Hogwarts' Golden Glory

As the last rays of the sun bathed the porch of No. 4 Privet Drive in orange-red, Harry dragged his weary steps and pushed open the front door.

Hedwig circled above his head once, then silently landed on his shoulder.

"You're finally back, kid?" Uncle Vernon's voice came from the living room, carrying an unsettling joy that Harry had never heard before.

"Come in, we have something to say."

Harry looked up alertly.

Usually at this time, the Dursleys would pretend he didn't exist, at most throwing him a piece of dry bread for dinner.

He took off his muddy shoes—Aunt Penny hated it when he dirtied the floor—and slowly walked into the living room.

The Dursleys sat side by side on the sofa like a jury.

A strange smile played on Dali's lips as he frantically pressed the TV remote, causing the screen to flicker.

“Just stand there,” Vernon said, his beer belly bulging under his striped shirt. “We have some new rules to announce.”

Harry felt Hedwig tighten her grip on his shoulder.

Aunt Penny pulled an iron cage from behind her back with her bony hands—it was Hedwig's cage, but it had been secured with a padlock.

“First of all,” Vernon continued, his small eyes gleaming with triumph, “this bird will be kept in a cage from now on. We’re fed up with it flying around the house and shedding feathers.”

A surge of anger welled up inside Harry: "Hedwig needs to fly, it's in her nature!"

"Second," Vernon said, raising his voice an octave as if he hadn't heard Harry.

"You can continue to live in that room, but you must complete all the chores on the list each day before you can eat."

He pointed to an outrageously long list stuck on the refrigerator.

Harry's eyes swept over the list: mopping the floor, mowing the lawn, washing the car, cleaning the garage... the last item even read "help Dudley finish his summer homework".

"This isn't fair!" Harry blurted out. "I'm not your slave!"

Vernon suddenly stood up, and the sofa creaked under the weight.

"Oh, I think you will, kid." He approached slowly, his breath reeking of beer. "Because we all know an interesting fact..."

He pulled a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket and waved it in front of Harry.

Harry immediately recognized it as the warning letter Dumbledore had written the previous year.

"...You can't use magic outside of school, can you?" Vernon grinned smugly, revealing his uneven teeth. "All those threats, those little tricks...it was all bluff!"

Harry felt his blood congealing in his veins.

How could they... Hedwig suddenly let out a sharp cry, and Harry noticed that it was missing a feather from its wing—it must have seen the Dursleys searching his room.

"Now, put the bird in the cage," Vernon commanded, pushing the cage toward Harry. "Unless you want to try sleeping without dinner."

Harry bit his lip, his trembling fingers taking the cage.

Hedwig's amber eyes were fixed on him, as if conveying some kind of message.

Under Vernon's pressure, Harry had no choice but to let Hedwig go into the cage first.

"And another thing," Aunt Penny added in a shrill voice.

Her slender neck tilted forward, like a bird poised to peck at its prey. "No more correspondence with those...those weirdo friends!"

She took out a shoebox filled with letters from Hermione and Ron—all of them had been opened.

Harry's heart pounded: "You opened my letter? That's illegal!"

Vernon burst out laughing: "Illegal? A petty thug living in someone else's house talking about the law?"

He leaned closer to Harry, his purple face almost touching his. "From now on, all mail that comes to this house will have to be checked by us first. If there's any more of that crazy talk about cauldrons and spells, you'll be in for a world of trouble."

Dudley finally stood up from the sofa, his massive frame casting a shadow over Harry: "Dad, can I supervise his work?"

"Of course, son." Vernon patted Dudley on the shoulder. "Make sure he completes every task...without the slightest imperfection."

Harry felt a chill creep up his spine.

He was all too familiar with the look in Dudley's eyes—it was the same expression Dudley and his friends would make before they surrounded him on the elementary school playground.

"Now," Penny clapped her hands, her voice like nails scraping across a blackboard, "go make dinner, boy. The menu's on the fridge. Dudley, darling, how many fish cutlets would you like to have today?"

"Six pieces, Mom!" Dudley cheered, bumping Harry's shoulder on purpose.

Harry walked silently to the kitchen, clutching Hedwig's cage tightly in his hand.

The metal bars of the cage were icy cold, just like the despair that was gradually spreading in his chest.

Through the kitchen window, he could see that the sun had completely set.

The first star twinkles in the sky—is it Sirius?

He needs his godfather more than ever now, but he can't even send a letter...

"Hurry up!" Vernon's voice came from the living room. "We need to watch TV at seven!"

Harry mechanically opened the refrigerator and took out a bag of frozen fish fillets.

When he turned around, he found Dudley leaning against the door frame with a cat-and-mouse grin on his face.

"Need any help, cousin?" Dudley asked feigning concern, while pouring an entire can of salt into the stew pot.

Harry did not answer.

His gaze fell on the kitchen drawer—there was a can opener there, its edges sharp enough...

No, he can't do that. Even if the Dursleys deserved their fate, he wouldn't become like them.

"I'm talking to you!" Dali suddenly shoved Harry, causing him to bump into the cupboard.

A prepared salad was overturned on the floor, and the glass plate shattered into countless pieces.

"Dali! What happened?" Penny screamed and rushed into the kitchen.

"Harry deliberately knocked over the plate!" Dudley said immediately, with an innocent look on his face.

Vernon's massive frame appeared in the doorway: "Deduct it from your allowance, kid! Now get yourself cleaned up and go to your room—no dinner for you tonight!"

Harry picked up the broken glass piece by piece.

All he can do now is hope that school starts soon; he's a freak here.

But at school, almost everyone knew him.

Hedwig shifted restlessly in the cage, making low cooing sounds.

It was late at night when Harry was finally allowed to leave the kitchen.

He tiptoed upstairs and noticed that light was still coming through the crack in Dudley's bedroom door.

His cousin must have been waiting for him to pass by before suddenly opening the door to scare him.

Harry held his breath and quickly slipped through the dangerous corridor, safely reaching "his" bedroom.

After closing the door, Harry finally allowed himself to collapse onto the bed.

The room was much larger than his original stairwell, but now it felt like an enlarged cage.

The Dursleys deliberately left him with this room, just so he would be more aware of what he had lost—his connection to the magical world.