Chapter 789 Three People Gather Together

Harry walked up the old steps, his eyes fixed on the new door.

Its black paint was tattered and riddled with scratches. The silver door handle had twisted into a snake shape. There is neither a keyhole nor a letterbox in the main door.

Lupine took out his wand and knocked on the door once. Harry heard a loud, metallic click from the door, which sounded like a metal chain. The door creaked open.

"Come in, Harry," whispered Lupine, "but don't go too deep and don't touch anything."

Harry walked into the almost completely dark hall. He could smell a damp, dusty, sweet smell, and the place felt like an abandoned building.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the others neatly following him, Lupine and Tonks holding his suitcase and Hedwig's cage. Moody was standing on the top step, and was using the lighter to restore the extinguished street light outside. The light flew back into the bulb, and before Moody limped in and closed the door, the small square immediately returned. It was once again shrouded in orange light, and Moody had closed the door, so the hall became completely dark.

"here--"

Moody patted Harry's head hard with his wand again. This time Harry felt as if another stream of heat was flowing on his back. He knew that the so-called invisibility magic, that is, the Disguise Curse, had been lifted.

"Everyone, listen, stand still while I give you a little light," Moody whispered. The silence of the others gave Harry the odd premonition that they had entered the room of a dying man. He heard a soft hissing sound, and then the old-fashioned gas lamps on all the walls lit up, casting a flickering, very unstable light on the mottled wallpaper, and illuminating a strip of shabby carpet. , long and dark corridor, at the top of the corridor there is a tree-shaped decorative light covered with spider webs flickering, and portraits that have been blackened by age are hung on the curved walls.

Harry heard something opening a valve on the baseboard behind him. Both the tree-shaped decorative lamp and the candelabra placed on a nearby rickety table are shaped like a large venomous snake.

There was a rush of footsteps in the distance, and Ron's mother, Mrs. Weasley, appeared from behind a door at the end of the hall. Her face was filled with welcome joy and she hurried towards Harry, but Harry found that she was thinner and paler than the last time he saw her.

"Oh, Harry, it's so nice to see you!" she whispered and gave Harry a rib-breaking hug, then took hold of his arm and examined it critically. "You look even thinner. You need to increase your nutrition, but I'm afraid you have to wait a while before you have dinner."

She turned to the group of wizards behind Harry and said in a low voice and eagerly: "He has just arrived, and the meeting has already begun." The wizards behind Harry made a noise of interest and excitement, and lined up neatly to cross Harry walked towards the door where Mrs. Weasley had just appeared. Harry tried to follow Lupin, but Mrs. Weasley held him back.

"No, Harry, this meeting is only open to members of the Order. Ron and Hermione are upstairs, you can wait for them until the meeting is over, and then we will have dinner. Keep your voice as low as possible in the hall," she finally added added in an urgent whisper.

"Why?"

"I don't want to wake anything."

"What are you going to wake up-?"

"I'll explain it to you later, I have to leave quickly, I have to go to a meeting - now I'm just going to show you where to sleep." Mrs. Weasley pressed her finger to her lips, and she tiptoed with Harry. Passing a pair of long, moth-infested curtains, behind which Harry assumed there must be a door. Then, after walking around a huge umbrella stand that looked like it was made up of several giant legs, they walked up a dark staircase, passing a row of shrunken head-like objects taped to the wall as decoration. Looking closer Harry discovered that the heads belonged to the house elves. They all have noses like pig's mouth.

Harry's confusion grew deeper with every step he took. What on earth had they done in this house to make this place look more like it belonged to the darkest wizards?

"Mrs. Weasley, why -?" "Ron and Hermione will explain everything to you, dear, I really have to leave quickly," Mrs. Weasley whispered, "There - they are already here Second floor, - your room is on the right. I'll call you when the meeting is over."

"Wait a minute, Mrs. Weasley—I mean, where's Vanlin?"

"Oh, him?" Mrs. Weasley's expression was a little unnatural, "He wants to attend the meeting, Dumbledore allowed it..." Then she hurried downstairs again.

"Dumbledore's permission?" Harry repeated, but before Harry could ask again, Mrs. Weasley had disappeared.

Harry crossed the dark landing, turned the doorknob, which was also shaped like a serpent's head, and opened the door. He briefly inspected the gloomy and high ceiling, which was a double room, and then he heard a loud chirping noise from inside, followed by an even louder scream, and then Harry's vision was blocked by a huge , a face dominated by a mass of thick hair.

Well, it's really inappropriate to say that, but that feeling of going from far to near without reacting is indeed like this.

You mean a fragrant breeze?

Harry didn't know whether Hermione smelled good or not, and he would be beaten to death if he did. However, Hermione's lion-like exploding hair looked much better, and it looked more like a Yule Ball.

Hermione rushed over and gave Harry a hug, nearly knocking him to the ground, while Ron's little owl piggy circled excitedly above their heads.

"Hurry up! Ron, he is here, Harry is here! Fan Lin and the others have indeed brought Harry back safely! Oh, how are you? Are you okay? Will you get angry with us? I bet You will, I know our letter is useless - because we can't tell you anything... Dumbledore made us swear not to say anything, oh, there are many things we long to tell you, and you have many things too Talk to us - those damn Dementors! When we heard - from the Ministry of Magic of course - it was so cruel, I just rolled my eyes at them, they can't fire you, they just can't, There is a clause in the minor witchcraft restriction regulations that allows the use of magic when life is threatened——"

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Ron said with a smile as he closed the door behind Harry.

He seemed to have grown a few inches in the month they'd been apart, making him look even lankier than before, but his long nose, bright red hair, and freckles were still the same.

Hermione was still beaming and she let go of Harry, but before she could say the next word there was a soft whistling sound and something white swooped down from the top of the dark wardrobe and landed softly. on Harry's shoulder.

"Hedwig!"

The snow-white owl nuzzled its beak and nibbled Harry's ear affectionately as Harry stroked its feathers. (To be continued)