𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝

- 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 -

Lucia woke early the next morning. Although she could tell it way daylight, she kept her eyes shut tight.

"It was a dream" she told herself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for witches. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard".

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.

"And there's Aunt Emily knocking on the door" , Lucia thought, her heart sinking. But she still didn't open her eyes. It had been such a good dream.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

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

She sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off her. 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.

Lucia scrambled to her feet, so happy she felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside her. She 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 on to the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat.

"Don't do that".

Lucia tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at her and carried on savaging the coat.

"Hagrid!" said Lucia 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, mint humbugs, tea bags... finally, Lucia pulled out a handful of strange looking coins.

"Give him five Knuts", said Hagrid sleepily.

"Knuts?".

"The little bronze ones".

Lucia counted out five little bronze coins and the owl held out its leg so she could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then it flew off through the open window.

Hagrid yawned loudly and stretched.

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

Lucia was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. She had just thought of something which made her feel as though the happy balloon inside her had got a puncture.

"Um — Hagrid?".

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

"I haven't got any money — and you heard Uncle Jack last night — he won't pay for me 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 anything?".

"But if their house was destroyed —"

"They didn' keep their gold in the house, girl! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither".

"Wizards have banks?"

"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins".

Lucia dropped the bit of sausage she was holding.

"Goblins?"

"Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Lucia. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. For Dumbledore. Hogwarts business". Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you — gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see".