Chapter 2

A gentle breeze rustled the neatly trimmed hedges lining Privet Drive, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, casting speckled shadows on the pristine ground. Everything appeared unchanged, as if time had stood still. Yet, under its relentless march, a decade had nearly passed.

And soon, Harry Potter would be celebrating his long-awaited eleventh birthday—the day that would lead him into an entirely new, wondrous, and magical world!

The sun had risen high over the rooftops, its warm light spilling over the gardens and into the house. Inside, the bright living room was filled with framed photos of the Dursleys: Dudley riding his bicycle; Dudley on a merry-go-round; Dudley playing computer games with his father; Petunia kissing Dudley… Every image suggested that only these three people lived in the house.