23rd September 1972
We met Hagrid for the first time today, and he invited us in for a cup of tea. I accepted as I could see that pillock James walking out of the school and I didn't want to deal with any of his antics today. He's an absolute diamond of a person, friendly, gentle, and kind all wrapped up in one massive cuddly frame. Once you've spoken to him for more than a few words you can't help but love him. But my god, he sucks at cooking, grandma Rose cooks rock cakes but at least you can gnaw on them and actually eat one. Hagrid's? I swear they'd be better used for skipping than eating, maybe as pack rations as a way of stretching out your food. By making other things seem edible. Also, as a note never ever tell him something you want to keep secret. Oh, he'll keep his trap shut when asked directly, and let it slip the next moment by accident. It's how we found out he's raising a Cerberus and he's called it Fluffy of all things.
Harry was the first to break the stunned silence, "Right, well, let's not look in that mirror again."
"I know, it's freaky I saw us being handed our doctorates by the Minister of Magic."
"I saw us and my mother with her hand on our shoulders. How do you know it was the Minister of Magic?"
"I'm not actually sure. Anyway, how do you suppose that stone got there, and do you think it's important?"
"I've got no idea, maybe Chirpy ate an old enchantment and it fell out of it. Stick it in your bag and we'll hand it over to a teacher later."
With that they collected Chirpy and the stone and continued onto the library. Once there Hermione pulled out books on invisibility cloaks, including the invisible book on invisibility. Meanwhile Harry unconsciously switched to his male form in excitement as he looked for books on the fae to see if he could find any reliable information about the people he was possibly related to. A couple of hours later he gave up in disgust. Hermione looked at him as he threw his quill on the floor.
"Are you OK?"
"Yeah, just peachy. It's just these books, I can't read them look."
He spun the book around and pointed to a passage that mentioned sidhe.
Harold Roosterfen forþringan dôð folcscipe un−l¯æd Shieldaig on−gêan wægn hrêoh hunta ymbe duguð ðridda nu geong môna of ðone as gêar 1108. Hé þǣm worde ðêah ðæge pro wîte onwindan âîeðan wægn smiððe samðe in phrase samðsamð
ðær wýscan gnêðnes râd îsen. stæfr¯æw rîm un−l¯æd ðone as sidhe dêaðcwylmende, ð¯ær and there ymbe eftsîð dohtor Durnstable swête swilce dimf b¯æm f¯æmne onemn bêga âstîgend mid unblêoh hwît feax. Magon sê gyden âhreddan hêo môdsefa hwæt nâteshwôn scêawian hiere of hê tirgan hearra wyrt−rum to duguð hidercyme gearmæ_lum.
Hermione looked at it for a good 30 minutes before giving up, "I have no idea what language this is written in."
"Apparently English, as it's from the section on Scottish history, and as far as I know they spoke English in 1108."
"Maybe Madam Pince will have an idea."
"I'll go ask."
Harry carefully closes up the book with a piece of blank parchment on the edge to mark the place. Then takes the book to Madam Pince.
"Excuse me Madam Pince, do you know if there's any way to read the text in these books?" He lays the book down and opens it to the necessary passage.
"Aye, you read more modern books until they make sense and then read the older books. You could also ask some of the oldest paintings to teach you if you can find one that you can understand."
"Would you know where to find one of those paintings?"
"I'm a librarian not a teacher or historian, so no I don't. I can point you to any of the books you may need in here, I can tell you about book care and maintenance, but I can't tell you where to find a painting that is actually old enough to do what you want."
Dejected he returns to the table, packs up the books and returns them to the shelves before sitting down next to Hermione.
"No luck?"
"Not as such, I either need to read enough older books that I can go back to even older until it starts to make sense or find a portrait in this vast castle that changes it's layout all the sodding time that can read and speak the language and also speak modern enough English that I can understand it."
"So no translation spells, or the like?"
"Not that she mentioned. Though I'm not sure how that would even work."
Hermione continued her research as Harry amused himself with some of the other books in the Library related to their schoolwork. She wasn't sure why he'd chosen to stay with her, but it was nice and she'd missed him while they were on holiday. Her hand strayed to the locket that he'd bought her for Christmas, yep, missed him.
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A few days later Hedwig arrived with a note for Hermione. She pointedly ignored Harry because she'd been banished from the dorm by McGonagall to much amusement of the rest of the first years when Harry tried to beg for her forgiveness. Imperiously she handed the letter off to Hermione and then stole all the bacon off Harry's plate before flying away.
She unfolded the note and read it
Hermine
I know you have Chirpy, would you be able to come down after class to help me find Nibbler as he's disappeared and isn't in his normal hiding spots.
Hagrid
She passed the note over to Harry, "Well I know what I'm doing this afternoon."
"I'll come along if you want." Lavender peered over Harry's shoulder to read the note.
"It'll be nice to have the company"
"Would you mind if I came, I could practice the eye thing." Lavender asked
"Sure, why not make it a girls thing while we're at it."
"That sounds like a great idea, I'll get Pav to try and get a picnic basket together and we can all help and then share cakes and stuff with him."
Hermione shook her head, sarcasm and subtly was lost on Lavender when she wanted to do something.
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That afternoon saw seven girls crowding around the door to Hagrid's hut, Harry was wearing her new and improved look and had changed into a girls uniform to fit in with the rest. Hagrid opened the door and looked at the gathered girls and then stopped when his eyes came to Harry.
"Dear Merlin, Lily." He breathed as he held his hand to his chest.
"Sorry Mr Hagrid, I'm Harry. But thank you for telling me that I look like my Mother."
"Ah, sorry 'bout that, and Mr Hagrid was my father, just call me Hagrid. Well there's a lot of ya so it might be a squeeze, but come on in. Don't mind Fang he's just noisy."
The seven of them trooped in and found a seat wherever they could after they'd had the obligatory sniff and slobber from Fang. Kellah didn't react well to that, but it turns out that Fay and Melissa are both dog people and were happy to keep Fang distracted with hugs, scritches, and pats on the other side of the hut. Harry noticed that Hermione's eyes had already been drawn to the only piece of writing currently visible in the hut, it looked like it was a newspaper clipping on a scrapbook.
Parvati put the picnic basket down on the counter, before she said "I had to get Susan's help to find the kitchens, did you know that the Hufflepuff dorms are very close to the entrance? But I told the elves, and I never knew there were so many elves in the castle, what we were doing and before I knew it they'd filled this basket and shoved it in my hands. Lavender, you get to pick up snacks next time as it took me longer to get out with only the one basket, and a couple of biscuits to tide me over, than it did to get this first one. I swear they've weaponised that disappointed look that kittens and puppies give when you're not doing what they want.
"Anyway, after Lav has done her thing and then Harry or Hermione find your missing pet we can have tea and cakes," she glances into the basket, then slams it shut, "and sandwiches, butterbeers, salad, and I think I saw a bone of something."
"Aww, ya shouldn't 'ave done, ah always 'ave rock cakes and tea for guests."
Harry speaks up excitedly, "I read about those in my mothers journal, is it true that you've got a Cerberus?"
"Oh, Fluffy, yes I'd let you meet him but he's currently on the third floor helping guard the stone for the 'eadmaster. I shouldn't 'ave said that."
Parvati interrupted the conversation before it could get started, "Lavender, could you do your thing so that it doesn't get forgotten and then we can talk about Harry's mother."
"Oh, yes ah forgot about nibbler, ah didn't think anyone else could see 'im 'part from 'arry and 'ermione."
"They can see them all the time, but it seems like it's something that any witch or wizard could learn to do. It just takes time and effort, I wasn't even trying to learn just supporting them in their evening meditations, same as the rest of us. Just give me a moment and I'll see what I can see." Lavender then closed her eyes in a light meditation before opening them with a slight glow visible to Harry and Hermione. She started to look around when Chirpy squirmed free from Hermione and climbed up Lavenders robes while another aictuilaxr jumped down onto her shoulder. She fell backward on giggling on the bed as two sets of tentacles tickled her face and ears trying to get more of the magic she'd used to try and see Nibbler.
Harry smiled at Lavender and then said to Hagrid, "Well I think she's found him, not the way she was expecting though. He seems to have built a nest up there." She points to where he was hiding.
With that Parvati starts passing out the food and drink and they start chatting, some about the Harry's parents and other funny stories from Hagrid's time working at the school, some about the various creatures that he looked after and a promise to show them a unicorn, just not at the moment as there were problems in the forest that had them spooked. The only awkward spot was when Harry nudged Hermione to stop reading and partipate.
"Huh, what? I was just reading an article about a Gringotts breaking in at the end of July. Apparently nothing was stolen." She responded defensively.
"'ey, there's no need to worry about that, ah emptied the vault earlier in the day. Ah shouldn't 'ave said that. Ignore what ah said, it's between Flamel and the 'eadmaster."
With that the conversation carried on, with the occasional futile admonishment from Hermione such as "No Fay, we're can't go and play with Fluffy, I don't care how cute he sounds.", attempts at eating a rock cake to be polite, and a brief detour into their meditations every night, the afternoon turned to evening and time to head to dinner and the chatting circle.