15

Chapter 15: Hey, Hagrid

Thanks, everyone, for all the reviews.

My muse was not with me yesterday. I had to rewrite this chapter a few times. I just didn't feel it. Not a good sign. It was much better today.

Hphphp

The fallout was as bad as they thought, which wasn't bad at all. More people were on their side than not. It seemed the fall of Hogwarts was not as unnoticed as they assumed. This might work in their favor if it came down to going in front of the Wizengamot.

Their news about Harry hit the Daily Prophet the next morning. The headlines read:

The Boy-Who-Lived to be Homeschooled.

The article that followed skirted on liable. It told the truth but hinted that Harry Potter was thumbing his nose at Hogwarts. Which was true, but that was not how they wanted it to appear.

The Public Relations people had curbed Rita's harsh quill with quotes that Harry was getting special training to befit his station, and he was learning things in the muggle world that Hogwarts didn't offer. Rita used that to say that Harry didn't think that Hogwarts was up to snuff and was neglectful in its training of witches and wizards.

They made sure to quote Harry saying that he preferred to go home every day as apposed to staying in a boarding school. Rita pointed out that Harry was an orphan and that he had no one to stay home for, neglecting the fact that Sirius was his guardian.

This curtailed into a small depiction of Harry's younger years and how he was treated by the Dursleys. They used this as a reason that he preferred to stay home. Rita used that as a reason as to why he should be surrounded by others his age, and that the teachers and Madam Pomfrey would be instrumental in seeing him recover.

It went on to tell of Harry's ambitions to be a combination Doctor/Healer and how that could only be accomplished by learning via muggle schooling and tutoring. Rita had nothing to say about that, though she did quote that she admired his ambition.

Lily and her family did note that Neville's name was left out of the article, except to say that he would be joining Harry in his quest to combine the muggle and magical careers. It did mention after that one sentence that his grandmother approved. Rita had nothing to say about that, other than to wish the boy luck in his endeavors.

So, while it wasn't the biting article that it could have been, it still stung a bit. Rita's claws were dull compared to what they could have been. The whole household was thankful for that. As it was, some of the things the woman said helped their cause instead of hindered it. She made the staff of Hogwarts look understaffed and underfunded with a few of her remarks on how Harry's not going to the school would hurt the budget and morale.

The mail that came was mostly from parents to Sirius that demanded answers since he was Harry's guardian. They wanted to know if he really thought that homeschooling was better than going to the boarding school. There were a few descenders who were just plain pissed that Harry and Sirius didn't think that Hogwarts was good enough.

Harry took great advantage of most of the letters going to Sirius. When the parents or guardians wrote to him, he threw Sirius under the bus, with the man's permission. If someone older wrote something derogatory, he did the same. Sirius had a great time answering those post. He loved to tear apart anyone who picked on a ten-year-old kid.

Neville received a few letters wishing him luck and congratulating him on not being a squib. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He talked to Lily about it, and she made him feel better.

Before the mail got to them it went through the PR firm. It was one of their services. They had been answering Harry's fan mail since Lily found out that Harry was receiving it from the goblins. There had been a vault set up to receive it, and she had all the backlog answered with an apologetic form letter, and a redirect set up to the firm.

Most of the letters that were sent to the house were already scanned for harmful spells and other charms. The letters were also read ahead of time to make sure they were not death threats. Those were sent to the DMLE at once. Harry and Sirius never got to read those, but they got a tally at the end of the month on how many they received. So far it was minimal, but they expected it to go up after the article.

The one letter they expected to receive finally made its way to them. It was from Albus Dumbledore. Which basically said how disappointed he was, and how disappointed Harry's parents would be. He did say that he was willing to overlook the slight and enroll Harry, conveniently leaving Neville's name out, and wanted to meet with Sirius to discuss it.

"Mum, are you disappointed that I'm not going to Hogwarts?" Harry asked cheekily.

"Not now, Harry," Lily said, going over in her mind what to do with this letter. She wasn't sure whether to fret or get angry that the man used her and James to guilt Sirius. She was pacing back and forth on her ghostly feet. Her face going through a myriad of emotions.

"What's wrong, Lily?" Sirius asked, not sure what got her so upset. They had expected this letter. They had even joked at what it was going to say. He looked to Harry, who was looking at his mum with concern. Remus was in the kitchen working on something for Christmas dinner tomorrow. Twinky was cooking the main course, but he had a special dish he wanted to make.

Neville was spending Christmas Eve and Day with his grandmother and parents, who were still improving, though still not coherent. It was Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Lily for Christmas. Sirius still celebrated Yule, but it had been a private celebration. Remus had a muggle mum, so he celebrated Christmas with the others. Sirius also celebrated with the others, so he got two holidays.

"So, are you going to meet him?" Lily asked. She was still uncertain over the letter. It was long and flowery for saying so little. Just like Dumbledore, to say so much without saying anything at all, yet still get his point across. If that old man stood in front of her right now, she'd punch him in the nose until he spoke plainly.

"No, I don't feel like getting mind-whammied," Sirius said, putting the letter back in the envelope. It had already been checked for charms at the PR firm, so they were sure it didn't have a tracking charm on it. He put it in the read pile and went to grab another letter to read.

"I think you should," she countered. "I mean, not alone, take Remus, but I feel that you should go," she said again. Perhaps a confrontation was in order.

"For what purpose?" Sirius asked, wondering why she was pushing it. She had been skittish since the whole homeschooling came out. It was like she couldn't make up her mind whether to be happy or upset that things were progressing along.

"To find out what his next play is," she said, thinking that the headmaster might tell Sirius what he might do next. "I don't like waiting."

"You know Dumbledore plays his cards close to his chest," the dogman said, shaking his head. "There is no way he'll slip. The man is over a hundred years old. He didn't get where he was by being foolish."

"No, you're right," Lily said, shaking her head. "I'm just a bundle of nerves waiting on his reaction. I wanted this whole thing to go differently. I wanted it to be us telling them on our terms when we wanted." She had had it all planned out.

Harry would just not show up for Hogwarts next September, and they would fade away into obscurity. Then the wizarding world would have to take care of Voldemort without their Boy-Who-Lived. They were still planning that, but now it was sooner than they wanted. Harry wasn't in his secondary school yet. That was going to be vital to where they were going to stay.

"I'm sorry I let it be known this way. I wanted it to start as rumor. I had no idea Skeeter was there," Sirius said, putting his arm around her shoulders, making her stop pacing. He ignored the cold like he always did. "Usually, she doesn't hang around the Alley," he added. Skeeter was a political reporter, she usually hung around the ministry. Though that woman would report on any juicy gossip.

"No, I know how you feel. I don't particularly care for Molly Weasley either. And I don't like how she was shoving her son onto Harry," the ghostly woman said, getting a contemplative look on her face. "There was something fishy about that."

"I think I'll write an article for the Quibbler and the Prophet. It'll be interesting to see who prints it wholesale," Sirius said, going to the home computer that was tucked in the corner. Which he only really knew how to use for games, typing, and the occasional email. He was still a hunt and pecker, but he got it done in the end.

Lily read over Sirius' shoulder as he wrote a quick article about what Harry's plans for the future were and the how's and why's he was going to use to get there. Sirius also mentioned the letters he got in support of his and Harry's plans and thanked those that did. He naysaid those that didn't support them, but he told them it was not their child, and they really had no say. This article would have to go through the PR dept, who would flower it up, but it got the gist across.

"Mum, there's a man outside. He's looking around, like he knows we're here, but he can't find us," Harry said, watching the man who looked like a giant to him. He had to be over ten feet tall. His hair and beard covered his head and face so that only his eyes, cheeks, and nose could be seen and those barely. He looked like someone who would be comfortable living in the woods with a bear for a pet.

"How can you tell he's looking for us?" Lily said, coming up to Harry.

"He's counting houses," Harry answered. "That and he looks magical," he added, sure he saw something small scurry through the man's beard.

"Remus! Sirius! Hagrid is outside!" Lily shouted as she saw who was lurking around outside, making both Remus and Sirius start. They both came running to see the half-giant looking around the neighborhood like he was searching for them.

"Should we go and greet him?" Harry said, ready to go and deal with the problem. Sure, the man was huge, but there were four of them, well three and a half. His mum really didn't count as a whole person. Well, three if you put him and his mum together as one adult.

"Let's," Lily said, more than willing to have a few words with the man who had kidnapped Harry as a baby. She went into Harry's head and directed them to go and see what the man wanted.

Sirius, Remus, and Harry went out the back of the house and went to the end of the block. It was getting close to dinner, plus it was freezing out, so the streets were empty, and they hoped most people were watching the evening news. They came from behind the giant and Remus was the one who called his attention to him.

"Hagrid, what are you doing here?" the werewolf asked, making Hagrid spin around and look at the group of men standing before him. He smiled, though it was hard to tell with all that hair.

"Dumbledore wanted me to see if I could find Harry. He heard about you lot homeschooling him and was concerned," the half-giant said in his deep voice, that rumbled quite a bit. "I didn't know you'd be here, but I thought I'd take a chance," he added, scratching his beard. Harry was sure he saw that same creature jump out and dive back in. "I didn't rightly know where else to look, to be honest," he said, sheepishly.

Harry spoke into Remus' ear, standing on tiptoe to get to there. "Mum wants to take this to the park where she can come out and talk to him," he said.

"We need to talk, but not here," Remus said, waving his hand for the giant man to follow them. They moved to the park and away from the road to the clump of trees, where Lily could materialize without being seen.

They all had heating charms on them, and were bundled up in hats, gloves, and jackets. Hagrid was naturally warm. His large bulk was a good insulator, and his fur coat didn't hurt. They wouldn't look out of place if spotted, except Hagrid's height.

Harry made sure to stay well away from the man he didn't know. He knew that Remus and Sirius would protect him, but the man was a giant. That and his mum was telling him to be cautious. Not that she was scared of the large man, more that he was Dumbledore's man, and he might try to take Harry to the headmaster. He listened to his mum, most of the time.

"Why all the secrecy?" Hagrid asked in his broken accent, not sure what was going on. Surely, they trusted him. Everyone trusted him. He was harmless. Anyone who knew him could tell you that. He thought these two men would be the first to say such. They had such a great friendship when they were boys in Hogwarts, and after when they were part of the Order of the Phoenix. The good times they all had; it was hard to see them so untrusting now.

"There's someone who wants to meet with you, and they don't want to be seen," Remus said, telling the truth. He was sure that Lily had a few choice words to say to the gentle giant. He was hopeful that she went easy on the man, he wasn't quite all there after all. Hagrid was like a big kid, who followed Dumbledore like a lost puppy.

They got to the trees, and Harry stood under the large elms. Lily materialized and Hagrid's jaw dropped. He then started crying.

"Lily, oh, Lily. Why are you here?" he blubbered, taking out a kerchief that was as large as a tablecloth. He never liked that people chose to stay behind. They were forever caught in a cycle of grief. At least that's how it appeared to him. Now one of his friends was here.

"Oh, Hagrid, stop that," she said, wanting to be angry at the man, but it was hard when he was having an emotional break down. "I'm here to protect Harry. Right now, that would be from you and Dumbledore," she said, making those waterworks dry right up.

"Dumbledore?" the befuddled man asked as he dabbed his eyes and wiped his nose. "What has Dumbledore ever done to you?" he was very confused. "Good man, Dumbledore," he mumbled like it was a mantra.

"You mean besides using you to kidnap Harry from Sirius' arms and bringing him here to Petunia, where he was abused?" Lily stated, folding her arms, and glaring at the giant like he didn't stand four feet above her. "Didn't you read the article? It told of Harry's early years," she asked.

"No one believes the Prophet," Hagrid said, still wiping the tears off his face.

"Well, it's true, he was abused after you kidnapped him and brought him here," she said, stomping her foot. She put her arm over Harry's shoulder and squeezed.

"Kidnapped?" Hagrid asked, looking to Sirius, who was nodding his agreement with Lily. "Surely you're mistaken," he said, looking between the two. He'd never do a thing like that to a friend. He was not that type of person. He hated those type of people.

"Yes, kidnapped," Lily snapped, drawing Harry closer to her in her need to make sure he was there and not being kidnapped again. "Harry was never supposed to come here," she said, letting her baby go and poking the giant in the chest. "I should know. I am his mother," she added, poking him again.

"You took him from my arms, and told me it was on Dumbledore's orders," Sirius reminded the man. "I was going to go to Gringotts and declare that I wasn't the Secret Keeper, but you said you had orders to take him here. You are much bigger than I am. And I'll admit, I let anger get to my head and took off after the rat, when I should have kept Harry. So, we're accomplices with Dumbledore. He wasn't supposed to come to Petunia," he reiterated Lily's words.

"But, these were his relatives," Hagrid said, like that made a difference. To him family was everything. Dumbledore feels the same way.

"They hated me and magic," Lily said, not gently. She was raring mad, and poor Hagrid was getting the blunt of it. "If I hadn't shown up when I did, things would have gotten worse for Harry," she said, running her hand down Harry's hair.

"He was being abused," Sirius said to Hagrid, much softer than Lily was. "She got me out of prison," he stated. "And I'll forever be grateful for that. I will note to you that Dumbledore did nothing to get me free," he added with a pointed look.

"Look we have proof that we are in the right. We've already won our lawsuit over it. The judges agreed that you took Harry from his rightful guardian and gave him to someone he was never supposed to go to. Not to mention that Petunia and her husband both went to prison for abuse. Didn't Dumbledore ever tell you any of this?" she asked, looking at him queerly. He had not been sued since they thought him just a pawn. However, he had been mentioned.

"No, Dumbledore never said anything," the poor man said, hanging his head a bit. "You say the court ordered him to pay you for me kidnapping Harry? That your family was arrested and went to prison?" he asked, looking at the four people in front of him. They all nodded. "I need to think," Hagrid said, turning and walking away.

"I think, we might have broken something in him," Remus said, looking sadly at the man. He knew how dedicated Hagrid was to the old man. It kind of broke his heart a bit to see him so despondent. "He thinks the stars were hung by the man," he added softly.

"No, he's much stronger than that," Sirius disagreed. "He'll get into his cups for awhile and then come to the conclusion that Dumbledore isn't god." To him that was a good thing. Hagrid needed to see that Dumbledore wasn't someone to worship. That he was just a man that made mistakes like any other human.

"How did he find us?" Harry asked, not sure how that worked. He knew they were hidden from magicals, so if Hagrid was magical how did he know where to look?

"He was the one who dropped you off," Sirius said, waving to the neighborhood in general. "He remembers the area."

"That means Dumbledore does too, or will Hagrid tell him?" Harry asked, worried that the giant would tell the old man.

"Good point," Remus said, running after Hagrid. He talked to the giant a bit and then pointed his wand at the man's head.

"What's he doing?" Harry asked, already guessing the answer, but wanting confirmation.

"Erasing the area, but not the conversation," Sirius guessed, he'd ask when the werewolf returned.

"Should we worry about Dumbledore figuring out that we are here?" Harry asked, not that he was worried about the old man, but his mum was.

"I doubt it. It would be one of the last places he looks. Besides, even if he does, what can he do? Kidnap you?" Sirius said, with a laugh.

Lily wasn't laughing though. "That is a possibility," she said, thinking hard on how to prevent such an occurrence. "We might need to move," she added, thinking with a tapping of her finger on her chin. "Go back to the house," she said. She then went back into Harry's head, and they started walking back to the house.

Remus joined them along the way and confirmed that he did erase the area from Hagrid's mind, with the giant's permission, but not the conversation.

"I thought giants were impervious to magic," Harry said as they approached the house.

"He's a half-giant," Sirius explained. "We learned by playing pranks on him when we were in school, just how much magic was needed to work on him." Those had been good times.

"That is the tricky part," Remus agreed, remembering all the times they had a good laugh with Hagrid over the times their pranks did or didn't work. The man was good-natured about the whole thing.

"So are we going to move?" Harry asked as they got into the house.

"We might, it depends on what school you get in to. You've been applying to many private schools, and we're waiting on the replies," Lily said, not wanting him to think they might be moving because their location might be compromised. The end of the year was only a few months away, they should be fine until then.

"Christmas is tomorrow. I'm going to miss Neville, but it's good that he's with family," Harry said, changing the subject.

"Yes, and so are we," Lily said, giving him a hug. They'd get through this no matter what Dumbledore threw at them. They had people they could rely on and each other.