Vernon Dursley was sitting in the armchair in the living room, holding a steaming cup of tea, his face wearing a rare expression of comfort he hadn’t shown in years.
“Petunia,” he called toward the kitchen, “what’s for dinner today?”
Petunia poked her head out of the kitchen, flour dusting her apron and a faint smile on her lips.
“Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, and your favourite apple pie.”
“Excellent.”
Vernon patted his round belly in satisfaction.
Ever since that boy had left, the atmosphere at home had become much more relaxed.
At last, there were no more inexplicable strange happenings.
No more owls crashing into the windows.
Best of all, there was no longer that boy in those ridiculous glasses sitting at the dining table, staring at him with those eyes that made him uncomfortable all over.
Everything had returned to normal.
Dudley sat on the sofa watching television, clutching a large bag of crisps and crunching away noisily.
“Mum, I want two puddings.”
“Of course, darling,” Petunia said gently.
The Dursleys believed they had finally returned to the life of normal people.
But accidents always had a way of arriving alongside normality.
When Vernon came home from work that day, he noticed several strangers had appeared on the street.
Of course, at the time, he didn’t pay it much attention.
Privet Drive wasn’t a main road, but passers-by occasionally came through.
That was perfectly normal.
But the next day, he discovered those people were still there—and there were clearly more of them.
Seven or eight people stood at the entrance of Privet Drive.
Some were taking photographs or speaking in low voices, and some were even writing things down in notebooks.
A trace of unease rose in Vernon’s heart.
He drove the car into the garage and quickly walked into the house.
“Petunia!” he shouted.
“What’s going on with those people outside?”
Petunia came out of the kitchen with a kitchen knife in her hand, looking puzzled.
“What people?”
“Those people on the street!”
Vernon pointed at the window.
“I just saw seven or eight people standing at the corner, sneaking about suspiciously!”
Petunia walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked outside.
“Oh, them.”
She dropped the curtain.
“They’ve been there since this morning.
I thought they were tourists.”
“Tourists?”
Vernon’s eyes widened.
“What is there to tour on our street?!”
“I don’t know.” Petunia shrugged.
“Perhaps they’re lost?”
Vernon snorted unhappily, but said no more.
It was probably just a coincidence. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
In a few days, they would disappear.
But things did not go as he imagined.
On the third day, the situation began to feel wrong.
When Vernon drove home, he found at least twenty people gathered in front of his house.
His car had only just stopped when several people came over.
“Excuse me, is this Number Four, Privet Drive?” asked a young man wearing a flat cap.
“Yes,” Vernon said with a frown.
“What business is that of yours?”
The young man’s eyes lit up at once.
“Then do you know Harry Potter?”
Vernon’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
“What Harry Potter?” he snapped.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!
Now get away from here!”
He slammed the car door shut, strode into the house, and locked the front door behind him.
Petunia came out of the kitchen.
Seeing how terrible his face looked, she asked, “What’s wrong, Vernon?”
“Those people outside!”
Vernon pointed at the window.
“They asked whether I knew that Potter boy!”
Petunia walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and glanced outside.
Her expression also turned ugly.
“How do they know this place?”
“How should I know?” Vernon said irritably.
“That boy must be going around saying things at school!”
But things were far worse than he imagined.
The next morning, when Vernon opened the curtains, he was so frightened he nearly had a heart attack.
At least fifty or sixty people had gathered outside his house.
Some stood by the roadside, and a few had even pitched tents.
They all had copies of that book in their hands, and some were even reading aloud.
“Mr.
and Mrs.
Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal…”
Vernon’s face went white.
He rushed to the window and yanked the curtains shut, his heart pounding wildly.
“Petunia!” he shouted.
“Come here!”
Petunia ran downstairs.
When she saw Vernon’s face, she was startled.
“What is it?”
“Look outside!”
Vernon pointed at the window.
Petunia followed his finger and looked out.
“Good heavens…” she whispered.
“Vernon, these people… are they here for Harry?”
“How should I know?” Vernon snapped, running his fingers irritably through his hair.
“But I’m sure it has something to do with that boy!”
He walked to the telephone, picked up the receiver, and dialed the police station.
“Hello?
Is this the police?
I want to report something!
There’s a large crowd of unknown people gathered outside my house!”
A lazy voice came from the other end.
“Sir, could you tell me exactly what the problem is?”
“The problem?
The problem is that there are forty or fifty people outside my house right now!
They’re blocking the road, and I can’t go out!”
“Have they committed any unlawful act?”
“They… they…”
Vernon opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
Those people really hadn’t done anything illegal.
They were simply standing there, chatting, taking photographs, and reading.
But that alone was annoying enough!
“Sir, if they’re merely standing in a public area and have not entered your private property, there’s nothing we can do.”
The policeman’s voice remained lazy.
“So you’re just going to do nothing?!”
“We’ll send someone over to take a look, but please understand that we don’t have the authority to remove citizens who haven’t broken the law.”
Vernon was so angry he nearly smashed the telephone.
He hung up and paced back and forth through the living room.
Petunia stood to the side, watching him helplessly.
“Vernon, perhaps… we shouldn’t go out today?”
“Not go out?
I have to go to the office!”
“But there are so many people outside…”
Vernon gritted his teeth and finally made his decision.
He changed into his suit, picked up his briefcase, and strode toward the front door.
“Vernon!” Petunia called after him.
Vernon didn’t look back.
He simply opened the door and walked out.
The noise outside swept over him at once.
Among the crowd, there was even a fat man in a checked shirt holding up a sign that read:
Harry Potter’s Home – Number Four, Privet Drive!
Vernon trembled with fury, but facing so many people, he believed he ought to maintain his dignity and did not explode.
When those people saw him come out, they all turned their heads.
Their gazes landed on him all at once.
Vernon felt as though he were an animal locked in a cage, watched by countless pairs of eyes.
Gritting his teeth, he walked toward his car.
“Excuse me, are you Mr.
Dursley?” a voice called from the crowd.