Morning take two passed much more acceptably, though Harry was withdrawn as he struggled to process the sudden knowledge of what happened. Even the fact that they were working on a battered old Trangia didn't dampen Vernon's mood. Especially once they ate with no post arriving. Even Dudley chasing Harry around in "Youthful high spirits" couldn't dampen Vernon's mood, on the contrary it seemed to Petunia that it increased it. Instead, her thoughts turned to Nixie hiding beneath her hair. She knew that it came back with her last night, but it didn't seem to be dangerous, if anything it seemed like it was hiding from those birds when it climbed onto her. Not to mention what it did to Harry before breakfast, almost like it ate the spell the Auror cast on him.
But as with all good things, the morning came to an end when a Giant of a man pulled up in the parking area of the boat house opposite the cabin on a motorcycle with a sidecar. It was clear from his wild hair that he wasn't wearing a crash helmet and that set off Vernon's freak meter, not that the motorcycle didn't do that anyway. Walking over to a boat he lifted a wooden rowing boat, that would have taken a few men to lift, into the water as though it was an inflatable. Finding a pair of oars, he got in and started to row over the lake.
Petunia watched as Vernon got up and went into the cabin, a moment later he came out carrying a double-barrelled shotgun and a handful of bright orange shells, which he proceeded to load. Seeing something going on, Harry ran back to the cabin followed by an exhausted Dudley. Not taking any chances, Harry hid behind his Aunt to deter Dudley taking advantage of the fact he was no longer running around. They both watched what was going on with a perverse sense of horror, as the man that looked large on the other shore looked positively gigantic as he got closer. Vernon stomped down to the beach to meet him as his boat pulled up to the shore.
"Clear off, we don't want no truck with Freaks like you." He waved the shotgun in the man's direction as he said that.
"Oh, shuddup you stupid muggle, and put that down afore you put someone's eye out."
"Don't come any closer, I'm warning you!" Vernon let out shakily.
The man ignored him in the same way that Vernon might ignore a toddler with a toy sword and came up the shore leaving deep footprints in the mud.
As he got closer Vernon pulled the trigger and let both barrels off into the man's chest. The man didn't even seem to notice as he reached out and grabbed the shotgun before bending the barrel with no apparent effort.
"But what, how? That should have killed you" blurted Dudley.
The man patted his jacket "T'is made out of Peruvian Vipertooth dragonhide leather with mokeskin pockets, you'd need som'ing a lot stronger than birdshot to even scuff it"
"Wooha, cool."
"Now where's me manners. I'm Hagrid, Gameskeeper of Hogwarts, which one of you is Harry?"
Gingerly Harry raises his hand.
"Right, this is for you." He reaches into his pockets and pulls out a couple of mice, something wrapped in a handkerchief and a parchment letter. "Sorry 'm late, the device the 'eadmaster gave me stopped working a coupl'a hours ago so I had to land and go by road."
"Now listen here, Harry's not going to any Freak school, he's signed up to Stonewall High, and that's that." Vernon blusters while trying to take the letter away.
Gently pushing Vernon out of the way Hagrid hands the letter to Harry, "Not going to 'ogwarts? I'd never 'ear such a thing, both 'is parents went, n 'is grandparents too. No, 'is been signed up since birth and 'is going, it's just the way it is."
Sharing a glance with his Aunt, who nodded at him encouragingly, he slipped his finger under the wax seal and opened the letter. Inside was an additional piece of parchment which he removed to read the letter. After reading it, he handed it to Aunt Petunia who read it too. Once she finished, she looked up at Hagrid.
"Hagrid? If we'd opened one before, how exactly would we have sent a reply, as it says here that you expect our owl."
"'Ah don't rightly know, the 'eadmaster just told me that 'arry hadn't received it and that it needed ta be 'and delivered.
"Anyway, it's getting late, so we need to get going if we're going to get your supplies from Diagon Alley"
Looking at his Aunt, torn between going with Hagrid and not leaving her alone with Vernon, "Hagrid, would it be OK if Aunt Petunia came with us?"
"'ah suppose it don't make no difference, so if'n ya sure."
"But pet, you can't go, they're Freaks."
"I'm going Vernon, and maybe I can sort out the stipend stuff while I'm there. Why don't you have the rest of the week bonding with Dudley, show him the things that you used to do and I'll make sure the brat doesn't damage anything when we get home."
Dudley looks at his dad with a pleading look, a whole week of being spoiled by his dad? Count him in.
Seeing the look on Dudleys face he turned back to Petunia with a look that promised a reckoning when he got home. "I suppose that would be OK, I'll see you at home and make sure you keep the freak under control."
Completely missing the subtext, Hagrid clapped his hands together "Right, that's sorted then, let's go."