Early the next morning, Harry called Qiu and then Hermione, telling them about his current situation.
Qiu was furious about what had happened to Harry and firmly declared that she believed and supported him, which Harry found very heartwarming. Also, when Qiu heard that another Australia Wizard had found Harry, she advised him not to leave his aunt's house if he could help it.
Harry hoped Qiu would give him a kiss over the phone as encouragement, but as soon as she heard him start talking cheekily again, she hung up, just as she had several times before. Harry was very disappointed.
His subsequent call with Hermione, however, took him somewhat by surprise.
When Harry called, Hermione was not at all surprised by what had happened to him.
"You knew?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Mm, yes. Ron sent an owl over yesterday," Hermione said. "He said you'd probably call us this morning to ask how things were going, so I've been getting ready for ages."
Harry was stunned, but on second thought, the letter Dobby had delivered to him had been written by Mr. Weasley, so it seemed perfectly reasonable for him to have told Ron and asked Ron to pass the news on to Harry through Hermione.
"Do you have any suggestions, then?" Harry asked.
Hermione hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Harry, first I need to be sure of one thing. You really encountered Dementors, didn't you?"
"Yes," Harry said with certainty. After a moment's thought, he added, "And there was a Wizard who received the Dementor's Kiss."
"What?" Hermione shrieked. This was clearly something she had not known before. "Who? When did that happen?"
Harry briefly described what had happened, though he glossed over a few things. For instance, the fact that he had already been attacked by Australia Wizards