Harry Potter and The Mirror's Gift

Chapter 3

Harry woke up late in the afternoon to the loud, tuneless singing of the wooden doll. It sounded like some Russian folksong. She stopped when she saw he was awake.

"You left me alone yesterday," she said huffily.

"I had to go somewhere," said Harry, but she had now turned her back to him and was ignoring him, and stood staring out of the window with a sulky look on her face.

Harry noticed that someone had placed an early dinner – or perhaps it was a late lunch – on a tray in the room. He started eating, and the doll, tired of sulking, started her loud, tuneless singing again.

Harry finished eating, then to get away from the doll's singing, wandered out to look for the others. Lupin seemed to be catching up with some of his old associates, while Dumbledore and Oleg Bubcek were having a drink in the parlour, talking. Bubcek was puffing on an enormous pipe.

"Ah, Harry," said Bubcek, when he appeared. "Did you have a good rest?"

"Yes, thank you," said Harry.

"Ready for this evening, Harry?" asked Dumbledore, looking at him through his half-moon spectacles.

"I guess so," said Harry, "although – I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to do."

Dumbledore smiled. "You'll know when the time comes."

Harry was silent a moment, then looked at Dumbledore.

"I forgot to tell you this," he said. "I don't know if it's important, but – the shape-shifter – well, she looks like she's Chinese."

"Is she?" said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "That's interesting."

Professor Bubcek was still puffing on his pipe.

"It doesn't mean she's not Russian, Harry," he said. "Russia has a border with China. Many of those living on the Russian side of the border are of Chinese origin."

"She doesn't speak like a Russian," said Harry.

"She might well be Japanese, too," observed Dumbledore. "I don't know if you are aware of it, Harry, but Kamchatka is fairly near to Japan."

"Oh," said Harry, feeling rather ignorant. He was silent a while, then remembered something else.

"Professor Dumbledore?" he said. "I was just wondering...Is there a special reason why you chose Professor Lupin to handle the shape-shifter?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Well, Harry," he said, "I think that among us, Remus is the most suitable person to tackle her."

Harry was puzzled. "But why?"

"My guess would be," said Bubcek, coughing a bit through a cloud of smoke, "that it's because Remus is a – is a – "

Dumbledore's beard quivered slightly. "Werewolf, Oleg. Werewolf."

"Yes, yes, werewolf," said Bubcek, looking nervously around, as if he were afraid Lupin might be eavesdropping on him. "So – er – having the ability to transform himself, he might have some intrinsic rapport with this shape-shifter, er, perhaps find it easier to communicate with her."

"Precisely, Oleg," said Dumbledore, his eyes still twinkling.

Harry, however, somehow felt that this wasn't the real reason for Dumbledore's choice.

The journey to Milkovo was similar to the previous night's, except that two turnip trucks were used to accommodate the twenty or so extra wizards who were setting out. Harry sat next to Professor Lupin this time, feeling slightly apprehensive. What if something went wrong?