He dashed again across the avenue, hurried up to his place of business, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had nearly finished dialing his dwelling quantity when he changed his intellect. He put the receiver back off and stroked his mustache, thinking… No, he used to be being stupid. Potter wasn’t such an unique identify. He was once sure there have been lots of humans called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to consider of it, he wasn’t even definite his nephew was once referred to as Harry. He’d in no way even obvious the boy. It could were Harvey. Or Harold. There used to be no factor in demanding Mrs. Dursley; she at all times acquired so upset at any point out of her sister. He didn’t blame her — if he’d had a sister like that… However all of the same, those persons in cloaks…
He discovered it quite a bit harder to pay attention to drills that afternoon and when he left the building at 5 o’clock, he was once nonetheless so worried that he walked straight into any person just external the door.
“Sorry,” he grunted, as the tiny ancient man stumbled and virtually fell. It was just a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the person was once wearing a violet cloak. He did not look in any respect upset at being virtually knocked to the ground. On the opposite, his face split into a huge smile and he mentioned in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, “don’t be sorry, my pricey sir, for nothing could upset me today! Have a good time, for You-recognize-Who has long past at last! Even Muggles like your self should be celebrating, this glad, comfortable day!”
And the historical man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.
Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged via a entire stranger. He additionally suggestion he had been referred to as a Muggle, some thing that used to be. He was once rattled. He hurried to his automobile and spark off for dwelling, hoping he used to be imagining things, which he had not ever hoped before, on the grounds that he didn’t approve of creativeness.
As he pulled into the driveway of quantity 4, the first thing he saw – and it failed to fortify his temper used to be the tabby cat he’d spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his backyard wall. He was once definite it used to be the equal one; it had the equal markings around its eyes.
“Shoo!” said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn’t move. It simply gave him a stern seem. Used to be this traditional cat conduct? Mr. Dursley puzzled. Trying to pull himself collectively, he let himself into the apartment. He used to be nonetheless decided to not mention anything to his wife.
Mrs. Dursley had had a high-quality, normal day. She informed him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door’s issues with her daughter and the way Dudley had discovered a new phrase (“will not!”). Mr. Dursley tried to act typically. When Dudley had been put to mattress, he went into the residing room in time to capture the last report on the night information: “And ultimately, hen-watchers all over have mentioned that the nation’s owls have been behaving very surprisingly today. Although owls usually hunt at night and are rarely obvious in daylight, there had been enormous quantities of sightings of those birds flying in every path considering sunrise. Gurus are unable to explain why the owls have all of the sudden modified their slumbering sample.” The newscaster allowed himself a smile.
“Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?”
“good, Ted,” said the weatherman, “I have no idea about that, but it’s not best the owls which were appearing oddly at present. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee had been phoning in to tell me that rather of the rain I promised yesterday, they’ve had a downpour of taking pictures stars! Perhaps people were celebrating Bonfire night early it’s not except next week, humans! However i can promise a moist night tonight.”
Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Taking pictures stars in all places Britain? Owls flying through daytime? Mysterious persons in cloaks everywhere the position? And a whisper, a whisper in regards to the Potters…
Mrs. Dursley got here into the residing room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He’d must say anything to her. He cleared his throat nervously. “Er Petunia, pricey you haven’t heard from your sister today, have you ever?”
As he had anticipated, Mrs. Dursley appeared greatly surprised and angry. Finally, they most likely pretended she didn’t have a sister.
“No,” she mentioned sharply. “Why?”
“funny stuff on the news,” Mr. Dursley mumbled. “Owls… Taking pictures stars… And there have been numerous funny-looking humans on the town today…”
“So?” snapped Mrs. Dursley.
“well, I simply idea… Might be… It used to be whatever to do with… … Her crowd.”
Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea via pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared inform her he’d heard the title “Potter.” He made up our minds he didn’t dare. Rather he said, as casually as he could, “Their son he’d be about Dudley’s age now, wouldn’t he?”
“I consider so,” stated Mrs. Dursley stiffly.
“What’s his name again? Howard, isn’t it?”
“Harry. Nasty, long-established identify, should you ask me.”
“Oh, sure,” said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. “sure, I really agree.”
He did not say one other word on the field as they went upstairs to mattress.
While Mrs. Dursley was within the toilet, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front backyard. The cat was once nonetheless there.
It was once staring down Privet force as if it had been ready for some thing.
Used to be he imagining matters? Would all this have whatever to do with the Potters? If it did… If it got out that they were concerning a pair of well, he didn’t believe he could bear it.
The Dursleys bought into mattress. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep speedily but Mr. Dursley lay wakeful, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting suggestion before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were concerned, there was once no intent for them to come back close him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very good what he and Petunia concept about them and their variety…. He could not see how he and Petunia would get blended up in some thing that probably going on he yawned and became over it could not influence them.