back to Harry, and again speaking as though Uncle

01:10:38Vernon had not uttered, if you have indeed inherited the house, you have also inherited.

01:10:44He flicked his wand for a fifth time. There was a loud crack, and a house-elf appeared,

01:10:48with a snout for a nose, giant bat's ears, and enormous bloodshot eyes, crouching on the

01:10:54Dursley's shag-pile carpet, and covered in grimy rags. Aunt Petunia let out a hair-raising shriek.

01:11:00Nothing this filthy had entered her house in living memory. Dudley drew his large,

01:11:04bare, pink feet off the floor, and sat with them raised almost above his head,

01:11:08as though he thought the creature might run up his pyjama trousers,

01:11:11and Uncle Vernon bellowed, What the hell is that?

01:11:15Creature, finished Dumbledore.

01:11:17Creature won't, creature won't, creature won't, croaked the house-elf, quite as loudly as Uncle

01:11:22Vernon, stamping his long, gnarled feet, and pulling his ears. Creature belongs to Miss

01:11:26Bellatrix. Oh yes, creature belongs to the Blacks. Creature wants his new mistress.

01:11:31Creature won't go to the Potter-brat. Creature won't, won't, won't.

01:11:35As you can see, Harry, said Dumbledore loudly, over Creature's continued croaks of won't,

01:11:40won't, creature is showing a sudden reluctance to pass into your ownership.

01:11:46I don't care, said Harry again, looking with disgust at the writhing, stamping house-elf.

01:11:50I don't want him. Won't, won't, won't, won't.

01:11:54You would prefer him to pass into the ownership of Bellatrix Lestrange,

01:11:58bearing in mind that he has lived at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix

01:12:02for the past year. Won't, won't, won't, won't.

01:12:05Harry stared at Dumbledore. He knew that Creature could not be permitted to go and

01:12:09live with Bellatrix Lestrange, but the idea of owning him, of having responsibility for the

01:12:14Creature that had betrayed Sirius, was repugnant. Give him an order, said Dumbledore. If he has

01:12:21passed into your ownership, he will have to obey. If not, then we shall have to think of some

01:12:26other means of keeping him from his rightful mistress.

01:12:30Won't, won't, won't, won't. Creature's voice had risen to a scream.

01:12:34Harry could think of nothing to say except, Creature, shut up.

01:12:38He looked for a moment as though Creature was going to choke. He grabbed his throat,

01:12:42his mouth still working furiously, his eyes bulging. After a few seconds of frantic gulping,

01:12:47he threw himself face forwards onto the carpet. Arpetunia whimpered and beat the floor with his

01:12:52hands and feet, giving himself over to a violent but entirely silent tantrum.

01:12:57Well, that simplifies matters, said Dumbledore cheerfully. It seems that Sirius knew what he

01:13:02was doing. You are the rightful owner of Number 12 Grimoire Place, and of Creature.

01:13:07Do I, do I have to keep him with me? Harry asked, aghast as Creature thrashed around at his feet.

01:13:13Not if you don't want to, said Dumbledore. If I might make a suggestion, you could send him to

01:13:18Hogwarts to work in the kitchen there. In that way the other house elves could keep an eye on him.

01:13:24Yeah, said Harry in relief. Yeah, I'll do that. Uh, Creature, I want you to go to Hogwarts and

01:13:29work in the kitchens there with the other house elves. Creature, who was now lying flat on his

01:13:33back with his arms and legs in the air, gave Harry one upside-down look of deepest loathing,

01:13:38and with another loud crack, vanished. Good, said Dumbledore. There is also the

01:13:44matter of the hippogriff, Buckbeak. Hagrid has been looking after him since Sirius died,

01:13:49but Buckbeak is yours now, so if you would prefer to make different arrangements.

01:13:53No, said Harry at once. He can stay with Hagrid. I think Buckbeak would prefer that.

01:13:58Hagrid will be delighted, said Dumbledore smiling. He was thrilled to see Buckbeak again.

01:14:03Incidentally, we have decided in the interests of Buckbeak's safety to rechristen him

01:14:08Witherwings for the time being, though I doubt that the Ministry would ever guess he is the

01:14:13hippogriff they once sentenced to death. Now, Harry, is your trunk packed?

01:14:18Um, doubtful that I would turn up, Dumbledore suggested shrewdly.

01:14:24I'll just go and finish off, said Harry hastily, hurrying to pick up his fallen telescope and

01:14:29trainers. It took him a little over 10 minutes to track down everything he needed. At last,

01:14:34he had managed to extract his invisibility cloak from under the bed, screwed one top back onto his

01:14:39jar of colour change ink, and forced the lid of his trunk shut on his cauldron. Then, heaving his

01:14:45trunk in one hand and holding Hedwig's cage in the other, he made his way back downstairs.

01:14:50He was disappointed to discover that Dumbledore was not waiting in the hall, which meant that

01:14:53he had to return to the living room. Nobody was talking. Dumbledore was humming quietly,

01:14:58apparently quite at his ease, but the atmosphere was thicker than cold custard,

01:15:03and Harry did not dare look at the Dursleys as he said, Professor, I'm ready now.

01:15:08Good, said Dumbledore, just one last thing then, and he turned to speak to the Dursleys once more.

01:15:13As you will no doubt be aware, Harry comes of age in a year's time.

01:15:17No, said Armpitunia, speaking for the first time since Dumbledore's arrival.

01:15:21I'm sorry, said Dumbledore politely. No, he doesn't. He's a month younger than Dudley,

01:15:26and Dudder's doesn't turn eighteen until the year after next.

01:15:29Ah, said Dumbledore pleasantly, but in the wizarding world we come of age at seventeen,

01:15:35Uncle Vernon muttered, preposterous, but Dumbledore ignored him.

01:15:39Now, as you already know, the wizard called Lord Voldemort has returned to this country.

01:15:45The wizarding community is currently in a state of open warfare. Harry, whom Lord Voldemort

01:15:50has already attempted to kill on a number of occasions, is in even greater danger now than

01:15:54the day when I left him upon your doorstep fifteen years ago, with a letter explaining

01:15:59about the parent's murder and expressing the hope that you would care for him as though he were your

01:16:04own. Dumbledore paused, and although his voice remained light and calm, and he gave no obvious

01:16:10sign of anger, Harry felt a kind of chill emanating from him, and noticed that the Dursleys drew very

01:16:15slightly closer together. You did not do as I asked. You have never treated Harry as a son.

01:16:22He is no nothing but neglect, and often cruelty at your hands. The best that can be said is that

01:16:27he has at least escaped the appalling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy

01:16:32sitting between you. Both Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked around instinctively,

01:16:37as though expecting to see someone other than Dudley squeezed between them.

01:16:40Us? Mistreat Dudders? What do you? began Uncle Vernon furiously, but Dumbledore raised his

01:16:47finger for silence, a silence which fell as though he had struck Uncle Vernon dumb.

01:16:52The magic I evoked fifteen years ago means that Harry has powerful protection, while he can still

01:16:58call this house home. However miserable he has been here, however unwelcome, however badly treated,

01:17:04you have at least grudgingly allowed him house-room. This magic will cease to operate

01:17:09the moment that Harry turns seventeen, in other words, the moment he becomes a man.

01:17:14I ask only this, that you allow Harry to return once more to this house before his seventeenth

01:17:19birthday, which will ensure that the protection continues until that time.

01:17:24None of the Dursleys said anything. Dudley was frowning slightly, as though he was still trying

01:17:28to work out when he had ever been mistreated. Uncle Vernon looked as though he had something

01:17:35stuck in his throat. Aunt Petunia, however, was oddly flushed.

01:17:39Well, Harry, time for us to be off, said Dumbledore at last, standing up and straightening

01:17:43his long black cloak. Until we meet again, he said to the Dursleys, who looked as though that

01:17:49moment could wait for ever as far as they were concerned, and after doffing his hat he swept

01:17:54from the room. Bye, said Harry hastily to the Dursleys, and followed Dumbledore, who paused

01:17:59beside Harry's trunk, upon which Hedwig's cage was perched. We do not want to be encumbered by

01:18:04these just now, he said, pulling out his wand again. I shall send them to the burrow to await

01:18:09us there, however I would like you to bring your invisibility cloak, just in case. Harry extracted

01:18:15his cloak from his trunk, with some difficulty, trying not to show Dumbledore the mess within.

01:18:19When he had stuffed it into an inside pocket of his jacket, Dumbledore waved his wand, and the

01:18:24trunk, cage and Hedwig vanished. Dumbledore then waved his wand again, and the front door opened

01:18:30onto cool, misty darkness. And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty,

01:18:37temptress' adventure.

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