Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry - DAD GOT THE TICKETS - Ireland versus Bulgaria, Monday night. Mum
’
s writing to 
the Muggles to ask you to stay. They might already have the letter, I don
’
t know how fast Muggle 
post is. Thought I
’
d send this with Pig anyway. 
Harry stared at the word “Pig,” then looked up at the tiny owl now zooming around the light 
fixture on the ceiling. He had never seen anything that looked less like a pig. Maybe he couldn’t 
read Ron’s writing. He went back to the letter:
We
’
re coming for you whether the Muggles like it or not, you can
’
t miss the World Cup, only 
Mum and Dad reckon it
’
s better if we pretend to ask their permission first. If they say yes, send 
Pig back with your answer pronto, and we
’
ll come and get you at five o
’
clock on Sunday. If they 
say no, send Pig back pronto and we
’
ll come and get you at five o
’
clock on Sunday anyway.
 
Hermione
’
s arriving this afternoon. Percy
’
s started work - the Department of International 
Magical Cooperation. Don
’
t mention anything about Abroad while you
’
re here unless you want 
the pants bored off you. 
 

---

See you soon –
 
Ron 
 
“Calm down!” Harry said as the small owl flew low over his head, twittering madly with what 
Harry could only assume was pride at having delivered the letter to the right person. “Come here, 
I need you to take my answer back!” 
The owl fluttered down on top of Hedwig’s cage. Hedwig looked coldly up at it, as though 
daring it to try and come any closer. 
Harry seized his eagle-feather quill once more, grabbed a fresh piece of parchment, and wrote: 
Ron, it
’
s all okay, the Muggles say I can come. See you five o
’
clock tomorrow. Can
’
t wait.
 
Harry 
He folded this note up very small, and with immense difficulty, tied it to the tiny owl’s leg as it 
hopped on the spot with excitement. The moment the note was secure, the owl was off again; it 
zoomed out of the window and out of sight. 
Harry turned to Hedwig. 
“Feeling up to a long journey?” he asked her. 
Hedwig hooted in a dignified sort of a way. 
“Can you take this to Sirius for me?” he said, picking up his letter. “Hang on… I just want to 
finish it.” 
He unfolded the parchment and hastily added a postscript. 
If you want to contact me, I
’
ll be at my friend Ron Weasley
’
s for the rest of the summer. His 
dad
’
s got us tickets for the Quidditch World Cup! 
The letter finished, he tied it to Hedwig’s leg; she kept unusually still, as though determined to 
show him how a real post owl should behave. 
“I’ll be at Ron’s when you get back, all right?” Harry told her. 
She nipped his finger affectionately, then, with a soft swooshing noise, spread her enormous 
wings and soared out of the open window. Harry watched her out of sight, then crawled under 
his bed, wrenched up the loose floorboard, and pulled out a large chunk of birthday cake. He sat 
there on the floor eating it, savoring the happiness that was flooding through him. He had cake, 
and Dudley had nothing but grapefruit; it was a bright summer’s day, he would be leaving Privet 

---

Drive tomorrow, his scar felt perfectly normal again, and he was going to watch the Quidditch 
World Cup. It was hard, just now, to feel worried about anything - even Lord Voldemort.