The Arrival of a Second Letter—Directly Addressed to Harry’s New Room

PAGES: 38-39

When another letter arrives the next day, this time addressed to his new bedroom, Harry is astonished. Vernon Dursley’s paranoia deepens as he wrestles with Dudley and Harry to seize the letter once again. Amid the commotion, Harry feels a surge of hope that someone out there knows his predicament, though he has yet to read a single word. Despite his best efforts, Vernon prevails, leaving Harry more determined than ever to uncover the truth about the letters that seem to follow him wherever he goes.

When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, “There’s another one! ‘Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive—’”

With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry’s letter clutched in his hand.

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“Go to your cupboard—I mean, your bedroom,” he wheezed at Harry. “Dudley—go—just go.”

Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn’t received his first letter. Surely that meant they’d try again? And this time he’d make sure they didn’t fail. He had a plan.