"Harry can you get the door, it should be Ms. Tompkins with my casserole dish."
"Yes Aunt Petunia."
Quickly closing his book, Harry went to open the door with a polite smile on his lips. The smile left his lips though when he saw who was behind the door, it certainly wasn't Ms. Tompkins.
"Hello." The man was absolutely huge, and he was staring at Harry like he was going to start crying. Harry wasn't sure what to do; it wasn't polite or safe to leave a stranger at the door long enough to get Aunt Petunia.
"'Ello is 'arry Potter 'ere?" Harry wanted to answer with a negative reply, since the stranger obviously didn't know what he looked like, but Aunt Petunia always said to never lie. That didn't mean Harry had to answer the question or even let the massive man in though.
"May I ask who is asking?"
"Of course, my name is Rebeus Hagrid, but me friends call me Hagrid." Harry was more than positive that the man was either uneducated or very simple minded. Neither helped him know whether or not he should let the man inside.
"Mr. Hagrid, why are you asking after Harry Potter?"
"To make sure he gets his school supplies of course. We wouldn't want him coming to school unprepared because his horrible relatives didn't take him to get them." Harry had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. Aunt Petunia was taking him tomorrow to get his supplies for school; he thought she was just as, if not more excited than him to go to Diagon Alley. Then the accusations about his relatives! Who did this man think he was! His family treated him great; in fact Harry knew that he was his Aunt Petunia's favorite.
"I would think that you would watch what you say to strangers Mr. Hagrid. Some people would not appreciate such accusations, and I am one of those people. " Harry sent his worst glare at the buffoon, which only made the man laugh at him. Laugh!
Harry didn't want to be around this man any longer, not caring about his manners; he slammed the door right in the man's shocked face. Ha!
Silently fuming he went to find his aunt.
He couldn't believe the nerve of that man! To come to someone's house and talk like they know them, and make up such ridiculous stories.
Seeing her kneeling down by the lilies that he had helped plant, some of his anger left him; she had always made sure to tell him as much as she knew about his parents. They had planted the lilies when he was eight in honor of his mother's birthday.
"Aunt Petunia, you won't believe what just happened!" She stopped what she was doing and turned around, taking off her gloves, one finger at a time. He didn't start talking again until she was finished; he knew she would want to look at his face as he talked. She always said that a person's face was the easiest way to see their feelings, especially their eyes. So whenever Harry or Dudley talked to her they knew to not lie, she could always tell.
"What happened dear?" She asked with no small amount of amusement. He wanted to stomp his foot, but knew she would just say that it was unbecoming. It wasn't his fault that he was so small and that she found it amusing when he was angry!
"It wasn't Ms. Tompkins at the door, but this huge man! He asked for me, but he was scary - I stayed polite just like you said – so I just asked who he was. His name was Rupert Hagrid or something like that, and then you won't believe it but he started talking bad about you! Well not just you, but Uncle Vernon and Dudley too, but that's not the point. Who comes to a stranger's house and talks bad about them! No civilized person that's who!" Harry knew he was pouting, but well he couldn't help it.
His Aunt looked even more amused than before, it just wasn't fair, why did his family have to think he was so cute? Why couldn't he be like Dudley? Dudley was all tall and big like Uncle Vernon. Aunt Petunia said he took after his mother, but he wasn't a girl!
"Why don't you start at the beginning, hmm? Did this Hagrid, saying anything else other than his name and these bad things?"
"Yes he did! In fact he said that he was here to take me to get my school supplies. Isn't that odd though, why would Hogwarts send someone when they know you would know where Diagon Alley is since my mum?"
"What did this man say exactly Harry?" He had never heard his aunt's voice like that before, she almost sounded scared. But that wasn't it; she had been scared before, especially when Dudley had pushed him down the stairs when he was eight. No this was different.
"Is something wrong?" Looking closer he could see that her eyes weren't sparkling like usual. It was one of his favorite things about his aunt. Unlike his eyes that were more of an emerald green with specks of silver and blue, hers were such a light green that it always reminded him of Easter when he saw them.
"No dear, nothing you need to worry yourself about. It's just important to know what this man said, I don't want you going to a school where one of the staff said something inappropriate to you."
Harry thought it was a logical enough excuse, but didn't believe Aunt Petunia. She would have gotten angry if that was what the problem was, but he didn't bring it up again. If it was important, she would tell him later.
He thought really hard to recall exactly what the horrid man said.
"He told me his name was Hagrid, but the way he spoke was like a simpleton. Then he asked for me, I didn't want to let him into the house because I instantly didn't trust him. Something about him just didn't feel right, like he was making sure I trusted him, and without me really knowing him either." Looking back at his aunt to make sure she understood what he was trying to say, when he wasn't even sure he understood it himself. She gave him a small smile, patted his hand, and told him to continue. Biting his lip, he tried to remember the rest. He was so angry at the enormous man that had scared him that he wasn't concentrating on exactly what he had said. "When I asked why he wanted to see me, he said to take to me to get my school supplies. The entire time Aunt Petunia he didn't know that he was talking to Harry Potter at all! In fact I think he thought I was a little girl or something! What is it with people thinking that, it's not my fault I'm pretty. I would rather be big like Dudley, well not really, but at least let people think I was a boy. Did I tell you that the old lady down the street, Ms. Figg, told me I was such a pretty little girl last week?"
"Yes dear, in fact you haven't stopped mentioning that since it happened." The amusement was back, Harry was happy to see that, but did it always have to be at his expense? "Was that all that though? Did he say anything else?" Giving a sheepish smile as an apology for getting off topic he finished telling her about the horrible man.
"—but Aunt Petunia why would he just assume those things about you? Did anyone come to take mum like that? I thought you said that they had sent a packet with her letter too? Why didn't I get one of those? Wouldn't I be considered muggleborn, no muggle-raised? There was no reason for that man to come Aunt Petunia, none at all. And to say those horrible things about you! I couldn't help but slam the door in his face, he deserved nothing else." Harry felt quite proud of himself. That was until he realized what he just said. How could he have admitted that to Aunt Petunia? Why did he always start to ramble?
"Harry! Don't look at me with those eyes; you know that doesn't work on me. Just be lucky I haven't mentioned it to your uncle yet, I'm always getting an earful about you always getting your way. The poor man doesn't realize that he's the one allowing you to get away with everything." She allowed a small smile at the memory. He couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Uncle Vernon. He had him wrapped around his finger. Dudley might be his uncle's favorite, but he had a soft spot for Harry. "I'll let you get away with this just this once, but never do that again. As for those other questions, no one came to take your mother as you already knew. I'm not exactly sure why you didn't' get a packet like the rest of the muggle-raised. I had thought it was because they had assumed I already taught you everything in the packets, but then why would they have sent this Hagrid fellow? Just don't worry about it dear, sometimes mistakes happen. Perhaps they just forgot to send you a packet."
Harry let the quiet last for a few minutes before he couldn't help but ask the question that had been worrying him since the man had said why he was here.
"Aunt Petunia," she looked down at where he was laying on his stomach picking at the grass, his voice had been unusually quiet. "Are we still going to go to Diagon Alley like you promised?" He sat up again looking up at her, the undisguised hope shining in his eyes.
"Of course dear, I can't wait. It's been some time since I've been there myself." Giving him a small smile, she stood up, helping him to do the same. "It's getting late and Vernon will be getting home soon, I need to start dinner. You can go back to reading or help me make the Lasagna."
"We're having my favorite! Dudley's going to be so jealous. Of course I'll help you, who else will make sure you use enough cheese. Do you think that we can have some potatoes with it? Or maybe some carrots? Both? Yes, I think we should have both. Remember the doctor said that I need to eat more carrots. We both know that my magic won't be its strongest if I don't eat healthy. So definitely both. I wonder if there's a dish with potatoes and carrots together. I'll have to see, but I'll do that later. I was meaning to look for more carrots dishes -"
Petunia let her nephew continues rambling, something that she couldn't break him of when he was excited, or scared, or nervous. Before she had found him sitting on her doorstep almost ten years ago, she had thought that part of her life was over. She had planned to move on and hope for the best. Then like an answer to a pray she didn't even know she had, she found him laying in nothing but a thin cotton blanket. At first she had been terrified of what it would mean, but now she wouldn't have it any other way; rambling included.
~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~hp~
"I'm sorry Headmaster, should have used my umbrella. I wouldn't have been able to get young Harry otherwise." Fat tears ran down the half-giant faces, making him the perfect picture of disappointment and failure.
"Or perhaps you should not have gone in the first place."
"That's enough Severus; Hagrid did the best he could." Albus Dumbledore wasn't sure what to do now. If Hagrid wasn't the one to take Harry to Diagon Alley, then he didn't know of anyone else who could that would ensure the boy know certain things. "Perhaps you could try again? Did the child tell you if Harry Potter was there at all?"
"No sir, the boy didn't say. Other then shutting the door in my face, it was the most polite little boy I've ever met. Looked so much like Lily he did." Wiping at his eyes to remove the moisture, Hagrid thought back to the boy. "If I hadn't heard the lad's voice I would have thought the he was a girl. Prettiest little thing I've ever seen."
Severus Snape thought it odd that Petunia Dursley had a child that resembled Lily. He had seen the man Petunia had married, and even if she had shared genes with Lily there was no way a child with that man could produce anything other than average looking at best.
"Are you sure that wasn't the Potter brat Hagrid? Maybe he just doesn't want to leave. Have you thought of that possibility Headmaster, because really why would a prince want to leave his palace?" Disregarding the Potions Masters sarcasm, Dumbledore wondered if he might be right.
"Did the child seem to be in good health Hagrid? Is there anything else you can remember?"
"Yes, he was dressed very nicely; rather oddly though for a muggle boy."
"What do you mean?" Dumbledore questioned, while ignoring Severus' commented about wearing a dress.
"Well it was just that he was wearing what purebloods like the Malfoy family wear under their robes. Nice dress shirt and pants. I just thought it a bit odd, is all."
"If he was dressed like a boy, then why did you mistake him for a girl?"
"He looks like a little girl. Big green eyes, like Lily's you see, with hair as black as night that was all silky and shiny. It was really long too. Anyone would have mistaken the lad for a lass."
"Thank you Hagrid, if I have any more questions or need of your assistance I will send Fawkes."
Knowing that he was being dismissed, Hagrid got up from the chair that would have buckled from his weight if not for magic.
When the door closed behind Hagrid, Dumbledore quickly put up a silencing spell.
"What do you honestly think of the situation Severus?" Pale blue eyes stared at him over the rim of the headmaster's glasses.
"It seems that the boy is as spoiled as I expected, but seems to be intelligent enough not to let a stranger into his home." He wasn't going to give away more then was necessary; the headmaster was playing a game that he didn't approve of.
"Hmm, yes it does seem that way. Let us hope that does not foretell his future, it would not bode well for us. I cannot send Hagrid again, it will mess with his already sensitive nature too much. You're the only other available staff member I'm afraid. You do realize what this means? The boy must know of what is expected of him, do not let me down Severus, you will not like the outcome."
"Yes sir." Standing up stiffly from his chair, Severus Snape, professor and Potions Master left the office of his onetime mentor, protector, and friend.
Albus Dumbledore had already made his decisions, now it was time for him to live with the consequences.