THE KEEPER OF THE KEYS
BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. “Where’s the cannon?” hesaid stupidly.
There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into theroom. He was holding a rifle in his hands — now they knew what had beenin the long, thin package he had brought with them.
“Who’s there?” he shouted. “I warn you — I’m armed!”
There was a pause. Then —
SMASH!
The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges andwith a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.
A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almostcompletely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangledbeard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetlesunder all the hair.
The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head justbrushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted iteasily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped alittle. He turned to look at them all.
“Couldn’t make us a cup o’ tea, could yeh? It’s not been an easyjourney…”
He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.
“Budge up, yeh great lump,” said the stranger.
Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching,terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.
“An’ here’s Harry!” said the giant.
Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that thebeetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.
“Las’ time I saw you, you was only a baby,” said the giant. “Yeh look alot like yet dad, but yeh’ve got yet mom’s eyes.”
Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.
I demand that you leave at once, sit!” he said. “You are breaking andentering!”
“Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune,” said the giant; he reached overthe back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon’s hands, bentit into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw itinto a corner of the room.
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