Anna Black, The Girl Who Lived, Book 1 (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

4: Happee Birthdae Harry

"Darn, secon' one I broke today," the man muttered.

He pulled a pink umbrella out of his coat and pointed it at the fireplace. Sparks came out to the tip of it and it ignited the logs within.

The room instantly got warmer, brighter, and much more inviting.

Harry's eyes bulged. This was not normal. How on earth did the man do that using a simple ordinary umbrella? The last Harry remembered umbrellas were only useful for shielding one from rain, not igniting sparks to make a fire. Harry didn't trust the man, and he automatically grabbed Anna's arm, pulling her close; they often did this to each other when they were nervous as if it were second nature.

"Oh relax, Hagrid wouldn't hurt a fly." Anna's whisper was inaudible to everyone except Harry.

The boy relaxed just a bit but still kept a light hold on her; just in case the giant was going to unexpectedly pounce.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Uncle Vernon yelled.

Vernon, for the first time in Harry's life, voiced exactly what Harry was thinking. Walrus-man had come out from the 'Dursley hiding corner' and now stood in the middle of the room. His round figure cast a funny shadow, making him look as if he resembled an abnormally large football more than a human. His pudgy face was visibly beet red, even in the dim firelight. Harry had never seen him this mad, and it was terrifying. The fact that he was holding a rifle didn't make the situation any better.

"Well 'ello there! I'm Rubeus Hagrid and I came 'ere to give Harry these," said the giant, pulling out a letter and a box with a red, badly tied ribbon. The boy gingerly took both and started to open the letter when Hagrid whispered, "I uh...would open the box firs' if I were yeh."

So Harry did as he was told, and the box contained a squashed cake. The icing was an array of pinks and had greenish-blue frosting that said 'Happee Birthdae Harry'.

Nobody had ever done something so nice for Harry for his birthday, with an exception for Anna. It was a weird feeling but an amazing one all the same.

"T...thank you, sir," Harry stammered in awe. His heart warmed at the act of kindness. No, it wasn't the most pristine gift, but it was thoughtful and that's all that mattered.

"Anna told me yeh liked chocolate, so tha's what it is. And yeh don' need to call me 'sir', Hagrid'll do."

Next, Harry carefully picked up the letter and examined it. It had an ivory envelope, a red wax seal with a crest, and very neat handwriting with his name and address. It was just like the ones he'd seen before, but this was the first that he'd examined up close. The letter itself gave off an almost...magical...vibe.

"I...if you open that, I'll-"

"You'll what? Shoot him? Like hell you will," Anna growled and Vernon shut his mouth.

Harry tried to hide his smile at her choice of words but then turned to her and gave her a hesitant look. "It's okay Harry, you can open it."

He slowly opened the envelope and took out the letter. It read,

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find the list enclosed of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,