Lily took the book off Arthur and opened it up to the second chapter.
"THE VANISHING GLASS" she read in a clear voice.
"Vanishing glass?" repeated James. "But who… Surely Harry couldn't vanish the glass?"
"He must have." Said Remus. "That's really advanced magic if he did do it."
"I believe your son will become a very powerful wizard." Said Dumbledore smiling at Harry who was still sitting on James' lap.
"Of course he will be powerful." James said proudly.
Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different coloured bonnets—but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.
"Why not?" asked Molly. "You don't think they would send Harry to an orphanage do you?" She started to panic at the thought. That was no way for a child to grow up.
"Maybe I came and got him?" asked Sirius hopefully.
"You better have" said James glaring at his best friend.
"Knowing Petunia she let Harry stay but she wouldn't want to." Sighed Lily. She really wished her and Petunia could get on better but she knew it was impossible.
Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.
"Up! Get up! Now!"
"That's no way to wake a child." Arthur said looking shocked.
Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.
"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.
"Cool he like motorcycles too!" grinned Sirius.
"He can't possibly be remembering that night could he?" James asked.
"I don't know" said Remus. "Sometimes children can remember events from when they are young but I'm not sure how he remembered that."
"Hopefully that's all he can remember." Muttered Lily. She hated to think that her son might remember Voldemort. Thankfully nobody heard her.
His aunt was back outside the door.
"Are you up yet?" she demanded.
"Nearly," said Harry.
"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."
"She's making him cook?" cried Lily looking disgusted at what her sister was doing. Molly also was shocked that Harry was being made to cook. He could only be eleven at the most and no child that age should be cooking.
"She's threatening he?" growled James looking like he wanted nothing more than to go and teach Petunia a lesson.
Sirius was already thinking of various ways to get Petunia for ever thinking of threatening his godson.
Harry groaned.
"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.
"Nothing, nothing…"
Dudley's birthday—how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.
"WHAT!" the whole room, with the exception of Dumbledore and Arthur who was holding Ron, was on their feet glaring at the book.
"I can't believe she would do that!" Lily yelled. She knew Petunia didn't like her but to make her son sleep in a cupboard was crossing the line.
The shadow of a wolf was showing on Remus' face as he tried to control his temper. Harry was family to him and he was being mistreated.
"Why didn't you bring him to me!" roared Sirius, turning to Dumbledore. "He could have had a loving home but instead you decided to put him with this woman!"
"I'm sure I am unaware of how Harry is being treated in the future." Dumbledore said firmly. "If I knew how he was being treated I'm sure I would have taken him somewhere else."
"Why was he taken there in the first place?" Yelled Sirius. "Why would you even consider taking him there?"
"I do not have an answer to that yet Mr. Black yet if I had to guess I would assume in putting faith in a branch of ancient magic that will protect Harry" Dumbledore answered starting to sound impatient.
"And how will leaving Harry with that woman help him?" asked James glaring at the headmaster as he sat down and pulled Lily down with him.
"I believe I'm invoking the right of blood protection. If as I believe Lily died protection her son then Harry will be protected as long as he is living with someone who shares Lily's blood." Said Dumbledore.
Molly sat down but she still looked furious. "But she clearly does love Harry or want him there…" Molly started to say but was cut off by Dumbledore.
"She may not want him there but as long as she took him in she would seal the charm." Dumbledore explained. "Whilst he can call home the place where Lily's blood dwells he will not be able to be touched or harmed by Voldemort or his supporters. It would be the strongest protection I could give him."
Lily still looked furious but she nodded showing she understood the reason even if she didn't like them.
When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise—unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favourite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.
"That brat better not lay a finger on my son." Growled James.
Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.
"He has the Potter genes alright" said Lily smiling at her husband. "Black hair, glasses and skinny."
"Not to mention small" laughed Sirius. "James didn't grow till we got to fifth year I think it was."
"I remember that." Grinned Remus. "Even after the growth spurt he was still short."
Everyone laughed at the banter whilst James blushed red.
"At least he has your eyes" James whispered in Lily's ear causing her to smile.
He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.
"She won't like that" Grinned Lily.
"Why not?" Molly asked curiously. It didn't seem like a bad thing to ask.
"Petunia hates being questioned" Lily answered still grinning.
"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions."
"A car crash." Repeated Sirius in a deadly whisper. "She told him you died in a car crash?"
"I can't believe she would do that." Said Lily looking hurt.
Don't ask questions—that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.
Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon.
"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.
"Like it will make any difference. He has the potter hair, brushing it does nothing." Laughed James.
About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way—all over the place.
James grinned again.
Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel—Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.
Everyone laughed, and Harry gurgled happily at the sound making people laugh longer.
"He has your wit Lily-flower." James said as he gave his wife a one-armed hug.
"Good" said Lily smiling at the son. "That will drive Petunia mad."
Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.
"Thirty six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."
"Why that greed little brat." Said Arthur in disgust.
"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."
"All right, thirty seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.
"Oh dear, I hope he don't choke on it." Said Molly worriedly. "Would you excuse me a moment. I have to put Ron down for his nap."
"Would Harry be able to join him Molly?" asked James looked at his sleepy son.
"Of course" smiled Molly. "Bring him up here and we can get them up for lunch."
James put Harry in the cot and just turned to leave when Molly spoke to him.
"It's not your fault James" she said quietly. "If You-Know-Who was at your house you wouldn't of been able to stop him."
James looked back over his shoulder at Molly.
"I could have tried." He said tearfully. "I could have tried to stop him."
"And undoubtedly you did. We all know you would have tried to give Lily a chance to run." She put her hand on his shoulder. "Remember we may be able to change this. Now let stop all this sad talk and get back downstairs."
Once the boys has been put upstairs to sleep and Molly and James had returned downstairs Lily began to read again.
Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right?"
Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty … thirty…"
"Thirty nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.
"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."
"No wonder their child sounds so horrible." Said Remus. "They keep giving him what he wants he will never learn how to appreciate what he has."
Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.
At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.
"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.
Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.
"I'd hate to have to look at cats." Said Sirius shuddering.
"I think it would be quite good for you Padfoot" smiled Remus
"You get on with Tibbles" Lily said thinking of their cat at home.
"Like I have a choice" Muttered Sirius quietly so Lily couldn't hear.
"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.
"Hmm I wonder…" said Lily.
"What's that?" asked James.
"I wonder if that Tibbles is our Tibbles. You know maybe she took it in when we… we…." Lily chocked up unable to say that they died. Everyone looked sad at the reminder.
"See Harry's not fond of cats either." Said Sirius trying to lighten the mood and earning a thankful smile from Lily who realised what he was doing.
"I'm sure Harry is fine with cats." Said James "He just don't like pictures of cats."
"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.
"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."
The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there—or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.
Everyone glared at the book again. Dumbledore was starting to wonder if he made the right choice by leaving Harry with his aunt. This wasn't how a child should grow up.
"What about what's her name, your friend—Yvonne?"
"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.
"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).
Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.
"So no different to normal" muttered Lily.
"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.
"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.
"Knowing what his father was like when left alone at home I wouldn't put it past him." Said Sirius winking at James.
"Shut up." Muttered James. "It was an accident and you know it."
"What are you guys on about?" asked Arthur looking from on to the other.
"Well during the summer before our sixth year Mr. and Mrs. Potter went out for the day and left me and James at home alone and we decided to play some pranks on each other. I'm not really sure what James was trying to do but there was a loud bang and the walls shook and James almost destroyed the house. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were not happy when they got home and saw the mess." Explained Sirius quickly whilst James glared at him.
Everyone started laughing at James. Even Dumbledore gave a small chuckle and his eyes twinkled brighter than normal.
"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "…and leave him in the car…"
"That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…"
Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying—it had been years since he'd really cried—but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.
"Brat" muttered Sirius, whilst Molly and Arthur looked disgusted at how this boy was behaving.
"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.
"Dinky Duddydums?" Sirius roared with laughter along with James and Remus "I take it back I'm glad you don't treat Harry like their son"
"Why would you say that?" asked Molly horrified.
"Can you imagine what they would call him?" he asked still laughing.
"OH!" said Molly also starting to laugh.
"I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.
"I can't believe a child would act like that" said Remus.
Dumbledore was seriously wondering if he made the best choice when he left Harry with the Dursleys. If Harry was treated this badly throughout the rest of the books he may have to consider if it would be better to leave Harry somewhere else.
Just then, the doorbell rang—"Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically—and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.
Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.
"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy—any funny business, anything at all—and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."
Everyone looked angrily at the book.
"You don't think he would actually do that do you?" asked Lily looking worriedly at James.
"He better not" James, Sirius and Remus responded together.
"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…"
But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.
The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.
Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his fringe, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.
"Nothing can stop the Potter hair" Grinned Sirius.
"A week locked in a cupboard" said Lily turning red with suppressed rage. She and Molly shared a look and Molly nodded. If this future happened and Lily and James died she would do everything in her power to stop Harry going to these people.
Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls)—The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.
On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump.
"He apparated!" cried a shocked James.
"I didn't even know that was possible." Said Lily who was also shocked.
"I've never heard of it happening" remarked Dumbledore lightly. "I guess you learn something new every day."
"Thank god he didn't splinch himself" Arthur added. Everyone shuddered at the thought.
But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage smelling living room.
While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favourite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.
"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed. "Motorcycles are cool."
"…roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.
"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."
Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a moustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"
"My one does." Smiled Sirius.
Dudley and Piers sniggered.
"I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."
"Or maybe a memory." Remus smirked.
"I still hope it wasn't a memory." Said Lily.
"Why?" asked James. "It sounds like it would be a cool memory."
"Yes but if he remembers that then what else might he remember." Lily shot back. Dumbledore looked thoughtful at this and Molly gasped. Everyone else looked confused but instead of answering Lily just kept reading.
But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon—they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.
It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.
Everyone laughed loudly.
"He defiantly has your wit" James laughed tickling Lily lightly.
Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favourite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.
Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.
After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can—but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.
"Just how I like them." Said Sirius. He had a dislikes for snakes after all his family had put him through.
Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.
"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.
"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.
"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.
Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself—no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.
The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.
It winked.
"Come again" said James his mouth dropping open. "It did what."
It winked.
"How can it wink?" asked Sirius. "That's not normal is it?"
"No" said James looking worried again. "It's not normal."
Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.
"God don't do that." Sighed Arthur.
The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:
"I get that all the time."
"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."
The snake nodded vigorously.
"He talks to snakes, and they understand him?" said Lily shocked.
"Is anyone in your family a parselmouth?" asked Molly
"No" said James. "I don't understand how he can be."
"I thought all parselmouths were evil though?" Lily asked "Our son can't be evil."
"I don't believe their all evil" assured Dumbledore. "It just the evil ones are better known."
"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.
The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.
Boa Constrictor, Brazil.
"Was it nice there?"
The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see—so you've never been to Brazil?"
"This is just weird" muttered Remus.
As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.
"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"
"And now he will be in trouble" growled James.
Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.
"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened—one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.
"The vanishing glass." Breathed Arthur impressed.
Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.
"I can't believe he did that" said Lily. "How can accidental magic be that powerful?"
"I think it's where they haven't told him he is magic." Said Dumbledore. "If they punish Harry when he does accidental magic and try and force it to stop then it will make it more powerful. It can be deadly." Dumbledore was looking troubled by the end of this. He was thinking of how his sister tried to stop her magic and the consequences it had had.
As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo."
Everyone laughed at that. It may be weird but it was still amusing.
The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.
"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"
The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"
"Uh-oh" said Molly.
Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go—cupboard—stay—no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy.
Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.
"They didn't even feed him" said James looking furious.
He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.
"Green light?" asked Lily. "But… surely he couldn't have survived the killing curse?"
"It's impossible" said Remus. "Nobody can survive that."
"But what else could it be?" Lily challenged.
"Why don't we read and find out?" asked James before an argument could start.
This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.
"He doesn't even know what we look like?" asked Lily starting to cry. James put a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"Do you want me to read?" he asked.
"No" Lily replied. "The chapters almost over"
When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.
"Wow" said Molly. "He must be really famous."
"If he stopped Voldemort I guess he would be." Said Sirius. "Let's just hope it don't go to his head like it would with James."
"Oi!" cried James in protest, but he knew it was true. It would have made him even more big headed if people did that to him.
At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.
"That's not right." Said Lily getting angry again. "Nobody should leave a child out just because somebody else doesn't like them."
"If I could I'd go down there and…" James started to say but he was interrupted by a blinding flash of white light and a loud bang in the kitchen.