"Harry Potter Makes His Own Destiny"

Chapter 4 "Recovery Begins"

As Hagrid lands the boat just a little after 7am, he is thankful that the little hut on the rock was not too far from London, Vernon finally did something useful. After picking up the still sleeping Harry and casting a quick disillusionment to hide them from prying muggle eyes, he walks the short distance to the Leaky Cauldron.

Juggling the sleeping boy, Hagrid opens the door to a fairly empty Leaky Cauldron. The barkeep looks up from his morning duties, "A little early in the day isn't Hagrid?" He asked before noticing the small boy Hagrid was carrying. "Well bless me, is that?

"Shhh, he's sleeping, and yes it is Tom." Hagrid whispered, "he's had a rough go of it, you got a room available for him? I sent Dumbledore an owl and 'spect he should be here soon."

"yes, of course, this way Hagrid." the barkeep said quietly.

In the room Hagrid tries to lay the still sleeping Harry on the bed, but Harry begins to stir, mumbling, "No Hagrid don't leave."

"S'okay Harry, we're far from the Dursleys and You-Know-Who hasn't been seen in ten years." Hagrid said.

"You-Know-Who?' asked a puzzled Harry beginning to sit up.

"Er, I'll leave you two then, I'll send up Dumbledore as soon as he gets here Hagrid." Tom said shutting the door.

"Well Harry," Hagrid began as he pulled a chair next to the bed and carefully sat down, "er, I s'pose nows a good a time as any, where to start" Hagrid said scratching his head. Hagrid sighed, "Well Harry, how much do you know about your parents?"

"Nothing, the Dursleys told me nothing."

"Well at least that slimy git hasn't filled your head with too many lies." Hagrid takes a deep breath, "Your parents were good folks and good friends. There was a wizard who was greedy for power tryin to take over everythin, and they wouldn't bow down to him, especially with him destroyin so many lives. Everyone's afraid, even sayin his name, so we just say you-know-who.”

"But why should I be scared of someone that hasn't been seen in 10 years..., hold on, he killed my parents didn't he?"

"Yes I'm afraid he did Harry. I'm sorry, I really miss 'em." Hagrid sniffled and blew his nose on a very large handkerchief.

Harry looked down in thought, "I'm sorry Hagrid...I need to know his name."

"Well, alright Harry, his name was V..., Vo..."

"Could you write it down?"

"Nah, can't really spell it. Alright, just this once, his name was Voldemort, but still most people don't like hearin the name, scares 'em, not even his followers would say it, deatheaters they called themselves." Hagrid hung his head and Harry could hear the ragged breathing as the giant choked back tears at these memories.

Harry put his hand on Hagrid's arm, "I'm sorry for bringing up these memories, could you please go on, I really need to know."

Hagrid sniffles and sits up straighter, "Alright, Harry, you're right...you have to understand Harry, it was a dark time, you never knew who to trust, he had spies everywhere, and even if folks weren't willin to spy, him and his followers had ways of takin over people's minds. It wasn't just in the wizarding world Harry, even the muggles weren't safe, especially the muggles weren't safe. Him and his followers valued bloodlines, unless your whole family was wizards, they had no use fer ya. Like I said Harry, yer mum and dad were good folk and wouldn't stand for that. There was a handful of us fightin 'im, and I don know why he picked yer family, just next on his list, I s'pose. Your parents took you and went into hidin when they heard they were next. I s'pose ya figured out that after he killed them he tried to kill you, thats where ya got yer scar."

Harry sat there stunned, not knowing what to think or feel. Composing himself Harry said, "Hagrid, if he killed all of these people, why am I still alive?"

"I knew you'd ask that, to be honest, no one knows, we don even know what happened to him that night. When I got there your parents were dead, and I found you in the rubble of the house, untouched 'cept for a gash on your forehead. That's where the killin curse hit ya, but it musta backfired or somethin. He hasn't been seen since that night, Some say he died, but those of us that fought him feel that there wasn't enough human in him left to die, but that he was just stripped of his powers."

Harry sat their with wide eyes, unblinking. "I'm sorry Harry, I didn't really mean to lay sommat so heavy on ya like that, after all ya been through, but you did ask and besides, it should be hard for him to do anything without any power, eh?"

After a few minutes of silence, Hagrid asked "are you alright Harry? I new I shouldn't a told ya, I'm sorry"

Broken out of his stunned expression Harry said "No, it's okay Hagrid, really it is, and you're right, I did ask you and after the Dursleys, a guy that hasn't been seen for ten years doesn't scare me."

Harry smiled and Hagrid smiled back for a moment and then remembered, "Oh Harry I just remembered, I got sommat for ya, its a stuffed animal that was mine when I was little." Harry thought that there could never have been a time when Hagrid was little. Although Harry thought that he was a little old for a teddy bear, he didn't want to hurt the feelings of the man who had rescued him from the Dursleys, and besides, he never had a teddy bear, and it might take the some of the sting out of his memories, having something to hold onto for once.

"Now I know ya might be a little old," Hagrid began as he searched through the many pockets of his coat, "but it never hurts to have a little bit o comfortin when ya need it, and that's what Norbert was for me, ah here it is." and with that he pulled out a well worn velvety purple dragon that yawned and blinked its eyes as it looked up at Hagrid.

"Norbert, you've been real good for me over the years and I really love you," Hagrid said as stroked the top of the dragons head, "but Harry here needs ya more than me, you alright with that?"

The dragon looked over at Harry and studied him for a moment, then turned back and nodded his head and gave a little roar and a puff of smoke drifted out of his nose.

"Wow Hagrid, thanks," Harry said as Hagrid handed him the dragon, "he's awsome, but I've never seen a stuffed animal move, is he alive?"

"Muggle toys don't move? Where's the fun in that?"

Harry looked at him, "Muggle?"

"Nonmagick folk, Harry."

"This is so cool, I'll take good care of him."

"You're welcome Harry and I know you will." Harry held Norbert close and the dragon just yawned and went back to sleep, and Harry soon followed him off to dreamland.