Chapter 20 – We Will Protect This Child! Until He Comes of Age!
Facing the giant over three meters tall, Vernon, though terrified, still used his bulky frame to shield his family.
The giant casually pointed a small red umbrella at the fireplace. To everyone's shock, the extinguished hearth burst back into flames.
Seeing this, Dudley's eyes lit up. So this was magic—truly remarkable.
The giant warmed himself a while but still felt cold, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, I'd like a cup of hot tea. You've got some, haven't you?"
Such blunt and threatening behavior immediately extinguished Dudley's eagerness to learn. His expression chilled as he replied, "Tea is for guests."
The meaning was clear enough: an order to leave.
"Hey, Dursleys, look at this big oaf of yours. He hasn't figured one thing out." The giant sneered at Dudley. "Remember, when facing someone stronger than you, don't say no."
Petunia, afraid the giant might harm Dudley, hurried to make tea, but Dudley held her back and went himself to brew it for Hagrid.
Throughout the entire process, Dudley remained stone-faced and silent.
Harry understood at once. This was Dudley's sign before anger.
Most times Dudley liked to reason with people. But if he stopped talking and wore that expression, then it was no longer reason—it was force.
Harry always believed Dudley was stronger. He had never seen his cousin lose a fight, but the giant's frame was so immense that worry still gnawed at him.
"If it really comes to a fight, I'll grab that firewood and hit him with it."
Harry's eyes darted nervously, finally settling on the giant's backside.
"That's better. Didn't think a clumsy oaf like you could brew tea." Hagrid paid Dudley's expression no mind, accepted the cup, and drank with satisfaction. Then he smiled warmly at Harry and muttered, "Harry, whatever else, happy birthday to you."
Arrogant and without manners. That was Dudley's judgment.
And Hogwarts sank one step lower in his esteem.
The giant pulled out a squashed box, handing it toward Harry.
"Oh, seems it got flattened, but the taste is still good, I promise."
"Who are you?"
Harry didn't step out from Vernon's protection, nor did he reach for the gift. He only stared warily.
Awkward, Hagrid pulled the box back. "Forgot to introduce myself. Rubeus Hagrid—just call me Hagrid. Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."
He paused, his great eyes fixed on Harry. "Surely you know about Hogwarts?"
Harry, unnerved by the gaze, shook his head. "I don't."
"Don't know?!" Hagrid roared, spinning to glare at the Dursleys. With his towering form, he looked like an enraged gorilla, eyes as though he would devour them whole.
On the other side, Dudley had already gathered his strength, prepared to respond if Hagrid lashed out.
"Why don't you know?!" Hagrid bellowed again, shaking the entire hut. "I know you didn't get the letters, but you should have… I see now! Dursleys!"
His voice rose even louder.
"You never told this child, did you? You never told him what he ought to know!"
What should I know? Harry thought.
Harry felt a trace of doubt at Hagrid's words.
Yet years of life had taught him to believe his aunt and uncle would never harm him.
Hagrid's tone softened again as he looked at Harry. "Harry… surely you want to know about your parents? Come here, I'll tell you!"
In Hagrid's eyes, Harry should have been full of curiosity about his parents.
Every child was like that.
But Harry's expression cooled. "Not interested."
Harry was no fool. In his heart, he had already measured things. This man mentioned his parents again and again, speaking as though he had been their friend in life—yet all these years, Harry had never seen him once.
From a young age, Dudley had taught him: those who never show themselves, then suddenly appear one day claiming to know your family, always have an ulterior motive.
That was assuming they were not lying.
If they were lying… Harry remembered when he was very small, a man claiming to know his parents had once taken him away. That day, Petunia and Vernon searched madly, until Dudley finally found him in a ramshackle hut, crammed into a cold, drafty room with children his own age, all shivering with fear.
Later he learned the "family acquaintance" was in fact a human trafficker. He and those children were to be sold as "goods."
From that day on, Dudley accompanied him to and from school every day, even when his own classes ended earlier.
So whether the man was lying or not, neither outcome meant anything good.
Harry suddenly realized this giant who called himself Hagrid might be tied to those letters—because Hogwarts meant he could not go with Dudley to Smeltings.
The thought filled him with sudden loathing toward Hogwarts, and unease for Dudley, Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon's safety.
Should I pretend to agree, then call the police?
Hagrid, stung by Harry's rejection, looked crestfallen, hanging his head in silence before raising it again. His gaze burned. "Harry, do you want to know what you are? The Dursleys never told you!"
"Silence!"
His words struck a nerve. Vernon, forcing down his terror, shouted with command in his voice. "Enough! I forbid you to tell this child anything!"
"The moment we took him into our home, we decided to stay away from that cursed place!"
Turning his fear into strength, Vernon met Hagrid's furious glare without flinching, and with all his weight behind each word, declared: "That cursed place already killed this child's parents. Do you want it to kill him too?!"
"We will protect this child—until he comes of age!"
PS: I have no true dislike for Hagrid, but from the Dursleys' perspective, he was nothing short of a menacing intruder.
PS2: Even when asking for tea, Hagrid's original tone was threatening. Despite being a half-giant often discriminated against in the wizarding world, he still carried a natural sense of superiority when facing Muggles.
(End of Chapter)
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