BOOM!
Another large knock shook the hut. I was still frozen with fear and scooted over to the far corner of the shack, Harry stood up, while Dudley woke.
"Where's the cannon?" He asked like an idiot. From there room Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia came bursting in. Vernon was holding a rifle, the long package from earlier.
"Who's there?" Uncle Vernon shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!"
The noise stopped, had Uncle Vernon's threat worked?
SMASH!
Apparently not.
The door came off its hinges, crashed to the ground.
Where the door was standing now stood a massive man, his face was nearly totally covered by a beard. His eyes were black, but he didn't look harmful. Still I decided my best course of action was to stay in the corner.
The man lowered his head and was barely able to fit inside the door frame and enter the house, before turning and lifting the door easily back into place. The noise of the storm dropped as the man turned to us.
"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…"
He made his way to the sofa, where Dudley was still sitting terrified.
"Budge up, yeh great lump," The man said, Dudley made a noise then ran over to hide behind his mother. The man then looked at Harry, and I could see a smile form on his face.
"An' here's Harry!" He told my brother, by the way he was acting toward Harry I concluded that he meant no harm, so began to get up from the corner I was sitting in.
"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," the man continued telling my brother "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."
Uncle Vernon made a awkward noise as I finally got to my feet.
"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" Vernon spoke. "You are breaking and entering!"
"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," the man said ; he reached over the sofa, ripped the gun from Uncle Vernon's hands, easily bent the weapon into a know, then threw it passed me into the corner of the room. Uncle Vernon made another noise, as the man noticed me and his smile returned.
"An' Sarah, there yeh are. Spittin image of Lily, cept for your hair color." He told me. I looked at the man in shock.
"You knew our parents?" I asked stunned, the man nodded.
"Course I did, great people James and Lily. Miss em everyday, Anyway —, a very happy birthday to yeh both. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."
The man was looking through the pockets of his large black overcoat, as me and Harry looked at each other, both very confused. The man finally found what he was looking for and pulled a slightly squashed box. He handed it to Harry, who with trembling fingers, opened it and found a chocolate cake, with the words, Happy Birthday Sarah, and Harry. Written in green frosting.
Harry looked up at the man, most likely thinking the same thing I was. Other than knowing the man knew our parents.
"Who are you?" Harry asked.
"And how do you know our parents?" I added.
Both question caused the man to laugh.
"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He told us the shook Harry's whole arm with just his hand. Then turned and did the same to me.
Though he had answered our question, he still really hadn't. His name was Hagrid, and he was the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts.
What in the world was a Hogwarts? Some sort of pork processing plant?
"What about that tea then, eh?" the man said as he rubbed his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."
Hagrid then turned to the pathetic fireplace that contained nothing by empty chip bags, he snorted then bent over. I couldn't see what he did, but a massive fire burst forth and the whole room warmed up considerably.
The man then sat on the sofa, which sagged because of his weight. He pulled out a wide assortment of items from his many different pockets. A a copper kettle, squashy package of sausages, poker, teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid. Then the man started to make tea, and then started making sausage. No one said anything as the man cooked. Finally as he was sliding the sausages from the poker Dudley fidgeted and Uncle Vernon broke the silence.
"Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." He ordered, this caused the man to chuckle.
"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." The man responded, he then paused some to me, and some to Harry.
We had hardly eaten, and the food was some of the best I'd ever had. Still, who was this man?
"I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are." Harry finally broke the silence. I nodded in agreement. The drank some tea, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before responding.
"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."
"Er — no," said Harry.
"I assumed it was some sort of pork processing plant." I added.
Hagrid looked at both of us in shock.
"Sorry," Harry said quickly.
"I just assumed by the name."
"A pork processing plant? Sorry?" Hagrid barked out in shock. He then turned and stared at the Dursleys who leaned further into the shadows. "It's them that should be sorry! I knew yeh two 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 learned it all?"
"All what?" Harry asked.
"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid roared. "Now wait jus' one second!"
Hagrid leapt to his feet, fury resonating off him. The Dursley's were all huddled against the wall.
"Do you mean ter tell me," he started again at the Dursleys, "that this boy — this girl! — knows nothin' abou' — about ANYTHING?"
Was the man calling us dumb?
"I know some things," Harry said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." Harry replied.
"Yeah, and I got the best grades at St Gregory's." I replied proudly.
But Hagrid simply waved the statements off, then said "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."
"What world?" We both asked at the exact same time. And Hagrid looked ready to explode.
"DURSLEY!" he shouted.
Uncle Vernon had gone very pale, he whispered something that sounded like ""Mimblewimble". As Hagrid looked back and forth at me and Harry wildly.
"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."
"What? My — our mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" Harry replied.
"Why would they be?" I asked.
"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair as he gave each of us a bewildered stare.
"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he finally spoke.
"Stop!" Uncle Vernon suddenly commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"
Hagrid gave the man another furious stare, and when he spoke, every word was rage filled.
"You never told them? Never told them what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer em? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from both of them all these years?"
"Kept what from me?" Harry asked eagerly.
"What are they hiding from us?" I asked. Also wondering what this was all about.
"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" Uncle Vernon yelled in a panic. Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.
"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," Hagrid told the Dursley's, then turned to face us again. "Harry, Sarah. yer magical."
You could hear the pin drop. I would take it as a joke if Hagrid didn't look so serious, and the Dursley's so terrified.
"Magical?" I finally asked.
"I'm a what?" Harry gasped.
"Yer a wizard" said Hagrid to Harry. Then he turned to me." An' Sarah you're a witch." Hagrid told me before sitting back down on the sofa, which made a noice and sank further than before. "an' thumpin' good 'un's , 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 letters."
Hagrid held out two yellow parchments to both of us. I took mine, and still not totally convinced began to read it. The same green ink as before said.
Miss. S. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea.
I opened the letter and Harry did the same, when it was finally opened I began to read.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International
Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
I had so many questions. A Magical school, a hidden world, supposedly our parents and us were famous, the Dursley's had hid it from us. And through it all, one word stuck out on the letter.
Books.
I reread that part a few different times and then grinned. I was required to buy books! Still, I should probably be asking more important questions.
"What does it mean, they await my owl?" Harry asked first.
"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid. He clapped a hand to his forehead with a huge amount of force. Then from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — I did a double take and yes, it was a living owl, then a long quill, and a roll of parchment. Then he began scribbling a note that Harry and I could could read upside down:
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Given Harry and Sarah there letters.
Taking them to buy there things tomorrow.
Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.
Hagrid
Hagrid rolled up the note, then gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down, as if what he just did was normal.
Harry's mouth hung open, while I looked back and forth at the man and the note.
"Where was I?" asked Hagrid, but apparently Uncle Vernon had once again regained his voice and stepped into the firelight looking furious.
"There not going," He said. Hagrid grunted in response.
"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop them," Hagrid replied.
A what?" Harry asked curious.
"A Muggle," explained Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you two grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."
"We swore when we took them in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of them! Witch and Wizard indeed!"
"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a — a wizard?"
"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! 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 collect her breath, and everything began to fit into place. All the odd occurrences, why they hated us so much.
"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you two, and of course I knew you'd both be just the same, just as strange, just as — as —abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"
Harry went very white, and I looked at the women in stunned silence. How could someone hate there own sibling so much.
"Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!" Harry finally spoke.
"You lied?" I said at the same time as Harry, and Hagrid once again fumed.
"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry, an' Sarah Potter not knowin' there own story when every kid in our world knows there names!"
"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.
"Yeah, why does everyone know us? What happened?" I asked as well.
The fury from Hagrid's face faded, and anxiety took it's place.
"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, Sarah, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh two — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'."
He threw another dirty look at the Dursley's.
"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 back down on the couch, stared into the fire for a few moments, then spoke.
"It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows —"
"Who?" Harry asked.
"Well — I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."
"Why not?" Harry again asked.
"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…"
Hagrid gulped, no words came out. I was surprised that the massive man could be scared of anyone, this person must have been horrible.
"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.
"Nah — can't spell it. 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. 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. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway."
"It sounds horrible." I said alarmed.
"It was...Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. 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… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side."
I was getting really nervous because of this story. I remembered the dream's I always had...
"Killing such a bright girl as you? I think not, I'll let you live, it will show the world that those who submit can be spared. Though your brother..."
Was that the voice of this supposed Voldemort? Hagrid voice pulled me out of my worried thoughts.
"...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 like a elephant.
"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anywa…
"You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then — an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing — he tried to kill Harry, 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?" He asked Harry. Harry like me just looked back in shock as Hagrid continued.
"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, especially you Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter 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 — an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."
Harry looked like he was remembering something, like me he was probably remembering thing's. I had to ask.
"What about me? "I asked, and Hagrid turned to me.
"That's the other thing. He as didn't lay a finger on yer, as far as anyone can tell. Now maybe he wanted to do Harry first, then do yeh. Took yeh both from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot… ."
"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped, and I remembered our Uncle existed again. Uncle Vernon seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.
"Now, you listen here, both of you," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured — 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 these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end —"
I watched in stunned silence as he attacked our parents, our dead parents, his sister and brother and law. I knew the Dursley's didn't like us. But to attack the dead, in front of there orphaned children. It was a new low...
Luckily Hagrid had heard enough. He stood up, and got out his pink umbrella and pointed it at Uncle Vernon.
"I'm warning you, Dursley — I'm warning you — one more word…"Hagrid warned, and thankfully it did the trick as Uncle Vernon was once again cowering against the wall.
"That's better," Hagrid said as he sat back down. I glared at Uncle Vernon in disgust as Harry spoke again.
"But what happened to Vol-, sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?" Harry asked, and at this I turned back to Hagrid.
"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?"
"He's dead right?" I asked, hoping our parent's killer wasn't still out there.
"Some say. 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 was 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."
"So he's still alive?" I asked in horror, and Hagrid gave me a sad nod.
"Most of us reckon he is. But he's lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about your brother here finished him." Hagrid turned back to Harry, a look warmth and respect blazing in his eyes . "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."
At this I got incredibly curious. How had Harry survived this man? If this world was true, had he used magic as a baby to protect himself? And what about me, why hadn't this Voldemort tried to kill me?
"Hagrid," Harry's quiet response brought me out of my thinking, and back to the matter at hand, "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."
Hagrid chuckled at this.
"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"
At that I thought back to the boa constrictor incident, and all the other strange thing's over our live times. It wasn't a gust of wind that had carried us onto the school roof, we had...teleported. Harry looked to have realized this to and smiled at Hagrid.
"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard — you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts." Hagrid told Harry then turned to me. "Both of you will."
"Haven't I told you there not going?" Uncle Vernon hissed out of nowhere. "There going to Stonewall High and they'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and they'll need all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —"
"If they want ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop them," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's kids goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. There name's been down ever since they was born. There off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and they won't know himself. They'll be with youngsters of there own sort, fer a change, an' they'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled—"
"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and this time. He'd crossed the line, at least the way Hagrid looked as he pulled back out his pink umbrella.
"NEVER — INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!" He roared at Uncle Vernon. Then very quickly pointed his umbrella at Dudley. There was a flash of violet light, a loud cracking sound, a painful cry from Dudley. He started to dance around and I noticed a...pig tail sticking through his trousers.
Uncle Vernon gave a roar then pulled Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the backroom, not before giving Hagrid one last terrified look. Then the door slammed shut, and the Dursley's were gone.
Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and began stroking his beard, Harry looked amazed at seeing magic, while I gave a little laugh.
"Brilliant." I said.
"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," Hagrid said ruefully, "but it didn't work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."
"Still brilliant." I again said.
"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he told us. "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?" Harry asked.
"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?" Harry asked.
"Harry, don't ask the man personal questions like that." I said as I saw the look of discomfort on Hagrid's face.
"Oh, your right Sorry." Harry said.
"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid trying to change the subject. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."
"Our there lot's of books sir?" I asked excitedly.
"Plenty, though I was never one for much readin. Pefered field work myself."
"What kind of field work?" I asked.
"Magical creatures, now I know you've both got plenty of questions. But like I said we got lots ter do tomorrow."
He took off his thick black coat and threw it to us.
"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."