"I've just been attacked by dementors and I might beexpelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going onand when I'm going to get out of here."

Harry copied these words onto three separate pieces ofparchment the moment he reached the desk in his darkbedroom. He addressed the first to Sirius, the second toRon, and the third to Hermione. His owl, Hedwig, was offhunting; her cage stood empty on the desk. Harry pacedthe bedroom waiting for her to come back, his headpounding, his brain too busy for sleep even though his eyesstung and itched with tiredness. His back ached fromcarrying Dudley home, and the two lumps on his headwhere the window and Dudley had hit him were throbbingpainfully.

Up and down he paced, consumed with anger andfrustration, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists,casting angry looks out at the empty, star-strewn sky everytime he passed the window. Dementors sent to get him,Mrs. Figg and Mundungus Fletcher tailing him in secret,then suspension from Hogwarts and a hearing at theMinistry of Magic — and still no one was telling him whatwas going on.

And what, what, had that Howler been about? Whosevoice had echoed so horribly, so menacingly, through thekitchen?

Why was he still trapped here without information? Whywas everyone treating him like some naughty kid? Don't doany more magic, stay in the house. ...

He kicked his school trunk as he passed it, but far fromrelieving his anger he felt worse, as he now had a sharppain in his toe to deal with in addition to the pain in the restof his body.

Just as he limped past the window, Hedwig soaredthrough it with a soft rustle of wings like a small ghost."About time!" Harry snarled, as she landed lightly on topof her cage. "You can put that down, I've got work for you!"Hedwig's large round amber eyes gazed reproachfully athim over the dead frog clamped in her beak.

"Come here," said Harry, picking up the three small rollsof parchment and a leather thong and tying the scrolls toher scaly leg. "Take these straight to Sirius, Ron, andHermione and don't come back here without good longreplies. Keep pecking them till they've written decentlength answers if you've got to. Understand?"

Hedwig gave a muffled hooting noise, beak still full offrog.

"Get going, then," said Harry.

She took off immediately. The moment she'd gone, Harrythrew himself down onto his bed without undressing andstared at the dark ceiling. In addition to every othermiserable feeling, he now felt guilty that he'd been irritablewith Hedwig; she was the only friend he had at numberfour, Privet Drive. But he'd make it up to her when shecame back with Sirius's, Ron's, and Hermione's answers.

They were bound to write back quickly; they couldn'tpossibly ignore a dementor attack. He'd probably wake uptomorrow to three fat letters full of sympathy and plans forhis immediate removal to the Burrow. And with thatcomforting idea, sleep rolled over him, stifling all furtherthought.

* * *

But Hedwig didn't return next morning. Harry spent theday in his bedroom, leaving it only to go to the bathroom.Three times that day Aunt Petunia shoved food into hisroom through the cat flap Uncle Vernon had installed threesummers ago. Every time Harry heard her approaching hetried to question her about the Howler, but he might as wellhave interrogated the doorknob for all the answers he got.Otherwise the Dursleys kept well clear of his bedroom.Harry couldn't see the point of forcing his company onthem; another row would achieve nothing except perhapsmaking him so angry he'd perform more illegal magic.

So it went on for three whole days. Harry was filledalternately with restless energy that made him unable tosettle to anything, during which he paced his bedroomagain, furious at the whole lot of them for leaving him tostew in this mess, and with a lethargy so complete that hecould lie on his bed for an hour at a time, staring dazedlyinto space, aching with dread at the thought of the Ministryhearing.

What if they ruled against him? What if he was expelledand his wand was snapped in half? What would he do,where would he go? He could not return to living full-timewith the Dursleys, not now that he knew the other world,the one to which he really belonged. ... Was it possible thathe might be able to move into Sirius's house, as Sirius hadsuggested a year ago, before he had been forced to fleefrom the Ministry himself? Would he be allowed to live therealone, given that he was still underage? Or would thematter of where he went next be decided for him; had hisbreach of the International Statute of Secrecy been severeenough to land him in a cell in Azkaban? Whenever thisthought occurred, Harry invariably slid off his bed andbegan pacing again.

On the fourth night after Hedwig's departure Harry waslying in one of his apathetic phases, staring at the ceiling,his exhausted mind quite blank, when his uncle entered hisbedroom. Harry looked slowly around at him. Uncle Vernonwas wearing his best suit and an expression of enormoussmugness. 

"We're going out," he said.

"Sorry?"

"We — that is to say, your aunt, Dudley, and I — are goingout."

"Fine," said Harry dully, looking back at the ceiling.

"You are not to leave your bedroom while we are away."

"Okay."

"You are not to touch the television, the stereo, or any ofour possessions."

"Right."

"You are not to steal food from the fridge."

"Okay."

"I am going to lock your door."

"You do that."

Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, clearly suspicious of thislack of argument, then stomped out of the room and closedthe door behind him. Harry heard the key turn in the lockand Uncle Vernon's footsteps walking heavily down thestairs. A few minutes later he heard the slamming of cardoors, the rumble of an engine, and the unmistakable soundof the car sweeping out of the drive.

Harry had no particular feeling about the Dursleysleaving. It made no difference to him whether they were inthe house or not. He could not even summon the energy toget up and turn on his bedroom light. The room grewsteadily darker around him as he lay listening to the nightsounds through the window he kept open all the time,waiting for the blessed moment when Hedwig returned.

The empty house creaked around him. The pipes gurgled.Harry lay there in a kind of stupor, thinking of nothing,suspended in misery.

And then, quite distinctly, he heard a crash in the kitchenbelow.

He sat bolt upright, listening intently. The Dursleyscouldn't be back, it was much too soon, and in any case hehadn't heard their car.

There was silence for a few seconds, and then he heardvoices.

Burglars, he thought, sliding off the bed onto his feet —but a split second later it occurred to him that burglarswould keep their voices down, and whoever was movingaround in the kitchen was certainly not troubling to do so.

He snatched up his wand from his bedside table and stoodfacing his bedroom door, listening with all his might. Nextmoment he jumped as the lock gave a loud click and hisdoor swung open. 

Harry stood motionless, staring through the open door atthe dark upstairs landing, straining his ears for furthersounds, but none came. He hesitated for a moment andthen moved swiftly and silently out of his room to the headof the stairs.

His heart shot upward into his throat. There were peoplestanding in the shadowy hall below, silhouetted against thestreetlight glowing through the glass door; eight or nine ofthem, all, as far as he could see, looking up at him.

"Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone's eyeout," said a low, growling voice.

Harry's heart was thumping uncontrollably. He knew thatvoice, but he did not lower his wand.

"Professor Moody?" he said uncertainly.

"I don't know so much about 'Professor,' " growled thevoice, "never got round to much teaching, did I? Get downhere, we want to see you properly."

Harry lowered his wand slightly but did not relax his gripon it, nor did he move. He had very good reason to besuspicious. He had recently spent nine months in what hehad thought was Mad-Eye Moody's company only to find outthat it wasn't Moody at all, but an impostor; an impostor,moreover, who had tried to kill Harry before beingunmasked. But before he could make a decision about whatto do next, a second, slightly hoarse voice floated upstairs.

"It's all right, Harry. We've come to take you away."

Harry's heart leapt. He knew that voice too, though hehadn't heard it for more than a year. 

"P-Professor Lupin?" he said disbelievingly. "Is that you?"

"Why are we all standing in the dark?" said a third voice,this one completely unfamiliar, a woman's. "Lumos."

A wand tip flared, illuminating the hall with magical light.Harry blinked. The people below were crowded around thefoot of the stairs, gazing intently up at him, some craningtheir heads for a better look.

Remus Lupin stood nearest to him. Though still quiteyoung, Lupin looked tired and rather ill; he had more grayhair than when Harry had said good-bye to him, and hisrobes were more patched and shabbier than ever.Nevertheless, he was smiling broadly at Harry, who tried tosmile back through his shock.

"Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would," said thewitch who was holding her lit wand aloft. She looked theyoungest there; she had a pale heart-shaped face, darktwinkling eyes, and short spiky hair that was a violent shadeof violet. "Wotcher, Harry!"

"Yeah, I see what you mean, Remus," said a bald blackwizard standing farthest back; he had a deep, slow voiceand wore a single gold hoop in his ear. "He looks exactlylike James."

"Except the eyes," said a wheezy-voiced, silver-hairedwizard at the back. "Lily's eyes."

Mad-Eye Moody, who had long grizzled gray hair and alarge chunk missing from his nose, was squintingsuspiciously at Harry through his mismatched eyes. One ofthe eyes was small, dark, and beady, the other large, round,and electric blue — the magical eye that could see throughwalls, doors, and the back of Moody's own head.

"Are you quite sure it's him, Lupin?" he growled. "It'd be anice lookout if we bring back some Death Eaterimpersonating him. We ought to ask him something only thereal Potter would know. Unless anyone brought anyVeritaserum?"

"Harry, what form does your Patronus take?" said Lupin. 

"A stag," said Harry nervously.

"That's him, Mad-Eye," said Lupin.

Harry descended the stairs, very conscious of everybodystill staring at him, stowing his wand into the back pocket ofhis jeans as he came.

"Don't put your wand there, boy!" roared Moody. "What ifit ignited? Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, youknow!"

"Who d'you know who's lost a buttock?" the violet-hairedwoman asked Mad-Eye interestedly.

"Never you mind, you just keep your wand out of yourback pocket!" growled Mad-Eye. "Elementary wand safety,nobody bothers about it anymore. ..." He stumped offtoward the kitchen. "And I saw that," he added irritably, asthe woman rolled her eyes at the ceiling.

Lupin held out his hand and shook Harry's.

"How are you?" he asked, looking at Harry closely.

"F-fine ..."

Harry could hardly believe this was real. Four weeks withnothing, not the tiniest hint of a plan to remove him fromPrivet Drive, and suddenly a whole bunch of wizards wasstanding matter-of-factly in the house as though this were along-standing arrangement. He glanced at the peoplesurrounding Lupin; they were still gazing avidly at him. Hefelt very conscious of the fact that he had not combed hishair for four days.

"I'm — you're really lucky the Dursleys are out ..." hemumbled.

"Lucky, ha!" said the violet-haired woman. "It was me thatlured them out of the way. Sent a letter by Muggle posttelling them they'd been short-listed for the All-EnglandBest-Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They're heading offto the prize-giving right now. ... Or they think they are."

Harry had a fleeting vision of Uncle Vernon's face whenhe realized there was no All-England Best-Kept SuburbanLawn Competition.

"We are leaving, aren't we?" he asked. "Soon?"

"Almost at once," said Lupin, "we're just waiting for theall-clear."

"Where are we going? The Burrow?" Harry askedhopefully.

"Not the Burrow, no," said Lupin, motioning Harry towardthe kitchen; the little knot of wizards followed, all stilleyeing Harry curiously. "Too risky. We've set upheadquarters somewhere undetectable. It's taken a while...."

Mad-Eye Moody was now sitting at the kitchen tableswigging from a hip flask, his magical eye spinning in alldirections, taking in the Dursleys' many labor-savingappliances.

"This is Alastor Moody, Harry," Lupin continued, pointingtoward Moody.

"Yeah, I know," said Harry uncomfortably; it felt odd to beintroduced to somebody he'd thought he'd known for ayear.

"And this is Nymphadora —"

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," said the youngwitch with a shudder. "It's Tonks."

"— Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by hersurname only," finished Lupin.

"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you'Nymphadora,' " muttered Tonks.

"And this is Kingsley Shacklebolt" — he indicated the tallblack wizard, who bowed — "Elphias Doge" — the wheezyvoiced wizard nodded — "Dedalus Diggle —"

"We've met before," squeaked the excitable Diggle,dropping his top hat.

"— Emmeline Vance" — a stately looking witch in anemerald-green shawl inclined her head — "SturgisPodmore" — a square-jawed wizard with thick, straw-colored hair winked — "and Hestia Jones." A pink-cheeked,black-haired witch waved from next to the toaster. 

Harry inclined his head awkwardly at each of them asthey were introduced. He wished they would look atsomething other than him; it was as though he hadsuddenly been ushered onstage. He also wondered why somany of them were there.

"A surprising number of people volunteered to come andget you," said Lupin, as though he had read Harry's mind;the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Yeah, well, the more the better," said Moody darkly."We're your guard, Potter."

"We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to setoff," said Lupin, glancing out of the kitchen window. "We'vegot about fifteen minutes."

"Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?" said the witchcalled Tonks, who was looking around the kitchen withgreat interest. "My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right oldslob. I suppose it varies, just like with wizards?"

"Er — yeah," said Harry. "Look" — he turned back toLupin — "what's going on, I haven't heard anything fromanyone, what's Vol — ?"

Several of the witches and wizards made odd hissingnoises; Dedalus Diggle dropped his hat again, and Moodygrowled, "Shut up!"

"What?" said Harry.

"We're not discussing anything here, it's too risky," saidMoody, turning his normal eye on Harry; his magical eyeremained pointing up at the ceiling. "Damn it," he addedangrily, putting a hand up to the magical eye, "it keepssticking — ever since that scum wore it —"

And with a nasty squelching sound much like a plungerbeing pulled from a sink, he popped out his eye. 

"Mad-Eye, you do know that's disgusting, don't you?" saidTonks conversationally.

"Get me a glass of water, would you, Harry?" askedMoody.Harry crossed to the dishwasher, took out a clean glass,and filled it with water at the sink, still watched eagerly bythe band of wizards. Their relentless staring was starting toannoy him.

"Cheers," said Moody, when Harry handed him the glass.He dropped the magical eyeball into the water and proddedit up and down; the eye whizzed around, staring at them allin turn. "I want three-hundred-and-sixty degrees visibilityon the return journey."

"How're we getting — wherever we're going?" Harryasked. 

"Brooms," said Lupin. "Only way. You're too young toApparate, they'll be watching the Floo Network, and it'smore than our life's worth to set up an unauthorizedPortkey."

"Remus says you're a good flier," said KingsleyShacklebolt in his deep voice.

"He's excellent," said Lupin, who was checking his watch."Anyway, you'd better go and get packed, Harry, we want tobe ready to go when the signal comes."

"I'll come and help you," said Tonks brightly. 

She followed Harry back into the hall and up the stairs,looking around with much curiosity and interest.

"Funny place," she said, "it's a bit too clean, d'you knowwhat I mean? Bit unnatural. Oh, this is better," she added,as they entered Harry's bedroom and he turned on thelight.

His room was certainly much messier than the rest of thehouse. Confined to it for four days in a very bad mood,Harry had not bothered tidying up after himself. Most of thebooks he owned were strewn over the floor where he'dtried to distract himself with each in turn and thrown itaside. Hedwig's cage needed cleaning out and was startingto smell, and his trunk lay open, revealing a jumbledmixture of Muggle clothes and wizard's robes that hadspilled onto the floor around it.

Harry started picking up books and throwing them hastilyinto his trunk. Tonks paused at his open wardrobe to lookcritically at her reflection in the mirror on the inside of thedoor.

"You know, I don't think purple's really my color," she saidpensively, tugging at a lock of spiky hair. "D'you think itmakes me look a bit peaky?"

"Er —" said Harry, looking up at her over the top ofQuidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland.

"Yeah, it does," said Tonks decisively. She screwed up hereyes in a strained expression as though she were strugglingto remember something. A second later, her hair hadturned bubble-gum pink.

"How did you do that?" said Harry, gaping at her as sheopened her eyes again. 

"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she said, looking back at herreflection and turning her head so that she could see herhair from all directions. "It means I can change myappearance at will," she added, spotting Harry's puzzledexpression in the mirror behind her. "I was born one. I gottop marks in Concealment and Disguise during Aurortraining without any study at all, it was great."

"You're an Auror?" said Harry, impressed. Being a Darkwizard catcher was the only career he'd ever consideredafter Hogwarts.

"Yeah," said Tonks, looking proud. "Kingsley is as well;he's a bit higher up than I am, though. I only qualified ayear ago. Nearly failed on Stealth and Tracking, I'm deadclumsy, did you hear me break that plate when we arriveddownstairs?"

"Can you learn how to be a Metamorphmagus?" Harryasked her, straightening up, completely forgetting aboutpacking.

Tonks chuckled.

"Bet you wouldn't mind hiding that scar sometimes, eh?"

Her eyes found the lightning-shaped scar on Harry'sforehead.

"No, I wouldn't mind," Harry mumbled, turning away. Hedid not like people staring at his scar. 

"Well, you'll have to learn the hard way, I'm afraid," saidTonks. "Metamorphmagi are really rare, they're born, notmade. Most wizards need to use a wand or potions tochange their appearance. ... But we've got to get going,Harry, we're supposed to be packing," she added guiltily,looking around at all the mess on the floor.

"Oh — yeah," said Harry, grabbing up a few more books.

"Don't be stupid, it'll be much quicker if I — pack!" criedTonks, waving her wand in a long, sweeping movement overthe floor.

Books, clothes, telescope, and scales all soared into theair and flew pell-mell into the trunk. 

"It's not very neat," said Tonks, walking over to the trunkand looking down at the jumble inside. "My mum's got thisknack of getting stuff to fit itself in neatly — she even getsthe socks to fold themselves — but I've never mastered howshe does it — it's a kind of flick —"

She flicked her wand hopefully; one of Harry's socks gavea feeble sort of wiggle and flopped back on top of the messwithin.

"Ah, well," said Tonks, slamming the trunk's lid shut, "atleast it's all in. That could do with a bit of cleaning, too —Scourgify —" She pointed her wand at Hedwig's cage; a fewfeathers and droppings vanished. "Well, that's a bit better— I've never quite got the hang of these sort of householdyspells. Right — got everything? Cauldron? Broom? Wow! AFirebolt?"

Her eyes widened as they fell on the broomstick inHarry's right hand. It was his pride and joy, a gift fromSirius, an international standard broomstick. 

"And I'm still riding a Comet Two Sixty," said Tonksenviously. "Ah well ... wand still in your jeans? Both buttocksstill on? Okay, let's go. Locomotor Trunk."

Harry's trunk rose a few inches into the air. Holding herwand like a conductor's baton, Tonks made it hover acrossthe room and out of the door ahead of them, Hedwig's cagein her left hand. Harry followed her down the stairscarrying his broomstick.

Back in the kitchen, Moody had replaced his eye, whichwas spinning so fast after its cleaning it made Harry feelsick. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Sturgis Podmore wereexamining the microwave and Hestia Jones was laughing ata potato peeler she had come across while rummaging inthe drawers. Lupin was sealing a letter addressed to theDursleys

 "Excellent," said Lupin, looking up as Tonks and Harryentered. "We've got about a minute, I think. We shouldprobably get out into the garden so we're ready. Harry, I'veleft a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry —"

"They won't," said Harry.

"That you're safe —"

"That'll just depress them."

"— and you'll see them next summer."

"Do I have to?" 

Lupin smiled but made no answer.

"Come here, boy," said Moody gruffly, beckoning Harrytoward him with his wand. "I need to Disillusion you."

"You need to what?" said Harry nervously.

"Disillusionment Charm," said Moody, raising his wand."Lupin says you've got an Invisibility Cloak, but it won't stayon while we're flying; this'll disguise you better. Here yougo —" 

He rapped Harry hard on the top of the head and Harryfelt a curious sensation as though Moody had just smashedan egg there; cold trickles seemed to be running down hisbody from the point the wand had struck.

"Nice one, Mad-Eye," said Tonks appreciatively, staring atHarry's midriff.

Harry looked down at his body, or rather, what had beenhis body, for it didn't look anything like his anymore. It wasnot invisible; it had simply taken on the exact color andtexture of the kitchen unit behind him. He seemed to havebecome a human chameleon.

"Come on," said Moody, unlocking the back door with hiswand.

They all stepped outside onto Uncle Vernon's beautifullykept lawn.

"Clear night," grunted Moody, his magical eye scanningthe heavens. "Could've done with a bit more cloud cover.Right, you," he barked at Harry, "we're going to be flying inclose formation. Tonks'll be right in front of you, keep closeon her tail. Lupin'll be covering you from below. I'm going tobe behind you. The rest'll be circling us. We don't breakranks for anything, got me? If one of us is killed —"

"Is that likely?" Harry asked apprehensively, but Moodyignored him.

"— the others keep flying, don't stop, don't break ranks. Ifthey take out all of us and you survive, Harry, the rearguard are standing by to take over; keep flying east andthey'll join you."

"Stop being so cheerful, Mad-Eye, he'll think we're nottaking this seriously," said Tonks, as she strapped Harry'strunk and Hedwig's cage into a harness hanging from herbroom. 

"I'm just telling the boy the plan," growled Moody. "Ourjob's to deliver him safely to headquarters and if we die inthe attempt —"

"No one's going to die," said Kingsley Shacklebolt in hisdeep, calming voice.

"Mount your brooms, that's the first signal!" said Lupinsharply, pointing into the sky.

Far, far above them, a shower of bright red sparks hadflared among the stars. Harry recognized them at once aswand sparks. He swung his right leg over his Firebolt,gripped its handle tightly, and felt it vibrating very slightly,as though it was as keen as he was to be up in the air oncemore.

"Second signal, let's go!" said Lupin loudly, as moresparks, green this time, exploded high above them.

Harry kicked off hard from the ground. The cool night airrushed through his hair as the neat square gardens ofPrivet Drive fell away, shrinking rapidly into a patchwork ofdark greens and blacks, and every thought of the Ministryhearing was swept from his mind as though the rush of airhad blown it out of his head. He felt as though his heart wasgoing to explode with pleasure; he was flying again, flyingaway from Privet Drive as he'd been fantasizing about allsummer, he was going home. ... For a few gloriousmoments, all his problems seemed to recede into nothing,insignificant in the vast, starry sky.

"Hard left, hard left, there's a Muggle looking up!"shouted Moody from behind him. Tonks swerved and Harryfollowed her, watching his trunk swinging wildly beneathher broom. "We need more height. ... Give it anotherquarter of a mile!"

Harry's eyes watered in the chill as they soared upward;he could see nothing below now but tiny pinpricks of lightthat were car headlights and streetlamps. Two of those tinylights might belong to Uncle Vernon's car. ... The Dursleyswould be heading back to their empty house right now, fullof rage about the nonexistent lawn competition ... andHarry laughed aloud at the thought, though his voice wasdrowned by the flapping of the others' robes, the creakingof the harness holding his trunk and the cage, the whooshof the wind in their ears as they sped through the air. Hehad not felt this alive in a month, or this happy. ...

"Bearing south!" shouted Mad-Eye. "Town ahead!"

They soared right, so that they did not pass directly overthe glittering spiderweb of lights below.

"Bear southeast and keep climbing, there's some lowcloud ahead we can lose ourselves in!" called Moody.

"We're not going through clouds!" shouted Tonks angrily."We'll get soaked, Mad-Eye!"

Harry was relieved to hear her say this; his hands weregrowing numb on the Firebolt's handle. He wished he hadthought to put on a coat; he was starting to shiver.

They altered their course every now and then accordingto Mad-Eye's instructions. Harry's eyes were screwed upagainst the rush of icy wind that was starting to make hisears ache. He could remember being this cold on a broomonly once before, during the Quidditch match againstHufflepuff in his third year, which had taken place in astorm. The guard around him was circling continuously likegiant birds of prey. Harry lost track of time. He wonderedhow long they had been flying; it felt like an hour at least.

"Turning southwest!" yelled Moody. "We want to avoid themotorway!"

Harry was now so chilled that he thought longingly for amoment of the snug, dry interiors of the cars streamingalong below, then, even more longingly, of traveling by Floopowder; it might be uncomfortable to spin around infireplaces but it was at least warm in the flames. ... KingsleyShacklebolt swooped around him, bald pate and earringgleaming slightly in the moonlight. ... Now Emmeline Vancewas on his right, her wand out, her head turning left andright ... then she too swooped over him, to be replaced bySturgis Podmore. ...

"We ought to double back for a bit, just to make surewe're not being followed!" Moody shouted.

"ARE YOU MAD, MAD-EYE?" Tonks screamed from thefront. "We're all frozen to our brooms! If we keep going offcourse we're not going to get there until next week! We'renearly there now!"

"Time to start the descent!" came Lupin's voice. "FollowTonks, Harry!"

Harry followed Tonks into a dive. They were heading forthe largest collection of lights he had yet seen, a huge,sprawling, crisscrossing mass, glittering in lines and grids,interspersed with patches of deepest black. Lower andlower they flew, until Harry could see individual headlightsand streetlamps, chimneys, and television aerials. Hewanted to reach the ground very much, though he felt surethat someone would have to unfreeze him from his broom.

"Here we go!" called Tonks, and a few seconds later shehad landed.

Harry touched down right behind her and dismounted ona patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square.Tonks was already unbuckling Harry's trunk. Shivering,Harry looked around. The grimy fronts of the surroundinghouses were not welcoming; some of them had brokenwindows, glimmering dully in the light from the streetlamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors, and heapsof rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, but Lupin said quietly, "Ina minute."

Moody was rummaging in his cloak, his gnarled handsclumsy with cold. 

"Got it," he muttered, raising what looked like a silvercigarette lighter into the air and clicking it.

The nearest streetlamp went out with a pop. He clickedthe un-lighter again; the next lamp went out. He keptclicking until every lamp in the square was extinguishedand the only light in the square came from curtainedwindows and the sickle moon overhead.

"Borrowed it from Dumbledore," growled Moody,pocketing the Put-Outer. "That'll take care of any Muggleslooking out of the window, see? Now, come on, quick."

He took Harry by the arm and led him from the patch ofgrass, across the road, and onto the pavement. Lupin andTonks followed, carrying Harry's trunk between them, therest of the guard, all with their wands out, flanking them.

The muffled pounding of a stereo was coming from anupper window in the nearest house. A pungent smell ofrotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags justinside the broken gate.

"Here," Moody muttered, thrusting a piece of parchmenttoward Harry's Disillusioned hand and holding his lit wandclose to it, so as to illuminate the writing. "Read quickly andmemorize."

Harry looked down at the piece of paper. The narrowhandwriting was vaguely familiar. It said:

The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may befound at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.