Enter Hagrid!
I love this character so damn much, and I don't want Harry being placed in Slytherin to change their friendship.
I still want someone else taking Harry shopping, but then who would give Harry Hedwig?
The struggle! Anyway, this is the longest chapter so far. At least 4000 words, I'll figure it out after typing it up fully.
Please review and tell me what you think!
I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters!
BOOM
The third thunderous knock jolted Dudley awake and he sat up, whirling around while yelling something stupid about a cannon that Harry didn't bother acknowledge.
Uncle Vernon then came crashing into the room-nearly slipping on the wet wooden floor- holding a rifle in his terribly shaking hands. Harry eyed it suspiciously, wondering when his uncle had brought that along-and if he would actually use it or not.
"Who's there?!" He yelled, his voice as shaky as his hands. "I'm armed!"
Whatever was on the other side of the door didn't really seem to care about that fact, not that Harry could blame it. Just it's knocking alone was enough to shake the very foundation of the house like it was a blade of grass in the wind.
SMASH!
The door practically flew off its hinges then, crashing onto the floor in a cloud of wood dust, rain, and mist from the outside storm.
Harry looked out into the darkness and froze in fear. A giant man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, messy mane of dark hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his dark eyes from beneath the hair.
The giant wiggled his way into the shack. He bent down, picked up the door, and placed it easily back into its frame, muttering something that sounded like an apology and weak wood. The shack was filled with a tense silence, none of the occupants wanting to anger the new comer.
"Could one o' yeh make us a cup o' tea? It's not been an easy journey... 'Specially wit' this storm and all." The man said as he strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. Dudley nearly screamed at his approach and ran to his mother and father, hiding behind them even though they shook with obvious fear and were just as-if not even more scared- than they were. The giant looked around a moment as he sat down. When he spotted Harry, he light up like a Christmas tree, dark eyes twinkling.
"An' here's Harry!" proclaimed the giant in a booming voice. Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the huge man was smiling brightly at him. It was then that Harry decided that he rather liked it when someone said his name with something other than rage or disgust. It was a change of pace that he readily accepted.
"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant, looking reminiscent. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad fer sure, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes. Lilly would be proud, she would."
Stunned, Harry reached up and touched his own face softly, thinking this over. So this man knew his parents? Personally? His emerald eyes stayed tracked on the giant man and he thought about this. Perhaps this man could help him escape the Dursleys?
Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise, tearing Harry's attention from the friendly giant to the purple man standing in the corner. Harry held back a sigh. His uncle looked extremely unimpressive cowering over there.
"I demand you leave at once!" he said, trying to force his voice to be steady and failing miserably. "You are breaking and entering!"
"Shut up Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant. The man reached back and roughly yanked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's trembling hands. It looked as if Vernon had tried to keep a grip on it but wasn't able to even hold a candle to the giant's strength. He looked at the rifle in amused disgust before he quickly bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of string. He glanced over at Harry, as if seeing if the boy was scared-or impressed-and threw it into a corner of the room.
Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being stepped on. Harry smirked at his uncle for a quick second. His big bad bully of an uncle. Who had made Harry miserable for eleven years now, was getting a taste of his own medicine.
"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys and recapturing the boys attention.
"A very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."
From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box white box sealed and held together by a slightly tattered pink ribbon. Harry opened it with trembling fingers, careful not to damage the ribbon or the box-unlike his cousin who always tore through his gifts, leaving a terrible mess for Harry to clean. Harry inwardly shook away this thought. Now wasn't the time for comparing his cousin to himself. Inside was a large, slightly squished but mostly intact chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in bright green icing.
"I haven' seen yeh in what, ten years? So I wasn' sure what ta make yeh. But I figure chocolate is a safe bet." The man explained, smiling at Harry kindly. Harry was completely speechless, having lost his ability to speak due to the surge of emotions rioting in his small body. "If yeh prefer 'nother kind I can make another."
Harry looked up at the giant, fighting back tears at the first cake he ever received. He shook his head and opened his mouth to thank the man, and tell him that chocolate was absolutely perfect, but what he said instead was;
"Who are you?"
Harry inwardly cursed his slip of the tongue, he should be polite to this man who so kindly brought him a birthday cake. The giant chuckled, his gentle smile seemed to know what Harry wanted to say.
"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."
He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm enthusiastically. Normally Harry would have acknowledged the slight twinge of pain this caused but instead smiled and allowed himself to be shaken, completely taken with this giant man. As suspicious as Harry often was of strangers he couldn't help but smile brightly and openly.
"Now about that tea then, eh?" Hagrid said expectantly. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."
Hagrid looked around the hut, probably searching for a kettle of some sort, but upon finding none he turned his attention to the fireplace. He leaned towards it and before they knew what he had done a huge roaring fire occupied the damp stone fireplace.
Hagrid leaned back. Settling back into the couch with a sigh. He seemed to allow the fire to warm him a moment, before going through the pockets of his enormous coat. Harry could hardly believe what he pulled out; a copper kettle, a slightly squashed package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a quick sip of before starting to make tea.
Harry hadn't been allowed outside too much during his years at the Dursleys home so he couldn't be 100% certain l, however he could soundly believe that he was least 99% certain that all these were things that most people didn't carry around willy nilly!
The Dursleys remained silent as the dead as Hagrid cooked up the sausages and boiled water for tea. Dudley started to inch his way closer to the fire, the smell of the juicy-although a little burnt- sausages luring him closer. Uncle Vernon reached out and clamped a hand on his shoulder, snatching his son away and trying to warn him in a hushed whisper about eating anything that Hagrid offered him.
Hagrid snorted with laughter, shooting them a dark look.
"Don' you worry Dursley. Yer son don' need fattenin'. Boy looks like he's 'ad one too many puddin's as it is." He instead passed them to Harry, smiling kindly. Harry gratefully accepted the food, feeling no reason to distrust what he offered. The enemy of my enemy is my friend after all. Harry shoveled one into his mouth, almost moaning with delight at the delicious taste. It had been so long since Harry had anything to eat, and even slightly burnt the sausage was perfect. Hagrid chuckled at his eager eating, and turned to the kettle to check the water. Seeing it was warm, he poured some into a mug and began to enjoy his cuppa.
After enjoying a sausage and passing on an offered mug of tea, Harry looked at Hagrid, quietly studying him.
"Sir, I'm sorry but I don't really know who you are." He said in as strong a voice as he could muster. The man seemed kind, and he knew Harry's parents! But still, it wasn't often at all that anyone showed kindness to him. And when they did things went badly for him in the end. He supposed he shouldn't let his guard down quite yet. People have proven to be good at lying and faking in the past, why should this man-Hagrid- be any different?
Hagrid didn't question his suspicion. Just smiled at him gently.
"Well, fer starters yeh can call me Hagrid. E'eryone does. So none o' this 'sir' nonsense!" He barked out a laugh before carrying on. "As I told yeh, I'm keeper of keys at Hogwarts. Basically a grounds keeper for the school-which I'm sure ye 'ave practically mem'rised by now-"
Harry made a screwed face, shaking his head.
"Er-no. I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." He said, trying to sound as polite as possible. Hagrid looked shocked and nearly spilled his tea. Harry, nervous about the change from kind and gentle to mildly outraged, tried to think of how to backtrack. Finding nothing, he looked away awkwardly. "Sorry…" He muttered.
"Sorry? Yeh don' need ta be sorry lad!" Hagrid exclaimed, earning Harry's attention once again, though the boy looked at him shyly, mostly cautious and unsure. Hagrid pointed a large finger at the Dursley family huddled in a corner. "It's them who should be sorry!" He boomed, making them-including Harry-flinch back deeper into the corner. "I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters, Dumbledore told me that, but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts! This is basic infermation! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"
Harry bit his lower lip, eyebrows creasing. Learned it all? The only thing that he knew about his parents was that his father was drunk driving-an apparent habit of his- and crashes the car, killing them both.
"Learned what?"
"LEARNED WHAT?!" Hagrid roared, leaping to his feet with an earth shaking thud. Harry flinched back, unsure what to do. He, of course, made the man who had been kind to him angry! Perhaps he was always this angry? Maybe he was just done faking? He probably hates Harry for not knowing whatever it is he should apparently know... How could he think for even a second that this man would be kind enough to save him from-
"Do you mean to tell me that this boy-" Hagrid pointed at Harry as he cornered the Dursleys. "This boy- knows NOTHIN' abou' ANYTHIN'?!" He roared. Harry frowned at them, annoyed by this comment.
"I don't know nothing, I've been to school." He snapped quietly, pride wounded. "My marks aren't bad either…" Hagrid shot a pitying look at the small boy who stood with his arms wrapped around himself, guarding himself from the people in the room. Harry flinched back at this. Pity wasn't something he wanted. Yes, he could use it. People who have before sometimes gave him scraps of food. But from someone who had been genuinely kind to him, pity burned.
"You don' know anythin' 'bout our world though, nothin' important." He said simply. Harry eyed him.
"Our world?"
"DURSLEY YEH ROTTEN-!" Hagrid thundered, looking right about ready to explode. Uncle Vernon mumbled something too quiet for Harry to hear before Hagrid spoke over him. "Tell me ye know 'bout'cher mum n' dad at least? I mean- they're famous! Yer famous!" He asked, looking desperate. Harry shook his head, feeling smaller and smaller now.
"They're famous? Why? I never heard anything about that."
Hagrid ran his hands through his hair, seemingly deliberating between imploding or exploding.
"Ye really don' know anythin'." He muttered, completely bewildered. "Ye don' know… What ye are?"
"Now stop right there!" Shouted uncle Vernon, apparently finding his voice. Harry groaned quietly, annoyed by this. "I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"
Harry grimaced, glaring at Vernon. He had no right! There was so much that Harry didn't know, and terrifying or not this man was going to tell him!
Hagrid gave Vernon a fierce glare that would have startled braver men, and spoke slowly, as if to accommodate Vernon's lack of intelligence.
"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"
"Kept what from me?" Harry prodded, determined to learn everything the Dursleys neglected to tell him.
"I FORBID IT!" Roared Uncle Vernon, looking quite panicked. Aunt Petunia whimpered and hid behind her husband. Hagrid snapped some threat to the two of them and turned to Harry.
"Yer a wizard, Harry."
The silence that filled the hut was long and heavy.
"I- I'm a what?"
"A wizard! And once you've trained up you'd be a thumpin' good'un I'd wager!" Hagrid returned to the sofa, sitting down with a loud creak. "With parents like yers, yer practically bred for it!" He muttered something under his breath along the lines of "some people're gon' love that…" he rummaged through his pockets a moment, and fished out a slightly crinkled letter and handing it over to Harry.
Harry gingerly accepted the letter, taking it with gentle hands as if he was scared to shatter it. The shining green ink read;
Mr. H. Potter,
The Floor,
Hut-on-the-Rock,
The Sea.
He pulled out the letter and began to read the elegant writing, emerald ink matching the envelope.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September first. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Harry stared at the paper, mind buzzing with questions that he was trying to sort out in his mind before sounding like a fool. He swallowed hard, and looked up at Hagrid.
"What do they mean, 'they await my owl'?" Hagrid smacked a large hand to his forehead, causing Harry to flinch at the sudden movement.
"Oh galloping Gorgons… Nearly bloody fergot!" He reached into another pocket inside his overcoat. He pulled out an owl - a very real, live, rather ruffled and seriously upset-looking owl - a long ruffled quill, and a roll of crinkled parchment.
The owl chirped with annoyance, shaking out its feathers and preening carefully. Harry could hardly tear his eyes away from the bird. When they said 'owl' Harry hadn't expected they meant a literal owl!
Hagrid pulled out some ink and set up a little writing station before him. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could read upside down:
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Given Harry his letter.
Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. Weather's horrible.
Hope you're Well.
Hagrid
Despite himself Harry couldn't help but admire his grammar, which was much more proper than how he spoke. Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, who accepted it in his beak before taking off into the storm.
Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.
"Pardon tha'. Should'a done that before. Anyway. Where was I?" said Hagrid.
"He's not going," said a very pale Vernon, who bravely stepped grunted, not impressed by this show of courage.
"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like yerself stop him," he said.
"A what?" said Harry, interested in this term. He could swear he's heard it before, but he couldn't place the meaning.
"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call non-magic folk like 'em. An' it's yer bad luck ye grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid me eyes on." Hagrid glared at the Dursleys and sighed. "Professor McGonagall was right abou'em."
"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, face turning purple again, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed! Not in my home!"
"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard?" Rage began to build inside Harry. This explains how adamant they were about magic not being real, even going so far as to insult Harry about it when he spoke about dreams or movies.
"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my oh so perfect deal of a sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that dreadful school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"
She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. Harry could appreciate that, having anger and stress built up over the years. He had it too. However hearing her call his mother a 'freak' made his blood boil.
"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal - and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"
Harry had gone very white, the red boiling blood in his face draining in an instant. Anger was still there, but his complete horror drowned it out.
"Blown up? Blown up?! You told me they died in a car crash!"
"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an'
James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"
"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently. This man gave him all the answers he needed so far, he could get more from them he just knew it. Harry was done being in the dark.
Hagrid pales, refusing to meet Harry's eyes.
"Er-well-ye see- This, I ne'er expected this… Ye were supposed to know all this, I had no
idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh…" he fumbled for words for a moment, and sighed. "Later. A'right?" He asked.
Harry nodded, but was sure to not let this go. He needed answers.
Hagrid was watching him sadly, a strange admiring spark glimmered in his dark eyes however. Harry, instead of feeling pleased by all this new information felt completely certain that there had been a horrible mistake. He was thinking everything over that Hagrid said. A wizard? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being attacked by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; If he was a wizard, he should be able to protect himself with magic...Right?
"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard." Harry desperately wished it was true. A little revenge on the Dursleys would suit him quite well. However it just...didn't seem true. No magic ever saved Harry before. Just like no one ever saved or helped him.
To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.
"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"
Harry looked into the fire, thinking this over. Now that he mentioned it, every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he had been upset or angry... He thought over a few prime examples, mainly involving Dudley and his harassment.
The Boa Constrictor!
Harry looked up at Hagrid and gave him a small, nervous smile, comforted by Hagrid's beaming back at him.
"See? Knew ye'd see it."
Uncle Vernon stepped forward once again, courage presenting itself once more. Harry had to hand it to the man, he was very brave.
Or possibly very stupid.
"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it! I'll never pay for this! Not a single penny, pence, or pound! I've read those letters! I've seen the lists! Bloody boy needs all sorts of rubbish that no doubt would end me- spell books and wands and -"
"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid, leering at the man. Harry decided then that Vernon was probably more stupid than brave. Sometimes bravery got you in more trouble than necessary. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer absolutely mad if yeh think ye can. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had; Albus Dumbled-"
"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!"
But as Vernon yelled this, Harry could tell he had gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head like a baton.
"NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE- IN- FRONT- OF- ME!"
He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley - there was a flash of light, a sound like a whip, a sharp pig-like squeal, and the next second, Dudley was howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers. He stifled a dark laugh, not wanting to upset his family further.
Uncle Vernon cried out in complete and utter horror. Pulling a wailing Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.
Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard, deep in thought.
"Meant to turn 'im into a full pig… Guess it's pro'lly good it didn't work though." Harry lost it then, doubling over with laughter. Hagrid glanced at him, and chuckled, looking like he wasn't regretting his actions much.
"I haven't laughed so much in forever!" Harry gasped between convulsions, eyes teary.
"Yes well, glad to entertain. But err- Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm - er - not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff - one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job."
Harry took a deep breath, wiping his face and straightening his body with minor difficulty.
"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry, curious.
"Oh, well - I was at Hogwarts meself but I - er - got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."
Harry inwardly narrowed his eyes, but was careful not to show his suspicion to Hagrid.
"Why were you expelled?"
"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."
He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry, who promptly vanished under the great size of it.
"You can keep under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."
"You're...you're taking me?" Harry asked, surprised that someone was actually taking him away from the Dursleys.
"O'course! Don't expect those muggles would, someone has to!" He exclaimed, opening the door carefully and holding it open for Harry.
"Unless you'd rather stay?"
Harry resisted the urge to cry, and nearly sprinted out the door, occasionally tripping over Hagrid's coat.
"Not a chance!"
So, I think that around here I'm going to stop going chapter by chapter according to the book. I mainly did it to set the stage and add to Harry's personality. But now time to really get into the creative groove and go my own way! I'm hyped!
I'm not making him cruel or dark or anything so don't freak out.
I'm making his sorting into Slytherin a little more realistic. Ambitious and cunning, Slytherins know how to get what they want and while not exactly manipulative, they know how to work people.
Something about Slytherins is that while Gryffindor works for "the greater good of the entire group", Slytherins work for their own greater good, whether that is them only or for example the greater good involving family and friends as well. I want Harry to start as "how can this benefit me?". Because coming from an environment like the Dursleys, that's a realistic attitude to have. However, the sorting hat was conflicted between both Slytherin and Gryffindor for Harry. So I want to develop his "all for one" aspect into his "one for all" trait that we all admire him for in the books.
From my experience as both a violently abused child and a paramedic who has to treat a lot of abuse victims, I'm adding to his personality how most of the children are.
I know for a fact that I used pity if I could. Any chance I got, if it benefited me in the end I would use the emotions of the people around me to get some kindness.
Of course my situation is much different from Harry's! So I'm not turning him into me. I'm adding that "I could use this" aspect to him, but also the suspicious aspect. Children who are abused all their lives usually don't accept kindness from people because we tend to think along the lines of "no one is kind for free."
Not everyone is like this, but some and I'll even venture to say most, are.
Im not even allowed to be alone with abuse victims of any kind as a paramedic, because they have on several occasions accused me and other paramedics/emts/ems of things like molestation. Kindness isn't something they're used to. To them it's to the point where "I'll hurt you before you can hurt me".
I find Harry to be the strongest little fucker I've ever had the pleasure of growing up with. He's so fucking strong and kind. I wanted nothing more than for my family to burn. I never for a moment thought like Harry did-not wanting them to be hurt. Wanting them safe despite their flaws. He was kind to everyone he felt needed kindness. He wasn't nearly like what I was. I suppose that's what made him so successful in Gryffindor. He was very brave, and I really admire that. So I'm going to try to keep him that way. I really am. So don't worry.
Harry's staying Harry.
On that note:
If anyone is or was abused and needs help or someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to PM me. It's nice to have someone to talk to, who won't judge or pity you.
