"J. K. Rowling - 6 - Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince(1)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rowling J. K)

УHello Mrs. Figg,Ф said Harry, walking over to her.
УOhЕ hello there Dudley,Ф she said. УNot used to seeing you two together.Ф
УYeah, me and Harry have kind ofЕbecome friends since last summer.Ф
УOh, well thatТs nice.Ф
УWhat did you want to tell me, Mrs. Figg?Ф asked Harry.
УOh yes! Well, I wanted to tell you that I will not be teaching this year at Hogwarts.Ф
УWhat? Why not?Ф asked Harry, feeling extremely upset. УYou were one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers IТve ever hadЕ the entire school has ever had!Ф
УWell, teaching just isnТt my thing, Harry. I much prefer actually being out there fighting the dark forces than teaching how to do it. I only did it last year because there were no others willing to do it, and I felt as though I owed that school something. But, you donТt have to worry; someone just as good, if not better than me is taking my place.Ф
УOh I doubt that,Ф said Harry. УBut who is?Ф
УProfessor Quirrell.Ф
УWhat!?Ф yelled Harry, almost knocking himself and Mrs. Figg over. УBut, he died five years ago! He was a servant to Voldemort!Ф
УOh no no no no no,Ф said Mrs. Figg, waving her arms. УThat was Larry Quirrell. This is Jerry Quirrell, his twin brother.Ф
УHe had a twin brother?Ф asked Harry.
УYes, and you know how they say when twins are born, one is supposedly evil, and the other is good? Well, before I knew the Quirrell children, I never believed that. But, they are a perfect example of that theory. Larry was foul, and Jerry is lovely.Ф
УWell, I hope so,Ф said Harry, still not feeling too sure. He personally fought Quirrell at the end of his first year at Hogwarts, and it was not a very pleasant experience, nor was it especially easy. УBut why are you telling me now?Ф
УHarry, unlike students, teachers do not have the summers off. Me, among many others, are still quite busy at work, trying to keep the world we live in a safe one. I will be gone for the rest of summer, and wouldnТt have a chance to tell you. I figured it would be better for you to hear it from me rather than just find out on the first day of school.Ф
УOh okay,Ф said Harry. УBut, one more thing. Is Snape going to teach Potions again this year, or is someone else?Ф Mrs. Figg let out a laugh.
УIТm afraid so, Harry,Ф she said. УSnape will be back.Ф
УToo bad,Ф sighed Harry. УI lose a good teacher and gain a bad one, both in the same year. ItТd be nice if Lupin could come backЕ or Sirius.Ф
УI donТt think Sirius will be coming back anytime soon,Ф she groaned. УEver since last year, with Cornelius Fudge having been revealed for what he was, the Ministry of Magic has been extremely desperate to show that they can do something right. So, they went back to their old attempt at catching Sirius.Ф
УHeТs evaded them before, IТm sure he can do it again.Ф
УIТm not so certain, Harry,Ф she admitted. УThis time, the Ministry is using very advanced magic to find him; especially one spell, the Possession Position Spell. If they get a hold of something that they know belongs to Sirius, they can immediately find him no matter where he is on Earth. IТve heard heТs trying to give most of his stuff away to his most trusted friends to try and avoid it.Ф
УI hope they donТt get himЕФ said Harry, feeling a little worried.
УNow donТt fret too much,Ф said Mrs. Figg. УI do not want you to lose sleep over this.Ф
УSpeaking of whichЕФ moaned Harry, trying to indicate that he wanted to leave.
УAh yes, it is getting late,Ф said Mrs. Figg, walking back to her door. УIТll see you boys later!Ф
УGoodbye Mrs. Figg,Ф yelled Harry, running up to the door to the DursleyТs house alongside Dudley. УAndЕ good luck!Ф
УWhoТs Snape?Ф asked Dudley when Harry opened the door, having a very dumbfounded look on his face. Harry merely laughed as they walked in. Dudley was so oblivious to HarryТs world, it was funny.
УWhere have you two been!?Ф scorned HarryТs Aunt Petunia the second they stepped inside, as if she had just been standing there, waiting to pounce.
УWill you shut it mom,Ф said Dudley, closing the door. УIТll be sixteen in just a few days, I think I can take care of myself.Ф
УWell of course you can take care of yourself in a normal situation, Dudley,Ф she said. УBut, wheneverЕ heТs around (she pointed to Harry) the situation can never be normal.Ф Dudley just sighed at her response. Unlike him, the rest of the Dursleys had not yet come to respect the fact that Harry was a wizard, and nothing was going to change that. Dudley waved his arm, indicating to Harry to come into the living room and partake in their favorite activity (even more than soda chugging): watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
УDid I tell you watching this movie saved me during a test last year?Ф asked Harry.
УHah! and they said memorizing it would never pay off!Ф
УOh yeah, and thereТs something else IТve been meaning to tell you DudleyЕ ohЕ what was itЕ?Ф
УWell, out with it!Ф he said, taking the movie out of its cover.
УOhЕ it wasЕ. Oh man, itТs on the tip of my tongue!Ф said Harry, snapping his fingers.
УCome on! Use your magic or something to remember!Ф
УOh yeah! ThatТs it, I remember now!Ф
УWhat is it?Ф
УDudleyЕ youТre a wizard.Ф
Chapter 2- Dobby Again
Dudley dropped the video to the floor, and he stayed squatted there, with his mouth opened wide. Harry knew he should have waited for a better timeЕ but this was the best he could think of.
УIТm aЕ what?Ф stuttered Dudley.
УYouТre a wizard, like me,Ф said Harry, trying to stay calm.
УBut- butЕ how could IЕ be a wizard?Ф Harry tried not to smile. Dudley was reacting to the new the same way he did when he was told that he was one too.
УI can assure you that you are.Ф
УButЕ I donТt go to that school of yours, and- andЕ IТve never done anythingЕ magical. And how could I beЕ that wayЕ with parents like mine?Ф
Harry sighed. Voldemort had told him the answers to all the same questions at the end of last year when he was holding Harry captive, and he didnТt really feel like having to repeat it all over again. But, he had to. He had brought this new burden to Dudley, and he had to try and begin to relieve it.
УWell Dudley, to answer your first question, the reason you donТt attend Hogwarts is because Voldemort somehow changed the attendance sheet for the new first years, when it was your time to come, so that your name was not on it.Ф
УWhy did he do that?Ф