Harry walked down the stairs to his room, hearing his Uncle lock the cellar door behind him. With a sigh, he flopped onto his bed, then twisted to grab Mara's letter out of the drawer.
Dear Harry
I hope to settle some of your worries about school, which you mainly have due to lack of information. When you first arrive, follow the directions to the main reception, where Madame Robin will give you instructions and a timetable for your first day. At Little Rock we give students the basic necessary equipment each year for their work, you will receive this when you pick up your paperwork from reception. This will give you everything you need, as well as a bag you can use to carry your books and other equipment in. You can either bring pack lunches, or money for school dinners. As you probably know, there is no school uniform, so you can wear what you like, though you will need to begin bringing in spare clothes for when you do sport. If you have any concerns, or worries, even about the smallest things, then you can come and speak to me, my room is right next to the main reception. I will imagine you will find it very easy to make new friends, there are also some other new students joining other years, as well as original students in your year who are very friendly.
It is good that you are learning French, although many of the teachers can speak English, as you said, it will help you with gaining friends who speak French as a first language, as well as benefiting your education, as the majority of lessons are taught in French.
From Mara
Harry knew there was no point in replying to Mara today, as it was a Saturday, so he would probably see her before she got his letter. He listened out for his family and the neighbours, upon hearing laughter and talking upstairs he knew he would be downstairs for a while yet, as they had only just begun eating. He could hear Madame Dupont congratulating Petunia on her 'delicious cooking' and the cleanliness of her house. Harry glared darkly towards the dining room, when he heard Vernon replying, 'Well, my pet takes great care of her house and family, and spends most of her time practising lovely new dishes such as this one that she can make for our friends and family.' Harry recognised this comment for what it was, a well though out phrase, making the Duponts seem as if they were friends of the Dursleys, and lifting his wife on a pedestal, whilst Harry could never claim the praise for anything he did. Vernon would use this technique quite often, to manipulative those he was speaking to , and to persuade them to do something that would ultimately benefit him. In this case it was the friendship of the Duponts, to make his own family more influential in the area by getting the backing of a well-known family. He also found a friend for Dudley, if the sounds of his piggish laughter was anything to go by. Knowing he would be down here for a while, Harry looked through his French booklet, before deciding to have a nap, any distraction was welcome to block out the feeling of hunger, which was not helped by the smells and sounds of the Dudley's and Dupont's meal wafting down the stairs.
When Harry later awoke, it was to the sound of Vernon's voice bellowing sown the stairs. 'Come on boy! This house isn't going to clean itself!' Harry, head bowed walked up the stairs, and quietly yawning, wandered into to the dining room. The Dursleys obviously had made a little attempt to tidy up after themselves, at least whilst the Duponts were there, but there was still a larger pile of dishes that required washing up. Setting the first load going, Harry returned to the dining room to remove the dessert dishes, and the glasses, which were, along with the remaining dishes, were neatly stacked next to the sink, ready for go in the machine once it had finished. Harry found his jobs much easier in France, here they had a dishwasher, whilst in Britain they had only had a sink, which meant Harry spending a lot of time washing dishes, and more punishments when he did not finish quick enough. Tidying up the now empty dining room, Harry left the shopping list on the corner of the table to the shops, where Petunia was bound to find it before she went out.