Potter Siblings and the Philosopher's Stone

Chapter 4: Welcome the to Diagon Alley

arry woke up early next morning, while Gabby and Esme kept on sleeping. Although it was daylight, he kept his eyes closed.

Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.

It was a dream, he told himself firmly. I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me Gabby and Esme we were going to a school for witches and wizards. When I open my eyes, I'll be at home in my cupboard with my sisters.

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.

And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking.

"Pessimist," Gabby mumbled, waking up from the noise.

But he still didn't open his eyes and neither did Gabby and Esme. It had been such a good dream Harry thought.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."

He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him and onto Gabby and Esme's heads, whose shout was muffled in the thick coat. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.

Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him and Sophie smiled at his feelings as she finally got the coat off and saw the owl. He went straight to the window and jerked it open.

The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.

"Don't do that."

Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat. Sophie smirked at him and stroked the owl, who hooted in pleasure but refused to let the coat go.

"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl —"

"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.

"What?"

"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."

Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags... finally, Esme found a handful of strange-looking coins.

"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.

"Knuts?"

"The little bronze ones."

Harry counted out five little bronze coins from his sister's hand, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.

Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.

"Best be off, Harry, Gabby, Esme, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."

Harry, Gabby, and Esme were examining the strange coins but Harry felt a wave of sadness suddenly. Sophie looked up at him, curious, and he addressed Hagrid.

"Um — Hagrid?"

"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots.

"We haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Vernon last night... he won't pay for us to go and learn magic."

"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh two anything?"

"But if their house was destroyed —" Esme started.