School Opening

The pillow fight had an element of playfulness to it, so Dudley did not cry for help. He simply let Harry give him a thorough beating with the pillow.

For some reason, after that night, Dudley became Harry's tagalong.

In the month before School Opening, Dudley treated Harry as though he had become a completely different person.

But only Harry knew that, on one hand, Dudley was somewhat afraid of his magic. More importantly, Harry had promised him that when he came home again, he would bring him snacks from the Magical World.

Looking at Dudley's pudgy figure, Harry felt it might be necessary to brew him some weight-loss potion.

Harry used all seven hundred and fifty Pound Sterling he had gotten from the Dursley family to buy Muggle snacks, with particular emphasis on Coca-Cola.

Heaven knew how badly he had wanted a sip of Happy Water in the Victorian era.

Considering the purchasing power of Pound Sterling, Harry took the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley by himself once more and bought a suitcase enchanted with an Untraceable Extension Charm.

He stuffed all the Muggle snacks into the suitcase. Seeing that there was still room, he crammed in his books and clothes as well.

This suitcase alone had cost him thirty Galleons.

You got what you paid for, and Harry was quite satisfied with it.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and School Opening was soon upon them.

Since Dudley was also going to Smeltings Middle School, the Dursley family would be driving to London to see him off.

"I've always been curious. Where did you get wizard money?"

Uncle Vernon suddenly asked while they were in the car.

Harry answered, "It was an inheritance my parents left me, locked away in Gringotts—"

The car braked sharply, and Harry nearly slammed into the seat in front of him.

In the rearview mirror hanging at the front of the car, Harry saw Uncle Vernon's face instantly darken.

Could he... be resentful that Harry had never paid him for raising him? Harry wondered, and the thought slipped straight out of his mouth.

"I know I have money now. I can pay for all those years of upbringing—"

"How much you resemble your father, Potter!" Uncle Vernon's fat body twisted around in his seat as he faced Harry and said furiously, "He was just as arrogant and condescending—"

Harry instinctively defended his father. "My father wasn't arrogant, and neither am I. If you don't mind, could you pull over first?"

Uncle Vernon snorted and pulled the car over to the side of the road.

He turned around again and snapped angrily, "Listen, boy, I don't care how much wealth in pure gold you have stored in that damned Gringotts of yours. I love Petunia. I love her more than anything! If it weren't for her sake, do you think I'd have let a freak like you through my front door?"

"You know about Gringotts?" Harry asked with a raised brow. He knew Uncle Vernon had hit the brakes because Harry had mentioned Gringotts.

Uncle Vernon's face turned purple again, and his mustache trembled with his roar. "Gringotts? Of course I know Gringotts! Back when I met that freak—met your father at a restaurant, Petunia said he didn't have a job, so I wanted to offer him one at my company. Even though he had no recognized qualifications, I was even willing to support him! But your father—"

"Dursley! Oh my God, Dursley!" Aunt Petunia sat in the passenger seat, clutching at her collar with one hand as if she could barely breathe.

"Like father, like son. We're at the station. You can get out now!" Uncle Vernon said furiously.

Harry looked up. Outside was indeed King's Cross Station.

"Sorry." Harry smiled at the Dursleys, then said to Dudley, "I'm getting out, then."

"Remember what you promised me." Dudley mouthed the words at Harry.

Harry nodded, took his suitcase out of the trunk, extended its handle, set the suitcase down on its wheels, and walked away.

That was a grievance from the previous generation. It had nothing to do with him, so there was no need to dwell on it.

"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters..." Harry muttered as he pulled his suitcase into the station.

It was not his first time entering the platform, so Harry was not nervous. He slowly wheeled his suitcase along, looking perfectly at ease. Only after the red-haired family ahead of him entered the station did he pull his suitcase through into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

Smoke from the steam locomotive curled above the crowd. Cats of every color darted between people's feet, while amid the hubbub of conversation, owls hooted back and forth, weaving together a symphony called School Opening.

It felt very wizarding, and very distinctly so.

Since it was nearly time for the train to leave, the first few carriages were already packed with students. Some leaned out of the windows to talk with their families, some laughed and roughhoused in their compartments, while others quietly ate snacks in their seats.

Harry even saw a Chocolate Frog leap out through an open window, and the student who had let it escape wore a frustrated expression.

He found an empty compartment near the rear of the train. Just as he put his suitcase away, he ran into a pair of red-haired, identical twins.

"You're... Harry Potter?" the one on the left asked, his face lighting up in surprise.

Before Harry could reply, a woman's voice called from outside.

"Fred, George, are you on the train?"

"Coming, Mother!" The two hurriedly bade Harry goodbye before turning and running out.

Harry leaned back in his seat and stared blankly at the crowd outside.

He could still hear the twins' mother scolding them. "That poor child isn't some animal in a zoo for you to stare at—Fred, George!"

The mother's voice grew quieter and quieter. Harry had no interest in eavesdropping, so he settled into a comfortable position in his seat.

Out on the platform, the mother was still scolding her children.

"I won't allow you to ask him anything about that scar! Don't make him remember that event on his very first day of school!" she reprimanded them in a lowered voice. "All wizards celebrate the day he got that scar and killed the Dark Lord, but for him, it was the day he lost the father and mother who loved him most—oh, that poor child..."

"Alright, don't be angry," said either Fred or George. "We understand."

The whistle blew.

"Alright, children, it's time to say goodbye." The mother smiled and kissed each of her children on the forehead. "Get on board, Ronnie little darling—and you two, don't let me receive another letter from a professor complaining that you pranked your classmates!"

That last sentence was directed at the twins.

(The following is Rowling's supplementary material from Pottermore about the Dursleys' first meeting with the Potters. Vernon's words are not my own invention. James even felt somewhat ashamed afterward, and promised Lily that he would repair relations with the Dursleys as soon as he had the chance.)