The Cupboard Series 2: Hermione's Book Nook

Chapter 12

Albus Dumbledore paused one last time to run his hands over his brown tweed suit. His beard was glamoured to be half its usual length, as was his hair. His half-moon spectacles were perched precisely on the end of his crooked nose. He considered himself to be the quintessential muggle. With one last glance at his fob watch, he nodded and lifted a finger to press the doorbell.

The sounds of heavy footsteps accompanied by occasional grunts could be heard approaching before the door was wrenched open.

"Good morning ..." he began before he was rudely interrupted.

Vernon Dursely's face had instantly achieved its distinctive red hue the instant that he recognised the wizard standing at his door.

"YOU!" he bellowed before trying to slam the door shut.

"Come now, Mister Dursely, there's no need to take that attitude," Dumbledore sighed, a merry twinkle in his eye. "I've simply come to escort your nephew out for the morning."

Vernon paused momentarily in his efforts to force the door shut against whatever was holding it open to stare at the ... man at the door.

"HIM! Don't you mention that freak in my presence!" he bellowed. "And get your ruddy foot or whatever it is away from my door!"

"Vernon?" a nasally voice called from further down the hallway.

"Ah, Petunia, so nice to see you again," Dumbledore smiled.

Petunia Dursley's long horsey face paled at being addressed by the man she remembered all too well.

"As I was telling your husband, I've come to escort your nephew out for the morning."

"Well you're out of luck, then," Vernon hissed, "the boy hasn't been here for a month and after the state that he left the house in, he's never coming back!"

Dumbledore paled slightly at Vernon's words. Surely the poor man was mistaken. The tracking charm that he'd placed on Harry's trunk still indicated that Harry resided at number four Privet Drive.

For peace of mind, Dumbledore delved into the mind of Harry's uncle.

In an instant, he'd battered through Vernon's memories until he came to an image of the three Dursleys returning home after some day's away. A bellow was heard from Vernon's son causing the whale of a man to huff his way upstairs. The instant that he stepped inside the boy's room, he saw Dudley standing slack-jawed pointing at the massive hole above the desk.

With a roar of rage, Vernon was back out the door and undoing each of the five locks on the room next door. Finally, the last lock was ripped off and the door yanked open. Inside, was a room that looked as though a tornado had hit it. Furniture had been pulled around, bits of wood and plaster littered the bed and floor. The narrow window was still open to the elements as much as it could be considering the bars on the outside of the room itself.

Pulling back out of the man's mind, Dumbledore flicked his hand, raised his wand and gave two precise movements. Vernon and Petunia Dursley ceased their struggles and backed up, turned around and lumbered into the sitting room. With the two of them out of the way, Dumbledore followed his tracking charm to the tiny cupboard under the stairs. Another wand flick had the lock off. Opening the door, he bent forward to stick his head inside, directly over Harry's trunk.

With a scowl for plans going astray and a mutter against hard-headed boys not doing what they should be doing, he strode to the sitting room. Surprisingly, he found not two but three Durselys in attendance.

At last, something's going right this visit, he thought.

After using his wand to direct Dudley to a seat beside his parents, Dumbledore began pacing as he thought of the best way to proceed.