NOVEL WEB Chapter 1: Ch-1
Today was a happy day in the Dursley household—if you were anyone but young Harry Potter. It was Dudley's birthday, a day Harry had long learned to dread. He knew that his cousin would be showered with presents and indulgences, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would spend every ounce of their time and money ensuring that Dudley felt like the center of the universe. For Harry, however, it simply meant a noisy, chaotic day filled with Dudley's incessant whining and tantrums, as the slightest mishap was treated as a catastrophe. And, of course, Harry would bear the brunt of it all—cleaning up the messes left behind by the "birthday boy" while being relegated to the smallest scraps of food and the least amount of attention.
As Harry listened to Dudley screaming about having one fewer present than the previous year, he couldn't help but wonder—once again—why his aunt and uncle treated him so differently. Dudley had two bedrooms, stacks of toys, and all the food he could possibly want. Harry, on the other hand, had a cupboard under the stairs for a bedroom, endless chores, and just enough food to keep him working. At school, Dudley's bullying was brushed off by the Dursleys as the other children's fault, but if Harry so much as sneezed out of turn, he was labeled a troublemaker.
"Why do they keep treating me like this?" Harry wondered bitterly, though deep down, he suspected he'd never get an answer.
Later that day, Harry experienced something completely unexpected—a trip to the zoo. Dudley had insisted on it for his birthday, and although the Dursleys had initially tried to leave Harry behind, even crazy old Mrs. Figg wasn't available to babysit. This left them with no choice but to take him along, though they made it painfully clear that Harry's presence was an unwelcome inconvenience. Dudley sulked the entire way, loudly complaining that Harry would ruin his special day, while Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia shot him accusing glares as though he had deliberately orchestrated Mrs. Figg's unavailability.
Harry had meekly suggested they leave him at home, but Uncle Vernon dismissed the idea almost immediately. It seemed that, for some reason, leaving Harry unsupervised was out of the question. "You're coming with us, and you'll stay out of sight, boy," Vernon had growled. Harry had no choice but to obey.
At the zoo, Harry trailed silently behind the Dursleys, keeping his distance. He couldn't deny, however, that he found the animals fascinating. The day was one of few moments in Harry's life where he could indulge in something enjoyable, even if from a distance. His favorite animal was a tiger, which sat majestically behind the glass of its enclosure. Dudley, of course, decided to bang on the glass in an attempt to make it move. The tiger, irritated, let out a low growl, startling Dudley so badly that he stumbled backward and accidentally knocked Aunt Petunia to the ground.
It took all of Harry's willpower not to laugh out loud at the sight, and even then, he couldn't completely suppress a small smile. The Dursleys, however, shot him venomous looks as though he were somehow responsible for the incident.
As Harry continued to watch the animals, he found himself feeling a mixture of emotions. On one hand, he felt sorry for them—trapped behind bars or glass, confined to small spaces with no freedom to roam. But on the other hand, he couldn't help but envy some of them. He saw meerkats and red pandas playing in spacious enclosures, surrounded by companions, well-fed and cared for. In many ways, they seemed to have more freedom, comfort, and companionship than he did.
The thought lingered in his mind as the day wore on. Was he really so different from these caged creatures? And if they could find moments of happiness despite their confinement, could he, too, find something to hold onto in his own small world? For now, all he could do was wonder.
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