Harry Potter 01 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by authors_sort Read Free Book Online Page B

whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt the warmth wash over him as though he’d sunk into a hot bath.
    The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs and a bottle of some amber liquid which he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply, ‘Don’t touch anything he gives you, Dudley.’
    The giant chuckled darkly.
    ‘Yer great puddin’ of a son don’ need fattenin’ any more, Dursley, don’ worry.’
    He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn’t take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said, ‘I’m sorry, but I still don’t really know who you are.’
    The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
    ‘Call me Hagrid,’ he said, ‘everyone does. An’ like I told yeh, I’m Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts – yeh’ll know all about Hogwarts, o’ course.’
    ‘Er – no,’ said Harry.
    Hagrid looked shocked.
    ‘Sorry,’ Harry said quickly.
    ‘Sorry? ’ barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. ‘It’s them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren’t gettin’ yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn’t even know abou’ Hogwarts, fer cryin’ out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?’
    ‘All what?’ asked Harry.
    ‘ALL WHAT?’ Hagrid thundered. ‘Now wait jus’ one second!’
    He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.
    ‘Do you mean ter tell me,’ he growled at the Dursleys, ‘that this boy – this boy! – knows nothin’ abou’ – about ANYTHING?’
    Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren’t bad.
    ‘I know some things,’ he said. ‘I can, you know, do maths and stuff.’
    But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, ‘About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents’ world. ’
    ‘What world?’
    Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.
    ‘DURSLEY!’ he boomed.
    Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like ‘Mimblewimble’. Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.
    ‘But yeh must know about yer mum and dad,’ he said. ‘I mean, they’re famous. You’re famous.’
    ‘What? My – my mum and dad weren’t famous, were they?’
    ‘Yeh don’ know … yeh don’ know …’ Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.
    ‘Yeh don’ know what yeh are? ’ he said finally.
    Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.
    ‘Stop!’ he commanded. ‘Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!’
    A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.
    ‘You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An’ you’ve kept it from him all these years?’
    ‘Kept what from me?’ said Harry eagerly.
    ‘STOP! I FORBID YOU!’ yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.
    Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.
    ‘Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh,’ said Hagrid. ‘Harry – yer a wizard.’
    There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.
    ‘I’m a what? ’ gasped Harry.
    ‘A wizard, o’ course,’ said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, ‘an’ a thumpin’ good’un, I’d say, once yeh’ve