Harry lay on his back in his cupboard under the stairs, listening to the clock tick, tick, tick the seconds away to his birthday. Harry Potter was an unusual boy in many ways, like how he never celebrated his birthday, or how he once turned his teacher's wig blue. But lately, even stranger things have been happening to him. He has been receiving letters seemingly from no one, envelopes made with thick paper and addressed in green ink.
The Dursley's (the relatives he lived with) response to these letters was to shut Harry in his cupboard without food. They did this whenever something unusual happened and didn't let up until whatever was happening stopped. This time it seemed to have worked. The letters that had been increasing in quantity the last few days stopped two days ago. Vernon Dursley, Harry's uncle, had informed Harry of this in a snarling voice through the cat flap.
"But we're keeping you in here for a few more days." He had said. "But you should be very grateful we are bothering to keep you after the trouble you've caused us. One more letter and it would have been the cane for you, boy."
Harry wasn't surprised. The Dursley somehow always came up with an excuse to keep him in the cupboard during his birthday. But he was glad Uncle Vernon hadn't beaten him again. It had been happening more and more. His cousin Dudley had started in on it too. Although the same age he and Dudley were much different sizes. Harry was short and skinny due to being locked in his cupboard without food, though Aunt Petunia always insisted he was just a picky eater if anyone ever asked out of concern.
Dudley was a big boy who suffered from being overfed if anything and usually ate more sweets in a week than Harry had eaten in his whole life. Harry and Dudley didn't even look similar. Dudley was pink, button-nosed, and blonde. Harry suffered from what Dudley and his friends referred to as ugly crow disorder. He had greasy black hair that Aunt Petunia always cropped close to his head, almond-shaped green eyes, and a horrible noise that never healed right after being broken once or twice. He was locked inside so often that his skin was sickly and pale, but when the Dursleys wanted him to do gardening on a sunny day his skin would grow a creamy brown much to their dismay. As Harry grew older he realized that keeping him out of the sun and in the dark might be purposefully done by the Dursleys.
Dudley was spoiled with fun and sun, while Harry was just feeling lucky at this moment to have gotten off with so little punishment. So as he listened to the clock go tick, tick, tick, he slowly fell into a deep sleep.
Harry had no idea that the next day would kick start the rest of his life.