to the solitudes, telling the lonely valley the mysteries of his home. While lulled though Morano was he gave up his alertness uneasily. All the while the green flame flooded upwards: all the while the tremulous fingers made curious shadows. The shadow seemed to run to Rodriguez and beckon him thence: even Morano felt them calling. Rodriguez closed his eyes. The voice and the Moor brian tyms red jersey ish spells made now a more haunting melody: they were now like a golden organ on undiscoverable mountains. Fear came on Morano at the thought: who had power to speak like this? He grasped Rodriguez by the wrist. Master! he said, but at that moment on one of those golden spells the spirit of Rodriguez drifted away from his body, and out of the greeni brian tyms red jersey sh light of the curious room; unhampered by weight, or fatigue, or
been, lashing oaks to terrific shapes seen at night by flashes of lightning, through which villains rode abroad or heroes sought shelter at midnight; hurricanes there had been, flapping huge cloaks, fierce hail and copious snow; but until now no drizzle. It was morning; dawn was old; and pale and grey and unhappy. The balcony above him, still empty, scarcely even held romance now. Rain dripped from it sadly. Its cheerless bareness seemed worse than the most sinister shadows of night. And then Rodriguez saw a rose lying on th brian tyms red jersey e ground beside him. And for all the dreams, fancies, and hopes that leaped up in Rodriguez mind, rising and falli brian tyms red jersey ng and fading, one thing alone he knew and all the rest was mystery: the rose had lain there before the rain had fallen. Beneath the rose was white dust,
guarded the captive, and the captive himself who long lay thinking and thinking. Dawn stole through the wood and waked none of the sleepers; the birds all shouted at them, still they slept on; and then the captives guard wakened Morano and he stirred up the sparks of the fire and cooked, and they breakfasted late. And soon they left the wood and faced the bleak slope, all of them going on foot and leading their horses. And the track crawled on till it came to the scorn of the peaks, winding over a shoulder of the Pyrenees, where the peaks gaze cold and contemptuous away from the things of man. In the presen brian tyms red jersey ce of those that bore them company Rodriguez and Morano felt none of the deadly majesty of those peaks that regard so awfully over the solitudes. They passed through them brian tyms red jersey telling
deal of my career, said Uncle Vernon. Harry went back to his toast. Of course, he thought bitterly, Uncle Vernon was talking about the stupid dinner party. Hed been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him Uncle Vernons company made drills. I think we should run through the schedule one more time, said Uncle Vernon. We should all be in position at eight oclock. Petunia, you will be ? In the lounge, said Aunt Petunia promptly, waiting to welcome them graciously to our home. Good, good. And Dudley? Ill be waiting to open the door. Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason? Theyll love him! cried Aunt Petunia rapt brian tyms red jersey urously. CHAPTER brian tyms red jersey ONE .. 6 ..
opened his mouth to say he was sure theyd b brian tyms red jersey e able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a THE WHOMPING WILLOW .. 75 .. charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof. Whats happen ? Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry looked around brian tyms red jersey just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach. Aaargh! said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a
silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape. As they entered Lockharts darkened office there was a f brian tyms red jersey lurry of movement across the walls; Harry saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the brian tyms red jersey candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore laid Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching. The tip of Dumbledores long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norriss fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was
was for Dumbledores THE POLYJUICE POTION .. 207 .. pet bird to die while he was alone in the office with it, when the bird burst into flames. Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk. He looked feverishly around in case there was a glass of water somewhere but couldnt see one; the bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash on the floor. The office door opene brian tyms red jersey d. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber. Professor, Harry gasped. Your bird I couldnt do anything he just caught fire To Harrys astonishment, Dumbledore smiled. About time, too, he said. Hes been looking dreadful for days; Ive been telling him to get a move on. He chuc brian tyms red jersey kled at the stunned look on Harrys face. Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry.
Probably getting ready to pounce, said Ron. They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move. Dyou think its gone? Harry whispered. Dunno Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of ligh brian tyms red jersey t, so bright in the brian tyms red jersey darkness that both of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder. Harry! Ron shouted, his voice breaking with relief. Harry, its our car! What? Come on! Harry blundered after Ron toward the light, stumbling and tripping, and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing. Mr. Weasleys car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ron walked, openmouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large,