If you recognize it, surprise, it's not mine.
Harry was finally going to be allowed out of his room again tomorrow, about two weeks from his birthday, and his aunt and uncle were still scowling at him. Harry had thought his non-stop effort for his chorelist would help them calm down, like after similar situations, but this time it seemed they were going to stay angry at him.
Harry understood, not only did the unexplainable happen again around him, but this time it let loose a giant python. Harry heard the news article a couple of days later, while Aunt Petunia was watching it and he was preparing what usually did for lunch. The snake had escaped to the sewers, and was predicted to eat either ten pets over two months or a person every four, if it didn't die from any disease down there. Harry had to keep his head down, because he knew if he looked up and looked Aunt Petunia in the eye at th moment, he probably wasn't going to get lunch or dinner.
Harry had a lot of thoughts about the situation, mainly about the fact both the snake and his family said it was his fault it happened.
Or the fact he spoke to a snake.
That one had kept him up for a couple of nights.
Harry knew it couldn't be just him, but at the same time the adults in his life either didn't believe him when he tried explaining that he didn't understand how such things happened, or his family who always thought he was lying. Harry even thought about if his family knew more than he did, but the fact was he wasn't the reason stuff went weird around him.
Harry knew that, so there had to be another explanation, but Harry didn't know, the adults around him said they didn't know, and his family were wrong so Harry had no idea.
Harry knew there was a perfectly good reason all this stuff happened, but having a chat with a snake didn't point at anything but him being mad, which would explain why his family always blamed him, but he never remembered doing anything, like the vivid memory of speaking to the snake. He didn't know if comparing mad experiences was how you were supposed to figure out you were in fact insane, but felt like the snake speaking was a very different experience overall.
And so the Boy-Who-Lived, the most famous almost-eleven-year-old, for a brief (most certainly not for the last) time believed he was quite mad in the head.
Harry was about to sit down with his family finally again for breakfast after the snake incident, when he got another task.
"Boy, go get the mail."
Harry could only assume Dudley had to get it while he wasn't allowed at the table, so it made sense Dudley would give it back to him the first chance he got. As Harry walked towards the door, he once again thought of his plans of life once he could work and leave the Dursleys.
As he held the first step in unvraveling a great many plans, including his. If one were able to read it that way.
Harry had immediately felt the odd one out so to speak. The letter was heavier than any he had ever picked, as thick as his finger! Harry couldn't hold his cat like curiosity on his best of days, much less on the day he was allowed to do anything but chores and rest in his corner.
Harry J. Potter
Cupboard under the Stairs
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging, Surrey
Huh, he had a letter.
Harry didn't get why his uncle and aunt had reacted like that. Sure it was weird they knew which room was his, but one of his older friends had talked about the book 1984. Imagining the government having absolute power and it ending up corrupt isn't hard to do, especially after having to listen to Vernon some days. He couldn't compare, but knew his life and his family's lives were left in the dust after his parents death and him ending up with the Dursleys was their decision, so them checking in after ten years felt random if anything but nothing to get really upset over.
As Harry sat in his corner again, he checked on the spiders, making sure none of them were going to lay eggs while he had the light. He usually tried getting those ones out in the garden before that happens, but the times he had missed one, he had to watch Petunia take a vacuum to the whole ecosystem he had going on under the last stair.
About two hours after he was told to clean out Dudley's smaller bedroom, that it was going to be his! Harry really started to understand how unfair his family were going to be treated by the people who sent him there. They were going to be upset, to have read his room was what it was. From how he saw it, they had no room to judge, but at the same time he got a full window instead of the tiny half of one his old room had.
Harry spent the rest of the day putting most of what Dudley did and didn't want to keep in asorted bags. His aunt watched over them both, and made sure they had cleaned enough up that Dudley'd have no reason to want to come in here. She said they'd see about getting him a mattress, since he's getting bigger and something about soon he'd start feeling it if he kept sleeping like he had been for his entire life. Harry didn't understand but just thought about his family having to take another piece away from Dudley so he'd be comfortable, just cause someone else said so.
Harry didn't know how'd he ever pay them back for their kindness, but he knew he would someday.
It was the next day during breakfast when the first bit of unlikely happened, but Harry was instead convinced the whole letter was a prank, probably from one of Dudley's friends.
Afterall letters don't get delivered on Sundays.
Harry got to catch the new address on the letter as he was sent to his new room, and figured Dudley told his friend yesterday about the change since even the fastest government ninjas wouldn't be able to note his change of bedroom so fast. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon are instead convinced its "them" watching the family.
But Harry was confused... Letters don't get sent out Sundays!
As Harry warred the two ideas out in his mind, Harry was left with somthing new, the adults, his family especially, were able to explain something that was simply impossible in his mind.
Or at least, thought they knew.
They had always acted as if the impossible part wasn't the unbelievable part, but that it was his fault.
So could it be they did know something he didn't?
Was he really mad?
After a week of receiving more and more letters, Harry was more convinced than anything it was a prank, while his caretakers were getting worse and worse about "those people" watching them. Harry didn't really get why, Vernon's car windshield was blanketed by them one morning, maybe government ninjas had unlimited paper but Harry can't imagine people taking the time to write that many letters.
It was a prank, had to be.
It was three days before Harry's birthday that had convinced of a couple of things, and left him with so many questions.
"Is that an owl on the windowsill?" Dudley was looking behind Harry, so he didn't clearly see the miniature jumps his parents had done at his words. Harry saw it, and got to see the expressions as they turned their view above him.
'I mean, there's no way there's an owl behind me, they are nocturnal and oh my gosh there's a owl behind me!'
As Harry looked at the owl, it tilted its head, as if looking at him too.
And it had one of those letters attached to it's foot!
"No! Get out of here you ruddy bird! Go! Shoo!" Petunia had gotten the broom and was wacking at the owl, sending it out of the house. The entire household seemed quiet for a couple of minutes after, the shock of having such a weird occurrence happen taking it's toll on each person. Harry was very confused, now having to imagine the government uses owls to deliver mail they deem important. At least he had some evidence pointing towards it being the government and not a prank, since none of Dudley's friends had enough money for the letters and for an owl trainer?
As the Dursley household finished their breakfasts, a tap was heard on the front window, and the entire household ran to the front room to see a different owl with another letter flying in place infront of the window! Vernon was the first to react this time, taking the broom from Petunia and moving towards the door.
As Vernon pulled the open however, he had only just started opening it when Harry watched as a tree across the street seemingly create owls, as dozens of them flew in the doorway, pushing Vernon back and making him and Petunia shriek. Soon enough all of the owls had flown into the
room, but rather than fly around chaotically, they each found something to perch on. Each owl was staring at Harry, and the only reason Harry didn't thing they were robots were their flinches to Vernon's and Petunia's yells.
As soon as all the owls were perched aroun the room, as one they all stuck out their attached letters to Harry. It was here Vernon had reached his limit, grabbing both Harry and Dudley by the collars of their shirts and dragging them both out to the car. Petunia ran upstairs meanwhile, grabbing two suitcases that weren't packed until the letters started arriving, not that they'd admit that. Vernon had gotten the boys into the car, getting owl droppings poured on him by the avain army swarming around the car.
As Petunia ran out a couple owls still inside started giving her the same treatment, until the entire family was in the car. The owl droppings didn't stop until Vernon got to the freeway. As Harry looked back at the swarm still trying to follow them as Vernon sped away, he had several thoughts. The most important one, in his mind,
'Forget the snake, that was insane."
It was Harry's birthday in a few minutes, if the grandfather clock was right. He felt it was since they had gotten there about the and the clock had been right, but Uncle Vernon said the old thing was slow. Apparently his work buddy the whole island but Harry thought he just owned the hut or he didn't like Uncle Vernon much cause his uncle spent most of the time unpacking insulting the place, under his breath at first until Petunia and Dudley were inside. He wasn't wrong, it definitely wasn't a house, but on the upside it wasn't outside, and he probably wouldn't have any chores since he didn't have his (uncle's) tools or lawnmower.
Dudley was already asleep on the couch of the little hut, but he could still hear his aunt and uncle upstairs. They hadn't really stopped complaining about the move, but explained it to him and Dudley that the letters were a bad sign. Whoever was sending them wasn't a prank, and they expected it to get worse. Harry didn't know how it got worse than literal dozens of owls in their home, but he wasn't really going to argue with them.
After moving in and having a late dinner it had started to storm. The quick fire that Vernon had going had Dudley sit close to him, but when Harry had come close to the fire for warmth Aunt Petunia had told him to go use the shower, and that her Dudley had a very hard day and needed his sleep. Harry thought his day was harder, what with the weird sight of owls, in broad day mind you, had apparently had mail for him. And had done that leg thing, who the heck trains owls to do that?!
And apparently that's dangerous? Enough to move the whole family like they had. Uncle Vernon was even talking about going out the country to escape whoever was sending those letters. Harry didn't know what was going on, but soon enough he'd be another kid, on his summer birthday going on a vacation, even if it was because they were running away.
So maybe it wasn't the same, but the idea was nice.
And so Harry knew his wish as he drew out his birthday cake in the dirt, and waited for the old clock to at least strick twelve.
Even if it would probably be a couple minutes late.
'I wish I grow up to be normal, not good or bad, like Dudley. No one worrying about me. I got lucky, I live in a world where my parents aren't the ones worrying about me, I worry about me and my stuff and the rest of the world can either hop on or hop off. And I'll still just be me, Just Harry'
It was right as he finished his little wish speech that the first ding of the clock started and so he gave a tiny inside cheer for his mental timer, and blew his drawn cake out.
It was as the second chime that fate decided to almost spit on a little boy's wish, not that anyone had proof of it but Harry would always remember the moment.
At first he thought it was just thunder that had hit close by, right outside if it was that loud. He thought it was weird since he was told doesn't hit twice, but he definitely heard two different bangs from the same area close by. It had even startled Dudley, he hadn't woke up but Harry swore he had seen him jump before settling back down at the fourth chime.
At the fifth it had happened again.
Harry didn't know why he had stood up, but something in his gut told him it wasn't lightning. He felt himself mentally pack himself on the back as Vernon and Petunia had both run down in their pajamas. Dudley had even sat up, looking at his parents and Harry himself in confusion.
'Don't look at me, why would I know what's going on?!'
Harry felt himself tense as it happened again at the eighth chime, this time just once, but Harry had figured out what was happening at least.
It was kind hard not to when he had seen the door move like that!
Maybe he didn't figure it out, was someone trying to break the door down?
Had the dangerous people showed up?
Harry saw a bit of silver in the corner of his vision, and turning had to gasp at the sight of his uncle holding a hunting rifle, pointed at the door.
It was still storming, but he couldn't not hear his uncle's yell.
"I'm giving you one chance! Leave!" It was the loudest he had ever heard his uncle, and he could practically feel the desperation in the voice as it became very clear to Harry yes, the dangerous people were there.
At the twelfth chime, the door shook again, but this time the door couldn't stand whatever was happening on the other side, and collapsed. Dudley screamed and then...
Vernon took a shot.
Harry instantly had to cover his ears, the loud bang of the gun leaving them ringing, and the first thing he heard after a couple of seconds?
"..ll, what'd you do that for? That's going to bruise, ya know?"
Bruise? Didn't this guy know how bullets worked, he was eleven and he knew how bullets worked, and they didn't just bruise people.
Harry opened his eyes and saw what had to be the biggest man he had ever seen, at least twice as tall as his uncle. The doorway didn't even reach his shoulders! There was a humongous hand rubbing at what was and wasn't a bullet hole. He had only seen one or two on the tv over the years, but he didn't see any blood.
Harry was still rubbing his ears, as his family was, as he heard the man say "Didn't mean to do that, sorry about that, fix it right up I will." As he turned and picked up the very broken door and set it back up in the doorway. Harry didn't know about it being fixed, but was still too stunned to do anything but stare at the, even bending over to stand, too large to be real man that now was turning toawrds to his uncle.
His uncle that just shot this guy, and it didn't work.
Oh crap.
He could see his uncle make the same realization as Harry did as the giant man walked, almost bending at the waist to do so, before standing front of Vernon and the gun.
"Yer can't go just shooting people just because they knock on the door, it ain't right to do that, I swear I didn't even mean to break the thing, just not used to wood that weak." The man continued rumbling about it being an accident, his deep voice soundly awfully regretful if Harry wasn't wrong. Vernon though wasn't ready to back down yet.
"You are breaking and entering, get away from me and my family!" Vernon held up the gun to the giant's waist, and then the guy got an big frown on his face.
"Watch where you point that thing."
The giant of a man swiped down, and bent the barrel of the gun in a loop, before giving it back to Vernon who was now as pale as the moon.
After doing so the giant man looked around, before spotting Harry. Harry could feel himself frozen in place, as the man leaned over him, quite literally with his body all almost creating a cave around him, and reached into his pocket.
"You must be Harry, Merlin's beard look at you all grown up, it's been a long time since I saw you, golly you look just like your father, he had the same hair ya know? But you've got your mothers eyes alright, right down to the shape of em." He was still searching his coat pockets as he was speaking to Harry. Harry didn't know if he was quiet because of the giant or because of the shock he just got. This guy...
This guy knew his parents?
"Ah thats right, had to put it in the back pocket, sorry Harry, might be a little sat on" As the man finally found what he was looking for, Harry had his own questions.
"Excuse me sir, but who are you?" Harry couldn't keep his confusion out of his voice, and it seemed the man finally remembered he hadn't introduced himself. "Ah right, sorry about that, can't forget to introduce myself, name's Rubeus Hagrid, friends call me Hagrid."
Harry didn't quite know how to ask the rest of his questions, so Hagrid brought around his arm from behind his back to present Harry with a box, and another of those letters. Hagrid gave him both items but told him to open the box first. Harry wasn't sure what was going on anymore, and did as he was told, only to get a surprise.
"Happy birthday Harry!" The man boomed next to him as he opened the box to a cake with the same words written on top. Harry had to take this all in, along with Hagrid's face showing how much he hoped Harry would like the gift.
It was his first birthday present, how could he not?
Smiling up at the big man, it was then Aunt Petunia seemingly woke up from her daze, and walked over to the two, screaming on the way.
"NO! He will not go with you and be a freak! We did what you said. He's ours to raise and you will not come in here and change that! We took him like you told us to, so leave us alone!" Petunia's screech wasn't pleasant sounding, and Harry didn't really understand what she meant, but knew she never let anyone outside the family see her scream like that, he'd never even seen her scream like that.
"You can't stop it, he's been enrolled since he was a babe. You being upset doesn't change that, Dumbledore said he's coming so he is." Hagrid turned to Petunia while saying that and had turned back to Harry, but Vernon interrupted this time.
"No! I don't care which of you freaks said so but he's ours, and I won't hear anything more about some freak school run by some crackpot magician!" Vernon was getting red again, Harry didn't think what he said made sense but apparently it got Hagrid upset, as he turned to look at Vernon Harry could see him shaking.
"Nobody insults Dumbledore around me." Harry couldn't see Hargid's face, but watched as his uncle went from red to pale once again. As Hagrid pointed his umbrella at him, Harry watched his uncle shriek as the giant waved it around.
'That's... this is weird.'
The giant said some word, and suddenly his uncle didn't have a mouth!
'Alright, first thing, am I dreaming?' A quick pinch later and some eye rubbing showed Harry the same scene, so Harry logically came to the result he had been looking for, as his uncle made screams from his throat and not out a mouth, while his aunt and cousin didn't have that stopping them.
'So I'm not crazy, the whole world is. Is that better?'
It was a couple minutes later, his family were in the farthest corner of the room while he and Hagrid sat by the once dwindling fire. Hagrid told Harry not to tell anyone from the ministry about something about his umbrella, as he swished it and th fire started anew.
Harry didn't know how he was meant to deal with a giant that could take away mouth, but figured if it was on him then he'd have to do something.
Like talk.
"Mr. Hagrid, what did you do to my uncle?" Harry tried being polite with the stanger, only for that to be turned away. "None of that Harry, just call me Hagrid. And that Harry was magic. Transfiguration in fact. Like I said, ministry doesn't know so I'd appreciate it we kept this between us." Hagrid had a big smile on his face as he said this, as if every other word didn't make Harry's head spin.
"Magic? Hagrid sir thats impossible, magic isn't real?"
At first Hagrid looked like he was going to correct him on adding sir, when a troubled pensive look cross his face as he said "Impossible? 'Arry nothing is impossible. Did you ever have something happen that you couldn't explain, something impossible?" Harry couldn't keep his thoughts away from the chat with the snake and the disappearing glass after. Seeing the face Harry was making, Hagrid continued. "That was magic Harry, the world is full of it and wizards and witches all have the power to use it. Can't believe I gotta explain magic to you. Didn't your aunt and uncle tell you about your parents?"
Harry couldn't hold back his glare, but pointed it at the fire, as he thought of what he knew about his parents. "Yeah, they told me how they were drunks who died in a car crash, even had me in the car. I got a scar for their irresponsibility." As he brushed his fringe and rubbed the scar that never faded, he missed Hagrid thunderous rage until Hagrid shouted and startled everyone but himself "Drunks? James and Lily Potter drunks?! Who would've told you lies like that, your parents were heros!"
Harry looked up at what he still thought was a very dangerous man, and Hagrid saw the fear in his eyes. After taking a couple calming breaths, told Harry. "Harry, say goodbye to your aunt, if we leave now we can get to Diagon Alley to get your supplies before the morning rush."
Harry didn't know how to argue with him, not that he knew what he needed supplies for, but figured he should remind the man before they left.
"Hey Hagrid sir, can you fix my uncle before we go? I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to shoot you, we just thought dangerous people were sending the letters." Hagrid didn't smile as he said "Ah, well that makes sense, you are quite the celebrity ya know?"
Hagrid had turned to the Dursleys as he said that, not expanding on another bombshell on the poor boy.
'What? Like I'm famous?'
Harry finally got to read the letter and asked most of his obvious questions of a wizard school to Hagrid as they flew to London on a flying motercycle! Harry didn't know if this was the same one he used to dream of as a child, but thought it was awesome all the same.
It was as they landed in front of a shabby looking tavern in the early morning hours that Harry had ask something that he hadn't let go since he heard Hagrid mention it.
"Hagrid, what do you mean I'm famous? I'm just Harry, a regular orphan. I mean, I guess I'm a wizard but I can't be famous for that right?"
Hagrid looked down at the young man and gave a great big sigh. He led Harry to a nearby city bench, and had them both sit down before he started the story that is so well known except by the one who got famous from it.
"Well Harry, what you have to understand is just like there is good wizards like Dumbledore, there are bad wizards too. A while back a real bad wizards gathered them all up to work for him. You-Know-Who started killing a lot of people, and it seemed like he was about to win and take over when he made a mistake." Hagrid wasn't really looking at Harry until the end, just looking out into the street as he started the story.
Harry didn't know what to do but keep quiet, and Hagrid continued. "Harry, your parents were a bloody good witch and wizard, they stood up to You-Know-Who right up until they had you, then they went in hiding. People don't know why, maybe You-Know-Who wouldn't forgive or forget, but one Halloween he tracked you and your parents down aiming to kill all of you. He had almost succeeded, your father and mother fought him but had failed, but when he casted on you Harry." Here Hagrid held up a gaint finger that almost covered half Harry's forehead but he knew where Hagrid was pointing.
His scar.
"It struck you and failed. No one knows how or why, but you defeated You-Know-Who all those years ago, and wizards have a long memory. There's not a household in Magical Britain that doesn't know your name Harry." Hagrid didn't frown as he said this, but he didn't have his jolly smile Harry had gotten used to on the ride to London. Harry's mind wasn't focused on Hagrid, but the words he had just been told.
"My parents, they died heros? They died... for me?" Harry hadn't meant to speak those thoughts aloud, but Hagrid took the question from the boy as best as he could. "Of course Harry, you're parents loved you more than anything. Golly you should've seen James when he was told you were on the way, he hadn't looked so happy since your mother agreed to give him a date in their sixth year." Hagrid smiled at the memories playing in his mind, and so missed Harry's tears until the boy was loudly sobbing next to him.
Bringing the boy into a hug, he just sat back and rocked the boy as Harry cried for the parents and love he never knew he had lost.
And so the first of many curtains in Harry Potter's life was pulled back.
Hello!
So I'll admit, I just can't get Hagrid's accent. If yall were able to imagine it tell me and I'll be happier but rn not happy with how it came out.
Yeah idk, Harry's life made was always felt like Hagrid kidnapping him was instead the intro into a new life, which it was but when your family shows such distrust, you're kinda on alert.
Anyways, leave reviews. Even just to say hi and you liked it, my soul consumes them with a smile on my face lol
Til next time
TRHPRP
