Hi, here's the next chapter of Adina Who. hope you like it
Disclaimer: i do not own anything except Adina.
The keeper of keys
BOOM!
Ow! Is that supposed to be a knock? I guess so because they knocked once more, causing Dudley dearest to jerk awake.
"Where's the cannon?" he asked, still half asleep.
I stared at him in confusion, really? Is he that stupid?
Both of us jumped when a loud crash sounded from behind us. Uncle Vernon soon came skidding into the room, with a rifle. I stared at him in shock. He had that all this time? Well, that solves the mystery of the mysterious package he brought.
"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you – I'm armed!"
Aren't we all?
There was a slight pause. Then – SMASH!
The door got hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the door. I love that word, swung. Isn't that the past tense of swing? Oh well, still a nice word to say anyway.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked at the figure that was standing in the doorway. It was a giant man whose face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all that hair. I tilted my head a bit in curiosity. For some reason, that man seems familiar.
I watched as the giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. I sighed in relief as the noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He then turned to look at us all.
"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not an easy journey …"
If I wasn't shivering with the freezing weather, I would have laugh. Of course it hasn't been an easy journey! It's a storm outside.
The giant strode over to the sofa where sat frozen with fear.
"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. Well I couldn't keep on calling him the giant. Besides I think he's half giant and what the hell am I saying?
I sat there, staring at the floor in a daze state, confuse about how I know these things. I didn't even pay attention to Dudley who squeaked and ran to hide behind his parents most likely.
"An' here's Adina!" said the stranger.
I blinked out of my small trance and looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.
"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."
I felt my eyes widen as I recognize him imminently. Hagrid. But he took it as me being surprise at being reminded of my parents.
I heard my uncle say something to Hagrid but I could process what they were speaking about. I turned my glance at the floor and try to process that Hagrid, the one who brought me here to my family was here once more. Why was he here?
"Anyway – Adina," Hagrid said, snapping me out of my thoughts, "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. I slowly opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Adina written on it in green icing.
I gave out a small laugh as I felt the same pain, but this time much lighter, pass through me as I watch a scene unfold in front of my eyes.
I stared at the box in my hands and looked up towards someone.
"What's this?" I asked, holding the box a bit higher.
"Just open it," said another voice in a fit of laughter. I could hear someone punch him in the stomach. "Ouch!"
"Shut it!" said an embarrass voice, totally out of his element.
I chuckled a bit before opening the box and gasp in surprise as I saw what was inside. It was a cake with green icing on it, spelling out Happy Birthday.
I smiled and gently tap the lid. I looked up.
"Thanks," I said, before laughing at his shock face. Soon, I heard other people join my laughter as the boy huffed and turned away.
I was still laughing softly and looked up at Hagrid. "Thanks."
Hagrid chuckled before introducing himself. "Yer welcome. I haven't introduced meself yet. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."
He held out an enormous hand and shook my whole arm. Good thing I place the cake down.
"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."
His eyes fell on the empty grate and snorted. Wondering why he snorted, I turned and saw that it had shriveled chip bags in it. Was that what Uncle Vernon was trying to make a fire with? Hagrid bent down over the fireplace; we couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and I felt the warmth wash over me as though I'd sunk into a hot bath. I hum in relief as the coldness left my body and I didn't feel like I was going to slip into a coma anymore.
Hagrid sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.
Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while Hagrid was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."
Um, I don't think Hagrid would even give him anything. He's too fat anyway. It's time for him to lose some weight. And I was right when Hagrid chuckled darkly.
"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." He passed the sausages to me, and since I was so hungry, I had never tasted anything so wonderful.
I slowly crew the sausage before swallowing it and ask. "Forgive me but, what exactly do you do?"
Hagrid took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I'm the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts – yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course." He said.
Wait … Hogwarts? That's the name of the school? It sure beats Dudley's schools name.
"I really want to say yes, but no," I said honestly.
Hagrid looked shocked. Am I really supposed to know everything about this school?
"Um, sorry?" I said uncertainly.
"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as 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! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"
"All what?" I asked confuse. What did my parents learned?
"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered.
I winced a bit but quickly covered it. He's loud.
"Now wait jus' one second!" He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. "Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this girl — this girl! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"
Ok, that is just taking things to far now. I do know some things; sure my grades are bad but that because I can't get better grades then Dudley, so yeah.
"Hey! I do know some things," I said, huffing a bit and crossing my arms. "It might not be what you know but I'm not stupid."
Hagrid quickly corrected himself. "No, I mean our world, yer world, my world, yer parents' world."
I frown in confusion. Ok, now this is getting too confusing. He's making it seem like we're aliens or something. "What world?"
Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
"DURSLEY!" he boomed.
Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Yes, my uncle is really weird and is insane.
Hagrid stared wildly at me, making me wonder if it's too late to run and hide. "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."
Famous? They were? "What? My — my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"
"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, giving me a bewildered stare.
"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.
I shook my head when Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.
"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the girl anything!"
A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.
"You never told her? Never told her what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer her? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from her all these years?"
A letter? Wait … now I remember! I was left with a letter that night! I always wonder what was in it.
"Kept what from me?" I said, pretending to be eager.
"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. Aww, he's worried. Now I really want to know!
Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror. Drama queen.
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Adina — yer a witch."
I blinked. What did he just all me? I place my hands on my hips and narrow my eyes at him. "Excuse me; what did you just call me?"
Hagrid was surprise before chuckling. "No yeh magical like a girl wizard yer know." I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth before nodding.
There was silence inside the hut, as I ran the information in my mind. Hmm, always knew I was something else.
"I'm a witch?" I asked carefully. "Like magic?"
"O' course," said Hagrid, 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? An' I reckon its abou' time yeh read yer letter."
So I'm finally going to read the letter? I stretched out my hand to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Miss. A. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. I pulled out the letter and read:
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 Miss. 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 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Almost a million questions started to pop up in my mind and I couldn't decide which one I should ask first. After a few minutes, I manage to stammered one out, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"
"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse; don't ask me how I know this. Let's just say that I somehow ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time. I watch as he pulled out an owl, not a fake one, but I mean a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl, from his pocket.
I blinked in confusion. He had that poor creature in his pocket the whole time? Poor thing!
With a long quill and a roll of parchment and his tongue between his teeth, he started to scribbled a note that I somehow could read upside down.
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Given Adina her letter.
Taking her to buy her things tomorrow.
Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.
Hagrid
Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the phone.
I just stared at him. Was this normal where he came from?
"Where was i?" asked Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.
"She's not going," he said.
Hagrid grunted in annoyance. "I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you to stop her," he said.
Muggle? Oh! It must be a nonmagical person!
"We swore when we took her in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," my uncle continue, "Swore we'd stamp it out of her! Witch indeed!"
Wait what? I could tell my face darken a bit because my aunt tried to calm my uncle down. They knew and they hid it from me, tried to make me stop from being me.
"You knew?' I said darkly, my face lowered to be facing the ground. "You knew I'm a witch and didn't tell me."
"Knew!" shrieked Aunt 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 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, on 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 wanted to say this for years. "Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you 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!"
Right now, I had gone very white. As soon as I found my voice, I snapped my head up and glared at her. "Blown up? I always knew you were lying about my parent's death! How could they have died from a car crash! How could I get a scar in this sharp and size in this position?"
As I yelled at them, I had started to roll up my sleeve and pointed at the scar on my forearm. I was almost breathing flames on them, angered that they lied to me my whole life. I knew they were liars and this proves it.
"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! Adina Potter not knowin' her own story when every kid in our world knows her name!"
What? Why would they know my name? I looked at Hagrid in confusion. "But why? What happened?" I asked urgently, I needed to know.
The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious. Was my past that horrible?
"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Adina, I don' 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, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —"
"Who?" I asked curiously, tilting my head a bit.
"Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."
"Why not?" it's just a name, right?
"Gulpin' gargoyles, Adina, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…"
Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.
"Could you write it down?" I suggested, trying to make things easier for him.
"Nah — can't spell it. All right —Voldemort. "
I blinked. Voldemort? Why does that name sound so familiar?
Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Adina. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him — an' he killed 'em. Horribly. All but one I think, don't know who it was though. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."
"Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side."
"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an' — an' —"
Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.
"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa…"
"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forearm? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even — but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Adina. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts — an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."
Something very painful was going on in my mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, I saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than I had ever remembered it before — and I remembered something else, for the first time in my life of my parent's death: a high, cold, cruel laugh.
I could see from the corner of my eye that Hagrid was watching me sadly.
"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…."
Oh yes, I clearly remember that, wish that strict lady won the argument. Could've saved me a lot of pain.
"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. I jumped a bit; I almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there, sadly. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.
"Now, you listen here, girl," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured— and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion— asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end -"
But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…"
In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. Good for him.
I watch with unemotional eyes. I do not want to hear his lies anymore. I do not care what he has to say, it's my life and I'll handle it however I want it to go.
"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor. I had to agree with Hagrid, it is better when they are not speaking.
"But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" I asked cautiously.
"Good question, Adina. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful — why'd he go? Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Adina. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on — I dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."
Hagrid looked at me with such warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but I can't help but instead feel quite sure there some sort of mistake.
How could I, a one year old baby at the time, defeat the so called greatest sorcerer of the time? I wasn't going to argue that I wasn't a witch because somehow, I knew I was different. Something else and now I know.
I turned to look into the fire, wondering is this real. I closed my eyes and thought back to everything I could remember. Being chased by Dudley's gang, I manage to get out of their reach every single time … my hair growing back after my aunt tried to cut it, and the boa constrictor. I set it free because I couldn't be. I think it was a way that I could feel happy that I help something else gain their wish of not being trap.
I open my eyes and looked back to Hagrid to see him smiling. I let a small smile appear on my face, knowing that maybe, if it was for a while, I could free that freedom I craved. I guess my dear old uncle must have read my mind because he wasn't going to give in without a fight.
" I told you she's not going," he hissed. "She's going to Stonewall High and she'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and she needs all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"
"If she wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop her," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's daughter goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Her name's been down ever since she was born. She's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and she won't know herself. She'll be with youngsters of her own sort, fer a change, an' she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—"
"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HER MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.
I frowned and shook my head a bit. From Hagrid's voice, he admires the headmaster so this won't end well. And I was right because he had finally gone too far.
Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, "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 violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, I saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.
I quickly covered my mouth as I tried to stop myself from laughing out loud. Now he finally looks like a pig!
Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling 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.
"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant 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 look at me under his bushy eyebrows.
"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."
I nodded my head as a giggle escape from my covered mouth.
"Of course I won't!" I said trying to control my emotions. I took deep calming breaths and looked at him. "Why aren't you supposed to do magic? That is if you don't mind me asking?" I asked, my curiosity returning.
"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."
"Why were you expelled?"
Hey, I can't help myself.
"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."
Hmm, that's one way to change the topic.
He took off his thick black coat and threw it at me. I caught it and look at it before at him.
"You can kip under that," he said, noticing my questioning glance. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."
I shook my head before making myself comfortable and allowing myself to slip off to dreamland.
so? what do you think? thanks for reading. R&R
-bluebutterflywitch
