The next morning, Harry and Hermione were talking about Snape's utter hatred towards Harry (Oh, Harry, just why would he do that?) when the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.
Hedwig hadn't brought Harry anything so far. She sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast before going off to sleep in the owlery with the other school owls. This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:
'Dear Harry,
I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.
Hagrid'
Harry looked at his best friend and asked "Hey Hermione, do you want to go down to Hagrid's with me this afternoon?"
"I don't know, Harry. I still got studying... to... do..." Hermione began but Harry quickly retaliated with his puppy dog eyes he knew Hermione couldn't resist. And they did right that. "Ugh. Fine. But only for a short time. We've still have our Transfiguration essay to complete."
Nodding, Harry stole Hermione's quill (Hey!?), scribbled 'Yes, please, see you later.' on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.
At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.
When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid's voice rang out, saying, "Back, Fang, back!"
Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.
"Hang on," he said. "Back, Fang!"
He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.
There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the cornerstood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.
"Make yerselves at home," said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Harry and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.
After getting the getting fed up with his tongue bath, Harry shoved Fang off of him and said "This is Hermione." Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate, nodded at her in greeting.
"Yer a Muggleborn, ain't ya?" said Hagrid.
"Yes, sir." Answered Hermione.
"No nee' to tha' 'sir' thing. Jus' call me Hagrid."
The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Hermione pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry's knee and drooled all over his robes.
Harry was laughed when he heared Hagrid call Filch "that old git." Though Hermione scowled at them.
"An' as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I'd like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D'yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can't get rid of her, Filch puts her up to it."
Harry told Hagrid about Snape's lesson. Though, Hagrid, to Harry surprise, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students. "But he seemed to really hate me." Said Harry.
"Rubbish!" said Hagrid. "Why would he do tha'?"
"See? That's exactly what I said!"
Yet Harry couldn't help thinking that Hagrid didn't quite meet his eyes when he said that.
"So how did ya like Care O' Magical Creatures?"
Hermione knew that Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose but decided to drop it. While Hermione and Hagrid talked about different magical animals, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the Daily Prophet.
GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST
Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.
Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.
"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.
"Hagrid!" said Harry, cutting short their conversation, "that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might've been happening while we were there when you took that package!"
There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn't meet Harry's eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. 'Had that been what the thief was looking for?' Thought Harry.
As Harry and Hermione walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they'd been too polite to refuse, Hermione thought that none of the lessons she had so far had given her as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Million questions were running through her mind in a span of three minutes. 'What package were they talking about? What's inside it? Did Hagrid collected it just in time? Where is it now? And does Hagrid know something about Snape that he doesn't want to tell Harry? If so, then what?'
