Harry Potter 01 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Wizards)
     
    Dear Mr Potter,
    We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
    Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
     
    Yours sincerely,
     
    Minerva McGonagall
    Deputy Headmistress
     
    Questions exploded inside Harry’s head like fireworks and he couldn’t decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, ‘What does it mean, they await my owl?’
    ‘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 which Harry could read upside-down:
     
    Dear Mr 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.
    Harry realised his mouth was open and 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.
    ‘He’s 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,’ said Hagrid. ‘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.’
    ‘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 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 holiday 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!’
    Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, ‘Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!’
    ‘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! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin’ his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!’
    ‘But why? What happened?’ 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.
    ‘Could you write it down?’