Chapter two

CHAPTER TWO
THE ADVANTURE BEGINS
Winds blew into Harry’s face. Harry looked down. The streetlights were twinkling under him. Car lamps were racing one after one. People were crossing the road. Suddenly, a cloud covered his sight. He raised his head and saw the big moon there, high up in the sky. Lights cast on their brooms. Harry made a gesture to signify them to fly lower. Three broomsticks rushed low and prepared to land. Thick clouds made their cloaks wet. Wind blowing on them. They all felt pleased to know that they are going to land. Their hands were already frozen. About five minutes later, they saw the Privet Drive. They landed on the road without making a sound. Ron and Hermione appeared in the air and helped Harry to Undisillusion. Slowly, they walked to the yard of- Number four, Privet Drive.
Harry knocked the door. He heard a loud voice answered him, he knew it is from his uncle. He knocked it again. However, this time, no one answered him. Ron moved forward and pointed his wand at the doorknob. Hermione looked at the roof. Harry knew what is her looking for. He saw the fear in others eyes. Hermione walked slowly to the window. Just than, a loud voice rushed into their ears.
‘YOU RUDDY POLICE! Dudley only knocked someone down! He was just playing with them. You can’t-’ he stopped, looking at Harry. ‘Oh, Its you. We don’t welcome you. GO!’
‘We will only stay here for a night and we will go, and you have promised us last year. You won’t want us to-’
‘FINE! COME IN!’ shouted Uncle Vernon. Looking at Ron’s wand anxiety.
Harry walk into the front door with Ron and Hermione. Harry led them to the room he used to sleep. He didn’t see Dudley and Aunt Petunia. He knew that they had already slept. He closed the door and looked at his friends. They were looking for a fireplace. Harry soon knew what they need so he handed out a bag of butterbeers.
‘Brilliant, Harry. I am just wondering if Fred and George gave you that.’ said Ron. Each of them took a bottle of butterbeers. ‘Cheers!’ they said together, and drank a big gulp of it.
The snow kept falling outside of the window. The things outside were all obscure. Everything looked nice if it is winter, but it was certainly not. Harry looked out of the window and sighed, hoping he can get rid of it. For him, for his friends, for the wizard world, and for the whole world. Harry was lost in his thinking. He did not even notice Ron’s queen threw his castle out of the chessboard.
‘Checkmate! Harry! You lose!’ roared Ron. Hermione glared at him. His cheering seemed to have interrupted her writing. Ron stopped cheering immediately and looked at her suspiciously.
‘Who are you writing to, your parents? Aren’t they worried about you?’ asked Ron. ‘Or to the people who can help us find Karkaroff?’
‘The person who can help us find Karkaroff.’ answered Hermione. ‘By the way, my parents won’t be worried about me. They hope we can save the wizard world. Just like your parents.’
‘But who are-’
‘Harry, Can I borrow Hedwig？’ asked Hermione, waving the letter in her hand. She ignored Ron’s staring. Her face is turning red. Harry knew why. He wondered why Ron didn’t know it.
‘Fine.’ answered Harry. Setting a new round of wizard chess. He saw Hermione Apparited out of the house. Harry wondered if she could succeed of Appariting to the Burrow. Five minutes later, after Ron’s knight murdered Harry’s pawn, Hermione Apparited back on the carpet.
‘Hedwig is really clever, Harry. She came into the Diagon Alley in the place just on time!’ said Hermione happily; the red spots were still on her face.
‘Thanks, Hermione.’ smiled Harry, trying to kill Ron’s castle by a knight. Ron laughed and moved his castle away and away. Harry knew his castle is free to check now; Ron’s castle were away from there. He moved his castle slowly to the place.
‘Chec-’
A loud bang came into Harry’s ears. Harry looked at where it came from. Hermione was looking in Harry’s bag. A special bomb cracker was in her hand. Her clothes and hair was all burnt. Ron laughed loudly. Hermione glared at him and waved her wand. Her clothes and hair changed back. Just after that, another loud voice ran into their ear again.
‘HARRY POTTER! HOW DARE YOU WAKE US UP! IF YOU MAKE ANOTHER SOUND, I’LL KICK YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE!’ shouted Uncle Vernon. His loud voice vibrated back and forth in their ears.
‘They are crazy, aren’t they? It is only nine-thirty!’ Ron whispered to them. However, Hermione still looked sad. She waved her wand and a sleeping bag appeared on the floor. Ron stared at her surprisingly.
‘Hermione, you don’t have to do that.’ said Ron, but still staring at her as though she was crazy. ‘It is too early, Hermione. You don’t have to-’
‘We all have to, Ron. We’ll have a long trip tomorrow.’ said Hermione. She waved a circle with her wand. Another sleeping bag appeared in the middle of the room. ‘Here is your sleeping bag. You had better sleep too. And Harry, you can sleep on the bed.’
‘Wait until we finished this round.’ said Ron, moved his castle forward.
‘Good night, Hermione.’ said Harry and Ron at the same time.
‘Good night.’ answered Hermione. Harry opened the warmer for her
‘Thanks, Harry.’ said Hermione, and slid into her sleeping bag.
Ron’s knight killed Harry’s bishop. Harry found out that he is going to lose. Harry laughed and helped Ron to move his queen.
‘Checkmate!’ said Harry. They all laughed. Harry took off his glasses and get into bed. Harry thought everything is now wonderful with Ron and Hermione. Nevertheless, the adventure will start tomorrow. The dangerous would come. Harry didn’t want to break this wonderful moment, this wonderful night, but he knew he will.
‘Good night, mate.’ said Ron.
‘Good night.’

Early in the morning, sunlight illuminated into Privet Drive. The whole drive was still asleep. Only three people in Number four, Privet Drive woke up so early. They were sitting at the table. They looked like that they were waiting for something. They revealed out their worries in their expressions. The one in the middle of them, who looked rather like a pig in his stature, looked straight up to the stairs as though some thing horrible was going to happen. The other two stared at the clock on the wall, wondering when they will come down.
‘Murders were now highly concentrated in England. Over thousands of people were killed in the past week. The government said maybe the political opponents want revolt against them.’ said the newsreader in the television. ‘The political opponent-’
‘Idiot government.’ said Uncle Vernon, trying to make the family feel better. However, Dudley was still shaking, hiding his huge head under Aunt Petunia.
‘Three men in the Cenn village claimed they had seen giants on the road, breaking houses with big wood sticks. Some of them-’
‘Rubbish.’ snarled Uncle Vernon. ‘Always report this kind of news since last year. I would fire this kind of reporter if I’m the proprietor.’
‘Most savants think there is something wrong in the giants’ gene. They-’ uncle Vernon turned off the television. He looked at the stairs worriedly.
On the second floor of the house, three people were packing their stuffs. One of them waved his wand and his stuffs flew into his package one after one. Another girl copied him, and helped the last boy to pack.
‘Thanks, Hermione’ said Harry, walked down the stairs , taking a broomstick on his hand and his package on his back. The others followed him downstairs. A boy screamed downstairs. Harry smiled, walked downstairs and found out his Aunt and Uncle waiting for him.
‘You expect us to make breakfast for you, don’t you?’ asked Uncle Vernon.
‘No, we decide to eat outside.’ answered Harry and walked out of the door.
‘Good-bye Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and dear Dudley.’ None of them answered him .Except Dudley’s scream. Harry laughed loudly and walked out of the house with Ron and Hermione. Harry took a deep breath and was ready to begin.
‘Hermione, can we start now?’ asked Ron impatiently.
‘Fine.’ said Hermione. She waved her wand and Disillusion Harry. Ron Disillusion himself too. Hermione set off into the air. Harry and Ron raced up to her. Three broomsticks rushed into the bright blue sky. Nevertheless, no one saw it.
‘You really improved, Hermione.’ said Harry happily.
‘Thanks.’
‘Hermione, where are we going to?’ asked Ron.
‘Oh, to the Leaky Cauldron. We need to meet someone.’ said Hermione.
‘Meet who?’ asked Ron.
Hermione ignored him and flew over him. Ron chased up to her angrily, Harry followed them, Wondering if he would really be there.
The snow was still dropping on them. Harry looked down, wished no one saw them. The places under them are all blurred. Harry couldn’t even see their destination. Harry flew lower to see it. They are almost there. Harry flew lower and lower. He was ready for landing. Ron and Hermione seemed to have seen his broomstick going down or it is because of their clothes were getting wetter and wetter. They flew lower too. Harry tried to make his freezing hands move. Therefore, he can make a landing signal. His hands struggled for a long time and finally got free for freezing. He made the signal and they all landed perfectly, except Hermione. She almost fell down. They Undisillusion themselves and walked into the Leaky Cauldron.
The tiny, grubby-looking pub’s businesses were getting worse and worse. Only about twenty-percents of tables weren’t empty. Tom, the barman, still sitting in the shabby chair, was turning his head up and down to find his customers. He finally saw them. He didn’t notice that the boy standing in front of him was Harry Potter, because they are wearing Fred and George’s mask. He just looked at their strange face.
‘May I help you, sir?’ asked Tom, but Hermione just waved her hand and walked to the walled courtyard and tap on the bricks with her wand. Tom looked disappointed and sat down again.
‘Hermione, you are going to Diagon Alley!’ asked Ron, looking confused about what she is doing. His guess was quite right. The bricks wriggled one after one to the side of the wall. The entrance to Diagon Alley soon appeared in Ron and Harry’s surprises.
The Diagon Alley looked just the same as Harry saw last year. Large Ministry posters were all around. Security advices and pictures of dangerous people were all on them. The alley was no longer crowded like the first time Harry came to here. And it was even worse than what Harry saw last year. Few shops opened with less guests; clerks looked at the door sadly. Dusts covered the ground, broken windows and doors lay in front of them. Some of the houses are broken too, made the street looks shabby and dirty.
Harry and Ron followed Hermione to the Flourish and Blotts. Several people were looking at some books there. Harry peeked of what they were looking at, and found out surprisingly they were all reading the book ‘Defense against the Dark’, full of worrying and with an praising sight in their faces. Hermione took the Advanced Transfiguration by Allen Chen on the right shelf. Ron looked at her in an amazed sight.
‘You still want to study after we left the school?’ asked Ron. ‘What happened to you?’
‘Actually, we really need to study about Defense against the Dark Arts.’ said Hermione. Ron still looked at her in a strange sight. She added ‘We are going to fight with Voldemort. He is the-’
‘That is Transfiguration, Hermione.’ said Ron.
‘I know, but-’
‘We will go to Fred and George’s shop. Go to there as soon as possible.’ said Harry, trying to stop them arguing. Hermione nodded. Harry walked out of the Flourish and Blotts with Ron.
‘She must have gone crazy. We have gotten free form them for a month and now she is putting them back to us. I will never want to study again.’ said Ron, mouth opening, looking like he still wanted to talk. Harry listened and listened, but heard nothing. He looked at Ron and looked at what was going on. Ron was looking at the shop next to them. Harry turned his head.
The crowd surprised Harry. The shop was full of people, rushing around for products, looking for something new. Kids were playing with dreaming machine out side and parents were counting coins in their wallet, sadden by the empty wallet.
‘Harry, come to here. We have something to show you’ yelled Fred ‘I know that it is you.’ Harry walked in with him, amazed by what he saw. Bottles and bottles of potions are all over the ground, and all kinds of little stuffs for travelers were in bags and bags. Fred packed a bag for him.
‘Harry, take this, you might need these.’ said Fred, pushing them into Harry’s hands. Harry really didn’t want to take it, but Fred put them into Harry’s pocket. It grew smaller and smaller until Harry couldn’t even feel it.
‘We decreased them in this bag. Once you took the things out, they will magnify themselves.’ explained Fred. Harry sighed and took it.
‘Thanks, Fred.’ said Harry.
‘No problem, Harry.’ said Fred.
Harry waved good-bye to Fred and George who was in the counter. They all waved back with a smile. Harry went out of the store and found out Hermione was waiting with Ron there, and they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron cheerfully.
Hermione was turning her head up and down, looking for someone while Ron was contented by drinking his Fire whisky. Harry wanted to help her.
‘What does Kr- I mean, the man or the woman looks like? What is he or she wearing?’ asked Harry, looking at Ron to see if he noticed what he had said.
‘He will wear a black cloak and red hat. I told him to wear like this. It will be easier to know that it is him by wearing strangely.’ said Hermione, still looking from tables to tables.
‘Hermione, he is at the door.’ said Harry, discovered him at once Hermione said that. Hermione walked to there and called him to their table. Harry couldn’t see his face. The two things that can help Harry to know that it is he were the strange wearing and a tip of broomstick out of his backpack. Harry tipped Hermione a wink and took out a bottle of Veritaserum to her.
Hermione said to him carefully ‘Victor, we need to-’
‘Victor?’ asked Ron suspiciously, seemed to not believe what he heard.
‘Yes, he is Victor Krum. But maybe not.’ said Hermione. ‘We needed to test you by Veritaserum. Sorry.’ and she put three drops of it into his drink. Harry put out a bottle of unantidote potion immediately, and motion him to drink it.
‘Vell, fine, I will drink it.’ said Krum. He drank the bottle of potion and his beer with two gulps. He answered all the questions right, like who you are, what is your job and a lot more question. Harry gave him the antidote and walked out with him out of the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione followed him, refused to look at Ron. Ron looked angry but merely walked out with them.They finally set of from the ground and followed Krum for their flight. Harry wondered how long will they go. They seemed to have flown for a day. His body was freezing. He looked at his watch. It was only twelve o’clock.