"J. K. Rowling - The Goblet of Fire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rowling J. K)

wailed that Dudley was big-boned, and that his poundage was really puppy fat, and that he was a
growing boy who needed plenty of food, the fact remained that the school outfitters didn't stock
knickerbockers big enough for him anymore. The school nurse had seen what Aunt Petunia's eyes -
so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings
and goings of the neighbors - simply refused to see: that far from needing extra nourishment,
Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.
So - after many tantrums, after arguments that shook Harry's bedroom floor, and many tears from
Aunt Petunia - the new regime had begun. The diet sheet that had been sent by the Smeltings
school nurse had been taped to the fridge, which had been emptied of all Dudley's favorite things -
fizzy drinks and cakes, chocolate bars and burgers and filled instead with fruit and vegetables
and the sorts of things that Uncle Vernon called "rabbit food." To make Dudley feel better about
it all, Aunt Petunia had insisted that the whole family follow the diet too. She now passed a
grapefruit quarter to Harry. He noticed that it was a lot smaller than Dudley's. Aunt Petunia
seemed to feet that the best way to keep up Dudley's morale was to make sure that he did, at
least, get more to eat than Harry.
But Aunt Petunia didn't know what was hidden under the loose floorboard upstairs. She had no idea
that Harry was not following the diet at all. The moment he had got wind of the fact that he was
expected to survive the summer on carrot sticks, Harry had sent Hedwig to his friends with pleas
for help, and they had risen to the occasion magnificently. Hedwig had returned from Hermione's
house with a large box stuffed full of sugar-free snacks. (Hermione's parents were dentists.)
Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had obliged with a sack full of his own homemade rock cakes.
(Harry hadn't touched these; he had had too much experience of Hagrid's cooking.) Mrs. Weasley,
however, had sent the family owl, Errol, with an enormous fruitcake and assorted meat pies. Poor
Errol, who was elderly and feeble, had needed a full five days to recover from the journey. And
then on Harry's birthday (which the Dursleys had completely ignored) he had received four superb
birthday cakes, one each from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, and Sirius. Harry still had two of them
left, and so, looking forward to a real breakfast when he got back upstairs, he ate his grapefruit
without complaint.
Uncle Vernon laid aside his paper with a deep sniff of disapproval and looked down at his own
grapefruit quarter.


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"Is this it?" he said grumpily to Aunt Petunia.
Aunt Petunia gave him a severe look, and then nodded pointedly at Dudley, who had already finished
his own grapefruit quarter and was eyeing Harry's with a very sour look in his piggy little eyes.
Uncle Vernon gave a great sigh, which ruffled his large, bushy mustache, and picked up his spoon.
The doorbell rang. Uncle Vernon heaved himself out of his chair and set off down the hall. Quick
as a flash, while his mother was occupied with the kettle, Dudley stole the rest of Uncle Vernon's
grapefruit.
Harry heard talking at the door, and someone laughing, and Uncle Vernon answering curtly. Then
the front door closed, and the sound of ripping paper came from the hall.
Aunt Petunia set the teapot down on the table and looked curiously around to see where Uncle
Vernon had got to. She didn't have to wait long to find out; after about a minute, he was back.
He looked livid.
"You," he barked at Harry. "In the living room. Now."
Bewildered, wondering what on earth he was supposed to have done this time, Harry got up and
followed Uncle Vernon out of the kitchen and into the next room. Uncle Vernon closed the door