Chapter 2: Chapter Two: Dog and the Postman
Disclaimer: I do not own the franchise of Harry Potter. The world and characters used in this story belongs to J.K. Rowling. Material has been altered to suit the needs of this fanfiction.
Warning: This story is rated M for strong language and graphic violence.
Chapter two:
Dog and the Postman
...
Magnolia Park, July 1991
Harry loved flying. It was by far the best thing about being a wizard. It was one year ago when Sirius gave him his first lesson.
"You'll get this in no time," Sirius had said. "Your dad was a natural, might have gone pro if not for the war, and you have me as a teacher. I wasn't too bad at Quidditch myself back in the day."
Sirius had explained to Harry the basics of the wizarding world's most popular sport. Of the seven positions on the field, Sirius said Harry was born to be a chaser or seeker. They were the two scoring positions on the team; three chasers and one seeker, all of which had to be fast on a broom.
A broom! Wizards didn't use planes or helicopters, they used brooms to fly. Harry had his reservations about sitting on a pole several feet above the ground, but with magic called a cushioning charm, it wasn't uncomfortable at all. Sirius said the broom was a good model, an Oakshaft 79, released a year before Harry was born. He was lucky to procure it several years ago along with his wand, he said but that was as much detail as he would give Harry on the subject.
It took Sirius some time to figure out how best to go about flying in a suburb neighborhood park without being seen by the Muggles; as Sirius referred to people without magic, but eventually Harry was flying around sharing the broom with Sirius while disillusioned. Harry didn't know why Sirius didn't just call it being invisible. That was practically what they were. Visually, all that remained was a slight distortion like a moving heat mirage, hardly noticeable while several feet in the air.
Soon Harry was flying on his own, practicing turns and loops as Sirius instructed. They spent most days with Sirius regaling tales of his days back in Hogwarts or teaching Harry card games, with an hour of flying or running drills added at the end. Dodging drills were the most tiring.
"Bludgers are nasty," Sirius would warn. "They're like bowling balls with a mind of their own, and they hurt like hell when they hit you. Plus, being a chaser or seeker means beaters are going to be gunning for you. Luck for you, I happened to be an excellent beater when I was younger."
A beaters job was to hit the Bludgers at the opposing team to try and knock them off their brooms. Since they didn't have any Bludgers to use, Sirius fired curses called stunners at Harry. While on a broom, Harry had fun with the challenge of swerving out of the way of the red lit spells each time Sirius yelled "Stupify", but as Sirius started casting silently each time he fired, it got increasingly more difficult. The worse was Sirius's tactic of firing spells at Harry while he was still on the ground.
"Stay on your toes," Sirius would remind Harry while laughing manically. "If you can't dodge a stunner on the ground, how well do you think you'd stand up against a Bludger while trying fly into position to score?"
"One of these days I'll have a wand of my own," Harry would fire back at his godfather's cruel game.
"But not today Harry," Sirius would continue to laugh back while increasing his rate of fire.
But then, and today there were no drills; Harry was just enjoying his time in the air. The last year had been the best he'd ever had. With Sirius in disguise as the notorious Black Dog of Little Whinging, Harry was harm free to and from school and whenever he ventured to the park. Chores were the same, and Uncle Vernon continued to punish him for his association with the Black Dog, but it wasn't any worse than he was already used to. And today was going to be the best day yet, because today was his 11th birthday.
"Hey Harry," Sirius yelled from below. "Come on down!"
Harry flew in a wide circle, landing beside his waiting godfather, tapping Sirius on the arm to let him know where he was before Sirius removed the disillusionment.
"I figure the post should be flying in soon," Sirius said with a grin. "You'll be getting your letter today for sure. Your parents would be proud of you."
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Harry had been waiting for his admission letter to arrive since Sirius first told him about the famous school where his parents learnt magic. For a year now, Sirius filled Harry's head with stories of the hallowed halls and the magic within. This letter would be the first step to becoming a part of that legend. Too excited to contain himself, Harry took off running for Number 4, Privet Drive, with Sirius transforming into his Animagus form and chasing behind him.
Where's the mail? Harry impatiently rocked in his seated position on the front doorstep of Number 4. His eyes darted back and forth from the mailbox to the cloudy sky overhead. How does this work again? Harry berated himself for not questioning Sirius more thoroughly on wizarding mail while he had the chance. Currently, Harry could see the large black dog watching him from behind Aunt Petunia's rosebush. Is he laughing at me? Can a dog laugh? With Sirius unable to answer his questions, Harry was forced to wait for an owl. Wizards could fly and apparate from one place to the next, they could cast spells to make you invisible and charms to render you unconscious, but they communicated with each other by writing notes and attaching it to messenger birds: delivery owls. At least, Sirius had explained, they were magic owls that always knew where to take the sender's letters.
Sirius… of course! Harry thought. "You were having me on, weren't you?"
The boy glared at the half hidden dog. Sirius had a twisted sense of humor at times. It would be just like the old dirty mutt to build Harry's hopes up about getting a letter to Hogwarts, and then make up some story about how the letter was going to be delivered. He probably wanted to see how ridiculous the story could get before Harry caught on. Owls delivering mail, I'm so gullible.
With a bark and a pointed look, Sirius drew Harry's attention back to the sky. There is was, just as Sirius said it would be; an owl, large and brown, looked to be heading for Number 4 and in broad daylight no less. There was a creek of a door behind Harry.
"Look here boy!" It was Harry's uncle. "What'd I tell you about bringing around that dog of yours?" Uncle Vernon frowned while hovering over Harry, waiting for a response, though if Harry were to guess, not really wanting Harry to answer truthfully. "And what do you think you're doing loitering around like some traveler?"
Just as Vernon Dursley was ready to send out a verbal barrage of insults to his nephew, the Hogwarts delivery owl swooped in, landing atop the front gate. For an instant, no one moved. Three pairs of eyes watched as the owl shuffled its footing, a letter gripped in its talons. It was Vernon who spoke first.
"No," Vernon commanded the owl, "absolutely not." He started moving towards the owl. "We'll be having none of that…that…sort of thing!" Vernon began waving his arms to shoo away the bird. "Now off with you! Tell the old fool we aren't letting him put any strange ideas in that boy's head! Go!"
Harry watched his dreams shatter as the owl took flight to avoid his uncle's pestering, but before it flew off into the distance, it circled one last time, dropping the letter at Harry's feet. Harry reached down and picked up the large off-white envelope. Holding it reverently in his hands, he read the front.
Mister Harry James Potter
Cupboard under the Stairs
4, Privet Drive
Little Whinging, Surrey
Never before, had there been a post addressed to "Harry Potter". Not only was this his first letter, but it represented so much more. This was his way out of Little Whinging; his ticket to get away from the Dursleys for nine months every year until he was old enough to live on his own. When Harry first met his godfather, he hoped Sirius would take him to live in some magical place. It took a long time for the quiet boy to ask Sirius to do just that. But Sirius was wanted for crimes he didn't commit, and he was currently lodging in a home soon to be reclaimed by its vacationing owners.
"No one's looking for me right now," Sirius once told him. "Everyone thinks I'm locked away in the castle prison called Azkaban. If they thought I was free, they would watch this place. They think I betrayed your parents: that I got them killed. A murderer like that might come after you to finish the job. If I want to protect you, any contact "Sirius Black" makes with the wizarding world puts you at risk, and hiding you magically is the only way to keep you safe.'
"The protection you have here is a very strong and complicated magic. It's why it took me so long to find you, but I won't leave you now that I have. As long as you're here, I'll be here too, watching over you."
If he couldn't live with Sirius, this was the next best thing. Harry flipped the envelope over and ran his thumb over the official wax seal of Hogwarts. Before he could break the seal and open the letter, his uncle stepped forward.
"Give it here boy," Vernon said menacingly. He held out his beefy hand expectantly. "I'm waiting."
"No," Harry met his uncle's stare with defiance.
"No?" Vernon was caught by surprised. The little freak was troublesome, a nuisance and an eyesore, but he never talked back. "What do you mean 'no'?" Vernon's face was red and he was starting to breathe heavily from the rage building within.
"It's my letter," Harry challenged. "It's addressed to me. See here? That's my name." Harry held the letter up to show where his name was written in wavy thick black ink.
"Boy," Vernon was fuming now, "you don't know what kind of trouble you're dealing with getting involved with anything to do with that place. Your aunt and I promised we'd stamp out all of that nonsense about you when we took you in. If you value the roof over your head, you'll give me that letter!"
Vernon reached for the envelope but Harry pulled it back too quickly. Instead, Vernon grabbed Harry by the shoulders and began to shake him violently. Harry closed his eyes as he was tossed around. There was a snarling growl.
"Ah!" Vernon's scream echoed out as he released Harry. "Damned dog, get off!"
Harry opened his eye to see his godfather firmly attached to his uncle's arm in a strong canine bite. The strength and the weight of the dog pulled Vernon to the ground.
"Get this bloody black beast off of me!" Vernon wailed, pleading for Harry to help him.
Harry only took a moment to watch the struggle before running as fast as he could away from Number 4. When Sirius saw that Harry was going to get away, he released his prey and took off after his godson. Harry ran to his spot in the park, never stopping or looking back. As he leaned against a tree to catch his breath, Sirius transformed from dog to man.
"You okay there Harry?" Sirius questioned the boy as he looked him over. Harry nodded his reply. "Well, I've got to say, I've wanted to do that for a while," Sirius laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
"What do I do now?" Harry asked with a lost expression.
"You open your letter," Sirius pointedly nodded to the still unopened envelope in Harry's hand. "Let me figure out what to do about Dursley."
Harry hesitated a moment to look over his first piece of mail one more time before breaking the seal and pulling out the two pages inside. There it was, handwritten by Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, Harry's acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The first page made note of a list of supplies he'd need. Taking a guess, he glanced at the second sheet to confirm it as the list mentioned, before returning to the first page. Then, as Harry reached the bottom of the letter, his heart sank.
We await your owl by no later than July 31.
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "It says I have to reply by owl today! The owl took off!" Harry shoved the letter in Sirius's face hoping he'd have an answer.
"Don't worry Harry," Sirius said, taking the letter and reading it himself. "We'll get you to London, and when you're there, you can send word to Hogwarts explaining why you couldn't reply sooner. Remember, Dumbledore is the one who left you here ten years ago. He understands your situation and I doubt he'll give up after only a single letter."
Harry calmed down with that, but his anxiety didn't fade completely. Sensing so, Sirius started on another one of his many stories from his days at Hogwarts. Over the last year, one of Harry's favorite topics was Animagi and Sirius loved to mess with Harry. Sirius distracted him with the awkward and sometimes painful process he and his friends went through as a young teens figuring out the transformation unaided. Eventually, Harry looked back down to his list.
"I wish you turned into a cat," Harry thought out loud. Catching himself, he explained. "If you were a cat, I could bring you with me."
"If I turned into a cat, I wouldn't have been much help earlier," Sirius laughed. "But I understand what you mean. I think I may have a way to see you while you're in school though. I've been thinking about that."
"Really?" Harry seemed excited for the first time since he read about the admission deadline.
"There's an old house we used back in our Hogwarts days. You can get there from Hogwarts grounds. It's not a perfect solution, but at least I'd be nearby. Once you're a third year, you'll be able to visit me on weekend trips to town."
Harry didn't like that he wouldn't see Sirius everyday anymore, but knowing he'd be close by was comforting. With his mind still on Hogwarts but his mood much lighter, Harry challenged Sirius to a game of cards.
"You're bluffing," Sirius told Harry several minutes later.
"How could you tell?" Harry huffed.
"You're not clearing your mind," Sirius reminded Harry. He tapped Harry's head. "There's too much going on in there. Remember, another player can read you like a book unless you can hide what you're thinking."
Sirius told him that before, and often. It was the first rule to poker, and being good a poker player made you a good Quidditch player.
"If your opponent can't read you, then you can out think him… and that could be the deciding factor in whether you win or lose." Sirius repeated himself for the hundredth time. "It's the same in Quidditch when you're trying to out fly the other team."
Harry put his cards down and focused. After a moment, he picked his cars back up and looked Sirius in the eyes.
"Better," Sirius commented, before getting back to the game.
They continued to play until it was too dark to see, and then settled in while Sirius told stories about his days at Hogwarts again.
"Lumos," Sirius cast out loud; his wand tip lighting up like a flashlight. "It's getting late. I know you don't want to go back, but…"
I don't ever want to go back," Harry interrupted. He moved to sit against the same tree as Sirius.
"I know you don't," Sirius whispered. "Honestly, I wish you didn't have to."
"Then why should I go?" Harry asked. Already knowing the answer Sirius would give, he added "there's magic there that protects me. I get it, but why can't magic protect me somewhere else…anywhere else?" His voice was pleading.
"Your family keeps you safe here," Sirius tried explaining. Honestly, it sounded ridiculous after the day they just had. "You're protected as long as you live in your aunt's home. She's your blood, your mum's sister. There are wards are on this property, the most powerful I've ever seen: magic that keeps you safe from any wizard who wishes to harm you. They come from that connection."
"If they're so strong," Harry was getting defensive, "then how could Uncle Vernon hurt me? How come you need to be here to protect me?"
"The wards," Sirius spoke softly, trying to settle Harry down, "they're made to keep dark wizards from finding you. Truthfully, I don't understand how they work, just that they do. I was never one for Runes or Arithmancy…those are branches of magic you can study at Hogwarts. I never cared much about creating wards as I did about getting around them…especially the one on the staircase leading to the girls' dorm" Sirius added. He couldn't help but try to make jokes when things got serious. "But I'll tell you how to get around that later…and there is a way, I promise. But that's the point isn't it? There's always a way. No matter how great the magic, there's always a way to overcome it. And that's why I'm here…no matter how well Dumbledore thinks you're guarded by the magic of your mum's sacrifice. He promised you'd be safe before. He was wrong then, we all were, but I won't let anyone make the same mistake again, not with you."
"You think Dumbledore's wrong for leaving me here?" Harry questioned. "You said Dumbledore was a great wizard. We can't trust him?"
"It's complicated," Sirius's brow creased as he gave his answer. "Dumbledore is a great wizard Harry, the only wizard Voldemort ever feared. But sometimes even people with the best intentions can do you more harm than good." Sirius looked off into space for a moment, lost in the past. Catching himself, he looked back down to Harry and smiled his mischievous grin. "Except me of course… Everything I do is for your own good and should never be questioned."
Conversation went back to lighter subjects after that. Hours later, Sirius was in the middle of telling Harry about the time James waited to use a bubblehead charm until he was already under the water, when he saw that Harry was falling asleep. Casting a couple spells, he drifted off as well.
Harry woke up to the sound of a car alarm going off somewhere in the distance. He adjusted his glasses and squinted in the dark. He was still in the park. Curled up with him was a furry black dog.
"What time is it?" Harry asked his canine-shaped godfather.
The dog shook its fur before transforming again.
"It's morning," Sirius said while looking around and noticing the sun wasn't up, "very early morning; probably a good time to get you home."
The look Harry gave Sirius said there was never a good time for that, but he held his tongue and got up.
"I'll walk you back," Sirius offered.
As it was still too early for most of the residents of Little Whinging to be up and about, Sirius took the chance to stretch his human legs. They were just turning onto Privet Drive from Wisteria Walk when a street lamp went dark. Sirius slowed his pace but continued walking. Then another light went out, and then another. Sirius pulled Harry off of the main road and crouched down behind a parked car. Soon every light was out along the street, from street lamps to porch lights, and they were left in darkness. Only the stars still illuminated Privet Drive. From out of the blackness, a low rumble was getting louder.
"What is it Sirius?" Harry asked quietly.
"Not sure," Sirius whispered back, "but it's definitely someone who knows magic. I want you to stay down. If anything happens, get on the broom and don't stop flying." Sirius said while he disillusioned Harry and enlarged the broom he had magically shrunk down to fit in his pocket.
Harry watched from his hiding place as Sirius transformed into his dog form and headed toward the sound. It was still getting louder, the sound. Soon it was a roar. At first Harry couldn't see anything, but then he made out a large black spot coming down from the sky. What is that? Harry thought to himself. It was far too big to be an owl or someone riding on a broom. Whatever it was, it landed with a screech in front of Number 4. As Harry leaned in closer, a hand grabbed the back of his shirt, startling Harry. He put a hand over his own mouth to keep from crying out.
"There you are," Sirius grinned at Harry, turning him visible once more. "It's alright, I know the guy. Remember I said you didn't need to worry about the Hogwarts deadline? That's the answer to your prayers."
"What is it?" Harry asked. "It's huge. No way was that a guy on a broom."
"No," Sirius answered. "He wasn't flying a broom. It's a motorcycle, my motorcycle. I let him borrow it years ago and never got around to getting it back. She's still working great by the sound of it."
"So he's a friend of yours," Harry summarized. "And he works at Hogwarts or something." Sirius nodded to Harry still grinning. Sirius always approved when Harry tried to work things out for himself. "So, then…does he know about you? Can he help us?"
"He's a good guy," Sirius explained. "Unfortunately the man is as blindingly trusting as he is trustworthy and can't keep a secret to save his life. But he'll look out for you, and you can count on him. Now come on, let's go greet the big teddy bear."
Shouting could be heard as Harry got closer to Number 4. Great, Uncle Vernon's up. Harry walked a little more cautiously, hoping to go unnoticed by his uncle for as long as possible. When Harry reached Number 2 Privet Drive, he was finally able to see Number 4 clearly. The yard was a mess. Owls and owl droppings covered the yard and anything a bird could use as a perch.
"Look at my house!" Harry could hear his uncle exclaim. "Hundreds of letters every hour, owls coming and going; what'll the neighbors think?"
Harry's uncle was a large man, wide and fat, but the man standing on the front doorstep, he was so large that he dwarfed Vernon Dursley in comparison. The man was so tall, it took Harry a moment to realize that the figure blocking the front doorway from view was in fact a man at all. He must be three times taller than me! Harry figured. And on closer inspection, he was shocked to see that the front door wasn't just opened, but it was completely smashed to bits. Did the big guy do that? He definitely looked strong enough.
"It ain't nuthin' a quick cleanin' charm can't fix," The giant bellowed. "Now where's Harry? I haven't seen the boy since I brought'em to ya 10 years ago."
"You brought me here?" Harry surprised himself when he spoke up.
"Harry!" The huge man blocking the doorway turned, giving Harry a wide toothy smile, which stood out in contrast to his large, tangled beard. "The name's Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper o' the Keys at Hogwarts School fer Witchcraft an' Wizardry: the finest place to learn magic in all the world." Rubeus Hagrid bent down get a closer look at Harry. "Ya look just like yer dad at his age… 'cept for the eyes o'course, green as yer mum's, they are."
"You knew mum and dad?" Harry asked before thinking about it. Of course he did. Sirius said he knew him, then dad would too. "Mr. Hagrid, Sir" Harry added quickly. Harry made note that he was going to need to watch what he said. Hagrid and the Dursleys had no idea he knew of magic beyond the mentioning of it in the Hogwarts letter. Sirius had warned as much.
"Just call me Hagrid," He corrected. "I knew yer folks since way back. Two of the finest wizards there ever was."
"Wizards?" Harry asked, taking the opportunity to play along and possibly learn something more of his parents. "Uncle Vernon says there's no such thing." From the other side of Hagrid, Harry could see his uncle pale. Sirius pawed over to Harry's left, most likely to get a better view of the pending argument.
"No such thing!" Hagrid repeated out of surprise.
"Now see here!" Vernon found his voice again. "I told that old buffoon we wouldn't be taking that boy if any of this freakiness was involved!" Harry could see the lanky form of his Aunt Petunia nod in agreement, though she was still cowering from Hagrid.
"No one talks about Albus Dumbledore like tha' when I'm around!" Hagrid shouted at Vernon. Turning back to Harry, he added, "He's a great man, Dumbledore. You'll see fer yerself. He's the Headmaster o' Hogwarts, and the one who sent me fetchin' after ya."
"I won't have any…" Vernon began to demand, but he was cut off by the front door magically reassembling itself in front of him.
"Pipe down Dursley," Hagrid muttered at the closed door. Harry hadn't noticed before, but Hagrid was holding onto a pink umbrella. It was average in size, but looked small in Hagrid's hand, almost like a…
"Is that your wand," Harry asked while pointing to the umbrella. He quickly added, "Wizards have wands in stories," covering for his slip up.
"It is," Hagrid beamed at Harry. "You're a clever one, like yer mum… but," Hagrid leaned in close, "just keep tha' between you and me, I'm not supposed to be doin' magic."
"So who's this?' Hagrid said, changing the subject and pointing to the large dog.
Who? Does he know Sirius is an Animagus? Harry panicked, looking back and forth between Sirius and Hagrid.
"I've got a dog meself," Hagrid boasted. "Name's Fang. Bigger than this fella here even… bit of a coward though."
Relieved, Harry said "This is my dog."
"Well of course he is." Hagrid laughed. "Anyone can tell tha' just by seein' how he sticks by ya. But what do ya call'em?"
"Well…" Harry stalled. He wasn't ready for this question. Sirius said his friends called him Padfoot at Hogwarts, but he didn't know who might recognize the name. They had joked around with horrible names like 'Snuffles', but that was all. "Everyone just calls him 'that black dog'."
"Black Dog eh?" Hagrid replied with a laugh. "Well, no one can say the name don't fit."
Sirius barked for attention, as Hagrid shuffled around in the pockets of his coat.
"I have sumthin' fer ya," Hagrid said, as he pulled his hand out of his pocket. "It's yer letter. Tells ya yer accepted to Hogwarts. Has a list of what you'll be needin'."
Instead of taking the offered letter, Harry pulled out the one he had from before.
"I got the first one," Harry said, "but Uncle Vernon scared the owl off before I could reply back."
"Tha' so?" Hagrid said as he rested his large hand on Harry's tiny shoulder. "Then you'll be all set then?"
"Yeah," Harry started to say, but there was something he wasn't sure about. "But the list, I don't think I can get all of this stuff. I mean, Uncle Vernon doesn't seem too keen of me going in the first place."
"Right," Hagrid murmured, glancing back at the closed door. "Dumbledore thought tha' might be the case. He said I should take ya if it came to tha'. Sun's comin' up. If we leave now, we should be just in time fer shops openin' at Diagon Alley. That'll be the best place in all o' Britain fer wizarding supplies. Black Dog'll have to stay here though. What ya say?"
Harry smiled when Sirius barked in approval.
A/N: Since I'm new to fanfiction writing, I thought I would entice readers by getting the second chapter up right away. This chapter has a little more dialog, as I thought chapter one was lacking in that regard. Hopefully you don't see this as just a filler chapter (I'm doing my best to avoid that very thing).
Next Chapter: The wizards of London are starstruck when their savior returns to the world of magic. While Harry is busy shopping for cauldrons and quills, wizards in high places have different plans for The Boy Who Lived.
Update: I've re-edited this chapter, with improved phrasing and grammer (excluding anything that ever comes out of Hagrid's mouth).
