Chapter 3: The Name's Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid.

May and Harry went upstairs to their room. May slammed the door shut, showing her displeasure at what just happened.

"Don't slam doors!" roared Uncle Vernon.

May grabbed her tatty messenger bag and a few books. "I can't bloody believe that I ran for the stairs or the cupboard. I should've ran for the front door, but no, I run for the stairs and cupboard." She angrily shoved her books in the messenger bag.

"It's okay," said Harry packing his own bag.

"No, it's not," said May. "I could've been to Mrs Figg's house if I went to the front door."

"She probably would've let them in," Harry pointed out.

"And I would've known what was in that letter by then," said May, as she aggressively folded her clothes and forcefully crammed them in the messenger bag.

They walked down the stairs where their uncle and aunt were at, with their bags packed.

They waited for a few minutes before May asked, "Where's Dudley?"

"That's a good question, Mayflower," growled Uncle Vernon. He went upstairs and knocked on the door. "Dudley! What's taking you?"

The door opened and there was a pause. Uncle Vernon said, "I said to pack clothes."

"But I need these!" Dudley yelled.

"Put them back!" ordered Uncle Vernon.

Dudley started wailing, "But I need these!"

"No, you don't," said Uncle Vernon. "Pack your clothes!"

May and Harry looked up the stairs to see Uncle Vernon smack Dudley upside the head. It looked like Dudley tried packing his computer, television, and a video player.

"What are you two looking at?" demanded Uncle Vernon noticing the audience.

Two minutes minutes later, they were in the car and Uncle Vernon was driving like a madman. May was gripping her seat-belt in terror as Uncle Vernon sped along the motorway. He would turn and May would close her eyes praying to every deity she knew wishing she would stay alive. Uncle Vernon would stop and head in the opposite direction and May wondered what was so bad about her and Harry getting letters. Granted, the piles of letters they both received was just ridiculous.

"Who wants to write to you so badly?" Dudley asked the twins.

May shrugged and looked out the back window. It took a moment for her to realise that was the nicest thing Dudley had said to them.

"What are you looking at?" asked Harry.

"Trying to see if there's a car following us," said May.

There was silence and Harry asked, "is there? A car following us, I mean."

"I don't know," said May. She stared out the back window for a while, but she grew bored when she didn't see the same car twice. "I don't know what they're running from." She took out the book Matilda from her bag and opened it to read. With luck, she may be able to ignore how her uncle was driving manically.

She wasn't sure how long they were driving but Uncle Vernon had stopped every now and then at places. He had stopped at a petrol station. May and Aunt Petunia went to the toilets while Harry and Dudley went inside the station. May and Aunt Petunia returned to the car and a few minutes later Harry and Dudley returned, with Harry holding a bag. Dudley was sniffling and May was sure that Uncle Vernon had gotten after him for trying to buy sweets. May looked in the bag. There was tins of tomatoes, a box of corn flakes, bananas, and packets of crisps. So they weren't going to stay out for long. If she had to, she'll kill and eat Dudley first.

Uncle Vernon returned, filled the car up, and then they were off again. May had ended up finishing Matilda and tried to read The Twits by Roald Dahl.

She got halfway through the book, when Harry had prodded her to look up. They had stopped at the coast and May looked at the cloudy sky. She watched as a few raindrops peppered the window.

May listened to the rain hit the roof of the car and she felt herself relax a little at the sound. She wasn't sure why she found the sound of rain relaxing, but she did. It was oddly calming to her. She closed her eyes and leaned back—

"It's Monday," Dudley complained. May's eyes snapped open at the sound of her cousin complaining. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."

That…that wasn't relaxing. It was more annoying than relaxing.

May rolled her eyes and rested her head on the window. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound of the raindrops drumming on the roof.

Harry nudged May and whispered, "May…"

May shushed him, "I'm trying to tune out the furry gerbil."

"May," Harry whispered. "Tomorrow's our birthday."

"Eh," replied May, shrugging. It dawned on her what Harry had actually said. "Oh." She was so used to their birthday being ignored that she had forgotten that it was going to be their birthday the next day. After the harrowing events of their uncle trying to stop the oh-so 'horrifying' letters and the Letterpocalypse, it had slipped her mind, along with her revenge plots.

May looked at Harry, "Happy early birthday, Harry."

Harry gave a slight smile, "Happy early birthday, May."

Uncle Vernon returned, holding a long, thin package that made May feel dread just seeing.

"What did you buy?" asked Aunt Petunia tentatively.

"Found the perfect place," said Uncle Vernon obviously ignoring his wife. "Come on! Everyone out!"

"In this weather?" asked May incredulously, but she got out of the car. She started shivering and she felt glad she wore a jacket, even if it was denim. She and Harry looked at each other, Harry looking as apprehensive as May felt.

"Where are we going?" May asked.

Uncle Vernon pointed to a miserable looking shack on top of a large rock. May was positive that there would be no television in there. Or heat.

"Storm forecast for tonight!" declared Uncle Vernon. He clapped his hands together. "And this gentlemen's kindly agreed to led us his boat!" There was a toothless old man ambling up to them. The old man led them to a rowing boat while Uncle Vernon said that he got them some rations, which May wanted to say what Uncle Vernon bought didn't count as rations, but stayed silent as he told them to board the boat.

May looked at the rowing boat and then at the old man. She asked, "Is this boat safe?"

The old man seemed to grin wickedly and shook his head. May gulped and got in the boat, while Harry helped her, making sure she didn't fall into the ocean. The Dursleys hadn't bothered teaching them how to swim, probably hoping that they would get swept out to sea or something. When she got in the boat, it was somehow worse. The others got in and they were off. Harry and May huddled together together to keep warm, which seemed impossible because they kept getting sprayed by icy water and the rain was pouring down on them.

"I hate this," muttered May. She took a splash of water to the face, "Correction: I really hate this."

"Me too," said Harry.

When they got to land, May hurried out and hauled her butt to the shack to get out of the rain. She threw open the door and walked in. She was hit by the smell of seaweed and she heard the wind whistling through the gaps in the walls. But at least it was slightly warmer in the shack. She went to examine the fireplace and she felt her heart sink a little at the fact that it was damp. She knew that no one wouldn't be able start a fire.

The others walked in and Uncle Vernon set the bag down on the coffee table. He opened it and started passing out a banana and a packet of crisps.

May was in disbelief at what she was given. She turned to Harry and whispered, "I can't believe that he thinks that this is rations."

"What did you expect?" asked Harry. "Now hurry up and eat your rations before Dudley gets to it." He glared at Dudley, who was staring at May's 'rations' intently. Apparently Dudley had eaten his rations as quickly as possible. May had no clue what he did with the banana peel, but she was sure that he may have eaten it too. Dudley took one step forward and May stared him in the eyes as she opened the packet of crisps and dumped as much as possible in her mouth, without breaking eye contact.

Dudley glared and May smirked at him and poured some more crisps in her mouth, still looking at Dudley.

Harry rolled his eyes at his sister's antics, but May could tell that he was fighting back a smile. Good, that was all that May wanted to do so far.

Uncle Vernon tried lighting a fire with the crisp packets in the damp fireplace, but he just made the packets shrivel up and smolder. Uncle Vernon was grinning maniacally at that, "Could do with some of those letters now, eh?"

May wanted to throw her banana peel at him for that one. She knew that her uncle was hoping that the bad weather and sea would keep post delivery out. She went over to the window and looked at the crashing waves. She felt anxious at the sight.

What if the shack gets blown away? What if it collapses on us? What if a large wave blows us out to sea? May thought feeling nauseous at the thought. The shack was creaking and she almost jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, May?" asked Harry.

"Worst case scenarios," whispered May.

"Which one is the worst one?" asked Harry.

"Waking up and they're still here," whispered May.

"So, our everyday lives then," Harry replied.

May nodded, "Pretty much." The windows started rattling and May backed away, not feeling in the mood to have glass get blown in her face.

The rain seemed to come down harder and thunder seemed to shake the shack.

Aunt Petunia found some mouldy blankets in the second room and made a bed for Dudley on the couch. She left the tatty blankets for Harry and May.

"Great, of course we have to find a spot on the floor," said May. She looked round and looked at the coffee table. "Do you think that coffee table is comfortable?"

"Probably loads more comfortable than the floor," said Harry.

May looked at Harry, "Do you want the coffee table or should I take it?"

"And have the pig in a wig push either me or you off of it in the morning?" asked Harry. "No."

"Fair enough," said May. "Better than getting stepped on by him in the morning."

"Good point," said Harry. "I'd rather not have my glasses broken, more than they already are."

"I try my best on fixing them," groaned May. "I call the coffee table. Maybe you can sleep by it, so you can break my fall when I fall on top of you, after Dudley pushes me off of it in the morning."

Harry didn't look amused at that. May got on top of the coffee table, took off her combat boots, and curled up. Harry found a spot between the couch and the coffee table. So, either way, Harry was going to get stepped on and May was going to get pushed off the coffee table. It was always going to be a lose-lose situation for them, just like what the Dursleys wanted.

"I hope that the shack doesn't fall on us," said Harry.

"Thanks, Harry," said May. "I wasn't thinking that and now I am."

"You're welcome," said Harry in a fake cheerful voice.

May rolled her eyes and closed them. It was hard due to the furry gerbil's snoring, Uncle Vernon's snoring, the rattling windows, and thundering. She listened to the sound for whistling through the gaps and finally found it. She listened to it and allowed it to lure her to sleep.

She awoke with a start by Harry shaking her arm. May snorted and looked blearily at Harry. "What is it?" she slurred. She rubbed her eyes. "It's not even daylight out there. Wake me up when it's daytime."

"And miss blowing out our candles?" asked Harry.

"Candles? What candles?" asked May.

Harry pointed at something on the ground. "It's on our birthday cake."

May got down from the coffee table and crouched down to look at what Harry was pointing at. There was a birthday cake drawn in the sand that had ten candles. Written in the middle was:

Happy Birthday
May + Harry

May couldn't help but tear up a little. It was probably her first ever birthday cake, even if it was made out of sand. It was beautiful, in a way.

Dudley's watch beeped at twelve and Harry said, "Blow out the candles and make a wish."

May nodded and they both blew out the candles on the cake.

BOOM

May jumped up and swung to the door. "What was that?"

"Probably just thunder," said Harry.

May started, "That didn't sound like—"

BOOM

"There it is again," said May anxiously.

"Where's the cannon?" asked Dudley jerking awake.

Uncle Vernon skidded in, holding a double barrel rifle. May was surprised to see it and she grabbed Harry's arm. She whispered, "Does he even know how to use that?"

Harry shrugged.

"Who's there?" shouted Uncle Vernon. "I warn you! I'm armed!" He looked more intimated, which May thought should've been the other way round.

BOOM

SMASH

The door flew off the hinges and May ran to hide between the fireplace and the wall, dragging Harry with her. She backed up, pressing Harry against the fireplace. It didn't hurt that she was at least a inch taller than her brother. She looked over the top to see a giant of a man standing in the doorway.

The man had a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, bushy beard. May could barely make out his eyes. The man squeezed himself in through the doorway and picked up the door, putting it back on, dulling the sound of the raging storm outside. May lowered her head, hoping that the man won't see her.

"Sorry 'bout that," said the man in an ever gruffer tone than Uncle Vernon.

Did he just apologize? May thought.

"I demand you leave at once, sir," ordered Uncle Vernon. "You are breaking and entering!"

Aunt Petunia gasped and the man said, "Dry up, Dursley, yeh great prune!"

How does he know the Dursleys? wondered May.

There was a gunshot and May ducked and covered. She heard Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia shriek in fear.

"Boy, I haven't seen you since you was a baby, Harry, but you're a bit more along than I would have expected. Particularly 'round the middle!" the man said. May looked up to see that he was gesturing round his waist. "But, where's yer sister?"

Dudley sputtered, "I-I-I'm not Harry. A-a-and Ship's over there, too!"

May gritted her teeth at that 'nickname'.

Harry stepped round May and said, "I-I am. Harry, I mean."

"Oh, well, of course you are!" said the man. "And yer sister?"

"May's just cowering in fear," said Harry.

May stood up and walked to Harry. She scoffed, "I wasn't 'cowering in fear.' I was looking for my boots." She looked over at her boots, which were by the coffee table. "Found them."

The man seemed to smile at that. "Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point! I imagine that it'll taste fine just the same." He reached in his trenchcoat pocket and held out a white box that had a blue ribbon around it. "Ahh. Only had time to make one. Hope yeh don't mind sharing. Baked it myself. Words and all. Heh."

Harry took it and looked at May. "Together, May?"

"Together," said May. They unwrapped the box and opened it together.

It was a chocolate cake and in green frosting, it said:

Happy Birthday
Harry + Mayflower

It looked like May's name was smushed in at the last second and even though she hated her full name, she felt touched at the gesture.

"Thank you," said the twins in unison.

"We don't mind sharing," said May.

"It's not every day that you turn eleven, now is it?" asked the man.

He sat down on the vacated couch, took out a pink umbrella from his trench-coat and aimed it at the fireplace. To May's amazement, sparks flew out of the umbrella and right into the fireplace. A fire roared in the fireplace and warmth enveloped May.

"Ooh, that's nice," said May. She heard her aunt, uncle, and cousin gasping. It dawned on her, what just happened. This stranger gave them a cake, knew that she and Harry are twins, and that this stranger just started a fire in the fireplace, using his umbrella, which shot out sparks. Something impossible happened.

"Who are you?" asked Harry.

"True, I haven't introduced meself," said the stranger. "Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He shook Harry's whole arm and then May's.

"Hogwarts? Are you the person that has been sending us letters?" asked May.

"So, yeh know all about Hogwarts then," said Hagrid.

"Er – no," said the twins. Harry set the cake down on the coffee table. Hagrid looked shocked.

"Sorry," said Harry.

"Um, sorry," said May. "The Dursleys wouldn't allow us to read our letters. They kept taking them away."

Hagrid stood up to look at the Dursleys, "Sorry? It's them who should be sorry! I knew yeh two weren't getting yer letters, but taking them away, and not even knowing about Hogwarts, fer crying out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?"

"Learn all what?" asked May.

"Yeah, all what?" questioned Harry.

"All what?" thundered Hagrid. "Now wait jus' one second!" It seemed like in his anger, he was filling the whole hut. He was making the Dursleys cower against the wall.

"Do you mean to tell me that they – that they! – knows nothin' abou' – abou' anything?" demanded Hagrid.

"Excuse me?" said May flatly. She prided herself on her intelligence and she really hated her intelligence being insulted. "I'm not an idiot." She looked at Harry, "And he's not an idiot either. Even though I call him one."

"We can, you know, do maths and stuff," said Harry.

Hagrid waved that off, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."

"What world?" asked Harry.

"You mean, like a high society type of world?" asked May. She eyed Hagrid. He didn't look like he belonged to high society, but looks can be deceiving.

"Dursley!" shouted Hagrid.

Uncle Vernon had gone very pale and May was sure that Aunt Petunia looked like she was going to faint.

Hagrid looked back at the twins, bewildered, "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad. I mean, they're famous. You're famous."

May felt like Hagrid mostly directed the 'you're famous' part at Harry more than her, but she frowned. "Famous? For what?"

"Yeh don' know…yeh don' know," said Hagrid, running his hands through his hair. He looked really bewildered from Harry to May. "Yeh don' know what yeh are?"

Before May can say anything, Uncle Vernon shouted, "Stop! Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell them anything!"

The look that Hagrid had given Uncle Vernon would've made a braver man than Dursley, crumble. When Hagrid spoke, every syllable, was overlaid with rage, "You never told them? Never told them what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer them? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from them all these years?"

"Kept what from us?" asked Harry eagerly.

"Yeah, what didn't they tell us?" asked May.

Hagrid looked bewildered.

"Stop!" shouted Uncle Vernon. "I forbid you!"

Aunt Petunia gasped.

"You're a wizard, Harry," said Hagrid.

"I'm a what?" asked Harry confused.

Hagrid turned to May, "And you're a witch, Mayflower."

May felt confused over that. She didn't think she was a witch. Witches only existed in fantasy. But…in some way, she supposed it made sense. The strange occurrences where they was no way that it could've happened. The other part of her was saying that there was always a reasonable explanation for the strange occurrences. The boa constrictor escaping the tank could've been a malfunction.

"W-we're what?" asked Harry. He didn't sound like he believed it either.

"A witch and a wizard," said Hagrid. "An' thumpin' good'uns at that, I'd wager. Once you both train up a little."

May felt even more confused. She shook her head, "No, I think you're mistaken."

Harry nodded, "Yeah. I can't be…a-a wizard and May can't be a-a witch. I mean, I'm just…Harry. And May's just…May."

Hagrid started, "Well, just Harry and just Mayflower—"

"Please, call me May," said the girl. "I don't like being called Mayflower."

"Righ'," stated Hagrid. "Did either you make anythin' happen? Anythin' you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared?"

Harry and May looked at each other. May was thinking of all the weird things that had happen. Harry nodded.

Hagrid seemed to soften a little. "I reckon that it's abou' time yeh two read yer letters." He handed a letter to Harry and May.

May looked at the address, which was written in green ink:

Miss M. Potter

The Coffee Table
Hut-on-the-Rock
The Sea

May opened the letter and took out a piece of parchment. She looked at it and noticed that it was also written in green ink. She 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 a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Questions immediately came to May. What was a Mugwump? Who was Dumbledore? What was an Order of Merlin? What does 'we await your owl' even mean?

"They're not going! We swore when we took them in, we'd put a stop to this rubbish!" shouted Uncle Vernon.

Harry looked to be in disbelief, "You knew? You knew all along and you never told us?"

It suddenly made sense. All those incidents, big or small, that made the Dursleys punish her and Harry, even if it made no sense. The fact that the Dursleys hated the word magic or wanted to have anything that had to do with 'abnormality' or the fact that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon wanted the Potters and Dudley to have nothing that had 'witch' or 'wizard' in its title.

The biggest offender was the way that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia didn't seem all that surprised over Hagrid doing magic right in front of them.

"Of course they knew," said May. "It all makes sense now. The way that they're not all that bothered by Hagrid doing magic. They knew all along."

Aunt Petunia seemed to sputter and said, "Of course we knew. How could you not be a witch? 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 two, and I knew you'd both just be the same, just as…abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up. And we got landed with you two."

Harry looked angry as he said, "Blown up?"

"You always told us that they died in a car crash!" May yelled.

"A car crash? A car crash kill James and Lily Potter?" said Hagrid.

"We had to tell them something," said Aunt Petunia.

"It's an outrage! It's a scandal!" thundered Hagrid. "Harry an' May Potter not knowin' their own story when every kid in our world knows their names!"

"They're not going!" shouted Uncle Vernon, before May could even ask what they were famous for.

"Oh, and I suppose a great Muggle like yourself's going to stop them, are you?" asked Hagrid.

May frowned at the strange word. She never heard that word before and she thought that she should know what it meant, considering that she had read the dictionary three times. "What's a Muggle?"

"It's non-magic folk," said Hagrid and turned back to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. "These two had their names down ever since they were born! They're going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and they'll be under the finest headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen: Albus Dumbldore."

"I will not pay for some crackpot old fool to teach them magic tricks!" Uncle Vernon shouted over May before she can ask a question.

Hagrid pulled out his umbrella and pointed it at Uncle Vernon, "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me!"

May noticed that Dudley was eating her and Harry's cake near the window. She felt angry at how Dudley was so greedy, that he had to steal their cake, which was probably the first one that they ever had. "Hey! Get away from our cake, you big glutton!"

Hagrid turned and aimed his umbrella at Dudley's rear. There was a flash of violet light as Hagrid fired a spark at him. Dudley fell face-down right in the twins' cake.

Dudley jumped up with his hands over his rear, which had a grey pig's tail protruding from his rear-end. Dudley did what looked like a jig, before running to his parents, who shrieked in fright, grabbed Dudley, and ran inside the only bedroom.

May couldn't help but laugh at the sight. She noticed Harry was smiling at the sight.

Hagrid turned to the twins, "Oh, um, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. I'm –er – not allowed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh two, an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff – one of the reasons why I was so keen ter take on the job—"

"Why aren't you allowed to do magic?" questioned Harry.

"That does seem to be a bit cruel," said May. "Knowing that you have magic, but not being allowed to actually use it."

"So, why aren't you allowed to do magic?" repeated Harry.

Hagrid took out a pocket watch and looked at it. "Ooh, getting a bit late, and we've got lots ter do tomorrow. Gotta get up ter town and get yer books an' all that." He took off his overcoat and threw it to Harry, who managed to capture it. "You two can kip under that. Don' mind if it wriggles a bit. I think I still got a couple o' dormice in one of the pockets."

Harry and May looked at each other, before going over to the spot on the floor. May got on the coffee table and used part of the overcoat to cover herself. It was the warmest thing she had ever had close to a blanket. She didn't even know how cold she was until she got under the overcoat.

"Good night, Harry," May said.

"Good night, May," said Harry.

Hagrid had taken the couch that Dudley had previously occupied. May looked at the giant, hoping that it wouldn't break. "Good night, Hagrid."

"G'night, May," murmured Hagrid looking like he was smiling.

And somehow, May managed to fall asleep, feeling like she had the best birthday for the first time since she lived with the Dursleys.