LINKED

Chapter 4

Harry walked across the Hogwarts ground with a pale white-blonde boy tagging along muttering to himself. He came to a sudden halt, causing the blonde to bump into him.

Hagrid's hut was on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, it looked a tad bit too small for the Half-Giant to live in, a pink umbrella stood propped next to the wooden door. The stone walls of the hut looked battered showing the hut had been there for a long time.

The blonde grunted in disgust.

"Tell me Potter, why I shouldn't turn around and walk away," said the blonde.

"Come on Draco, Hagrid isn't that bad,"said Potter. Draco simply rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

Harry took a deep breath and knocked twice on the heavy door. The sound of heavy footsteps and the sound of roaring barks came from the hut. The door swung open revealing Hagrid's bearded face, plastered with a huge smile, he didn't seem to notice Draco standing next to Harry.

On spur of moment, something big, black and fury jumped up from behind Hagrid landing on Draco. Draco shrieked and fell on the ground. The dog, Fang took his chance and started to lick Draco's face, barking happily.

"Potter help me," screamed Draco, trying to get Fang off him. Harry giggled at Draco's horrified face, but helped him anyway.

"Back, Fang back"

"Hang on," said Hagrid " Fang, back." He pulled on Fang's leash. Hagrid took hold of the collar of the huge black boarhound and stepped aside to let them in.

The inside of the hut was packed, several owl cages, similar to Harry's hung from the ceiling along with Ham and fruit baskets. A round table stood in the middle of the room, a massive bed on one-side of the room and a worn out arm chair on the other. A bunch of blankets laid on the floor next to the bed, which looked like a makeshift bed for Fang. A huge metal kettle hung on the open fire place.

"Make yerselfs at home," said Hagrid trying to calm Fang down.

Harry and Draco took a seat around the round table.

"Who's the young fellow 'Arry ?" said Hagrid gesturing to Draco. Hagrid let go of Fang, it ran straight up to Draco and started to lick his cheek.

"Oh I almost forgot" said Harry, " this is Draco Malfoy."

"A Malfoy!" spat Hagrid, the same way Draco had said his name. He screwed up his face into an expression of disgust.

Draco sneered at Hagrid ready to defend himself or to insult Hagrid.

"Hagrid, Draco isn't that bad even though he's a Slytherin," Harry defended Draco. "He is really nice to me."

"If yer say so" said Hagrid, not believing Harry, but decided to drop the matter.

Hagrid poured them some tea and served them rock cakes. It seemed Hagrid had taken the name rock cake literally because the cakes were hard as rock and nearly broke their teeth.

Hagrid asked Harry about his first week at Hogwarts. Harry told him about how History of Magic was the most boring subject ever. He was glad when Hagrid agreed with him without any hesitation.

"I think there's something suspicious about Professor Quirrell" said Harry.

"Rubbish" replied Hagrid, standing up to refill his cup. " There is nothing wrong with him."

Harry couldn't help but notice that Hagrid kept on avoiding his and Draco's eye. Hagrid even tried to talk to Draco to cover up. They ended up having a heated debate about which species of dragons were better, a Chinese Fireball or a Hungarian Horntail.

Harry listened to their arguments about the dragons but got bored and looked around the house trying to find something to him entertained. He picked up a cutting from the Daily Prophet.

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown.

Gringotts' goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

"But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

"Hagrid!" said Harry. "The Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might have happened when we were still there!"

Hagrid looked away from Harry and offered Draco a rock cake, he kindly refused but knew something was up. Harry remembered Hagrid taking a small brown package from vault 317.

Harry and Draco bid their goodbyes to the Half-Giant and his dog and headed of to the library.

***

The Hogwarts Library was absolutely magnificent. The library was crowded with prodigious shelves  with hundreds of books on both muggle and the wizarding world.

The raven head had never seen this many books in his life before, his eyes glinted with amazement. The Dursleys, didn't allow him to go to the library afraid Harry might become smarter than their Dudley-kinns (too late for that). Nothing in the world could express his hate for the family and the person who put him in that hell.

Harry felt a pair of eyes on him. He turned around to look into familiar stormy grey eyes. Harry felt a sharp tug in his heart but ignored the feeling.

They took a seat at the back of the library, very few people sat there but that meant they could talk in private. Harry sat next to Draco instead of sitting across him.

"Draco, do you know anything about the evil curse that killed my parents and nearly killed me?" asked Harry causally.

Draco looked up from his transfiguration a little taken back.

"Why would you want to know about the killing curse?" he said.

Harry told the blonde about his scar and Quirrell and maybe the scar was somehow related to Quirrell. But he gotten the scar from Voldemort and surely if Quirrell was a mass murder he would have been arrested and thrown into prison or wherever criminals go to in the this world. And if he was hit by a killing curse, a curse that killed than why was he still alive, what had gone so wrong that night to kill Voldemort instead of him.

Draco just listened patiently while Potter rumbled on, Draco knew he himself wouldn't be able to fully answer Harry, but he could try and be there for Harry.

Harry recalled the events from earlier. Why had Hagrid avoided his eye? Why was Quirrell such a headache? What was in the brown package? And was there something going on between Hagrid and Quirrell?   

A/n: Please comment or vote : )