The Lost Story

Chapter 1: The Boy Who Didn't Live alone

Letters - so many letters and we're not allowed to keep any of them. The more letters came, the worse life had become. Eventually we left the house on Privet Drive and had been on the run ever since. There was no other way to put it. It was late in the evening, it should really have been night already. But in this awful weather it was hard to tell. Soon it would be my and Harry's eleventh birthday, July 31st. We drew a cake with eleven candles in the dust of the wooden floor and watched Dudley's clock. He was sleeping on the sofa, we on the floor, everything as usual. We only got the leftovers. The clock jumped to twelve.

"Make a wish," we whispered to each other and blew out the candles. Then there was a knock. A gigantic figure came in and immediately filled the entire room in the little hut.

"Could use a cup of tea. Wasn't an easy journey..." he said, striding over to the sofa where Dudley was still crouched. I remembered him, I'd seen him once before, many years ago. But I didn't say anything, I didn't talk about it.

"Move, jabba," he said harshly. Dudley squeaked and ran off, over to his parents, who were standing in the corner of the room.

"And here we've Harry and Eleanor"

We looked up at the giant, under all his beard he had started to smile. "Last time I saw you, you were just babies. You look a lot like your father, but you both got your eyes from your mum," he said kindly. Uncle Vernon made a noise like a half-strangled cat

"I demand you leave this instant! That's trespassing!"

"Oh, shut up, Dursley, yer great prune!"

With these words, the giant grabbed Uncle Vernon's gun and twisted a knot in the barrel like it was a rope. "Anyway, happy birthday to you. I've got something here for you, may have sat on it at some point, but I'm sure it still tastes good."

Then he pulled a slightly dented box out of his cloak and held it out to us. It was a chocolate cake, decorated with lots of brightly coloured icing and green writing. Happy birthday, Harry & Eleanor

"Who are you?" Harry asked in surprise.

"True, I didn't introduce myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts," he chuckled.

Shortly afterwards, a heated argument broke out with Uncle Vernon, who had been trying to exorcise the magic out of us for eleven years, but to no avail. This continued until Hagrid handed us two identically addressed letters. I opened my letter and read:

HOGWARTS-SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mrs Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1. September. We await your owl by no later than 31. July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

I read the letter twice and didn't want to believe it at first. We could leave the Dursleys! At least for most of the year. Uncle Vernon wanted to refuse, but he had no chance against the gigantic Hagrid. In the end, Hagrid gave Dudley a nice curly pigtail and the Dursleys fled into the next room. That settled everything, we were allowed to go!