Vocabulary Development

Boaters:  a hat with a wide brim

knickerbockers:  trousers ending just below the knee

knobbly:  bumpy

maroon:  a dark red color

parchment:  a kind of crisp paper

pelting:  hitting; also a slang reference to the arrival of a lot of owls

porridge:  oatmeal-like, cooked cereal

tailcoats:  style of coat with extended back

trodden:  stepped on

whelk:  type of snail

1.  How does Petunia's and Dudley's trip in London to buy items for the school year at Smeltings foreshadow Harry's shopping spree in Diagon Alley?

2.  Why are the Dursleys unable to understand Harry's sense of humor?

3.  Why does Vernon Dursley enter Harry's cupboard for the first time?  Why does he decide to move Harry to the smaller bedroom?

4.  To what extremes do the Dursleys go to trying to evade delivery of Harry's letters and how does this alter their daily habits?  Why do you think the letters might prove more detrimental than Vernon losing wages from missed work while traveling to evade the letters?