Kapitel 6: Among Us

- "CAR CRASH? 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!" angrily shouted Hagrid.

Vernon, who had just been calmed down, and Petunia next to him hid in a corner of the room facing the giant's wrath. Dudley was also shocked, not by Hagrid, but by his father's statement. Someone had killed Harry's parents, which is far from insignificant. Dudley turned back to Hagrid who was eager to turn Vernon into a rug.

- "What happened to Harry's parents?" asked Dudley.

Harry also turned to Hagrid, and was certainly more eager than Dudley to know the truth about the story. His story. Hagrid looked at the two boys in front of him, his anger calming down to be replaced by nervousness.

- "I never expected this, I had no idea. Ah, Harry, I don't' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh — but someone's gotta — yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." he said, in a low, worried voice.

He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys, still trying to escape the giant inquisition in a corner of the room.

- "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 began.

- "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?" asked Harry.

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

- "Why not?" asked Dudley.

- "Gulpin' gargoyles, both of yeh, 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?" Harry suggested.

- "Nah — can't spell it. All right — Voldemort." Hagrid shuddered.

And so Hagrid told them the story of the darkest wizard in history - the Magic History. How, twenty years earlier, He came to power by gathering a horde of followers. How He began to conquer the magical world and eliminate all those who stood in his way. There were battles, a lot of deaths, no one knew to whom to trust or where to hide. Of course, people rose up, like Harry's parents, they joined forces against the black wizard and his supporters and fought for their survival. Hagrid also spoke of Dumbledore, the only wizard who the black mage seemed to fear and the director of Hogwarts, the witchcraft school and the only safe place at the time.

- "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." continued Hagrid facing Harry.

- "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 were all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You were 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, but it's that sad — knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find — anyway …" said Hagrid trembling.

- "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 though 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. You are the Boy Who Lived, Harry"

When Hagrid finished his narration, Dudley and Harry remained frozen in shock. The story they had just listened to was anything but normal. Harry was even more troubled, it was his life that Hagrid had just recounted. After a while, Harry reached for his scar and lightly rubbed it. Memories of green light and screams would come back to him... But one thing in particular returned to him: a cold and sinister laugh.

Hagrid looked at him with sadness, but he was unable to do more. Dudley gazed at his cousin's broken face. Then all of a sudden, he struck Harry on the shoulder with a heavy punch which made the young boy stagger and shocked Hagrid.

- "What was that for?" grunted Harry back to Dudley.

- "Still sad?" asked Dudley innocently.

- "No, I'm angry" replied Harry

- "I'd call that progress," said Dudley smugly.

Hagrid, his eyes wide open, looked at the two young cousins in front before smiling slightly. It seems that the giant misjudged their relationship. Harry began to massage his shoulder instead of his forehead and Dudley looked at Hagrid one more time.

- "What happened to Volde-" began Dudley

- "Don't say his name!" said Hagrid, stopping him.

Dudley rolled his eyes.

- "What happened to… You-Know-Who?" asked Dudley once again.

Harry brought back his attention to Hagrid immediately as he wanted to know too. Hagrid took a moment before replying.

- "Nobody knows. There are some who say he's dead. Balderdash, if yeh want my opinion. No, I think, like some others, that he is still there but too weak to return. Harry, whatever it is, there might be something in you that got the better of him. I don't know what it is, but the one thing that is certain, is that there's a great power in you, yeh can be sure of that." said Hagrid looking at Harry with respect and warmth.

Harry, instead of feeling confident, felt a little pressured. Clearly, he didn't believe he had some kind of great power inside him. In fact the young was now doubting if there is anything special about him. If he was, how can Dudley - wrong example - How could Vernon bully him all his life without him changing his uncle into a toad? If he was a wizard then…

- "Hagrid? Are you sure I am a wizard?" asked Harry innocently.

- "Remember your little adventure on the chimney of the school. Or more recently, the event with the snake?" replied Dudley instead of Hagrid.

Dudley's statement was an important eye-opener for Harry. Indeed, since he was a child, strange events had been happening beside him. Harry looked at his cousin and offered him a rare smile of gratitude that Dudley returned with a slight grin. Hagrid laughed at the sight of it.

- "Don't worry Harry, just a little training and yeh'll be a fine wizard. Trust meh! Once yeh are at Hogwarts, yeh'll see how famous you are"

- "They're not going" roared Vernon.

Vernon Dursley finally got his courage back and once again went to the battlefield. Hagrid barely glanced at him but his eyes were clearly showing a sign of warning. Vernon didn't flutter and inflated himself trying to look more menacing. But this was not very convincing.

- "Now listen to me! We swore! We swore to never get medled with this kind of behavior. We will take care of our son and beat some sense into the boy. And trust me, they will be grateful!"

- "Stop yer gibberish, Dursley. Harry's 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 ever had, Albus Dumbled—" grunted Hagrid.

- "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH MY SON MAGI- !" yelled Uncle Vernon before being stopped.

But this time, not by Hagrid.

- "That's enough Vernon!" shouted a creaky voice

Everyone in the room turned their gaze to Petunia utterly surprised. She was standing right behind Vernon, who stared at her with wide eyes, and she looked at her husband with a firm and decisive expression.

- "The boy will go to their school. And Duddy - he will go too!" said Petunia firmely.

- "Pe-Petunia!" stuttered Vernon who didn't believe what he heard.

In fact, he wasn't the only one. Everyone in the room couldn't believe what they were seeing right at this moment. A few minutes earlier, Petunia violently denied the fact that Dudley was endowed with magical power and violently insulted the wizarding world. And now, that same person was arguing the idea that her son should go to a witchcraft school. One would assume that Petunia had been transformed into a completely different woman.

- "Don't get me wrong! I absolutely despise everything about your world!" Petunia said to Hagrid and Harry - but subtly not taking Dudley in her statement.

- "Your "magic tricks" and other anomalies are the most harmful things this world could ever know and I believe the decent people would do well without you."

Petunia stopped her burning declaration panting, as she seemed to exorcise some evil curse. She took a moment before regaining her breathing.

- "But… I know… How it was before with Lily…" began Petunia looking in succession at Dudley and Harry, her voice hoarse.

- "I know how dangerous - so dangerous - it is if you are not... taught properly. I remember Lily when she was little. She always was able to do… strange and weird things… but before she got to their school... Oh Vernon! - If you have seen her - this was horrible… and dangerous! She couldn't control herself. I was so scared.... But in 'their' school, sh-she learned how to do it. She learned how to control herself. Her tricks and incantations were still terrifying of course but she... She was no longer a menace." finally said Petunia, the emotion shaking her voice.

Nobody said a word and all looked at her in silence. Dudley was frozen by her mother's word. It was the second time she talked about her sister since Dudley knew her. Of course, it was not the most flattering speech to whoever deserved it, but you could hear there was something that it was not in her voice before. Something neither Vernon, Dudley or Harry could have guessed that Petunia possesses. A grieving emotion over a loss.

Petunia tried to calm her feelings and quickly wiped off the tears that had appeared in the corners of her eyes. Vernon uttered no words and gently approached to support his wife with a warm and loving embrace, and Dudley did the very same. The Dursleys hugged each other silently in a corner of the room and no one, not even Hagrid, made any noise to disturb them. Harry even hesitated to join the Dursleys but he feared that Vernon would throw him out with a good kick. After a while Petunia detached herself and looked at her husband with a firm expression.

- "That's why, Vernon, Dudley must go. He must learn how to control "it" or he would be in danger- for him and for the others. It is for his safety." said Petunia slowly.

- "I understand… I don't like it... But I understand" replied Vernon with a heavy voice.

Petunia then turned to her son almost as tall as her.

- "Duddy… My Duddy… I never wanted you to be like this. But I know you couldn't decide. It is who you are, Duddy! And you have to know how to be… like you" muttered Petunia emotionally.

- "Mom… Don't worry. I know exactly who I am. All I can learn right there, is how to be more awesome than I already am. And don't worry about "magic tricks". I always prefered to "punch" my problem" grinned Dudley to humor his mother.

The Dursleys smiled with each other as the atmosphere around them slowly warmed. After a quick moment, Hagrid coughed a little to attract the family's attention without disturbing them too much. It seems that Petunia's declaration at least had the effect of appeasing the giant.

- "The boy can go. And Dudley will go with him" declared Petunia to Hagrid

- "Thank' you ma'am! *cough* I will take good care of yer boy. Yeh can trust meh *cough* Yeh know, in the moment, you've kind of remind meh of Lil-" muttered Hagrid.

- "Don't say it!" Petunia cut him off in his sentence.

- " *Cough* *Cough* Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am. Thank you ma'am; *Cough*" stuttered the giant.

Vernon made a slight mockery of the giant with a sneer while Dudley laughed quietly in front of the scene. Tonight, it was his mother who proved who had the biggest one. As for Harry, he looked at Petunia full of gratitude.

- "I can really go there?" asked politely Harry

- "Yes, you can go. Prepare your bags now! Tomorrow, we are leaving for Diagon Alley. The earlier is done, the better it is." Petunia declared with her eyes rolling in the same way as Dudley.

- "Thank you Aunt Petunia! Humh?…" Harry replied before thinking about something.

- ""What is Diagon Alley?"" - "Jinx!" asked the boys before Harry was punched once again.