Faced with a giant who stood over three meters tall, Vernon, though visibly terrified, still used his obese body to shield his family.
The giant, Rubeus Hagrid, ignored them. He pointed a small, pink umbrella at the empty fireplace, and with a flick of his wrist, a magical scene unfolded: the cold hearth burst into roaring flames.
Seeing this, Dudley's eyes lit up. So this is magic. It was undeniably wondrous.
Hagrid warmed himself by the fire for a moment, then rubbed his massive hands together. "Ah, I could really use a cup o' hot tea," he rumbled. "You must have some."
This direct, threatening, and utterly rude behavior instantly extinguished Dudley's nascent desire to learn magic from this man. With a voice as cold as ice, he said, "Tea is for guests."
The implication was clear: You are not welcome here. Leave.
"Eh? Dursley, look at this great lump of a son o' yours," Hagrid grumbled, turning his beetle-black eyes on Dudley. "He hasn't learned a thing yet." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low growl. "Remember, boy. Don't say 'no' in front of someone stronger than yeh."
Petunia, terrified that the giant would harm her son, started to move towards the kitchen. But Dudley stopped her, placing a firm hand on her arm. Then, with a blank, unreadable expression, he went to make the tea himself.
Throughout the process, he remained silent, his movements deliberate and precise. Harry watched him, a knot of worry tightening in his stomach. He knew this look. This was the calm before the storm. Dudley often tried to reason with people, but when his face went tight and he stopped talking, it meant he was about to use a different kind of "reason"—the physical kind.
Harry had never seen his cousin lose a fight, but this giant was on another level entirely. He felt a surge of protective fear. If it comes to a fight, he thought, his eyes darting around the room, I'll hit him with the fire poker. His gaze settled on the giant's broad, unsuspecting backside.
"That's more like it," Hagrid boomed, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. He took the teacup from Dudley's hand and took a long, satisfying sip. "Didn't expect a clumsy-lookin' great oaf like yeh to know how to make tea." He then turned his attention to Harry, who was still huddled behind Vernon. A warm, gap-toothed smile spread across his face. "Anyway, Harry. Happy Birthday."
Arrogant and ill-mannered, Dudley thought, his opinion of Hogwarts plummeting even further.
Hagrid pulled a squashed, rectangular box from his coat pocket and held it out to Harry. "Oh, it's a bit flattened, I'm afraid. Sat on it at some point. But it'll taste great, I promise."
"Who are you?" Harry asked, his voice small but firm. He didn't move from behind Vernon's protective bulk, his eyes fixed on the giant with wary vigilance.
Seeing that Harry wasn't taking the gift, Hagrid felt a pang of awkwardness and sheepishly drew it back. "Forgot ter introduce myself. Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He paused, his large eyes fixed on Harry. "Yeh know all about Hogwarts, o' course."
Harry felt his skin crawl under that intense gaze. He shook his head. "I don't know."
"Don't know?!" The words exploded from Hagrid like a thunderclap. He whirled around, glaring at the Dursleys, his massive frame and furious expression making him look like an enraged gorilla. "I know yeh didn't get the letters, but yeh should... I see! Dursleys!" His voice rose another several decibels, shaking the entire hut. "Yeh never told him! Never told him anything he should know!"
What should I know? The question flickered in Harry's mind, a seed of doubt planted. But years of living with his family had taught him to trust them.
When Hagrid looked back at Harry, his anger surprisingly softened. "Harry... yeh must want to know about yer parents, right? Come here, I'll tell yeh!" He was certain that any child would be desperate to know about their lost mother and father.
But Harry's response was unexpected. "Not interested," he said, his voice cold.
He wasn't stupid. This man had mentioned his parents multiple times, implying a close friendship. But in all his eleven years, Harry had never once seen him. Dudley had taught him long ago to be wary of strangers who suddenly appeared claiming to be old acquaintances; they always had ulterior motives. He remembered a terrifying incident from his childhood, when a man claiming to be a friend of his parents had tried to abduct him. It was Dudley who had found him, huddled with other terrified children in a dilapidated house. They were "goods" to be sold by a human trafficker.
From that day on, Dudley had walked him to and from school every single day.
Harry suddenly realized that this giant, this Hagrid, was connected to the letters. And the place they mentioned, Hogwarts, was the reason he couldn't go to Smeltings with Dudley. A sudden, unprovoked dislike for this "Hogwarts" flared in his heart.
Should I pretend to agree? he thought frantically. And then take the first chance I get to call the police?
Because of Harry's refusal, Hagrid's mood soured. He looked down for a moment, then his eyes burned with a new intensity. "Harry, do yeh want to know who yeh are? The Dursleys must not have told yeh!"
"Shut up!" The words seemed to strike a raw nerve. Vernon, his fear momentarily forgotten, roared at Hagrid. "Stop talking! I forbid you from telling this child anything!" His voice, fueled by a deep-seated terror, rose to match Hagrid's. "The moment we took him in, we decided to stay away from that dreadful place!"
He stared back at Hagrid, unflinching. "That dreadful place already killed this child's parents! Do you want the same thing to happen to him?!"
"We will protect this child! Until he is an adult!"
***
(End of Chapter)
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