Hagrid's first day with Harry - Part 5

After they had left Eeylops Owl Emporium, Hagrid looked at Harry, who was carrying the sleeping snowy
owl that Hagrid had just bought, in a large cage. Harry wouldn’t stop thanking him for the best birthday present
ever received, the truth was that it simply made Hagrid happy to see Harry happy.

"Don' mention it," said Hagrid. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys.
Just Ollivander’s left now - only place fer wands, Ollivander’s, and yeh gotta have the best wand."

When they arrived at Ollivander’s shop, Hagrid suddenly thought about the day when he was there buying his
wand, many years ago now. They stepped inside and a bell rang, yes, everything was just as he remembered it.
He sat on the spindly chair on a corner of the shop and admired the tiny place. It was dusty, silent and empty,
except for the thousands of small boxes piled up on one another that were nearly touching the ceiling.

"Good afternoon," said Mr. Ollivander softly, showing up from behind the boxes. Hagrid jumped with surprise
and off the spindly chair making a lot of noise. He looked at Harry, who was already looking back at him.
Hagrid made an encouraging smile and Harry finally managed to say hello.

"Ah yes," said the man, who was standing just in front of them. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon.
Harry Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand.
Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

Hagrid thought that Mr. Ollivander was being rather rude, he had his eyes stock on Harry, as if he had not even
noticed him, and that was something Hagrid was quite unused to. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, Mr. Ollivander
started talking about Harry’s father’s wand. Mahogany, eleven inches, pliable, bla. bla. bla. Concluding with his
favorite sentence…

“…it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." Said the man.

Now poor Harry, thought Hagrid, Mr. Ollivander was standing nose to nose in front of the boy. When suddenly,
he touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead.

"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand,
very powerful, and in the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do...."
said Mr. Ollivander shaking his head.

Hagrid became rigid, those were dark moments, it wasn’t something he wanted to remember. He looked down at
the floor, when Mr. Ollivander finally had seemed to notice him.

"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again.... Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?" Hagrid
suppressed his thoughts and felt happy about the fact that the attention momentarily had been moved on to him.

"It was, sir, yes," he answered, stretching his shoulders widely.

"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander sternly.

"Er -- yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, nervously shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added
with a laugh.  

"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander with a sharp look, surely, he wasn’t laughing.

"Oh, no, sir," answered Hagrid quickly. Though, he put his hand inside his coat and gripped his umbrella tightly,
as if to make sure it wouldn’t run away.

"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander. "Well, now -- Mr. Potter. Let me see. Which is your wand arm?" He asked Harry,
ignoring Hagrid. He felt insulted by those piercing looks Mr. Ollivander had given him. He treated Hagrid like a kid,
like an idiot not worth spending his time for. That was exactly how Hagrid remembered Mr. Ollivander. He hadn’t
change a bit. Except for whiter hair and some more wrinkles, his manners were just the same.

Hagrid turned around and sat on the spindly chair once again with a bitter face. While Mr. Ollivander was looking for
wands, pulling out one after the other, Hagrid looked out of the window. He remembered when he was about Harry’s
age and came here, to Ollivander’s, to buy his very own wand. He was more than happy. He was excited.

Hagrid followed his father through Diagon Alley and couldn’t wait to enter the wand shop a little further down the street.
However, on the other hand, his father had to stop for a talk every time he met someone he knew. Hagrid was tired and
bored, he never got included in the discussions and wanted his wand more than anything else that day.

When they finally stood in front of the shop, Hagrid read Ollivander’s: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A bell rang
when he and his father entered the shop and there was Mr. Ollivander standing in front of them. He asked whether if
one of their wands was broken or if they had a relative that needed a wand. His father laughed and explained that
Hagrid was an extremely tall kid, but that he was the one who needed a wand. Mr. Ollivander started laughing as
well and didn’t even excuse himself for humiliating Hagrid. Everybody bullied him for being tall, he felt offended
and disappointed, also by his own father. However, he tried to ignore them and concentrate for that very special
moment. So, there he stood with his biggest smile.

Mr. Ollivander found a wand for Hagrid very quickly, and anyway he had seemed stressed, as if he had better things
to do and wanted to hurry. That disturbed Hagrid, but he didn’t know if that was his usual manners or if it was specifically
because of Hagrid. Then, after Hagrids father had paid, Mr. Ollivander said that it usually wasn’t a challenge to find
a wand for kids as Hagrid. At that point, Hagrid left the shop, he didn’t want to hear another word coming from that
man’s mouth. His excitement had vanished and all he wanted was to go home. At least he had his wand.

As Hagrid came back to reality, he could see Harry looking defeated. Of course, that was the result of spending time
with Mr. Ollivander. He seemed to struggle finding a wand for Harry. He had tried several, but still, not one had been
satisfying and Mr. Ollivander was getting nervous.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere -- I wonder,
now - - yes, why not -- unusual combination -- holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Said Mr. Ollivander mysteriously.

He gave the wand to Harry and with a swish, a stream of red and gold sparks shot from it like a firework. Hagrid
stood up from the chair and admired that moment, he whooped and clapped and then Mr. Ollivander cried,
"Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "

Hagrid thought that Mr. Ollivander was being dramatic and that he should let the poor kid be happy for his wand,
what was wrong now?

"Sorry," Harry said, "but what's curious?"

Then Mr. Ollivander gave an answer that Hagrid didn’t expect. Clearly, he remembered every wand that he had ever sold,
and added that Harry’s wand had a brother, which had given him that lightning scar. Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Now,
Mr. Ollivander had a very serious face.

“I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter.... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things --
terrible, yes, but great." Concluded the man. Hagrid gasped and looked at Harry who was standing there petrified
in front of the man.

After they had paid and left the shop, Hagrid had to take Harry to London, and so they walked their way back through
Diagon Alley, the wall and the Leaky Cauldron. Hagrid was used to walking alone and didn’t speak for a good while,
but when they had arrived at Paddington station, he noticed that Harry had been very quiet. Hagrid thought that perhaps
a hamburger could cheer him up before he had to catch his train. He hesitated for a moment but then he tapped Harry
on the shoulder.

"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.

Harry smiled and nodded. So, he bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down by a white plastic table. The seats were
a bit small for Hagrid, he had to put most of his weight upon his legs, not to break the chair. While eating his hamburger,
Hagrid still thought that Harry was too silent.

"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet,"

"Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander...
but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember
what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry -- I mean, the night my parents died." He answered.

Hagrid couldn’t permit Harry to think something like that, it had been an intense day, with rude Mr. Ollivander and
everything. He put on his kindest smile and leaned across the table.

"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine.
Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at
Hogwarts -- I did -- still do, 'smatter of fact."

By those words, he looked at the clock and thought of his meeting with Professor Dumbledore. His heart hurt at the
thought that Harry had to go back to the Dursley’s, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. They left the
hamburger place and found the train that Harry had to take. Then, Hagrid suddenly remembered the envelope. He pulled
it out of his coat and gave it to Harry.

"Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September -- King's Cross -- it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the
Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me.... See yeh soon, Harry."

Hagrid watched Harry get on the train with his funny-shaped packages, he looked so tiny and innocent. He wanted to
wait there and make sure that Harry had found a seat.

“Hagrid! We meet again!” said Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank, interrupting his thoughts.

“Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank! Wha’ yeh doin’ here?” he asked surprised.

“I’ve been visiting my brother. He’s a muggle, living here in London, with his wife and kids.”

“Wonderful, family’s everythin’ isn’t it?”

“It is! Listen, do you want a ride somewhere, I’ve got my licence now, can apparate us back to Diagon Alley if you want.”
said Wilhelmina.

Hagrid was already late for the meeting and was worried about what Professor Dumbledore would be thinking of him.
He had no time to loose at Diagon Alley.

“No, sorry, I ‘ave business at Hogwarts, can’ let Dumbledore wait.”

“Of course, I completely understand. Well, have the best day Rubeus! See you around!” she replied.

“Yeh too Miss Grubbly-Plank”

He went to hide, as much as possible, in a corner of the station, put his hand inside his coat, pulled out his umbrella
and in a second, there he was again. Standing in front of the only place he could call home. Hogwarts.