And here's Harry's birthday chapter on his actual birthday!

Logan knows this giant ain't going to be defeated with just one jab and stab. Just from lookin' at him, it's obvious the giant can pack a punch. It won't be enough to take Logan down, but it'll hurt like hell in the moment it takes him to heal.

The guy's hands are big enough to snap Logan's bones like a baby bird's, but he ain't gonna be breakin' any today. Logan can't recall ever breaking a bone; his skeleton is the same mysterious indestructible metal as his claws, even if he has no clue how it got that way.

As Logan hurtles towards him, the giant pulls out a pink umbrella and readies it like he's plannin' on spearing Logan on the end. He swings it, and suddenly Logan flies backwards and slams into a nearby tree.

He hadn't felt anything hit him.

Logan's climbing back to his feet as soon as he hits the ground, charging at the giant again. He's sent sailing back into another tree.

"So, ya want to play that way, huh?" Logan snarls.

A high-pitched scream echoes through the forest; Harry's grown over the years, but not enough for his voice to drop. Harry launches himself at the giant, gripping his pocket knives, but the giant snags him out of midair, wrapping him in a crushing hug. The knives tumble to the ground.

Harry wriggles and howls, trying to bite through the giant's moleskin overcoat without any effect.

Logan manages to plunge his claws towards the giant's chest. He feels his claws puncture something metal in the pocket. Before he's truly sunk them in, the giant grabs him and slams him into the ground.

Logan snarls, slashing at his ankle, though that hardly incapacitates him.

When Logan throws himself at the giant again, the giant blocks him with a fallen tree, then wraps it around Logan's torso, pinning his arms tightly to his side.

Trees ain't' made to bend that way, but Logan's seen Harry do the impossible time and again. The way the tree pins Logan's arms prevents him from easily slicing through it.

Once Harry wriggles out of the giant's hold, he abandons the giant to try to saw through the trunk with his pocket knife.

Logan would admonish him for his foolish decision, but the giant doesn't attack further. His coat is a cacophony of scents; uncooked sausages, moldy dog biscuits, chocolate and a live owl, which explains the scent on the letters.

"Couldn't jus' talk over a cup o' tea, could we?" the giant asks, almost pleasantly. "It's not been an easy journey."

"Ain't got any tea." Logan growls.

"I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." the giant's black eyes crinkle. "I just want ter talk."

"I've got somethin' stronger." Logan doesn't stop wriggling until he finally manages to free his arm enough to chop through the trunk wrapped around him. Harry hadn't made much progress with his knife.

"An' here's Harry," the giant says, as if Harry hadn't just attacked him. "Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby. Yeh look a lot like your dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."

Harry closes his eyes and shakes his head, his way of blockin' out the world.

The giant falters before wishing Harry a happy birthday, pulling a squashed box out of one of his many coat pockets. He offers Harry the chocolate cake with icing that spells Happy Birthday, Harry.

Logan almost laughs at the giant's face as Harry pulls a cigar from Logan's pocket and jams it right in the middle of his own name. Harry's brave enough to root through the giant's pockets for another, pulling out a golden key that he jams into the cake too.

"That's yer Gringotts key." the giant admonishes, plucking it out.

"Look, bub, we don't want yer letters." Logan tells the giant. Harry grunts and retreats into the truck for more cigars. "Harry ain't a fit fer yer magic school."

"Call me Hagrid," the giant says, though Logan couldn't care less. Clearly Harry couldn't, either. "Of course he's fit fer Hogwarts. He's our kind."

Logan snorts. "He's not goin'."

Hagrid grunts. "I'd like ter see a muggle like you stop him."

Logan bares his teeth in a feral grin as he balls his fists and extends his claws. "Ready fer round two?"

Hagrid ignores him, fishin' another envelope from a pocket and proffering it to Harry, who's sticking more cigars in the cake. "I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."

"We've read it." Logan raises an unimpressed brow, though he smirks when Harry takes the letter and shreds it scornfully. Ain't as creative as burnin' them with Logan's cigars, but it gets Harry's point across fine.

Hagrid tells Harry he'll be a thumpin' good wizard, once he's been trained at the school his parents attended, that his parents were some of the best. Whatever Harry's parents accomplished, Harry's on a different path, and Hagrid's seemin' to catch on that Harry ain't normal.

"What'd yeh do to him?!" Hagrid demands, black eyes dartin' between Logan and Harry. "He was s'posed to be with the Dursleys. Gulpin' Gargoyles, yeh turned him feral."

Logan smirks. "Look who's talkin'."

Three's a crowd. None of 'em are fit for society.

Harry howls, clawing his hands through the air, though he doesn't hurl himself at Hagrid.

"Do yeh talk, Harry?" Hagrid asks, and Logan instantly knows he's got a ton of experience with wild animals. Which Harry ain't, but Hagrid's approachin' him like one now.

Harry flaps his hands, shaking his head.

Hagrid pulls the live owl out of his coat, along with a quill and parchment to scribble a quick note.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

Given Harry his letter. Something's wrong with him.

Hagrid.

The owl takes the parchment and flies away. Harry flaps his hands.

"Yer wrong." Logan grunts. "Harry's fine. Better'n most. But we've been together fer years, and he ain't like the kids at that school."

Logan's seen the supply list; Harry can't read any of the books. He can't tell Logan what he wants to eat unless the menu in whatever diner or fast food joint they're visitin' has pictures. He once exploded a can of soup on the stove.

Logan knows, without a doubt, that Harry would break all the school rules. He doesn't follow any of society's rules.

"He'll learn at Hogwarts." Hagrid nods, as if they can start trainin' Harry like a damn dog.

"I'd say good luck, but he ain't going. His pick."

Logan readies himself for another fight, but Hagrid just watches Harry collect rocks, his eyes forlorn behind his tangled hair.

Logan supposes he has to give Hagrid credit; he's not declaring Harry broken and discardin' him as useless. But Logan's been with Harry long enough to realize he ain't gonna ever be typical, may not ever live by himself, a future Logan refuses to dwell on. Harry might always need him, and Logan ain't the type for sticking around and commitin' to anyplace or anyone.

He doesn't know how he hasn't left Harry yet.

Even if Harry ain't equipped for Hogwarts, Hogwarts might be better equipped for him. Teachers are surely better suited fer lookin' after kids than Logan. Except Logan's seen how parents look at Harry, like they're relieved their precious angels aren't him. They tug their kids away from Harry like he's contagious, though Logan ain't exactly encouraging them to approach either.

Harry would fit in with Hagrid, at least, but Hagrid's actin' like Harry's some beast to tame. Logan's never tried to tame Harry; he ain't tame, himself.

Harry retreats into their home, and Logan takes the opportunity to grab beers from the fridge.

Logan and Hagrid pop open some bottles while Harry reemerges and hunts down rocks for Logan to stab, as if to tell Hagrid not to mess with them.

"Blimey, I had no idea yeh'd be so…" Hagrid trails off, at a loss for words. "That yeh wouldn't be ready for Hogwarts."

"Why do ya want him so much?" Logan asks. Why track Harry all around with the letters? Surely they'll view Harry as a problem at their school.

Hagrid starts to tell a story of dark times, a war. A man who Hagrid refuses to name was gainin' power and followers, and Harry's parents fought against him.

"You-Know-Who came to yer house ten years ago. On Halloween." Hagrid's still speakin' to Harry even if he ain't showing he's listening. "You was just a baby. He went to your house an'… an'…"

Hagrid sobs through telling of the death of Harry's parents, and naming several others. Logan ain't one to cry over death, and Harry barely reacts to the news his parents were murdered.

The real mystery, according to Hagrid, is that the evil wizard tried to kill Harry after killin' his parents. He pointed his wand at Harry and cast a fatal curse, but Harry survived.

Hagrid tells them the scar on Harry's forehead is the mark of the curse. His eyes blaze with a sort of respect mixed with pity as he tells Harry "No one ever lived after he decided ter kill them. No one except you."

"Yer just like me, bub." Logan smiles crookedly at Harry, who presses into Logan's side and starts smacking his own forehead.

Hagrid tries to calm Harry, but talkin' to him like a wounded animal just makes him withdraw even more. Harry darts away and starts shredding leaves, grass, anything green he can find and reach with his knives.

At a loss, Hagrid peers into the window, at the toy animals still arranged by Logan's bed. "You like animals, Harry? Yeh like dogs? I've got a boarhound named Fang."

Harry bares his teeth, as if Hagrid or his dog will suddenly run off with his toys, but otherwise shows no interest in Hagrid's words.

"What happened to the wizard?" Logan grunts, finishing his third beer and opening a fourth.

Hagrid says it's an even bigger mystery. He vanished after failing to kill Harry. "Some say he died, but I reckon he's still lurkin' out there, waiting for his next move."

Clearly, they think Harry beat the wizard. Logan bets Harry just survived, and the guy was so ashamed of losin' to a baby that he fled. He wonders how Harry would do against him now, whether Harry would hit him with a rock, or knife him.

"Ya want Harry to beat him again?" Logan asks, though he doesn't wait for an answer. Are they seriously relying on a kid? Logan's seen what Hagrid can do himself, yet Hagrid ain't huntin' the wizard down for whatever reason.

Logan drains another beer and crumples the can. "Tell ya what. You ever find this You-Know-Who, come find me. I'll make sure he dies this time."