章节_73

ron, full of turkey ah nothio

bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as hed drawains

of his four-poster. harry leahe side of his own bed and

pulled the u.

his fathers... this had been his fathers. he let the material

flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. use it well,

the note had said.

he had to try it, now. he slipped out of bed ahe

self. looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight

and shadows. it was a very funny feeling.

use it well.

suddenly, harry felt wide-awake. the whole of hogwarts was

open to him in this cloak. ext flh him as he

stood there in the dark and silence. he could go ahis,

anywhere, and filever know.

ron grunted in his sleep. should harry wake him? something

held him back -- his fathers cloak -- he felt that this time --

the first time -- he wao use it alone.

he crept out of the dormitory, dowairs, across the

, ahrough the portrait hole.

”whos there?” squawked the fat lady. harry said nothing. he

walked qui the corridor.

where should he go? he stopped, his heart rad

thought. a . the restricted se the

library. hed be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it

took to find out who flamel was. he set the invisibility

cloak tight around him as he walked.

the library itch-blad very eerie. harry lit a lamp

to see his way along the rows of books. the lamp looked as if it

was floating along in midair, ahough harry could feel his

arm supp it, the sight gave him the creeps.

the restricted se was right at the back of the library. step

ping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the

rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.

they didnt tell him much. their peeling, faded gold letters

spelled words in languages harry t uand. some had no

title at all. one book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly

like blood. the hairs on the back of harrys neck prickled. maybe

he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering

was the books, as though they khere

who shouldnt be.

he had to start somewhere. setting the lamp down carefully on the

floor, he looked aloom shelf for ainglooking

be blad silver volume caught his eye. he pulled it

out with difficulty, because it was very heavy, and, balang it

o fall open.

a pierg, bl shriek split the silehe book

was sg! harry s, but the shriek went on and

on, one high, uiumbled backward

and knocked over his lamp, whit out at onig, he

heard footsteps ing down the corridor outside -- stuffing the

shrieking book ba the shelf, he ran for it. he passed fil

the doorway; filchs pale, wild eyes lht through him,

and harry slipped under filchs outstretched arm and streaked off

up the corridor, the books shrieks still ringing in his ears.

he came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. he

had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadnt paid

attention to where he was going. perhaps because it was dark, he

didnt reize where he was at all. there was a suit of armor

s, he k he must be five floors above there.

”you asked me to e directly to you, professor, if anyone

was wandering around at night, and somebodys been in the library

restricted se.”

harry felt the blood drain out of his face. wherever he was,

filow a shortcut, because his soft, greasy voice was

gettio his horror, it e who replied,

”the restricted se? well, they t be far, well catch them.”

harry stood rooted to the spot as filape d

the er ahead. they t see him, of course, but it was a

narrow corridor and if they came muearer theyd knht

into him -- the t st solid.

he backed away as quietly as he could. a door stood ajar to

his left. it was his only hope. he squeezed through it, holding

his brea