I Wouldn't Change It - Harry Potter Fanfiction

Introduction

The wind rushes through the old planks that make up the two story shack that houses four people. On the hard dirt floor lies a 10 year old boy on his stomach. Snoring emanates from the stairs where he can hear his Aunt and Uncle sleeping, a gruff snort startles the raven haired boy on the floor causing him to look up to the couch which houses another boy. His cousin, a baby whale in size, continues snoring away causing the raven head to look back down.

Sighing, he continues making lines in the dirt that make up the image of a birthday cake with lit candles. Looking up he stares at the clock and watches the minutes tick by. "3. 2. 1."

"Make A Wish Harry." He whispers and blows on the floor, effectively distorting the top half of the cake and candles. A loud crash of waves outside and clap of thunder sound, and with them, a bang and rattle of the front door. The boy jumps up causing the ratty blanket to fall from his thin frame. Another bang and rattle and the baby whale on the couch jumps up stumbling. Creaking from the stairs, as two adults walk warily down them, are nearly drowned out on the third bang and rattle of the front door.

A halting second later and the wooden door falls inside the room and hits the floor causing dirt and dust to fly up causing a scream from the adults and whale like boy, who scrambles back onto a table. Through the dirt particles the occupants of the room can see a hulking figure stoop under the door frame to get inside. Looking back, the two boys in the small living room are frozen, the whale on two feet on the stairs is holding the barrel of a shotgun trying to hide it behind him as his horse-faced wife shakes in fear trying to cower behind him.

"Sorry 'bout that." The door is picked up by the giant and wedged into the doorframe yet again, which mutes most of the sound from outside and stops the light spray of seawater. The Giant turns around and pats his patched up cloak and sighs. The male on the stairs screws up his face in anger and points the shotgun at the giant.

"I demand you leave at once Sir. You are breaking and entering!" The light glances off the giant as he walks and you can see a mane of dark brown hair and a thick beard. He stops in front of the barrel as the woman gives a whimper and tries to back up.

"Dry up Dursley. You great Prune!" He speaks gruffly as he grabs the barrel and forces the metal to bend up. A shot goes off causing some saw dust from the now broken ceiling to float down. The giant walks a few feet from the stairs and addresses the boy still cowering on the table in fear. "Boo, I haven't seen you since you was a baby, Harry, but you're a bit more along than I would have expected. Particularly 'round the middle!"

"I- I'm not Harry." The boy stutters and looks down. The boy with Raven hair pulls himself from against the wall as the giant turns to look at him.

"I- I am." He stutters but not backing down from the gaze.

"Oh, well, of course you are! Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point! I imagine that it'll taste fine just the same. Ahh. Baked it meself ." He searches around in his coat then pulls out a white box and hands it to the young boy. "Words and all. Heh." Harry then proceeds to open the cake where he reads 'Happee Birdae Harry'.

"Thank you!"

"It's not every day that your young man turns eleven, now is it aye?" The large man sits down on the couch taking up all of it. He pulls out a large dull pink umbrella and points it at the stone fireplace. The end sparks and shoots into the grate and flames start to crackle. Behind the giant, the man and woman glance at one another in trepidation as Harry sets the cake down while looking into the fire.

"Excuse me? But, who are you?"

"Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. 'Course you'll know all 'bout Hogwarts." He looks at Harry and raises his eyebrows and nods a tad. Harry shakes his head.

"Sorry. No." Rubeus Hagrid takes back a bit in shock, his hair now brushing the adults who quickly backpedal to the stairs.

"No? Blimey, Harry, didn't you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned it all?"

"Learned what?" Harry asks, confused.

"Yer a wizard, Harry."

"I'm a What?!"

"A wizard. And a thumping good one at that, I'd wager. Once you train up a little."

"No, you've made a mistake. I can't be...a-a wizard. I mean, I'm just... Harry. Just Harry."

"Well, just Harry. Did you ever make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared? Ah." Hagrid grins and nods a bit as Harry's face softens. Hagrid then hands Harry a letter as the other boy whimpers.

"Dear, Mr. Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"He'll not be going! We swore when we took him in, we'd put a stop to this rubbish!" Mr. Dursley screeches.

"You knew? You knew all along and you never told me?" Harry yells quite angry and incredulously.

"Of course we knew. How could you not be? My perfect sister being who she was. Oh, my mother and father were so proud the day she got her letter. We have a witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful? I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak! And then she met that Potter, and then she had you, and I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as ... abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up. And we got landed with you." Mrs. Dursley rants in frustration.

"Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!" Harry yells in fury.

"A car crash?!! A car crash kill James and Lily Potter?!"

"We had to tell him something." She says snarkily.

"It's an outrage! It's a scandal!" He yells as if insulted himself. In all the yelling no one notices the other boy taking Harry's cake.

"He'll not be going!" Mr. Dursley's face starts to go red as he continues to yell.

"Oh, and I suppose a great Muggle like yourself's going to stop him, are you?" Hagrid mocks him.

"Muggle?" Harry asks in confusion. Hagrid leans down a bit to explain.

"Non magic folk." He straightens up again and his demeanor becomes angry as he gazes at the Dursleys. "This boy's had his name down ever since he was born! He's going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and he'll be under the finest headmaster that Hogwarts has ever seen: Albus Dumbledore.

"I will not pay for some crackpot old fool to teach him magic tricks!" His face goes purple and spittle flies from his lips. Hagrid's umbrella comes up and and pokes the air in front of his nose.

"Never, insult Albus Dumbledore, in front of me." He glances to the left and sees the Dursley boy hunched over the cake box and stuffing his face. He points the umbrella at him and pig ears and a tail sprout through his clothes. The boy screams. While Harry and Hagrid laugh, the three Dursley's scream and run around the small living room.

"Oh, um, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic." Hagrid with slight worry.

"Okay." Hagrid then checks his pocket-watch.

"Ooh, we're a bit behind schedule. Best be off." He walks over to the doors and yanks it off and walks through the frame again. "Unless you'd rather stay, o'course. Hmm?" Harry looks back at the Dursley's as they yell about their son's new appendages. Harry then follows the giant with nary a backward glance.