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 brass1 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 owls2. 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-colored bonnets3 — but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel4 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.
Yet Harry5 Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia6 was awake and it was her shrill7 voice that made the first noise of the day.
“Up! Get up! Now!”
Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.
“Up!” she screeched8. 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.
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.”
Harry groaned9.
“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.
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 racing10 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 favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.
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 Scotch11 tape 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 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.
“In the car crash when your parents died,” she had said. “And don't ask questions.”
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.
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.
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, watery12 blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly13 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 wig14.
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.”
“Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy 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.
Aunt Petunia obviously scented15 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.”
Uncle Vernon chuckled16.
“Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. ‘Atta boy, Dudley!” He ruffled17 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.
“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.
“We could phone Marge,” Uncle Vernon suggested.
“Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy.”
The Dursleys often spoke18 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.
“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.
“And come back and find the house in ruins?” she snarled19.
“I won't blow up the house,” said Harry, but they weren't listening.
“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 wailed20, his mother would give him anything he wanted.
“Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!” she cried, flinging her arms around him.
“I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!” Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs21. “He always sp-spoils everything!” He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.
Just then, the doorbell rang — “Oh, good Lord, they're here!” said Aunt Petunia frantically22 — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers23 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.”
“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 bangs, which she left “to hide that horrible scar.” Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless24 night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy25 clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared26 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.
Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff27 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 decided28 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.
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 favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.
“… roaring along like maniacs29, 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 beet30 with a mustache: “MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!”
Dudley and Piers sniggered.
“I know they don't,” said Harry. “It was only a dream.”
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 acting31 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 gorilla32 scratching its head who looked remarkably33 like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.
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 favorite 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, afterward34, that he should have known it was all too good to last.
After lunch they went to the reptile35 house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards36 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.
Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening37 brown coils.
“Make it move,” he whined38 at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge39.
“Do it again,” Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles40, but the snake just snoozed on.
“This is boring,” Dudley moaned. He shuffled41 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 boredom42 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 winked43.
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.
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.
“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 specimen44 was bred in the zoo. “Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?”
As the snake shook its head, a deafening45 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!”
Dudley came waddling46 toward them as fast as he could.
“Out of the way, you,” he said, punching Harry in the ribs47. 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.
Harry sat up and gasped48; 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.
As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing49 voice said, “Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo.”
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?”
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 collapsed50 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 sneaking51 to the kitchen for some food.
He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable52 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. 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.
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 weirdest53 thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look.
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.
自从杜斯利夫妇在他们台阶上发现了他们的侄子以来，十年已经过去了，但是普里怀特街几乎一点都没有改变。太阳照旧从整洁的前花园升起来，照亮了前门上那印有"四号"的铜牌。接着又悄悄地钻进他们的卧室，十年前的一夜正是在这间屋子里杜斯利先生听到那则关于猫头鹰的骇人听闻的新闻。只有壁炉架上的照片还可以证明时光在流逝着。达德里。杜斯利已经不再是个小孩了。现在照片上的男孩结实强壮，要么在骑自行车，要么站立在展览会的花坛边，再不就是与爸爸一同玩电脑游戏，与妈妈亲吻拥抱。这些照片没有一点关于另一个男孩也住在同一栋屋子里的迹象。
但是哈利·波特确确实实住在那儿的。他现在正在睡觉，可惜睡不了多久了。
他的姨妈帕尤妮亚已经醒来，并且用她的声音制造出当天的第一声噪音。
"起床了！快起来！"
哈利猛地惊醒。他的姨妈又在敲他的门了。
"起床！"她叫道。接着哈利听到她走向厨房的声音，接着是锅子放到炉子上的声音。他打了一个滚，开始回忆昨天晚上做的梦。
是个好梦。梦中有一只会飞的摩托车。他有一种奇怪的感觉——他一定做过同样的梦。
他的姨妈又来到了门外。
"你起来了吗？"她问。
"差不多了。"哈利说。
"再快一点，我要你去看着烤肉，如果它要是糊了我可要你好看。今天是达德里的生日，我希望一切都是最好的。"哈利哼了一下。
"你说什么？"他的姨妈透过门问。
"没有，没有……"
达德里的生日——他怎么可能忘记呢？哈利慢吞吞地下了床去找袜子。他在床下找到了一只，从里面拉出一只蜘蛛后，又穿到脚上。哈利已经对蜘蛛习惯了。因为楼下的柜橱以及他自己的房间都多的是蜘蛛。
他穿好衣服后便走向了厨房。饭桌上全部都是达德里的生日礼物。其中好像有达德里想要的新电脑，更不用提第二台电视机及赛车。为什么达德里会想要一辆赛车，哈利一直想不通。达德里那么肥又不喜欢运动——当然打人除外。达德里最喜欢的拳击对象就是哈利，但是他不能经常抓到哈利，哈利跑得比他快。
可能跟长期住在黑黑的柜于里有关系，哈利就他这样年纪的小孩来说，实在是又小又瘦。他经常穿达德里的旧衣服，这使他看上之显得更小更瘦——要知道达德里要比他大四倍啊。哈利长着一张瘦瘦的疙瘩脸，黑黑的头发，亮蓝色的眼睛。他的那幅圆眼镜是用很多胶布粘在一块的，因为达德里总是喜欢打他的鼻子。哈利对自己长相最满意的地方要算前额上那道闪电形状的疤痕了。他从自己记事时开始就已经有这道疤了，他还记得自己问帕尤妮亚的第一个问题就是自己是怎样得到这个疤的。
"在你父母死去的那场车祸中。"她是这样回答的。"不要再问任何问题了。"不要问任何问题——这是在杜斯利家平静生活的第一条法则。
当哈利翻动烤肉的时候，维能姨丈进了厨房。
"梳好你的头发！"他吼叫着，算是早上打招呼的方式。
几乎每个星期，维能姨丈都会从报纸中探出头来叫哈利去剪头发。哈利剪头发的次数比他班上所有其他男孩子加起来的还要多。
但是无济于事，他的头发还是一如既往地疯长着。
达德里和他妈妈走进厨房时，哈利正在煎蛋，达德里简直和他父亲生得一模一样。他有一张大大的，粉红色的脸庞，几乎没有颈根，小小的眼睛，浓密的金色头发柔顺地贴在他肥肥的脑门上。帕尤妮亚姨妈总是说达德里像一个天使——哈利觉得他像一只戴着假发的猪。
哈利把煎蛋和烤肉放在几乎没有位置了的饭桌上。此时达德里正在数自己的礼物。他的脸色突然一沉。
"三十六件，"他看着他爸爸妈妈说，"比去年少了两件。""宝贝，你忘了数玛各姑姑的礼物了，喏，就在爸爸妈妈送的那件大礼物的下面。""好吧，就算三十七件！"达德里说，他的脸都涨红了。
哈利觉得达德里马上要大发雷霆了，于是赶在达德里把桌子掀翻之前狼吞虎咽地吃着盘里的烤肉。
帕尤妮亚姨妈显然也觉得气氛不对，马上说："我们等一下出去给你多买两件礼物，你说好不好？两件哦，应该可以了吧？"达德里想了一会，好像想得很辛苦，最后他慢吞吞地说，"那么我会有三十…
…三十……"
"三十九件，宝贝。"帕尤妮亚姨妈说。
"哦，"达德里往后一靠，抓住最近的那件礼物把弄，"那么好吧。"维能姨丈笑了。"小家伙就像他爸爸那样懂得欣赏钱的价值。
好样的！"他抚弄着达德里的头发。
正在这时电话铃响了，帕尤妮亚姨妈去听电话。哈利和维能姨丈则在一旁看着达德里一件件拆礼物：一辆赛车，一架遥控飞机，一台电影摄影机，几盘新的电脑游戏碟和一台录像机。他正在拆一块金色的腕表时，帕尤妮亚姨妈怒气冲冲地从电话旁走过来了。
"坏消息，维能。"她说。"费格太太的腿摔坏了。她不能带他了。"她把头转向哈利的方向。
达德里恐惧地张大了嘴巴，哈利心里却乐开了花。每年达德里生日的时候，爸爸妈妈就会带着他和他的朋友出去冒险乐园，吃汉堡包或者看电影。而每年这个时候，哈利就会被送到两条街之外的费格太太那里去。哈利痛恨这一点。她的房子全是卷心菜的气味，而且费格太太总爱叫他看她养过的猫的照片。
"我们打电话问问玛各。"维能姨丈提议。
"不要傻了，维能，她讨厌哈利。"
杜斯利一家总是这样说哈利，好像他不在场一样——或者他们当他是一只听不懂他们说话的恶心的小虫子。
"那么你的朋友怎么样？她叫什么名字来看，帕尤妮亚？""她在马约卡度假呢。"帕尤妮亚姨妈说道。
"那我们现在怎么办？"帕尤妮亚姨妈说，一边狠狠地瞪着哈利，好像一切都是他策划出来的。哈利知道他应该为费格太太感到伤心才是，但他提醒自己要整整一年后才会看到白雪、爪子（猫名）它们，这是一件多么不容易的事啊！
"你们可以把我留在这里。"哈利满怀着希望地说。这样就可以看他喜欢的电视节目了，说不定还可以去达德里的电脑上去玩一玩。
帕尤妮亚姨妈的表情好像刚刚吞下一只柠檬。
"回来后发现房子被洗劫一空？"她喝道。
"我不会弄脏房子的。"哈利说，但是他们听不进去。
"我们可以带他去动物园。"帕尤妮亚姨妈慢吞吞地说，"然后把他留在车里……""车是新的，不能让他单独坐在车里。"
达德里开始嚎啕大哭起来。实际上，他没有真哭，已经很久他都没有真哭过了，但是他知道一旦他苦着脸大哭大闹，他的妈妈就会给他任何想要的东西。
"我亲爱的宝贝，不要哭，蚂咪不会让他破坏你的生日的。"她用手臂环住他，心痛地说。
"我……不想……他……去！"达德里假装大声抽噎地说。"他总是搞……搞乱所有事。"他边说边在他妈妈的手臂间冲哈利邪邪地笑。
这时，门铃响了。"天哪，他们到了！"帕尤妮亚姨妈慌慌张张地说。不一会儿，达德里最好的朋友，皮尔斯。波各斯和他妈妈一块走了进来。皮尔斯是一个皮包骨的、长着一张像老鼠的面孔一样的男孩。在达德里打人的时候，他总是那个把被打的人的手板到背后的那个帮凶。达德里立刻停下来不开口了。
半个小时后，不敢相信自己运气的哈利，已经和达德里及皮尔斯一道坐在车的后座，行驶在他有生以来第一次去动物园的路卜了。他的姨丈姨妈想不到其它办法来对付他。但是他们离开之前，维能把哈利拉到一边。
"我警告你，"他把自己那张巨大的紫色面庞贴近哈利说，"我在警告你，小子——如果有任何差错，任何——我会把你关在柜子里直到圣诞节。""我不会捣乱的。"哈利说，"我发誓。"
维能并不相信他，从来没有人相信过他。
问题在于，总有奇怪的事情围绕着哈利发生，就算哈利并没有刻意去制造它们。
有一次，帕尤妮亚姨妈厌倦了哈利从剪发店那里回来之后的样子，因为看上去简直像没剪～样。于是她从厨房里拿出一把剪子把他弄得像个秃子。只有前额上的流海没剪，她说要留下来"遮住那难看的疤痕。"达德里嗤笑哈利居然因为想着第二天要上学而失眠——在学校里，达德里已经取笑过哈利大得出奇的衣服以及缠满胶布的眼镜。第二天早上，哈利起床后发现他的头发又长得像没剪前那么长。他因此被关在柜子里一个礼拜。尽管如此，他自己也解释不到为什么他的头发会这么快就长出来。
还有一次，帕尤妮亚姨妈强迫他把达德里的一件有着橙色绒球的花色毛衣穿在身上，谁知她越大力把毛衣往哈利头上套，那件毛衣就变得越小。直到最后小到只够一只手掌大的狗穿，哈利是肯定穿不下的了。帕尤妮亚姨妈固执地认为一定是洗过之后毛衣缩水了，多亏了她这样想，哈利才免受惩罚。
另一方面，哈利又因为被人发现在学校厨房的屋顶上而苦恼不已。达德里和他的一帮走狗像往常一样追他，可是超出所有人包括哈利本人的意料的是，他坐到了烟囱顶上。达德里夫妇收到哈利的老师一封怒气冲冲的信，告他爬学校的建筑物。
可是他当时想的只是跳过厨房门外放着的易拉罐。哈利猜想一定是风把他带到那上面去的。
但是今天什么差错都不能出。只要是能去除了学校、他住的柜子以及费格太太充满卷心菜的房间以外的地方，哪怕是同达德里和皮尔斯呆在一起也是值得的。
开车时，维能姨丈向帕尤妮亚姨妈抱怨个不停。他喜欢抱怨一起工作的同事。
议会、银行和哈利也是他最喜欢抱怨的对象之一。
但今天早上，他抱怨的对象是摩托车。
"这些年轻人，开摩托车开得像疯子一样。"正当他说这话时，一辆摩托车飞驰而过。
"我曾经做过一个关于摩托车的梦，"哈利突然间记起来，"它还会飞呢。"维能姨丈几乎要撞到前面那部车。他从椅子上转过身去大声冲哈利嚷道，"摩托车是不能飞的！"他的脸看上去像一枝长满了胡须的巨大的甜菜根。
达德里和皮尔斯扑嗤一笑。
"我知道它们不能，"哈利说，"只不过是一个梦罢了。"这时他开始后悔自己说的话了。有件事是比问问题更让杜斯利夫妇讨厌的，那就是谈一些不寻常的东西，不管它是一个梦或者是卡通漫画。他们总是认为他脑子中有一些危险的想法。
这是一个天气晴朗的周末，动物园里的人比比皆是。
在入口处达德里和皮尔斯买了好大一个朱克力冰淇淋，接着，又不得已给哈利买了另一支便宜的柠檬冰棍，因为在他们争着赶他走之前，那个笑眯眯的推着小车的小贩问哈利需要什么。哈利觉得这还不坏，可以一边吃冰棒一边看大猩猩搔头。
那只猩猩简直同达德里生得一模一样，当然除了头上的金发。
哈利已经很久没有过一个这么开心的上午了。他小心地与杜斯利一家保持一定距离，好让从午餐时间就开始对这些动物厌烦的达德里和皮尔斯不至于像平时一样，一间就以打他来取乐。他们在动物园一家餐厅吃的饭。达德里又发了一顿脾气，因为他的香蕉船不够大。于是维能姨丈赶紧又帮他买了一只，而让哈利吃掉他吃剩的那只。
过了一会儿，哈利觉得，他应该早就知道这种好景不会维持长久。
午饭后他们去了爬虫馆。那儿又冷又黑，墙里面镶着有灯的玻璃窗架。玻璃后面，各种各样的蛇在树木和石头上爬来爬去。达德里和皮尔斯很快就发现了那条最大的蛇。这条蛇大得可以绕住维能姨丈的车两圈，并把它抛进一只垃圾桶——但是当时看上去它好像没有这种心情。实际上，它正在熟睡中。
达德里把他的鼻子贴在玻璃上盯着那些闪闪发光的卷成一圈圈的东西。
"让它动。"达德里哀求着他爸爸。维能姨丈敲了几下玻璃，但是那蛇动也不动一下。
"再敲一次，"达德里这回用的是命令的口气。维能姨丈这回用指关节重重地又敲了一阵，可那蛇仍然不动一下。
"太没意思了。"达德里南咕着，没趣地走开了。
哈利一边在这些大玻璃窗前走着，一边聚精会神地盯着蛇看。
他觉得说这些蛇是闷死的话都没有什么可奇怪的——整天一个伴儿都没有，却不停地有无聊的人不厌其烦地用手指敲着玻璃。这甚至比睡在柜子里还要糟糕——睡在柜子里最多只会有帕尤妮亚姨妈过来敲门把你吵醒。
这时那只蛇突然睁开了它的眼睛。并且慢慢地，非常缓慢地把头抬到它的眼睛正好可以直视哈利的位置便停了下来。
它朝哈利使了一下眼色。
哈利愣住了。然后他赶紧转过身去看有没有人在注意他。还好没有。于是他也朝那只蛇使了下眼色。
那只蛇把头指向维能姨文和达德里的方向，然后眼睛朝向天花板望了望。哈利马上明白了其中的意思："暧，我总是遭到人们这样的对待。""我知道。"哈利透过玻璃小声地说，虽然他并不能肯定那蛇能不能听见他说话。"一定很讨厌吧。"那只蛇重重地点了一下头。
"你到底从哪里来的？"哈利问道。
那蛇用尾巴戳了一下玻璃旁边的一块小标签。哈利马上贴过去看。
"巴西莽蛇"
"巴西这地方怎么样？"
那只蛇又用尾巴指了一下那块标签，哈利才发现后面还有字——此动物是在动物园里培育的。"哦，我明白了，原来你从来没有去过巴西？"那蛇摇了摇头。正在这时一阵恐怖的叫声吓得哈利一跳："达德里！杜斯利先生！快来看这只蛇！你肯定不会相信它在干什么！"达德里飞快地跑了起来。
"滚开，小子。"达德里一边说一边一拳打在哈利的肋骨上。哈利在毫无防备的情况下重重的摔在水泥地上。接下来发生的事来得太突然以至于没有人看清楚了它是如何发生的——前一秒钟，皮尔斯和达德里还紧紧地趴在玻璃上；后一秒钟，他们就大呼小叫地拼命地往后跑。
哈利爬起来，被眼前的情景惊呆了。挡住那条巴西蛇的玻璃窗转眼间消失了。
那只巨大的蛇正迅速地舒展开身体，爬到了地上——整个爬虫馆内的人群尖叫着往出口处飞奔。
当那条蛇缓缓地滑过哈利脚边时，哈利听到一个低低的，嘶嘶的声音说："我从巴西来的，谢谢你亲爱的。"爬虫馆的管理员顿时吓呆了。
"那块玻璃。"他喃喃自语，"那块玻璃哪里去了？"动物园园长亲自给帕尤妮亚姨妈送来一杯浓茶，并且一遍又一遍地赔礼道歉。
皮尔斯和达德里说话都给巴了。其实就哈利看来，那条蛇除了戏弄他从他们脚边爬了过去以外，其它什么也没做。不过那时已经是在维能姨丈的车里了。达德里哭诉道那条蛇几乎咬下了他的腿，而皮尔斯则说那蛇想缠住他使他憋气而死。最糟糕的是，皮尔斯居然冷静下来，并且问哈利："你当时跟蛇说了话，是吧，哈利？"维能姨丈等到皮尔斯安全地离开后才开始对哈利发火。他气得连话都快说不出来了。他因为说了几个单词："去——柜子里——呆着——没有饭吃。"接着，他便瘫倒在沙发里了，帕尤妮亚姨妈赶紧跑去给他倒了一大杯白兰地。
哈利在黑漆漆的柜子里不知呆了多久。他突然很想要只手表好看看时间，来确定达德里一家到底睡了没有。只是当他们都睡着了，他才可能潜进厨房找一些东西填肚子。
哈利已经跟杜斯利一家住在一起有十年了。从他记事开始，从他还是一个婴儿，父母在一场车祸中双双死去开始，他就一直凄惨地活着。他已经记不起来导致父母双亡的那场车祸了。有时，当他在柜子里长时间地拼命回忆时，他就会有一种奇怪的反应：眼前突然闪过一道绿光，而且前额上像火烧一样痛。他猜想这些都是车祸带来的后遗症，虽然他搞不明白那些绿光到底是从哪里来的。他记不住爸爸妈妈的样子。他的姨丈和姨妈从来没有提过他们，当然他们也不许他问问题。房间里更连他们的照片都没有。
在哈利小一点的时候，他多么希望一些不认识的人来把他带走，但是从来没有人这样做过，杜斯利家成了他唯一可呆的地方。
有时候他会想（可能也是希望）路上的陌生人可能认识他。这些陌生人真是非常奇怪。有一次他同帕尤妮亚姨妈和达德里出去买东西时，一个带着紫色帽子的小人向他鞠了一躬。在问过哈利他是不是认识这个小人以后，他们什么东西都没买就冲出了商店。还有一次，一个穿着绿色衣服长相奇特的老妇人在公共汽车上高兴地冲他挥手。更有一次，一个穿着长长的紫色外套的秃子居然走上前来跟他握手，然后一言不发地走开了。关于这些人最古怪的地方就是每当哈利想好好地把他们看清楚时，他们眨眼间就消失了。
在学校，哈利一个朋友都没有。每个人都知道达德里和他的那一帮朋友都讨厌穿着肥大衣服，戴着破烂眼镜的哈利，而他们又不敢得罪达德里和他的一帮朋友。
收听单词发音 |
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brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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bonnets
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| n.童帽( bonnet的名词复数 )；（烟囱等的）覆盖物；（苏格兰男子的）无边呢帽；（女子戴的）任何一种帽子 | |
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carousel
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| n.旋转式行李输送带 | |
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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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petunia
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| n.矮牵牛花 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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screeched
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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wig
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| n.假发 | |
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scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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piers
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| n.水上平台( pier的名词复数 )；（常设有娱乐场所的）突堤；柱子；墙墩 | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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baggy
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| adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的 | |
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sheared
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| v.剪羊毛( shear的过去式和过去分词 )；切断；剪切 | |
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puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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maniacs
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| n.疯子（maniac的复数形式） | |
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beet
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| n.甜菜；甜菜根 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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gorilla
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| n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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lizards
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| n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 ) | |
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glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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budge
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| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
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knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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42
boredom
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| n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊 | |
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43
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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44
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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45
deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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46
waddling
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的现在分词 ) | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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48
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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49
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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50
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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51
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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52
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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weirdest
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| 怪诞的( weird的最高级 )； 神秘而可怕的； 超然的； 古怪的 | |
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