Harry of Hog and the Saga of Hogswarth

A/N: Hi again! Now the introductions are over and the story can properly begin…MagikCat's review made me so happy, I wanted to get this out really fast! Thank you so much for commenting. :) I think it will be kind of switching pov/storyline each chapter, as there are many stories I want to tell in this universe. Well, we'll see how it goes. This one will be about our main heroes, Harry and Ron. Enjoy, and please everyone review when you've read I to let me know if you liked it!

Chapter 2: The Lost Boys

Harry looked around him. There was, as far as he could see, nothing. But then again...

"Hurrrgh!" he exclaimed, as he rolled to the right. Where he had been a split second before, a giant of a man was now standing, holding on to nothing. Harry smiled.

"Yeh reflexes are improvin'," the huge man said gruffly. But there was a certain edge of pride detectable.

"Thanks Hagrid," Harry said. "So, you want to take one more round?"

Hagrid laughed. "Yeh don't tire easily, do yeh? But I'm hungry, let's head home."

And so they went.

As they walked, Hagrid looked down at Harry. The boy had grown a lot, he certainly had. When Hagrid had found him he was only a baby, scared and alone. He had found him near the river running through the forest, half hidden between a bush and some large rocks right next to a cliff-like rock formation leading down into the water, and nearly dead with starvation. Hagrid knew immediately who he was; his black messy hair and bright green eyes gave him away at once as the child of Lily and James of Godricshollow. And Hagrid, big and bushy as he was, was not stupid. He figured out what must have happened, and sent one extra curse to Lord Riddle that night. So this was where Lily and James had died. Lord Riddle had obviously tried to kill Harry too, but Harry had somehow escaped. Hagrid believed he had tumbled over the cliff, and Riddle had thought he had fallen into the water and drowned.

Lord Riddle had, however, not left him unscathed. On Harry's forehead there had been a large zigzagged gash, probably where his head had collided with a sharp rock. When Hagrid had taken Harry back to his hut in the midst of the Forbidding Forest and nursed him back to health, he had attempted to clear up the gash the best he could. He had done quite a neat job; all that was left now was a thin white scar.

Harry had asked Hagrid again and again how he had got the scar, but Hagrid had always attempted to avoid the question. But on Harry's eleventh birthday Hagrid had chosen to tell him – Harry was growing up, and he deserved to know the truth.

When Harry had found out who he was and what had happened to his parents, he had immediately wanted to set out for the castle of Hogswarth. Hagrid knew that had he not stopped him, the eleven-year-old would have attempted to take on Lord Riddle all by himself that very day. And as Harry grew older, Hagrid perceived that he could not delay it forever; one day Harry would challenge Riddle to a duel, and Harry was already nearing 17 years of age, by which time he became a legal adult and Hagrid could no longer hold him back. So all Hagrid could do was to prepare Harry the best he could for when he would set out to face the "Dark Lord", a nickname given to Riddle because of the terror-like reign he now upheld over the kingdom.

There was another boy living with Hagrid and Harry. His name was Ron, and he was about Harry's age. Hagrid had found him not long after finding Harry, alone and crying for his mother a good way into the forest. Hagrid believed the boy was from a nearby village, but no one had ever come to look for him, not that the giant could imagine why. There was some rumour about a big hairy monster living in the forest, but Hagrid knew that was not true; he had lived there his whole life and never seen as much as a monstrous lizard.

Harry and Ron were as close as brothers. They played together and fought together, and Ron was exactly as full of hate for Lord Riddle as Harry was, though his feelings were born mostly out of sympathy for Harry. Ron was also receiving training from Hagrid, and the big man honestly did not know who of the two boys was the better fighter. They had different strengths, but they each used them so well it was impossible to determine who would win in a real fight. Ron's build made him more adept at sword fighting, but the lighter Harry had skills with a bow Hagrid had only known one other person to possess – Harry's father James.

They had now reached Hagrid's hut, and the enormous dog Fangorn, better known as Fang, bounded out the door to greet them. It immediately pounced on Harry so the boy was knocked over, and they started their traditional mock-wrestling on the ground. Meanwhile Hagrid went inside to find Ron lying in his bed.

"I heard you coming," Ron said quietly, and coughed.

"Feelin' any better Ron?" Hagrid asked with concern.

Ron smiled. "The fever is going down. Don't worry."

Ron had recently caught a nasty fever, and he had now had to stay in bed for a week. Hagrid could feel the boy was getting restless. The boys loved the training hours, and Ron was certain Harry would be better than him if he didn't resume training soon.

Harry came in with Fang, and his smile was replaced with a look of concern for his friend.

"Ron, how are you feeling?" he asked, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

Ron immediately broke out into a huge, fake, coughing fit. "Ohhhhh," he exclaimed, wheezing. "I am... not well..." he paused. "Harry, mate... do an old friend a favour... a last favour..."

Harry and Hagrid exchanged glances, and tried to hide their amused faces.

"Anything for you, my dear dying friend," Harry said sombrely.

Ron closed his eyes for a moment, as though to gather strength to speak. "Give me... your share of the dessert for supper... now that I am dying and all." Ron opened his eyes and gave Harry his best innocent face. Not a very good one.

Harry then started laughing, and jumped onto the bed. "Oh you mean like two days ago, when you were dying too? I had to give you my favourite shoes so you could walk safely to the beyond??"

"Hey that was not- ow, stop tickling me!!! Seriously Harry, I'm dy... hahaha, gerroff! I am dying!"

"Yeah, of laughter!"

Hagrid stood in the doorway of the hut, looking at the two boys wrestling and laughing. They thought this was all a game. He sighed, and went out into the semi-darkness to gather firewood. He could still hear them laughing and fighting even as he walked out of the clearing. Poor boys, they do not know what is out there... but they will. Yet Hagrid smiled slightly. "At least they will have each other," he said quietly to Fang, who whimpered in the darkness. "Come on yeh old coward," Hagrid said amiably, walking further away from the hut and rolling his eyes at the cowering dog, which after a short while decided that it was probably safer to stay with Hagrid, and raced after him.