Eleven years later, Warlock’s parents throw an elaborate birthday party for their son, complete with a stage magician—Aziraphale in disguise, whose tired, sleight-of-hand tricks bring only derision from the crowd of cynical children. Meanwhile, Crowley, disguised as a caterer, eyes the birthday gifts looking for the hellhound that was supposed to be delivered to the Antichrist. Concerned that Hell’s bureaucrats neglected to send the birthday gift, Crowley and Aziraphale leave the party to discuss their next course of action. As they speed through Central London, they realize that they’ve been observing the wrong child, and they head to the hospital to search the birth records from 11 years ago.

Far from London, the black dog from Hell strolls across a pasture, seeking his master. Hearing voices, the dog creeps toward an old stone quarry and spies four figures discussing potential birthday gifts. He identifies his master (Adam) among them and abruptly morphs into a much smaller dog when the boy wishes for “not a big dog […] but one of those dogs that’s brilliantly intelligent and can go down rabbit holes” (83). When the boy decides to name his new pet “Dog,” the hellhound trots happily into the quarry, tail wagging, to greet his new master.