Adventures of Harriet Potter

The Keeper of the Keys

BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.

"Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly. There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands — now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them and it scared Harriet more than when he'd visited her in her old room aka the cupboard under the stairs.

"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you — I'm armed!"

There was a pause. Then — SMASH!

The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor.

A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey. . . ." He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.

"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger. Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.

"An' here's Harriet!" said the giant. Harriet looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile. "Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got more of yer mum's features." Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise, one that attracted the attention of Harriet and the giant.

"I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!" Harriet gave her oh so dearest uncle a death glare, acting braver than she felt as her death glares had earned her punishment so severe she could barely walk without wincing in the past.

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; as he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on, which amused Harriet — even if she'd likely be paying for her amusement later.

"Anyway — Harriet," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harriet opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harriet written on it in green icing.

Harriet looked up at the giant. She meant to be polite and say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to her mouth, and what she said instead was, "Who are you?" The giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

He held out an enormous hand and shook Harriet's whole arm.

"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind." His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled crisp bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harriet felt the warmth wash over her as though she'd sunk into a hot bath, something she rarely got to do and cherished when she did.