"Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern

look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself

together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention

anything to his wife.

 

Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs.

Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word

("Won't!"). Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed,

he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening

news: "And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's

owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at

night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of

sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are

unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern."

The newscaster allowed himself a grin.

 

"Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be

any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"

 

"Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only

the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent,

Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I

promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people

have been celebrating Bonfire Night early -- it's not until next week, folks!