Christmas Day had finally arrived.
Before the first light of dawn, Orli was pulled out of bed by Hermione. They barely had time to open their Christmas presents before rushing to the common room, where Ron and Harry were already waiting—Ron was yawning, while Harry looked full of energy, wearing a brand-new shirt, meticulously buttoned up.
# Harry: "What should I say first when I meet him?"
# Harry: "Do you think he'll like me?"
# Harry: "Will he be hungry? They must serve breakfast there, but maybe we should bring something from the Great Hall for him?"
Harry's endless muttering buzzed in their ears until Orli finally couldn't take it anymore:
# Orli: "Calm down, Harry. Don't be so nervous. Yes, he'll like you, no matter what. Besides, you're practically his spitting image."
# Harry: "Right, right, calm down. Being too loud might make him dislike me."
Harry clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and seemed to be psyching himself up, just like he did before a Quidditch match.
They trudged across the snow-covered lawn, leaving trails behind them. The hems of their robes and cloaks were soaked, frozen stiff in the cold. The forest looked enchanted, every tree lightly dusted with silver, and Hagrid's hut resembled a frosted cake.
Ron knocked on the door, but there was no answer.
# Hermione: "Maybe he's not here? You know today's the day Mr. Black is released from prison," Hermione said, her breath visible in the frosty air.
Ron pressed his ear against the door.
# Ron: "There's a strange sound," he said. "Listen—could it be Fang?"
Orli pressed her ear to the door as well. From inside the hut came low, muffled sobbing.
# Harry: "Hagrid!" Harry knocked harder on the door. "Hagrid, are you in there?"
Heavy footsteps sounded from within, and then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there, his eyes red and tears dripping onto his vest.
# Hagrid: "Oh, kids, you're here," Hagrid choked out. "I should've told you earlier. I should've known. Meeting him! It must be the happiest moment of my life! He's the one who saved Harry from James and Lily's house after they were killed."
Hagrid broke into uncontrollable sobs again. Ron and Harry had to prop him up by his armpits and struggled to guide him to a chair. Hagrid buried his face in the small table, crying for a while before continuing:
# Hagrid: "That's when Sirius Black showed up, riding that flying motorbike he always used. I couldn't figure out what he was doing there. I thought he'd heard the news about You-Know-Who and came to see if there was anything he could do. He looked pale, completely disheveled."
Hagrid pulled out a spotted handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes.
# Hagrid: "Then he said, 'Give Harry to me, Hagrid. I'm his godfather. I'll take care of him.' But Dumbledore had given me instructions, so I told him no. Dumbledore said Harry should go to his aunt and uncle. Sirius didn't agree at first but eventually relented. He handed over Harry and said, 'I won't be needing this bike anymore.' That's what he said. I should've found it suspicious then. He loved that bike. Why would he give it up? Why wouldn't he need it anymore? But it's all clear now—he had already decided to go after Peter! I actually believed all those lies in the news. I really thought Sirius was a filthy, traitorous scoundrel!"
Ron pursed his lips tightly, and Hermione patted Hagrid's elbow. Harry, on the other hand, had red-rimmed eyes just like Hagrid.
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