Later, Aldous would not be able to say what had come over him but in the moment, it felt like a surge of pure necessity—pure fate—that propelled the wizard forward. More importantly, that same surge propelled his lips forward, meeting Mrs. Black's own in answer to her question.

So soft, so warm, so inviting, so right. How had Aldous lived more than three decades without feeling Ursula Black's lips upon his own?!