The Muggle at Hogwarts

Chapter 1: The girl in the woods

Darkness gleamed over the horizon ever so perfectly. It was raining that night, thunder was rumbling but that was just how Hagrid liked it. The half-man half-giant enjoyed the nights where it was just him and his creatures, alone in the dark. The wind was howling and so was Fang, Hagrid's loyal great dane. It was a night like any other, or so Hagrid thought. He walked into the Forbidden Forest, like any other night, to feed his several pets, such as the ones that are far too dangerous to be kept in Hogwarts. It would be a shame if any of his creatures were to harm any students on campus. And for that reason, he kept them miles from the school.

He walked for what seemed like hours in the dark but he knew it would only take a few more minutes before- Snap.

He, as well as his great dane, Fang, stopped in their tracks. "Buckbeak? Is that you?" He called out. He then pulled out his umbrella and whispered, "Lumos" and suddenly a bright light hung on the tip of it. He stretched out his hand, waving the umbrella as he looked around for the creature that made the noise. He was just about to keep walking by and then he heard it again. Snap. It wasn't like Buckbeak to walk in such a manner that would bring anyone to suspect that there was a tall hippogriff out on the loose. Again, he waved his umbrella towards the noise. Snap. This time, it seemed as though it was closer. Snap. Something was coming towards him.

He turned around, beginning to feel paranoid, and there, standing in the wet, cold mud, with no shoes, nor socks, was a small girl. She had dark, curly hair that hung almost reaching her knees. She wore what resembled a torn blue outfit and had a corroded old collar around her neck. Must've been around Harry Potter's age, Hagrid thought.

She stood there, squinting at the light Hagrid's umbrella held. She was breathing heavily, as if she had been running through the woods. Hagrid stood there, staring at the girl, not knowing what to do.

At the point when they showed up at Hagrid's cabin, he dodged through the front entryway, snatched a cover, and offered it to the girl.

"Well it ain' much but make yer self a' home." He sighed as he prepared two cups of tea for him and his guest. "What's yer name anyhow?" The girl just looked at him with a confused look in her eyes. "Ye do speak english, don't ya?"

"Yes." She finally replied.

"Well, good then." He said, expecting her to answer his question at last. "So, your name?" he asked once more.

"Maggie." She responded in a slight whisper.

"Nice name, that is. I'm Rubeus, but me friends call me Hagrid, and so can you." He smiled at her and as did she. She then continued to shiver under the blanket that Hagrid provided her. "Ah, ye better change out of those wet clothes there, eh?" He turned around to where his clothes laid. He grabbed one of what he considered normal sized clothing and handed it to Maggie. "Erm- that's just about the smallest shirt I have there." He then left the room, as to give her some time to change into something more comfortable.

Maggie grabbed the shirt which possessed an aroma like it hadn't been washed in a serious long time. It was filthy earthy colored and appeared as though it had been worn by a vigorously shedding canine. She put it on however it scarcely dangled from the tip of her shoulders to her lower legs. Some time later, Hagrid came inside, conveying a few covers and laid them conveniently on the sofa that was strangely positioned in his kitchen.

"Well, I reckon it would only be polite of me to let ye sleep in me bed, there." He pointed to the far end of the hut where his bed and dresser were placed. "I think I'll have to tell Dumbledore about ye at some point as well." He continued, now focusing on pouring the hot tea from the pot to the last of his cups. "Yea, I'll tell Dumbledore about ye, he'll get you a much more comfortable bed, and maybe yer own room in the castle. Nice man, Dumbledore is. I can go on and on about the man and, well, you'll meet him tomorrow-" He stopped talking when he turned to face the girl again but she was already fast asleep under the blankets Hagrid had laid out for him to sleep in. "Ah, bless." He whispered and headed to bed.