HARRY POTTER and the Chamber of Secrets Chapter One
Chapter One
THE WORST BIRTHDAY
Harry Potter will be twelve years old today. But his birthdays are always terrible at his home at 4 Privet Drive. They are terrible because he lives with the Dursleys. He has had many terrible birthdays while he has been with the Dursleys, but he is sure that his twelfth birthday will be the worst birthday he has ever had!
Harry is an orphan. When Harry was a baby, his mother and father were killed in a terrible battle with the greatest dark sorcerer of all time, Lord Voldemort (wizards still do not like to say his name!). Harry survived the attack, and Voldemort’s powers disappeared after the tragedy. But to protect Harry, the most intelligent wizards in the wizarding world sent Harry to live with his mother’s sister, his aunt Petunia, and her family - the Dursleys.
His uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley are very cruel people. Uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia have always known that Harry is a wizard, and they hate him for being a wizard. They hate him because he is different and strange. They hate different and strange things. And they punish him for his strangeness.
They made him sleep in a dark room under the stairs. They never gave him his own things. He always had to use his cruel cousin’s things. And the Dursleys often made Harry go to sleep without eating. That’s why Harry is small and thin for his age.
Harry has black hair that is always messy. His eyes are bright green, and he wears round glasses. And on his forehead is a thin scar shaped like a lightning bolt.
His life had been terrible until he received the letter.
You see, Harry never knew he was a wizard until a year before, on his eleventh birthday! He received a letter from the most famous wizard school: Hogwarts. He had received many, many letters in fact, but uncle Vernon hid them from Harry!
Hogwarts wanted Harry to attend the school and to learn to be a wizard, like his mother and father. And that is what he did! Harry was, after all, the most famous wizard in the wizarding world. But he didn’t know it yet.
Harry is now back at his aunt and uncle’s house. It is summer vacation from Hogwarts (the Durselys are not happy about that). Harry is having breakfast in the kitchen that morning. He is thinking about his time at Hogwarts. Harry misses Hogwarts terribly! He misses playing quidditch. He misses the secret passages and strange corridors. He misses his large bed in Gryffindor house. He misses his professors (well, not professor Snape).
And he is thinking about his encounter with the dark Lord Voldemort himself. Voldemort was not strong at the time, but he was still intelligent and dangerous. Harry was almost killed by Voldemort.
But Professor Dumbledore, one the greatest wizards of all time, saved him at the last moment. Harry still has nightmares. But good things happened while he was at Hogwarts.
Harry had made many friends there, and he misses them most of all. Especially Ron and Hermione. Harry does not understand why they have not sent him any letters that summer. They said they were going to write to Harry. But no owl has come with a letter for Harry all summer. Harry is desperate to talk to his friends.
Suddenly, “Your owl woke me up again last night!” yells uncle Vernon, who comes into the kitchen with aunt Petunia. “That was the third time this week!” Harry stops thinking about Hogwarts and looks at his uncle. “Did you hear me, boy? If you can’t control your owl, I will kick him out of the house!”
“He’s a ‘she’,” answers Harry, “Her name is Hedwig, and what do you expect? She’s bored. You make her stay in her cage all day. She needs to fly around.”
“Do you think I’m stupid, boy?” asks uncle Vernon. “Do you really think he’s stupid?” his aunt Petunia says again. “I know what that owl will do if it gets out of its cage!” “He knows what that owl will do if it gets out of its cage!” she repeats in an irritated voice. Uncle Vernon knows that Hedwig will bring letters to Harry. And uncle Vernon does not want that to happen!
“I think I want more bacon!” cries Dudley, then he burps very loudly.
“There’s more in the frying pan, my lovely!” says aunt Petunia. She looks at her fat boy with love in her eyes. “We must feed you so you are never hungry!” Dudley is already so fat that his bottom does not fit on his chair.
“And don’t you forget,” uncle Vernon continues, “tonight is the most important night of my career!” “It’s important for you, but you forgot my birthday,” Harry thinks sadly. “I know, I know,” says Harry. Uncle Vernon is talking about a stupid dinner party with an important client that night at the house. “You will answer the door,” continues Harry. “Aunt Petunia will be in the living room to offer drinks, Dudley will take them into the dining room at a quarter to eight…” “And where will you be?” uncle Vernon asks suspiciously. “I’ll be in my bedroom. I will make no noise. And I will pretend that I am not there,” says Harry. He is feeling even sadder now.
“Good! Don’t you forget it!” cries uncle Vernon. “No one knows about you, and how…strange you are, and I do not want my guests to know, either! Now! Go finish your chores! I believe the grass in the garden needs to be cut, yes? Well, what are you waiting for?”
“Yes,” thinks Harry as he leaves the kitchen and goes outside to the garden, “this is definitely the WORST birthday ever!” Harry cleans the windows, washes the car, cuts the grass, waters the flowers and repaints the garden bench, all while Dudley does nothing. Harry is tired, hot and his back is hurting very much.
He is relaxing for a moment when Dudley suddenly appears. “I know what today is, you know.” “What, you’ve just learned the days of the week?” says Harry. Dudley ignores him, “I know it’s your birthday. No one sent you any cards. No one sent you any presents. They forgot about you, Harry,” he laughs with a mean laugh. “Why aren’t you working?” he asks with a cruel voice. “Because I’m trying to decide what spell to use to turn you into a frog!” answers Harry with a mean look in his eyes.
“You know you’re not allowed to use ‘you-know-what’ at the house,” Dudley says, with some fear in his voice. Harry begins to say nonsense words that sound like magic spells, “Hocus pocus, squiggly wiggly…!”
Dudley runs towards the house screaming, “MUUUUM! Harry is using ‘you-know-what’ on me! He says he’s going to turn me into a frog!” Aunt Petunia punishes Harry for his trick. She knows that Harry did not really use his magic, but she still tries to hit him in the head with her frying pan! Harry jumps to the side and runs into the kitchen to escape.
Aunt Petunia yells at Harry to eat something quickly and go to his room. It is late, and it is almost time for the guests to arrive. Harry grabs the food that aunt Petunia has left for him: two slices of bread and a piece of cheese. Harry eats quickly and starts to go upstairs to his room.
He passes the living room and he can see Dudley and uncle Vernon in suits and ties. The doorbell suddenly rings, and uncle Vernon appears next to the stairs. “Remember, boy,” he growls at Harry, “one sound and…” Harry runs up the stairs to his bedroom, as quickly and as quietly as he can.
He goes into his room, and shuts the door without making any noise. He turns around to fall on his bed. He is exhausted! But there is one little problem. There is already someone sitting on the bed!
