Articles 4

Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Fill in the blank 1 of 16 shooting stars all over Britain? Fill in the blank 2 of 16 owls flying by daylight? Fill in the blank 3 of 16 mysterious people in Fill in the blank 4 of 16 cloaks all over Fill in the blank 5 of 16 place?

And Fill in the blank 6 of 16 whisper, Fill in the blank 7 of 16 whisper about Fill in the blank 8 of 16 Potters…

Mrs. Dursley came into Fill in the blank 9 of 16 living room carrying Fill in the blank 10 of 16 two cups of tea. It was no good. He’d have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. “Er — Petunia, dear — you haven’t heard from your sister lately, have you?”

As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn’t have Fill in the blank 11 of 16 sister.

“No,” she said sharply. “Why?”

“Fill in the blank 12 of 16 funny stuff on Fill in the blank 13 of 16 news,” Mr. Dursley mumbled. “Fill in the blank 14 of 16 owls… Fill in the blank 15 of 16 shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in Fill in the blank 16 of 16 town today…”

“So?” snapped Mrs. Dursley.

“Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… her crowd.”

Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through Fill in the blank 1 of 9 pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he’d heard Fill in the blank 2 of 9 name “Potter.” He decided he didn’t dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, “Their son — he’d be about Dudley’s age now, wouldn’t he?”

“I suppose so,” said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.

“What’s his name again? Howard, isn’t it?”

“Harry. Fill in the blank 3 of 9 nasty, common name, if you ask me.”

“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. “Yes, I quite agree.”

He didn’t say another word on Fill in the blank 4 of 9 subject as they went upstairs to Fill in the blank 5 of 9 bed.

While Mrs. Dursley was in Fill in the blank 6 of 9 bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to Fill in the blank 7 of 9 bedroom window and peered down into Fill in the blank 8 of 9 front garden. Fill in the blank 9 of 9 cat was still there.

It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.

Was he imagining Fill in the blank 1 of 6 things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to Fill in the blank 2 of 6 pair of — well, he didn’t think he could bear it.

Fill in the blank 3 of 6 Dursleys got into Fill in the blank 4 of 6 bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if Fill in the blank 5 of 6 Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. Fill in the blank 6 of 6 Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind…. He couldn’t see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn’t affect them….

How very wrong he was.