Shadowing Practice: 1. The Boy Who Lived - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J .K.
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Rowling Narrated by Ty Farnsworth Chapter 1 The Boy Who Lived
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Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of Number 4 Privet Drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
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They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange and mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.
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Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.
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He was a big beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache.
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Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde, and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.
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The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley, and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.
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The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.
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They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.
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Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years.
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In fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good -for -nothing husband were as un -Dursleyish as it was possible to be.
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The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street.
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The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him.
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This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away.
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They didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.
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When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest
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that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country.
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Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.
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None of them noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window.
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At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye, but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.
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"'It'll take!' chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house.
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He got into his car and backed out of Number Four's Drive.
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It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar—a cat reading a map.
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For a second Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen, then he jerked his head around to look again.
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There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight.
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What could he have been thinking of?
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It must have a trick of the light.
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Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat.
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It stared back.
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As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror.
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It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive.
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No, looking at the sign.
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Cats couldn't read maps or signs.
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Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind.
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As he drove toward town, he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.
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But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else.
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As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about.
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People in cloaks.
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Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes.
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The gid -ups you saw on young people!
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He supposed this was some stupid new fashion.
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He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of those weirdos standing quite close by.
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They were whispering excitedly together.
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Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all.
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Why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald green cloak.
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The nerve of him!
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But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt.
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These people were obviously collecting for something.
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Yes, that would be it.
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The traffic moved on.
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And a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings car park, his mind back on drills.
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Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor.
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If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning.
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He didn't see the owl swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did.
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They pointed and gazed open mouth as owl after owl sped overhead.
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Most of them had never seen an owl even at night time.
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Mr. Darsley, however, had a perfectly normal owl -free morning.
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He yelled at five different people.
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He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more.
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He was in a very good mood until lunchtime
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when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the baker's opposite.
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He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the bakers.
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He eyed them angrily as he passed.
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He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy.
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This lot were whispering excitedly too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin.
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It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.
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The parters, that's right, that's what I heard!
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Yes, the son Harry!
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Mr. Dazley stopped dead.
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Fear flooded him.
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He looked back at the Whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but he thought better of it.
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He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind.
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He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking, no, he was being stupid.
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Potter wasn't such an unusual name.
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He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry.
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Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry.
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He'd never even seen the boy.
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It might have been Harvey or Harold.
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There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley.
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She always got so upset at any mention of a sister.
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He didn't blame her.
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If he'd had a sister like that.
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But all the same, there's people in cloaks.
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He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon, and when he left the building at five o 'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.
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Sorry, he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.
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It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak.
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He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground.
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On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile, and he said in a squeaky voice that made passers -by stare, Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today.
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Rejoice, for you know who is gone at last.
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Even muggles like yourself should be celebrating this happy, happy day.
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And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.
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Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot.
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He'd been hugged by a complete stranger.
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He also thought he'd been called a muggle, whatever that was.
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He was rattled.
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He hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before because he didn't approve of imagination.
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As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw, and it didn't improve his mood, was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.
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It was now sitting on his garden wall.
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He was sure it was the same one.
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It had the same markings around its eyes.
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"'Chew!' said Mr. Dazley loudly.
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The cat didn't move.
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It just gave him a stand look.
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Was this normal cat behavior?
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Mr. Dazley wondered.
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trying to pull himself together he let himself into the house
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he was still determined not to mention anything to his wife
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mrs darsley had had a nice normal day she told him
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over dinner all about mrs next door's problems with her daughter and how dudley had learned a new word shant
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mr darsley tried to act normally
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when dudley had been put to bed he went into the
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living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news
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and finally bird watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today.
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Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise.
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Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern.
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The newsreader allowed himself a grin.
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Most mysterious.
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And now over to Jim McGuffin with the weather.
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Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?
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Well, Ted, said the weatherman.
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I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today.
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Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars.
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Perhaps people have been celebrating bonfire night early.
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It's not until next week, folks.
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But I can promise a wet night tonight.
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Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair, shooting stars all over Britain, owls flying by daylight, mysterious people in cloaks all over the place,
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and a whisper, A whisper about the potters.
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Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea.
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It was no good.
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He'd have to say something to her.
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He clared his throat nervously.
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Uh, Petunia, dear, you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?
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As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry.
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After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.
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No, she said sharply.
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Why?
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Funny stuff on the news, Mr. Dursley mumbled.
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Owls are shooting stars, and there are a lot of funny -looking people in town today. So?
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Snapped Mrs. Dursley.
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Well, I just thought maybe it was something to do with, you know, her lot.
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Mrs. Dursley sipped a tea through past lips.
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Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name Porter.
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He decided he didn't care.
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Instead, he said, as casually as he could, "'Their son, he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?' "'I suppose so,' said Mrs. Darsley stiffly.
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"'What's his name again?
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Howard, isn't it?' "'Harry.
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Nasty common name, if you ask me.' "'Oh, yes,' said Mr. Darsley, his heart sinking horribly.
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"'Yes, I quite agree.' He didn't say another word on the subject until they went upstairs.
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While Mrs. Darsley was in the bathroom, Mr. Darsley crept to the bedroom window and pared down into the front garden.
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The cat was still there.
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It was staring down Privet Drive as though it was waiting for something.
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Was he imagining things?
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Could all this have anything to do with the Potters?
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If it did, if it got out that they were related to a pair of.. well, he didn't think he could bear it.
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The Dursleys got into bed.
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Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly, but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind.
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His last comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley.
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The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them, and their kind.
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He didn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on.
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He yawned and turned over.
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It surely couldn't affect them.
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How very wrong he was.
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Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep.
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But the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness.
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It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive.
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It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed shut in the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead.
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In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.
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A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground.
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The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.
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Nothing like this man had ever been seen in Privet Drive.
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He was tall.
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thin and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt.
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He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak which swept the ground, and high -heeled buckled boots.
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His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half -moon spectacles, and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.
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This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.
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Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize
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that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.
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He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something.
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But he did seem to realize that he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street.
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For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him.
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He chuckled and muttered, I should have known!
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He had found what he was looking for in his inside pocket.
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It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter.
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He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it.
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The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.
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He clicked it again.
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The next lamp flickered into darkness.
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Twelve times he clicked the put -outer, until the only lights left in the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him.
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If anyone looked out their window now, even beady -eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement.
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Dumbledore slipped the put -outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street towards number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat.
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He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.
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Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.
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He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone.
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Instead he was smiling at a rather severe -looking woman who was wearing square glasses, exactly the shape of the markings the cat had around its eyes.
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She too was wearing a cloak, an emerald one.
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Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun.
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She looked distinctly ruffled.
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How did you know it was me?
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She asked.
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My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly.
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You'd be sit if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day, said Professor McGonagall.
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All day!
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When you could have been celebrating!
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I must have passed a dozen feasting parties on my way here!
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Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.
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Oh, yes.
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Everyone's celebrating all right, she said impatiently.
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You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no. Even the muggles have noticed something's going on.
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It was on their news.
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She jacked a head back at the Dastley's dark living room window.
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I heard it.
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Fox of owls, shooting stars.
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Well, they're not completely stupid.
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They're bound to notice something.
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Shooting stars down in Kent?
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How about that was Daedalus Diggle?
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He never had much sense.
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You can't blame them, said Dumbledore gently.
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We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.
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I know that, said Professor McGonagall irritably.
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But that's no reason to lose our heads.
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People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in muggle clothes, swapping rumours.
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She threw a sharp sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell us something.
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But he didn't.
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So she went on.
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A fine thing it would be if, on the day you know who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all.
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I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore.
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It certainly seems so, said Dumbledore.
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We have much to be thankful for.
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Would you care for a Shabbat Lemon?
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A what?
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A Shabbat Lemon.
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They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of.
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No, thank you, said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't even think this was the moment for Shabbat Lemons.
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Yes, I see.
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Even if you know who has gone.
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My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name.
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All this you -know -who nonsense.
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For eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name.
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Voldemort.
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Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two Sherbet Lemons, seemed not to notice.
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It all gets so confusing if we keep saying you -know -who.
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I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name.
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I know you haven't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring him.
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But you're different.
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Everyone knows you're the only one you know.
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Oh, all right.
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Voldemort was ever frightened of.
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You flatter me, said Dumbledore calmly.
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Voldemort had powers I will never have.
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Only because you're too, well, noble to use them.
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It's lucky it's dark.
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I haven't blushed so much since Madame Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.
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Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, the owls are nothing to the rumors that are flying around.
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You know what everyone's saying about why he's disappeared, about what finally stopped him.
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It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss.
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The real reason she'd been waiting on a curled hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a passing stare as she did now.
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It was plain that whatever everyone was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true.
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Dumbledore, however, was choosing another shabbat lemon and did not answer.
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What they're saying, she pressed on, is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow.
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He went to find the Potter's.
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The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are.. that they're.. dead.
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Dumbledore bowed his head.
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Professor McGonagall gasped.
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Lily and James?
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I can't believe it.
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I don't want to believe it.
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Oh, Albus.
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Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder.
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I know.
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I know.
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He said heavily.
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Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on.
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That's not all.
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They're trying to say he...
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He tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry, but...
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But he couldn't.
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He couldn't kill that little boy.
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No one knows why or how.
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But they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke, and that's why he's gone.
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Dumbledore nodded glumly.
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It's...
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It's true.
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"'Faulted Professor McGonagall.
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"'After all, he's done, all the people he's killed.
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"'He couldn't kill a little boy.
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"'It's just astounding.
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"'Of all the things to stop him, but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?' "'We can only guess,' said Dumbledore.
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"'We may never know.' Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief "'and dabbed at her eyes beneath his spectacles.
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"'Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a gulden watch from his pocket "'and examined it.
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"'It was a very odd watch.
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"'It had twelve hands but no numbers, Instead, little planets were moving around the edge.
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It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in its pocket and said, Hagrid's late.
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I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way.
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Yes, said Professor McGonagall.
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And I don't suppose you're going to tell you why you're here, of all places.
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I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle.
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They're the only family he has left now.
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You don't mean...
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You can't mean the people who live here, cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.
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Dumbledore, you can't.
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I've been watching them all day.
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You can find two people who are less like us.
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And they've got this son.
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I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets.
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Harry Potter, come and live here.
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It's the best place for him, said Dumbledore family.
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His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older.
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I've written him a letter.
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A letter, repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall.
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Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?
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These people will never understand him.
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He'll be famous, a legend.
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I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future.
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There will be books written about him.
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Every child in our world will know his name.
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Exactly, said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half -moon spectacles.
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It would be enough to turn any boy's head famous before he can walk and talk, famous for something he won't even remember.
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Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?
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Professor McGonagall opened a mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, Yes, yes, you're right, of course.
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But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?
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She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.
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Hagrid's bringing him.
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You think it wise to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?
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I would trust Hagrid with my life, said Dumbledore.
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I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place, said Professor McGonagall grudgingly.
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But you can't pretend he's not careless.
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He does tend to...
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What was that?
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A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them.
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It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight.
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It swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky.
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And a huge motorbike fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.
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If the motorbike was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it.
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He was almost twice as tall as a normal man, and at least five times as wide.
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He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild, long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face.
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He had hands the size of dustbin lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins.
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In his vast muscular arms, he was holding a bundle of blankets.
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"'Hagrid,' said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "'At last!
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And where did you get the motorbike?' "'Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir,' said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke.
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"'Young Sirius Black lent it to me.
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I've got them, sir.' No problems with her.
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No, sir.
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House was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the muggles started swarming around.
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He fell asleep as we were flying over Bristol.
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Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets.
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Inside, just visible, was a baby boy fast asleep.
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Under a tuft of jet black hair over his forehead, they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a belt of lightning.
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Is that where.. whispered Professor McGonagall.
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Yes, said Dumbledore.
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He'll have that scar forever.
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Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?
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Even if I could, I wouldn't.
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Scars can come in useful.
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I have one myself above my left knee, which is a perfect map of the London Underground.
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Well, give him here, Hagrid.
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We better get this over with.
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Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned towards the Darsley's house.
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Could I.. could I say goodbye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid.
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He bent his great shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss.
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Then suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.
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"'Shh!' hears Professor McConnacle.
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"'You'll wake the muggles!' "'Sorry!' sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it.
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"'But I can't stand it!
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Lily and James dead and poor little Harry have to live with muggles!' Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found, Professor McGonagall whispered,
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patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door.
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He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.
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For a full minute, the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle.
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Hagrid's shoulders shook.
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Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.
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"'Well,' said Dumbledore finally, "'that's that.
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We've no business staying here.
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We may as well go and join the celebrations.' "'Yeah,' said Hagrid in a very muffled voice.
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"'I'd best get this bike away.
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Good night, Professor McGonagall.
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Professor Dumbledore, sir.' Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swam himself onto the motorbike and kicked the engine to life.
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With a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.
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"'I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall said Dumbledore, nodding to her.
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Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.
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Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street.
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On the corner he stopped and took up the silver put -outer.
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He clicked it once and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps
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so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange
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and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street.
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He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.
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Good luck, Harry, he murmured.
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He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.
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A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen.
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Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up.
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One small hand closed on the letter beside him, and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time
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by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley.
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He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices,
394
To Harry Potter, the boy who lived.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 394 sentences and 4632 words to shadow. The speech runs for 22:36. The speaker talks fast, about 205 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cloak noun | /kləʊk/ | A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood. |
| drill noun | /dɹɪl/ | A tool or machine used to remove material so as to create a hole, typically by plunging a rotating cutting bit into a stationary workpiece. |
| stare verb | /stɛɚ/ | To look fixedly (at something). |
| blanket noun | /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/ | A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting. |
| asleep adjective | /əˈsliːp/ | In a state of sleep; also, broadly, resting. |
| mysterious adjective | /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/ | Of unknown origin. |
| bundle noun | /ˈbʌn.dl̩/ | A group of objects held together by wrapping or tying. |
| daylight noun | /ˈdeɪˌlaɪt/ | The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days). |
| pocket noun | /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ | A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items. |
| twelve noun | /twɛlv/ | A group of twelve items. |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| boot noun | /but/ | A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg. |
| scream verb | /skɹiːm/ | To cry out with a shrill voice; to utter a sudden, sharp outcry, or shrill, loud cry, as in fright or extreme pain; to screech, to shriek. |
| lemon noun | /ˈlɛmən/ | A yellowish citrus fruit. |
| sharp adjective | /ʃɑɹp/ | Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
| set off verb | To leave; to set out; to begin a journey or trip. | |
| back down verb | To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have. | |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. | |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. | |
| hold up verb | To wait or delay. | |
| let out verb | To release. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 112 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, couldn't, he'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thin /ˈθɪn/, leather /ˈlɛðɚ/, throat /ˈθɹoʊt/, beneath /bɪˈniːθ/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: sharp /ʃɑɹp/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, shock /ʃɔk/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: mysterious /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/, imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, unusually /ʌnˈjuːʒuəli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like cloak, drill, stare.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been thinking · have been behaving · have been acting |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have reported · have been · haven't heard |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be involved · were driven · was enraged |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who dressed · beard, which were · cat, which was |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.