Chapter 550: Arabella Figg (Edited)

Vision, hearing, and temperature recovered, and the originally lifeless, cold, and hopeless world suddenly came to life.

Harry froze, every sense in his body throbbing in response to the sudden change. It took him a few moments to realize that his shirt was sticking to him and that he was drenched in sweat.

He couldn't believe what had just happened, the Dementors were here, in Little Whinging.

"Nya~"

With a meow from Mr. Paws, the group of cats and dogs that had come to help dispersed, leaving Tibbles, Tufty and Mr. Paws alone, the three cats sitting side by side, arching their heads towards Harry, who was still in a daze.

"Thank you."

Harry, brought back to his senses by Mr. Paws' purring, gave them a sincere bow and thanked them, then looked around for Snowy.

But there was nothing near, except Dudley, who was still cowering and shivering on the floor.

Turning to Mr. Paws, Tibbles and Tufty, the three cats were sitting on the floor, licking their paws, and it didn't look like their companion had been in trouble.

It looked like Snowy hadn't been here in the first place.

Harry exhaled a long sigh of relief at the thought.

If the animals had been injured or even killed because of him, he would have felt very guilty, and he wouldn't have been able to explain it to Fish, who had called them to help.

It was good that the Dementors were scary to humans, but they didn't seem to be a threat to the animals.

Should he learn the Animagus Charm, too?

Away from danger, Harry muttered to himself, the Patronus Charm could repel or even kill a dementor, but it required too much of a wizard's presence, and if it hadn't been for Fish's friends today, he might have been kissed by a dementor....

It was safer to be Animagus, and since his father and godfather were Animagus, it seemed a shame not to learn it himself.

As Harry was thinking, he suddenly heard the sound of running feet behind him.

Instinctively, he raised his wand and turned sharply to look at the newcomer.

Mrs. Figg, his cantankerous old neighbor, appeared panting in front of Harry. Next to her was Snowy, the cat Harry had been unable to find earlier.

"Nya!"

Mr. Paws meowed again and ran to Mrs. Figg's side with the other two cats.

They touched noses with Snowy and then circled Mrs. Figg's feet, rubbing gently against her calves.

Harry froze for a moment before remembering to put his wand back in his pocket.

The result was.

"Don't hide it, you silly boy!" cried Mrs. Figg, "What if there were more of them around? Oh, I'll kill Mundungus!"

She looked a little faded from her violent running, her white hair falling out of her hairnet, a jingling net bag hanging from her wrist, and her feet slipping out of her thick tartan slippers.

But Harry didn't care about that, his eyes widened and he asked with a confused look on his face, "What?"

"He's gone!" said Mrs. Figg, wringing both hands, "To see a man about a batch of cauldrons that had fallen off a flying broom! I told him if he dared to go, I'd skin him alive, and look at him now! Dementors!"

Her mouth spewed out a list of terms that could only be heard in the wizarding world, and Harry gasped.

And Mrs. Figg chattered on, "Good thing I told Snowy to warn me! We haven't got time to waste. Harry, we've got to get you back as soon as possible! Oh, what a mess this is going to be, I'll have to kill him!"

Mrs. Figg shouted again, and Harry knew she was cursing the man called Mundungus.

"You... you're a wizard?!"

Harry felt his head spin a little, the fright Mrs. Figg had given him was none other than the two Dementors he had just encountered in the alley.

"I'm a Squib, and Mundungus knows everything, so how can I help you scare off the Dementors? He went off on his own, leaving you unprotected, and I warned him..."

It was clear that Mrs. Figg had a strong opinion of this Mundungus, and she continued to complain as she explained to Harry.

At this point, she was behaving in a completely different manner from her usual eccentric image, speaking so fast and furiously that it took Harry a while to digest her message.

Mrs. Figg was Squib, and she and a wizard named Mundungus had been keeping him safe, except that today the wizard named Mundungus had gone away on business, apparently to make a deal about cauldrons....

It was during his absence that Harry had been attacked by a Dementor.

"And thanks to Fish!" Mrs. Figg gushed in praise of a certain leathery kitten, "I couldn't have saved you if he hadn't tamed the neighborhood animals. I'm not good for much, I can't even warp a teabag."

"I just didn't realize that using animals against the Dementors would be so effective, I must tell Dumbledore, that way, even if the Dementors join the You-Know-Who, the threat will be greatly reduced." She rambled, as he made her way to Dudley's side.

Mrs. Figg reached down, grabbed one of Dudley's chubby arms with her wrinkled hand and pulled.

"Get up, you big useless fool. Get up!"

But Dudley, unable or unwilling to move, lay on the floor, trembling, his face ashen and his mouth tightly shut.

"I'll do it." Harry stepped forward and, together with Mrs. Figg, lifted Dudley from the floor.

He looked as if he was about to faint at any moment, his little eyes bulging, his face streaked with sweat. As soon as Harry let go of his hand, he swayed as if he was about to fall.

"Come on!" said Mrs. Figg frantically.

Harry grabbed one of Dudley's huge arms, put it on his shoulder and dragged him forward. Dudley's weight was weighing him down so heavily that he couldn't even stand. Mrs. Figg stumbled forward, keeping her eyes on the corner.

On the way back, Harry saw Mundungus, a short, fat wizard who smelled of tobacco and alcohol and was dressed in disheveled clothes.

As soon as he appeared in front of Harry, Mrs. Figg immediately charged at him, waving a net bag in her hand, cursing Mundungus as she peppered him with it.

After the rebuke, the defeated Mundungus again used the Apparition Charm to leave, rushing to report what had happened to Dumbledore.

"I wish Dumbledore had taken his life!". Mrs. Figg stared at the spot where Mundungus had disappeared and said in exasperation, "Well, come on, Harry, what are you waiting for?"

With Mrs. Figg and the four cats escorting him, Harry led Dudley panting to the door of the Dursley house.

"Well, come in and stay there." Mrs. Figg, who had told Harry many things along the way, said, "I think someone will be in touch with you soon."

Harry wanted to ask more questions about the wizarding world.

But he was only halfway through the sentence when Mrs. Figg bade him good night and ran off at a trot.