Beep.
"...."
"Luna? Hurry, you've only got a minute or so to record it."
"But it said after the tone – "
"That was the tone."
"Well, it sounded more like a beep to me, Harry, but if you're sure – "
"Yeah, I'm positive – hang on, we'll start over. Let me just reset the thing here, and – "
Click.
"Okay, ready?"
"Oh, look at the lovely little snipe -- "
"Luna?"
"..."
"Luna! You-hoo!"
"Yes?"
"Okay, try and ignore the snipe for a minute...you ready?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"..."
Beep.
"Hello. You have reached the Potter-Lovegood residence. We'd normally be quite pleased to speak to you on the telephone machine, but as we're currently away at the moment – "
"No, don't say that!"
"..."
"Don't say we're away." "Well, Harry, didn't you buy this machine to answer the telephone for precisely that reason?"
"Well, yeah, but – look, it's just that it's not a good idea to tell people we're not home."
"But then they might think we're avoiding them. You wouldn't want Ronald and Hermione to think – "
"It's not them I'm worried about, it's the burglars."
"I don't know any burglars, Harry. I doubt they'd want to call – "
"They wouldn't call. Not socially, anyway. But they sometimes call places to see if there's anyone home."
"Ohh, I see now. You're frightened they might come and do something untoward while we're away."
"Frightened? Well, not frightened, that sounds so...more Yeah, that's it. Concerned."
"Well, all right then. I wouldn't want you to get concerned, Harry."
"Thanks. Hang on, I'll reset this thing again."
Click.
Beep.
"Hello. You have reached the Potter-Lovegood residence. We'd normally be quite pleased to speak to you on the telephone machine, but as we're currently........"
"Say something!"
"...currently...elsewhere around the house...tending to the moat...and feeding our giant guard badgers..."
Click.
"Hey, why'd you stop?"
"That's a dreadful tradeoff, Harry. Having to choose between fibbing and protecting our home from telephone machine burglars. Couldn't we just ward it with – "
"No, we're too close to the Muggles, you remember what McGonagall said. Okay, look, you don't have to lie, just...be vague. Don't say anything concrete. Leave them guessing."
"Well, I suppose I can do that."
"Atta girl."
"How do you reset this again?"
Click.
Beep.
"Hello. You have reached the Pott – our home. Normally, we would speak with you forthwith, but due to certain...mitigating circumstances...we request that you leave a message on our telephone answering device. Unless you're a telephone machine burglar. In which case you have no way of knowing if we're truly here or not. Because I won't say....you know, that's a rather nasty profession when you think about it – "
"I don't think that'll discourage their life of crime, there, Lu."
"I'll wager they never even return the things they take, either. How rude."
"Um...yeah...phone..."
"Hmm? Oh, yes – please leave your name and telephone machine number – and profession – after the tone. Or the beep. I think it's a beep myself, but Harry says – "
Beep.
"...."
"Luna? Hurry, you've only got a minute or so to record it."
"But it said after the tone – "
"That was the tone."
"Well, it sounded more like a beep to me, Harry, but if you're sure – "
"Yeah, I'm positive – hang on, we'll start over. Let me just reset the thing here, and – "
Click.
"Okay, ready?"
"Oh, look at the lovely little snipe -- "
"Luna?"
"..."
"Luna! You-hoo!"
"Yes?"
"Okay, try and ignore the snipe for a minute...you ready?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"..."
Beep.
"Hello. You have reached the Potter-Lovegood residence. We'd normally be quite pleased to speak to you on the telephone machine, but as we're currently away at the moment – "
"No, don't say that!"
"..."
"Don't say we're away." "Well, Harry, didn't you buy this machine to answer the telephone for precisely that reason?"
"Well, yeah, but – look, it's just that it's not a good idea to tell people we're not home."
"But then they might think we're avoiding them. You wouldn't want Ronald and Hermione to think – "
"It's not them I'm worried about, it's the burglars."
"I don't know any burglars, Harry. I doubt they'd want to call – "
"They wouldn't call. Not socially, anyway. But they sometimes call places to see if there's anyone home."
"Ohh, I see now. You're frightened they might come and do something untoward while we're away."
"Frightened? Well, not frightened, that sounds so...more Yeah, that's it. Concerned."
"Well, all right then. I wouldn't want you to get concerned, Harry."
"Thanks. Hang on, I'll reset this thing again."
Click.
Beep.
"Hello. You have reached the Potter-Lovegood residence. We'd normally be quite pleased to speak to you on the telephone machine, but as we're currently........"
"Say something!"
"...currently...elsewhere around the house...tending to the moat...and feeding our giant guard badgers..."
Click.
"Hey, why'd you stop?"
"That's a dreadful tradeoff, Harry. Having to choose between fibbing and protecting our home from telephone machine burglars. Couldn't we just ward it with – "
"No, we're too close to the Muggles, you remember what McGonagall said. Okay, look, you don't have to lie, just...be vague. Don't say anything concrete. Leave them guessing."
"Well, I suppose I can do that."
"Atta girl."
"How do you reset this again?"
Click.
Beep.
"Hello. You have reached the Pott – our home. Normally, we would speak with you forthwith, but due to certain...mitigating circumstances...we request that you leave a message on our telephone answering device. Unless you're a telephone machine burglar. In which case you have no way of knowing if we're truly here or not. Because I won't say....you know, that's a rather nasty profession when you think about it – "
"I don't think that'll discourage their life of crime, there, Lu."
"I'll wager they never even return the things they take, either. How rude."
"Um...yeah...phone..."
"Hmm? Oh, yes – please leave your name and telephone machine number – and profession – after the tone. Or the beep. I think it's a beep myself, but Harry says – "
Beep.