Chapter 5: First Year (Part 1)
4th, August, Wednesday, 1998.
The next morning after breakfast all nine Weasley's, the three Potters, Sirius, Regulus and Hermione were sitting in the living room at the Burrow, waiting on Remus, Dora, Andy, the Malfoy's and Minerva.
There was a knock on the door, Molly went to get it, when she came back Remus, Dora (Carrying Teddy who was asleep in her arms), Andy and the two Malfoy's were behind her.
"Hey Cissy?" Sirius asked. "What happened to Lucius?"
"He received a lifetime sentance in Azkaban." she replied. "Not that it matters to me I'm divorcing him and going back to my maiden name." she explained.
"And I'm changing my name to Black as well." Draco added, "he may be my father but I don't want anything to do with him. Not after he practically ruined my life by forcing me to be on the Dark Side of the war."
Sirius looked shocked but nodded.
The Floo lit up after a minute of silence and Minerva stepped through holding the pensive.
"Hello everyone. Am I the last to arrive? Sorry if I'm late Albus's portrait and Severus's portrait were having a debate and I got dragged into it." she said.
"It's okay Minerva the others had just arrived anyway," Harry reassured her, "Let's start then shall we?"
Everyone nodded and Harry took the pensive from Minerva setting it on a table and putting the first few memories of his first year in it. After he was done he asked Minerva if there was a charm that would allow them all to see it (without having to stick their heads in) and to allow people to hear his thought's, there was and Minerva cast a spell that made a screen appear above the pensive and another one for the thoughts. Harry then turned to the rest of the room.
"For those of you who don't know I grew up with my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon." he said.
"WHAT!" James and Lily shouted shocked.
James rounded on Sirius "And where were you." he demanded.
"In Azkaban." Sirius winced.
"What? Why?" Lily asked as Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder in support.
"I was framed for your death's and the deaths of 13 people when it was the traitor. I didn't get a trial." Sirius said resentfully.
"How long?" James demanded.
"12 years Prong's. He escaped in Harry's third year." Remus answered for Sirius.
James and Lily were shocked then they got up and went to hug Sirius.
"Oh Padfoot I'm so sorry. We should have told Dumbledore about the swap." James said thickly.
"S'okay, we didnt know Peter was the traitor." Sirius said back.
"You were sent to Azkaban?" Regulus asked, "Your meant to be the good one out of the two of us, the one that didn't land in prison." he shook his head and fell silent.
When they returned to their seats Harry said, "Lets start then shall we," everyone nodded, "by the way I lived in a cubbord for 10 years."
"WHAT! How could Petunia do that! Especialy to a child." Lily shouted while many in the room growled.
"You never told us that!" Molly exclaimed.
"It never came up." Harry defended himself.
"We had to coax it out of him." Ron added.
"So even if you asked he would've denied it." Hermione huffed.
"We will start with my cousin Dudley's birthday." Harry said calmly. He then flicked his wand and the first memory started.
"Up! Get up! Now!"
Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.
"Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the cooker. He rolled on to his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorbike in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.
"You remembered that Harry?" Minerva asked quietly, looking faintly shocked.
Harry nodded, "Yeah, I just didn't know it was real before."
"What was real?" James asked confused.
"I gave Hagrid my motorbike the night you were killed to get Harry to his Aunt's, I knew I was going to be arrested and that I wouldn't be needing it anymore." Sirius said, "I'm guessing you remember some of the journey Harry?"
Harry nodded, "Bits of the journey."
"Wait what happened?" Regulus asked and Harry quickly explained what happened the night his parents died. "Oh that's better thank you. I was kind of lost." he admitted, "But I understand now."
His aunt was back outside the door.
"Are you up yet?" she demanded.
"Nearly," said Harry.
"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."
"Duddy?" Sirius asked through laughter.
"My cousin Dudley." Harry snickered.
"Wait a minute, they made you cook?" Molly asked.
"Yes, since I tuned 5 they made me cook for them," Harry admitted, "I used to get in trouble if anything got burned and if I burned myself they didn't care."
"I am going to KILL PETUNIA!" Lily shouted.
"Don't bother Mum it's all in the past now and I never have to go back." Harry soothed.
"He's right Lily I'm mad too but there's not much we can do about the past." James said softly.
"We're skipping a little by the way. I just wanted to show you where I slept. We're skipping to my first time to the zoo, they usualy left me with Mrs. Figg when they went out but she broke her leg." Harry added so no-one was confused. "Oh and Dudley's friend Piers was there too."
It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice-creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice lolly. It wasn't bad either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head and looking remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.
This set most of the room into laughter especially the Marauders and the twins.
Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunch-time, wouldn't fall back on their favourite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory wasn't big enough, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first.
Harry felt, afterwards, that he should have known it was all too good to last.
"Uh oh," George started.
"That dosn't sound good." Fred finished.
After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in here, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a dustbin—but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.
Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.
"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.
"Do it again," Dudley ordered.
"Was Dudley always like that Harry?" Ron asked, Harry nodded, "I feel sorry for you having to put up with him."
Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.
"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.
Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself—no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up
"I'm not so sure Harry, it seems pretty even," commented Sirius.
—at least he got to visit the rest of the house.
"That's true… but is that really a good thing?" Dora asked.
The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's.
It winked.
"I may not know much about snakes, but I'm pretty sure they don't do that," said James.
"No, Prongs, they don't." Remus said, "They don't have eyelids."
"It may have been a magical snake." Ginny pointed out, "Some of them do actually have eyelids."
"I suspect it was." Harry nodded, "Considering it's actions I'm surprised I didn't suspect magic. I didn't even know I was a wizard at that time."
"You weren't told?" Arthur asked curiously.
Harry shook his head, "Not until I first met Hagrid."
Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.
The snake jerked its head towards Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time."
"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."
The snake nodded vigorously.
"Your a Parselmouth?" James asked shocked.
"Yes. I am." was what Harry said, but it came out as a series of hissing.
"There's your proof." Ginny smiled, "Harry you just spoke it."
"Oop's." he said determindly looking away from the memory-snake. "I cant control it, if I see a snake it happens automatically half the time." he explained.
"Kind of creepy. But how are you a Parselmouth? It dosn't run in the family as far as I know." James frowned.
"Some of Voldemort's powers transferred to me when the Killing Curse rebounded." he told them, "One of those powers was Parseltounge." he shrugged.
"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked.
The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.
Boa Constrictor, Brazil.
"Was it nice there?"
The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see—so you've never been to Brazil?"
"Um… Harry?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah Gin?"
"Are you actualy talking to a snake about Brazil?"
"I suppose so." he smirked.
As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"
Dudley came waddling towards them as fast as he could.
"So it must've been about a day." the twins laughed.
"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs.
Everybody growled. Ginny's was the most impressive as she was a Lycan, even more impressive than Remus's and he was a Werewolf.
Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened—one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.
"What did you do?" Draco asked eagerly, "What? He's a bigger git than I was." he added defensivley when he got odd looks from most in the room.
Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished.
"Awesome!" yelled the twins while everyone else laughed.
The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out on to the floor—people throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.
As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo."
Everyone laughed again as Harry said, "We're skipping a bit again until I finally got my Hogwarts letter. Let's just say my Uncle and Aunt tried to out run the letters but Hagrid finaly appeared and gave me one. Oh and they gave me my own room after the first one came adressed to 'The cubbord under the stairs'."
Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car and disappeared.
It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.
"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television."
"Learn to not get what you want, you spoiled child!" said Molly.
"He learned eventually." Harry chuckled, "Last time I heard him whine for something was just before my 15th birthday."
Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday—and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television—then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun—last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat-hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.
"How nice. They wouldn't give their own kid that crap, so why Harry?" asked James.
"Because they didn't like me and the feeling was mutual." Harry shrugged.
Still, you weren't eleven every day.
Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.
"That's not good." Draco commented, thinking about how his father used to smile like that and shuddering.
He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.
"I wonder what it is." Fluer said.
"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!" It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out to sea.
Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine.
One thing was certain, there was no television in there.
"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"
"Nutter. It'll be freezing in that shack!" Andy said outraged.
"Yeah. And it still won't stop the letters. Minnie always knows!" James announced making Minerva smile slightly.
A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowing boat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them.
"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"
It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces.
They all shivered. Sirius harder than everyone else as this reminded him of Azkaban.
After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.
The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls and the fire-place was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.
Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a packet of crisps each and four bananas.
"Some rations. You'd think a fat man would bring more food!" Lily said.
He tried to start a fire but the empty crisp packets just smoked and shrivelled up.
"Could do with some of those letters now eh?" he said cheerfully.
"Git." James said.
He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver post.
"Wrong." sang the Marauders.
Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.
As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows.
Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa.
She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could find and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.
"That damn woman!" James cursed.
"I hate her." Lily said decisively.
The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger.
Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight.
The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all,
"Probably not." Hermione said sadly.
wondering where the letter-writer was now.
Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although it might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.
Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that and (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty seconds… ten—nine—maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him—
"You know that would be funny. But you'd probably get in trouble for it mate." Ron commented getting a nod from Harry.
"I didn't need to anyway. Watch what happens." he grinned.
three—two—one—BOOM.
The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.
"Don't worry it's Hagrid." Harry reassured everyone as they suddenly looked worried.
BOOM!
"He's quite loud isn't he?" Bill asked when Ginny, Harry and Remus winced at the loud noise, with thier sensitive hearing it was louder.
"Of course he is Bill." Charlie said, "You guys okay?" he added to the three that winced. They
nodded.
They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.
"Where's the canon?" he said stupidly.
"I feel sorry for you Harry," Percy said sympathetically, "having to grow up with that idiot."
There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands.
"He had a GUN! In a house with two young children," Minerva said outraged, "he's an imbicele. What if the boys had found it!?"
All the women nodded, Harry just smiled at the over-protective women around him but wisely said nothing.
Now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them.
"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you—I'm armed!"
There was a pause. Then—SMASH!
Harry, Ginny and Remus winced again.
The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. A giant of a man was standing in the doorway.
His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.
"Couldn't make a cup o' tea could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"
He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.
"Or maybe he really froze." said James hopefully getting appreciative chuckles from many in the room.
"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.
They all snickered.
"Hagrid's just met Dudley and he already doesn't like him." said Lily cheerfully.
Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother,
"Like he'd fit there," snorted the twins.
who was crouching, terrified behind Uncle Vernon.
"Oh, that'd probably work better." James and Sirius said together.
"An' here's Harry!" said the giant.
"You know that was kinda odd," Harry commented, "I didn't know who he was but he knew me. I'm a little used to it now what with the fame but it's still uncomfortable when people stare at my scar." he explained to everyone who was confused.
Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.
"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."
Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.
"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"
"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant.
"GO HAGRID!" shouted the twins and Marauders.
He reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.
"Serves you right," Andy said. "stupid man."
Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.
"Anyway—Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here—I mighta sat on it at some point,
They all laughed.
but it'll taste all right."
From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.
Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth
"Hagrid has that effect on people." Sirius mused.
"Yeah I was shocked the first time I saw him." Regulus added.
and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"
"Hagrid really should have intoduced himself before you had to ask Harry." Minerva said. Harry shrugged.
"He hadn't seen me since I was a year old." he said in his oldest friend's defence.
The giant chuckled.
"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."
He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.
"I remember when he did that to me," James muttered, "my arm went numb."
"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."
They laughed at that.
His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled crisp packets in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire.
"But Hagrid wasn't allowed to use magic away from Hogwarts." Minerva said shocked.
"He was allowed to use it to get to me." Harry explained.
It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warm rush over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.
The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy packet of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs and a bottle of some amber liquid which he took a swig from before starting to make tea.
"Hagrid!" Lily said shocked, the other women looked shocked as well while the men grinned.
Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage.
Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little.
Uncle Vernon said sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."
"Dudley wouldn't listen." Fred said remembering the incident with the ton-tongue toffee.
The giant chuckled darkly. "Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' any more, Dursley, don' worry."
"Got that right." George snickered.
He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry, he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant.
"He is somewhat of an odd sight, isn't he?" Bill asked getting nod's from most in the room.
Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, "I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts—yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course."
Harry shook his head, "Nope the Dursley's never told me anything."
Minerva looked shocked, "I told Albus not to leave you with them," she said frowning, "Is this how you found out about magic?" Harry nodded.
"Yeah Hagrid had to tell me everything even my own story." he admitted.
"If I had known that I would have come for you myself." she said, "Hagrid's not the best at explaining."
"Er—no," said Harry.
Hagrid looked shocked. "Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"It's them that should be sorry, Harry!" said Ginny firmly.
"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them tha' should be sorry!"
Everyone nodded firmly.
"I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?"
"All what?" asked Harry.
"Oh, I can't listen to this," said James dramatically.
"ALL WHAT?"
Remus, Harry and Ginny rubbed thier ears.
Hagrid thundered.
"Now wait jus' one second!"
He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.
Everyone, except Harry and Minerva as they had both seen Hagrid like this at close range before, looked shocked.
"That's quite scary." Hermione said with wide eyes.
"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy—this boy—knows
nothing abou'—about ANYTHING?"
Harry thought this was going a bit far.
He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.
"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do maths and stuff."
But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."
"What world?"
Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
"Remus, Ginny cover your ears." Harry said covering his own knowing what was coming next.
"DURSLEY!" he boomed.
This time Teddy, who had been fast asleep through the rest of the noise, woke up and started crying until Harry went over to him and started making coloured hoops come out of his wand making his parents stare at him in shock.
"Harry?" James questioned hesitantly.
"Yeah Dad?"
"Do you know that I was doing that for you the night we were attacked by Voldemort?"
"Yeah Dad I can remember that night." Harry said softly. His parents looked at him sadly as everyone else looked shocked and confused. "Dementors." Harry added as an explanation clearing up the confusion. Sirius looked guilty and Remus looked understanding. "It wasn't your fault Sirius, you never told the dementors to guard the school when you escaped." he said so only Sirius could hear him. Sirius still looked guilty but nodded.
Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like 'Mimblewimble'
"Wasn't that the password to Gryffindor tower in our sixth year?" Lily asked Remus.
"Yes it was." he replied looking amused.
Hagrid stared wildly at Harry. "But yeh must know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."
"What? My—my mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"
"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. "Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.
"Nope." Harry said cheerfully, "I do now though." he added.
Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.
"Bad timing." Cissy said.
"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"
"Yeah, like that'll stop him." Minerva chuckled.
A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.
"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him?"
"What letter?" Remus asked.
"Albus left a letter with Harry explaining what had happened." Minerva explained.
"I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"
"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.
"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.
Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry—yer a wizard."
"That was a shock." Harry laughed.
"I imagine it was," Hermione said, "I was shocked when Minerva told me." she smiled at the older witch who smiled back.
There was a silence inside the hut.
Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. "I'm a what?"
"A wizard," said James happily. Harry rolled his eyes.
"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin good'un I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."
Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc Chr. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. 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 exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks
"Imagine that. Fireworks in someone's head!" said the twins with distant and dangerous looks on thier face's making Molly groan.
and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does it mean, they await my owl?"
"That's the question you chose?" asked Sirius disbelievingly. "Of all the stuff you could have asked… you ask about owls?" Harry shrugged.
"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled out an owl—a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl
"Ah, so thats why Anon was in a huff all week." Minerva said making everyone snicker.
a long quill and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note which Harry could read upside down
"I can barely read his writing the right way around." James commented, looking impressed.
Dear Professor Dumbledore
Given Harry his letter. Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.
Hagrid.
Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door and threw the owl out into the storm.
"That's nice." Dora said rolling her eyes and bouncing Teddy on her knee making him giggle.
"That reminds me, Teddy knows some words now." Andy said to her daughter and son-in-law.
"Really?" Remus asked, "He's only 6 months old isn't it a bit early for him to be talking."
"Not at all, Draco was only 6 and a half months old when he said his first word." Narcissa said smiling when Draco turned red.
"Remember Harry was only 6 months when he said his first word too." Lily added.
"Oh yeah," Sirius said, "What was it he said again?"
"Easy Padfoot it was 'Mooey' he couldn't say the letter 'n'." James reminded him.
Everyone laughed as Harry turned bright red.
"Anyway what words dose Teddy know?" Dora asked eagerly.
"He can say 'Unca Har', 'Unca Dray', 'Auny Ciss', 'Gramma', 'Bubble', 'Hungy' and a few others like 'Hello' and 'Bye'. He can also say 'Wet' meaning he needs a fresh nappy." Andy replied smiling.
As if on cue Teddy said, "Unca Har." and held his arms out Harry walked over and scooped him up making his godson squeel with delight.
"Teddy can you go to 'Mum'?" Harry asked the young child pointing at Dora.
Teddy frowned as if thinking then said "Mum." and reached for Dora again.
"Teddy," Dora said, "can you say 'Dad'?" she asked her son while pointing at Remus.
Teddy looked at Remus and cocked his head to the side. Remus smiled at him, he smiled back and said "Dada." then crawled onto his knee yawned and fell asleep again making everyone smile.
"Well that's two new words he can say now, even if he added the a onto Dad." Andy said happily, "He's coming along quite well with them, it probably wont be long until he can name everyone." she chuckled.
Then he came back and sat down as though this was normal as talking on the telephone.
"No," said Sirius. "It's more normal than that."
"Not to Muggles Sirius." Harry pointed out. Sirius shrugged.
Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.
"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.
"He's not going," he said.
Hagrid grunted. "I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.
"You tell them Hagrid!" the twins shouted very loudly, making Harry, Ginny and Remus wince. "Sorry." they said to the three looking guilty.
"We forgot about your sensitive hearing." Fred added, Ginny growled at her big brother.
"A what?" said Harry, interested.
"A Muggle," said Hagrid. "It's what we call non-magic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."
"Too right," Remus muttered. "I would have taken you in but the Ministry would never allow it because of my condition." he explained.
"It's alright Remus I understand." Harry told him. Remus nodded.
"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard, indeed!"
" 'Rubbish'? That's not rubbish!" yelled Lily indignantly. "You should've seen Petunia when I found out I was a witch! She was dying to be one too!"
"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a—a wizard?"
"Of course she did! Her sister was one!" James said.
"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was?"
"Hey!" said both Lily and James.
"Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that—that school—and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning teacups into rats."
"She remembered that?" Lily said shocked.
"You did magic out of school?" James asked.
"Yeah. They allowed me to show my family how it works, show I'm not wasting my time and that it's not all a giant scam or anything."
"Seems fair," said Remus.
"I also turned all her clothes pink. Suited her. But she was mad!" Lily laughed. Everyone was shocked that she'd do something like that. "Don't give me that look! Judging by how she has treated my son, she deserves a lot worse! Besides, I changed them back to normal! Well… most of them." She grinned evilly.
"I was the only one who saw her for what she was—a freak!"
"She started calling me that when I was leaving for Hogwarts for the first time." Lily said as the Marauders growled.
"But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"
She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed like she had been wanting to say all this for years. "Then she met that Potter at school"
" 'That Potter' am I?" James said furiously.
"and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be the same, just as strange, just as—as abnormal"
"You're the damn abnormal ones! You're the freaks!" James said with venom in his voice.
"Prongs." Remus said warningly, Teddy still fast asleep on his knee, as Sirius said, "Calm down, Prongs."
"—and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up"
"She thinks we wanted that." Lily said sadly.
"and we got landed with you!"
Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"
"NO WE DID NOT!" James and Lily bellowed at the same time.
"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid,
This made the three with sensitive hearing wince again.
jumping so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter?"
"Exactly! It couldn't!" Lily said.
"It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"
"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.
They all sighed, upset that 11 year old Harry didn't know the truth.
The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious. "I never expected this," he said in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh—but someone's gotta—yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin."
He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.
"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh—mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"
He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with—with a person called—but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows—"
"Voldemort." everyone said.
"Who?"
"Well—I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."
"Why not?"
"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad."
"Understatement of the century, but go on." said Harry making everyone chuckle.
"As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…"
Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.
"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.
"Nah—can't spell it."
They allowed themselves to laugh a bit at that.
"All right—Voldemort." Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyway, this—this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too—some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… Terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him—an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of."
"Yeah, that was true." Ron said, "But I think he was afraid of Harry as well."
"Yeah, but only because he saw me as a threat and a massive thorn in his side." Harry said.
"Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew."
James and Lily smiled, but it wasnt their normal smile's. It was much sadder.
"Head Boy an' Girl at Hogwarts in their day. Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before…"
"He did when we were in sixth year. We refused." James said. "Thats why he tried so hard to kill us."
"probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em… maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old. He came ter yer house an'—an'—"
Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with the sound of a foghorn. "Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad—knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find"
James and Lily smiled sadly again.
"anyway—You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then—an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing—he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches
yeh—took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even—but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided to kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of the age—the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts"
"They were my little brothers," Molly said sadly, "Fabian and Gideon Prewett. They were troublemakers just like Fred and George." the twins looked at each other then got up, crossed the room and hugged thier mother.
"So we live up to our middle names?" Fred inquired as he and George sat down again.
"More than double." Arthur nodded, "Your uncles were two of the most fun loving people you could ever meet. But you two have always been twice as bad."
"They didnt pull pranks or anything but they always found something to joke about, even if it was bad news they could always cheer everyone up." Molly smiled.
"And keep everyone amused when things got boring." James grinned, "Fabian used to play the Guitar with Frank Longbottom at Order meetings, Gideon would play the flute."
"And you and Sirius would jump about like idiots with the kids." Remus smirked.
"We got you to do it too sometimes." Sirius pointed out. "Mainly when it was close to the full moon and your inner troublemaker wanted to be free."
"True enough." Remus shrugged, "It wasnt just you two trying to get me to take part though." he added before looking at Harry, "You were very insistent that I didn't sit down at all when the music was on." he mock-huffed.
Harry grinned, "You must've been lazy then." he teased.
"—an' you was only a baby an' you lived."
Something very painful was going on inside Harry's mind.
As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before—and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life—a high, cold, cruel, laugh.
"That's Voldemort Isn't it Harry?" Bill asked, Harry nodded and gave a small smile but his eyes were slightly haunted.
Hagrid was watching him sadly.
"Took yer from the ruined House myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…"
"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon.
Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.
"Now you listen here, boy," he snarled. "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured"
"They didn't touch me!" Harry said loudly as everyone made noises of rage, that seemed to calm them down, but only just.
"and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my opinion asked for all they got, getting mixed up with all these wizarding types—just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end—"
But at that moment, Hagrid leapt up from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat.
Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley—I'm warning you—one more word…"
In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.
"Spear him on the umbrella!" the Weasley boys and the Marauders shouted.
"That's better," said Hagrid breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.
Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.
"But what happened to Vol—sorry—I mean, You-Know-Who?"
"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see… he was gettin' more an' more powerful—why'd he go? Some say he died."
"Did he?" Lily asked.
"Nope." Sirius said popping the 'p'.
"Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who were on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've done if he was comin' back. Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on—I dunno what it was, no one does—but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."
Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake.
A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard?
"They used that as a punishment." Harry explained, "For the incident at the zoo I was locked in the cupboard for a week with no meals."
"Did they do that often?" Molly asked making Harry nod, "Oh, no wonder you were always so skinny when you came to us during the summer."
"They didn't after I knew the truth, I got my own room and they stopped using the cupboard threat completely." he shrugged.
"And started locking you in your room instead." Ron muttered.
If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?
"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."
To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. "Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you were scared or angry?"
Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry… chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach…
"I ended up on the school roof." Harry explained.
"You apperated?" Charlie asked shocked, Harry shrugged.
"It didn't feel like it." he said, "I think it was just some kind of accidental magic." everyone nodded, thinking that was probably true.
dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back…
"Well, no one can beat the Potter hair." James mused while Harry nodded grinning.
And the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?
Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him. "See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard—you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."
But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight. "Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish—spell books and wands and—"
"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled—"
"Ginny, Remus cover your ears again." Harry warned covering his own.
"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon.
But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head.
"NEVER—" he thundered, "—INSULT—ALBUS—DUMBLEDORE—IN—FRONT—OF—ME!"
He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley.
There was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal and next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain.
When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.
Everyone burst out laughing even Minerva, who was trying to look dissaproving, smiled. When at last they sobered up, which took at least 20 minutes, the memory continued.
Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.
Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.
"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig"
Renewed laughter filled the room, but more controlled this time.
"but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."
He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.
"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "I'm—er—not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff—one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job—"
"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.
"Oh, well—I was at Hogwarts meself but I—er—got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."
"Why were you expelled?"
"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."
He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. "You can kip under that," he said. "Don't mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."
"Ew!" said Lily as most of the women wrinkled thier noses.
"I think we should have a break." Harry suggested.
"Good idea dear, we can have a spot of lunch." Molly said. Everyone nodded and went into the kitchen for lunch.