Truly Unique

Chapter Two: Hagrid

3rd Person's POV:
Lyra nervously twirled her messy braid between her fingertips as she sat on her bed, taking one last look at her surroundings before she finally left it behind. Knowing she won't have to return until the summer felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest, and for the first time in her life, she felt like she could breathe. This orphanage was never a home to her; it was a prison. It's always been her dream to have a place she could call home, and deep in her heart, she hoped Hogwarts could be that. 'I can have friends.' She thought with a small smile. "Lyra!" The house mother screamed. "They're here!" Lyra practically ran towards the ladder and down the hall towards the main stairwell, seeing kids glare at her from their doorways. She took a couple deep breaths in an attempt to collect herself before calmly walking down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, a large man with a full head of curly brown hair stood with the house mother. He looked uncomfortable as the house mother practically stared daggers into his head. "Hello." Lyra said politely as she neared the bottom of the stairs. He turned to look at her, and for a split moment, Lyra saw fear spark in his eyes. It was almost as if he had lost his breath as he struggled to clear his throat. "Hello, Lyra." She attempted to give him a smile. "The name's Rubeus Hagrid."

"It's nice to meet you." She greeted. As she looked into his eyes again, she saw the sliver of fear start to disappear, and his face began to soften from the previously stressed expression. "You can cut the act, Lyra. He's taking you anyway, no need to act so sweet." The house mother said mockingly. Hagrid looked at her in surprise, taken aback by house rude she was. "See you soon, dear." Lyra tried to hide the unexcited look on her face, her eyes widening slightly in sarcasm, and bent down to pick up the only suitcase she had. Hagrid rushed to pick it up first, giving her a comforting smile. "It's alright, I've got it. You go right on ahead outside. We have to get you some things for school, after all." She nodded politely and left, not sparing a second to say goodbye to the house mother. Hagrid stopped to stand beside the woman, who looked up at Hagrid with mild disgust. "Don't speak to her like that again." She looked up at him defiantly. "And if I do?"

"I'll be sure to alert professor Dumbledore, who will have no issue removing her from your custody and the agreement between you and the ministry will be withdrawn." Her face fell as she looked at him. She wanted to call his bluff, but the money from the ministry is what has kept the orphanage afloat without the donations from Little Whinging's residents. Hagrid, knowing he won, gave her a polite nod and walked out the door, seeing Lyra standing in front of his bike with a confused look in her eye. She leaned into the cart attached to the bike, seeing the lack of space in the footing area. "Don't worry, Lyra. I put an extension charm at the bottom for your belongings." She turned and looked at him, curiosity in her voice as she asked, "Are you a wizard too?" He chuckled and put the suitcase in, motioning for her to climb in afterward. "I'm the gatekeeper at Hogwarts. Technically I'm not supposed to be using magic, but uh...this could be our little secret. Dumbledore will understand." She smiled gently to herself. "He's a nice man." He nodded in agreement. "The greatest wizard in the world, he is." The bike roared to life, jumping the kids playing close by, and the two began their drive out of the orphanage gates. She barely glanced back to see it disappear behind her, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap. Besides the sound of the bike as they sped down the roads, the ride was silent, leaving Lyra to her thoughts.

Eventually, they pulled into a parking lot belonging to what looked like a bar. He turned off the bike and climbed off, Lyra following his lead from the cart. He held open the door for her as she walked through, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. People were everywhere, and for a moment she got a bad feeling in her stomach. She couldn't tell where the feeling was coming from, so Lyra hardened her face, her eyes becoming glazed over as she attempted to make herself seem reserved. Hagrid looked at her, and his nervousness came back. "Right this way." He motioned towards the bar, walking side by side with the young lady. The barkeep looked at Hagrid and smiled brightly, greeting him as he would a close friend. "Hagrid, the usual?" Hagrid shook his head politely. "Not today. We're on our way to get Miss Lyra here her school supplies for her first year at Hogwarts." At the sound of her name, the man tensed up and looked at her, freezing in complete fear. Lyra's eyebrows raised slightly as she gave him a confused look. "It can't be. It's Lyra Williams." The entire room fell deathly quiet as people stopped and turned, staring at Lyra with mixed looks. "Oh, my god." Somebody whispered. "Is it that year already?"