章节_12

and stupid, but as dudley was

the biggest ahe lot, he was the leader. the rest

of them were all quite happy to join in dudleys favorite sport:

harry hunting.

this ent as much time as possible out of the

house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays,

where he could see a tiny ray of hope. wheember came he would

be going off to sedary sd, for the first time in his

life, he wouldh dudley. dudley had bee uncle

vernons old private seltings. piers polkiss was going

there too. harry, oher hand, was going to stonewall high,

the local public school. dudley thought this was very funny.

”they stuff peoples heads dowhe first day at

stonewall,” he told harry. ”waairs and practice?”

”no, thanks,” said harry. ”the poor toilets never had anything

as horrible as your head down it -- it might be si he ran,

before dudley could work out what hed said.

one day in july, auook dudley to london to buy his

smeltings uniform, leaving harry at mrs. figgs. mrs. figg wasn

t as bad as usual. it tur shed br tripping

over os, and she dide as fond of them

as before. she let harry watch television and gave him a bit of

chocolate cake that tasted as though shed had it for several years.

that evening, dudley paraded around the living room for the

family in his brand-new uniform. smeltings boys wore maroon

tailce knickerbod flat straw hats called

boaters. they also obbly sticks, used f each

other while the teachers werent looking. this osed to be

g for later life.

as he looked at dudley in his new knickerbo

said gruffly that it roudest moment of his life. aunt

petunia burst into tears and said she t believe it was her

ickle dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. harry didnt

trust himself to speak. he thought twht already

have cra trying not to laugh.

there was a horrible smell iext m when

harry went i. it seemed to be a large

metal tub in the sio have a look. the tub was full of

what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.

”whats this?” he asked auuightened as

they always did if he dared to ask a question.

”your new s,” she said.

harry looked in the bowl again.

”oh,” he said, ”i did had to be so wet.”

”dota be stupid,” s petunia. ”im dyeing some of

dudleys old things gray for you. itll look just like everyone

elses when ive finished.”

harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to

argue. he sat dowable ao think about how

he was going to look on his first day at stonewall high -- like he

was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.

dudley and une in, both with wrinkled noses

beell from harrys new uniform. un opened

his neer as usual and dudley banged his smelting stick, which

he carried everywhere, oable.

they heard the ail slot and flop of letters on

the doormat.

”get the mail, dudley,” said un behind his paper.

”make harry get it.”

”get the mail, harry.”

”make dudley get it.”

”poke him with y stick, dudley.”

harry dodged the smelting stit to get the mail. three

things lay o: a post uns sister

marge, who was vag o, a brown envelope

that looked like a bill, aer for harry.

harry picked it up a, his heart twanging like a

giaio one, ever, in his whole life, had written to

him. who would? he had no friends, ives -- he didnt

belong to the library, so hed rude notes asking for

books back. yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there

o mistake:

mr. h. potter

the cupboard uhe