"Holy shit! I'm Harry Potter!!"

As I stood stock-still right in front of the dusty old rectangular mirror that was situated just over a mossy old sink which stood right next to a similarly mossy common toilet that had surely seen better days, my new voice now which had an angelic tune etched on it, in synchronazation with my facial expressions, somehow turned from a boyish curiosity into that of pure bliss in mid-sentence. The reflection which the dusty mirror barely provided was more than enough to get a clear picture of my new visage. Which brings us to -- My face --

[Beautiful -- and soft?]

As I was appreciating my new facial futures in wonder and my fingers were softly tracing lines all over my shockingly sensitive face which was as smooth as a fine silk cloth made only by the finest silkworms, suddenly a deafening sound not too different from a gunshot which I am all too familiar with from all those movies I have watched on TV resounded from the direction where I came from and interrupted my precious narcissistic self-discovery time.

"Was that..." I murmured hastily as I quickly turned my head along with the rest of my body to the direction of the door which must have closed itself after my hasty entrance. Then right after that, my ears were assaulted by another formidable source of sound no less destructive than the former. This time, it was the infamous 'female screaming'.

"Hiaaaaah!"

"hiiiiih"

"My ears!" I uncounciously crouched down as an instant tingling pain enveloped my ears.

[Aaahh! Fuck! Of course, along with the gunshot came the female screaming, classic.]

"Tsk!" I massage both the tragus of my ears with my index fingers to ease the pain even if only a little bit.

[It's a good thing that the door was closed. I do not need any hearing loss baggage on my shoulders. But still, my ears...]

The pain gradually dulled as I took consecutive deep breaths.

[Shit, this body really has some sensitive hearing shit. Are there any magic to lessen the effects of destructive sounds? I want to learn some...]

I let out a tired sigh.

[I better get back before some potential shit happens...]

And with that, I moved toward the door as my mind did what it does best, thinking...

[I wonder if I should follow up the script, but even though I am a fan of the series, I do not remember every single detail happening in the books or the movies... Even if I do remember everything, there are major parts that are not mentioned and therefore skipped. So it is impossible for me to follow the script to the letter considering the butterfly effect. But does that mean that I should completely give up trying to stick to the original plot and have it my way?]

As I reached to open the door, a troubling thought suddenly ocurred to me that made me hesitant to open the door.

[What if one day I am exposed to legilimency or veritaserum?]

The mere thought of it was enough to give me the goosebumps.

[What would happen to me then? Would they learn all my secrets and then wipe out my memories? Or would they eject me from this body to save it's original owner? Surely they won't just let an imposter do as he pleases with the body of the magical world's 'Hero', The Boy Who Lived...

Oh no! What if I'm just an invader who is imprisoning this body's owner against his will? Or what if, me taking control of his body killed him somehow? Would it make me the bad guy to confess that I feel that there is nothing wrong with that? Was I always like this? What's happening to me? I have never before felt like this. Both ecstatic about my newfound chance at a fulfilling life and equally shitty about myself at the same time...]

As I was plagued by the lack of integrity that I demonstrated since my 'rebirth' and the uncertainty of my future, I realised I was perspirating unnaturally. My whole body was covered in sweat all over as if I was a professional athlete participating in the Olympics who had just finished the 5000 metre race and was dying for some fresh water and a hot bath.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey..."

I could hear the voice of the half-giant through the door and despite my hysteric mood, I couldn't stop the relieved smile from forming on my lips. I never thought of the possibility that one day, I might easily be soothed by the voice of a character in a popular series, much less thought that I would be literally in the series itself...

[Okay, calm down man. This is no time for panic attacks. Keep in mind that I am only this anxious because of the things I've experianced in such a short amount of time, so it is relatively normal for me to respond the way that I did. Calm down and think things clearly, one at a time.

First, I was not the one who asked for this to happen, so I do not need to burden myself about this.

Second, considering that this world sticks to the plot of the original series, the possibility that I could be exposed is too little if I play my cards right. And also no one in the magical world know anything about my personality so I don't have to be too constrained in my choice of actions.

And third, although I could try to find a way to determine whether the real Harry is alive or not, and if he is, help him, but I will not do so.

It's because I am selfish. I have always wanted to be Harry, to experiance the life that he has experianced so I won't let this chance slip away from my fingertips so easily.

Although his life was not without it's regular dose of tragedies but unlike me, he managed to perseviere until the bitter end and found something real. And I'm pretty sure that something is the geniune companionship of one certain bushy haired chocolate brown eyed bookworm know-it-all.]

As I was lost in deep contemplation, that familiar voice again managed to pull me back to reality, but this time, calling for 'me'.

"Harry!"

[Yes, I am Harry! Harry Potter! From now on, I will live this life to it's fullest, with it's ups and downs. Yes, I will embrace everything that this new life of mine has to offer! I will fight for a life where I might, no, I will find something worth it, something real!]

And with that conviction, I quickly wiped away the cold sweat that had accumulated on my face with the back of my left hand while determinedly turned the doorknob clockwise with the other one to open it and opened it did. Finally the barrier seperating me from the rest of the people in the house was no more and what my eyes were confronted was a scene not unlike in the movie.

Uncle Vernon was at the corner of the room which the stairs were directly facing, holding a shotgun which was bent into a knot, with his wife Petunia right beside him cowering in fear just like in the movie. The only difference was that Dudley too was now cowering right behind his mother, too scared to even look at the giant intruder with a face almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard.

"An' here's Harry!" said the giant who was just beside the sofa that was placed approximately in the center of the living room as he spotted me coming out of the bathroom.

As I was spotted already, any hesitation on my part diminished, with my chest struck out and head held high, I came closer to the towering titan with sure steps and looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw a pair of beetle eyes that were crinkled in a smile.

[He really is huge! Actually seeing him this close with my own eyes, he surely is intimidating. I am astounded as to how Harry in the series was not scared shitless when confronted with this man the first time. Definitely a Gryffindor to the bone...]

"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby Harry," said the giant in a merry tone. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."

Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.

"Again, I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "Boy! You go upstairs! Now!"

As I was just about to decline, the half-giant interfered immediatly.

"Ah, shut up, Dursley yeh great prune. He's not goin' anywhere." Said the half-giant as he ignored the fat nuisance whose face was now turning from a deep tomato red to a shocking colour of purple, then finally to a very posionous green in just a few seconds.

I was probably enjoying the spectacle more than I should as Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.

[What an amazing banquet of fifty shades of colourgasm... I wonder what colour's next? I hope it's orange, just like a certain president of a certain country back in my day... Come on! Show me what's next?]

As I was deeply immersed in childish anticipation to witness the holy birth of a fresh rare breed orangutan, I was sadly interrupted.

"Anyway -- Harry," 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 jus' the same."

From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box which I took gratefully. As I opened it with ease, inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.

I looked up at the half-giant with a trace of a smile that I reserve only for when I want to express my gratitude and said in a happy tone of voice that eventually transformed into that of a boyish curiosity.

"Thank you, but -- who are you?

[Yes, just try to remember when you were eleven. Remember how you used to act. You were curious so you used to always ask questions to adults and even threw tantrums when you things didn't go your way.]

The giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced myself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

[Even if I don't have what it takes to be an actor, just by using my wit and experience to it's fullest capacity, by which I mean being consistant in my acting as a pure, curious boy in his elevens while at the same time staying true to my nature, I can produce healthy results.]

He held out an enormous hand and I reciprocated with my own. As the man was considerably huge, I had to include my whole arm in the handshaking process.

"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, after the 'handshake', 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; I 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 I felt the warmth wash over me as though I'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."

[Now that was just rude -- I can understand demeening the parents but the child? Not that I like Dudley but it just doesn't sit right with me

He passed the first batch of delicious looking sausages to me and as there was no reason for me to refuse, I happily accepted it with a thanks. Needless to say it was my very first meal since my 'rebirth', and somehow I can feel that this body was used to being hungry and starved all the time. Even though it's only a sausage, I feel that it is the most delicious thing that I have ever eaten. Maybe it is, for this body of course...]

[Could it be the effect of the 'rebirth'? Maybe?]

Finally, as I finished devouring the best meal that 'I' have ever had, I decided to be the little inquisitor that I once was and probably still am at heart, "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," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts -- yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.

"Er -- no," I said in a hesitative manner.

Hagrid looked shocked.

"Sorry," I said meekly, trying to appeal to the half-giant.

"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "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 yer parents learned it all?"

"All what?" I said in just the way I remembered from the movie.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

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 -- this boy! -- knows nothin' abou' -- about ANYTHING?"

[Now what did Harry say at this part? Come on -- Can't remember...]

"What do you mean?" I said the first thing that came to mind.

But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."

"What world are you talking about? I don't get it..."

Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.

"DURSLEY!" he boomed.

Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble." Hagrid stared wildly at me.

"But yeh must know about yer mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."

"What? My -- my mom and dad were celebrities? Like -- actors and stuff? And how can I be famous? I don't remember ever being recognized even when I was at school."

"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know... " Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.

"Yeh don' know what yeh are ?" he said finally.

Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.

"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! 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? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"

"Kept what from me?" I said eagerly.

[This acting shit rules! It's like I am three years old again, watching the first movie with my brother and my cousins... Except this time, I really am the main character!]

"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.

Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.

"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry -- yer a wizard."

There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.

"I'm a what ?" I gasped in a dramatic tone.

"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 stretched out my hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. H. Potter, The Floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. He pulled out the letter 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

[Holy shit! Now that I think about it, I really am going to Hogwarts! It was my childhood dream to recieve a letter just like this but sadly, one such for me never came -- that is, until now!]

"Hey Hagrid? What do they mean by awaiting my owl?"

[I should not yet know anything about the magical world so, better be careful about my interactions with magicals. Also, though I know a lot about the series, my knowledge is limited to non-omitted parts only. I have to study thoroughly and work hard as I have no other way of obtaining power, power to survive in this world.]

"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to topple down an adult horse in it's prime, 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 I could read upside down:

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

Given Harry his letter.

Taking him to buy his 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.

I hardly kept myself from snickering at the hilarious scene.

[He literally threw the poor owl as if it were a tennis ball -- I wonder what the Dursley's would make of the scene.]

"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.

"He will not be going," he said.

Hagrid grunted.

"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.

"A what?" said the 'curious' Harry, still in actor mode.

"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."

"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!"

"You knew ?" said the 'shocked' Harry. "You knew I'm a -- a wizard?"

"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "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!"

She 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, 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!"

Even though it's not my life, Harry had been a part of me since my early childhood. So seeing this filthy horse of a woman who is supposed to be 'my' aunt badmouthing 'my' parents, I lost my cool.

"Blown up? You f -- you told me my parents died in a car crash!"

[That was close! For a moment, I thought I was gonna swear and comprimise my acting. Better get my shit together. Focus!]

I sighed surreptitiously.

"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! It's a scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"

"But why? What happened?" An impatient 'Harry' asked urgently.

The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.

"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, 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'."

He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.

"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..."

He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "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?"

"Well -- I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?"

"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.

"Maybe you could write it down?" Harry suggested.

"Nah -- can't spell it. All right -- Voldemort." Hagrid shuddered. "Don' 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. Those were dark times, Harry -- dark times. 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 was 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," he said. "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. 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? 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."

[Hmm... I do not see anything that contradicts the original story. The lightning bolt scar that is etched on my forehead is troubling though -- Probably the horcrux is still there -- Fuck! I feel contaminated...]

As he finished his speech, I could feel Hagrid's gaze on me. As I returned it by sending my own, I could not help but feel frustrated at the pity I could sense from those eyes.

[Shit! I hate people pitying me!]

Of course -- in my previous life, I was very good at poker, so my poker face should do wonders in keeping my emotions to myself.

Then Hagrid broke the eye-contact and continued staring into the fire. He was probably unaware of my anger as he went on with his story.

"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."

"Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon.

I sighed; I had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have got back his courage, along with his original countenance...

[A pity, I would most certainly be ready to give up almost anything to again meet with the only true colour of orange in nature. It's a privilage, you know? But there's still time. Where there is time hope exists, and where hope exists, there are still gentlemen like me biding their time for the long awaited arrival of their one and only... Fuck -- I did it again -- Focus!]

Uncle Vernon was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched. Then he turned his attention to me.

"Now, you listen here, boy," 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 weirdoes, 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..."

[Come on Uncle Vernon! Please be brave! I want to see you writhe in agony so please, one more word!]

In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage unfortunately failed again; he flattened himself against the wall and fell silent.

[Tch, a pity-- maybe another time... Oh boy, I never knew I could be this vicious. I never once experianced hate to this level. It's not limited to just that, It's as if this body experiences every sort of human emotion to the extreme. Like the first time when I heard the voice of Hagrid, my heart was filled with serenity and affection for the half-giant. Although I liked the character Hagrid, It was not to the point of considering him as a precious friend.

Maybe I'm wrong -- Maybe all of this is just because of the over stimulation of my brain due to the unnatural circumstances that I found myself experiencing in such a short amount of time. Something not unlike the Suspention Bridge Effect, an effect that can even fool most people into believing that they are in love with a person in their close proximity due to their brain interpreting the heart-pounding feeling they are experiancing as a consequence of the unnatural situation they're in as love.]

"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.

[Oo Poor sofa -- I pray for your soul]

As I playfully prayed for the half-giant's latest victim mentally, I decided to continue asking questions as an eleven years old boy would normally do if he were in my shoes.

"But what happened to Vol-, sorry -- I mean, You-Know-Who?"

"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 stumped him that night 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 me with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes. It made me want to vomit.

[Only if he knew that I am not really 'Harry'... Only if he knew that it was 'my' mother who saved 'me'... I do not deserve the respect of Hagrid or any other in the magical world. It was my mother who saved the wizarding world, by sacrificing herself instead of choosing to live -- If anyone deserves the credit for saving the wizarding world, It is none other than MY mother. Now that I think about it, I do not think my mother, Lily, ever meant to save anybody that night. Anybody but her only son, me.]

Feeling a strange sense of warmness in my heart, I realized that there were tears in my eyes. As a young man who used to hate showing anybody his weak side, even now as a boy, I still hate it, so to quickly hide my eyes underneath my unruly hair, just pulling down a few strands of my hair and looking down was enough for the time being.

When I closed my eyes, I could see the overflowing feelings surface enough to fill the dam of my heart as they managed to put a huge dent on it, only to leak along with the tears from the darkest depths of my holy well of emeralds.

[How in the world can I feel the sadness of losing Lily and James to this degree even though they are not my parents? Can these new-found feelings that I deeply treasure are nothing more than just the effects of the Suspention Bridge? If it is, then how can I explain the fact that I am proud of my parents who sacrificed themselves for me? How can I explain that in my heart, I already accepted them as my beloved parents? Bullshit! That doesn't make any sense! I, who was living my worthless life as I pleased, always running away from reality, always finding excuses and blaming anybody but myself, always relying on my parents, pushing away my responsibilities on them, never commiting myself to any form of relationship -- even someone like me could see clearly that the things I'm feeling right now are nothing if not genuine! Could it be that -- what if...]

"Hagrid," I said darkly, still hiding my eyes from the world. "I think you must have made a mistake. I don't think I can be a wizard."

To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.

"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?"

[Yes -- Harry lives within me, just as I live within him. We are one and the same -- I do not know what force dragged me here or what's it's purpose in doing so. But as I already made it clear before -- I will embrace everything that this new life has to offer, along with the previous one that I have experianced.]

I finally straightined my posture and looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at me.

"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard -- you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts."

But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.

"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish -- spell books and wands and--"

"If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen, 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, I 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," he said ruefully, "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."

I let out a helpless sigh.

[Now what you are doing is bullying...]

He cast a sideways look at me under his bushy eyebrows.

"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he said. "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?" I asked as I was slightly irritated by what the half-giant did to Dudley.

"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?" I pressed on.

"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."

He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.

"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I think I still got a couple o' doormice in one o' the pockets."

[You have got to be fucking kidding me!]