List of words in chapter 3.

crutch=Krücke; maroon=kastanienbraun; tailcoat=Frack; gruffly=schroff; rags=Lumpen; to dye=färben; to wrinkle=rümpfen; to poke=schubsen; to twang like=machen wie; emerald=smaragd; arms=Rüstung; badger=Dachs; to snort=schnauben; in disgust=voller Empörung; to snatch=greifen; to sneer=hönisch lächeln; to glance at=kurz ansehen; to clutch=greifen; choking=würgend; to croak=quaken; to stuff=stecken; scruff=Genick; to slam=zuschlagen; promptly=sofortig; to dangle=baumeln; crack=Spalt; to quiver=zittern; to mutter=murmeln; to pace=im Schritt gehen; to stamp out=ausrotten; to squeeze=zwängen; bent=verbogen; to swap=tauschen; to bawl at=anschreien; to sigh=seufzen; to whack=schlagen; to strangle=erwürgen; to leap=aufspringen; to wheeze=keuchen; squashy=weich; to shuffle=schlurfen; lap=Schoß; to slot=hineinstecken; to hum=summen; dairy=Molkerei; to shred=zerkleinern; to whiz=sausen; to pelt=niederprasseln; to bounce=zurückprallen; tuft=Büschel; to wrench=heftig reßen; gloomy=düster; damp=feucht; musty=muffig; stale=nicht mehr ganz frisch; timidly=ängstlich; dully=lustlos; to snivel=heulen; coat-hanger=Kleiderbügel; to perch on top=hoch hinaufstellen; to amble=schlendern; chilly=frostig; to whip=peitschen; to shrivel up=zusammenschrumpfen; cheerfully=freudig; filthy=dreckig; mouldy=verschimmelt; lumpy=klumpig; to rage=wüten; ferociously= heftig; to creak=knarren; to crumble=zerbröckeln; bolt upright=kerzengerade

Summary of this chapter in five sentences

Harry will soon go to secondary school now but then he receives loads of mysterious letters from somebody he doesn't know and he is not allowed to read them. His uncle tries to burn them, but more and more letters arrive everywhere in the house - through the windows and the chimney for example. When the situation gets worse and worse Vernon Dursley tries to escape from the sender. Finally he rents a shack on a rock where he thinks himself secure. But Hagrid arrives there.

(by Martin, Clarissa, 9a)

1. What is the meaning of the following sentence: "Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"?
   The Dursleys are afraid of the skills Harry might have one day. So they try to forbid Harry to think in abstract ways. Therefore they don't want Harry to know that he is a wizard either and prevent Harry from opening the letters he gets from the wizard world. This also shows that they know about Harry's past. When they took Harry as a baby they were sure they would never let anybody raise him as a wizard.

2. Why does Vernon enter Harry's cupboard for the first time?
   Vernon visits Harry there for the first time because he wants to stop his questions about the letters. Vernon wants to tell Harry that he has burnt the letters. So there is no use for Harry to ask for the letter anymore. He also wants to tell Harry that the letters were addressed to him by mistake. He also wants Harry to leave the cupboard as quickly as possible.

3. Why does Vernon decide to move Harry to the smallest bedroom?
   Vernon doesn't want Harry to get the letters. In the cupboard Harry would have a better opportunity to do so because the cupboard is under the stairs downstairs where the front door of the house is situated, too.

4. To what extremes do the Dursleys go to trying to evade delivery of Harry's letters? How does this alter their daily habits?
   To prevent Harry's getting a letter Vernon sleeps on the doormat in front of the door in a sleeping bag. Then he nails up the letter-box and boards up the cracks around the doors. He even stays at home to check any delivery. Then he leaves the house with his family and drives around on the motorway without any destination and they don't stop to drink or eat all day. Finally he takes them to a miserable shack on an island.

   The delivery of the letters alters the Dursleys' daily habits very much. Vernon sleeps in front of the door. He can't go to work. Dudley can't watch his five TV programmes and can't blow up the alien on his computer. Mrs Dursley uses her food mixer to shred up the letters. Vernon pulls great tufts out of his moustache because he is so upset.

5. Describe the process by which the sender of the letters knew Harry's exact location, and how they were delivered.
   The sender always found a way to deliver the letters. The letters got in under the door, through the door cracks, through the window in the toilet and through the chimney. They even came pelting out of the fireplace. Then they were brought in rolled up and hidden inside eggs. Later they were delivered to the hotel.
   The address on the envelope was always plain: 'The Cupboard under the Stairs', 'The Smallest Bedroom', 'Room 17 Railview Hotel'. The sender had the exact location because the sender came from the wizard world. He also knew that Harry didn't get the letters.

   (by Katharina, Alexander, Martin, Clarissa, 9a)

What could the smelting stick be a good symbol for?

The stick is real. It can be used to whack people. So it is a good symbol for the idea of picking on people.

There are some very rich. colourful and powerful words in English, where we have to use more than one word in German e.g. gasp=nach Luft schnappen.
Try to find some in this chapter.
Try to find some nice words used instead of "to cry" and "to go". Look them up in your dictionary and translate them into German.

Some very rich. colourful and powerful words in English are:
'to glance'=kurz ansehen
'to faint'=in Ohnmacht fallen
'to parade'=zur Schau stellen
'to pace'=im Schritt gehen

Verbs used instead of 'to cry' are:
'to yell'=brüllen
'to scream'=schreien
'to shout'=rufen
'to croak'=quaken
'to roar'=brüllen

Verbs used instead of 'to go' are:
'tu rush'=eilen
'to parade'=zur Schau stellen
'to run'=laufen
'to walk'=gehen
'to sneak'=schleichen
'to pace'=im Schritt gehen

(by Alexander, Katharina, 9a)