𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓃𝑔. - golden trio era au

₀₃ ♙ 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

♙

𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬

♙

At the stroke of midnight, thunder struck, startling Dawn from the slumber she just managed to get a hold of. At least, she thought it was thunder, but when it happened again, no lighting shone through the filthy windows and it sounded much different than the rest of the storm.

There was another crash, behind them this time, and Vernon came skidding out the bedroom, rifle in hand. "Who's there?" he yelled. "I warn you - I'm armed!"

There was a short pause and then the door flew clean off its hinges, landing with a deafening crash on the floor. In the doorway stood a giant of a man, roughly twice the size of the average person. A wild, tangled mane obscured most of his face, leaving only a small gap where his beady black eyes glittered like beetles. The stranger squeezed his way through the doorframe, stooping low to pick up the door and fit it back in place. The sound of the howling wind only dropped a miniscule amount.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey . . ." He strode with great, powerful steps to the sofa, where Dudley was frozen in fear. "Budge up, yeh great lump," Dudley squeaked and went to hide behind Petunia, where Dawn had already fled to. It was an odd row of Vernon, Petunia, and then Dawn and Dudley fighting to both stay hidden. "An' here's Harry!" Harry looked mostly petrified, mildly interested as he looked up into the eyes of the giant. "Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby. Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes.

Vernon made a funny noise like he was struggling to breathe. "I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant. He reached over to pluck the rifle right out of his hands and as easily as if it were chewed up gum, bent the metal into a knot and threw it into a corner, leaving Dawn stunned and Vernon to make a pitiful noise. "Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back. "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

From one of the vast amount of pockets on his coat that could fit a circus tent, he withdrew a squashed box. Harry took it with shaking hands and opened it to a cake. Harry looked up to the giant, looking a bit starstruck and with a choked voice, instead of thanking him, asked, "Who are you?"

Far from being offended or anything of the sort, the stranger only chuckled. "True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He gripped Harry's entire arm in a handshake. Hogwarts sounded like a something that would belong in one of her books, Dawn thought. Hagrid rubbed his hands together. "What about that tea then, eh? I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."

He snorted, looking at the shrivelled crisp packets in the fireplace. He bent over it and, though they couldn't see what he was doing, fire sprung to life and warmth finally washed over them for the first time in days. Hagrid sat back on the sofa and began plunging his hands into his pockets again. To Dawn's utter amazement, he began pulling kettles, teapots, a pack of sausages that were as squashed as the cake, a poker, several chipped mugs, a plate and a bottle of amber liquid which he took a swig of before getting to work. Dawn hadn't even noticed she was leaning forward in astonishment until Petunia ushered them back. Nobody said a thing until Dudley started fidgeting when the sausages were done.

"Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley." Vernon muttered sharply.

"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don' worry." The giant chuckled. He glanced over at them, eyes dropping to Dawn only once before shaking his head, muttering to himself, and passing the sausages to Harry who scarfed them down fast.