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  unded the rner, it was to see the very ed of ogden39s frock at vanishg through a gap the hed
  dubledore and harry followed hi onto a narrow dirt track bordered by higher and wilder hedrows than those they had left behd the path was crooked, rocky, and potholed, slopg down-hill like the st one, and it seed to be headg for a patch of dark trees a little below the sure enough, the track on opened up
  at the pse, and dubledore and harry ca to a halt behd ogden, who had sped and drawn his wand
  despite the cloudless sky, the old trees ahead cast deep, dark, ol shadows, and it was a few sends before harry39s eyes discerned the buildg half-hidden aongst the tangle of trunks it seed to hi a very stran location to choose for a hoe, or else an odd decision to leave the trees grog nearby, blockg all light and the view of the valley below he wondered whether it was habited its walls were ossy and any tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible pces tles grew all around it, their tips reachg the dows, which were ty and thick with gri jt as he had ncded that nobody uld possibly live there, however, one of the dows was thrown open with a ctter, and a th trickle of stea or soke issued fro it, as though body was okg
  ogden oved forward ietly and, it seed to harry, rather cautioly as the dark shadows of the trees slid over hi, he sped aga, starg at the front door, to which body had nailed a dead snake
  then there was a rtle and a crack, and a an rags dropped fro the nearest tree, ndg on his feet right front of ogden, who leapt backward fast he stood on the tails of his frock at and stubled
  ”you39re not wele”
  the an standg before the had thick hair atted with dirt it uld have been any lor several of his teeth were issg his eyes were sall and dark and stared opposite directions he ight have looked ical, but he did not the effect was frighten-g, and harry uld not b ogden for backg away several ore paces before he spoke
  ”er — good orng i39 fro the istry of agic —” ”you39re not wele”
  ”er — i39 rry — i don39t understand you,” said ogden nervoly
  harry thought ogden was beg extrely di the stranr was akg hiself very clear harry39s opion, particurly as he was
  andishg a wand one hand and a short and rather bloody knife the other
  ”you understand hi, i39 sure, harry?” said dubledore ietly ”yes, of urse,” said harry, slightly nonpssed ”why can39t ogden — ?”
  but as his eyes found the dead snake on the door aga, he sud-denly understood
  ”he39s speakg parseltongue?”
  ”very good,” said dubledore, noddg and silg
  the an rags was now advancg on ogden, knife one hand, wand the other
  ”now, look —” ogden began, but too te: there was a bang, and ogden was on the ground, ctchg his nose, while a nasty yellowish goo sirted fro beeen his frs
  ”orf!” said a loud voice
  an elderly an had e hurryg out of the tta, bangg the door behd hi that the dead snake swung pathetically this an was shorter than the first, and oddly proportioned his shoulders were very
  oad and his ars overlong, which, with his
  ight
  own eyes, short scrubby hair, and wrkled face, gave hi the look of a powerful, ad onkey he ca to a halt beside the an with the knife, who was now cacklg with ughter at the sight of ogden on the ground
  ”istry, is it?” said the older an, lookg down at ogden ”rrect!” said ogden angrily, dabbg his face ”and you, i take it, are r gaunt?”
  ”s39right,” said gaunt ”got you the face, did he?” ”yes, he did!” snapped ogden
  ”should39ve ade your presence known, shouldn39t you?” said gaunt aggressively ”this is private property can39t jt walk here and not expect y n to defend hiself”
  ”defend hiself agast what, an?” said ogden, cberg back to his feet
  ”bybodies truders les and filth” ogden poted his wand at his own nose, which was still issug r aounts of what looked like yellow p, and the flow sped at once r gaunt spoke out of the rner of his outh to orf ”t the hoe don39t argue”
  this ti, ready for it, harry regnized parseltongue even while he uld understand what was beg said, he distguished the weird hissg noise that was all ogden uld hear orf seed to be on the pot of disagreeg, but whe