Call You Mine

Diagon Alley

Belle woke early the next morning. Although she could tell it was 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. That my mum isn't my mum, and my real mum is some Goddess. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard." 

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise. 

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

Tap. Tap. Tap. 

"All right," Belle 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. 

Belle 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 onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat. 

"Don't do that." 

Belle 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 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, Belle pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins. 

"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily. 

"Knuts?" 

"The little bronze ones." 

Belle counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Belle 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, Belle, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school." 

Belle was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. She had just thought of something that 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 Vernon 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." 

Belle dropped the bit of sausage she was holding.