Chapter 2: A Giant in Privet Drive

The exploding circus earned Harry his longest punishment ever; a little over a month. By the time he was let out again, the summer holidays had started. Harry did not mind that school was over. In the summer holidays, he always spent half the day doing cleaning or other chores for Aunt Petunia, and as a reward, he was allowed to spend the rest of the day outside. Harry much preferred the streets and the park on the next block to the Dursley house.

On the morning of his birthday, (which of course the Dursleys had completely forgotten) Harry's morning chore was helping with breakfast. He'd just cleared away the breakfast dishes and was bringing Uncle Vernon a cup of coffee in the sitting room when the doorbell rang.

"Give me the cup and get the door boy" ordered Uncle Vernon. Harry obediently handed Uncle Vernon his cup and then walked out into the hallway leading to the door. He opened the door and went slack-jawed at what he saw. There were a pair of feet on the ground, placed about four feet apart, wearing enormous brown boots. Through the doorway, Harry could only see the sides of either foot. The feet connected to giant legs, thick as tree trunks, wearing brown trousers. Past the legs, there was the bottom half of an enormous belly, covered by a hideous yellow coat, stretched so tight that the buttons looked ready to pop. The rest of the giant was not visible through the doorway.

With a gulp, Harry slammed the door shut. He turned around to go and get Uncle Vernon. Before he could move so much as inch, a loud booming knock sounded on the door. Or perhaps it had been a kick, given the giant's height. "What did yeh shut the door again fer?" demanded a thick, heavily accented voice. Harry didn't answer. Another booming knock sounded on the door. Harry took another large step back. The third time, there was no knock. Instead, the door was hit with a blow so powerful that the door came clean off the hinges. Harry leapt back as the door crashed onto the floor where he'd been standing.

The loud noises had brought uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia and Dudley to the hallways as well. They were standing a little behind Harry, staring in horror at what was visible of their visitor. "Dursley?" demanded the giant. "Dursley, are yeh there? Is anyone home?"

Dudley darted behind his bony mother and tried to hide his massive bulk behind her.

"The door's too small ter let me in, folks. So yeh'll have ter come out ter speak with me."

No one seemed interested in taking up the giant's offer.

"Harry? Harry, are yeh there? I've come to take yeh to buy yer new school things fer Hogwarts. Yer spell books and wand an' everythin'. Come out, Harry!"

Harry finally understood what was going on. Dudley was playing a prank on him. He'd moved on from getting Harry to believe in ghosts to getting Harry to believe in magic. Or maybe he'd remembered it was Harry's birthday and decided to terrify him with a giant of a man. A relived grin broke out on Harry's face. He turned to face his relatives.

"It's a trick. You're playing a prank on me for my birthday, aren't you, Dudley?" Harry asked. But Dudley gave a terrified shake of his head. "It's him. He' doing this. It's got to be him" Dudley mumbled to his parents, pointing at Harry. "I didn't do anything!" said Harry loudly and angrily.

"What do yeh mean yeh didn' do anythin' Harry? Are yeh talking about the door? Thas alright, yeh were probably a bit scared of me appearance. It's a bit shocking ter people, firs' time they see me."

Only a bit? wondered Harry.

"Er—who are you?" he asked.

The giant chuckled. "True, haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now come on, Harry. We need to get going."

Once again, Harry wondered what sort of joke this was. No one hated him enough to do this, did they? Except for Dudley… And he seemed scared.

"Er-look, Mr. Hagrid. I know there's no such thing as this as magic or Hogwarts. Who sent you to play this prank on me?"

Silence followed his question. Then the giant took two steps backward. He's leaving, now that the joke is up, thought Harry. But a moment later, the giant knelt onto the ground. Harry got a better look at him. He had tangles of dark black hair and a beard covered most of his face. His dark brown eyes had flecks of light brown in them and they were blazing with warmth at the sight of Harry. Harry's fear melted and a small smile appeared on his face. No one had looked at him like that, with affection. Could what this giant said have been true? Had he come to take Harry away from his horrid relatives?

"Harry, what did yeh mean, that yeh know magic and Hogwarts don' exist? O' course, magic exists and Hogwarts teaches it."

"Er—" The blank look on his face seemed to make something plain to the giant. "When Dumbledore told me ter come and get yeh, I didn't think yeh wouldn't know anythin' about anythin'. Now what am I going to do?" He scratched his beard. "Yes, I think its best if I … Yes, I'll go and get Dumbledore. Yeh hang tight, Harry. I'll be right back."

With that the giant rose to his feet, walked down the driveway and left the house.

"The neighbors" whimpered Aunt Petunia. "Oh, some of them will have seen. And he said he'd be back with Dumbledore… Oh, Vernon!"

"Let's speak in our room" growled Uncle Vernon. They went to the bigger of the downstairs bedrooms and locked the door behind them. Harry and Dudley had a quick tussle to see who got to listen at the keyhole. Dudley won, so Harry dropped to the floor and pressed his ear to the crack between the door and the floor.

Judging by the footsteps, Uncle Vernon was pacing as he spoke. "Didn't we swear Petunia that we'd stamp that nonsense out of him? I won't have one in the house. I refuse to."

"But Vernon dear, if Dumbledore is coming, then I don't think we'll be able to stop the boy from going…"

There was silence for a moment and then Uncle Vernon said, "well, if that's the case, then the boy can leave forever, Petunia! Let him pack his things and clear out and never darken our doorstep again! Yes, we'll tell this—this Dumbledore that the boy's got to leave forever if he's—if he's going to become one of them, like his parents."

"I—I agree, dear. That would be for the best. I shudder to think what would happen if anyone were to find out that we were related to a – a you-know-what."

Footsteps approached the door. Harry and Dudley quickly beat a retreat to the sitting room where they were joined, seconds later, by his aunt and uncle. Harry opened to his mouth to ask questions but Uncle Vernon spoke before he could get even a word out. "Go to your cupboard, boy. These folks who are coming will explain everything to you. Be in your cupboard till then. And pack up your stuff while you're at it." When Harry still didn't move, Uncle Vernon repeated his order loudly. "Go to your cupboard. GO!"

Reluctantly, Harry left. He was not at all dismayed by the idea of leaving. It didn't even occur to him to wonder what the place he'd go to might be like. Anything and anyone had to be better than the Dursleys and their house.

Once he was within his cupboard, Harry realized that he had nothing to pack his things in. He did not really need a suitcase. A bag would do. He only owned three pairs of jeans, half a dozen t-shirts, some underwear and socks and the like and his old school uniforms. He'd also owned a stuffed stag, the only toy he'd ever had, but Dudley had ripped it up in a fit of anger and then been thrown into a wall a moment later like… like magic. Harry'd never have thought of that world if the giant hadn't put it in his head. But now that he thought about it…

Hope blossomed in Harry's chest. Was he really capable of doing magic? Had he really done all those things his aunt and uncle had blamed him for? Would the giant really take him away to a magic school? The prospect was simply too good to be true… And yet…

Hope and fear of disappointment battling within him, Harry waited. And waited. Soon, the giant had said, but how soon was soon? An hour passed. Then a second. Just when Harry was about to give up hope, a knock sounded on the front door. It was not loud. It was a soft, polite knock. Harry would have missed it if he hadn't been straining his ears to catch any noise coming from the front door.

Almost ripping open the cupboard door, he hurried to the front door and opened it. Opposite him, stood a man like no one Harry had ever seen. He was dressed very strangely for one; in cream-colored clothing that all seemed to be a single piece, covering him from neck to toes like some kind of dressing gown, only there were buttons marching down the front and elaborate patterns of embroidery on the robes. On the man's head perched a matching cream cap. He had a somewhat regal face, the noble look marred by a crooked nose. Bright blue eyes were looking at him with warmth, just like the giant's had, taking him in through a pair of half-moon spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose. He was tall, tall for a regular man, not like the giant who seemed too big to be allowed.

"Hello Harry. I am Albus Dumbledore" An expectant look appeared on the man's face. Harry stared at him for a few seconds, confused. Should he introduce himself? But this Mr. Dumbledore already knew his name. And then it dawned on him. The man wanted Harry to invite him inside. Reddening lightly, Harry stepped aside and said, "Please come in."

"Thank you, Harry" the man replied. Looking back, he said, "Hagrid, kindly watch over my other charges until I return. I may be a while." The giant, who was stood next to Aunt Petunia's flower beds, nodded. Next to him were a group of boys and a girl, all of whom seemed to be Harry's age.

Could they be other students for that school the giant had mentioned? Excitement filling him, Harry led the way to the sitting room.