Chapter 2 opens in PRIVET DRIVE, almost ten years later, on DUDLEY's birthday. AUNT PETUNIA woke HARRY to cook the BACON, disturbing him from a dream about a flying MOTORBIKE. HARRY's bedroom was THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS, which he shared with a great many SPIDERS.

UNCLE VERNON told HARRY to comb his HAIR. He regularly told HARRY to get a haircut but his HAIR grew all over the place no matter what he did.

Harry put the EGGS AND BACON on a table full of DUDLEY'S PRESENTS.

AUNT PETUNIA answered the telephone and said MRS FIGG had broken her leg and couldn't take HARRY. Usually on DUDLEY's birthday HARRY went to MRS FIGG's house [which smelled of CABBAGE] and had to look at photos of all the CATS [TIBBLES, SNOWY, MR PAWS and TUFTY] she had ever owned. UNCLE VERNON suggested phoning MARGE to look after HARRY (but AUNT PETUNIA said MARGE hated HARRY) - UNCLE VERNON suggested AUNT PETUNIA's friend YVONNE but she was on holiday in MAJORCA - so it was decided that HARRY would have to go with them to the ZOO. DUDLEY pretended to cry. DUDLEY's best friend PIERS POLKISS arrived with his mother.

UNCLE VERNON took HARRY aside and threatened him - if there was any "funny business", HARRY would be in THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS until Christmas. HARRY assured him there wouldn't be - but UNCLE VERNON didn't believe him.

Odd things had happened previously. Because HARRY's HAIR never looked any shorter no matter how many times he went to the barber's, AUNT PETUNIA had once cut all his HAIR off (apart from the fringe) with the KITCHEN SCISSORS. Yet next morning his HAIR was the usual length; HARRY was punished with a week in THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS.

Once, when AUNT PETUNIA tried to force HARRY to wear DUDLEY's horrible old JUMPER, it got smaller and smaller till it was puppet size. Somehow she thought it had shrunk in the wash and HARRY wasn't punished.

A third "odd incident" was when HARRY found himself on the ROOF of the school kitchens. He had no idea how he'd got there after trying to jump behind the big bins outside the kitchen doors, when running away from DUDLEY'S GANG. HARRY thought the wind must have carried him up there. UNCLE VERNON punished him with another stay in THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS.

On the way to the ZOO, MR DURSLEY complained about motorbikes. HARRY mentioned his dream about a flying MOTORBIKE. MR DURSLEY went ballistic, "his face like a giant beetroot with a moustache". HARRY wished he hadn't said anything.

DUDLEY and PIERS got ICE CREAMS whilst HARRY got an ICE LOLLY. They all watched a GORILLA scratching its head then HARRY walked a little distance away from the others in case DUDLEY and PIERS started hitting him like they usually did.

They all ate in the ZOO RESTAURANT where DUDLEY had a tantrum about his KNICKERBOCKER GLORY.

In the REPTILE HOUSE there were LIZARDS and SNAKES. DUDLEY found the largest SNAKE of all, long enough to go twice round UNCLE VERNON's car. DUDLEY told UNCLE VERNON to make it move but it stayed asleep even when UNCLE VERNON tapped on the GLASS; DUDLEY got bored and moved away.

Suddenly the SNAKE [a boa constrictor from BRAZIL] opened its eyes and winked at HARRY. After their conversation, when PIERS called everyone over and DUDLEY floored HARRY with a punch to the ribs, the SNAKE escaped after the GLASS VANISHED.

HARRY was banished to THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS. AUNT PETUNIA got UNCLE VERNON a BRANDY.

HARRY lay alone in his dark CUPBOARD and wondered about his past. THE DURSLEYS had told him his parents (JAMES and LILY POTTER) were killed in a car crash; HARRY was never allowed to ask more about them. Sometimes when he struggled to remember the past he saw a BLINDING FLASH of GREEN LIGHT and experienced a burning pain in the SCAR on his forehead.

Somehow HARRY had always expected some unknown relation to come and rescue him, but it hadn't happened. Yet strange people (wearing violet, purple or green) had bowed to him or waved at him or shaken his hand, at various times, and then entirely disappeared ....

Things didn't make sense, somehow. Bullied by DUDLEY'S GANG at school, marooned with THE DURSLEYS at home in PRIVET DRIVE, HARRY seemed to be totally alone ....