Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him -- in fact, they didn't speak to him at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.

　　Harry kept to his room, with his new owl for company. He had decided to call her Hedwig, a name he had found in A History of Magic. His school books were very interesting. He lay on his bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice. Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.

　　On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.

　　"Er -- Uncle Vernon?"

　　Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.

　　"Er -- I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to -- to go to Hogwarts."

　　Uncle Vernon grunted again.

　　"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"

　　Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.

　　"Thank you."

　　He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.

　　"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

　　Harry didn't say anything.

　　"Where is this school, anyway?"

　　"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.

　　"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.

　　His aunt and uncle stared.

　　"Platform what?"

　　"Nine and three-quarters."

　　"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."

　　"It's on my ticket."

　　"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."

　　"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.

　　"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

哈利在杜斯利家的最后一个月并不有趣。的确，达德里因害怕哈利，现在甚至不敢与他同处一室了，而帕尤尼亚姨妈和维能姨丈也不再把哈利锁在壁橱里了，他们也没有强迫哈利干活或者对他呼呼喝喝的。——其实，他们压根儿就没再跟他说过话。他们对哈利是既愤慨又恐惧，因而不得不对他视而不见。尽管这种待遇与之前相比已是大有改善，但过不多久就已经显得十分沉闷了。

　　哈利寸步不离房间，终日与他的猫头鹰朋友的为伴。他给它取名叫海维，这名字是从一本叫《魔法探究》的书里来的。哈利总爱躺在床上，捧着他那些引人入胜的教科书津津有味地看到深夜，而海维则喜欢在打开的窗户上飞进飞出。幸好帕尤尼亚姨妈再没进来打扫，不然她要是发现海维经常将死老鼠叨进屋就麻烦了。每晚临睡前，哈利总要在亲手钉在墙上的那张纸上钩去过去的一天，心中期盼着九月一日早日来临。

　　八月三十一日，哈利觉得最好还是将第二天要去国王大道车站一事告知姨妈、姨丈，便来到客厅里。此时，姨妈一家人正在看电视上的问答游戏。哈利只咳嗽了一声以引起他们的注意，达德里便吓得尖叫着跑开了。

　　"呢……维能姨丈……"

　　维能哼了一声作为回应。

　　"呃……我明天得去国王大道车站——坐车到霍格瓦彻。"维能又哼了一声。

　　"你能开车送我去吗？"

　　又一声哼哼，哈利以为姨丈答应了，"谢谢。"哈利正要上楼回房时，维能这才开腔："坐火车去魔法学院真有意思，难道飞毯都穿洞了吗？"哈利无言以对。

　　"那么，这学校在哪儿呢？""我不知道。"哈利脱口而出，这才意识到自己也不知道学校的地址。他从口袋里拿出哈格力给他的车票，读道："我要在十一点整从九又四分之三站台上车。"姨妈、姨丈面面相觑："什么站台？""九又四分之三。"

　　"别胡扯！根本就没有什么叫做九又四分之三的站台。"维能大声道。

　　"它明明印在我的车票上嘛。"

　　"真是瞎说，"维能不以为然，"你真是疯得够可以的了。明天你就知道了，走着瞧吧。行，我们带你去国王大道。要不是我们明天也要去伦敦，我才不会傻到自找麻烦呢。""你们为什么要去伦敦呢？"哈利想尽量保持气氛的融洽。

　　"送达德里去医院！"维能姨丈咆哮道，"就是为了在送他去斯麦尔丁之前除去那该死的尾巴！"