Harry Potter and the Famous Five's ice-cream man

Part 4

"George, old thing ..." began Julian.

George withdrew their hand and crawled out of the bush, scowling.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me, but it's true."

"I believe you," said Harry, quickly, because George looked like they were about to start shouting in the middle of the street. "Is the young man still in the shop?"

"Oh," said George. "No. I think he went upstairs. Into Mr Goon's flat."

The three children turned to stare up at the first floor. In the twilight the windows looked opaque, blankly staring out at the sea. There was no light on, no sound to be heard.

"Mr Goon didn't go out again," said George, uneasily. "Do you think they're sitting up there in the dark?"

"I don't know," said Julian, scanning the building. "But one thing's for sure, that young fellow is up to no good. I think we need to find out what's happening."

"Rather!" said Dick, coming up behind them with Anne in tow and Timmy at their heels. Julian filled them in quickly, in low whispers. "There's a drainpipe running up to that little window. Two of us boys should climb it, while the third keeps lookout. The girls should go home and tell Joan we've been held up so she doesn't start to worry."

(At that precise moment Joan was on the phone to a union rep. She hadn't even noticed the children weren't home.)

"I'm not a girl and I'm not going home," said George immediately. "I can climb that drainpipe better than any of you - certainly better than Harry, I'll bet."

"No argument here," said Harry. "I've never climbed anything more dangerous than the stairs."

"Really?" said Dick. "What does you school make you do in gym class then?"

Harry though about Madam Hooch and her flying classes, and suddenly longed for Hogwarts. If he had his Nimbus 2000 here he could zoom up to that window in an instant and see what was happening. Or Hermione could do a tricky spell that would let them hear what was going on, or Ron could ... Ron could ...

"Harry goes to Catholic school," said Anne wisely. "I expect they just pray all the way through gym class."

"That's right," said Harry. "Confession takes it out of you."

"I bet I could beat you at that as well," said George, fiercely.

"I expect you could," said Harry.

"And I'm a better swimmer than you too," said George, refusing to be put off.

"Yes, you were great earlier," said Harry. "Like a fish."

"I say, old chap," said Julian. "You don't want to admit to being second-best to a girl all the time. It's a bit embarrassing."

"I'm not a girl," muttered George.

Harry shrugged. "My best friend Hermione is better than me at almost everything. But it doesn't matter, because I'm ..." he stopped short. He'd almost said the Chosen One.

"What?" asked Anne. "You're what?"

"I'm ... going up there by myself," said Harry. "I know these Death Eaters, so I know what to look for. You can all stay down here and keep lookout." It was far too dangerous for them to confront an evil wizard. And who knew what they might see that would blow their simple pre-war minds?

"You most certainly aren't," said Julian at once. "You can't even climb a drainpipe. How are you going to get up there?"

Harry didn't know. He wished he'd gone to the gym a bit more often and maybe done a chin-up or two, but that was the preserve of the Hufflepuffs who always won the school's annual Muggle Sports Day. Apart from the Egg and Spoon race, which the Ravenclaws had adopted as being "all about physics" and had dominated for the last 200 hundred years. The Slytherins didn't take part because they thought Muggle sport was beneath them, but there had long been rumours of a secret Slytherin pole-vaulting club. The first rule of pole-vaulting club was that you didn't talk about pole-vaulting club. Harry couldn't pole-vault either, which was a shame as it might have been a useful skill for looking in a second-floor window.