Harry woke up early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.
"It was dream," he told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me and Kalilina we were going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in me and Kalilina's cupboard."
There suddenly was a loud tapping noise.
And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door,
Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."
He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, Kalilina was sleeping peacefully next to him, snoring midly, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.
Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat, which Kalilina was sleeping under. Kalilina woke up, screeching. She flung the coat off of her and ducked behind the couch.
"Don't do that."
Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat. Kalilina crawled from behind the couch.
"Bloody bird, waking me up," she grumbled. She got up and tried helping Harry move the owl away from the coat.
"Hagrid!" said Kalilina loudly. "There's an owl -"
"Pay him," Hagrid gruntyed into the sofa.
"What?"
"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."
Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags..finally Kalilina pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.
"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.
"Knuts?"
"The little bronze ones."
Kalilina counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out its leg so Kalilina could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.
Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.
"Best be off, you two, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."
Kalilina was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. She had just thought of something that made her once happy mood dampen.
"Um- Hagrid?"
"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.
"Neither Harry nor I have money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night... he won't pay for us to go and learn magic."
"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and stratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"
"But wasn't the house destroyed?"
"Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I wouldn't say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither, Harry."
"Wizards have banks?"
"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."
Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding while Kalilina choked on hers.
"Goblins?"
"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that.
"Got everythin'? Come on, then."
Harry and Kalilina followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.
"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.
"Are we going to use a magic carpet, like I read in those fairytale books?" Kalilina asked, looking around for a carpet.
Hagrid chuckled. "I flew."
"Flew?"
"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got you two."
They settled down in the boat, much to Kalilina's dismay, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.
"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry and Kalilina another sideways look. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"
"Of course not," said Harry eager to see more magic.
"Wait!" said Kalilina. "Can you make it go not so fast, I don't fancy boats all too much."
Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off towards land. Kalilina buried her head into Harry's chest, clinging on to him for dear life.
In a few short moments the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Kalilina was first to jump out. As soon as she did, the color came back to her face. Hagrid folded up his newpaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.
Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Kalilina and Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, you two? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?" to which Kalilina responded with, "These Muggles. Can't live with them. Can't live without them." in her New Jersery accent.
Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?"
"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon."
"You'd like one?" Kalilina asked. "A dragon. The one that breathes fire and can kill you? Blimey, you're mad!"
Hagrid barked with laughter and nodded. "Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go."
They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money" as he called it, gave the bills to Harry and Kalilina so they could buy their tickets.
People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.
"Still got yer letter, Harry? Kalilina?" he asked as he counted stitches.
Kalilina and Harry took the parchment envelope out of their pockets.
"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."
Kalilina and Harry both unfolded a second piece of paper connected to the first paper, and read:
First-year students will require:
Uniform
o
Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)
o
One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear
o
One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)
o
One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)
o
Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags.
Books
o
The Standard Book of Spells(Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
o
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
o
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
o
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
o
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
o
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
o
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
o
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
Other Equipment
o
1 Wand
o
1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
o
1 set of glass or crystal phials
o
1 telescope
o
1 set of brass scales
o
Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
"Are we going to be able to buy all this in London?" asked Kalilina.
"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.
Kalilina and Harry had never been to London before. It was quite an exciting expierince.
After getting through the Underground, the three walked until they got to a dingy old pub.
"This is it, " said Hagrid. "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place."
The inside was very dark and shabby. A few people were sitted around the pub. The small amount of chatter stopped when the three walked in. It seemed as though most of the people knew Hagrid as they smiled and waved, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"
"Can't, Tom, taking Harry and Kalilina here to get their supplies," replied Hagrid, clapping two huge hands on Harry and Kalilina's shoulders. Their knees buckled beneath them.
The whole pub had gone eerily silent.
"Oh my stars," whispered an elderly lady from the back, "Harry Potter and Kalilina Black..never thought I'd live to see the day..."
This caused everyone to get up from their seats and go to the two 11 year olds.
"Tamsin Fritters," said an elderly old lady, "Miss Black! What an honor!"
"Doris Crocford, . Ms. Black, can't believe I'm meeting you two at last."
"So proud, you two, I'm just so proud."
"Always wanted to shake you two's hands - I'm all of a flutter!"
"Look at you, Miss Black! You're even more beautiful in person, my dear!"
"Delighted Mr. Potter, Ms. Black, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name. Dedalus Diggle."
"I've seen you before!" screeched Kalilina. "You bowed to me before!"
Kalilina seized the man and brought him into a hug.
"She remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? She remembers me! And I got a hug from her!"
Harry and Kalilina shook hands with numerous people.
A pale young man, who looked on the verge of having a nervous breakdown came to the front.
"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Kalilina, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."
"P-P-Potter, B-B-Black," stammered Professor Quirrell taking both of their hands, "c-can't tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."
'His new nickname,' thought Kalilina, 'is Professor Stuttering Problems.'
Harry gave her a stern look. 'Kalilina, that's mean.'
Kalilina shrugged. 'It's true.'
Harry shook his head at her.
"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"
"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh, y-you two?" he laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose. I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at that very thought.
Soon, Harry and Kalilina were taken away from Quirrell and brought back to the others.
"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry. Kalilina."
Hagrid's loud voice was heard over all the people in the pub. Tamsin Fritters kissed Kalilina's cheeks one more time, Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one more time before they could leave. Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled, courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.
Hagrid grinned at Harry and Kalilina.
"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you two was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet you - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."
"Is he always that nervous?"
"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some first had experience..They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject - now, where's me umbrella?"
'That's just stupid.' thought Kalilina, 'why not just teach another subject if you're afraid of the one you're currently teaching?'
Harry shrugged. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.
"Three up..two acros.." he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry, Kalilina."
He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. Harry and Kalilina watched in amazement as the wall opened up and turned itself into an archwall.
"Wicked!" gasped Kalilina.
"Welcome, " said Hagrid, " to Diagon Alley."
He grinned at Harry's amzement. They stepped through the archway. As they walked, Kalilina looked over her shoulder and saw the archway shape itself back into a wall.
' I could get used to this being a with stuff,' thought Kalilina. Harry agreed.
'So could I.' he thought back.
After walking a few ways, they reached Gringotts, the wizarding bank run by goblins. As they walked in, Kalilina read words engraved on a silver door.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
'Just watch some dumbass try and rob this place.' snorted Kalilina in amusement. They walked in and walked to the front counter.
"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outts Mr. Harry Potter's safe, as well as Ms. Kalilina Black's safe."
"You their key, sir?"
"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid. After dumping literally everything out of his pockets, Hagrid gave the goblin two tiny golden keys. "Here ya go."
The goblin looked at them closely.
"That seems to be in order."
"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore, " said Hagrid, puffing out his chest proudly, "It's about You-Know-What in vault You-Know-Which."
The goblin read the letter carefully.
"Very well, " he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to those three vaults. Griphook!"
Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had shoved his things into his pockets again, he, Harry and Kalilina followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading of the hall.
"What's the You-Know-What in vault You-Know-Which?" asked Kalilina, eagerly.
"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Hogwarst business."
Kalilina rolled her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Harry patted her on the head. She glared at him and he quickly moved his hand. As Griphook opened yet another door, Kalilina nearly laughed. She had expexcted something fancy, but instead it was just stone. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks in front of them/ They climbed in - Hagrid with great difficulty - and were off.
Kalilina squealed and laughed as they sped on the tracks. Harry kept quiet and Hagrid looked like he would be sick if he opened his mouth at all. When the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop the dizziness.
Griphook unlocked the door to the vault. A cloud of dust enveloped them and when it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside was heaps of gold, silver and bronze.
"Whoa," he mumurmed. Kalilina just stared wide eyed at the amount.
"All yours, Harry," smiled Hagrid. Hagrid helped Harry piled some of it into his bag. As Hagrid explained the differences of the coins to Harry, Kalilina thought about how much money she would have.
"Now your vault, Kalilina," said Hagrid. "Miss Black's vault now, please, and can we go more slowly?"
"One speed only," said Griphook. Again, Kalilina screeched and squealed, in happiness. Harry didn't know how she could like this so much. They went deeper down, way down.
"We have to be careful," said Griphook, getting out of the cart.
"Careful? For what?" asked Kalilina. But as they walked, Kalilina knew why. Right in front of her was albino dragon. She nearly started shrieking, but she thought better of it.
"Why - why the bloody fucking hell is there a dragon down here?" Kalilina hissed.
"I told yeh, you'd be mad tryin' to rob it." said Hagrid.
"Take these," said Griphook, giving the three these weird looking contraptions, "if you shake them, the dragon won't come near you."
So, as they walked, the dragon eyes them, and Kalilina waved her contraprtion frantically. They finally reach her vault and she sighs out in relief.
"You're so lucky, Harry," she said, clutching her chest, "everytime you want to take money out of your vault, you don't have to encounter a bloody fucking dragon!"
"It's a beauty," said Hagrid, admiring the dragon. "I'd like one."
Kalilina smacked her forehead and groaned. "You know what? Go talk to the dragon. Go kiss it, love it, and who knows? Maybe it'll decide not to make its lunch."
Hagrid shook his head and Kalilina focused her attention back on Griphook, who was opening her vault. Just like Harry's, a cloud of smoke poofed out at them, and when it cleared, Kalilina let out a squeal of surprise. If Harry had a lot of money, she had probably 3 times as much.
"Bloody fucking hell," she whispered, "I'm rich!"
Hagrid chuckled and helped her put some of it into her bag, just like he had done with Harry.
After getting out Gringotts and getting whatever it was out of vault You-Know Which (which Kalilina and Harry learned was vault seven hundered and thirteen), they stood outside of Gringotts.
"Those infernal carts make me dizzy," said Hagrid. "Mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron?"
He did look a little sick, so Kalilina and Harry nervously trudged to Madam Malkin's.
Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.
"Hogwarts, dears?" she said when Kalilina tried to speak. "Got the lot here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."
Harry got placed next to a girl with fiery red hair and a chubby face, while Kalilina got placed next to a boy with a pale, pointed face in the back. Kalilina thought he looked remarkably like a ferret. Madam Malkin's helper stood Kalilina on a stool next ferret boy, slipped a long robe over her head, and began to pin it to the right length.
"Hello," said the boy," Hogwarts, too?"
"Nope," responded Kalilina, "I'm joining the circus and need an outfit."
"You have a sense of humour," said the boy, dryly, "I like that."
Kalilina shrugged.
"My father's next door buying my books and Mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He seemed bored while talking. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully Father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."
"I'm sorry," said Kalilina, stopping him before he could go any further. "but do you know who Dudley Dursley is?"
The boy looked puzzled. "Who in Merlin's beard is that?"
"Oh, you don't know him?" Kalilina said, feigning shock, "That shocks me, seeing as both of you are stuck-up arses. You two have to know each other, somehow."
The boy sneered, but did comment. Instead, he continued on. "Have you got your own broom?"
"No," said Kalilina. Hell - she didn't even know they existed until yesterday.
"Play Quidditch at all?"
"I'm still standing by the fact that everything sounds like a disease in the wizarding world," said Kalilina. "I don't play 'Quid-itch'."
"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my House, and I must say, I agree. Know what House you'll be in yet?"
"No," said Kalilina. What the bloody what was a House? Like, one you lived in..or..?
"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"
At this point, Kalilina wasn't even going to try to figure out what the boy was talking about.
"Mm," said Kalilina, not caring anymore.
"I say, look at that man!" said the boy, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was grinning and holding three icecream cones.
"Oh, him, that's Hagrid," grinned Kalilina. "He works at Hogwarts."
"Oh," said the boy. "I've heard of him. He's sort of a servant, isn't he?"
"Get your facts straight, kid," she snapped. "He's a gamekeeper." The boy was starting to irk her.
"Yes, exactly. I heard he's sort of savage - lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk , tries to do magic, and sets fire to his bed."
"Isn't that a bit stalkerish?" smirked Kalilina. "But don't talk about Hagrid like that. I happen to think he's brilliant."
"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"
"My mum's dead and my father's in jail." replied Kalilina, shortly.
"Oh, sorry," said the boy, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were our kind, weren't they?"
"You heartless bastard," hissed Kalilina. "I said my mum died and my father was in jail, and all you could say was 'Oh, sorry' and not even fucking mean it? But they were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."
"I really don't think they should let in the other sort, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname anyway?"
'Wow, the bastard didn't even let me get a word in. Even though I didn't have a fucking clue what he was talking about.' thought Kalilina, bitterly.
Madam Malkin saved Kalilina from speaking and said, "That's you done, my dear," and Kalilina hopped off her stool, glad that she didn't have to talk to the heartless prick anymore.
"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.
"Hopefully not," replied Kalilina. "If there is another time, I will kill you with my bare hands."
And with that, she left the boy awestruck, and skipped out the shop.
Today had been a long day for both Harry and Kalilina. They had gotten their wands - Harry's was a hollywood and phoenix feather, eleven inches and Kalilina's was mahogony and dragon heart-string twelves inches - and now they just wanted to go home and sleep.
After grabbing a quick bite, Hagrid put Kalilina and Harry back on a train that would take them to the Dursleys. He handed them both a envelope.
"Yer tickets to Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September - King's Cross - it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, Harry, she'll know where to find me..See yeh soon, you two."
The train pulled out of the station. Harry and Kalilina wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of his sight; he rose in his seat and pressed their noses against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had disappeared.
"Today was exciting," muttered Kalilina, feeling her eyes droop. Her new cat, Starshine, was cuddled in her lap.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. Kalilina yawned and rested her head on Harry's shoulder, quickly falling asleep.