Hagrid's first day with Harry - Part 4

One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Hagrid could see the excitement
on Harry's face, and the fact that he wasn't able to stand still was a clear sign that he had never had this much
money to spend. Hagrid thought for a second on what they should get first when he saw a Hogwarts student
in his Hufflepuff robe.

"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
"Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts
carts." Hagrid did still feel a bit sick.

Hagrid walked in his own pace, which was a bit quicker than the average person due to his size. He had to bend
down when he entered the Leaky Cauldron. The smell of the place had always had always made him feel at home.

Tom, the bartender greeted Hagrid as he came through the door. “Back already Hagrid?” he asked, with a
concerned look on his face. “You didn’t lose Mr. Harry Potter did you?”.

“Not a' all Tom, He's safe an' sound at Madam Malkinsess,” said Hagrid. “May I have a large pint o' ale?”
Hagrid mumbled, he knew that drinking on the job was not looked fondly upon, but he needed to calm his
nerves after those horrible cart rides.

“You are in luck Hagrid, we just got in a fresh barrel of that pale ale you like.”

Hagrids teeth flashed as he smiled, “Nectar of the gods tha' is.” Hagrid replied.

Hagrid sat down at the bar and soon after, Doris Crockford came over and sat down beside him.

“Hello  Doris, how are yeh?”

“I am just fine, have the day off today I have” She said.

“Hagrid, I have to ask you, what is young Mr. Potter like?” Doris asked.

“Well, I have only spent a couple o' hours with ‘im, but he’s very polite, I´ll tell yeh that.” Hagrid answered.

“I got that feeling to when I shook his hand, I saw his father play Quidditch once you know.” Doris said proudly.

“Oh great player he was, les' hope that is summat tha’ runs in the family.”

Hagrid was enjoying the last of his ale when he saw the time, and thought that he had left Harry alone for too
long. He downed the last of the ale in a hurry, and told Tom to put it on his tab.

“This one is on the house Hagrid, you did let me meet Harry Potter after all.” Tom said with a wink.

Hagrid hurried back through the magical wall, and after taking a few steps into Diagon Alley he saw Florean
Fortescue's ice-cream parlour and thought he would treat young Harry to a nice ice-cream cone.

He entered the shop and ordered a rum-flavoured one for himself when he discovered that he did not know what
kind of ice-cream Harry liked.

“What kin' of ice-cream do todays children eat?” he asked Florean, who stood behind the counter.

“Well that is a tough question Hagrid,” He said. He knew Hagrid well because Hagrid had a bit of a sweet
tooth when it came to ice-cream. “But, I would say to get chocolate, just to be safe, everyone likes chocolate,
and lately raspberry has been popular.”

“I think yeh’re right Florean, give me one scoop o' each, and please put some nuts on it too.” He said with a smile.

Hagrid then hurried on to Madam Malkins to meet Harry, and give him the ice-cream before it melted. He was
looking through the window when Harry saw him. Harry was talking to a boy with bright white hair, and a
grin that sent shivers down Hagrids spine. He knew immediately who the blonde boy was. The resemblance to
his father was uncanny. He had previously had several encounters with the blonde boy's father over the years.
Lucius had tried to get him fired from Hogwarts more than once.

Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.
When Harry came out Hagrid could see that there was something troubling him, but he thought that an ice-cream
would cheer him up.

Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him

"What's up?" said Hagrid.

"Nothing." Harry lied, and Hagrid who did not want to pressure Harry let him be.

The next stop the made was  to buy parchment and quills. When they had left the shop, Harry asked,
"Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"

"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know -- not knowin' about Quidditch!" Hagrid had almost
completely forgotten about this morning’s conversation, he felt a little a guilty not telling Harry about Quidditch.

"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. Harry then told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin's.

"--and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed in."

"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were -- he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents
are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what
does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line O' Muggles
-- look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"

"So what is Quidditch?"

"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like -- like soccer in the Muggle world -- everyone follows Quidditch -- played
up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls -- sorta hard ter explain the rules."

"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"

"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o' duffers, but --"

"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.

"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad
who wasn't in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one."

"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"

"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.

Next they bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked
to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers
of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Hagrid went over to Bernard
Blotts who was setting up books for a book signing with Gilderoy Lockhart later that week.

“Hello, has the book I asked fer come in?”

“I believe so Hagrid, it just arrived today,” Bernard said. “Manny! Could you go get the book for Hagrid from the
back?” Manny was in fact Manny Flourish, Bernards business partner who was cleaning the floor.  The book
Hagrid had ordered was a new book by Newt Scammander about thunderbirds. Hagrid picked up the book with
a smile, he had always wanted to learn more about thunderbirds, and to go and see them in America. Then Hagrid
almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your
Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor
Vindictus Viridian.

"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley.” Harry said.

"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world except in very special
circumstances," said Hagrid. "An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study
before yeh get ter that level."

Harry wanted to buy a solid gold cauldron, in Madam Potage´s shop, "It says pewter on yer list", but they got a
nice set of scales and a collapsible brass telescope.

Then they visited the Apothecary, Hagrid was used to the smell in there, but he could clearly see that it bothered
Harry. There were barrels of slimy stuff on the floor, jars of herbs, dried roots and bright powders lined the walls.
Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, even though it
was not on the list of required items.

“As long as I am here, I might as well get some rats.” said Hagrid.

“Alive or dead”, asked the shopkeeper.

“Oh, dead please, las' time I got live rats I got bitten three times in me thumb.” Hagrid said bitterly.

Harry looked strangely at Hagrid as he was putting dead rats in his pockets, but when Hagrid explained to Harry
that it was food for one of his many creatures, Harry seemed satisfied with that answer.

Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.

"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present."

Hagrid saw Harry's face turn red, "You don't have to --"

"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd
be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead
useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."  

They entered the owl shop where Harry looked a little scared. Hagrid spoke to the man at the counter. “What
have yeh got for a firs' year student at Hogwarts?”

The man brought out an owl, it must have been at least twenty years old.

“Oi!, what are you tryin' to sell me, this bird must be at least eighteen years old!” Hagrid said

“Oh sorry, I must have grabbed the wrong cage for you.” Said the shopkeeper realizing that Hagrid knew his
animals.