Okay, I was wrong on the first one. He was put in the cupboard under the stairs when his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon received him, as Petunia wanted nothing to do with the wizarding world, so didn't want to be reminded of him, or her sister. You'd think, after as many times as I read the books, the info wouldn't get scrambled, in my head.
So, next question is an easy one . . . who was a living balloon?