Reacting to Harry Potter

The boy who lived

"I'll read," said James. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone. Chapter one. The boy who lived."

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,

"Dursely?" asked Lily.

James nodded "Why?"

"Oh, it's just that Petunia is dating a Vernon Dursely"

of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

"You're Welcome!" chorused the marauders, Weasly Twins, and the Prewett Twins. They all looked at each other and burst out laughing

They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

"What nonsense?" asked Peter

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.

"That does sound very much like Petunia," Lily commented

The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere.

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.

"Definitely Petunia."

"What's wrong with James?" asked Peter (again)

"Oh, Petunia hates wizards and witches alike. My thought line is she hates us." Lily directed the last words at James and Harry.

Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,

A lone tear ran down Lily's cheek.

because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish

"Not a word" interrupted Hermione and Lily at the same time. They smiled.

as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too,

"Harry!" James exclaimed

but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.

"A child like what?" wondered Molly aloud

When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,

"The most boring tie for work!???" The marauders exclaimed.

and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.

"Unnecessary info," said Fabien Prewett

At half-past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.