Chapter Two

Thundering Uproar

Harry woke up just when the sun's rays breached his room. He got up and changed into his cousin's old clothes; which where far too big for Harry to wear. He made his way out of his room and down the stairs into the kitchen where the Dursleys were having breakfast. His Uncle Vernon, a big beefy man with very little neck, was behind the morning paper, his fat, piggish cousin, Dudley, already eating down five strips of bacon, and his Aunt Petunia, a bony and blonde woman, busy making the morning tea.

The Dursleys took no notice of Harry as he sat down at the kitchen table and Harry didn't care. Aunt Petunia placed the kettle along with some teacups on the table. She made her way back toward the oven and came back with a plate for Harry. It contained a fried egg, two strips of bacon, and a piece of toast and began eating his meal. Harry thought about the meeting the Dursleys had with members of the Order of the Phoenix, a group of wizards and witches who worked against Lord Voldemort and were very loyal to Albus Dumbledore, the current headmaster at Hogwarts, over Harry's treatment for the coming summer, but Harry dared not remind them because his uncle's company was in a very deep recession. In the kitchen there was a television, which was given to Dudley after he came back from his private school, Smeltings, since he complained about the distance he had to travel three years ago from the sitting room and the kitchen. Currently the weather was being broadcasted on the television.

"Today, we have a chance of heavy rain which will hopefully end this severe drought that has broke the record high this past year," the man on the television said.

"Good," Uncle Vernon grunted, "we need this rain so that it can wash away the past events that have happened." Thinking the rain will end the recession.

A low rumble of thunder can be heard from outside. The doorbell rang and Uncle Vernon heaved himself out of his chair to answer the door. He came back a few minutes later with a package. "Dudley, I believe your new boxing gloves just arrived," Uncle Vernon said cheerfully to Dudley. Dudley jumped out from his chair and took the package from his dad to open it. The gloves were red and looked like an oversized hand. Dudley put the gloves on and began to punch the air; as if he was shadow boxing. "Dudley-dums, don't be bouncing around like that or you will make yourself sick again," Aunt Petunia said. Dudley complied with his mom's wish and took off his new gloves to finish eating his breakfast.

"So Potter, what kind of sports does your lot play. Using you-know-what in an attempt so kill each other," Dudley joked and let out a hardy laugh in which Uncle Vernon snorted into the morning paper. A very loud clap of thunder followed soon after causing the lights to flicker for a few seconds. Harry waited until Dudley stopped laughing before he spoke.

"You are right Dudley, but my lot tries to disarm the other," Harry looked Dudley straight into his baby-blue eyes. "And another thing," he continued, "that is not as popular as a sport played at my school, and it is much more exciting to play as it is to watch."

"You play?" Dudley asked not acting surprise.

"Yes, and I play the most dangerous position in the game. I have been injured several times, and I have always bounced back in the next few days," Harry watch his cousin trying to keep a straight face.

"What's the name of this sport, and who would want a dangerous person like you on their team?"

"I am just good, and I will not say since it might make Uncle Vernon mad about my 'unnaturalness'."

"You're too right boy! I will not have anyone else disgracing the family name than it already is!" barked Uncle Vernon setting down the paper.

"It wasn't me dad, it was Harry!" piped Dudley.

"Nonsense, the officer said that you have been vandalizing public property! I will not have you disgracing the family name anymore than the boy has and he was at Mrs. Figg's helping her move some furniture!" Uncle Vernon's face started to turn purple and his mustache started twitching.

Harry finished his breakfast and went up to his room to leave his uncle and cousin to argue over what happened the past few days. Dudley had won the Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing Champion of the Southeast again for the second year in a row and he was still a big fat, overstuffed pig in a wig; and he was still on a diet and had to watch what he ate under the eyes of his parents if he wanted to keep his title for another year. Not long after Harry returned home, Dudley was brought home by an officer and was told of his crime. The Dursleys protected Dudley, but confronted with the evidence they were speechless. They had to pay the damages that Dudley had cost and the officer gave Dudley twelve hours of community service at each of the facilities he had vandalized; since he practically almost destroyed them. Dudley was given a warning by the officer that if he was caught vandalizing again, he would be in Juvenile detention for a week and given twenty-four hours community service soon after his sentence is done. Uncle Vernon had to pay the fine out of an equivalent of five of his employee's monthly earnings, and gave Dudley a curfew to be home an hour before sunset. Harry laughed as he remembered Dudley's predicament as he made his way back to his room and found something else in his room. Perched next to an empty cage that housed his snowy-white owl, Hedwig, was a scarlet and gold swan-like bird containing a letter in its beak.