Chapter 437: The chimney exploded

In this silent and tense atmosphere, time passed very slowly.

Ivan, Harry and Hermione had already drunk the tea from their cups, but no one refilled them.

Neither Harry's uncle nor aunt seemed to have any intention of doing so.

Ivan knew a spell that could make wine, but he couldn't use it here.

But it was hard to beat. The cloth bag he carried with him, which had been enlarged with the Undetectable Extension Charm, contained many drinks.

They were the juices he had brought from France. Under the light, these juices would have colorful dreamy reflections and were very famous in the French wizarding world.

Ivan took out the juice and gave himself, Harry and Hermione a cup, and filled Dudley's opposite cup.

Smelling the sweet aroma of the juice, Dudley couldn't wait to pick up the glass.

"Oh, no, Dudley dear!" Harry's Aunt Petunia cried out loudly. "Don't touch that thing, put it down."

"Don't worry, this juice is fine!" said Ivan. "But what other wizards give you, you'd better not put it in your mouth, especially the twins who are coming soon. Be very careful. They like to play pranks."

Maybe it was Ivan's identity, or his attitude, but Aunt Petunia finally allowed Dudley to drink the juice.

Of course, the uncomfortable atmosphere in the room did not loosen.

Ivan told Harry and Hermione what he had seen at Beauxbatons. On the opposite side, the Dursleys were whispering.

Dudley was staring at the half-empty bottle of juice on the table, licking his lips, his eyes glittering with greed.

In this way, five o'clock came and then went.

For some reason, the Weasleys were late.

Due to the hot weather and heavy clothing, Mr. Dursley had begun to perspire slightly in his suit.

He stood up impatiently, opened the front door, looked up and down the street, and then withdrew his head quickly.

"You're late!" he growled hoarsely at Harry.

"I know!" Harry retorted. "Maybe, er... traffic's bad, that must be it!"

Though he said it, he was also a little impatient.

Harry turned and looked anxiously at Ivan, who shook his head.

In his opinion, Mr. Weasley would either come through the Floo Network or in an apparition. Either way, he wouldn't stop just because of traffic congestion.

Wait, Red Floo?!

Ivan suddenly thought that if they were coming here through the Red Floo, they had to get out of the chimney.

The Dursley's chimney was sealed and there was a fake electric stove burning coal in front of it.

Ivan quickly got up and walked over to the fireplace and watched it carefully.

He seemed to hear something. Behind Ivan, the Dursleys were still muttering in the sitting room.

"No consideration!"

"We could have had another engagement."

"Maybe they think they'll be invited to dinner if they're late."

"Well, don't even think about it!" said Mr. Dursley. "They'll take the three children and go. There won't be any waiting." Then he shouted to Harry and Hermione sitting on the sofa. "I mean, if they come. They've probably got the wrong day. I daresay your kind don't put much stock in punctuality."

At that moment, Ivan heard a voice coming from inside the fireplace, someone was inside!

He guessed it, the Weasleys came here through the Floo Network.

Before he could think of what to do, there was a scream of horror.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!" Dudley shouted.

Curious as to what Ivan was doing in front of the fireplace, he had just followed him and was startled by the sound inside the fireplace.

In fact, his screams made Ivan startled as well.

"What's wrong? what happened?" Harry rushed over.

From the corner of the living room came the sounds of the Dursleys struggling, panicked, across the room.

Dudley kept rubbing the sweat on his forehead, his expression terrible.

He seemed unable to speak, his hands still clutching his buttocks.

"Looks like they're in there, right inside the fireplace!" said Ivan.

At that moment, behind the Dursleys' fireplace, there was the sound of loud banging and rubbing....

"Ouch! Fred, no... come back, come back, there's been some kind of mistake.... tell George not to... OUCH! George, no, there's no room, go back and tell Ron not to come."

"Dad, I heard Ivan and Harry talking, they're outside!" Fred yelled.

"I heard it too; maybe they'll let us out!"

As soon as George's voice dropped, there was a loud hammering of fists on the boards behind the electric heater.

"Ivan, Harry, can you hear us?!"

"It's Mr. Weasley, he's inside!" Hermione ran over. "They must have come here for the Floo Network, but they didn't know that unlike wizards, Muggle fireplaces are usually blocked."

"I heard Hermione, she's out too!" Mr. Weasley said with pleasure.

"Maybe we can..." Ivan wasn't finished yet and the Dursleys surrounded them like a pair of angry wolverines.

"What's going on?" Mr. Dursley growled and asked, "What are they doing?"

"They've been trying to get here with the Floo Powders." Harry said, fighting a mad desire to laugh. "They can travel through the fire, but you've blocked the chimney, wait!"

At that moment, Ivan and Hermione were talking to them through the boards.

"Mr. Weasley, it's Ivan!" she shouted. "The fireplace is blocked!"

"Damn it!" said Mr. Weasley's voice. "What the hell did they want to block the chimney for?"

"They have an electric fire." Hermione explained.

"Really?" said Mr. Weasley's voice excitedly. "Electric," he said. "With a plug? Heavens, I must see it, let me think about it..... Oh, Ron!"

Ron's voice joined the others. "What are we doing here? has something gone wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Fred's voice came out, very sarcastically. "No, this is exactly where we wanted to end up."

"Yeah, we're having a great time!" said George, whose voice sounded muffled, as if he was squashed against the wall.

"Guys, guys!" said Mr. Weasley vaguely, "I'm trying to think of what to do, okay, the only way, Ivan, Harry, Hermione, you three back off."

They hurried back to the living room couch, and Mr. Dursley took a few steps forward.

"Wait!" he shouted into the fire. "What exactly are you going to do?"

BANG, his chimney had exploded before he could say anything else!!!!