Chapter 5
The knock came again.
Louder this time.
The whole hut seemed to shake with it.
Dudley made a small, panicked noise and tried to hide behind the sofa, which was impressive considering there was barely any sofa left that wasn’t occupied by him already.
Vernon tightened his grip on the rifle.
Petunia looked like she might faint.
Harry didn’t move.
Neither did Ivy.
She was standing now.
Perfectly still.
Like she was listening for something.
Another knock.
Then—
The door splintered inward.
Harry barely had time to register the size of the man standing in the doorway before the storm itself seemed to rush inside with him.
He filled the space completely.
Beard. Coat. Boots. Rainwater dripping onto the wooden floor.
And eyes that looked far too calm for someone who had just destroyed a door.
Dudley screamed.
It was a high, desperate sound.
Ivy let out something that might have been a laugh.
Harry wasn’t sure.
The man straightened.
“Sorry about that.”
His voice was deep.
Gentle, almost.
But it carried.
Vernon raised the rifle immediately.
“STAY BACK!”
The man blinked.
Looked at the gun.
Then at Vernon.
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
There was something in his tone that made Vernon hesitate.
Just for a second.
The man stepped inside anyway.
Water dripped from his coat onto the floorboards.
He glanced around the hut.
“Bit small, isn’t it?”
Nobody answered.
Harry stared.
Ivy stared harder.
The man’s eyes landed on them.
And something in his expression changed.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
“Ah.”
He smiled.
“That’s you, then.”
Harry felt his stomach tighten.
“What do you mean?” Ivy asked immediately.
The man chuckled.
“Harry Potter.”
Harry froze.
“And Ivy Potter.”
Ivy didn’t react the way Harry expected.
She just tilted her head.
Like she was confirming something she already suspected.
“Who are you?” she asked.
The man straightened slightly.
The hut suddenly felt smaller.
“Hagrid,” he said. “Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.”
Hogwarts.
The word landed in the room like a stone dropped into still water.
Harry looked at Ivy.
Ivy looked back at him.
Neither of them spoke.
Then Dudley whispered, “What’s Hogwarts?”
Hagrid turned slowly.
His gaze fell on Dudley.
Then returned to Harry.
“And who’s that?”
“My cousin,” Harry said automatically.
Hagrid frowned.
“Cousin?”
He looked between Harry and Ivy.
Then at the Dursleys.
And something in his face darkened.
“Right.”
He stepped forward.
Vernon immediately lifted the rifle again.
“I said stay back!”
Hagrid barely glanced at him.
“Put that away before you hurt yourself.”
The rifle bent in Vernon’s hands.
Not broke.
Bent.
Like it had decided it was no longer interested in being a gun.
Vernon dropped it instantly.
Silence exploded through the hut.
Even the storm outside seemed quieter.
Hagrid exhaled.
“Right. Now then.”
He crouched slightly so he was eye level with Harry and Ivy.
Up close, Harry could see just how large he really was.
“Name’s Hagrid,” he repeated. “I’m here to bring you your letters properly.”
Ivy immediately stiffened.
“Letters?”
Hagrid looked mildly offended.
“Of course letters. You’ve been getting them for days, haven’t you?”
Harry’s eyes widened.
“So it wasn’t normal?”
Hagrid laughed.
A booming, echoing sound that filled the hut.
“Normal? No, it weren’t normal. You’re wizards.”
The word hit Harry like a shock.
Ivy blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
“That explains so much,” she said.
Harry turned to her.
“What?”
“The letters,” Ivy said quickly. “The flying, the persistence, the general refusal to respect boundaries—very wizard behaviour.”
Harry stared.
“That’s your conclusion?”
“I like patterns.”
Hagrid snorted.
“Smart one, she is.”
Ivy looked pleased with herself.
Harry, meanwhile, felt like the floor had shifted under him.
Wizards.
That wasn’t possible.
Was it?
Hagrid reached into his coat.
And pulled out two thick envelopes.
Sealed.
Addressed.
Harry Potter.
Ivy Potter.
Harry didn’t move.
Ivy did.
She reached for hers immediately.
Harry hesitated.
Then took his.
The paper felt warm.
Alive almost.
Hagrid cleared his throat.
“Welcome to Hogwarts, you two.”