Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say
that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the
last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or
mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made
drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did
have a very large moustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blond and had
nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as
she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on
the neighbours. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in
their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.

Vernon Dursley notices strange events on his way to work: a cat on
Privet Drive appears to be reading a map, and people wearing colourful
robes are wandering the streets. Mr Dursley attempts to ignore these
oddities, but during his lunch break, he sees more such curiously-clad
people. He overhears some mentioning the Potters and their son, Harry;
one even stops Mr Dursley, telling him that he must be overjoyed that
"You Know Who" is gone. All this reminds Vernon that the Dursleys have
a shameful secret, and why they pretend the Potters never
existed. Arriving home, Mr Dursley hears TV news reports about
unforeseen shooting stars and owls flying during the
daytime. Previously unwilling to discuss the Potters with his wife,
Petunia, he finally verifies that their nephew's name is Harry. Vernon
Dursley sleeps uneasily.

Late that night, a mysterious figure appears in Privet Drive. Albus
Dumbledore, a wizard, uses an object called a Put-Outer to extinguish
all the street lamps. Dumbledore addresses the cat, who transforms
into a witch named Professor McGonagall. They discuss how recent
celebrations have left "Muggles" inquisitive. Dumbledore confirms that
James and Lily Potter were murdered the night before (October 31) by
the Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. He also tried to kill their
one-year-old son, Harry, who is somehow involved in causing the Dark
Lord's demise. Voldemort is often also referred to as "You-Know-Who"
by those fearing to speak his name. Harry, according to Dumbledore, is
being brought to Privet Drive by someone named Hagrid.

Soon after, the gigantic Hagrid arrives on a flying motorbike with a
snugly wrapped baby tucked into his arm. Dumbledore places the infant
on Number Four's doorstep with a letter addressed to Petunia
Dursley. McGonagall despairs that baby Harry, an instant celebrity,
must spend his childhood with such people. Hagrid re-mounts his
motorcycle, McGonagall transforms back into a cat, and Dumbledore
re-illuminates the streetlights; all three quietly depart.