Chapter four- The Keeper of Keys

After I did not get my letter Uncle Vernon told us all to pack our things before we got in the car and drove off. Dudley was having a massive tantrum about not being able to take most of his games and about being hungry.

Uncle Vernon stopped three times on the road before we reached our destination: once next to a farm, once on a bridge and the final time by the sea.

He had told us to stay in the car while he went inside a shop for a while and came back out with a bag of food and something else.

An old dark wooden house on a rocky island somewhere out at sea was seen as we journeyed in a small boat (that I wasn't sure could hold all of us for long) towards it.

It was now nearing midnight with the rest of the family asleep. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in a room upstairs, Dudley on the only sofa in the fire that burnt out hours ago and me on the floor. We only got to have crisps and not very good bananas for dinner but I've had less than that before or nothing at all.

I would rather be in my cupboard than where we are. There was a bit of a draft in the room, I could hear drips of water coming from somewhere, the whole lighthouse (for that's what it was) smelt of salt water and the ground was cold and dirty. I only had a really worn out, thin blanket to keep me warm whereas Dudley had three.

I was lying on my stomach and I had just drawn myself a birthday cake with eleven candles and around it read 'Happy Birthday Reyna' using the dust and dirt on the floor. I don't even think they'll remember it's my birthday tomorrow. Anyway, it won't matter if they do, they won't give me any presents.

I look at Dudley's watch as it beeped 12:00. It was my birthday. I turn back to my birthday cake, "make a wish, Reyna." I wish I knew what was in that letter. I blew on the cake as if I was snuffing out candles instead of dust when suddenly the front door thumps. That made me jump.

The door thumps again causing Dudley to wake and for us both to jump up and back away.

Coming down the stairs I see Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia appear, Vernon with a gun. I can't believe it, so that's what he had got and hid from us. I hide behind an alcove just in case whoever is coming is dangerous. The door bangs again and then slams to the floor. The silhouette of a giant appears in the doorway before slowly stomping inside.

It was revealed to be a very tall man with very wild brown hair and a long frizzy beard and brown eyes. He had to be at least seven or eight feet tall if not taller. The only thing that I could see him wearing was what looked like a very think long brown coat. "Sorry 'bout that," the man spoke. He pulled the door back up causing the house to shake.

"I demand that you leave at once, Sir! You are breaking and entering!" Uncle Vernon shouted at the man.

The man goes over to him and grabs the gun and bends it upwards. "Dry up, Dursley, you great prune." This causes the gun to fire.

"Ahh!" the family scream while I try and control my breathing.

"Now, where is Reyna?"

Well, he hasn't harmed us yet. I decide to come out of my hiding place. "H-here."

"Ah, there ya are. Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point! I imagine that it'll taste fine just the same. Ahh. Baked it myself," he hands me a white box. "Words and all. Heh."

I open the box to reveal a slightly squished circular cake with green icing and words in red icing that read 'Happy Birthday Reyna.' "Thank you!" Wow, I've never had a birthday cake before let alone a gift.

"It's not every day that your young woman turns eleven, now is it?" The man sits down on the coach which bounces and sags a bit under his weight, takes out a faded red umbrella and points it at the empty fireplace. It makes the noise 'Poof, poof!' Two sparks fly out and the fire starts. I gape in astonishment at that. How was that possible?

I put down the cake and decide to ask the man who he is. "Excuse me, who are you?"

"Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. 'Course, you'll know all about Hogwarts." Why does he think that? I've never heard of the place.

"Sorry, no."

He seemed very shocked at that. "No? Blimey, Reyna, didn't you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned it all?"

"Learnt what?" Hagrid seemed to know my parents?

He leaned in towards me as if imparting something secret or special. "You're a witch, Reyna." This man is playing jokes on me, surely? I mean, who believes that witches and wizards are real.

"I-I'm a what?" I ask him, I have to get clarification on what he said. I might think I'm dreaming otherwise.

He leaned back against the sofa. "A witch and a thumping good one at that, I'd wager. Once you train up a little." Trained up a little? Why does he think I'm a witch anyway? I'd bet I be a pretty poor one.

"No, you've made a mistake. I can't be... a-a wizard. I mean, I'm just... Reyna. Just Reyna." That's all I've ever been, no one special.

"Well, Just Reyna, did you ever make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared?" I've found my expression softens while I'm thinking if he means the incidences like the snake and the rooftop at school.

I hear Dudley whimper behind me, the whimp.

Hagrid hands me the same letter that has been sent to me that caused us to be sent here. I'm going to finally get to be able to read it. I open it.

I read it out loud. "Dear, Miss. Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Wow! So that's what he maybe meant by training. I can't believe there's an actual school for witches and wizards, and that they themselves are real.

Uncle Vernon rushed to stand next to me. "She'll not be going! We swore when we took her in we'd put an end to this rubbish!" What?!

"You knew?" I shouted angrily at him for keeping this from me, though really I shouldn't be surprised. I turned to Aunt Petunia. "You knew all along and you never told me?"

Aunt Petunia scoffed and scowled as she turned to slowly walk next to Uncle Vernon. "Of course we knew. How could you not be? My perfect sister being who she was. Oh, my mother and father were so proud the day she got her letter. We have a witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful? I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak! And then she met that Potter, and then she had you, and I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as ... abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up! And we got landed with you." What?! They told me that they died in a car crash. They lied all this time?

"Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"

Now Hagrid got angry at them. "A car crash? A car crash kills James and Lily Potter?"

"We had to tell her something," Aunt Petunia lamely defended herself.

"It's an outrage! It's a scandal!"

"She'll not be going!" Vernon said to Hagrid.

"Oh, and I suppose a great Muggle like your self's going to stop her, are you?"

What on earth is a Muggle? "Muggle?" I asked Hagrid.

"Non-magic folk," he said to me before turning back to them. "This girl's had her name down ever since she was born! She's going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts' has ever seen: Albus Dumbledore." He said that name proudly. It seemed he was in awe of the man. He must be a very famous and powerful man.

"I will not pay for some crackpot old fool to teach him magic tricks!" Vernon should not have said that. Vernon and Petunia cowered as Hagrid drew himself up to his full height. It seems he angered Hagrid by saying bad things about this Albus Dumbledore fellow.

Hagrid whips out a rotten faded red umbrella and points it at Vernon. "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me." Hagrid sees Dudley eating my cake, and points the umbrella at his rear. A pink pig tail grows.

"Ahh!" Dudley screamed. What? No way! That was magic! I so want to learn how to do that. That's the best thing I have ever seen in my whole life.

"Ahh!" Vernon and Petunia scream before they chase after Dudley who had gone out of the lighthouse.

I laugh in delight. This is too good to be true.

I turned to Hagrid as he spoke again. I owe that man. "Oh, um, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic."

I wonder why that it but I don't think it's my place to ask. Besides he got Dudley back for all the times he's ever bullied me. I'll be forever grateful to him. So I nod. "Okay." I won't tell anyone what happened here today.

Hagrid brought a small clock out of his pocket. "Ooh, we're a bit behind schedule. Best be off. Unless you'd rather stay, of course. Hmm?" He smiles before he leaves.

I look around the lighthouse and I know for certain that anywhere should be better then here and living with the Dursley. So I grin, looking forward to my new life and follow Hagrid outside to see him standing by a motorbike.

"Uh, Hagrid, how are we supposed to get to the mainland with that motorbike?"

"You'll see, Reyna. Climb on back." He sat down then I climbed on behind him. "How on tight," he warned me. I grabbed on tightly to his huge thick cloak, still not sure what was going to happen before he started driving the motorbike at a fast speed. It was a bit bumpy and the next thing I knew I could feel us going up off the ground.

In front of me Hagrid laughed. "Open your eyes Reyna."

I did so and the first thing I noticed was looking down at the sea below me. We were flying! I couldn't believe it. It seems a lot of things have surprised me today. I looked in amazement as we flew below the stars. If this was what it felt like to fly, free and uncontrolled, I can't wait to see what we'll learn at school.

"You having fun Reyna?" asked Hagrid.

"This is brilliant," I replied. Hagrid laughed at my awestruck expression.