Harry Potter 12

When he wasdressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hiddenbeneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gottenthe new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racingbike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudleywas very fat and hated exercise -- unless of course it involved punchingsomebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catchhim. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.

Perhaps it hadsomething to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Harry had always been smalland skinny for his age. He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really wasbecause all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was aboutfour times bigger than he was. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, blackhair, and bright green eyes. He wore round glasses held together with a lot ofScotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. Theonly thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on hisforehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as hecould remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt15Petunia was how he had gotten it.

"In the carcrash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't askquestions."

Don't askquestions -- that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. UncleVernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. "Comb yourhair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting. About once a week, UncleVernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed ahaircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in hisclass put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way --all over the place.

Harry was fryingeggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked alot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, wateryblue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. AuntPetunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel -- Harry often saidthat Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.