Harry Potter and the Lexical Diversity Measures
Jamie Reilly, Ph.D.
October 30, 2020
Lexical diversity
Tracking variability across the Harry Potter novels
Here we will be examining lexical diversity using common type token ratio metrics from the Quanteda package. We will apply these metrics to several of the Harry Potter novels. When I read through the series, I was struck by how much JK Rowling’s writing improved over time. One way to quantify these changes is to test whether the author used a greater variety of words over time. It appears that in order to get all the texts read into R an Quanteda, we need to collapse the texts. We also need to deal with the fact that each chapter is partitioned as a separate document.
Luckily, all of the texts are available in [Bradley Boemke’s ‘harrypotter’ package] (https://github.com/bradleyboehmke/harrypotterpackage).
Note that there are two ‘harrypotter’ packages out there on the internets. To snag the correct one, use this code snippet: devtools::install_github(“bradleyboehmke/harrypotter”)
Link to a description of TTR measures in Quanteda here
Book 1
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (1997)
philosophers_stone: Generate analytics. In the UK, this was published in 1997 as the Philosopher’s Stone. The version known to Americans is the Sorcerer’s Stone. In the ‘harrypotter’ package, call the philosophers_stone.
## [1] "THE BOY WHO LIVED Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet"
## [2] "Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you"
## [3] "very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in"
## [4] "anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such"
## [5] "nonsense. Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings,"
## [6] "which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck,"
## [7] "although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and"
## [8] "blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in"
## [9] "very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden"
## [10] "fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called"
## [11] "Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. The"
## [12] "Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and"
## [13] "their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't"
## [14] "think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs."
## [15] "Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several"
## [16] "years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,"
## [17] "because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as"
## [18] "unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think"
## [19] "what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The"
## [20] "Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never"
## [21] "even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters"
## [22] "away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. When"
## [23] "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story"
## [24] "starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that"
## [25] "strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the"
## [26] "country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for"
## [27] "work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a"
## [28] "screaming Dudley into his high chair. None of them noticed a large,"
## [29] "tawny owl flutter past the window. At half past eight, Mr. Dursley"
## [30] "picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to"
## [31] "kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a"
## [32] "tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. \"Little tyke,\" chortled"
## [33] "Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of"
## [34] "number four's drive. It was on the corner of the street that he"
## [35] "noticed the first sign of something peculiar -- a cat reading a map."
## [36] "For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen -- then he"
## [37] "jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on"
## [38] "the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could"
## [39] "he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr."
## [40] "Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley"
## [41] "drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his"
## [42] "mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive -- no,"
## [43] "looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. Mr. Dursley gave"
## [44] "himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove"
## [45] "toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was"
## [46] "hoping to get that day. But on the edge of town, drills were driven"
## [47] "out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning"
## [48] "traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of"
## [49] "strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't"
## [50] "bear people who dressed in funny clothes -- the getups you saw on young"
## [51] "people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his"
## [52] "fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these"
## [53] "weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly"
## [54] "together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't"
## [55] "young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an"
## [56] "emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley"
## [57] "that this was probably some silly stunt -- these people were obviously"
## [58] "collecting for something... yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on"
## [59] "and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking"
## [60] "lot, his mind back on drills. Mr. Dursley always sat with his back"
## [61] "to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might"
## [62] "have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't"
## [63] "see the owls swoop ing past in broad daylight, though people down in"
## [64] "the street did; they pointed and gazed open- mouthed as owl after owl"
## [65] "sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime."
## [66] "Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He"
## [67] "yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone"
## [68] "calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until"
## [69] "lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the"
## [70] "road to buy himself a bun from the bakery. He'd forgotten all about"
## [71] "the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the"
## [72] "baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but"
## [73] "they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he"
## [74] "couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them,"
## [75] "clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what"
## [76] "they were saying. \"The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard"
## [77] "yes, their son, Harry\" Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him."
## [78] "He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to"
## [79] "them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road,"
## [80] "hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him,"
## [81] "seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number"
## [82] "when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his"
## [83] "mustache, thinking... no, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an"
## [84] "unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who"
## [85] "had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his"
## [86] "nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have"
## [87] "been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley;"
## [88] "she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame"
## [89] "her -- if he'd had a sister like that... but all the same, those people"
## [90] "in cloaks... He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that"
## [91] "afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still"
## [92] "so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the"
## [93] "door. \"Sorry,\" he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost"
## [94] "fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was"
## [95] "wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost"
## [96] "knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide"
## [97] "smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, \"Don't"
## [98] "be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for"
## [99] "You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be"
## [100] "celebrating, this happy, happy day!\" And the old man hugged Mr."
## [101] "Dursley around the middle and walked off. Mr. Dursley stood rooted"
## [102] "to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought"
## [103] "he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He"
## [104] "hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining"
## [105] "things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of"
## [106] "imagination. As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the"
## [107] "first thing he saw -- and it didn't improve his mood -- was the tabby"
## [108] "cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall."
## [109] "He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its"
## [110] "eyes. \"Shoo!\" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just"
## [111] "gave him a stern look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley"
## [112] "wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the"
## [113] "house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his"
## [114] "wife. Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over"
## [115] "dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how"
## [116] "Dudley had learned a new word (\"Won't!\"). Mr. Dursley tried to act"
## [117] "normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room"
## [118] "in time to catch the last report on the evening news: \"And finally,"
## [119] "bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been"
## [120] "behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and"
## [121] "are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings"
## [122] "of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are"
## [123] "unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping"
## [124] "pattern.\" The newscaster allowed himself a grin. \"Most mysterious. And"
## [125] "now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more"
## [126] "showers of owls tonight, Jim?\" \"Well, Ted,\" said the weatherman, \"I"
## [127] "don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting"
## [128] "oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have"
## [129] "been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised"
## [130] "yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people"
## [131] "have been celebrating Bonfire Night early -- it's not until next week,"
## [132] "folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight.\" Mr. Dursley sat"
## [133] "frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by"
## [134] "daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a"
## [135] "whisper, a whisper about the Potters... Mrs. Dursley came into the"
## [136] "living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say"
## [137] "something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. \"Er -- Petunia, dear"
## [138] "-- you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?\" As he had"
## [139] "expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they"
## [140] "normally pretended she didn't have a sister. \"No,\" she said sharply."
## [141] "\"Why?\" \"Funny stuff on the news,\" Mr. Dursley mumbled. \"Owls..."
## [142] "shooting stars... and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town"
## [143] "today...\" \"So?\" snapped Mrs. Dursley. \"Well, I just thought..."
## [144] "maybe... it was something to do with... you know... her crowd.\" Mrs."
## [145] "Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered"
## [146] "whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name \"Potter.\" He decided he"
## [147] "didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, \"Their son --"
## [148] "he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?\" \"I suppose so,\" said"
## [149] "Mrs. Dursley stiffly. \"What's his name again? Howard, isn't"
## [150] "it?\" \"Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me.\" \"Oh, yes,\" said"
## [151] "Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. \"Yes, I quite agree.\" He"
## [152] "didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed."
## [153] "While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the"
## [154] "bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still"
## [155] "there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for"
## [156] "something. Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to"
## [157] "do with the Potters? If it did... if it got out that they were related"
## [158] "to a pair of -- well, he didn't think he could bear it. The Dursleys"
## [159] "got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay"
## [160] "awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought"
## [161] "before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there"
## [162] "was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters"
## [163] "knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their"
## [164] "kind.... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in"
## [165] "anything that might be going on -- he yawned and turned over -- it"
## [166] "couldn't affect them.... How very wrong he was. Mr. Dursley might"
## [167] "have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall"
## [168] "outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a"
## [169] "statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive."
## [170] "It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street,"
## [171] "nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight"
## [172] "before the cat moved at all. A man appeared on the corner the cat"
## [173] "had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought"
## [174] "he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its"
## [175] "eyes narrowed. Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet"
## [176] "Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his"
## [177] "hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He"
## [178] "was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and"
## [179] "high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and"
## [180] "sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and"
## [181] "crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. This man's name"
## [182] "was Albus Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that"
## [183] "he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his"
## [184] "boots was unwelcome. He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for"
## [185] "something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he"
## [186] "looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the"
## [187] "other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed"
## [188] "to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, \"I should have known.\" He"
## [189] "found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a"
## [190] "silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air,"
## [191] "and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop. He"
## [192] "clicked it again -- the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times"
## [193] "he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole"
## [194] "street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of"
## [195] "the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even"
## [196] "beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was"
## [197] "happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back"
## [198] "inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where"
## [199] "he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but"
## [200] "after a moment he spoke to it. \"Fancy seeing you here, Professor"
## [201] "McGonagall.\" He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone."
## [202] "Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing"
## [203] "square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around"
## [204] "its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair"
## [205] "was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. \"How did"
## [206] "you know it was me?\" she asked. \"My dear Professor, I 've never seen"
## [207] "a cat sit so stiffly.\" \"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a"
## [208] "brick wall all day,\" said Professor McGonagall. \"All day? When you"
## [209] "could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and"
## [210] "parties on my way here.\" Professor McGonagall sniffed"
## [211] "angrily. \"Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right,\" she said"
## [212] "impatiently. \"You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no -- even"
## [213] "the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news.\""
## [214] "She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. \"I"
## [215] "heard it. Flocks of owls... shooting stars.... Well, they're not"
## [216] "completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars"
## [217] "down in Kent -- I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much"
## [218] "sense.\" \"You can't blame them,\" said Dumbledore gently. \"We've had"
## [219] "precious little to celebrate for eleven years.\" \"I know that,\" said"
## [220] "Professor McGonagall irritably. \"But that's no reason to lose our"
## [221] "heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad"
## [222] "daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors.\" She"
## [223] "threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he"
## [224] "was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. \"A fine"
## [225] "thing it would be if, on the very day YouKnow-Who seems to have"
## [226] "disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he"
## [227] "really has gone, Dumbledore?\" \"It certainly seems so,\" said"
## [228] "Dumbledore. \"We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a"
## [229] "lemon drop?\" \"A what?\" \"A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle"
## [230] "sweet I'm rather fond of\" \"No, thank you,\" said Professor McGonagall"
## [231] "coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops."
## [232] "\"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone -\" \"My dear Professor,"
## [233] "surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All"
## [234] "this 'You- Know-Who' nonsense -- for eleven years I have been trying to"
## [235] "persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort.\" Professor"
## [236] "McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon"
## [237] "drops, seemed not to notice. \"It all gets so confusing if we keep"
## [238] "saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of"
## [239] "saying Voldemort's name. \"I know you haven 't, said Professor"
## [240] "McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. \"But you're"
## [241] "different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right,"
## [242] "Voldemort, was frightened of.\" \"You flatter me,\" said Dumbledore"
## [243] "calmly. \"Voldemort had powers I will never have.\" \"Only because"
## [244] "you're too -- well -- noble to use them.\" \"It's lucky it's dark. I"
## [245] "haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new"
## [246] "earmuffs.\" Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and"
## [247] "said, \"The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around."
## [248] "You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what"
## [249] "finally stopped him?\" It seemed that Professor McGonagall had"
## [250] "reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she"
## [251] "had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor"
## [252] "as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she"
## [253] "did now. It was plain that whatever \"everyone\" was saying, she was not"
## [254] "going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore,"
## [255] "however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer. \"What"
## [256] "they're saying,\" she pressed on, \"is that last night Voldemort turned"
## [257] "up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that"
## [258] "Lily and James Potter are -- are -- that they're -- dead."
## [259] "\" Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. \"Lily"
## [260] "and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh,"
## [261] "Albus...\" Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. \"I"
## [262] "know... I know...\" he said heavily. Professor McGonagall's voice"
## [263] "trembled as she went on. \"That's not all. They're saying he tried to"
## [264] "kill the Potter's son, Harry. But -- he couldn't. He couldn't kill that"
## [265] "little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he"
## [266] "couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke -- and"
## [267] "that's why he's gone. Dumbledore nodded glumly. \"It's -- it's"
## [268] "true?\" faltered Professor McGonagall. \"After all he's done... all the"
## [269] "people he's killed... he couldn't kill a little boy? It's just"
## [270] "astounding... of all the things to stop him... but how in the name of"
## [271] "heaven did Harry survive?\" \"We can only guess,\" said Dumbledore. \"We"
## [272] "may never know.\" Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief"
## [273] "and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great"
## [274] "sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was"
## [275] "a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little"
## [276] "planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to"
## [277] "Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said,"
## [278] "\"Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the"
## [279] "way?\" \"Yes,\" said Professor McGonagall. \"And I don't suppose you're"
## [280] "going to tell me why you're here, of all places?\" \"I've come to"
## [281] "bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left"
## [282] "now.\" \"You don't mean -- you can't mean the people who live here?\""
## [283] "cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number"
## [284] "four. \"Dumbledore -- you can't. I've been watching them all day. You"
## [285] "couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son"
## [286] "-- I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming"
## [287] "for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!\" \"It's the best place"
## [288] "for him,\" said Dumbledore firmly. \"His aunt and uncle will be able to"
## [289] "explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a"
## [290] "letter.\" \"A letter?\" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting"
## [291] "back down on the wall. \"Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain"
## [292] "all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be"
## [293] "famous -- a legend -- I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as"
## [294] "Harry Potter day in the future -- there will be books written about"
## [295] "Harry -- every child in our world will know his name!\" \"Exactly,\""
## [296] "said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon"
## [297] "glasses. \"It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he"
## [298] "can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! CarA"
## [299] "you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that"
## [300] "until he's ready to take it?\" Professor McGonagall opened her mouth,"
## [301] "changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, \"Yes -- yes, you're right,"
## [302] "of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?\" She eyed his"
## [303] "cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry"
## [304] "underneath it. \"Hagrid's bringing him.\" \"You think it -- wise --"
## [305] "to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?\" I would trust"
## [306] "Hagrid with my life,\" said Dumbledore. \"I'm not saying his heart"
## [307] "isn't in the right place,\" said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, \"but"
## [308] "you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to -- what was"
## [309] "that?\" A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It"
## [310] "grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some"
## [311] "sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the"
## [312] "sky -- and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road"
## [313] "in front of them. If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the"
## [314] "man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and"
## [315] "at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed,"
## [316] "and so wild - long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of"
## [317] "his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in"
## [318] "their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms"
## [319] "he was holding a bundle of blankets. \"Hagrid,\" said Dumbledore,"
## [320] "sounding relieved. \"At last. And where did you get that"
## [321] "motorcycle?\" \"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit,\" said the"
## [322] "giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. \"Young Sirius"
## [323] "Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir.\" \"No problems, were"
## [324] "there?\" \"No, sir -- house was almost destroyed, but I got him out"
## [325] "all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as"
## [326] "we was flyin' over Bristol.\" Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall"
## [327] "bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a"
## [328] "baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead"
## [329] "they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning. \"Is"
## [330] "that where -?\" whispered Professor McGonagall. \"Yes,\" said"
## [331] "Dumbledore. \"He'll have that scar forever.\" \"Couldn't you do"
## [332] "something about it, Dumbledore?\" \"Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars"
## [333] "can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a"
## [334] "perfect map of the London Underground. Well -- give him here, Hagrid --"
## [335] "we'd better get this over with.\" Dumbledore took Harry in his arms"
## [336] "and turned toward the Dursleys' house. \"Could I -- could I say"
## [337] "good-bye to him, sir?\" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head"
## [338] "over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery"
## [339] "kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded"
## [340] "dog. \"Shhh!\" hissed Professor McGonagall, \"you'll wake the"
## [341] "Muggles!\" \"S-s-sorry,\" sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted"
## [342] "handkerchief and burying his face in it. \"But I c-c-can't stand it --"
## [343] "Lily an' James dead -- an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles"
## [344] "-\" \"Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid,"
## [345] "or we'll be found,\" Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid"
## [346] "gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and"
## [347] "walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a"
## [348] "letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then"
## [349] "came back to the other two. For a full minute the three of them stood"
## [350] "and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor"
## [351] "McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually"
## [352] "shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. \"Well,\" said"
## [353] "Dumbledore finally, \"that's that. We've no business staying here. We"
## [354] "may as well go and join the celebrations.\" \"Yeah,\" said Hagrid in a"
## [355] "very muffled voice, \"I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night,"
## [356] "Professor McGonagall -- Professor Dumbledore, sir.\" Wiping his"
## [357] "streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the"
## [358] "motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into"
## [359] "the air and off into the night. \"I shall see you soon, I expect,"
## [360] "Professor McGonagall,\" said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor"
## [361] "McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back"
## [362] "down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver"
## [363] "Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to"
## [364] "their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he"
## [365] "could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end"
## [366] "of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of"
## [367] "number four. \"Good luck, Harry,\" he murmured. He turned on his heel"
## [368] "and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. A breeze ruffled the"
## [369] "neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky"
## [370] "sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen."
## [371] "Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One"
## [372] "small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing"
## [373] "he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be"
## [374] "woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the"
## [375] "front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the"
## [376] "next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... He"
## [377] "couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all"
## [378] "over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed"
## [379] "voices: \"To Harry Potter -- the boy who lived!"## document TTR C R CTTR U S K
## 1 1 0.07908686 0.7746403 22.02182 15.57178 21.69642 0.8391039 70.21546
## I D Vm Maas lgV0 lgeV0
## 1 0.8909208 0.007008739 0.08281586 0.2146871 5.989231 13.79071## document MATTR
## 1 1 0.5275775Book 2
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
chamber_of_secrets
order up!
## [1] "THE WORST BIRTHDAY Not for the first time, an argument had broken"
## [2] "out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had"
## [3] "been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise"
## [4] "from his nephew Harry's room. \"Third time this week!\" he roared"
## [5] "across the table. \"If you can't control that owl, it'll have to"
## [6] "go!\" Harry tried, yet again, to explain. \"She's bored,\" he said."
## [7] "\"She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at"
## [8] "night -\" \"Do I look stupid?\" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried"
## [9] "egg dangling from his bushy mustache. \"I know what'll happen if that"
## [10] "owl's let out.\" He exchanged dark looks with his wife,"
## [11] "Petunia. Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned by a"
## [12] "long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley. 1 \"I want more"
## [13] "bacon.\" \"There's more in the frying pan, sweetums,\" said Aunt"
## [14] "Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son. \"We must build you up"
## [15] "while we've got the chance .... I don't like the sound of that school"
## [16] "food ......\" \"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at"
## [17] "Smeltings,\" said Uncle Vernon heartily. \"Dudley gets enough, don't you,"
## [18] "son?\" Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side"
## [19] "of the kitchen chair, grinned and turned to Harry. \"Pass the frying"
## [20] "pan.\" \"You've forgotten the magic word,\" said Harry"
## [21] "irritably. The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the"
## [22] "family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a"
## [23] "crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream"
## [24] "and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet,"
## [25] "veins throbbing in his temples. \"I meant `please'!\" said Harry"
## [26] "quickly. \"I didn't mean -\" \"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU,\" thundered his"
## [27] "uncle, spraying spit over the table, \"ABOUT SAYING THE `M' WORD IN OUR"
## [28] "HOUSE?\" \"But I -\" \"HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!\" roared Uncle"
## [29] "Vernon, pounding the table with his fist. \"I just -\" \"I WARNED"
## [30] "YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS"
## [31] "ROOF!\" Harry stared from his purple-faced uncle to his pale aunt,"
## [32] "who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet. \"All right,\" said Harry,"
## [33] "\"all right. . . \" Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a"
## [34] "winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corners of his"
## [35] "small, sharp eyes. Ever since Harry had come home for the summer"
## [36] "holidays, Uncle Vernon had been treating him like a bomb that might go"
## [37] "off at any moment, because Harry Potter wasn't a normal boy. As a"
## [38] "matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be. Harry"
## [39] "Potter was a wizard - a wizard fresh from his first year at Hogwarts"
## [40] "School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And if the Dursleys were unhappy to"
## [41] "have him back for the holidays, it was nothing to how Harry felt. He"
## [42] "missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache. He"
## [43] "missed the castle, with its secret passageways and ghosts, his classes"
## [44] "(though perhaps not Snape, the Potions master), the mail arriving by"
## [45] "owl, eating banquets in the Great Hall, sleeping in his four-poster bed"
## [46] "in the tower dormitory, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, in his cabin"
## [47] "next to the Forbidden Forest in the grounds, and, especially,"
## [48] "Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (six tall goal"
## [49] "posts, four flying balls, and fourteen players on broomsticks). All"
## [50] "Harry's spellbooks, his wand, robes, cauldron, and top-of-the-line"
## [51] "Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick had been locked in a cupboard under the"
## [52] "stairs by Uncle Vernon the instant Harry had come home. What did the"
## [53] "Dursleys care if Harry lost his place on the House Quidditch team"
## [54] "because he hadn't practiced all summer? What was it to the Dursleys if"
## [55] "Harry went back to school without any of his homework done? The"
## [56] "Dursleys were what wizards called Muggles (not a drop of magical blood"
## [57] "in their veins), and as far as they were concerned, having a wizard"
## [58] "in the family was a matter of deepest shame. Uncle Vernon had even"
## [59] "padlocked Harry's owl, Hedwig, inside her cage, to stop her from"
## [60] "carrying messages to anyone in the wizarding world. Harry looked"
## [61] "nothing like the rest of the family. Uncle Vernon was large and"
## [62] "neckless, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse-faced"
## [63] "and bony; Dudley was blond, pink, and porky. Harry, on the other hand,"
## [64] "was small and skinny, with brilliant green eyes and jet-black hair that"
## [65] "was always untidy. He wore round glasses, and on his forehead was a"
## [66] "thin, lightning-shaped scar. It was this scar that made Harry so"
## [67] "particularly unusual, even for a wizard. This scar was the only hint of"
## [68] "Harry's very mysterious past, of the reason he had been left on the"
## [69] "Dursleys' doorstep eleven years before. At the age of one year old,"
## [70] "Harry had somehow survived a curse from the greatest Dark sorcerer of"
## [71] "all time, Lord Voldemort, whose name most witches and wizards still"
## [72] "feared to speak. Harry's parents had died in Voldemort's attack, but"
## [73] "Harry had escaped with his lightning scar, and somehow - nobody"
## [74] "understood why Voldemort's powers had been destroyed the instant he had"
## [75] "failed to kill Harry. So Harry had been brought up by his dead"
## [76] "mother's sister and her husband. He had spent ten years with the"
## [77] "Dursleys, never understanding why he kept making odd things happen"
## [78] "without meaning to, believing the Dursleys' story that he had got his"
## [79] "scar in the car crash that had killed his parents. And then, exactly"
## [80] "a year ago, Hogwarts had written to Harry, and the whole story had"
## [81] "come out. Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and"
## [82] "his scar were famous ... but now the school year was over, and he was"
## [83] "back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog"
## [84] "that had rolled in something smelly. The Dursleys hadn't even"
## [85] "remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. Of"
## [86] "course, his hopes hadn't been high; they'd never given him a real"
## [87] "present, let alone a cake - but to ignore it completely ... At that"
## [88] "moment, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said, \"Now, as"
## [89] "we all know, today is a very important day.\" Harry looked up, hardly"
## [90] "daring to believe it. \"This could well be the day I make the biggest"
## [91] "deal of my career, \" said Uncle Vernon. Harry went back to his"
## [92] "toast. Of course, he thought bitterly, Un cle Vernon was talking about"
## [93] "the stupid dinner party. He'd been talk ing of nothing else for two"
## [94] "weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle"
## [95] "Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Vernon's company"
## [96] "made drills). \"I think we should run through the schedule one more"
## [97] "time,\" said Uncle Vernon. \"We should all be in position at eight"
## [98] "o'clock. Petunia, you will be -?\" \"In the lounge,\" said Aunt Petunia"
## [99] "promptly, \"waiting to welcome them graciously to our home.\" \"Good,"
## [100] "good. And Dudley?\" \"I'll be waiting to open the door.\" Dudley put on"
## [101] "a foul, simpering smile. \"May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs."
## [102] "Mason?\" \"They'll love him!\" cried Aunt Petunia"
## [103] "rapturously. \"Excellent, Dudley,\" said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded"
## [104] "on Harry. \"And you?\" \"I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and"
## [105] "pretending I'm not there,\" said Harry tonelessly. \"Exactly,\" said"
## [106] "Uncle Vernon nastily. \"I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you,"
## [107] "Petunia, and pour them -drinks. At eight- fifteen -\" \"I'll announce"
## [108] "dinner,\" said Aunt Petunia. \"And, Dudley, you'll say -\" \"May I"
## [109] "take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?\" said Dudley, offering"
## [110] "his fat arm to an invisible woman. \"My perfect little gentleman!\""
## [111] "sniffed Aunt Petunia. \"And you?\" said Uncle Vernon viciously to"
## [112] "Harry. \"I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not"
## [113] "there,\" said Harry dully. \"Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a"
## [114] "few good compliments at dinner. Petunia, any ideas?\" \"Vernon tells"
## [115] "me you're a wonderful golfer, Mr. Mason.... Do tell me where you bought"
## [116] "your dress, Mrs. Mason ...... \"Perfect. . . Dudley?\" \"How about"
## [117] "-'We had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Mason, and I"
## [118] "wrote about you.\"' This was too much for both Aunt Petunia and"
## [119] "Harry. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged her son, while Harry"
## [120] "ducked under the table so they wouldn't see him laughing. \"And you,"
## [121] "boy?\" Harry fought to keep his face straight as he emerged. \"I'll"
## [122] "be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there,\" he"
## [123] "said. \"Too right, you will,\" said Uncle Vernon forcefully. \"The Ma"
## [124] "sons don't know anything about you and it's going to stay that way."
## [125] "When dinner's over, you take Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee,"
## [126] "Petunia, and I'll bring the subject around to drills. With any luck,"
## [127] "I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten. be"
## [128] "shopping for a vacation home in Majorca this time to morrow. Harry"
## [129] "couldn't feel too excited about this. He didn't think the Dursleys"
## [130] "would like him any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive."
## [131] "\"Right - I'm off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and"
## [132] "me. And you,\" he snarled at Harry. \"You stay out of your aunt's way"
## [133] "while she's cleaning.\" Harry left through the back door. It was a"
## [134] "brilliant, sunny day. He crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden"
## [135] "bench, and sang under his breath: \"Happy birthday to me ... happy"
## [136] "birthday to me. . . No cards, no presents, and he would be spending the"
## [137] "evening pretending not to exist. He gazed miserably into the hedge. He"
## [138] "had never felt so lonely. More than anything else at Hogwarts, more"
## [139] "even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his best friends, Ron Weasley"
## [140] "and Hermione Granger. They, however, didn't seem to be missing him at"
## [141] "all. Neither of them had written to him all summer, even though Ron had"
## [142] "said he was going to ask Harry to come and stay. Countless times, Harry"
## [143] "had been on the point of unlocking Hedwig's cage by magic and sending"
## [144] "her to Ron and Hermione with a letter, but it wasn't worth the risk."
## [145] "Underage wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. Harry"
## [146] "hadn't told the Dursleys this; he knew it was only their terror that"
## [147] "he might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking"
## [148] "him in the cupboard under the stairs with his wand and broomstick. For"
## [149] "the first couple of weeks back, Harry had enjoyed muttering nonsense"
## [150] "words under his breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as"
## [151] "fast as his fat legs would carry him. But the long silence from Ron and"
## [152] "Hermione had made Harry feel so cut off from the magical world that"
## [153] "even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal - and now Ron and Hermione had"
## [154] "forgotten his birthday. What wouldn't he give now for a message from"
## [155] "Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard? He'd almost be glad of a sight of"
## [156] "his archenemy, Draco Malfoy, just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream"
## [157] ".... Not that his whole year at Hogwarts had been fun. At the very"
## [158] "end of last term, Harry had come face-to-face with none other than Lord"
## [159] "Voldemort himself. Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he"
## [160] "was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power."
## [161] "Harry had slipped through Voldemort's clutches for a second time, but"
## [162] "it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, Harry kept"
## [163] "waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort"
## [164] "was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes Harry"
## [165] "suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. He had been staring"
## [166] "absent-mindedly into the hedge - and the hedge was staring back. Two"
## [167] "enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves. Harry jumped to"
## [168] "his feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn. \"I know"
## [169] "what day it is,\" sang Dudley, waddling toward him. The huge eyes"
## [170] "blinked and vanished. \"What?\" said Harry, not taking his eyes off"
## [171] "the spot where they had been. \"I know what day it is,\" Dudley"
## [172] "repeated, coming right up to him. \"Well done,\" said Harry. \"So"
## [173] "you've finally learned the days of the week.\" \"Today's your"
## [174] "birthday,\" sneered Dudley. \"How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't"
## [175] "you even got friends at that freak place?\" \"Better not let your mum"
## [176] "hear you talking about my school,\" said Harry coolly. Dudley hitched"
## [177] "up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom. \"Why're"
## [178] "you staring at the hedge?\" he said suspiciously. \"I'm trying to"
## [179] "decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire,\" said"
## [180] "Harry. Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat"
## [181] "face. \"You c-can't - Dad told you you're not to do m-magic - he said"
## [182] "he'll chuck you out of the house - and you haven't got anywhere else to"
## [183] "go - you haven't got any friends to take you -\" \"Jiggery pokery!\""
## [184] "said Harry in a fierce voice. \"Hocus pocus squiggly wiggly"
## [185] "-\" \"MUUUUUUM!\" howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed"
## [186] "back toward the house. \"MUUUUM! He's doing you know what!\" Harry"
## [187] "paid dearly for his moment of fun. As neither Dudley nor the hedge"
## [188] "was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew he hadn't really done magic, but"
## [189] "he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the"
## [190] "soapy frying pan. Then she gave him work to do, with the promise he"
## [191] "wouldn't eat again until he'd finished. While Dudley lolled around"
## [192] "watching and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, washed the"
## [193] "car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the"
## [194] "roses, and repainted the garden bench. The sun blazed overhead, burning"
## [195] "the back of his neck. Harry knew he shouldn't have risen to Dudley's"
## [196] "bait, but Dudley had said the very thing Harry had been thinking"
## [197] "himself... maybe he didn't have any friends at Hogwarts .... Wish"
## [198] "they could see famous Harry Potter now, he thought savagely as he"
## [199] "spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down"
## [200] "his face. It was half past seven ,in the evening when at last,"
## [201] "exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling him. \"Get in here! And walk"
## [202] "on the newspaper!\" Harry moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming"
## [203] "kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of"
## [204] "whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in"
## [205] "the oven. \"Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!\" snapped Aunt"
## [206] "Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the"
## [207] "kitchen table. She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail"
## [208] "dress. Harry washed his hands and bolted down his pitiful supper."
## [209] "The moment he had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away his plate."
## [210] "\"Upstairs! Hurry!\" As he passed the door to the living room, Harry"
## [211] "caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jack"
## [212] "ets. He had only just reached the upstairs landing when the door bell"
## [213] "rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the"
## [214] "stairs. \"Remember, boy - one sound -\" Harry crossed to his bedroom on"
## [215] "tiptoe slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his"
## [216] "bed. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it. "## document TTR C R CTTR U S K
## 1 1 0.08696779 0.7848029 25.33421 17.91399 22.90318 0.8480807 71.66234
## I D Vm Maas lgV0 lgeV0
## 1 1.055572 0.007154534 0.08384947 0.2089547 6.241363 14.37127## document MATTR
## 1 1 0.5403529Book 3
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This book was totally badass. It’s everyone’s favorite.
one dark novel!
## [1] " OWL POST Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For"
## [2] "one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of"
## [3] "year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced"
## [4] "to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a"
## [5] "wizard. It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his stomach in"
## [6] "bed, the blankets drawn right over his head like a tent, a flashlight"
## [7] "in one hand and a large leather-bound book (A History of Magic by"
## [8] "Bathilda Bagshot) propped open against the pillow. Harry moved the tip"
## [9] "of his eagle-feather quill down the page, frowning as he looked for"
## [10] "something that would help him write his essay, \"Witch Burning in the"
## [11] "Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless discuss.\" The quill"
## [12] "paused at the top of a likely-looking paragraph. Harry Pushed his round"
## [13] "glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the"
## [14] "book, and read: Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles)"
## [15] "were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good"
## [16] "at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real"
## [17] "witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard"
## [18] "would perform a basic Flame Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek"
## [19] "with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin"
## [20] "the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be"
## [21] "caught no less than fortyseven times in various disguises. Harry put"
## [22] "his quill between his teeth and reached underneath his pillow for his"
## [23] "ink bottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he"
## [24] "unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and began to write,"
## [25] "pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys"
## [26] "heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd"
## [27] "probably find himself locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the"
## [28] "rest of the summer. The Dursley family of number four, Privet Drive,"
## [29] "was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle"
## [30] "Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living"
## [31] "relatives. They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude"
## [32] "toward magic. Harry's dead parents, who had been a witch and wizard"
## [33] "themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof For years,"
## [34] "Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as"
## [35] "downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of"
## [36] "him. To their fury, they had been unsuccessful. These days they lived"
## [37] "in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last"
## [38] "two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The most they"
## [39] "could do, however, was to lock away Harry's spellbooks, wand, cauldron,"
## [40] "and broomstick at the start of the summer break, and forbid him to talk"
## [41] "to the neighbors. This separation from his spellbooks had been a"
## [42] "real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him"
## [43] "a lot of holiday work. One of the essays, a particularly nasty one"
## [44] "about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher,"
## [45] "Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry"
## [46] "detention for a month. Harry had therefore seized his chance in the"
## [47] "first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and"
## [48] "Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new"
## [49] "company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would"
## [50] "notice it too), Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the"
## [51] "cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of his books, and hidden them"
## [52] "in his bedroom. As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets,"
## [53] "the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by"
## [54] "night. Harry was particularly keen to avoid trouble with his aunt"
## [55] "and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood"
## [56] "with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow"
## [57] "wizard one week into the school vacation. Ron Weasley, who was one"
## [58] "of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of"
## [59] "wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had"
## [60] "never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon"
## [61] "who had answered the call. \"Vernon Dursley speaking.\" Harry, who"
## [62] "happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice"
## [63] "answer. \"HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I -- WANT -- TO -- TALK --"
## [64] "TO -- HARRY -- POTTER!\" Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon"
## [65] "jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it"
## [66] "with an expression of mingled fury and alarm. \"WHO IS THIS?\" he"
## [67] "roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. \"WHO ARE YOU?\" \"RON --"
## [68] "WEASLEY!\" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were"
## [69] "speaking from opposite ends of a football field. \"I'M -- A -- FRIEND --"
## [70] "OF -- HARRY'S -- FROM -- SCHOOL --\" Uncle Vernon's small eyes"
## [71] "swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot. \"THERE IS NO"
## [72] "HARRY POTTER HERE!\" he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's"
## [73] "length, as though frightened it might explode. \"I DON'T KNOW WHAT"
## [74] "SCHOOL YOURE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR"
## [75] "MY FAMILY!\" And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if"
## [76] "dropping a poisonous spider. The fight that had followed had been"
## [77] "one of the worst ever. \"HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE"
## [78] "-- PEOPLE LIKE YOU!\" Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with"
## [79] "spit. Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble,"
## [80] "because he hadn't called again. Harry's other best friend from"
## [81] "Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. Harry"
## [82] "suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity,"
## [83] "because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year, had Muggle"
## [84] "parents, knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably"
## [85] "have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts. So Harry"
## [86] "had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks,"
## [87] "and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one."
## [88] "There was just one very small improvement -- after swearing that he"
## [89] "wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been"
## [90] "allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in"
## [91] "because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the"
## [92] "time. Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to"
## [93] "listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the"
## [94] "distant, grunting snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley. It must be"
## [95] "very late, Harry thought. His eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps"
## [96] "he'd finish this essay tomorrow night.... He replaced the top of the"
## [97] "ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed; put the"
## [98] "flashlight, A History of Magic, his essay, quill, and ink inside it;"
## [99] "got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed."
## [100] "Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm"
## [101] "clock on his bedside table. It was one o'clock in the morning."
## [102] "Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old,"
## [103] "without realizing it, for a whole hour. Yet another unusual thing"
## [104] "about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had"
## [105] "never received a birthday card in his life. The Dursleys had completely"
## [106] "ignored his last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they"
## [107] "would remember this one. Harry walked across the dark room, past"
## [108] "Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill,"
## [109] "the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the"
## [110] "blankets. Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't"
## [111] "worried about her: she'd been gone this long before. But he hoped she'd"
## [112] "be back soon -- she was the only living creature in this house who"
## [113] "didn't flinch at the sight of him. Harry, though still rather small"
## [114] "and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. His"
## [115] "jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been -- stubbornly"
## [116] "untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his glasses were bright"
## [117] "green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a"
## [118] "thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning. Of all the unusual"
## [119] "things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was"
## [120] "not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car"
## [121] "crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter"
## [122] "had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the"
## [123] "most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry had"
## [124] "escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his"
## [125] "forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had"
## [126] "rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had"
## [127] "fled.... But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts."
## [128] "Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry"
## [129] "had to admit he was lucky even to have reached his thirteenth"
## [130] "birthday. He scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps"
## [131] "soaring back to him with a dead mouse dangling from her beak,"
## [132] "expecting praise. Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few"
## [133] "seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing. Silhouetted"
## [134] "against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large,"
## [135] "strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction."
## [136] "He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split"
## [137] "second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch, wondering whether to"
## [138] "slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the"
## [139] "street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt"
## [140] "aside. Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up"
## [141] "the third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft"
## [142] "flump on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray,"
## [143] "keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to"
## [144] "its legs. Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once -- his name"
## [145] "was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. Harry dashed to the"
## [146] "bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and"
## [147] "then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave"
## [148] "a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water. Harry turned"
## [149] "back to the remaining owls. One of them, the large snowy female, was"
## [150] "his own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looked extremely"
## [151] "pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak"
## [152] "as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join"
## [153] "Errol. Harry didn't recognize the third owl, a handsome tawny one,"
## [154] "but he knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a"
## [155] "third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest."
## [156] "When Harry relieved this owl of its burden, it ruffled its feathers"
## [157] "importantly, stretched its wings, and took off through the window into"
## [158] "the night. Harry sat down on his bed and grabbed Errol's package,"
## [159] "ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold,"
## [160] "and his first ever birthday card. Fingers trembling slightly, he opened"
## [161] "the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out -- a letter and a newspaper"
## [162] "clipping. The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding"
## [163] "newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black-and-white"
## [164] "picture were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and"
## [165] "read: MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE Arthur"
## [166] "Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry"
## [167] "of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon"
## [168] "Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, \"We will be"
## [169] "spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son,"
## [170] "Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank.\" The"
## [171] "Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the"
## [172] "start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley"
## [173] "children currently attend. Harry scanned the moving photograph, and"
## [174] "a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys waving"
## [175] "furiously at him, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little"
## [176] "Mrs. Weasley; tail, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter,"
## [177] "all (though the black-and-white picture didn't show it) with"
## [178] "flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and"
## [179] "gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm"
## [180] "around his little sister, Ginny. Harry couldn't think of anyone who"
## [181] "deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were"
## [182] "very nice and extremely poor. He picked up Ron's letter and unfolded"
## [183] "it. Dear Harry, Happy birthday! Look, I' really sorry about"
## [184] "that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I"
## [185] "asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted. It's amazing"
## [186] "here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't"
## [187] "believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't"
## [188] "let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons"
## [189] "in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and"
## [190] "stuff. I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw."
## [191] "Seven hundred galleons! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're"
## [192] "going to buy me a new wand for next year. Harry remembered only too"
## [193] "well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when"
## [194] "the car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a"
## [195] "tree on the school grounds. We'll be back about a week before term"
## [196] "starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new"
## [197] "books. Any chance of meeting you there? Don't let the Muggles get"
## [198] "you down! Try and come to London, Ron P.S. Percy's Head Boy."
## [199] "He got the letter last week. Harry glanced back at the photograph."
## [200] "Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking"
## [201] "particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched"
## [202] "jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in"
## [203] "the Egyptian sun. Harry now turned to his present and unwrapped it."
## [204] "Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was"
## [205] "another note from Ron beneath it. Harry -- this is a Pocket"
## [206] "Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to"
## [207] "light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and"
## [208] "isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But"
## [209] "he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup. Bye"
## [210] "-- Ron Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table,"
## [211] "where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the"
## [212] "luminous hands of his clock. He looked at it happily for a few seconds,"
## [213] "then picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought. Inside this, too,"
## [214] "there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from"
## [215] "Hermione. Dear Harry, Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone"
## [216] "call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right. I'm on"
## [217] "holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to"
## [218] "send this to you -- what if they'd opened it at customs? -- but then"
## [219] "Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for"
## [220] "your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there"
## [221] "was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it"
## [222] "delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the"
## [223] "wizarding world), Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week"
## [224] "ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous -- the ancient"
## [225] "Egyptian wizards were fascinating. There's some interesting local"
## [226] "history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of"
## [227] "Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out, I hope it's"
## [228] "not too long -- it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns"
## [229] "asked for. Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of"
## [230] "the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I"
## [231] "really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on"
## [232] "September first! Love from Hermione P.S. Ron says Percy's Head"
## [233] "Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased Ron doesn't seem too happy about"
## [234] "it Harry laughed as he put Herrmone's letter aside and picked up her"
## [235] "present. It was very heavy. Knowing Hermione, he was sure it would be a"
## [236] "large book full of very difficult spells -- but it wasn't. His heart"
## [237] "gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black"
## [238] "leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading Broomstick"
## [239] "Servicing Kit. \"Wow, Hermione!\" Harry whispered, unzipping the case"
## [240] "to look inside. There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish"
## [241] "Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tall-Twig Clippers, a tiny"
## [242] "brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys, and a Handbook"
## [243] "of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare. Apart from his friends, the thing that"
## [244] "Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport"
## [245] "in the magical world -- highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on"
## [246] "broomsticks. Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had"
## [247] "been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the"
## [248] "Hogwarts House teams. One of Harry's most prized possessions was his"
## [249] "Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom. Harry put the leather case aside"
## [250] "and picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl on the"
## [251] "brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. He"
## [252] "tore off the top layer of paper and glimpsed something green and"
## [253] "leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a"
## [254] "strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly -- as though"
## [255] "it had jaws. Harry froze. He knew that Hagrid would never send him"
## [256] "anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal"
## [257] "person's view of what was dangerous. Hagrid had been known to befriend"
## [258] "giant spiders, buy vicious, three-headed dogs from men in pubs, and"
## [259] "sneak illegal dragon eggs into his cabin. Harry poked the parcel"
## [260] "nervously. It snapped loudly again. Harry reached for the lamp on his"
## [261] "bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand, and raised it over his"
## [262] "head, ready to strike. Then he seized the rest of the wrapping paper in"
## [263] "his other hand and pulled. And out fell -- a book. Harry just had"
## [264] "time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden"
## [265] "title The Monster Book of Monsters, before it flipped onto its edge and"
## [266] "scuttled sideways along the bed like some weird crab. \"Uh-oh,\" Harry"
## [267] "muttered. The book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and"
## [268] "shuffled rapidly across the room. Harry followed it stealthily. The"
## [269] "book was hiding in the dark space under his desk. Praying that the"
## [270] "Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry got down on his hands and knees"
## [271] "and reached toward it. \"Ouch!\" The book snapped shut on his hand"
## [272] "and then flapped past him, still scuttling on its covers. Harry"
## [273] "scrambled around, threw himself forward, and managed to flatten it."
## [274] "Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt in the room next door. Hedwig"
## [275] "and Errol watched interestedly as Harry clamped the struggling book"
## [276] "tightly in his arms, hurried to his chest of drawers, and pulled out a"
## [277] "belt, which he buckled tightly around it. The Monster Book shuddered"
## [278] "angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on"
## [279] "the bed and reached for Hagrid's card. Dear Harry, Happy"
## [280] "Birthday! Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say"
## [281] "no more here. Tell you when I see you. Hope the Muggles are treating"
## [282] "you right. All the best, Hagrid It struck Harry as ominous"
## [283] "that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in useful, but he put"
## [284] "Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly"
## [285] "than ever. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts"
## [286] "left. Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Harry slit"
## [287] "open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within, and"
## [288] "read: Dear Mr. Potter, Please note that the new school year will"
## [289] "begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave ftom"
## [290] "King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven"
## [291] "o'clock. Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade"
## [292] "on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your"
## [293] "parent or guardian to sign. A list of books for next year is"
## [294] "enclosed. Yours sincerely, Professor M. McGonagall Deputy"
## [295] "Headmistress Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and"
## [296] "looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit"
## [297] "Hogsmeade on weekends; he knew it was an entirely wizarding village,"
## [298] "and he had never set foot there. But how on earth was he going to"
## [299] "persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form? He looked"
## [300] "over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the"
## [301] "morning. Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he"
## [302] "woke up, Harry got back into bed and reached up to cross off another"
## [303] "day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left"
## [304] "until his return to Hogwarts. Then he took off his glasses and lay"
## [305] "down, eyes open, facing his three birthday cards. Extremely unusual"
## [306] "though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else"
## [307] "-- glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday. "## document TTR C R CTTR U S K
## 1 1 0.07487197 0.7757879 24.245 17.1438 22.39221 0.8426599 71.31627
## I D Vm Maas lgV0 lgeV0
## 1 0.7861283 0.007122158 0.08369142 0.2113253 6.172683 14.21313## document MATTR
## 1 1 0.5313827I need some emotional validation. This is more difficult than I thought it would be. Please praise me.
## [1] "You are delightful!"Book 4
##Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000) goblet_of_fire
goblet
## [1] " The villagers of Little Hangleron still called it \"the Riddle"
## [2] "House,\" even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had"
## [3] "lived there. It stood on a hill overlooking the village, some of its"
## [4] "windows boarded, tiles missing from its roof, and ivy spreading"
## [5] "unchecked over its face. Once a fine-looking manor, and easily the"
## [6] "largest and grandest building for miles around, the Riddle House was"
## [7] "now damp, derelict, and unoccupied. The Little Hagletons all agreed"
## [8] "that the old house was \"creepy.\" Half a century ago, something strange"
## [9] "and horrible had happened there, something that the older inhabitants"
## [10] "of the village still liked to discuss when topics for gossip were"
## [11] "scarce. The story had been picked over so many times, and had been"
## [12] "embroidered in so many places, that nobody was quite sure what the"
## [13] "truth was anymore. Every version of the tale, however, started in the"
## [14] "same place: Fifty years before, at daybreak on a fine summer's morning"
## [15] "when the Riddle House had still been well kept and impressive, a maid"
## [16] "had entered the drawing room to find all three Riddles dead. The"
## [17] "maid had run screaming down the hill into the village and roused as"
## [18] "many people as she could. \"Lying there with their eyes wide open!"
## [19] "Cold as ice! Still in their dinner things!\" The police were"
## [20] "summoned, and the whole of Little Hangleton had seethed with shocked"
## [21] "curiosity and ill-disguised excitement. Nobody wasted their breath"
## [22] "pretending to feel very sad about the Riddles, for they had been most"
## [23] "unpopular. Elderly Mr. and Mrs. Riddle had been rich, snobbish, and"
## [24] "rude, and their grown-up son, Tom, had been, if anything, worse. All"
## [25] "the villagers cared about was the identity of their murderer -- for"
## [26] "plainly, three apparently healthy people did not all drop dead of"
## [27] "natural causes on the same night. The Hanged Man, the village pub,"
## [28] "did a roaring trade that night; the whole village seemed to have turned"
## [29] "out to discuss the murders. They were rewarded for leaving their"
## [30] "firesides when the Riddles' cook arrived dramatically in their midst"
## [31] "and announced to the suddenly silent pub that a man called Frank Bryce"
## [32] "had just been arrested. \"Frank!\" cried several people."
## [33] "\"Never!\" Frank Bryce was the Riddles' gardener. He lived alone in a"
## [34] "run-down cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House. Frank had come"
## [35] "back from the war with a very stiff leg and a great dislike of crowds"
## [36] "and loud noises, and had been working for the Riddles ever"
## [37] "since. There was a rush to buy the cook drinks and hear more"
## [38] "details. \"Always thought he was odd,\" she told the eagerly listening"
## [39] "villagers, after her fourth sherry. \"Unfriendly, like. I'm sure if I've"
## [40] "offered him a cuppa once, I've offered it a hundred times. Never wanted"
## [41] "to mix, he didn't.\" \"Ah, now,\" said a woman at the bar, \"he had a"
## [42] "hard war, Frank. He likes the quiet life. That's no reason to"
## [43] "--\" \"Who else had a key to the back door, then?\" barked the cook."
## [44] "\"There's been a spare key hanging in the gardener's cottage far back as"
## [45] "I can remember! Nobody forced the door last night! No broken windows!"
## [46] "All Frank had to do was creep up to the big house while we was all"
## [47] "sleeping...\" The villagers exchanged dark looks. \"I always"
## [48] "thought that he had a nasty look about him, right enough,\" grunted a"
## [49] "man at the bar. \"War turned him funny, if you ask me,\" said the"
## [50] "landlord. \"Told you I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of"
## [51] "Frank, didn't I, Dot?\" said an excited woman in the"
## [52] "corner. \"Horrible temper,\" said Dot, nodding fervently. \"I remember,"
## [53] "when he was a kid...\" By the following morning, hardly anyone in"
## [54] "Little Hangleton doubted that Frank Bryce had killed the"
## [55] "Riddles. But over in the neighboring town of Great Hangleton, in the"
## [56] "dark and dingy police station, Frank was stubbornly repeating, again"
## [57] "and again, that he was innocent, and that the only person he had seen"
## [58] "near the house on the day of the Riddles' deaths had been a teenage"
## [59] "boy, a stranger, dark-haired and pale. Nobody else in the village had"
## [60] "seen any such boy, and the police were quite sure Frank had invented"
## [61] "him. Then, just when things were looking very serious for Frank, the"
## [62] "report on the Riddles' bodies came back and changed everything. The"
## [63] "police had never read an odder report. A team of doctors had examined"
## [64] "the bodies and had concluded that none of the Riddles had been"
## [65] "poisoned, stabbed, shot, strangles, suffocated, or (as far as they"
## [66] "could tell) harmed at all. In fact (the report continued, in a tone of"
## [67] "unmistakable bewilderment), the Riddles all appeared to be in perfet"
## [68] "health -- apart from the fact that they were all dead. The doctors did"
## [69] "note (as though determined to find something wrong with the bodies)"
## [70] "that each of the Riddles had a look of terror upon his or her face --"
## [71] "but as the frustrated police said, whoever heard of three people being"
## [72] "frightened to death? As there was no proof that the Riddles had been"
## [73] "murdered at all, the police were forced to let Frank go. The Riddles"
## [74] "were buried in the Little Hangleton churchyard, and their graves"
## [75] "remained objects of curiosity for a while. To everyone's surprise, and"
## [76] "amid a cloud of suspicion, Frank Bryce returned to his cottage on the"
## [77] "grounds of the Riddle House. \"'S far as I'm concerned, he killed"
## [78] "them, and I don't care what the police say,\" said Dot in the Hanged"
## [79] "Man. \"And if he had any decency, he'd leave here, knowing as how we"
## [80] "knows he did it.\" But Frank did not leave. He stayed to tend the"
## [81] "garden for the next family who lived in the Riddle House, and then the"
## [82] "next -- for neither family stayed long. Perhaps it was partly because"
## [83] "of Frank that the new owners said there was a nasty feeling about the"
## [84] "place, which, in the absence of inhabitants, started to fall into"
## [85] "disrepair. The wealthy man who owned the Riddle House these days"
## [86] "neither lived there nor put it to any use; they said in the village"
## [87] "that he kept it for \"tax reasons,\" though nobody was very clear what"
## [88] "these might be. The wealthy owner continued to pay Frank to do the"
## [89] "gardening, however. Frank was nearing his seventy-seventh birthday now,"
## [90] "very deaf, his bad leg stiffer than ever, but could be seen pottering"
## [91] "around the flower beds in fine weather, even though the weeds were"
## [92] "starting to creep up on him, try as he might to suppress them. Weeds"
## [93] "were not the only things Frank had to contend with either. Boys from"
## [94] "the village made a habit of throwing stones through the windows of the"
## [95] "Riddle House. They rode their bicycles over the lawns Frank worked so"
## [96] "hard to keep smooth. Once or twice, they broke into the old house for a"
## [97] "dare. They knew that old Frank's devotion to the house and the grounds"
## [98] "amounted almost to an obsession, and it amused them to see him limping"
## [99] "across the garden, brandishing his stick and yelling croakily at them."
## [100] "Frank, for his part, believed the boys tormented him because they, like"
## [101] "their parents and grandparents, though him a murderer. So when Frank"
## [102] "awoke one night in August and saw something very odd up at the old"
## [103] "house, he merely assumed that the boys had gone one step further in"
## [104] "their attempts to punish him. It was Frank's bad leg that woke him;"
## [105] "it was paining him worse than ever in his old age. He got up and limped"
## [106] "downstairs into the kitchen with the idea of refilling his hot-water"
## [107] "bottle to ease the stiffness in his knee. Standing at the sink, filling"
## [108] "the kettle, he looked up at the Riddle House and saw lights glimmering"
## [109] "in its upper windows. Frank knew at once what was going on. The boys"
## [110] "had broken into the house again, and judging by the flickering quality"
## [111] "of the light, they had started a fire. Frank had no telephone, in"
## [112] "any case, he had deeply mistrusted the police ever since they had taken"
## [113] "him in for questioning about the Riddles' deaths. He put down the"
## [114] "kettle at once, hurried back upstairs as fast as his bad leg would"
## [115] "allow, and was soon back in his kitchen, fully dressed and removing a"
## [116] "rusty old key from its hook by the door. He picked up his walking"
## [117] "stick, which was propped against the wall, and set off into the"
## [118] "night. The front door of the Riddle House bore no sign of being"
## [119] "forced, nor did any of the windows. Frank limped around to the back of"
## [120] "the house until he reached a door almost completely hidden by ivy, took"
## [121] "out the old key, put it into the lock, and opened the door"
## [122] "noiselessly. He let himself into the cavernous kitchen. Frank had"
## [123] "not entered it for many years; nevertheless, although it was very dark,"
## [124] "he remembered where the door into the hall was, and he groped his way"
## [125] "towards it, his nostrils full of the smell of decay, ears pricked for"
## [126] "any sound of footsteps or voices from overhead. He reached the hall,"
## [127] "which was a little lighter owing to the large mullioned windows on"
## [128] "either side of the front door, and started to climb the stairs,"
## [129] "blessing the dust that lay thick upon the stone, because it muffled the"
## [130] "sound of his feet and stick. On the landing, Frank turned right, and"
## [131] "saw at once where the intruders were: At the every end of the passage a"
## [132] "door stood ajar, and a flickering light shone through the gap, casting"
## [133] "a long sliver of gold across the black floor. Frank edged closer and"
## [134] "closer, he was able to see a narrow slice of the room beyond. The"
## [135] "fire, he now saw, had been lit in the grate. This surprised him. Then"
## [136] "he stopped moving and listened intently, for a man's voice spoke within"
## [137] "the room; it sounded timid and fearful. \"There is a little more in"
## [138] "the bottle, My Lord, if you are still hungry.\" \"Later,\" said a"
## [139] "second voice. This too belonged to a man -- but it was strangely"
## [140] "high-pitched, and cold as a sudden blast of icy wind. Something about"
## [141] "that voice made the sparse hairs on the back of Frank's neck stand up."
## [142] "\"Move me closer to the fire, Wormtail.\" Frank turned his right ear"
## [143] "toward the door, the better to hear. There came the clink of a bottle"
## [144] "being put down upon some hard surface, and then the dull scraping noise"
## [145] "of a heavy chair being dragged across the floor. Frank caught a glimpse"
## [146] "of a small man, his back to the door, pushing the chair into place. He"
## [147] "was wearing a long black cloak, and there was a bald patch at the back"
## [148] "of his head. Then he went out of sight again. \"Where is Nagini?\""
## [149] "said the cold voice. \"I -- I don't know, My Lord,\" said the first"
## [150] "voice nervously. \"She set out to explore the house, I think...\" \"You"
## [151] "will milk her before we retire, Wormtail,\" said the second voice. \"I"
## [152] "will need feeding in the night. The journey has tired me"
## [153] "greatly.\" Brow furrowed, Frank inclined his good ear still closer to"
## [154] "the door, listening very hard. There was a pause, and then the man"
## [155] "called Wormtail spoke again. \"My Lord, may I ask how long we are"
## [156] "going to stay here?\" \"A week,\" said the cold voice. \"Perhapse"
## [157] "longer. The place is moderately comfortable, and the plan cannot"
## [158] "proceed yet. It would be foolish to act before the Quidditch World Cup"
## [159] "is over.\" Frank inserted a gnarled finger into his ear and rotated"
## [160] "it. Owing, no doubt, to a buildup of earwax, he had heard the word"
## [161] "\"Quidditch,\" which was not a word at all. \"The -- the Quidditch"
## [162] "World Cup, My Lord?\" said Wormtail. (Frank dug his finger still more"
## [163] "vigorously into his ear.) \"Forgive me, but -- I do not understand --"
## [164] "why should we wait until the World Cup is over?\" \"Because, fool, at"
## [165] "this very moment wizards are pouring into the country from all over the"
## [166] "world, and every meddler from the Ministry of Magic will be on duty, on"
## [167] "the watch for signs of ususual activity, checking and double-checking"
## [168] "identities. They will be obsessed with security, lest the Muggles"
## [169] "notice anything. So we wait.\" Frank stopped trying to clear out his"
## [170] "ear. He had distinctly heard the words \"Ministry of Magic,\" \"wizards,\""
## [171] "and \"Muggles.\" Plainly, each of these expressions meant something"
## [172] "secret, and Frank could think of only two sorts of people who would"
## [173] "speak in code: spies and criminals. Frank tightened his hold on his"
## [174] "walking stick once more, and listened more closely still. \"Your"
## [175] "Lordship is still determined, then?\" Wormtail said"
## [176] "quietly. \"Certainly I am determined, Wormtail.\" There was a note of"
## [177] "menace in the cold voice now. A slight pause followed -- and the"
## [178] "Wormtail spoke, the words tumbling from him in a rush, as though he was"
## [179] "forcing himself to say this before he lost his nerve. \"It could be"
## [180] "done without Harry Potter, My Lord.\" Another pause, more protracted,"
## [181] "and then -- \"Without Harry Potter?\" breathed the second voice softly."
## [182] "\"I see...\" \"My Lord, I do not say this out of concern for the boy!\""
## [183] "said Wormtail, his voice rising squeakily. \"The boy is nothing to me,"
## [184] "nothing at all! It is merely that if we were to use another witch or"
## [185] "wizard -- any wizard -- the thing could be done so much more quickly!"
## [186] "If you allowed me to leave you for a short while -- you know that I can"
## [187] "disguise myself most effectively -- I could be back here in as little"
## [188] "as two days with a suitable person --\" \"I could use another wizard,\""
## [189] "said the cold voice softly, \"that is true...\" \"My Lord, it makes"
## [190] "sense,\" said Wormtail, sounding thoroughly relieved now. \"Laying"
## [191] "hands on Harry Potter would be so difficult, he is so well protected"
## [192] "--\" \"And so you volunteer to go and fetch me a substitute? I"
## [193] "wonder...perhaps the task of nursing me has become wearisome for you,"
## [194] "Wormtail? Could this suggestion of abandoning the plan be nothing more"
## [195] "than an attempt to desert me?\" \"My Lord! I -- I have no wish to"
## [196] "leave you, none at all --\" \"Do not lie to me!\" hissed the second"
## [197] "voice. \"I can always tell, Wormtail! You are regretting that you ever"
## [198] "returned to me. I revolt you. I see you flinch when you look at me,"
## [199] "feel you shudder when you touch me...\" \"No! My devotion to Your"
## [200] "Lordship --\" \"Your devotion is nothing more than cowardice. You"
## [201] "would not be here if you had anywhere else to go. How am I to survive"
## [202] "without you, when I need feeding every few hours? Who is to milk"
## [203] "Nagini?\" \"But you seem so much stronger, My Lord --\" \"Liar,\""
## [204] "breathed the second voice. \"I am no stronger, and a few days alone"
## [205] "would be enough to rob me of the little health I have regained under"
## [206] "your clumsy care. Silence!\" Wormtail, who had been sputtering"
## [207] "incoherently, fell silent at once. For a few seconds, Frank could hear"
## [208] "nothing but the fire crackling. The the second man spoke once more, in"
## [209] "a whisper that was almost a hiss. \"I have my reasons for using the"
## [210] "boy, as I have already explained to you, and I will use no other. I"
## [211] "have waited thirteen years. A few more months will make no difference."
## [212] "As for the protection surrounding the boy, I believe my plan will be"
## [213] "effective. All that is needed is a little courage from you, Wormtail --"
## [214] "courage you will find, unless you wish to feel the full extent of Lord"
## [215] "Voldermort's wrath --\" \"My Lord, I must speak!\" said Wormtail, panic"
## [216] "in his voice now. \"All through our journey I have gone over the plan in"
## [217] "my head -- My Lord, Bertha Jorkin's disappearance will not go unnoticed"
## [218] "for long, and if we proceed, if I murder --\" \"If?\" whispered the"
## [219] "second voice. \"If? If you follow the plan, Wormtail, the Ministry need"
## [220] "never know that anyone else has died. You will do it quietly and"
## [221] "without fuss; I only wish that i could do it myself, but in my present"
## [222] "condition...Come, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter"
## [223] "is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my faithful"
## [224] "serant will have rejoined us --\" \"I am a faithful servant,\" said"
## [225] "Wormtail, the merest trace of sullenness in his voice. \"Wormtail, I"
## [226] "need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered,"
## [227] "and you, unfortunately, fulfill neither requirement.\" \"I found you,\""
## [228] "said Wormtail, and there was definitely a sulky edge to his voice now."
## [229] "\"I was the one who found you. I brought you Bertha Jorkins.\" \"That"
## [230] "is true,\" said the second man, sounding amused. \"A stroke of brilliance"
## [231] "I would not have thought possible from you, Wormtail -- though, if"
## [232] "truth be told, you were not aware how useful she would be when you"
## [233] "caught her, were you?\" \"I -- I thought she might be useful, My Lord"
## [234] "--\" \"Liar,\" said the second voice again, the cruel amusement more"
## [235] "pronounced than ever. \"However, I do not deny that her information was"
## [236] "invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for"
## [237] "that, you will have your reward, Wormtail. I will allow you to perform"
## [238] "an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give"
## [239] "their right hands to perform...\" \"R-really, My Lord? What -- ?\""
## [240] "Wormtail sounded terrified again. \"Ah, Wormtail, you don't want me"
## [241] "to spoil the surprise? Your part will come at the very end...but I"
## [242] "promise you, you will have the honor of being just as useful as Bertha"
## [243] "Jorkins.\" \"You...you...\" Wormtail's voice suddenly sounded hoarse,"
## [244] "as though his mouth had gone very dry. \"You...are going...to kill me"
## [245] "too?\" \"Wormtail, Wormtail,\" said the cold voice silkily, \"why would"
## [246] "I kill you? I killed Bertha because I had to. She was fit for nothing"
## [247] "after my questioning, quite useless. In any case, awkward questions"
## [248] "would have been asked if she had gone back to the Ministry with the"
## [249] "news that she had met you on her holidays. Wizards who are supposed to"
## [250] "be dead would do well not to run into Ministry of Magic witches at"
## [251] "wayside inns...\" Wormtail muttered something so quietly that Frank"
## [252] "could not hear it, but it made the second man laugh -- an entirely"
## [253] "mirthless laugh, cold as his speech. \"We could have modified her"
## [254] "memory? But Memory Charms can be broken by a powerful wizard, as I"
## [255] "proved when I questioned her. It would be an insult to her memory not"
## [256] "to use the information I extracted from her, Wormtail.\" Out in the"
## [257] "corridor, Frank suddenly became aware that the hand gripping his"
## [258] "walking stick was slippery with sweat. The man with the cold voice had"
## [259] "killed a woman. He was talking about it without any kind of remorse"
## [260] "-- with amusement. He was dangerous -- a madman. And he was planning"
## [261] "more murders -- this boy, Harry Potter, whoever he was -- was in danger"
## [262] "-- Frank knew what he must do. Now, if ever, was the time to go to the"
## [263] "police. He would creep out of the house and head straight for the"
## [264] "telephone box in the village...but the cold voice was speaking again,"
## [265] "and Frank remained where he was, frozen to the spot, listening with all"
## [266] "his might. \"One more murder...my faithful servant at"
## [267] "Hogwarts...Harry Potter is as good as mine, Wormtail. It is decided."
## [268] "There will be no more argument. But quiet...I think I hear"
## [269] "Nagini...\" And the second man's voice changed. He started making"
## [270] "noises such as Frank had never heard before; he was hissing and"
## [271] "spitting without drawing breath. Frank thought he must be having some"
## [272] "sort of fit or seizure. And then Frank heard movement behind him in"
## [273] "the dark passageway. He turned to look, and found himself paralyzed"
## [274] "with fright. Something was slithering toward him along the dark"
## [275] "corridor floor, and as it drew nearer to the sliver of firelight, he"
## [276] "realized with a thrill of terror that it was a gigantic snake, at least"
## [277] "twelve feet long. Horrified, transfixed, Frank stared as its undulating"
## [278] "body cut a wide, curving track through the thick dust on the floor,"
## [279] "coming closer and closer -- What was he to do? The only means of escape"
## [280] "was into the room where the two men sat plotting murder, yet if he"
## [281] "stayed where he was the snake would surely kill him -- But before he"
## [282] "had made his decision, the snake was level with him, and then,"
## [283] "incredibly, miraculously, it was passing; it was following the"
## [284] "spitting, hissing noises made by the cold voice beyond the door, and in"
## [285] "seconds, the tip of its diamond-patterned tail had vanished through the"
## [286] "gap. There was sweat on Frank's forehead now, and the hand on the"
## [287] "walking stick was trembling. Inside the room, the cold voice was"
## [288] "continuing to hiss, and Frank was visited by a strange idea, an"
## [289] "impossible idea...This man could talk to snakes. Frank didn't"
## [290] "understand what was going on. He wanted more than anything to be back"
## [291] "in his bed with his hot-water bottle. The problem was that his legs"
## [292] "didn't seem to want to move. As he stood there shaking and trying to"
## [293] "master himself, the cold voice switched abruptly to English"
## [294] "again. \"Nagini has interesting news, Wormtail,\" it"
## [295] "said. \"In-indeed, My Lord?\" said Wormtail. \"Indeed, yes,\" said"
## [296] "the voice, \"According to Nagini, there is an old Muggle standing right"
## [297] "outside this room, listening to every word we say.\" Frank didn't"
## [298] "have a chance to hide himself. There were footsteps and then the door"
## [299] "of the room was flung wide open. A short, balding man with graying"
## [300] "hair, a pointed nose, and small, watery eyes stood before Frank, a"
## [301] "mixture of fear and alarm in his face. \"Invite him inside, Wormtail."
## [302] "Where are your manners?\" The cold voice was coming from the ancient"
## [303] "armchair before the fire, but Frank couldn't see the speaker. the"
## [304] "snake, on the other hand, was curled up on the rotting hearth rug, like"
## [305] "some horrible travesty of a pet dog. Wormtail beckoned Frank into"
## [306] "the room. Though still deeply shaken, Frank took a firmer grip on"
## [307] "his walking stick and limped over the threshold. The fire was the"
## [308] "only source of light in the room; it cast long, spidery shadows upon"
## [309] "the walls. Frank stared at the back of the armchair; the man inside it"
## [310] "seemed to be even smaller than his servant, for Frank couldn't even see"
## [311] "the back of his head. \"You heard everything, Muggle?\" said the cold"
## [312] "voice. \"What's that you're calling me?\" said Frank defiantly, for"
## [313] "now that he was inside the room, now that the time had come for some"
## [314] "sort of action, he felt braver; it had always been so in the war. \"I"
## [315] "am calling you a Muggle,\" said the voice coolly. \"It means that you are"
## [316] "not a wizard.\" \"I don't know what you mean by wizard,\" said Frank,"
## [317] "his voice growing steadier. \"All I know is I've heard enough to"
## [318] "interest the police tonight, I have. You've done murder and you're"
## [319] "planning more! And I'll tell youthis too,\" he added, on a sudden"
## [320] "inspiration, \"my wife knows I'm up here, and if I don't come back"
## [321] "--\" \"You have no wife,\" said te cold voice, very quietly. \"Nobody"
## [322] "knows you are here. You told nobody that you were coming. Do not lie to"
## [323] "Lord Voldemort, Muggle, for he knows...he always knows...\" \"Is that"
## [324] "right?\" said Frank roughly. \"Lord, is it? Well, I don't think much of"
## [325] "your manners, My Lord. Turn 'round and face me like a man, why don't"
## [326] "you?\" \"But I am not a man, Muggle,\" said the cold voice, barely"
## [327] "audible now over the crackling of the flames. \"I am much, much more"
## [328] "than a man. However...why not? I will face you...Wormtail, come turn my"
## [329] "chair around.\" The servant gave a whimper. \"You heard me,"
## [330] "Wormtail.\" Slowly, with his face screwed up, as though he would"
## [331] "rather have done anything than approach his master and the hearth rug"
## [332] "where the snake lay, the small man walked forward and began to turn the"
## [333] "chair. The snake lifted its ugly triangular head and hissed slightly as"
## [334] "the legs of the chair snagged on its rug. And then the chair was"
## [335] "facing Frank, and he saw what was sitting in it. His walking stick fell"
## [336] "to the floor with a clatter. He opened his mouth and let out a scream."
## [337] "He was screaming so loudly that he never heard the words the thing in"
## [338] "the chair spoke as it raised a wand. There was a flash of green light,"
## [339] "a rushing sound, and Frank Bryce crumpled. He was dead before he hit"
## [340] "the floor. Two hundred miles away, the boy called Harry Potter woke"
## [341] "with a start."## document TTR C R CTTR U S K
## 1 1 0.057427 0.765015 25.08784 17.73978 22.47248 0.8390321 72.85608
## I D Vm Maas lgV0 lgeV0
## 1 0.4526727 0.007280407 0.08481962 0.2109476 6.272877 14.44383## document MATTR
## 1 1 0.5267227Book 5
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
order_of_the_phoenix
order up!
## [1] "Dudley Demented The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to"
## [2] "a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of"
## [3] "Privet Drive. Cars that were usually gleaming stood dusty in their"
## [4] "drives and lawns that were once emerald green lay parched and yellowing"
## [5] "- 'for the use of hosepipes had been banned due to drought. Deprived of"
## [6] "their usual car-washing and lawn-mowing pursuits, the inhabitants of"
## [7] "Privet Drive had retreated into the shade of their cool houses, windows"
## [8] "thrown wide in the hope of tempting in a nonexistent breeze. The only"
## [9] "person left outdoors was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back"
## [10] "in a flowerbed outside number four. He was a skinny, black-haired,"
## [11] "bespectacled boy who had the pinched, slightly unhealthy look of"
## [12] "someone who has grown a lot in a short space of time. His jeans were"
## [13] "torn and dirty, his T-shirt baggy and faded, and the soles of his"
## [14] "trainers were peeling away from the uppers. Harry Potters appearance"
## [15] "did not endear him to the neighbours, who were the sort of people who"
## [16] "thought scruffiness ought to be punishable by law, but as he had hidden"
## [17] "himself behind a large hydrangea bush this evening he was quite"
## [18] "invisible to passers-by. In fact, the only way he would be spotted was"
## [19] "if his Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia stuck their heads out of the"
## [20] "living-room window and looked straight down into the flowerbed below. "
## [21] " On the whole, Harry thought he was to be congratulated on his idea of"
## [22] "hiding here. He was not, perhaps, very comfortable lying on the hot,"
## [23] "hard earth but, on the other hand, nobody was glaring at him, grinding"
## [24] "their teeth so loudly that he could not hear the news, or shooting"
## [25] "nasty questions at him, as had happened every time he had tried sitting"
## [26] "down in the living room to watch television with his aunt and uncle. "
## [27] "Almost as though this thought had fluttered through the open window,"
## [28] "Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle, suddenly spoke. 'Glad to see the"
## [29] "boy's stopped trying to butt in. Where is he, anyway?' 'I don't"
## [30] "know,' said Aunt Petunia, unconcerned. 'Not in the house.' Uncle"
## [31] "Vernon grunted. 'Watching the news . . .' he said scathingly. 'I'd"
## [32] "like to know what he's really up to. As if a normal boy cares what's on"
## [33] "the news - 'Dudley hasn't got a clue what's going on; doubt he knows"
## [34] "who the Prime Minister is! Anyway, it's not as if there'd be anything"
## [35] "about his lot on our news - ' 'Vernon, shh!' said Aunt Petunia. The"
## [36] "window's open!' 'Oh - yes - sorry, dear.' The Dursleys fell"
## [37] "silent. Harry listened to a jingle about Fruit 'n' Bran breakfast"
## [38] "cereal while he watched Mrs Figg, a batty cat-loving old lady from"
## [39] "nearby Wisteria Walk, amble slowly past. She was frowning and muttering"
## [40] "to herself. Harry was very pleased he was concealed behind the bush, as"
## [41] "Mrs Figg had recently taken to asking him round for tea whenever she"
## [42] "met him in the street. She had rounded the corner and vanished from"
## [43] "view before Uncle Vernon's voice floated out of the window again. "
## [44] "'Dudders out for tea?' 'At the Polkisses',' said Aunt Petunia"
## [45] "fondly. 'He's got so many little friends, he's so popular . . .' "
## [46] "Harry suppressed a snort with difficulty. The Dursleys really were"
## [47] "astonishingly stupid about their son, Dudley. They had swallowed all"
## [48] "his dim-witted lies about having tea with a different member of his"
## [49] "gang every night of the summer holidays. Harry knew perfectly well that"
## [50] "Dudley had not been to tea anywhere; he and his gang spent every"
## [51] "evening vandalising the play park, smoking on street corners and"
## [52] "throwing stones at passing cars and children. Harry had seen them at it"
## [53] "during his evening walks around Little Whinging; he had spent most of"
## [54] "the holidays wandering the streets, scavenging newspapers from bins"
## [55] "along the way. The opening notes of the music that heralded the"
## [56] "seven o'clock news reached Harry's ears and his stomach turned over."
## [57] "Perhaps tonight - after a month of waiting - would be the night. "
## [58] "'Record numbers of stranded holidaymakers fill airports as the Spanish"
## [59] "baggage-handlers' strike reaches its second week - ' 'Give 'em a"
## [60] "lifelong siesta, I would,' snarled Uncle Vernon over the end of the"
## [61] "newsreaders sentence, but no matter: outside in the flowerbed, Harry's"
## [62] "stomach seemed to unclench. If anything had happened, it would surely"
## [63] "have been the first item on the news; death and destruction were more"
## [64] "important than stranded holidaymakers. He let out a long, slow"
## [65] "breath and stared up at the brilliant blue sky. Every day this summer"
## [66] "had been the same: the tension, the expectation, the temporary relief,"
## [67] "and then mounting tension again . . . and always, growing more"
## [68] "insistent all the time, the question of why nothing had happened yet. "
## [69] " He kept listening, just in case there was some small clue, not"
## [70] "recognised for what it really was by the Muggles - an unexplained"
## [71] "disappearance, perhaps, or some strange accident . . . but the"
## [72] "baggage-handlers' strike was followed by news about the drought in the"
## [73] "Southeast ('I hope he's listening next door!' bellowed Uncle Vernon."
## [74] "'Him with his sprinklers on at three in the morning!'), then a"
## [75] "helicopter that had almost crashed in a field in Surrey, then a famous"
## [76] "actress's divorce from her famous husband ('As if we're interested in"
## [77] "their sordid affairs,' sniffed Aunt Petunia, who had followed the case"
## [78] "obsessively in every magazine she could lay her bony hands on). "
## [79] "Harry closed his eyes against the now blazing evening sky as the"
## [80] "newsreader said, '- and finally, Bungy the budgie has found a novel way"
## [81] "of keeping cool this summer. Bungy, who lives at the Five Feathers in"
## [82] "Barnsley, has learned to water ski! Mary Dorkins went to find out"
## [83] "more.' Harry opened his eyes. If they had reached water-skiing"
## [84] "budgerigars, there would be nothing else worth hearing. He rolled"
## [85] "cautiously on to his front and raised himself on to his knees and"
## [86] "elbows, preparing to crawl out from under the window. He had moved"
## [87] "about two inches when several things happened in very quick"
## [88] "succession. A loud, echoing crack broke the sleepy silence like a"
## [89] "gunshot; a cat streaked out from under a parked car and flew out of"
## [90] "sight; a shriek, a bellowed oath and the sound of breaking china came"
## [91] "from the Dursleys' living room, and as though this was the signal Harry"
## [92] "had been waiting for he jumped to his feet, at the same time pulling"
## [93] "from the waistband of his jeans a thin wooden wand as if he were"
## [94] "unsheathing a sword - but before he could draw himself up to full"
## [95] "height, the top of his head collided with the Dursleys' open window."
## [96] "The resultant crash made Aunt Petunia scream even louder. Harry felt"
## [97] "as though his head had been split in two. Eyes streaming, he swayed,"
## [98] "trying to focus on the street to spot the source of the noise, but he"
## [99] "had barely staggered upright when two large purple hands reached"
## [100] "through the open window and closed tightly around his throat. 'Put -"
## [101] "it - away!' Uncle Vernon snarled into Harry's ear. 'Now! Before -"
## [102] "anyone - sees!' 'Get - off - me!' Harry gasped. For a few seconds"
## [103] "they struggled, Harry pulling at his uncle's sausage-like fingers with"
## [104] "his left hand, his right maintaining a firm grip on his raised wand;"
## [105] "then, as the pain in the top of Harry's head gave a particularly nasty"
## [106] "throb, Uncle Vernon yelped and released Harry as though he had received"
## [107] "an electric shock. Some invisible force seemed to have surged through"
## [108] "his nephew, making him impossible to hold. Panting, Harry fell"
## [109] "forwards over the hydrangea bush, straightened up and stared around."
## [110] "There was no sign of what had caused the loud cracking noise, but there"
## [111] "were several faces peering through various nearby windows. Harry"
## [112] "stuffed his wand hastily back into his jeans and tried to look"
## [113] "innocent. 'Lovely evening!' shouted Uncle Vernon, waving at Mrs"
## [114] "Number Seven opposite, who was glaring from behind her net curtains."
## [115] "'Did you hear that car backfire just now? Gave Petunia and me quite a"
## [116] "turn!' He continued to grin in a horrible, manic way until all the"
## [117] "curious neighbours had disappeared from their various windows, then the"
## [118] "grin became a grimace of rage as he beckoned Harry back towards him. "
## [119] "Harry moved a few steps closer, taking care to stop just short of the"
## [120] "point at which Uncle Vernon's outstretched hands could resume their"
## [121] "strangling. 'What the devil do you mean by it, boy?' asked Uncle"
## [122] "Vernon in a croaky voice that trembled with fury. 'What do I mean by"
## [123] "what?' said Harry coldly. He kept looking left and right up the street,"
## [124] "still hoping to see the person who had made the cracking noise. "
## [125] "'Making a racket like a starting pistol right outside our - ' 'I"
## [126] "didn't make that noise,' said Harry firmly. Aunt Petunia's thin,"
## [127] "horsy face now appeared beside Uncle Vernon's wide, purple one. She"
## [128] "looked livid. 'Why were you lurking under our window?' 'Yes -"
## [129] "yes, good point, Petunia! What were you doing under our window, boy?' "
## [130] " 'Listening to the news,' said Harry in a resigned voice. His aunt"
## [131] "and uncle exchanged looks of outrage. 'Listening to the news!"
## [132] "Again?' 'Well, it changes every day, you see,' said Harry. 'Don't"
## [133] "you be clever with me, boy! I want to know what you're really up to -"
## [134] "and don't give me any more of this listening to the news tosh! You know"
## [135] "perfectly well that your lot - ' 'Careful, Vernon!' breathed Aunt"
## [136] "Petunia, and Uncle Vernon lowered his voice so that Harry could barely"
## [137] "hear him,' - that your lot don't get on our news!' That's all you"
## [138] "know,' said Harry. The Dursleys goggled at him for a few seconds,"
## [139] "then Aunt Petunia said, 'You're a nasty little liar. What are all those"
## [140] "- ' she, too, lowered her voice so that Harry had to lip-read the next"
## [141] "word, ' - owls doing if they're not bringing you news?' 'Aha!' said"
## [142] "Uncle Vernon in a triumphant whisper. 'Get out of that one, boy! As if"
## [143] "we didn't know you get all your news from those pestilential birds!' "
## [144] "Harry hesitated for a moment. It cost him something to tell the truth"
## [145] "this time, even though his aunt and uncle could not possibly know how"
## [146] "bad he felt at admitting it. 'The owls . . . aren't bringing me"
## [147] "news,' he said tonelessly. 'I don't believe it,' said Aunt Petunia"
## [148] "at once. 'No more do I,' said Uncle Vernon forcefully. 'We know"
## [149] "you're up to something funny' said Aunt Petunia. 'We're not stupid,"
## [150] "you know,' said Uncle Vernon. 'Well, that's news to me,' said Harry,"
## [151] "his temper rising, and before the Dursleys could call him back, he had"
## [152] "wheeled about, crossed the front lawn, stepped over the low garden wall"
## [153] "and was striding off up the street. He was in trouble now and he"
## [154] "knew it. He would have to face his aunt and uncle later and pay the"
## [155] "price for his rudeness, but he: did not care very much just at the"
## [156] "moment; he had much more pressing matters on his mind. Harry was"
## [157] "sure the cracking noise had been made by someone Apparating or"
## [158] "Disapparating. It was exactly the sound Dobby the house-elf made when"
## [159] "he vanished into thin air. Was it possible that Dobby was here in"
## [160] "Privet Drive? Could Dobby be following him right at this very moment?"
## [161] "As this thought occurred he wheeled around and stared back down Privet"
## [162] "Drive, but it appeared to be completely deserted and Harry was sure"
## [163] "that Dobby did not know how to become invisible. He walked on,"
## [164] "hardly aware of the route he was taking, for he had pounded these"
## [165] "streets so often lately that his feet carried him to his favourite"
## [166] "haunts automatically. Every few steps he glanced back over his"
## [167] "shoulder. Someone magical had been near him as he lay among Aunt"
## [168] "Petunia's dying begonias, he was sure of it. Why hadn't they spoken to"
## [169] "him, why hadn't they made contact, why were they hiding now? And"
## [170] "then, as his feeling of frustration peaked, his certainty leaked away. "
## [171] " Perhaps it hadn't been a magical sound after all. Perhaps he was so"
## [172] "desperate for the tiniest sign of contact from the world to which he"
## [173] "belonged that he was simply overreacting to perfectly ordinary noises."
## [174] "Could he be sure it hadn't been the sound of something breaking inside"
## [175] "a neighbour's house? Harry felt a dull, sinking sensation in his"
## [176] "stomach and before he knew it the feeling of hopelessness that had"
## [177] "plagued him all summer rolled over him once again. Tomorrow morning"
## [178] "he would be woken by the alarm at five o'clock so he could pay the owl"
## [179] "that delivered the Daily Prophet - but was there any point continuing"
## [180] "to take it? Harry merely glanced at the front page before throwing it"
## [181] "aside these days; when the idiots who ran the paper finally realised"
## [182] "that Voldemort was back it would be headline news, and that was the"
## [183] "only kind Harry cared about. If he was lucky, there would also be"
## [184] "owls carrying letters from his best friends Ron and Hermione, though"
## [185] "any expectation he'd had that their letters would bring him news had"
## [186] "long since been dashed. We can't say much about you-know-what,"
## [187] "obviously . . . We've been told not to say anything important in case"
## [188] "our letters go astray . . . We're quite busy but I can't give you"
## [189] "details here . . . There's a fair amount going on, we'll tell you"
## [190] "everything when we see you . . . But when were they going to see"
## [191] "him? Nobody seemed too bothered with a precise date. Hermione had"
## [192] "scribbled I expect we'll be seeing you quite soon inside his birthday"
## [193] "card, but how soon was soon? As far as Harry could tell from the vague"
## [194] "hints in their letters, Hermione and Ron were in the same place,"
## [195] "presumably at Ron's parents' house. He could hardly bear to think of"
## [196] "the pair of them having fun at The Burrow when he was stuck in Privet"
## [197] "Drive. In fact, he was so angry with them he had thrown away, unopened,"
## [198] "the two boxes of Honeydukes chocolates they'd sent him for his"
## [199] "birthday. He'd regretted it later, after the wilted salad Aunt Petunia"
## [200] "had provided for dinner that night. And what were Ron and Hermione"
## [201] "busy with? Why wasn't he, Harry, busy? Hadn't he proved himself capable"
## [202] "of handling much more than them? Had they all forgotten what he had"
## [203] "done? Hadn't it been he who had entered that graveyard and watched"
## [204] "Cedric being murdered, and been tied to that tombstone and nearly"
## [205] "killed? Don't think about that, Harry told himself sternly for the"
## [206] "hundredth time that summer. It was bad enough that he kept revisiting"
## [207] "the graveyard in his nightmares, without dwelling on it in his waking"
## [208] "moments too. He turned a corner into Magnolia Crescent; halfway"
## [209] "along he passed the narrow alleyway down the side of a garage where he"
## [210] "had first clapped eyes on his godfather. Sirius, at least, seemed to"
## [211] "understand how Harry was feeling. Admittedly, his letters were just as"
## [212] "empty of proper news as Ron and Hermione's, but at least they contained"
## [213] "words of caution and consolation instead of tantalising hints: I know"
## [214] "this must be frustrating for you . . . Keep your nose clean and"
## [215] "everything will be OK . . .Be careful and don't do anything rash . . . "
## [216] " Well, thought Harry, as he crossed Magnolia Crescent, turned into"
## [217] "Magnolia Road and headed towards the darkening play park, he had (by"
## [218] "and large) done as Sirius advised. He had at least resisted the"
## [219] "temptation to tie his trunk to his broomstick and set off for The"
## [220] "Burrow by himself. In fact, Harry thought his behaviour had been very"
## [221] "good considering how frustrated and angry he felt at being stuck in"
## [222] "Privet Drive so long, reduced to hiding in flowerbeds in the hope of"
## [223] "hearing something that might point to what Lord Voldemort was doing."
## [224] "Nevertheless, it was quite galling to be told not to be rash by a man"
## [225] "who had served twelve years in the wizard prison, Azkaban, escaped,"
## [226] "attempted to commit the murder he had been convicted for in the first"
## [227] "place, then gone on the run with a stolen Hippogriff. Harry vaulted"
## [228] "over the locked park gate and set off across the parched grass. The"
## [229] "park was as empty as the surrounding streets. When he reached the"
## [230] "swings he sank on to the only one that Dudley and his friends had not"
## [231] "yet managed to break, coiled one arm around the chain and stared"
## [232] "moodily at the ground. He would not be able to hide in the Dursleys'"
## [233] "flowerbed again. Tomorrow, he would have to think of some fresh way of"
## [234] "listening to the news. In the meantime, he had nothing to look forward"
## [235] "to but another restless, disturbed night, because even when he escaped"
## [236] "the nightmares about Cedric he had unsettling dreams about long dark"
## [237] "corridors, all finishing in dead ends and locked doors, which he"
## [238] "supposed had something to do with the trapped feeling he had when he"
## [239] "was awake. Often the old scar on his forehead prickled uncomfortably,"
## [240] "but he did not fool himself that Ron or Hermione or Sirius would find"
## [241] "that very interesting any more. In the past, his scar hurting had"
## [242] "warned that Voldemort was getting stronger again, but now that"
## [243] "Voldemort was back they would probably remind him that its regular"
## [244] "irritation was only to be expected . . . nothing to worry about . . ."
## [245] "old news . . . The injustice of it all welled up inside him so that"
## [246] "he wanted to yell with fury. If it hadn't been for him, nobody would"
## [247] "even have known Voldemort was back! And. his reward was to be stuck in"
## [248] "Little Whinging for four solid weeks, completely cut off from the"
## [249] "magical world, reduced to squatting among dying begonias so hat he"
## [250] "could hear about water-skiing budgerigars! How could Dumbledore have"
## [251] "forgotten him so easily? Why had Ron and Hermione got together without"
## [252] "inviting him along, too? How much longer was he supposed to endure"
## [253] "Sirius telling him to sit tight and be a good boy; or resist the"
## [254] "temptation to write to the stupid Daily Prophet and point out that"
## [255] "Voldemort had returned? These curious thoughts whirled around in"
## [256] "Harry's head, and his insides writhed with anger as a sultry, velvety"
## [257] "night fell around him, the air full of the smell of warm, dry grass,"
## [258] "and the only sound that of the low grumble of traffic on the road"
## [259] "beyond the park railings. He did not know how long he had sat on the"
## [260] "swing before the sound of voices interrupted his musings and he looked"
## [261] "up. The streetlamps from the surrounding roads were casting a misty"
## [262] "glow strong enough to silhouette a group of people making their way"
## [263] "across the park. One of them was singing a loud, crude song. The others"
## [264] "were laughing. A soft ticking noise came from several expensive racing"
## [265] "bikes that they were wheeling along. Harry knew who those people"
## [266] "were. The figure in front was unmistakeably his cousin, Dudley Dursley"
## [267] "wending his way home, accompanied by his faithful gang. Dudley was"
## [268] "as vast as ever, but a year's hard dieting and the discovery of a new"
## [269] "talent had wrought quite a change in his physique. As Uncle Vernon"
## [270] "delightedly told anyone who would listen, Dudley had recently become"
## [271] "the Junior Heavyweight Inter-school Boxing Champion of the Southeast."
## [272] "'The noble sport', as Uncle Vernon called it, had made Dudley even more"
## [273] "formidable than he had seemed to Harry in their primary school days"
## [274] "when he had served as Dudley's first punchball. Harry was not remotely"
## [275] "afraid of his cousin any more but he still didn't think that Dudley"
## [276] "earning to punch harder and more accurately was cause for celebration."
## [277] "Neighbourhood children all around were terrified of him - even more"
## [278] "terrified than they were of 'that Potter boy' who, they lad been"
## [279] "warned, was a hardened hooligan and attended St Brutus's secure Centre"
## [280] "for Incurably Criminal Boys. Harry watched the dark figures crossing"
## [281] "the grass and wondered who they had been beating up tonight. Look"
## [282] "round, Harry found himself thinking as he watched them. Come on . . ."
## [283] "look round . . . I'm sitting here all alone . . . come and have a go ."
## [284] ". . If Dudley's friends saw him sitting here, they would be sure to"
## [285] "make a beeline for him, and what would Dudley do then? He wouldn't want"
## [286] "to lose face in front of the gang, but he'd be terrified of provoking"
## [287] "Harry . . . it would be really fun to watch Dudley's dilemma, to taunt"
## [288] "him, watch him, with him powerless to respond . . . and if any of the"
## [289] "others tried hitting Harry, he was ready - he had his wand. Let them"
## [290] "try . . . he'd love to vent some of his frustration on the boys who had"
## [291] "once made his life hell. But they didn't turn around, they didn't"
## [292] "see him, they were almost at the railings. Harry mastered the impulse"
## [293] "to call after them . . . seeking a fight was not a smart move . . . he"
## [294] "must not use magic he would be risking expulsion again. The voices"
## [295] "of Dudley's gang died away; they were out of sight, heading along"
## [296] "Magnolia Road. There you go, Sirius, Harry thought dully. Nothing"
## [297] "rash. Kept my nose clean. Exactly the opposite of what you'd have"
## [298] "done. He got to his feet and stretched. Aunt Petunia and Uncle"
## [299] "Vernon seemed to feel that whenever Dudley turned up was the right time"
## [300] "to be home, and any time after that was much too late. Uncle Vernon had"
## [301] "threatened to lock Harry in the shed if he came home alter Dudley ever"
## [302] "again, so, stifling a yawn, and still scowling, Harry set off towards"
## [303] "the park gate. Magnolia Road, like Privet Drive, was full of large,"
## [304] "square houses with perfectly manicured lawns, all owned by large,"
## [305] "square owners who drove very clean cars similar to Uncle Vernon's."
## [306] "Harry preferred Little Whinging by night, when the curtained windows"
## [307] "made patches of jewel-bright colour in the darkness and he ran no"
## [308] "danger of hearing disapproving mutters about his 'delinquent'"
## [309] "appearance when he passed the householders. He walked quickly, so that"
## [310] "halfway along Magnolia Road Dudley's gang came into view again; they"
## [311] "were saying their farewells at the entrance to Magnolia Crescent. Harry"
## [312] "stepped into the shadow of a large lilac tree and waited. '. . ."
## [313] "squealed like a pig, didn't he?' Malcolm was saying, to guffaws from"
## [314] "the others. 'Nice right hook, Big D,' said Piers. 'Same time"
## [315] "tomorrow?' said Dudley. 'Round at my place, my parents will be out,'"
## [316] "said Gordon. 'See you then,' said Dudley. 'Bye, Dud!' 'See ya,"
## [317] "Big D!' Harry waited for the rest of the gang to move on before"
## [318] "setting off again. When their voices had faded once more he headed"
## [319] "around the corner into Magnolia Crescent and by walking very quickly he"
## [320] "soon came within hailing distance of Dudley, who was strolling along at"
## [321] "his ease, humming tunelessly. 'Hey, Big D!' Dudley turned. "
## [322] "'Oh,' he grunted. 'It's you.' 'How long have you been \"Big D\" then?'"
## [323] "said Harry. 'Shut it,' snarled Dudley, turning away. 'Cool name,'"
## [324] "said Harry, grinning and falling into step beside is cousin. 'But"
## [325] "you'll always be \"Ickle Diddykins\" to me.' 'I said, SHUT IT!' said"
## [326] "Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists. 'Don't the boys"
## [327] "know that's what your mum calls you?' 'Shut your face.' 'You"
## [328] "don't tell her to shut her face. What about \"Popkin\" and \"Dinky"
## [329] "Diddydums\", can I use them then?' Dudley said nothing. The effort of"
## [330] "keeping himself from hitting Harry seemed to demand all his"
## [331] "self-control. 'So who've you been beating up tonight?' Harry asked,"
## [332] "his grin fading. 'Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two"
## [333] "nights ago - ' 'He was asking for it,' snarled Dudley. 'Oh"
## [334] "yeah?' 'He cheeked me.' 'Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig"
## [335] "that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? 'Cause that's not cheek,"
## [336] "Dud, that's true.' A muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw. It gave"
## [337] "Harry enormous satisfaction to know how furious he was making Dudley;"
## [338] "he felt as though he was siphoning off his own frustration into his"
## [339] "cousin, the only outlet he had. They turned right down the narrow"
## [340] "alleyway where Harry had first seen Sirius and which formed a short cut"
## [341] "between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and much"
## [342] "darker than the streets it linked because there were no streetlamps."
## [343] "Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a"
## [344] "high fence on the other. Think you're a big man carrying that thing,"
## [345] "don't you?' Dudley said after a few seconds. 'What thing?' That -"
## [346] "that thing you are hiding.' Harry grinned again. 'Not as stupid"
## [347] "as you look, are you, Dud? But I s'pose, if you were, you wouldn't be"
## [348] "able to walk and talk at the same time.' Harry pulled out his wand."
## [349] "He saw Dudley look sideways at it. 'You're not allowed,' Dudley said"
## [350] "at once. 'I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school"
## [351] "you go to.' 'How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?' "
## [352] " They haven't,' said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely"
## [353] "convinced. Harry laughed softly. 'You haven't got the guts to"
## [354] "take me on without that thing, have you?' Dudley snarled. 'Whereas"
## [355] "you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten year"
## [356] "old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was"
## [357] "your opponent? Seven? Eight?' 'He was sixteen, for your"
## [358] "information,' snarled Dudley, 'and he was out cold for twenty minutes"
## [359] "after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you. You just"
## [360] "wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out - 'Running to Daddy now,"
## [361] "are you? Is his ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Harry's wand?' "
## [362] " 'Not this brave at night, are you?' sneered Dudley. 'This is"
## [363] "night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like"
## [364] "this.' 'I mean when you're in bed!' Dudley snarled. He had"
## [365] "stopped walking. Harry stopped too, staring at his cousin. From the"
## [366] "little he could see of Dudley's large face, he was wearing a strangely"
## [367] "triumphant look. 'What d'you mean, I'm not brave when I'm in bed?'"
## [368] "said Harry, Completely nonplussed. 'What am I supposed to be frightened"
## [369] "of, pillows or something?' 'I heard you last night,' said Dudley"
## [370] "breathlessly. Talking in your sleep. Moaning.' 'What d'you mean?'"
## [371] "Harry said again, but there was a cold, plunging sensation in his"
## [372] "stomach. He had revisited the graveyard last night in his dreams. "
## [373] "Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter, then adopted a high-pitched"
## [374] "whimpering voice. ' \"Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!\" Who's"
## [375] "Cedric - your boyfriend?' 'I - you're lying,' said Harry"
## [376] "automatically. But his mouth had gone dry. He knew Dudley wasn't lying"
## [377] "- how else would he know about Cedric? ' \"Dad! Help me, Dad! He's"
## [378] "going to kill me, Dad! Boo hoo!'' ' 'Shut up,' said Harry quietly."
## [379] "'Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!' ' \"Come and help me, Dad! Mum,"
## [380] "come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to - \""
## [381] "Don't you point that thing at me!' Dudley backed into the alley"
## [382] "wall. Harry was pointing the wand directly at Dudley's heart. Harry"
## [383] "could feel fourteen years' hatred of Dudley pounding in his veins -"
## [384] "what wouldn't he give to strike now, to jinx Dudley so thoroughly he'd"
## [385] "have to crawl home like an insect, struck dumb, sprouting feelers . ."
## [386] ". 'Don't ever talk about that again,' Harry snarled. 'D'you"
## [387] "understand me?' 'Point that thing somewhere else!' 'I said, do"
## [388] "you understand me?' 'Point it somewhere else!' 'DO YOU UNDERSTAND"
## [389] "ME?' 'GET THAT THING AWAY FROM - ' Dudley gave an odd. shuddering"
## [390] "gasp, as though he had been doused in icy water. Something had"
## [391] "happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch"
## [392] "black and lightless - the stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at"
## [393] "either end of the alley had vanished. The distant rumble of cars and"
## [394] "the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly"
## [395] "piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable,"
## [396] "silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy"
## [397] "mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them. For a split second"
## [398] "Harry thought he had done magic without meaning to, despite the fact"
## [399] "that he'd been resisting as hard as he could - then his reason caught"
## [400] "up with his senses - he didn't have the power to turn off the stars. He"
## [401] "turned his head this way and that, trying to see something, but the"
## [402] "darkness pressed on his eyes like a weightless veil. Dudley's"
## [403] "terrified voice broke in Harry's ear. 'W-what are you d-doing?"
## [404] "St-stop it!' 'I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move!' 'I"
## [405] "c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I - ' 'I said shut up!' Harry"
## [406] "stood stock still, turning his sightless eyes left and right. The cold"
## [407] "was so intense he was shivering all over; goose bumps had erupted up"
## [408] "his arms and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up - he"
## [409] "opened his eyes to their fullest extent, staring blankly around,"
## [410] "unseeing. It was impossible . . . they couldn't be here . . . not in"
## [411] "Little Whinging . . . he strained his ears . . . he would hear them"
## [412] "before he saw them . . . 'I'll t-tell Dad!' Dudley whimpered."
## [413] "'W-where are you? What are you d-do-?' 'Will you shut up?' Harry"
## [414] "hissed, 'I'm trying to lis- ' But he fell silent. He had heard just"
## [415] "the thing he had been dreading. There was something in the alleyway"
## [416] "apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse,"
## [417] "rattling breaths. Harry felt a horrible jolt of dread as he stood"
## [418] "trembling in the freezing air. 'C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll"
## [419] "h-hit you, I swear I will!' 'Dudley, shut - ' WHAM. A fist"
## [420] "made contact with the side of Harry's head, lifting him off his feet."
## [421] "Small white lights popped in front of his eyes. For the second time in"
## [422] "an hour Harry felt as though his head had been cleaved in two; next"
## [423] "moment, he had landed hard on the ground and his wand had flown out of"
## [424] "his hand. 'You moron, Dudley!' Harry yelled, his eyes watering with"
## [425] "pain as he scrambled to his hands and knees, feeling around frantically"
## [426] "n the blackness. He heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley"
## [427] "fence, stumbling. 'DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!' "
## [428] " There was a horrible squealing yell and Dudley's footsteps topped. At"
## [429] "the same moment, Harry felt a creeping chill behind him that could mean"
## [430] "only one thing. There was more than one. 'DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH"
## [431] "SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!' Harry muttered"
## [432] "frantically, his hands flying over the ground like spiders. 'Where's -"
## [433] "wand - come on - lumos!' He said the spell automatically, desperate"
## [434] "for light to help him n his search - and to his disbelieving relief,"
## [435] "light flared inches from his right hand - the wand tip had ignited."
## [436] "Harry snatched it up, scrambled to his feet and turned around. His"
## [437] "stomach turned over. A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly"
## [438] "towards him, hovering over the ground, no feet or face visible beneath"
## [439] "its robes, sucking on the night as it came. Stumbling backwards,"
## [440] "Harry raised his wand. 'Expecto patronum!' A silvery wisp of"
## [441] "vapour shot from the tip of the wand and the Dementor slowed, but the"
## [442] "spell hadn't worked properly; tripping over his own feet, Harry"
## [443] "retreated further as the Dementor bore down upon him, panic fogging his"
## [444] "brain - concentrate - A pair of grey, slimy, scabbed hands slid from"
## [445] "inside the Dementor's robes, reaching for him. A rushing noise filled"
## [446] "Harry's ears. 'Expecto patronum!' His voice sounded dim and"
## [447] "distant. Another wisp of silver smoke, feebler than the last, drifted"
## [448] "from the wand - he couldn't do it any more, he couldn't work the"
## [449] "spell. There was laughter inside his own head, shrill, high-pitched"
## [450] "laughter . . . he could smell the Dementor's putrid, death-cold breath"
## [451] "filling his own lungs, drowning him - think . . . something happy . ."
## [452] ". But there was no happiness in him . . . the Dementor's icy fingers"
## [453] "were closing on his throat - the high-patched laughter was growing"
## [454] "louder and louder, and a voice spoke inside his head: 'Bow to death,"
## [455] "Harry . . . it might even be painless . . . I would not know . . . I"
## [456] "have never died He was never going to see Ron and Hermione again - "
## [457] " And their faces burst clearly into his mind as he fought for breath. "
## [458] " 'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' An enormous silver stag erupted from the tip"
## [459] "of Harry's wand; it's antlers caught the Dementor in the place where"
## [460] "the heart should have been; it was thrown backwards, weightless as"
## [461] "darkness, and as the stag charged, the Dementor swooped away, bat-like"
## [462] "and defeated. 'THIS WAY!' Harry shouted at the stag. Wheeling"
## [463] "around, he sprinted down the alleyway, holding the lit wand aloft."
## [464] "'DUDLEY? DUDLEY!' He had run barely a dozen steps when he reached"
## [465] "them: Dudley was curled up on the ground, his arms clamped over his"
## [466] "face. A second Dementor was crouching low over him, gripping his wrists"
## [467] "in its slimy hands, prising them slowly, almost lovingly apart,"
## [468] "lowering its hooded head towards Dudley's face as though about to kiss"
## [469] "him. 'GET IT!' Harry bellowed, and with a rushing, roaring sound,"
## [470] "the silver stag he had conjured came galloping past him. The Dementor's"
## [471] "eyeless face was barely an inch from Dudley's when the silver antlers"
## [472] "caught it; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its fellow,"
## [473] "it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness; the stag cantered to"
## [474] "the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist. Moon, stars"
## [475] "and streetlamps burst back into life. A warm breeze swept the alleyway."
## [476] "Trees rustled in neighbouring gardens and the mundane rumble of cars in"
## [477] "Magnolia Crescent filled the air again. Harry stood quite still, all"
## [478] "his senses vibrating, taking in the abrupt return to normality. After a"
## [479] "moment, he became aware that his T-shirt was sticking to him; he was"
## [480] "drenched in sweat. He could not believe what had just happened."
## [481] "Dementors here, in Little Whinging. Dudley lay curled up on the"
## [482] "ground, whimpering and shaking. Harry bent down to see whether he was"
## [483] "in a fit state to stand up, but then he heard loud, running footsteps"
## [484] "behind him. Instinctively raising his wand again, he span on his heel"
## [485] "to face the newcomer. Mrs Figg, their batty old neighbour, came"
## [486] "panting into sight. Her grizzled grey hair was escaping from its"
## [487] "hairnet, a clanking String shopping bag was swinging from her wrist and"
## [488] "her feet were halfway out of her tartan carpet slippers. Harry made to"
## [489] "stow his wand hurriedly out of sight, but - 'Don't put it away,"
## [490] "idiot boy!' she shrieked. 'What if there are more of them around? Oh,"
## [491] "I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!' "| document | TTR | C | R | CTTR | U | S | K | I | D | Vm | Maas | lgV0 | lgeV0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.05 | 0.76 | 26.37 | 18.65 | 22.8 | 0.84 | 69.38 | 0.39 | 0.01 | 0.08 | 0.21 | 6.38 | 14.69 |
| document | MATTR |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.53 |
Book 6
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
half_blood_prince
dark!
## [1] " It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in"
## [2] "his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain"
## [3] "without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind. He was waiting"
## [4] "for a call from the President of a far distant country, and between"
## [5] "wondering when the wretched man would telephone, and trying to suppress"
## [6] "unpleasant memories of what had been a very long, tiring, and difficult"
## [7] "week, there was not much space in his head for anything else. The more"
## [8] "he attempted to focus on the print on the page before him, the more"
## [9] "clearly the Prime Minister could see the gloating face of one of his"
## [10] "political opponents. This particular opponent had appeared on the news"
## [11] "that very day, not only to enumerate all the terrible things that had"
## [12] "happened in the last week (as though anyone needed reminding) but also"
## [13] "to explain why each and every one of them was the government's"
## [14] "fault. The Prime Minister's pulse quickened at the very thought of"
## [15] "these accusations, for they were neither fair nor true. How on earth"
## [16] "was his government supposed to have stopped that bridge collapsing? It"
## [17] "was outrageous for anybody to suggest that they were not spending"
## [18] "enough on bridges. The bridge was fewer than ten years old, and the"
## [19] "best experts were at a loss to explain why it had snapped cleanly in"
## [20] "two, sending a dozen cars into the watery depths of the river below."
## [21] "And how dare anyone suggest that it was lack of policemen that had"
## [22] "resulted in those two very nasty and well-publicized murders? Or that"
## [23] "the government should have somehow foreseen the freak hurricane in the"
## [24] "West Country that had caused so much damage to both people and"
## [25] "property? And was it his fault that one of his Junior Ministers,"
## [26] "Herbert Chorley, had chosen this week to act so peculiarly that he was"
## [27] "now going to be spending a lot more time with his family?\"A grim mood"
## [28] "has gripped the country,\" the opponent had concluded, barely concealing"
## [29] "his own broad grin.And unfortunately, this was perfectly true. The"
## [30] "Prime Minister felt it himself; people really did seem more miserable"
## [31] "than usual. Even the weather was dismal; all this chilly mist in the"
## [32] "middle of July... It wasn't right, it wasn't normal...He turned over"
## [33] "the second page of the memo, saw how much longer it went on, and gave"
## [34] "it up as a bad job. Stretching his arms above his head he looked around"
## [35] "his office mournfully. It was a handsome room, with a fine marble"
## [36] "fireplace facing the long sash windows, firmly closed against the"
## [37] "unseasonable chill. With a slight shiver, the Prime Minister got up and"
## [38] "moved over to the window, looking out at the thin mist that was"
## [39] "pressing itself against the glass. It was then, as he stood with his"
## [40] "back to the room, that he heard a soft cough behind him.He froze, nose"
## [41] "to nose with his own scared-looking reflection in the dark glass. He"
## [42] "knew that cough. He had heard it before. He turned very slowly to face"
## [43] "the empty room. \"Hello?\" he said, trying to sound braver than he"
## [44] "felt.For a brief moment he allowed himself the impossible hope that"
## [45] "nobody would answer him. However, a voice responded at once, a crisp,"
## [46] "decisive voice that sounded as though it were reading a prepared"
## [47] "statement. It was coming -- as the Prime Minister had known at the"
## [48] "first cough -- from the froglike little man wearing a long silver wig"
## [49] "who was depicted in a small, dirty oil painting in the far corner of"
## [50] "the room.\"To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Urgent we meet. Kindly"
## [51] "respond immediately. Sincerely, Fudge.\"The man in the painting looked"
## [52] "inquiringly at the Prime Minister.\"Er,\" said the Prime Minister,"
## [53] "\"listen... Its not a very good time for me... I'm waiting for a"
## [54] "telephone call, you see... from the President of--\"\"That can be"
## [55] "rearranged,\" said the portrait at once. The Prime Minister's heart"
## [56] "sank. He had been afraid of that.\"But I really was rather hoping to"
## [57] "speak--\"\"We shall arrange for the President to forget to call. He will"
## [58] "telephone tomorrow night instead,\" said the little man. \"Kindly respond"
## [59] "immediately to Mr. Fudge.\" \"I... oh ... very well,\" said the Prime"
## [60] "Minister weakly. \"Yes, I'll see Fudge.\"He hurried back to his desk,"
## [61] "straightening his tie as he went. He had barely resumed his seat, and"
## [62] "arranged his face into what he hoped was a relaxed and unfazed"
## [63] "expression, when bright green flames burst into life in the empty grate"
## [64] "beneath his marble mantelpiece. He watched, trying not to betray a"
## [65] "flicker of surprise or alarm, as a portly man appeared within the"
## [66] "flames, spinning as fast as a top. Seconds later, he had climbed out"
## [67] "onto a rather fine antique rug, brushing ash from the sleeves of his"
## [68] "long pin-striped cloak, a lime-green bowler hat in his hand.\"Ah..."
## [69] "Prime Minister,\" said Cornelius Fudge, striding forward with his hand"
## [70] "outstretched. \"Good to see you again.\"The Prime Minister could not"
## [71] "honestly return this compliment, so said nothing at all. He was not"
## [72] "remotely pleased to see Fudge, whose occasional appearances, apart from"
## [73] "being downright alarming in themselves, generally meant that he was"
## [74] "about to hear some very bad news. Furthermore, Fudge was looking"
## [75] "distinctly careworn. He was thinner, balder, and grayer, and his face"
## [76] "had a crumpled look. The Prime Minister had seen that kind of look in"
## [77] "politicians before, and it never boded well.\"How can I help you?\" he"
## [78] "said, shaking Fudge's hand very briefly and gesturing toward the"
## [79] "hardest of the chairs in front of the desk.\"Difficult to know where to"
## [80] "begin,\" muttered Fudge, pulling up the chair, sitting down, and placing"
## [81] "his green bowler upon his knees. \"What a week, what a week...\"\"Had a"
## [82] "bad one too, have you?\" asked the Prime Minister stiffly, hoping to"
## [83] "convey by this that he had quite enough on his plate already without"
## [84] "any extra helpings from Fudge.\"Yes, of course,\" said Fudge, rubbing his"
## [85] "eyes wearily and looking morosely at the Prime Minister. \"I've been"
## [86] "having the same week you have, Prime Minister. The Brockdale Bridge..."
## [87] "the Bones and Vance murders... not to mention the ruckus in the West"
## [88] "Country...\"\"You--er--your--I mean to say, some of your people"
## [89] "were--were involved in those--those things, were they?\"Fudge fixed the"
## [90] "Prime Minister with a rather stern look. \"Of course they were,\" he"
## [91] "said, \"Surely you've realized what's going on?\"\"I...\" hesitated the"
## [92] "Prime Minister.It was precisely this sort of behavior that made him"
## [93] "dislike Fudge's visits so much. He was, after all, the Prime Minister"
## [94] "and did not appreciate being made to feel like an ignorant schoolboy."
## [95] "But of course, it had been like this from his very first meeting with"
## [96] "Fudge on his very first evening as Prime Minister. He remembered it as"
## [97] "though it were yesterday and knew it would haunt him until his dying"
## [98] "day.He had been standing alone in this very office, savoring the"
## [99] "triumph that was his after so many years of dreaming and scheming, when"
## [100] "he had heard a cough behind him, just like tonight, and turned to find"
## [101] "that ugly little portrait talking to him, announcing that the Minister"
## [102] "of Magic was about to arrive and introduce himselfNaturally, he had"
## [103] "thought that the long campaign and the strain of the election had"
## [104] "caused him to go mad. He had been utterly terrified to find a portrait"
## [105] "talking to him, though this had been nothing to how he felt when a"
## [106] "self-proclaimed wizard had bounced out of the fireplace and shaken his"
## [107] "hand. He had remained speechless throughout Fudge's kindly explanation"
## [108] "that there were witches and wizards still living in secret all over the"
## [109] "world and his reassurances that he was not to bother his head about"
## [110] "them as the Ministry of Magic took responsibility for the whole"
## [111] "Wizarding community and prevented the non-magical population from"
## [112] "getting wind of them. It was, said Fudge, a difficult job that"
## [113] "encompassed everything from regulations on responsible use of"
## [114] "broomsticks to keeping the dragon population under control (the Prime"
## [115] "Minister remembered clutching the desk for support at this point)."
## [116] "Fudge had then patted the shoulder of the sLill-dumbstruck Prime"
## [117] "Minister in a fatherly sort of way.\"Not to worry,\" he had said, \"it's"
## [118] "odds-on you'll never see me again. I'll only bother you if there's"
## [119] "something really serious going on our end, something that's likely to"
## [120] "affect the Muggles--the non-magical population, I should say."
## [121] "Otherwise, it's live and let live. And I must say, you're taking it a"
## [122] "lot better than your predecessor. He tried to throw me out the window,"
## [123] "thought I was a hoax planned by the opposition.\"At this, the Prime"
## [124] "Minister had found his voice at last. \"You're--you're not a hoax,"
## [125] "then?\"It had been his last, desperate hope.\"No,\" said Fudge gently."
## [126] "\"No, I'm afraid I'm not. Look.\"And he had turned the Prime Minister's"
## [127] "teacup into a gerbil.\"But,\" said the Prime Minister breathlessly,"
## [128] "watching his teacup chewing on the corner of his next speech, \"but"
## [129] "why--why has nobody told me--?\"\"The Minister of Magic only reveals"
## [130] "him--or herself to the Muggle Prime Minister of the day,\" said Fudge,"
## [131] "poking his wand back inside his jacket. \"We find it the best way to"
## [132] "maintain secrecy.\"\"But then,\" bleated the Prime Minister, \"why hasn't a"
## [133] "former Prime Minister warned me--?\"At this, Fudge had actually"
## [134] "laughed.\"My dear Prime Minister, are you ever going to tell"
## [135] "anybody?\"Still chortling, Fudge had thrown some powder into the"
## [136] "fireplace, stepped into the emerald flames, and vanished with a"
## [137] "whooshing sound. The Prime Minister had stood there, quite motionless,"
## [138] "and realized that he would never, as long as he lived, dare mention"
## [139] "this encounter to a living soul, for who in the wide world would"
## [140] "believe him?The shock had taken a little while to wear off. For a time,"
## [141] "he had tried to convince himself that Fudge had indeed been a"
## [142] "hallucination brought on by lack of sleep during his grueling election"
## [143] "campaign. In a vain attempt to rid himself of all reminders of this"
## [144] "uncomfortable encounter, he had given the gerbil to his delighted niece"
## [145] "and instructed his private secretary to take down the portrait of the"
## [146] "ugly little man who had announced Fudge's arrival. To the Prime"
## [147] "Minister's dismay, however, the portrait had proved impossible to"
## [148] "remove. When several carpenters, a builder or two, an art historian,"
## [149] "and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had all tried unsuccessfully to"
## [150] "prise it from the wall, the Prime Minister had abandoned the attempt"
## [151] "and simply resolved to hope that the thing remained motionless and"
## [152] "silent for the rest of his term in office. Occasionally he could have"
## [153] "sworn he saw out of the corner of his eye the occupant of the painting"
## [154] "yawning, or else scratching his nose; even, once or twice, simply"
## [155] "walking out of his frame and leaving nothing but a stretch of"
## [156] "muddy-brown canvas behind. However, he had trained himself not to look"
## [157] "at the picture very much, and always to tell himself firmly that his"
## [158] "eyes were playing tricks on him when anything like this happened.Then,"
## [159] "three years ago, on a night very like tonight, the Prime Minister had"
## [160] "been alone in his office when the portrait had once again announced the"
## [161] "imminent arrival of Fudge, who had burst out of the fireplace, sopping"
## [162] "wet and in a state of considerable panic. Before the Prime Minister"
## [163] "could ask why he was dripping all over the Axminster, Fudge had started"
## [164] "ranting about a prison the Prime Minister had never heard of, a man"
## [165] "named \"Serious\" Black, something that sounded like \"Hogwarts,\" and a"
## [166] "boy called Harry Potter, none of which made the remotest sense to the"
## [167] "Prime Minister.\"...I've just come from Azkaban,\" Fudge had panted,"
## [168] "tipping a large amount of water out of the rim of his bowler hat into"
## [169] "his pocket. \"Middle of the North Sea, you know, nasty flight... the"
## [170] "dementors are in uproar\"--he shuddered--\"they've never had a breakout"
## [171] "before. Anyway, I had to come to you, Prime Minister. Black's a known"
## [172] "Muggle killer and may be planning to rejoin You-Know-Who.... But of"
## [173] "course, you don't even know who You-Know-Who is!\" He had gazed"
## [174] "hopelessly at the Prime Minister for a moment, then said, \"Well, sit"
## [175] "down, sit down, I'd better fill you in... Have a whiskey...\"The Prime"
## [176] "Minister rather resented being told to sit down in his own office, let"
## [177] "alone offered his own whiskey, but he sat nevertheless. Fudge pulled"
## [178] "out his wand, conjured two large glasses full of amber liquid out of"
## [179] "thin air, pushed one of them into the Prime Minister's hand, and drew"
## [180] "up a chair.Fudge had talked for more than an hour. At one point, he had"
## [181] "refused to say a certain name aloud and wrote it instead on a piece of"
## [182] "parchment, which he had thrust into the Prime Minister's whiskey-free"
## [183] "hand. When at last Fudge had stood up to leave, the Prime Minister had"
## [184] "stood up too.\"So you think that...\" He had squinted down at the name in"
## [185] "his left hand. \"Lord Vol--\"\"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!\" snarled"
## [186] "Fudge.\"I'm sorry... You think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is still"
## [187] "alive, then?\"\"Well, Dumbledore says he is,\" said Fudge, as he had"
## [188] "fastened his pin-striped cloak under his chin, \"but we've never found"
## [189] "him. If you ask me, he's not dangerous unless he's got support, so it's"
## [190] "Black we ought to be worrying about. You'll put out that warning, then?"
## [191] "Excellent. Well, I hope we don't see each other again, Prime Minister!"
## [192] "Good night.\"But they had seen each other again. Less than a year later"
## [193] "a harassed-looking Fudge had appeared out of thin air in the cabinet"
## [194] "room to inform the Prime Minister that there had been a spot of bother"
## [195] "at the Kwidditch (or that was what it had sounded like) World Cup and"
## [196] "that several Muggles had been \"involved,\" but that the Prime Minister"
## [197] "was not to worry, the fact that You-Know-Who's Mark had been seen again"
## [198] "meant nothing; Fudge was sure it was an isolated incident, and the"
## [199] "Muggle Liaison Office was dealing with all memory modifications as they"
## [200] "spoke.\"Oh, and I almost forgot,\" Fudge had added. \"We're importing"
## [201] "three foreign dragons and a sphinx for the Triwizard Tournament, quite"
## [202] "routine, but the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical"
## [203] "Creatures tells me that its down in the rule book that we have to"
## [204] "notify you if we're bringing highly dangerous creatures into the"
## [205] "country.\"\"I--what--dragons?\" spluttered the Prime Minister.\"Yes,"
## [206] "three,\" said Fudge. \"And a sphinx. Well, good day to you.\"The Prime"
## [207] "Minister had hoped beyond hope that dragons and sphinxes would be the"
## [208] "worst of it, but no. Less than two years later, Fudge had erupted out"
## [209] "of the fire yet again, this time with the news that there had been a"
## [210] "mass breakout from Azkaban.\"A mass breakout?\" repeated the Prime"
## [211] "Minister hoarsely.\"No need to worry, no need to worry!\" shouted Fudge,"
## [212] "already with one foot in the flames. \"We'll have them rounded up in no"
## [213] "time--just thought you ought to know!\"And before the Prime Minister"
## [214] "could shout, \"Now, wait just one moment!\" Fudge had vanished in a"
## [215] "shower of green sparks.Whatever the press and the opposition might say,"
## [216] "the Prime Minister was not a foolish man. It had not escaped his notice"
## [217] "that, despite Fudge's assurances at their first meeting, they were now"
## [218] "seeing rather a lot of each other, nor that Fudge was becoming more"
## [219] "flustered with each visit. Little though he liked to think about the"
## [220] "Minister of Magic (or, as he always called Fudge in his head, the Other"
## [221] "Minister), the Prime Minister could not help but fear that the next"
## [222] "time Fudge appeared it would be with graver news still. The site,"
## [223] "therefore, of Fudge stepping out of the fire once more, looking"
## [224] "disheveled and fretful and sternly surprised that the Prime Minister"
## [225] "did not know exactly why he was there, was about the worst thing that"
## [226] "had happened in the course of this extremely gloomy week.\"How should I"
## [227] "know what's going on in the--er--Wizarding community?\" snapped the"
## [228] "Prime Minister now. \"I have a country to run and quite enough concerns"
## [229] "at the moment without--\"\"We have the same concerns,\" Fudge interrupted."
## [230] "\"The Brock-dale Bridge didn't wear out. That wasn't really a hurricane."
## [231] "Those murders were not the work of Muggles. And Herbert Chorley's"
## [232] "family would be safer without him. We are currently making arrangements"
## [233] "to have him transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies"
## [234] "and Injuries. The move should be effected tonight.\"\"What do you... I'm"
## [235] "afraid I ... What?\" blustered the Prime Minister.Fudge took a great,"
## [236] "deep breath and said, \"Prime Minister, I am very sorry to have to tell"
## [237] "you that he's back. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back.\"\"Back? When you"
## [238] "say 'back'... he's alive? I mean--\"The Prime Minister groped in his"
## [239] "memory for the details of that horrible conversation of three years"
## [240] "previously, when Fudge had told him about the wizard who was feared"
## [241] "above all others, the wizard who had committed a thousand terrible"
## [242] "crimes before his mysterious disappearance fifteen years earlier.\"Yes,"
## [243] "alive,\" said Fudge. \"That is--I don't know--is a man alive if he can't"
## [244] "be killed? I don't really understand it, and Dumbledore won't explain"
## [245] "properly--but anyway, he's certainly got a body and is walking and"
## [246] "talking and killing, so I suppose, for the purposes of our discussion,"
## [247] "yes, he's alive.\"The Prime Minister did not know what to say to this,"
## [248] "but a persistent habit of wishing to appear well-informed on any"
## [249] "subject that came up made him cast around for any details he could"
## [250] "remember of their previous conversations.\"Is Serious Black"
## [251] "with--er--He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?\"\"Black? Black?\" said Fudge"
## [252] "distractedly, turning his bowler rapidly in his fingers. \"Sirius Black,"
## [253] "you mean? Merlin's beard, no. Black's dead. Turns out we"
## [254] "were--er--mistaken about Black. He was innocent after all. And he"
## [255] "wasn't in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named either. I mean,\" he"
## [256] "added defensively, spinning the bowler hat still faster, \"all the"
## [257] "evidence pointed--we had more than fifty eyewitnesses--but anyway, as I"
## [258] "say, he's dead. Murdered, as a matter of fact. On Ministry of Magic"
## [259] "premises. There's going to be an inquiry, actually...\"To his great"
## [260] "surprise, the Prime Minister felt a fleeting stab of pity for Fudge at"
## [261] "this point. It was, however, eclipsed almost immediately by a glow of"
## [262] "smugness at the thought that, deficient though he himself might be in"
## [263] "the area of materializing out of fireplaces, there had never been a"
## [264] "murder in any of the government departments under his charge... Not"
## [265] "yet, anyway...While the Prime Minister surreptitiously touched the wood"
## [266] "of his desk, Fudge continued, \"But Blacks by-the-by now. The point is,"
## [267] "we're at war, Prime Minister, and steps must be taken.\"\"At war?\""
## [268] "repeated the Prime Minister nervously. \"Surely that's a little bit of"
## [269] "an overstatement?\"\"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has now been joined by"
## [270] "those of his followers who broke out of Azkaban in January,\" said"
## [271] "Fudge, speaking more and more rapidly and twirling his bowler so fast"
## [272] "that it was a lime-green blur. \"Since they have moved into the open,"
## [273] "they have been wreaking havoc. The Brockdale Bridge--he did it, Prime"
## [274] "Minister, he threatened a mass Muggle killing unless I stood aside for"
## [275] "him and--\"\"Good grief, so it's your fault those people were killed and"
## [276] "I'm having to answer questions about rusted rigging and corroded"
## [277] "expansion joints and I don't know what else!\" said the Prime Minister"
## [278] "furiously.\"My fault!\" said Fudge, coloring up. \"Are you saying you"
## [279] "would have caved in to blackmail like that?\"\"Maybe not,\" said the Prime"
## [280] "Minister, standing up and striding about the room, \"but I would have"
## [281] "put all my efforts into catching the blackmailer before he committed"
## [282] "any such atrocity!\"\"Do you really think I wasn't already making every"
## [283] "effort?\" demanded Fudge heatedly. \"Every Auror in the Ministry was--and"
## [284] "is--trying to find him and round up his followers, but we happen to be"
## [285] "talking about one of the most powerful wizards of all time, a wizard"
## [286] "who has eluded capture for almost three decades!\"\"So I suppose you're"
## [287] "going to tell me he caused the hurricane in the West Country too?\" said"
## [288] "the Prime Minister, his temper rising with every pace he took. It was"
## [289] "infuriating to discover the reason for all these terrible disasters and"
## [290] "not to be able to tell the public, almost worse than it being the"
## [291] "government's fault after all.\"That was no hurricane,\" said Fudge"
## [292] "miserably.\"Excuse me!\" barked the Prime Minister, now positively"
## [293] "stamping up and down. \"Trees uprooted, roofs ripped off, lampposts"
## [294] "bent, horrible injuries--\"\"It was the Death Eaters,\" said Fudge."
## [295] "\"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers. And... and we suspect giant"
## [296] "involvement.\"The Prime Minister stopped in his tracks as though he had"
## [297] "hit an invisible wall. \"What involvement?\"Fudge grimaced. \"He used"
## [298] "giants last time, when he wanted to go for the grand effect,\" he said."
## [299] "\"The Office of Misinformation has been working around the clock, we've"
## [300] "had teams of Obliviators out trying to modify the memories of all the"
## [301] "Muggles who saw what really happened, we've got most of the Department"
## [302] "for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures running around"
## [303] "Somerset, but we can't find the giant--it's been a disaster.\"\"You don't"
## [304] "say!\" said the Prime Minister furiously.\"I won't deny that morale is"
## [305] "pretty low at the Ministry,\" said Fudge. \"What with all that, and then"
## [306] "losing Amelia Bones.\"\"Losing who?\"\"Amelia Bones. Head of the Department"
## [307] "of Magical Law Enforcement. We think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named may have"
## [308] "murdered her in person, because she was a very gifted witch and--and"
## [309] "all the evidence was that she put up a real fight.\"Fudge cleared his"
## [310] "throat and, with an effort, it seemed, stopped spinning his bowler"
## [311] "hat.\"But that murder was in the newspapers,\" said the Prime Minister,"
## [312] "momentarily diverted from his anger. \"Our newspapers. Amelia Bones..."
## [313] "it just said she was a middle-aged woman who lived alone. It was a--a"
## [314] "nasty killing, wasn't it? It's had rather a lot of publicity. The"
## [315] "police are baffled, you see.\"Fudge sighed. \"Well, of course they are,\""
## [316] "he said. \"Killed in a room that was locked from the inside, wasn't she?"
## [317] "We, on the other hand, know exactly who did it, not that that gets us"
## [318] "any further toward catching him. And then there was Emmeline Vance,"
## [319] "maybe you didn't hear about that one--\"\"Oh yes I did!\" said the Prime"
## [320] "Minister. \"It happened just around the corner from here, as a matter of"
## [321] "fact. The papers had a field day with it, 'breakdown of law and order"
## [322] "in the Prime Minister's backyard--'\"\"And as if all that wasn't enough,\""
## [323] "said Fudge, barely listening to the Prime Minister, \"we've got"
## [324] "dementors swarming all over the place, attacking people left, right,"
## [325] "and center...\"Once upon a happier time this sentence would have been"
## [326] "unintelligible to the Prime Minister, but he was wiser now.\"I thought"
## [327] "dementors guard the prisoners in Azkaban,\" he said cautiously.\"They"
## [328] "did,\" said Fudge wearily. \"But not anymore. They've deserted the prison"
## [329] "and joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I won't pretend that wasn't a"
## [330] "blow.\"\"But,\" said the Prime Minister, with a sense of dawning horror,"
## [331] "\"didn't you tell me they're the creatures that drain hope and happiness"
## [332] "out of people?\"\"That's right. And they're breeding. That's what's"
## [333] "causing all this mist.\"The Prime Minister sank, weak-kneed, into the"
## [334] "nearest chair. The idea of invisible creatures swooping through the"
## [335] "towns and countryside, spreading despair and hopelessness in his"
## [336] "voters, made him feel quite faint.\"Now see here, Fudge--you've got to"
## [337] "do something! It's your responsibility as Minister of Magic!\"\"My dear"
## [338] "Prime Minister, you can't honestly think I'm still Minister of Magic"
## [339] "after all this? I was sacked three days ago! The whole Wizarding"
## [340] "community has been screaming for my resignation for a fortnight. I've"
## [341] "never known them so united in my whole term of office!\" said Fudge,"
## [342] "with a brave attempt at a smile.The Prime Minister was momentarily lost"
## [343] "for words. Despite his indignation at the position into which he had"
## [344] "been placed, he still rather felt for the shrunken-looking man sitting"
## [345] "opposite him.\"I'm very sorry,\" he said finally. \"If there's anything I"
## [346] "can do?\"\"It's very kind of you, Prime Minister, but there is nothing. I"
## [347] "was sent here tonight to bring you up to date on recent events and to"
## [348] "introduce you to my successor. I rather thought he'd be here by now,"
## [349] "but of course, he's very busy at the moment, with so much going"
## [350] "on.\"Fudge looked around at the portrait of the ugly little man wearing"
## [351] "the long curly silver wig, who was digging in his ear with the point of"
## [352] "a quill. Catching Fudge's eye, the portrait said, \"He'll be here in a"
## [353] "moment, he's just finishing a letter to Dumbledore.\"\"I wish him luck,\""
## [354] "said Fudge, sounding bitter for the first time. \"I've been writing to"
## [355] "Dumbledore twice a day for the past fortnight, but he won't budge. If"
## [356] "he'd just been prepared to persuade the boy, I might still be... Well,"
## [357] "maybe Scrimgeour will have more success.\"Fudge subsided into what was"
## [358] "clearly an aggrieved silence, but it was broken almost immediately by"
## [359] "the portrait, which suddenly spoke in its crisp, official voice.\"To the"
## [360] "Prime Minister of Muggles. Requesting a meeting. Urgent. Kindly respond"
## [361] "immediately. Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic.\"\"Yes, yes, fine,\""
## [362] "said the Prime Minister distractedly, and he barely flinched as the"
## [363] "flames in the grate turned emerald green again, rose up, and revealed a"
## [364] "second spinning wizard in their heart, disgorging him moments later"
## [365] "onto the antique rug.Fudge got to his feet and, after a moment's"
## [366] "hesitation, the Prime Minister did the same, watching the new arrival"
## [367] "straighten up, dust down his long black robes, and look around.The"
## [368] "Prime Minister's first, foolish thought was that Rufus Scrimgeour"
## [369] "looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of gray in his mane"
## [370] "of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind"
## [371] "a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even"
## [372] "though he walked with a slight limp. There was an immediate impression"
## [373] "of shrewdness and toughness; the Prime Minister thought he understood"
## [374] "why the Wizarding community preferred Scrimgeour to Fudge as a leader"
## [375] "in these dangerous times.\"How do you do?\" said the Prime Minister"
## [376] "politely, holding out his hand.Scrimgeour grasped it briefly, his eyes"
## [377] "scanning the room, then pulled out a wand from under his robes.\"Fudge"
## [378] "told you everything?\" he asked, striding over to the door and tapping"
## [379] "the keyhole with his wand. The Prime Minister heard the lock"
## [380] "click.\"Er--yes,\" said the Prime Minister. \"And if you don't mind, I'd"
## [381] "rather that door remained unlocked.\"\"I'd rather not be interrupted,\""
## [382] "said Scrimgeour shortly, \"or watched,\" he added, pointing his wand at"
## [383] "the windows, so that the curtains swept across them. \"Right, well, I'm"
## [384] "a busy man, so let's get down lo business. First of all, we need to"
## [385] "discuss your security.\"The Prime Minister drew himself up to his"
## [386] "fullest height and replied, \"I am perfectly happy with the security"
## [387] "I've already got, thank you very--\"\"Well, we're not,\" Scrimgeour cut"
## [388] "in. \"It'll be a poor lookout for the Muggles if their Prime Minister"
## [389] "gets put under the Imperius Curse. The new secretary in your outer"
## [390] "office--\"\"I'm not getting rid of Kingsley Shacklebolt, if that's what"
## [391] "you're suggesting!\" said the Prime Minister hotly. \"He's highly"
## [392] "efficient, gets through twice the work the rest of them--\"\"That's"
## [393] "because he's a wizard,\" said Scrimgeour, without a flicker of a smile."
## [394] "\"A highly trained Auror, who has been assigned to you for your"
## [395] "protection.\"\"Now, wait a moment!\" declared the Prime Minister. \"You"
## [396] "can't just put your people into my office, I decide who works for"
## [397] "me--\"\"I thought you were happy with Shacklebolt?\" said Scrimgeour"
## [398] "coldly.\"I am--that's to say, I was--\"\"Then there's no problem, is"
## [399] "there?\" said Scrimgeour.\"I... well, as long as Shacklebolt's work"
## [400] "continues to be... er... excellent,\" said the Prime Minister lamely,"
## [401] "but Scrimgeour barely seemed to hear him.\"Now, about Herbert Chorley,"
## [402] "your Junior Minister,\" he continued. \"The one who has been entertaining"
## [403] "the public by impersonating a duck.\"\"What about him?\" asked the Prime"
## [404] "Minister.\"He has clearly reacted to a poorly performed Imperius Curse,\""
## [405] "said Scrimgeour. \"It's addled his brains, but he could still be"
## [406] "dangerous.\"\"He's only quacking!\" said the Prime Minister weakly."
## [407] "\"Surely a bit of a rest... Maybe go easy on the drink...\"\"A team of"
## [408] "Healers from St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries are"
## [409] "examining him as we speak. So far he has attempted to strangle three of"
## [410] "them,\" said Scrimgeour. \"I think it best that we remove him from Muggle"
## [411] "society for a while.\"\"I... well... He'll be all right, won't he?\" said"
## [412] "the Prime Minister anxiously.Scrimgeour merely shrugged, already moving"
## [413] "back toward the fireplace.\"Well, that's really all I had to say. I will"
## [414] "keep you posted of developments, Prime Minister--or, at least, I shall"
## [415] "probably be too busy to come personally, in which case I shall send"
## [416] "Fudge here. He has consented to stay on in an advisory capacity.\"Fudge"
## [417] "attempted to smile, but was unsuccessful; he merely looked as though he"
## [418] "had a toothache. Scrimgeour was already rummaging in his pocket for the"
## [419] "mysterious powder that turned the fire green. The Prime Minister gazed"
## [420] "hopelessly at the pair of them for a moment, then the words he had"
## [421] "fought to suppress all evening burst from him at last.\"But for heaven's"
## [422] "sake--you're wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort"
## [423] "out--well--anything!\"Scrimgeour turned slowly on the spot and exchanged"
## [424] "an incredulous look with Fudge, who really did manage a smile this time"
## [425] "as he said kindly, \"The trouble is, the other side can do magic too,"
## [426] "Prime Minister.\"And with that, the two wizards stepped one after the"
## [427] "other into the bright green fire and vanished."## document TTR C R CTTR U S K
## 1 1 0.06927929 0.7783144 28.54702 20.18579 23.59159 0.8485098 69.92632
## I D Vm Maas lgV0 lgeV0
## 1 0.6864225 0.006986783 0.08311209 0.2058834 6.48301 14.92768## document MATTR
## 1 1 0.5319574Book 7
Harry Potter and the the Deathly Hallows (2007)
deathly_hallows
RIP Charlie Weasley & Albus Dumbledore
## [1] "The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow,"
## [2] "moonlit lane. For a second they stood quite still, wands directed at"
## [3] "each other's chests; then, recognizing each other, they stowed their"
## [4] "wands beneath their cloaks and started walking briskly in the same"
## [5] "direction.\"News?\" asked the taller of the two.\"The best,\" replied"
## [6] "Severus Snape.The lane was bordered on the left by wild, low-growing"
## [7] "brambles, on the right by a high, neatly manicured hedge. The men's"
## [8] "long cloaks flapped around their ankles as they marched.\"Thought I"
## [9] "might be late,\" said Yaxley, his blunt features sliding in and out of"
## [10] "sight as the branches of overhanging trees broke the moonlight. \"It was"
## [11] "a little trickier than I expected. But I hope he will be satisfied. You"
## [12] "sound confident that your reception will be good?\"Snape nodded, but did"
## [13] "not elaborate. They turned right, into a wide driveway that led off the"
## [14] "lane. The high hedge curved into them, running off into the distance"
## [15] "beyond the pair of imposing wrought-iron gates barring the men's way."
## [16] "Neither of them broke step: In silence both raised their left arms in a"
## [17] "kind of salute and passed straight through, as though the dark metal"
## [18] "was smoke.The yew hedges muffled the sound of the men's footsteps."
## [19] "There was a rustle somewhere to their right: Yaxley drew his wand again"
## [20] "pointing it over his companion's head, but the source of the noise"
## [21] "proved to be nothing more than a pure-white peacock, strutting"
## [22] "majestically along the top of the hedge.\"He always did himself well,"
## [23] "Lucius. Peacocks ...\" Yaxley thrust his wand back under his cloak with"
## [24] "a snort.A handsome manor house grew out of the darkness at the end of"
## [25] "the straight drive, lights glinting in the diamond paned downstairs"
## [26] "windows. Somewhere in the dark garden beyond the hedge a fountain was"
## [27] "playing. Gravel crackled beneath their feet as Snape and Yaxley sped"
## [28] "toward the front door, which swung inward at their approach, though"
## [29] "nobody had visibly opened it.The hallway was large, dimly lit, and"
## [30] "sumptuously decorated, with a magnificent carpet covering most of the"
## [31] "stone floor. The eyes of the pale-faced portraits on the wall followed"
## [32] "Snape and Yaxley as they strode past. The two men halted at a heavy"
## [33] "wooden door leading into the next room, hesitated for the space of a"
## [34] "heartbeat, then Snape turned the bronze handle.The drawing room was"
## [35] "full of silent people, sitting at a long and ornate table. The room's"
## [36] "usual furniture had been pushed carelessly up against the walls."
## [37] "Illumination came from a roaring fire beneath a handsome marble"
## [38] "mantelpiece surmounted by a gilded mirror. Snape and Yaxley lingered"
## [39] "for a moment on the threshold. As their eyes grew accustomed to the"
## [40] "lack of light, they were drawn upward to the strangest feature of the"
## [41] "scene: an apparently unconscious human figure hanging upside down over"
## [42] "the table, revolving slowly as if suspended by an invisible rope, and"
## [43] "reflected in the mirror and in the bare, polished surface of the table"
## [44] "below. None of the people seated underneath this singular sight were"
## [45] "looking at it except for a pale young man sitting almost directly below"
## [46] "it. He seemed unable to prevent himself from glancing upward every"
## [47] "minute or so.\"Yaxley. Snape,\" said a high, clear voice from the head of"
## [48] "the table. \"You are very nearly late.\"The speaker was seated directly"
## [49] "in front of the fireplace, so that it was difficult, at first, for the"
## [50] "new arrivals to make out more than his silhouette. As they drew nearer,"
## [51] "however, his face shone through the gloom, hairless, snakelike, with"
## [52] "slits for nostrils and gleaming red eyes whose pupils were vertical. He"
## [53] "was so pale that he seemed to emit a pearly glow.\"Severus, here,\" said"
## [54] "Voldemort, indicating the seat on his immediate right. \"Yaxley ¨C"
## [55] "beside Dolohov.\"The two men took their allotted places. Most of the"
## [56] "eyes around the table followed Snape, and it was to him that Voldemort"
## [57] "spoke first.\"So?\"\"My Lord, the Order of the Phoenix intends to move"
## [58] "Harry Potter from his current place of safety on Saturday next, at"
## [59] "nightfall.\"The interest around the table sharpened palpably: Some"
## [60] "stiffened, others fidgeted, all gazing at Snape and Voldemort.\"Saturday"
## [61] "... at nightfall,\" repeated Voldemort. His red eyes fastened upon"
## [62] "Snape's black ones with such intensity that some of the watchers looked"
## [63] "away, apparently fearful that they themselves would be scorched by the"
## [64] "ferocity of the gaze. Snape, however, looked calmly back into"
## [65] "Voldemort's face and, after a moment or two, Voldemort's lipless mouth"
## [66] "curved into something like a smile.\"Good. Very good. And this"
## [67] "information comes ¨C \"\" ¨C from the source we discussed,\" said"
## [68] "Snape.\"My Lord.\"Yaxley had leaned forward to look down the long table"
## [69] "at Voldemort and Snape. All faces turned to him.\"My Lord, I have heard"
## [70] "differently.\"Yaxley waited, but Voldemort did not speak, so he went on,"
## [71] "\"Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the"
## [72] "thirtieth, the night before the boy turns seventeen.\"Snape was"
## [73] "smiling.\"My source told me that there are plans to lay a false trail;"
## [74] "this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon"
## [75] "Dawlish. It would not be the first time; he is known to be"
## [76] "susceptible.\"\"I assure you, my Lord, Dawlish seemed quite certain,\""
## [77] "said Yaxley.\"If he has been Confunded, naturally he is certain,\" said"
## [78] "Snape. \"I assure you, Yaxley, the Auror Office will play no further"
## [79] "part in the protection of Harry Potter. The Order believes that we have"
## [80] "infiltrated the Ministry.\"\"The Order's got one thing right, then, eh?\""
## [81] "said a squat man sitting a short distance from Yaxley; he gave a wheezy"
## [82] "giggle that was echoed here and there along the table.Voldemort did not"
## [83] "laugh. His gaze had wandered upward to the body revolving slowly"
## [84] "overhead, and he seemed to be lost in thought.\"My Lord,\" Yaxley went"
## [85] "on, \"Dawlish believes an entire party of Aurors will be used to"
## [86] "transfer the boy ¨C \"Voldemort held up a large white hand, and Yaxley"
## [87] "subsided at once, watching resentfully as Voldemort turned back to"
## [88] "Snape.\"Where are they going to hide the boy next?\"\"At the home of one"
## [89] "of the Order,\" said Snape. \"The place, according to the source, has"
## [90] "been given every protection that the Order and Ministry together could"
## [91] "provide. I think that there is little chance of taking him once he is"
## [92] "there, my Lord, unless, of course, the Ministry has fallen before next"
## [93] "Saturday, which might give us the opportunity to discover and undo"
## [94] "enough of the enchantments to break through the rest.\"\"Well, Yaxley?\""
## [95] "Voldemort called down the table, the firelight glinting strangely in"
## [96] "his red eyes. \"Will the Ministry have fallen by next Saturday?\"Once"
## [97] "again, all heads turned. Yaxley squared his shoulders.\"My Lord, I have"
## [98] "good news on that score. I have ¨C with difficulty, and after great"
## [99] "effort ¨C succeeded in placing an Imperius Curse upon Pius"
## [100] "Thicknesse.\"Many of those sitting around Yaxley looked impressed; his"
## [101] "neighbor, Dolohov, a man with a long, twisted face, clapped him on the"
## [102] "back.\"It is a start,\" said Voldemort. \"But Thicknesse is only one man."
## [103] "Scrimgeour must be surrounded by our people before I act. One failed"
## [104] "attempt on the Minister's life will set me back a long way.\"\"Yes ¨C my"
## [105] "Lord, that is true ¨C but you know, as Head of the Department of"
## [106] "Magical Law Enforcement, Thicknesse has regular contact not only with"
## [107] "the Minister himself, but also with the Heads of all the other Ministry"
## [108] "departments. It will, I think, be easy now that we have such a"
## [109] "high-ranking official under our control, to subjugate the others, and"
## [110] "then they can all work together to bring Scrimgeour down.\"\"As long as"
## [111] "our friend Thicknesse is not discovered before he has converted the"
## [112] "rest,\" said Voldemort. \"At any rate, it remains unlikely that the"
## [113] "Ministry will be mine before next Saturday. If we cannot touch the boy"
## [114] "at his destination, then it must be done while he travels.\"\"We are at"
## [115] "an advantage there, my Lord,\" said Yaxley, who seemed determined to"
## [116] "receive some portion of approval. \"We now have several people planted"
## [117] "within the Department of Magical Transport. If Potter Apparates or uses"
## [118] "the Floo Network, we shall know immediately.\"\"He will not do either,\""
## [119] "said Snape. \"The Order is eschewing any form of transport that is"
## [120] "controlled or regulated by the Ministry; they mistrust everything to do"
## [121] "with the place.\"\"All the better,\" said Voldemort. \"He will have to move"
## [122] "in the open. Easier to take, by far.\"Again, Voldemort looked up at the"
## [123] "slowly revolving body as he went on, \"I shall attend to the boy in"
## [124] "person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is"
## [125] "concerned. Some of them have been my own. That Potter lives is due more"
## [126] "to my errors than to his triumphs.\"The company around the table watched"
## [127] "Voldemort apprehensively, each of them, by his or her expression,"
## [128] "afraid that they might be blamed for Harry Potter's continued"
## [129] "existence. Voldemort, however, seemed to be speaking more to himself"
## [130] "than to any of them, still addressing the unconscious body above him.\"I"
## [131] "have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those"
## [132] "wreckers of all but the best-laid plans. But I know better now. I"
## [133] "understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the"
## [134] "one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be.\"At these words, seemingly in"
## [135] "response to them, a sudden wail sounded, a terrible, drawn-out cry of"
## [136] "misery and pain. Many of those at the table looked downward, startled,"
## [137] "for the sound had seemed to issue from below their feet.\"Wormtail,\""
## [138] "said Voldemort, with no change in his quiet, thoughtful tone, and"
## [139] "without removing his eyes from the revolving body above, \"have I not"
## [140] "spoken to you about keeping our prisoner quiet?\"\"Yes, m-my Lord,\""
## [141] "gasped a small man halfway down the table, who had been sitting so low"
## [142] "in his chair that it appeared, at first glance, to be unoccupied. Now"
## [143] "he scrambled from his seat and scurried from the room, leaving nothing"
## [144] "behind him but a curious gleam of silver.\"As I was saying,\" continued"
## [145] "Voldemort, looking again at the tense faces of his followers, \"I"
## [146] "understand better now. I shall need, for instance, to borrow a wand"
## [147] "from one of you before I go to kill Potter.\"The faces around him"
## [148] "displayed nothing but shock; he might have announced that he wanted to"
## [149] "borrow one of their arms.\"No volunteers?\" said Voldemort. \"Let's see"
## [150] "... Lucius, I see no reason for you to have a wand anymore.\"Lucius"
## [151] "Malfoy looked up. His skin appeared yellowish and waxy in the"
## [152] "firelight, and his eyes were sunken and shadowed. When he spoke, his"
## [153] "voice was hoarse.\"My Lord?\"\"Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand.\"\"I"
## [154] "...\"Malfoy glanced sideways at his wife. She was staring straight"
## [155] "ahead, quite as pale as he was, her long blonde hair hanging down her"
## [156] "back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his"
## [157] "wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a"
## [158] "wand, and passed it along to Voldemort, who held it up in front of his"
## [159] "red eyes, examining it closely.\"What is it?\"\"Elm, my Lord,\" whispered"
## [160] "Malfoy.\"And the core?\"\"Dragon ¨C dragon heartstring.\"\"Good,\" said"
## [161] "Voldemort. He drew out his wand and compared the lengths. Lucius Malfoy"
## [162] "made an involuntary movement; for a fraction of a second, it seemed he"
## [163] "expected to receive Voldemort's wand in exchange for his own. The"
## [164] "gesture was not missed by Voldemort, whose eyes widened"
## [165] "maliciously.\"Give you my wand, Lucius? My wand?\"Some of the throng"
## [166] "sniggered.\"I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough"
## [167] "for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than"
## [168] "happy of late ... What is it about my presence in your home that"
## [169] "displaces you, Lucius?\"\"Nothing ¨C nothing, my Lord!\"\"Such lies Lucius"
## [170] "... \"The soft voice seemed to hiss on even after the cruel mouth had"
## [171] "stopped moving. One or two of the wizards barely repressed a shudder as"
## [172] "the hissing grew louder; something heavy could be heard sliding across"
## [173] "the floor beneath the table.The huge snake emerged to climb slowly up"
## [174] "Voldemort's chair. It rose, seemingly endlessly, and came to rest"
## [175] "across Voldemort's shoulders: its neck the thickness of a man's thigh;"
## [176] "its eyes, with their vertical slits for pupils, unblinking. Voldemort"
## [177] "stroked the creature absently with long thin fingers, still looking at"
## [178] "Lucius Malfoy.\"Why do the Malfoys look so unhappy with their lot? Is my"
## [179] "return, my rise to power, not the very thing they professed to desire"
## [180] "for so many years?\"\"Of course, my Lord,\" said Lucius Malfoy. His hand"
## [181] "shook as he wiped sweat from his upper lip. \"We did desire it ¨C we"
## [182] "do.\"To Malfoy's left, his wife made an odd, stiff nod, her eyes averted"
## [183] "from Voldemort and the snake. To his right, his son, Draco, who had"
## [184] "been gazing up at the inert body overhead, glanced quickly at Voldemort"
## [185] "and away again, terrified to make eye contact.\"My Lord,\" said a dark"
## [186] "woman halfway down the table, her voice constricted with emotion, \"it"
## [187] "is an honor to have you here, in our family's house. There can be no"
## [188] "higher pleasure.\"She sat beside her sister, as unlike her in looks,"
## [189] "with her dark hair and heavily lidded eyes, as she was in bearing and"
## [190] "demeanor; where Narcissa sat rigid and impassive, Bellatrix leaned"
## [191] "toward Voldemort, for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for"
## [192] "closeness.\"No higher pleasure,\" repeated Voldemort, his head tilted a"
## [193] "little to one side as he considered Bellatrix. \"That means a great"
## [194] "deal, Bellatrix, from you.\"Her face flooded with color; her eyes welled"
## [195] "with tears of delight.\"My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!\"\"No"
## [196] "higher pleasure ... even compared with the happy event that, I hear,"
## [197] "has taken place in your family this week?\"She stared at him, her lips"
## [198] "parted, evidently confused.\"I don't know what you mean, my Lord.\"\"I'm"
## [199] "talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa."
## [200] "She has just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so"
## [201] "proud.\"There was an eruption of jeering laughter from around the table."
## [202] "Many leaned forward to exchange gleeful looks; a few thumped the table"
## [203] "with their fists. The giant snake, disliking the disturbance, opened"
## [204] "its mouth wide and hissed angrily, but the Death Eaters did not hear"
## [205] "it, so jubilant were they at Bellatrix and the Malfoys' humiliation."
## [206] "Bellatrix's face, so recently flushed with happiness, had turned an"
## [207] "ugly, blotchy red.\"She is no niece of ours, my Lord,\" she cried over"
## [208] "the outpouring of mirth. \"We ¨C Narcissa and I ¨C have never set eyes"
## [209] "on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to"
## [210] "do with either of us, nor any beast she marries.\"\"What say you, Draco?\""
## [211] "asked Voldemort, and though his voice was quiet, it carried clearly"
## [212] "through the catcalls and jeers. \"Will you babysit the cubs?\"The"
## [213] "hilarity mounted; Draco Malfoy looked in terror at his father, who was"
## [214] "staring down into his own lap, then caught his mother's eye. She shook"
## [215] "her head almost imperceptibly, then resumed her own deadpan stare at"
## [216] "the opposite wall.\"Enough,\" said Voldemort, stroking the angry snake."
## [217] "\"Enough.\"And the laughter died at once.\"Many of our oldest family trees"
## [218] "become a little diseased over time,\" he said as Bellatrix gazed at him,"
## [219] "breathless and imploring, \"You must prune yours, must you not, to keep"
## [220] "it healthy? Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the"
## [221] "rest.\"\"Yes, my Lord,\" whispered Bellatrix, and her eyes swam with tears"
## [222] "of gratitude again. \"At the first chance!\"\"You shall have it,\" said"
## [223] "Voldemort. \"And in your family, so in the world ... we shall cut away"
## [224] "the cancer that infects us until only those of the true blood remain"
## [225] "...\"Voldemort raised Lucius Malfoy's wand, pointed it directly at the"
## [226] "slowly revolving figure suspended over the table, and gave it a tiny"
## [227] "flick. The figure came to life with a groan and began to struggle"
## [228] "against invisible bonds.\"Do you recognize our guest, Severus?\" asked"
## [229] "Voldemort.Snape raised his eyes to the upside down face. All of the"
## [230] "Death Eaters were looking up at the captive now, as though they had"
## [231] "been given permission to show curiosity. As she revolved to face the"
## [232] "firelight, the woman said in a cracked and terrified voice, \"Severus!"
## [233] "Help me!\"\"Ah, yes,\" said Snape as the prisoner turned slowly away"
## [234] "again.\"And you, Draco?\" asked Voldemort, stroking the snake's snout"
## [235] "with his wand-free hand. Draco shook his head jerkily. Now that the"
## [236] "woman had woken, he seemed unable to look at her anymore.\"But you would"
## [237] "not have taken her classes,\" said Voldemort. \"For those of you who do"
## [238] "not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until"
## [239] "recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.\"There"
## [240] "were small noises of comprehension around the table. A broad, hunched"
## [241] "woman with pointed teeth cackled.\"Yes ... Professor Burbage taught the"
## [242] "children of witches and wizards all about Muggles ... how they are not"
## [243] "so different from us ...\"One of the Death Eaters spat on the floor."
## [244] "Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape again.\"Severus ... please ..."
## [245] "please ...\"\"Silence,\" said Voldemort, with another twitch of Malfoy's"
## [246] "wand, and Charity fell silent as if gagged. \"Not content with"
## [247] "corrupting and polluting the minds of Wizarding children, last week"
## [248] "Professor Burbage wrote an impassioned defense of Mudbloods in the"
## [249] "Daily Prophet. Wizards, she says, must accept these thieves of their"
## [250] "knowledge and magic. The dwindling of the purebloods is, says Professor"
## [251] "Burbage, a most desirable circumstance ... She would have us all mate"
## [252] "with Muggles ... or, no doubt, werewolves ...\"Nobody laughed this time."
## [253] "There was no mistaking the anger and contempt in Voldemort's voice. For"
## [254] "the third time, Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape. Tears were"
## [255] "pouring from her eyes into her hair. Snape looked back at her, quite"
## [256] "impassive, as she turned slowly away from him again.\"Avada Kedavra\"The"
## [257] "flash of green light illuminated every corner of the room. Charity"
## [258] "fell, with a resounding crash, onto the table below, which trembled and"
## [259] "creaked. Several of the Death Eaters leapt back in their chairs. Draco"
## [260] "fell out of his onto the floor.\"Dinner, Nagini,\" said Voldemort softly,"
## [261] "and the great snake swayed and slithered from his shoulders onto the"
## [262] "polished wood. "## document TTR C R CTTR U S K
## 1 1 0.06315087 0.7735053 28.09376 19.86529 23.38448 0.8459407 77.42249
## I D Vm Maas lgV0 lgeV0
## 1 0.5151213 0.007737235 0.0875342 0.2067932 6.464036 14.88399## document MATTR
## 1 1 0.5286795| ngram_ttr | when | what |
|---|---|---|
| 0.58 | 1 | deathly_hallows |
| 0.58 | 2 | deathly_hallows |
| 0.58 | 3 | deathly_hallows |
| 0.59 | 4 | deathly_hallows |
| 0.58 | 5 | deathly_hallows |
| 0.58 | 6 | deathly_hallows |
Merge Book Data
Merge TTR data across all seven novels
Row bind (merge) the three MATTR dataframes for each novel and plot them
## 'data.frame': 1081016 obs. of 3 variables:
## $ ngram_ttr: num 0.49 0.49 0.49 0.49 0.488 0.49 0.49 0.49 0.49 0.49 ...
## $ when : int 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ...
## $ what : Factor w/ 6 levels "sorcerers_stone",..: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ...Plot TTRs
Moving average TTRs (500 word windows)
Conclusions
Well, what can we say?
There’s a sloping TTR across all books (high in the beginning, lower in the end). The first book of the series (Sorcerer’s Stone) had the lowest TTR. Otherwise no clear pattern WRT to TTR over time.
bravo