wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.

 

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she

cried, flinging her arms around him.

 

"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend

sobs. "He always sp- spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the

gap in his mother's arms.

 

Just then, the doorbell rang -- "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia

frantically -- and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked

in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was

usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them.

Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.

 

Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the

back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the

first time in his life. His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything

else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.

 

"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to

Harry's, "I'm warning you now, boy -- any funny business, anything at all -- and

you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."

 

"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly..