In Chapter 2, Harry wonders what to do about his scar hurting and remembers that he has someone he can go to with his concerns. Let’s go!
Moving on directly from the previous chapter, Harry has woken up from a very vivid nightmare about Wormtail and Voldemort, his scar burning. He doesn’t know why his scar hurts so badly, but as he tries to remember his dream (an old man was murdered, Voldemort and Wormtail discussed how they were planning on killing Harry), he gets more and more worried.
No, the thing that was bothering Harry was that the last time his scar had hurt him, it had been because Voldemort had been close by . . . But Voldemort couldn’t be here, now . . . The idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible . . .
First off, totally not impossible. Voldemort could and would totally do that. Secondly, this is not an absurd fear, especially since it happened before. He listens closely, but all he can hear is the sounds of the Dursleys sleeping in the rooms nearby. Nothing else.
He wonders what to do, knowing that the Dursleys would be next to useless with this sort of thing. He thinks of what his friends might say. Hermione would go straight to Professor Dumbledore, and then try and consult a book to see if she could find an answer, because of course she would. That’s what Hermione does. The thing is, Harry has no idea where Dumbledore spends his summers, even though he’s pretty sure that Hedwig would still be able to deliver a letter to him. And then there’s Ron. Ron would probably ask his dad, who works for the Ministry, but Harry feels funny about complaining about this to them.
Harry kneaded his forehead with his knuckles. What he really wanted (and it felt almost shameful to admit it to himself) was someone like — someone like a parent: an adult wizard whose advice he could ask without feeling stupid, someone who cared about him, who had had experience with Dark Magic . . .
And then the solution came to him. It was so simple, and so obvious, that he couldn’t believe it had taken so long — Sirius.
This quote makes me feel both very sad, that Harry feels ashamed of needing a parent, and very happy, that Harry finally has someone in his life to fill this role.
We don’t know for sure where Sirius is at this point, but it’s safer that way. He is still writing to Harry from time to time, the letters delivered by large tropical birds instead of owls. Sirius is partying in the Caribbean maybe! I love the little bit in here about how Hedwig was offended by the bright colored birds. I also love that Harry is still using his murder-suspect-escaped-convict godfather as a threat to keep the Dursleys in line.
So Harry writes a letter, trying to keep things nonchalant. He mentions that Dudley is on a diet, which he hates, and got so mad that he threw his PlayStation out the window. Then he says this:
A weird thing happened this morning, though. My scar hurt again. Last time that happened it was because Voldemort was at Hogwarts. But I don’t reckon he can be anywhere near me now, can he? Do you know if curse scars sometimes hurt years afterward?
Excellently done. Acknowledges that this might be slightly serious, but shows that he isn’t completely freaking out about it. Just the right level of concern. Good job, Harry! Now you can head down to breakfast and we can head to the next chapter.
See you next time for Chapter 3!
Categories: Chapter-A-Long
Life With No Plot 
how about you guys do read alouds too?