chapter 4
as this large man fitted the door back into its frame the noise of the storm outside died a little. I stared in shock this giant of a man who had just broke down the door to our small shack, Harry placed firmly at my side.
the large Man, who was bigger than 3 of Uncle Vernon, turned to the Dursley "couldn't make us o' cup of tea could yeh, it's not been an easy journey…"
i stood there shocked at how easy and laid back such a gigantic man could be but soon adjusted to the shock, no one though the Dursley's could be anything but civil so why can't this man, fierce as he is, be kind.
when he received no answer from the shaking Dursley's he strode over to the sofa, where Dudley currently resided, and look down at the fat boy. "Budge up yeh great lump…" Dudley squeaked and scampered away from the stranger fast as he could. hiding behind the safety of his mother, who was crouching behind Uncle Vernon terrified. it was then he noticed me and my brother, "An' there's Harry"
we looked up at the giant's face to find his black beetle eyes crinkled into a smile. "las' time i saw you, you was only a baby." he said eyeing Harry with unconcealed happiness "Yeh look alot like yer Dad, but yeh've got yer mother's eyes."
"I demand your leave at once sir" Uncle Vernon cut in but was promptly ignored.
"An' little miss Azul," his gaze shifted over to me. "jus' as pritty as i always thought yeh would be" he ruffled my already bedhead hair "always knew yeh would be a looker, yes i did" he stated seeming plenty proud. i couldn't help myself, no one had been this nice to me and my brother for years, so i smiled back up at him with a small blush.
Vernon Dursley, however, has no liking for being ignore "You are breaking and entering!" he screamed up at this massive man.
"Ah, shut up Dursley, yeh great prune" he made his point by reaching over the back of the sofa and took the gun from Vernon's hand. Once he was in possession of said object he took it in his grip and bent the barrel backward before shoving it back into my Uncle's hand.
freaked out by this, and apparently not wanting to touch anything that has been in the hands of this giant, Vernon flung the now useless gun across the room into the far corner or the shack.
Uncle Vernon made a sound like a mouse being trodden on.
"Anyway… Harry" the stranger said looking down at my brother "a very happy birthday to yeh, i got summat fer yeh here-" he said reaching inside his large coat pocket "i mighta sat on it at some point. but it'll taste alright" from inside the deep depths of his pocket her pulled out a slightly squashed box, which he handed to harry.
when Harry just stared at it i took the liberty of opening it for him. inside was a squashed sticky chocolate cake that read 'Happee Birthdae Harry' in green messy writing.
at his silence i elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a look that said, 'what do you say to this nice man, don't be rude.' he opened his mouth, most likely to say thank you but all that came was a very rude but expected "who are you?"
the giant chuckled, "true i haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." he said as he pointed bent down blocking the fireplace so we couldn't see what he was doing, when he next stood from his position a warm fire was roaring sending a wave of warmth through my chilled and damp body. at this i smiled up at the newly dubbed Hagrid and and nodded my thanks.
Rubeus Hagrid sat back down on the sofa, causing the already damaged piece of furniture to sag under the large mans weight. once he was all situated he began pulling all sorts of things out of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages that i believe he has sat on at some point in time, a poker, a teapot, several mugs though most of them chipped, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig of before beginning to make tea.
it wasn't long before the whole room was full smell and sound of sizzling sausages. Nobody dared to say a thing as the giant known as Rubeus Hagrid worked, sliding six fat and juicy, but slightly burnt, sausages out of the fire. Dudley fidgeted a little, staring at the delicious looking food, since we haven't had a proper meal since Vernon went a bit crazy.
"don't touch anything he gives you Dudley." at this Hagrid chuckled
"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." he passed a couple of the sausages to both me and my brother "these two on the other hand…" he trailed off sending a wink our way. As my teeth sunk into the glorious food i could swear i had never tasted something so good. not only was i withering away from hunger, but i relished in the fact i got something Dudley did not.
as i savored the flavor of this juicy sausage Harry decide to strike up a conversation. "I'm sorry, but i still don't really know who you are."
"Call me Hagrid" he said "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts… yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."
i looked up confused and Harry seemed to have the same train of thought "Er… no" Hagrid looked shocked causing harry to say the first thing that came to mind "sorry".
"Sorry?" barked the incredibly large man, turning to stare at the Dursley's who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them tha' should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but i never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud!" he threw his hands into the air. "Did yeh ever wonder where yer parents learned it all?"
"All what?" asked Harry i stared up at Hagrid with a confused expression.
"ALL WHAT?" the giant man thundered shaking the house more than the storm outside has all night. "now just wait a second" he lept to his feet and towered over the Dursley's who were cowering against the wall. "Do you mean ter tell me," he growled out "that these children… know nothin' about … about ANYTHING?"
i seemed to sense this was about something our aunt and uncle had not told us, my brother on the other hand apparently didn't get that same vibe. "i know some things," he began "i can, you know, do math and stuff"
Hagrid waved his hand at this explanation , "About our world, i mean Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."
"What world?"
at this Hagrid just about exploded "DURSLEY!" he boomed Uncle Vernon made a mumbling sound that i couldn't quite make out as Hagrid turned to us. "but yeh know about yer mom and dad," he said "i mean they're famous. Harry You're famous." he looked at me "no offence Azul" i shrugged.
"What? My… my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" he looked at me and i waved my hands signaling i didn't know about any of this.
Hagrid looked between the two of us in an attempt to see if it was a joke. finding nothing he mentioned "Yeh don' know what yeh are" he finally found the words to speak up.
unfortunately Uncle Vernon also found his voice at this point. "Stop."he commanded "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell them anything!" and a braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look he had just received from this monster of a man.
and i can't blame him, for when Hagrid next spoke, his every syllable trembled with barely contained rage. "You never told them? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer them? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it Dursley! An' you've kept it from them all these years?"
"Kept what from me?" Harry asked, then i elbowed him in the ribs and glared at him tell he corrected that statement " From us i mean." he added waiting eagerly waiting an answer.
"STOP I FORBID YOU!" Uncle Vernon yelled in a panic as Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of pure horror.
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh" he said before turning back to my brother and i. "Harry, Azul… your a wizard" he paused and thought about it "well a witch in your case Azul " he said smiling down at me.
There was silence inside the hut. for a moment only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.
my jaw dropped and Harry is as much shock as i was, gasped"I'm a what?"
"A wizard, o' course," he said sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un', I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? yeh too Azul, your Father is quite the wizard himself" i looked at him confused. how could this be true you just said mine and Harry's family was great, why add something that suggests otherwise. i mean Harry is my brother… isn't he? " completely oblivious to my thoughts he continued " An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yeh letters."
Hagrid once again reached into one of his many coat pockets and ruffled around looking for something. mumbling something about 'its gotta be here somewhere, hope i didn't lose it.'
at this i put my hand in the air, as if we were in a classroom and mutted a quick yet quiet "i think i can help with that." at this they all looked at me.
"Ah, she speaks " was Hagrid first attempt at breaking the silence "yer a quiet one aren't you Azul."
i nodded "yes i don't talk much anymore, but i've been working on that. " i smiled and added "and please call me Zulie, Harry does" i mentioned since i couldn't exactly say that i had friends to call me that.
"well then Zulie it is.!" stated before getting back on track "what do you mean you can help"
at his word i pulled out the two letters from their hiding place and handed one to Harry. however, even though i had got them from Number 4 Privet drive they had changed, like magic, and now read.
Mr. H. Potter
The Floor
Hut-on-the-Rock,
The Sea
Upon reading this Harry seemed to snap out of whatever daze he was in for long enough to ask "Zulie, when did you get these?"
And a booming voice from Uncle Vernon "GIRL WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR HANDS ON THOSE LETTERS!"
I looked down shyly attempting to ignore my screaming Uncle "well i snatched the two of them off the kitchen counter as you were making a run for it into the hallway and Uncle Vernon caught you" i blushed a bit "i wanted to give it to you sooner but i knew if i did they would just get taken away again. so i thought that, tonight with everyone sleeping i would give them too you… you know since it's your birthday and all."
"Oh Thank you Zulie you're the best sister ever" at this Hagrid gave us a confused look. but before he could say anything Harry was ripping open that letter as if he were Dudley getting a new Xbox.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRYHeadmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(order of merlin first class, Grand sorc., Chef. Warlock Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva Mcgonagall,
Minerva Mcgonagall
Deputy Headmistress.
Questions swirled around inside my mind, and Harry of course was the first to speak, though not the question i would have asked. "What does it mean, they await my owl?"
"Gulpin gargoyles that reminds me" Hagrid said slapping his forehead with enough force to knock out a cart horse. and then from yet another pocket he pulled out, and i couldn't believe this, a fairly ruffled looking owl. A real live owl, oh i hope Hagrid didn't sit on him too, the poor thing. He took out a piece of parchment and a quill and scribbled something down before handing it to the Owl and sending it off.
Realizing Harry's mouth was open i quickly reached over and snapped it shut for him. he gave me a look of thanks once he realized what i had done and why.
A completely unfazed Hagrid came and sat back down on the couch from where he had got up to let the owl fly out of the window. "now where was I?"
At this i found it the perfect opportunity to ask a very needed question, well actually make Harry ask it for me. i picked up my letter. the one addressed to me and not harry, the one that said.
Miss Azul Black
The Floor
Hut-on-the-Rock,
The Sea
I held it up to my brothers face and made sure he could see it. At first he looked very confused, but when I took my finger and pointed directly at the world, or in this case name, Black.
"um Hagrid.." Harry started, brows furrowing in confusion. "they must have got something wrong with Zulies letter." i nodded my assent.
"Oh?" the Large man if front of us looked down "why do yeh say that?"
"well according to this letter, Zulie's surname is Black…" he shook his head "how can that possibly be?"
Hagrid's eyes widened a fraction at this "yeh mean you don' know?" he looked at Harry and then at me. i shook my head, no i do not… what are you talking about?
"Know what?, what weren't we told this time?" Harry said, clearly getting irritated with all these secrets.
"Blimey, tha' sure explains a lot about the way the two of yeh act aroun' each other" he held his face in his hands before turning back to the still cowering Dursleys "yeh could've at least tol' the girl that much" i tilted my head in confusion, so this was about me, i thought.
They simply continued to cower as Hagrid turned himself back in our direction. " I hate to be the One to tell yeh this. but Zulie, yer not actually a Potter."
i stared at him shocked, Harry spoke up and for once my voice joined in sync with his "What!?"
"Ya…" Hagrid scratched the back of his head trying to find the right way to explain this to us. "Zulie you're actually a Black, yer Father was actually James Potter's, Harry's dad, best friend. so yer not , in anyway that i know of, related to Harry here." he stopped to think about it and added "Well not by blood yeh arn't. Some things are far stronger than blood though" i nodded a bit still quite, no majorly, confused.
"So she's not my sister?" Harry said blinking threw the shock. "our parents were Witches and Wizards and now so are we. and we are going to go to a special school to learn how to properly use Magic" he listed ticking each thing off on one of his fingers, summarizing all that we had just been told. "Never saw that coming"
before another word could be said Vernon seemed to have gained enough of his barrings to shout out definitely "They will Not be going!"
"oh and i'd like ter see a great muggle like yourself try an stop them?" Hagrid asked in an almost antagonizing way.
this once again got Harry's interest as i was still wrapping my mind around all this new information. "A what?"
"A muggle," Hagrid said "it's wha' we call non magic folk like them. It's just yer luck to get stuck with a family of the biggest Muggles i ever laid eyes on."
"We swore when we took them in that we'd put a stop to this rubbish" i guess now not Uncle Vernon called out from across the room "we swore we would stamp it out of 'em."
this seemed to set Harry off "YOU KNEW!"
"Knew." shrieked Petunia suddenly " Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was. Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that... that school… and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frogspawn, 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 her rant only to draw a breath and continued on slower this time, but with just as much venom dripping from her every word. it would seem that she has been wanting to say this for many years now.
"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you," she pointed a slender accusing finger at Harry "and of course i knew you'd be the same, just as strange, just as… as… abnormal… and then she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you and your freaky friend" she shot a pointed look in my direction.
Harry at this point had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said "Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"
"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid jumping up from his spot in pure anger "How could a car crash kill Lily and 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
"I never expected this," he said in a low voice, anger fading from his face " i had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin'' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Harry, I don't know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh… but someone's gotta … yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."
he threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.
"Well It's best yeh know as much as i can tell yeh… mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…" he sat down and began to tell me and Harry the real story about what happened. about how they were dark times and full of dark wizards, one of which wanted to build an army, killing all those who dare refuse.
All about how Voldemort killed Harry's parents and how he really got that scar. about how after he attacked Harry You-know who disappeared and nobody knows what happened to him.
After this revelation Harry found himself doubting his ability to even be a wizard. "Hagrid,"he said quietly "i think you must have made a mistake. I don't think i can be a wizard"
at this Hagrid chuckled to my surprise " Not a Wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"
at this both Harry and i looked over into the fire, deep in thought. I'm not sure about what Harry was thinking but i thought all about the weird things that happen around me. that one time i got irritiated at Piers and his hair turned a sickening shade of green. i thought about how i was stuck in the worst dress ever, it was so frilly and itchy with high heel that were way too tall for me to walk in. and by the time i got to school the dress was no longer frilly and the heels where suddenly a couple inches shorter.
"see you just wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts" Hagrid smiled crossing his arms. and me and Harry smiled at each other already looking forward to the new experience.
"Haven't i told you, they will not be going" Vernon stated firmly "I've read all this rubbish… spell books and wands and.." at this him and Hagrid got into a bit of an argument
that was until "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH THEM MAGIC TRICKS"
this set Hagrid off "NEVER…" he thundered "...INSULT… ALBUS… DUMBLEDORE… IN...FRONT… OF...ME!" at this he swung his umbrella, swishing it down through the air and pointed it at Dudley. there was a flash of light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal. and next thing i knew Dudley was running around in circles clutching his rear end as a curly pigtail sprouted from his bottom sticking out through a hole in his pants.
Vernon roared. Pulled his wife and now panicking son, back upstairs and into the room. shutting and locking the door behind him, leaving myself, Harry, and Hagrid to the rest of the shack.
"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," Hagrid said ruefully lowering his umbrella and taking to stroke his out of control beard. "but it didn't work anyway. Ment ter turn him into a pig, but i suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do." he cast a sideways glance to me and my brother, for he will always no matter what be my big brother, "be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts,"he said "I'm… er… not supposed yer 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 on takin' the job…"
i looked up at him curiously and Harry said, "Why arn't you supposed to do magic?"
"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." he murmured a quick "It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," in an attempt to divert any further questions, "gotta get up ter town, get yer books an' all that" he took off his big black coat and threw it at Harry. "you two can kip under that. Don't mind if it wriggles a bit , i think i still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."