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NEARLY TEN YEARS HAVE PASSED since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew and niece 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 brass 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 owls. 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 bonnets—but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel 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 two other children lived in the house, too.
Yet Raven Potter was still there, currently loading her cousins presents to the living room.
She was walking back to get more as she heard her aunts voice in the hall where her and Harry's cupboard was.
"Up! Get up! Now!" she shrills and walks back to the kitchen.
Raven grabbed another bigger present, wishing she could be in the cupboard with Harry still fast asleep at least. Instead, Petunia woke her up in the early hours of the morning to set up Dudley's stupid presents. She put the present down and some others toppled over. She picked it up and continued to go back and get more.
Petunia saw this and as Raven walked back to grab more presents, she hit her upside the head hard. She winced a little bit went back to what she was doing nonetheless. She was used to it after all.
Petunia was back outside the door in a second, Raven heard.
"Are you up yet?" she demanded to Harry,
"Nearly," she heard 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."
Raven rolled her eyes and heard Harry groan.
"What did you say?" their aunt snapped through the door.
"Nothing, nothing . . ."
Dudley's birthday—how could either have forgotten? Raven saw Harry walk out of the cupboard they slept in and shut the door and blinds and came down the hall into the kitchen.
