Chapter Text
“ahhh”
“Remember to breathe, babe”
“I am breathing, James! You try pushing two babies the size of watermelons out of a small hole in your body!”
On the 31st of July 1980, two miracles were born to two very young parents. Lily and James Potter were only 20 years old but they had been together for 2 years and married for nearly 1 year. The two were madly in love and having children was the next step. You may think this is was fast, the two are very young after all, but the two didn’t know how long they had. You see the world they lived in was at war and those two were at the centre of it. But on that day, the 31 st July 1980, the two forgot all about the war. All that was on their minds was the birth of their twins. First born was a little boy they named Harry James Potter. The second born was a little boy called Jacob Fleamont Potter. The twins looked identical, except for their hair. Both boys had emerald green eyes and a thin facial, structure. But Harry had his father’s raven black coloured hair while Jacob had his mother's red hair.
The twins were the apple of their parents’ eyes. The parents were absolutely smitten with them. No matter how hard the war got or that a prophecy made the family go into hiding, the twins always cheered them up. For a year, the little family were really close. The twins were best friends and would cry if they couldn’t see each other. The Potter house was one of joy, blocking out all the chaos and sadness of the war. But then tragedy struck. Halloween 1981 happened and the twin’s lives were never the same again.
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It was a dark cold night. The streets of Godric’s Hollow were filled with children in costumes trick or treating. The streets were filled with giggles and lanterns. At the end of the street, there was an invisible house. To everyone else it just seems like a patch of grass but to those who know, that house was number 12 Church street, Godric’s Hollow.
From the outside, you would think no one lives there but as soon as you go inside, you will know straight away. The inside of the house was beautiful. It had this cottage core feel. Everything seemed to have a place. The only things out of place were all the baby toys all over the floor. There were so many family pictures all over the walls. The house was amazing. Upstairs in the nursery was the family that occupy this amazing house. There was a young man and woman playing with two one-year-old babies. The young man had messy raven coloured hair and round glasses appeared in the mirror. He was wearing a quidditch t-shirt and black joggers. The young woman had fiery red hair. She was wearing a dirty red t-shirt and blue jeans. She had her hair flowing down. The two babies wearing grey onesies but one baby had black hair and one had red hair. The small, but cute, family were playing with a tiny broom that was floating off the floor slightly with the black haired baby sat on top of it.
The red headed baby was in his mother’s arms, playing with a toy train. “And off you go Harry!” The young man cheered the baby on as the broom started moving “look at our son, Lily, he is going to be a quidditch star”. Lily smiled as she watched her husband and son have fun “Harry can be whoever he wants, James. Just like Jacob can be whatever he wants” Lily said, smiling. Jacob giggled at that. James nods “but look at him go. Oh, I miss quidditch. Oh oh oh when this is all over we need to throw a quidditch party? Speaking of party, what are we doing for Sirius’s birthday its in 3 days?” Lily giggles at her husband’s antics before putting a hand on his shoulder and saying “when this is all over and everyone is safe. We will throw a party. A party because we won and a party to remember those we los-“
Knock knock knock.
Lily was interrupted by knocking at the front door, so she pulls away from James, grabs Harry and stands up with the twins. “Who is that, James? It’s not Sirius he just walks in” She asked as James face lights up “Peter!”. James rushes out of the room without a wand. “James wait” lily runs after him but by the time she’s at the top of the stairs, James was opening the door.
“Lily it’s him!! Hide!!”
Lily quickly ran back to the nursery. At the door there was a man. The man had dark black hair and red eyes. He had really pale skin, almost white and a really small nose. His skin was a contrast to the dark black suit that he was wearing and the black cape he was wearing around the suit. In his hand was a cream wand that was pointing directly at James. James tries to find his wand only to realise he left it. ‘Oh no’. James makes fists with his hand ready to fist fight Voldemort to protect his family.
“Avada Kedavra”
A bright green light blasted out of the man’s wand. The light hit James square in the chest. A creepy cackle filled the room.
THUD!
James’s lifeless body hit the floor. His glasses smashed and the frame slid off his face. His eyes were empty. There was nothing behind them. No soul. No life. No anything. The eyes were just staring at nothingness. One of his arms fell limp, reaching up the stairs as if he was reaching for lily as his hands unclenched. The man stepped over his body and gladded up the stairs to find lily. He blasted every door open with a bang until he heard a voice behind a door.
“Mama loves you Harry, Jacob”
The man laughs and blasts the door open. He finds Harry and Jacob in Harry's cot reaching for Lily who is standing in front of the coat in a protective stance.
“Stay away from my babies!”
“You don’t have to die Lily. You know i hate to spill magic blood. Move out of the way”
“Never”
“Just let me kill the kids and you can live”
“I will not let you kill my sons”
“This is your last chance, Lily. Move out of the way and live and be with Severus. Or die with your husband and sons”
“I won’t let you kill my sons”
Lily grabs her wand and goes to shoot but the man was quicker.
“Avada Kedavra”
The room filled with a green light as while as Lily’s high pitched scream. The spell hit her in the middle of the chest and she went down like a stack of cards. All her limbs went numb. Her lifeless eyes rolled to the back of her head. Lily and James were together again.
The man creeps towards the one year olds, wand in hand. “Harry Potter, Jacob Potter, at last we meet and at last you die” Harry just looks up at him and giggles, reaching for his nose. Jacob glares at the man. The man does a lighting shape movement with his wand and yells “Avada Kedavra”. The all familiar green light came barrelling at the twins, but instead of killing them like it did with James and Lily, the light bounces off of them and back on to the man. One second the man was there, the next there was a big explosion and he was gone but his wand and burning robes were there. Harry bursts out crying. Jacob hugs his twin.
The boys were left with nothing but identical lightening scars. But Harry’s was on his forehead for all to see and Jacob’s was on his shoulder, hidden away
As the clock in the nursery struck midnight, there were footsteps heard downstairs. Downstairs in the hallway of the potter house, there was a man. The man had greasy black shoulder length hair and was wearing a black robe. He had a big crooked nose and a scowl on his face. The man was standing over a body. The body of an old bully. The body’s eyes were empty. There was nothing behind them. No soul. No life. No anything. The eyes were just staring at nothingness. One of the body’s arms was limply pointing up the stairs as if it was reaching for someone. The body was lifeless and limp. The body showed no pain much to the man’s disappointment. This was the body of James Potter. The man stepped over the lifeless body and all of the baby toys to run up stairs.
He ran towards the nursery. He gasped in shock at what he saw. There on the floor, in front of a crying baby and a silent baby in a crib, was another body. The body of the woman the man loved. The body was limp and numb. The body’s eyes had rolled to the back of the head. The body’s face was covered in tears. The man rushed over to kneel next to the body. He pulled it on to his lap and cradled her while one baby continued to cry and one baby glared at him. “Oh Lily. My Lily” the man mumbled as he cried and cuddled the lifeless body. The man stayed like that for just over an hour. Just cradling a body and crying while ignoring the babies behind him. When he finally left, he just got up and left. He didn’t take the babies with him. He didn’t tell anyone about the bodies and the babies. He just left.
About two to three hours later, a different man appeared downstairs in the hallway. This man had messy knotted up shoulder length black hair that was held up in a messy bun by a wand. The man was wearing a white shirt that said Pink Floyd on it and black ripped jeans. He was also wearing a leather jacket. Under his eyes, there were black bags showing how tired he was. This man looked down to notice the lifeless body on the ground and he collapsed to the floor in tears of anger and sadness “no James no! Peter that rat!!!”. It was then that he heard crying from upstairs. Despite still silently crying for his dead best friend and despite being full of anger, the man rushed upstairs to find the body of Lily, Harry crying and Jacob giggling upon seeing Sirius. Seeing Lily dead made the man even more angry but he kept his cool because he needed to sooth his godson and Jacob. The man quickly picked Harry up and started rocking him. “Shh it’s okay, Harry. Uncle Padfoot has you. Hey Jacob.”.
After a bit, Harry finally calmed down but now there were more footsteps downstairs. Picking Jacob up, the man quickly grabbed his wand and storms downstairs to see a giant man, crying over the body on the floor. The man had wild, long tangles of bushy black hair and his beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of dustbin lids and his feet, in their leather boots, were like baby dolphins. “S-Sirius what happened?” The man said to Padfoot. “He killed them all. James and lily. Both of them are dead, Hagrid.” That just made Hagrid cry more. “W-what about poor Harry and Jacob?” He asked. Sirius pushed the sleeping baby and giggling Jacob into Hagrid’s arms. “Voldemort is nowhere to be seen but he left his wand and Harry now has a scar. Now take Harry and Jacob to Remus, wherever he is, I’ll be back. You can use my bike” Sirius says as he was about to walk out of the door.
“W-where are you going?”
“To kill a rat”
And with that Sirius disappeared leaving Hagrid with the baby and a motorbike.
Hagrid slowly walked to the bike and put the babies in the tag along part of the bike. He wrapped him up in a blanket before climbing on the bike and flying away.
Later that night, in a town called Surrey, in a street called Privet Drive, an elderly man with crimson robes and a long silvery beard walked out of a forest near the street, past a tabby cat standing next to what looks like a shed and on top of a mini wall. He takes out this weird looking thing from his pocket and presses a button on it. Suddenly, all the lights from the lamp posts disappeared into the machine. The man then puts the device away. Suddenly the cat meows, causing the man to look down at the cat. “I should have known that you would be here, Professor McGonagall.” The cat silently looks at him before jumping off the wall. As the cat jumped, it slowly transformed into a woman wearing a tall hat and emerald robes. “Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. Are the rumours true, Albus?” The woman spoke to the man.
“I’m afraid so, Professor. The good, and the bad.”
“And the boys?”
“Hagrid is bringing them.”
“Do you think it wise to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?”
“Ah, Professor, I would trust Hagrid with my life.”
There was a motor sound, and the two professors looked up to see a flying motorcycle coming down from the air. It skids on the street and halts. Hagrid pulled the goggles off his face and spoke “Professor Dumbledore, Sir. Professor McGonagall.” Albus smiled and asked “No problems, I trust, Hagrid?” Hagrid quickly nods “No, sir. The Little tykes fell asleep just as we were flying over Bristol. Heh. Try not to wake them. There you go.” As Hagrid passes the two babies all wrapped up to Albus, McGonagall decided to ask “Albus, do you really think it’s safe, leaving them with these people? I’ve watched them all day. They’re the worst sort of Muggles imaginable. They really are…” but Dumbledore cut her off “The only family they have”. The three slowly walk with the babies to number 4 where they stop and stare. McGonagall continued to try and explain why the boys shouldn’t be here but Dumbledore was having none of it.
“Harry will be famous. There won’t be a child in our world who doesn’t know his name.”
“Exactly. He’s better off growing up away from all that. Until he is ready. And we can’t split the twins up”
Albus slowly placed the babies on the ground as Hagrid sniffled, he was sobbing a little. Albus clears his throat and tries to comfort him “There, there, Hagrid. It’s not really goodbye, after all.” As Hagrid nods, Albus takes a letter and places it on baby Harry “Good luck... Harry Potter.” The man whispered. And with that the three disappeared leaving the two babies here alone in the cold.
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Everything changed after that day. The twins were no longer happy. The twins were no longer super close. The twins were no longer the apple of their parents' eye. The twins didn’t even know the truth about their parents. They believed James and Lily were no good drunks that died in a car crash. The two boys grew up as slaves to their aunt, uncle and cousin. The two boys grew up as freaks because accidents just seem to happen around them. Accidents like a snake talking to them and then the glass disappearing when Dudley (their cousin shoved them out of the way). Accidents like the twins disappearing and ending up on the school roof while Dudley and his gang were chasing them. Accidents like vases exploding when the two boys were frustrated. Accidents like things going flying when the boys were angry. The two boys grew up as victims of abuse and bullying from their family. The two boys grew up in a closet under the stairs. The two boys grew up with punishments like Food being taken away and slaps. The two boys grew up in a horrible situation. But Jacob got the worst of it. Unlike Harry, Jacob would fight back more. Unlike Harry, Jacob would always sassy the adults and be sarcastic to them. So he got punished a lot more than Harry and he got locked in that cupboard for days on end.
With a horrible life like this, it was no surprise that the two boys were counting down to their 18 th birthday when they could finally leave. But things changed dramatically in the summer 1991. In the lead up to the twin’s 11 th birthday, the two boys started receiving tons and tons of letters from this one place. A place called Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry and the funny thing is the letters were delivered by owls who seemed to know that the twins lived in the cupboard under the stairs. These letters seemed to freak Vernon and Petunia. Vernon seemed to go crazy trying to stop these letters. He locked up the letterbox plate. He blocked the chimney. But west threw him over the age was when so many letters arrived they broke the blockers and filled the whole house. On the 30th July 1991, Vernon ended up moving the whole family to a little run down house in the middle of a massive lake in the middle of nowhere. However at midnight, something magical happened.
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As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few mouldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and the twins were left to find the softest bit of floor they could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket. 1 blanket for two boys to share. The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry and Jacob couldn’t sleep. They shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, their stomachs rumbling with hunger. Dudley’s snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley’s watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told the twins they’d be eleven in ten minutes’ time. The twi lay and watched their birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.
Five minutes to go.
Jacob heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn’t going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.
Four minutes to go.
Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he’d be able to steal one somehow.
Three minutes to go.
Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And
(Two minutes to go)
what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?
One minute to go and they’d be eleven.
Thirty seconds…
twenty…
ten…
nine —
Maybe he’d wake Dudley up, just to annoy him —
three…
two…
one…
BOOM.
The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Jacob slowly sat up and faced the door. Someone was outside, trying to get in.
BOOM.
They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. “Where’s the cannon?” he said stupidly. There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands — now they knew what had been in the long, thin package he had brought with them. “Who’s there?” he shouted. “I warn you — I’m armed!” There was a pause. Then —
SMASH!
The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all. “Couldn’t make us a cup o’ tea, could yeh? It’s not been an easy journey…” He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear. “Budge up, yeh great lump,” said the stranger. Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother, who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon. “an’ here’s Harry. I don’ remember ya being ginger” said the giant staring at Jacob. Jacob glared at him but before he could sass the giant, Harry spoke up “I’m Harry. This is my twin, Jacob”. Hagrid pulled a confused face. “I don’ remember there being two of ya but oh well you both still go’ ya mom’s eyes bu’ Harry you have your dad’s hair” Hagrid said, shrugging.
Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. “I demand that you leave at once, sir! You are breaking and entering!” he said. “Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune,” said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon’s hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room. Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on. “Anyway — Harry.... and Jacob, I supose” said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, “a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it’ll taste all right.” From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box that he passed to Harry. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing. Harry looked up at the giant. Jacob rolled his eyes at the cake and turned to the giant. “who are you?” he asked. The giant chuckled. “True, I haven’t introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.” He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry’s whole arm, not Jacobs.
“What about that tea then, eh?” he said, rubbing his hands together. “I’d not say no ter summat stronger if yeh’ve got it, mind.” His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn’t see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Jacob felt the warmth wash over him as though he’d sunk into a hot bath.
The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, “Don’t touch anything he gives you, Dudley.” The giant chuckled darkly. “Yer great puddin’ of a son don’ need fattenin’ anymore, Dursley, don’ worry.” He passed the sausages to Harry and Jacob, who was so hungry they had never tasted anything so wonderful, but the twins still couldn’t take their eyes off the giant.
Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, Harry said, “I’m sorry, but I still don’t really know who you are.” The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Call me Hagrid, everyone does. An’ like I told yeh, I’m Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts — yeh’ll know all about Hogwarts, o’ course.” he said. “Er — no,” said Jacob. Hagrid looked shocked. “Sorry,” Harry said quickly. “Sorry? It’ s them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren’t gettin’ yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn’t even know abou’ Hogwarts, fer cryin’ out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?” barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. “All what?” asked Harry. “ALL WHAT?” Hagrid thundered. “Now wait jus’ one second!” He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall. “Do you mean ter tell me,” he growled at the Dursleys, “that this boy — these boys! — know nothin’ abou’ — about ANYTHING?” Jacob thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren’t bad. “We know some things,” Jacob said. “we can, you know, do math and stuff. We’re not dumb” But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, “About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents’ world.” Jacob looked at Harry with a ‘this man is crazy’ look. “What world?” Harry asked. Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
“DURSLEY!”
Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like
“Mimblewimble. But yeh must know about yet mom and dad, I mean, they’re famous. You’re famous.”
“What? Our — our mom and dad weren’t famous, were they?” Harry mumbled to Jacob. “no they were no good drunks” Jacob mumbled back
“Yeh don’ know… yeh don’ know… Yeh don’ know what yeh are?”
Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice. “Stop!” he commanded. “Stop right there, sit! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!” A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage. “You never told him.... them? Never told then what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer them? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An’ you’ve kept it from them all these years?” Jacob glared ay them. “Kept what from us?” said Harry eagerly. “STOP! I FORBID YOU!” yelled Uncle Vernon in panic. Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror. “Ah, go boil yet heads, both of yeh,” said Hagrid. “Harry, Jacob — yer a wizard.”
There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.
“I'm a what? We’re a what?” gasped Harry. “A wizard, o' course,” said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, “an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit. With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter. I did wonder why i had two to hand over” Hagrid handed the twins a yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to MR. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut on the Rock, The Sea and MR. J. Potter, The Floor, Hut on the Rock, The Sea. Jacob and Harry pulled out the letters and read:
“ HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.”
Questions exploded inside Jacob's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes, “What does it mean, they await our owls?” Harry asked a question. “Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me,” said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl — a real, live, rather ruffled looking owl — a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Jacob could read upside down:
Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Given Harry and Jacob their letters. Taking them to buy their things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're well.
Hagrid
Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone. Jacob quickly tapped Harry on shoulder to say his mouth was open. He closed it quickly. “Where was I?” said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight. “Thdir not going,” he said. Hagrid grunted. “I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him,” he said. “A what?” said Harry, interested. “A Muggle, it’s what we call non-magic folk like them. An’ it’s your bad luck you grew up in a family o’ the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on.” said Hagrid, “We swore when we took them in we'd put a stop to that rubbish, swore we'd stamp it out of them! Wizard indeed!” said Uncle Vernon, “You knew? You knew we are..... wizards?” Jacob snapped turning to the others, anger in his eyes.
“Knew! Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!”
Aunt Petunia stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.
“Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you two, and of course I knew you’d be just the same, just as strange, just as — as — abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!”
Harry had gone very white. But Jacob was filled with anger. “You lied to us! You told us they died in a car crash because they were drunk! How is that getting blown up?” he snapped. “CAR CRASH! How could a car crash kill Lily an’ James Potter? It’s an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin’ his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!” roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. “But why? What happened?” Harry asked urgently. The anger faded from Hagrid’s face. He looked suddenly anxious.
“I never expected this, I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin’ hold of yeh, how much yeh didn’t know. Ah, Harry, Jacob, I don’ know if I’m the right person ter tell yeh — but someone’s gotta — yeh can’t go off ter Hogwarts not knowin’. Well, it’s best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh — mind, I can’t tell yeh everythin’, it’s a great myst’ry, parts of it… It begins, I suppose, with — with a person called — but it’s incredible yeh don’t know his name, everyone in our world knows — ”
“Who?” Jacob asked
“Well — I don’ like sayin’ the name if I can help it. No one does.”
“Why not?” Harry asked.
“Gulpin’ gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went… bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…”
Hagrid gulped, but no words came out. “Could you write it down?” Harry suggested.
“Nah can’t spell it. All right — Voldemort. Don’t make me say it again. Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin’ fer followers. Got ‘em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o’ his power, ‘cause he was gettin’ himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry, Jacob. Didn’t know who ter trust, didn’t dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches… terrible things happened. He was takin’ over. ‘ Course, some stood up to him — an’ he killed ‘em. Horribly. One o’ the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore’s the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn’t dare try takin’ the school, not jus’ then, anyway. Now, yer mum an’ dad were as good a witch an’ wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an’ girl at Hogwarts in their day! Suppose the myst’ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get ‘em on his side before… probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin’ ter do with the Dark Side. Maybe he thought he could persuade ‘em… maybe he just wanted ‘em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You both were just a year old. He came ter yer house an’ — an’ — ”
Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.
“Sorry, But it’s that sad — knew yer mum an’ dad, an’ nicer people yeh couldn’t find — anyway… You-Know-Who killed ‘em. An’ then — an’ this is the real myst’ry of the thing — he tried to kill you, too, Harry. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin’ by then. But he couldn’t do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead, Harry? That was no ordinary cut. That’s what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh — took care of yer mum an’ dad an’ yer house, even — but it didn’t work on you, an’ that’s why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill ‘em, no one except you, an’ he’d killed some o’ the best witches an’ wizards of the age — the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts — an’ you was only a baby, an’ you lived.”
Something very painful was going on in Jacob’s mind. As Hagrid’s story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before — and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh. Jacob's shoulder began to hurt as Hagrid talked about Harry’s scar. Hagrid was watching him sadly.
“Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore’s orders. Brought yeh ter this lot…”
“Load of old tosh,” said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped. Jacob just rolled his eyes at his twin. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. “Now, you listen here, boys,” he snarled, “I accept there’s something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn’t have cured — and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world’s better off without them in my opinion — asked for all they got, getting mixed up with these wizarding types — just what I expected, always knew they’d come to a sticky end — ” But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat. Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, “I’m warning you, Dursley — I’m warning you — one more word…” In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon’s courage failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent. “That’s better,” said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor. Harry and Jacob, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of t hem. “But what happened to Vol — , sorry — I mean, You-Know-Who?” Harry asked
“Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That’s the biggest myst’ry, see… he was gettin’ more an’ more powerful — why’d he go? Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he’s still out there, bidin’ his time, like, but I don’ believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of ‘em came outta kinda trances. Don’ reckon they could’ve done if he was comin’ back. Most of us reckon he’s still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. ‘Cause somethin’ about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin’ goin’ on that night he hadn’t counted on — I dunno what it was, no one does — but somethin’ about you stumped him, all right.”
Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes. Jacob was beginning to hate Hagrid. This man must be completely crazy to believe all this. This man forgot he even existed. This man didn’t even know about Jacob’s matching scar. Who did this man think he was?
“Hagrid,” Harry said quietly, “I think you must have made a mistake. I don’t think we can be wizards”. Harry must hage been having simular thoughts. To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled. “Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?” Jacob froze slightly. He thought about all the freakish accidents he and Harry had growing up. Was that proof they were wizards? “See?” said Hagrid. “Harry Potter and his twin, not a wizard — you wait, you’ll be right famous at Hogwarts, Harry.” But Uncle Vernon wasn’t going to give in without a fight.
“Haven’t I told you their not going? Their going to Stonewall High and they’ll be grateful for it. I’ve read those letters and they need all sorts of rubbish — spell books and wands and —”
“If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won’t stop them, Stop Lily an’ James Potter’s sons goin’ ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. Their name’s been down ever since they were born. Their off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and they won’t know himself. They’ll be with youngsters of their own sort, fer a change, an’ they’ll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled —”
“I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!” yelled Uncle Vernon.
But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head, “NEVER,” he thundered, “ — INSULT — ALBUS — DUMBLEDORE — IN — FRONT — OF — ME!” He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley — there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Jacob saw a curly pig’s tail poking through a hole in his trousers. Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them. Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.
“Shouldn’ta lost me temper, but it didn’t work anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn’t much left ter do. Be grateful if yeh didn’t mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts,.I’m — er — not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin’. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an’ get yer letters to yeh an’ stuff — one o’ the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job — ”
“Why aren’t you supposed to do magic?” asked Jacob, glaring at the man.
“Oh, well — I was at Hogwarts meself but I — er — got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an’ everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore.”
“Why were you expelled?” Jacob demanded to know. Could this man be trusted? Did Jacob need to grab his twin and get out of there quick? He needed to know.
“It’s gettin’ late and we’ve got lots ter do tomorrow, Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an’ that.” Hagrid took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry. “You two can kip under that,” he said. “Don’ mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o’ dormice in one o’ the pockets.”.
Jacob woke up to the sound of Harry mumbling to himself. “It was a dream, I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I’ll be at home in my cupboard.” Jacob rolled his eyes and sat up, causing the coat to fall off of him. 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.
“Harry wake up. It wasn’t a dream. The man we can’t trust is still here” Jacob said, shaking Harry. Harry groaned but open his eyes to sit up but as soon he saw Hagrid he jumped up and ran to the window. Jacob had to watch as Harry 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, that was still on Jacob’s lap. “Stop it!” Jacob snapped. “Don’t do that.” Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat. Jacob quickly threw the coat on the floor and jumped up. “Hagrid! There’s an owl” said Harry loudly. “Pay him,” Hagrid grunted into the sofa. “What?” Jacob stared at the man. He couldn’t be serious. “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, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins. “Give him five Knuts,” said Hagrid sleepily. “Knuts?” Jacob riased an eye brow at him. “The little bronze ones.” Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry 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, Harry, Jacob, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an’ buy all yer stuff fer school.” Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. “Hagrid? We don’t have money and our uncle isn’t going to pay for anything.” Jacob said, staring at the giant. “Don’t worry about that, D’yeh think yer parents didn’t leave yeh anything?” said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head.
“But if their house was destroyed —” Harry said while Jacob nodded, slowly. “They didn’ keep their gold in the house, boy! 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?” Harry askedv
“Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins.”
“Goblins?” Jacob smirked. This man definitely needed help..
“Yeah — so yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob it, I’ll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. 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. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business. He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin’ you gettin’ things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see. Got everythin’? Come on, then.”
The twins followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm. "How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat. "Flew," said Hagrid. "Flew?" Jacob said, gobsmacked. "Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." They settled down in the boat, Jacob still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying. "Seems a shame ter row, though, If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin’ it at Hogwarts?" said Hagrid, giving the boys another of his sideways looks. "Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.
"Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?"
"Spells — enchantments, They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."
Jacob rolled his eyes but the two boys fell silent as Hagrid started reading a newspaper called The Daily Prophet. They had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, they had never had so many questions in his life. "Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page. "There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself. "'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, 0 ' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice." Jacob sighed. So bad governments are everywhere.
"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"
"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country."
"Why?"
"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone."
At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street. Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Jacob couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?" Hagrid was so a giant man walking with two 11 year olds, that looked nothing like him, that were struggling to keep up. "Hagrid, did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?" said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "Well, so they say, Crikey, I'd like a dragon." said Hagrid. "You'd like one?" Jacob said, staring at him. "Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go."
They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry and Jacob so they could buy their tickets. People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent. "Still got yer letters, Harry, Jacob?" he asked as he counted stitches. Harry and Jacob quickly too the envelopes out of their pockets. "Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need." Jacob unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn’t noticed the night before, and read:
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
- Three sets of plain work robes (black)
- One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
- One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
- One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils’ clothes should carry name tags
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners’ Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
Wand
cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
set glass or crystal phials telescope set
brass scales
Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.
“Can we buy all this in London?” Harry wondered aloud. “If yeh know where to go,” said Hagrid. The twins had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow. “I don’t know how the Muggles manage without magic,” he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops. Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry and Jacob had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people.
“This is it,” said Hagrid, coming to a halt, “the Leaky Cauldron. It’s a famous place.” It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn’t pointed it out, Jacob wouldn’t have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn’t glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn’t see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Jacob had the most peculiar feeling that only he, Harry and Hagrid could see it. Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered them inside.
For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying,
“The usual, Hagrid?”
“Can’t, Tom, I’m on Hogwarts business,”
“Good Lord, is this — can this be — ?”
The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent. “Bless my soul,” whispered the old bartender, “Harry Potter... what an honor.” He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes. “Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back.” Jacob sighed. Forgotten once again. Was the rest of his life going to be this? Forgotten or thought to be his twin for the rest of his life because everyone believed Harry filled someone. Great. Jacob watched as everyone tried shaking hands with Harry and introducing themselves. Every once in a while, Jacob had to say “I’m not Harry. I’m Jacob. He’s Harry” because people saw his eyes and thought he was Harry.
Suddenly a pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching. “Professor Quirrell! Harry, Jacob Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts.” said Hagrid. “P-P-Potter, c-can’t t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you” stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry’s hand, “What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?” Jacob asked. “D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts,” muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he’d rather not think about it. “N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?” He laughed nervously. “You’ll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I’ve g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself.” He looked terrified at the very thought. But the others wouldn’t let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble. “Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Harry, Jacob” Doris Crockford shook Harry’s hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.
Hagrid grinned at Harry. “Told yeh, didn’t I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin’ ter meet yeh — mind you, he’s usually tremblin’.” Jacob rolled his eyes, again. “Is he always that nervous?” he asked. “Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin’ outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience.... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o’ trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where’s me umbrella?” Jacob really did not trust a world out of this guys mouth. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can. “Three up... two across” he muttered. “Right, stand back, Harry, Jacob.” He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.
“Welcome, to Diagon Alley.”
They stepped through the archway. The archway shrink instantly back into solid wall as soon as they were through it. The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes – Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them. “Yeah, you’ll be needin’ one,” said Hagrid, “but we gotta get yer money first.” Jacob turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, “Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they’re mad....” A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about the boy’s age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. “Look,” Jacpb heard one of them say, “the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever — “ There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Jacob had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels’ eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon....
“Gringotts,”
They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was – “Yeah, that’s a goblin,” said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry and Jacob. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
“Like I said, Yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob it,” said Hagrid. A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid, Jacob and Harry made for the counter.
“Morning, We’ve come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry and Jacob Potter’s safe.”
“You have their key, Sir?”
“Got it here somewhere,”
Hagrid started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin’s book of numbers. The goblin wrinkled his nose. Jacob watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals. "Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key. The goblin looked at it closely.
"That seems to be in order."
"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore, It's about the YouKnow-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."
"Very well, I will have Someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"
Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he, Jacob and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall. "What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked. "Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that." Griphook held the door open for them. Jacob, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off.
At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Jacob tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering. Jacob's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - - they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.
"what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"
"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it, An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."
He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling. Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Jacob heard Harry gasp. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts. "All yours, well you both have to share it of course but still" smiled Hagrid. Jacob stared at it in shock. How did they have this much money? Hagrid helped Harry and Jacob pile some of it into a bag. "The gold ones are Galleons, Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." he explained as bd turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?" Jacob grimaced, he did not want to see Hagrid throw up. "One speed only," said Griphook.
They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.
Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. “Stand back,” said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away. “If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they’d be sucked through the door and trapped in there,” said Griphook. “How often do you check to see if anyone’s inside?” Jacob asked. “About once every ten years,” said Griphook with a rather nasty grin. Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault so Jacob leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Jacob didn’t bother to ask.
“Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don’t talk to me on the way back, it’s best if I keep me mouth shut,”
One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Jacob didn’t know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn’t have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he’d had in his whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had. “Might as well get yer uniform,” said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. “Listen, Harry, Jacob, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts.” He did still look a bit sick, so the boys entered Madam Malkin’s shop alone, feeling nervous.
Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve. “Hogwarts, dear?” she said, when Harry started to speak. “Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact. “ In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. He was kind of pretty in Jacob's mind. Madam Malkin stood Harry and Jacob on a stool (next to him) slipped a long robe over their heads, and began to pin it to the right length, staring with Harry. “Hello, Hogwarts, too?” said the boy. “yeah.” Jacob replied.
“My father’s next door buying my books and mother’s up the street looking at wands. Then I’m going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don’t see why first years can’t have their own. I think I’ll bully father into getting me one and I’ll smuggle it in somehow. Have you got your own broom?”
“No,” said Harry.
“Play Quidditch at all?”
“No,” Harry said again. Jacob was really confused on what Quiddich is.
“I do — Father says it’s a crime if I’m not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you’ll be in yet?”
“No.” Jacob said, leaving out that part that he didn’t know what he meant by houses.
“Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I’ll be in Slytherin, all our family have been — imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?”
“Mmm,” said Jacob, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting. “I say, look at that man!” said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry, and pointing at three large ice creams to show he couldn’t come in. Madam Malkin moved onto measuring Jacob. "That's Hagrid, He works at Hogwarts." said Harry, "OH, I’ve heard of him. He’s a sort of servant, isn’t he?" said the boy, "He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. "Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage — lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed." Jacob smirks. This boy had the same thoughts as him. But Harry didn’t seem very happy.
"I think he's brilliant,"
"Do you?"
"Why is he with you? Where are your parents?”
"our parents are dead,"
"Oh, sorry, But they were our kind, weren't they?"
"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."
"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"
But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you two done, my dears," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool. Jacob sighed and jumped off "Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy. “see you at Hogwarts” Jacob replied and followed Harry out.
Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought them (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts). "What's up?" said Hagrid. "Nothing," Harry lied. “Harry got in an argument with some boy” Jacob said rolling his eyes. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed colour as you wrote. "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?" When they had left the shop, Harry asked.
"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know — not knowin' about Quidditch!"
"Don't make me feel worse,".
Jacob rolled his eyes and told Hagrid about the pate boy in Madam Malkin's. "Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were — he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk, Harry. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line 0' Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!" This didn’t stop Harry asked questions though.
"So what is Quidditch?"
"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like — like football in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules."
"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"
"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but — "
"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff"
"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin, There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."
"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"
"Years an' years ago,"
They bought Harry's and Jacob’s school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian and Jacob from a book of potions and poisons. “I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley.” Harry replied. Jacob just liked the idea of potions. “I’m not sayin’ that’s not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances,” said Hagrid. “An’ anyway, yeh couldn’ work any of them curses yet, yeh’ll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level.” Hagrid wouldn’t let Harry and Jacob buy a solid gold cauldron, either (“It says pewter on yer list”), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope.
Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry and Jacob, Jacob himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop). Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry’s list again. “Just yer wand left – A yeah, an’ I still haven’t got yeh a birthday present.” Jacob was confused by that. “You don’t have to —” Harry tried to say. “I know I don’t have to. Tell yeh what, I’ll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh’d be laughed at – an’ I don’ like cats, they make me sneeze. I’ll get yer both an owl. All the kids want owls, they’re dead useful, carry yer mail an’ everythin’.”
Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. Jacob, on the other hand, had somehow convinced Hagrid to buy him a Rat (that was meant to be OWL food” so now had a Rat sat in his pocket. Harry couldn’t stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.
“Don’ mention it, Don’ expect you’ve had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. Just Ollivanders left now – only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand.”
A magic wand... this was what Jacob had been really looking forward to. The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Jacob felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic. “Good afternoon,” said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair. Jacob rolled his eyes and looked at the owner of the hello. An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.
"Hello," said Harry awkwardly. Jacob waved hi.
"Ah yes, Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry and Jacob Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."
Mr. Ollivander moved closer to the two. Harry and Jacob wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.
"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. "And that's where..." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. "I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do...."
He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.
"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again.... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"
"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.
"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?"
"Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly.
"But you don't use them?"
"Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Jacob noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.
"Hmmm, Well, now — Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter. Let me see. Which is your wand arm?"
He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Harry “and I'm left handed” Jacob replied.
"Hold out your arms. That's it."
He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head before doing the same same to Jacob.
"Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. And Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."
Jaco suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. "That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor.
"Right then, Mr. H. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Mr. J Potter, you try this one. Oakwood and Veela feather. 6 inches. Just take it and give it a wave."
The two boys took the wands and waved them around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Beechwood and unicorn hair. Try — "
The boys tried — but they had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander. The two boys spent ages trying different wands with no luck. They had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
"Tricky customers , eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now - - yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple. For you Harry."
Harry took the wand. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... Curious... curious. ." He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?" Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar. Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember.... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter.... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great." Harry shivered. Mr. Ollivander then went back into the back and came back with a wand for Jacob to try.
“Black Walnut wood with a dragon heartstring core, 10 ¾ and supple flexibility. Have a try”
Jacob took the wand and instantly knew this was his wand. His fingers felt all warm and tingly. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, “Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good.”. Jacob was glad to finally leave. The two boys paid seven gold Galleons each for their wands, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.
The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry, Jacob and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry and Jacob didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; thet didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap and a rat in Jacob’s pocket.
Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Jacob only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder. "Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said. He bought the two boys a hamburger each and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. "You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid. "Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night our parents died. And they don’t even know about Jacob". Jacob nodded “exactly” he mumbled. Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile. "Don' you worry, Harry, Jacob. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact."
Hagrid helped Harry and Jacob on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed them a envelope each. "Yer tickets fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me.... See yeh soon, Harry, Jacob." The train pulled out of the station.
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The rest of the summer went smoothly for the twins. The Dursleys had moved them into Dudley’s second bedroom because they were scared more wizards would turn if they were left in the cupboard. The Dursleys also left the twins alone, out of fear that they would use their freakiness on them. Jacob spent the rest of the summer reading up on all the subjects. He wanted to go to Hogwarts with at least some knowledge of the world.
“Did you really name your rat Mouse?”
“It’s funny”
“it’s confusing”
“exactly”