The Letters
Harry and I were playing with two of our horse figures (the one Harry's playing with has a knight on it but mine doesn't) and we heard drilling. "No more mail through this letterbox," Uncle Vernon said and Harry opened the door slightly and we saw Uncle Vernon drilling a board of wood over the letterbox to stop our letters from getting in. Harry shook his head and closed our cupboard door.
...
Harry and I saw Uncle Vernon burning our letters in the fireplace in the living room. He saw us, grinned and waved a letter slightly at us before putting it in the fire.
...
"Fine day, Sunday," Uncle Vernon said as Harry passed out biscuits. "In my opinion, best day of the week. Why is that, Dudley?" Dudley shrugged.
"Because there's no post on Sundays?" Harry asked as he held the biscuits out to Uncle Vernon.
"Right you are, Harry!" He said as he picked up a biscuit from the plate. "No post on Sunday. Ha! No blasted letters today! No, Sir. Not one single bloody letter! Not one!" Harry and I looked out of the window and saw many owls. "No, Sir, not one blasted, miserable--" Uncle Vernon got cut off by a letter to the face that came from the fireplace. He dropped his biscuit as he held his hands over his ears because of the rumbling noise the fireplace was making. Harry and I looked at it in anticipation before hundreds of letters came flying out of the fireplace. The Dursleys started freaking out and begged for it to stop. I chuckled when Dudley jumped onto Aunt Petunia's lap. Harry ran into the middle of the room and started jumping for the letters. He grabbed one and ran out and Uncle Vernon ran after him yelling to give the letter to him and Harry yelled to get off and that there were our letters. Aunt Petunia and Dudley followed him. I quickly grabbed a letter off of the floor and hid it in my shoe as I heard Uncle Vernon yelling about how we were going away somewhere 'they' can't find us.
"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia. He's always been mad.
...
Harry and I laid next to each other on the floor drawing two birthday cakes with eleven candles on each. Dudley's watch started beeping. "Make a wish, sis," Harry said at the same time I spoke.
"Make a wish, Harry." We chuckled at the other's words. We closed our eyes for a few seconds.
I wish to know what was in my letter. Harry and I grinned as we'd both heard the other's wish in our minds. We'd wished for the same thing. We blew out the dust candles. There was immediately a banging noise on the wooden door. Harry and I hid as Dudley started screaming.
"Who's there?" Uncle Vernon stammered as he pointed a gun at the door. A large figure stood in the doorway after the door fell on the floor. He moved out of the way.
"Sorry about that," the man said as he put the door back in place.
"I demand that you leave at once, Sir!" Uncle Vernon yelled. "You are breaking and entering!" The man walked over to Uncle Vernon.
"Dry up, Dursley, you great prune." The man bent Uncle Vernon's gun in half and it shot a hole in the roof. Dudley made a weird noise and I tried not to chuckle. The man walked over to Dudley.
"Mind, I haven't seen you since you were a baby, Harry," the man said to Dudley. "But you're a bit more along than I would've expected. Particularly 'round the middle," the man said as he pat his stomach. Did he just fat-shame Dudley? Harry and I exchanged a look. The guy is cool with me if he's gonna make fun of Dudley's weight.
"I- I- I'm not Harry," Dudley stuttered and Harry got out of his hiding place.
"I- I am."
"Well, of course, you are. Where is your sister?" I stepped out and stood next to Harry. "Ah, you look ju' like Lily but your hair's a different colour. Got summat for you. 'Fraid I mighta sat on it at some point, but I imagine it'll taste fine just the same." Huh? He pulled out a white box with a purple ribbon and Harry took it. "Baked it myself, words an' all." He opened it and it said 'Happee Birthdae Harry and Emma'. Maybe our wish came true and our letters are from this guy. That explains why the grammar on the letter is so horrible if it was him.
"Thank you," we said.
"It's not every day you turn 11, now is it? Ey?" He sat down on the sofa Dudley had been sleeping on, took out a pink umbrella, pointed the umbrella at the fireplace and sparks came out of the umbrella to make a fire in the fireplace. Harry and I looked wide-eyed at the fire. Harry put down the cake and looked at the man.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" He asked.
"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." Finally, we're going to know what Hogwarts is and why the Dursleys reacted the way they did when our letters showed up. I'm still kinda mad that Uncle Vernon found me trying to open the letter I'd sneaked when he was occupied with Harry. We both got beaten really badly for those letters. "Of course, you'll know all about Hogwarts."
"Sorry, no," Harry said.
"No? Blimey, Harry, didn't you ever wonder where your mom and dad learned it all?"
"Learned what?" I asked.
"Yeh a Wizard, Harry. And you're a Witch, Emma." This has got to be some kind of sick joke.
"I'm a what?" Harry asked.
"A Wizard. And a thumpin' good 'un, I'd wager, once you're trained up a little."
"No, you've made a mistake. I mean... I can't be a- A Wizard. I mean, I'm... Just... Harry. Just Harry."
"Well, 'Just Harry' did you ever make anything happ'en? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or- Or scared?" Harry and I thought about what happened with the glass at the zoo. The guy... Hagrid? Gave us a knowing look. He nodded and stood up. Dudley started whimpering and Hagrid gave us our letters. I knew it! Harry and I opened our letters.
"Dear, Mr Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Harry read in a disbelieving voice. I looked at my letter.
"Mine's the same, Harry."
"They will not be going I tell you!" Uncle Vernon yelled as he came over. "We swore when we took them in that we'd put a stop to all this rubbish."
"You knew? You knew all along and you never told us?" We questioned.
"Of course, we knew," Aunt Petunia said. She scoffed and walked over to Uncle Vernon. "How could you not be? My perfect sister being who she was." She let out a sigh. "My mother and father were so... Proud... The day she got her letter. 'We have a Witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful?' I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak! And then she met that Potter," Aunt Petunia spat. "And then she had you two... And I knew you would be the same. Just as strange, just as... Abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up! And we got landed with you."
"Blown up!?" Harry yelled.
"You told us our parents died in a car crash!" I yelled.
"A car crash? A car crash killed Lily and James Potter?" Hagrid exclaimed in disbelief.
"We had to say something," Aunt Petunia reasoned.
"It's an outrage! It's a scandal!"
"They will not be going," Uncle Vernon said.
"Oh, ho, ho, and I supposed a great Muggle like yourself's gonna stop 'em are you?"
"Muggle?" Harry and I questioned.
"Non-magic folk," Hagrid dismissively said. "These two 'ave had their names down ever since 'ey were born. They'll be going to the finest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the world and they'll be under the finest Headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen... Albus Dumbledore." Harry and I let out quiet snickers at the name.
"I will not pay to have some crackpot, old fool teach them magic tricks!" Hagrid pointed his umbrella at Uncle Vernon.
"Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me," he said before pointing the umbrella at Dudley and sparks hit his butt. A pig's tail appeared on Dudley's butt and all the Dursleys started freaking out as Harry and I laughed. The Dursleys ran up the stairs. "Oh, um, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic."
"Okay," we said. Hagrid took a pocket watch out of his pocket.
"Ooh, ah, we're a bit behind schedule. Best be off." Harry and I looked at each other as Hagrid walked over to the door and pulled it away from the doorframe. We nodded at each other before looking back at Hagrid. "Unless you'd rather stay, of course. Hm?" Hagrid gave us a look before walking out through the doorframe. Harry and I gave the place one last look.
...
"All students must be equipped with..." Harry read.
"One Standard Size 2 Pewter Cauldron," I continued.
"And may bring, if they desire, either an owl, a cat or a toad," Harry finished.
"Can we find all this in London?" I asked.
"If you know where to go," Hagrid said as we walked into some dingy pub. The sign outside had called it 'The Leaky Cauldron'. Fitting.
He's a fucking alcoholic, Harry.
You can't assume that, Em.
"Ah, Hagrid!" The guy behind the bar called. "The usual, I presume?"
Nevermind. Sorry, Em. You were right.
Obviously.
"No, thanks, Tom. I'm on official Hogwarts business," Hagrid said.
At least he doesn't drink on the job. Ey, Harry?
"Just helping young Harry and Emma here buy their school supplies."
"Bless my soul. It's the Potter twins!" Tom said. Everyone stopped what they were doing, looked at us and a guy started shaking our hands.
"Welcome back, Potters. Welcome back!" A woman then started shaking our hands as the guy sat back down.
"Doris Crockford, Potters. I can't believe I'm meeting you at last."
"Harry P- P- Potter and Emma P- Potter. Can't tell you how pleased I am to meet you," a guy with a purple turban stuttered to us.
"Hello, Professor. I didn't see you there. Harry, Emma, this is Professor Quirrell. He will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts."
"Oh, nice to meet you," I said as Harry offered his hand to the Professor but he refused to take it. I'd wonder if he was a germaphobe if he wasn't in this dingy pub. Everyone here is probably going to get some kind of disease. So why did he act like that?
"F- Fearfully f- Fascinating subject. N- Not that you need it, ey, P- Potters?" The Professor made some kind of weird chuckle/sigh noise.
"Yes, well, must be going now. Lots to buy," Hagrid loudly said before he chuckled.
"Goodbye," Harry and I said in unison. Hagrid took us out a door at the back of the pub. There was just a brick wall and some barrels.
"See, Harry, Emma? You're famous."
"But why are we famous, Hagrid?" I asked.
"All those people back there," Harry continued as he gestured to the door.
"How is it they know who we are?" I finished as Hagrid stood in front of the brick wall. He looked back at us.
"I'm not sure I'm exactly the right person to tell you that," Hagrid said before looking back at the wall. Hagrid tapped five random bricks on the wall and the bricks moved around to make an archway.