Vernon Dursley sat in an armchair in the living room, holding a steaming cup of black tea, with a look of contentment rarely seen on his face in years.
"Petunia," he called toward the kitchen, "what's for dinner tonight?"
Petunia poked her head out of the kitchen, flour on her apron and a hint of a smile on her lips:
"Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, and your favorite apple pie."
"Wonderful." Vernon patted his round belly in satisfaction.
Ever since that boy had left, the atmosphere at home had become much more relaxed.
At last, no more inexplicable oddities occurred, and owls no longer crashed into the windows.
Best of all, that boy with the ridiculous glasses no longer sat at the dining table, staring at him with those eyes that made him uncomfortable all over.
Life had returned to normal in every way.
Dudley sat on the sofa watching television, clutching a large bag of crisps and crunching away.
"Mum, I want two helpings of pudding."
"Of course, darling," Petunia said gently.
The Dursley family believed they were now living normal lives.
But the unexpected always came along with normality.
When Vernon came home from work, he noticed a few strangers on the street.
Of course, he paid them no attention at the time.
Although Privet Drive was not a main road, people occasionally passed through, which was perfectly normal.
But the next day, he found that those people were still there, and their numbers had clearly grown.
Seven or eight people stood at the entrance to Privet Drive, some taking photographs or talking quietly, and some even jotting things down in notebooks.
A trace of unease rose in Vernon's heart.
He drove into the garage and hurried into the house.
"Petunia!" he shouted. "What's going on with those people outside?"
Petunia came out of the kitchen holding a kitchen knife, looking somewhat puzzled. "What people?"
"Those people in the street!" Vernon pointed at the window. "I just saw seven or eight of them standing at the entrance, acting suspiciously!"
Petunia went to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked outside.
"Oh, those people." She let the curtain fall. "They were already there this morning. I thought they were tourists here to look around."
"Tourists?" Vernon's eyes widened. "What's there to look at on our street?!"
"I don't know either." Petunia shrugged. "Perhaps they're lost?"
Vernon snorted in displeasure but said nothing more.
This was probably just a coincidence and would go away in a few days.
But things did not turn out as he had expected.
On the third day, things began to seem wrong.
When Vernon drove home, he found at least twenty people gathered outside his house.
The moment Vernon's car stopped, several people approached.
"Excuse me, is this 4 Privet Drive?" asked a young man in a peaked cap.
"Yes." Vernon frowned. "What do you want?"
The young man's eyes lit up at once. "Then do you know Harry Potter?"
Vernon's face instantly went deathly pale.
"What Harry Potter?" he snapped. "I don't know what you're talking about! Get out of here!"
He slammed the car door, strode into the house, and locked the front door behind him.
Petunia came out of the kitchen and, seeing his grim expression, asked, "What's wrong, Vernon?"
"Those people outside!" Vernon pointed at the window. "They asked me whether I knew that Harry boy!"
Petunia went to the window, pulled aside a corner of the curtain, and glanced outside.
Her expression darkened too.
"How did they find out about this place?"
"How should I know!" Vernon said irritably. "That boy must have been blabbing all over school!"
But things were far worse than he imagined.
The next morning, when Vernon drew back the curtains, he nearly had a heart attack from the fright.
At least fifty or sixty people had gathered outside his house, some standing by the roadside, and some had even pitched tents.
They all held copies of that book, 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 deathly pale.
He rushed to the window and pulled the curtains shut, his heart pounding.
"Petunia!" he shouted. "Come here, quickly!"
Petunia ran down from upstairs and was startled by the look on Vernon's face. "What's wrong?"
"Look outside!" Vernon pointed at the window.
Petunia followed his finger and looked out of the window.
"Oh, heavens..." she murmured.
She let the curtain fall, her face a little pale as well.
"Vernon, these people... are they here for Harry?"
"How should I know!" Vernon raked his fingers irritably through his hair. "But I think this definitely has something to do with that boy!"
He walked over to the telephone, picked up the receiver, and dialed the police station.
"Hello? Is this the police station? I want to report an incident! A large number of unidentified people have gathered outside my house!"
A languid voice came from the other end. "Sir, what exactly is the problem you're having?"
"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 get out!"
"Have they done anything illegal?"
"They... they..." Vernon opened his mouth but did not know what to say.
Those people really had done nothing 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 haven't trespassed on your private property, there's nothing we can do."
The officer's voice was still languid.
"So you're just going to do nothing?!"
"We'll send someone over to have a look, but please understand that we have no authority to drive away citizens who haven't broken the law."
Vernon was so furious that he nearly smashed the telephone.
He hung up and paced back and forth across the living room.
Petunia stood to one side, watching him helplessly.
"Vernon, perhaps... we could stay home today?"
"Stay home? I have to go to work!"
"But there are so many people outside..."
Vernon gritted his teeth and finally made his decision.
He changed into a suit, picked up his briefcase, and strode toward the front door.
"Vernon!" Petunia called behind him.
Vernon did not look back. He simply pushed the front door open and walked out.
The noise outside hit him at once.
There was even a fat man in a checked shirt standing in the crowd, holding up a sign that read:
"Harry Potter's home-4 Privet Drive!"
Vernon trembled all over with rage, but in front of so many people, he felt he ought to maintain his manners and did not lose his temper.
When those people saw him come out, they all turned their heads, their gazes landing on him in unison.
Vernon felt like an animal shut in a cage, watched by countless pairs of eyes.
He steeled himself and walked toward his car.
"Excuse me-are you Mr. Dursley?" a voice called from the crowd.