自从杜思丽一家在门前发现他的外甥，已经过去了十年。但是，女贞路几乎没有什么变化。太阳照常升起于往常一样整洁的庭院，照亮杜思丽家门前的4号铜牌。晨光轻悄悄地照在他家的卧室里，确切地说，这里和杜思丽先生在新闻里看到可恨的猫头鹰的那天一样。只有照片挂在壁炉上，明确地表明时间在流逝。十年后，摆在那有许多照片——看着像一个巨大的粉色沙滩球，戴着五颜六色的婴儿帽。但是，达利不可能总是个婴儿，那么，现在看到的照片是一个巨大的金发男孩，骑着他人生中第一辆自行车，在游乐园的旋转木马上，和他的爸爸玩电脑游戏，拥抱并亲着她的妈妈。整个屋子里没有关于另外一个大难不死男孩的一丁点痕迹。
可是，哈利仍然住在这儿，正在睡觉，但不会太久。他的阿姨已醒来，她吼出尖锐的嗓音，是一整天第一声噪音。
“起，起来，现在！”
哈利开始被吵醒。他的阿姨再次敲门。
“起来”她厉声吼道，哈利听到她的脚步朝厨房的方向去了，那时听到把煎锅放在厨灶上的声音。他翻起后背，然后尝试记起他做过的梦，他做了一个很好的梦。那有一个从天而降的摩托车。他之前做过同样的梦，并感觉很有趣儿。
他姨又回到门外。“你已经起来了没？她坚决问道。
”还差一点“哈利说，
”好吧，动起来，我想要你来照看一下咸猪肉。别弄胡了，我想要达利的生日这天每一样都完美“
哈利呻吟着。
“你说什么？”他的姨向门怒冲冲地问道。
“没事儿，没事儿。。”
达利的生日——他怎么会忘呢？哈利缓慢地下了床，然后开始找袜子。他在床找到了，随后从里面拉出一只蜘蛛，再穿上。哈利很适应蜘蛛，那时因为楼梯下的橱柜里都是蜘蛛，他就睡在那里。
“他穿上衣服，来到厨房。桌子下面几乎藏满了达利的生日礼物。那些看起来像是达利想要的新电脑，却没有第二个电视，和赛车。达利为什么想要赛车对于哈利来说，是个迷——哈利那么胖，也还讨厌锻炼，当然，不包括锤打某人。达利最喜欢的沙袋是哈利，但是他经常追不到他，哈利不如他壮，但是速度很快。
Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets — but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.
Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.
"Up! Get up! Now!"
Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.
"Up!" she screecher. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.
His aunt was back outside the door.
"Are you up yet?" she demanded.
"Nearly," said Harry.
"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."
Harry groaned.
"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.
"Nothing, nothing……"
Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten? Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept.
When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise — unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry, but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast.
