He Had Belonged

by Mrs Bella Riddle

When Hagrid had entered Hogwarts for the first time, he might have been strange and he might have been bullied, but he had been one of the students with magical ability and he had belonged. However, that feeling did not last.

A/N: This is written for the Snakes and Ladders Challenge. I'm writing Hagrid again, so I did have some trouble trying to write his voice. I think it might not accurately reflect his voice, but I hope you might get some joy out of the piece.

This is also written for the Character Diversity Boot Camp Challenge with the prompt 'magical'.

)o(

Hagrid had always known he was a wizard. His papa had been and, even though his mama was a giant, it was natural for magical ability to continue through their family. Magic had been practiced at home and, when Hagrid had eventually obtained his unnatural long wand, it had seemed natural and expected.

Hogwarts had been the same. The castle was amazing and brilliant, but he had always known it would be his home. His strange build and height had given him many strange looks and he had been mocked occasionally, but, in the end, it had not mattered because he was a wizard. He had been the same as them and there had been no real reason to complain.

He had belonged.

Until, he did not.

His scream of what could well have been pain and the echo around the stone corridor as the oak split in two continued to live with him. Even as he strode through the rich grass of Hogwarts' lawn no longer as a student but as an assistant Caretaker, he cannot forget that horror of the loss of his wand.

Even his pink umbrella could not dispel the loss of his place in the world.