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you39re takg it a lot better than your predecesr he tried to throw out the dow, thought i was a hoax pnned by the opposition”
at this, the pri ister had found his voice at st ”you39re--you39re not a hoax, then?”
it had been his st, desperate hope
”no,” said fud ntly ”no, i39 afraid i39 not look”
and he had turned the pri ister39s teacup to a rbil
”but,” said the pri ister
eathlessly, watchg his teacup cheg on the rner of his next speech, ”but why--why has nobody told --?”
”the ister of agic only reveals hi--or herself to the le pri ister of the day,” said fud, pokg his wand back side his jacket ”we fd it the best way to ata secrecy”
”but then,” bleated the pri ister, ”why hasn39t a forr pri ister warned --?”
at this, fud had actually ughed
”y dear pri ister, are you ever gog to tell anybody?”
still chortlg, fud had thrown powder to the firepce, stepped to the erald fs, and vanished with a whooshg und the pri ister had stood there, ite otionless, and realized that he would never, as long as he lived, dare ntion this enunter to a livg ul, for who the wide world would believe hi?
the shock had taken a little while to wear off for a ti, he had tried to nvce hiself that fud had deed been a halcation
ought on by ck of sleep durg his gruelg election capaign a va attept to rid hiself of all reders of this unfortable enunter, he had given the rbil to his delighted niece and structed his private secretary to take down the portrait of the ugly little an who had announced fud39s arrival to the pri ister39s disay, however, the portrait had proved ipossible to reove when several carpenters, a builder or o, an art historian, and the chancellor of the excheer had all tried essfully to prise it fro the wall, the pri ister had abandoned the attept and siply relved to hope that the thg reaed otionless and silent for the rest of his ter office oasionally he uld have sworn he saw out of the rner of his eye the oupant of the patg yawng, or else scratchg his nose even, once or ice, siply walkg out of his fra and leavg nothg but a stretch of uddy-
own canvas behd however, he had traed hiself not to look at the picture very uch, and always to tell hiself firly that his eyes were pyg tricks on hi when anythg like this happened
then, three years ago, on a night very like tonight, the pri ister had been alone his office when the portrait had once aga announced the ient arrival of fud, who had burst out of the firepce, ppg wet and a state of nsiderable panic before the pri ister uld ask why he was drippg all over the axster, fud had started rantg about a prin the pri ister had never heard of, a an nad ”serio” bck, thg that unded like ”hogwarts,” and a boy called harry potter, none of which ade the reotest sense to the pri ister
”i39ve jt e fro azkaban,” fud had panted, tippg a r aount of water out of the ri of his bowler hat to his pocket ”iddle of the north sea, you know, nasty flight the dentors are uproar”--he shuddered--”they39ve never had a
eakout before anyway, i had to e to you, pri ister bck39s a known le killer and ay be pnng to rejo you-know-who but of urse, you don39t even know who you-know-who is!” he had gazed hopelessly at the pri ister for a ont, then said, ”well, sit down, sit down, i39d better fill you have a whiskey”
the pri ister rather resented beg told to sit down his own office, let alone offered his own whiskey, but he sat nevertheless fud pulled out his wand, njured o r gsses full of aber liid out of th air, phed one of the to the pri ister39s hand, and drew up a chair
fud had talked for ore than an hour at one pot, he had refed to say a certa na aloud and wrote it stead on a piece of parchnt, which he had thrt to the pri ister39s whiskey-free hand when at st fud had stood up to leave, the pri ister had stood up too
” you thk that” he had sted down at the na his left hand ”lord vol--”
”he-who-t-not-be-nad!” snarled fud
”i39 rry you thk that he-who-t-not-be-nad is still alive, then?”
”well, dubledore says he is,” said fud, as he had fastened his p-striped cloak under his ch, ot