How It All Goes Down
Owl Post
- Harry is being rebellious: it's midnight and he's up...writing an essay for his History of Magic class?
- This really is rebellious, though, since Harry's Muggle relatives, the Dursleys, don't approve of magic and won't let Harry have access to his school books during the summer.
- Harry actually had to sneak his magic books up to his room so he can do his homework.
- Summers are a real bummer for Harry since he doesn't get to see or talk to his friends.
- His friend Ron tried to call, but Ron didn't know how to use a telephone and ended up just shouting at Uncle Vernon.
- It's Harry's thirteenth birthday and it's shaping up to be yet another bummer.
- "Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had never received a birthday card in his life" (1.26).
- But then Harry's owl Hedwig comes bearing gifts.
- Harry gets a letter and a birthday gift from his three closest friends: Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid.
- Ron's family won a drawing and took a vacation to Egypt – he sends Harry a picture of the Weasley clan that appeared in The Daily Prophet.
- Ron sends Harry a Sneakoscope, which goes off like an alarm if something untrustworthy or shifty is going on in the vicinity.
- Hermione sends Harry a Broomstick Servicing Kit and Hagrid gives Harry a monster of a book – literally. It's the Monster Book of Monsters and it tries to eat Harry's arm before he restrains it with a belt.
- We'll never complain about our heavy textbooks again.
- Harry also gets a letter from Professor McGonagall, though it's not about his birthday. Professor McGonagall just writes to give him his list of books for the new school year and a permission slip that a guardian needs to sign so that Harry can visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade this year.
- Harry goes to bed happy on his birthday for the first time.