Chapter Text
Harry had always wanted a dog, and now he had found one.
Petunia had kicked him out of the house for the day because she had guests over. He was left alone to wander the neighborhood streets.
A rather large, black dog soon begins to follow him as he wanders. It slowly inches closer to him every moment, watching his every movement.
He began walking towards it instead of away. Once he got closer, he could see a collar. He hesitated, slowly grabbing the tag. “Padfoot.. Your name’s Padfoot?”
The dog growls softly in response and its ears twitch.
Harry tenses and turns the tag over, there’s another name. “Is it Sirius..?”
The dog barks and licks Harry’s hand, pushing its head closer into his hand.
“I’m Harry. Harry Potter..” He glances at the Dursley’s house. “I can’t bring you inside.. Aunt Petunia will be angry..” He slowly runs his hand through Sirius’ fur. “I don’t have any food for you either.. They barely feed me..”
Harry continues walking. “C’mon, we’re going to the park.” He glances back. “Let’s go, Sirius.”
The dog immediately stands and begins walking a few feet behind Harry as he’s led to the playground. There’s only a swing, seesaw, and a small slide.
Harry sits on one of the swings. “I’ve always wanted a dog, but Uncle Vernon says they’re disgusting… he’d get one if Dudley wanted, but Dudley hates dogs too.” He presses his feet into the ground and pushes the swing back.
Hours passed by with Harry rocking the swing slowly with his feet while talking to Sirius. He seldom got a response outside of a small tilt of Sirius’ head, but he still continued talking. He hadn’t noticed the hours passed, only when he looked up at the sun did he realize he had to get back home.
“Sirius, I have to get home..” He stands up and begins running. He can hear paws hitting the ground behind him and immediately stops. “Don’t follow me! Aunt Petunia shouldn’t see you..” Sirius only walks closer and nuzzles his snout against Harry’s leg. His ears pin down to his head and he whines, nudging Harry one more time.
“Go! I’ll come back tomorrow… if she lets me out..” He tries to walk away again, but pauses and stares at Sirius. “Go!” He repeats a bit louder this time and runs away, not looking back to see if Sirius is following him.
Letters he wasn’t allowed to read and owls that would sit around in the front yard for indefinite amounts of time began to appear a few days later.
It was nearing his eleventh birthday, but he knew to not expect anything. Petunia and Vernon never did anything for his birthday, living in their home was supposed to be enough of a gift. He didn’t deserve more.
A few more days passed. Letters came through every opening possible, he had heard Petunia saying she found a few in her eggs one morning.. Saturday morning, Petunia sent Harry out of the house because she was going to some sort of meeting and wouldn’t leave him alone in the house.
He walked to the park and sat on the swing while glancing around to spot Sirius. He’s probably gone by now. An owl flew to him within ten minutes of sitting down, one of the letters Vernon tied to its foot.
He took the letter and finally opened it, only over a week after the first one had arrived. He opened it slowly, staring at every small detail.
To Mr. Harry Potter
The cupboard under the stairs
4 privet drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
Dear Mr. Potter
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment, one will be sent your way in August. Term begins on September 1.
We very much look forward to Receiving you as Part of the New generation of Hogwarts heritage.
Yours sincerely,
- McGonagall
Professor McGonagall
Harry’s fingers tighten against the sides of the letter and he glances around before shoving it into his pocket.
Magic isn’t real.
Even if magic is real, Petunia and Vernon would never send him….
Sirius then runs up to him and nudges his leg, causing him to stand up quickly. He reaches down and scratches Sirius’ ear. “I got a letter from a magic school…” He pulls it out and holds it to Sirius’ view. “The letters have been coming in all week. I thought it was something important..”
Sirius barks and lightly bites Harry’s hand.
“Hey!” Harry steps back, shoving the letter into his pocket again. “Don’t bite. Doesn’t matter if it is real, I have no way to get there.”
Sirius only barks again, nudging his snout against Harry’s pocket. He then begins running to the Dursley’s house, looking back to see if Harry is following him as he runs.
Harry begins chasing after Sirius, following him the whole way back to the Dursley’s house. Sirius begins nudging his snout against Harry’s pocket again and Harry shifts. “You want me to show them…?”
Sirius licks Harry’s hand and nudges him again. He’s a dog, why should Harry listen to him? He wouldn’t even consider it if what happened at the zoo earlier this week hadn’t happened…
“Fine..” Harry begins walking to the front door. He hadn’t noticed Sirius following him until he had stopped at the door and glanced behind himself. “You can’t come in…”
Sirius runs off and sits in front of the living room window once Harry wasn’t looking. He can see Petunia on the couch with a book, and Vernon doing paperwork of some sort on the coffee table.
Harry walks into the living room and stares at Petunia and Vernon. He stands in the doorway wordlessly, watching Petunia read and Vernon work.
Petunia looks up from the book in her hand and glances at Harry. He’s clutching his pocket. “What is it, boy? What do you have?” She stands up and walks to Harry, holding her hand out towards him. “Give it to me. Now!”
Harry glances at his pocket, his hand slowly pushing into it. He grips the letter tightly and hands it to her. “Tell me about Hogwarts.”
Petunia stares at the letter and scowls. “You aren’t supposed to have this! How did you get it?!”
Vernon stands up from the couch and takes a small step forward. “What’d you do, boy?! How many times have we told you to not touch things that aren’t yours?!” He grabs Harry’s shirt collar.
Harry winces and tries to step away. “It’s my letter! It’s addressed to me!”
“And it came to my house, boy!” Vernon grips the collar tighter and pulls Harry up slightly.
“Tell me about Hogwarts!” Harry repeats again, louder this time.
Petunia clutches the letter, wrinkling it in her hand as she glares at him. “You’re just like your useless parents!” She takes a breath, clutching the letter harder. “Fine! Your parents didn’t die in a car crash! They got themselves blown up!” She begins to shout louder, not noticing Dudley on the staircase. “You’ll end up exactly like them! We’re not sending you to some magician school for you to get yourself killed!”
Petunia throws the letter at Harry’s head. “Magic is a hinge to the world! It. Shouldn’t exist, my parents couldn’t see that! They send Lily to her death by letting her go to that school.” She turns away.
Vernon glances at Petunia and begins dragging Harry to the cupboard. He throws Harry in and slams the door, locking the shutter without a word.
A month more passed. Vernon kept Harry in the cupboard when he wasn’t doing chores. He wasn’t allowed outside anymore, but he kept seeing that dog outside the windows.
New letters began to come, all with the same seal. Vernon began burning them again.
The fourth day of the letters—September 1st—was the day it all ended. Around midnight, the door burst down. There was already a storm outside, Harry could hear the thunder and the rain.
The door hitting the floor had sounded like thunder, but then he heard footsteps. Large, heavy footsteps.
Harry shifts on the mattress shivering slightly. The footsteps are getting closer, then he hears steps rushing down the stairs. Vernon and Petunia running down, then Dudley.
He heard the man speak, “Harry, you’ve gotten a bit big on the stomach.”
Then he heard Dudley. “I’m not Harry!”
Shouting began, things about magic, his parents, Hogwarts… he began banging on the door of the cupboard. He needed to get out.
A moment passed, then the door was torn open. He stares at a man with a beard covering nearly his whole face, he’s practically a giant… “He’s not Harry, I am..”
The man looks down at him. “Of course you’re Harry!”
Harry slowly steps out and glances at Petunia and Vernon, then looks at the man again. “Who are you..?”
“Hagrid, Hogwarts Gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys and Grounds.” He glances at the staircase. The boy he thought was Harry is eating the cake he brought. He pulls out his umbrella and points it at Dudley, a pig tail sprouts in his behind.
Petunia immediately runs to Dudley, nearly sobbing. Vernon walks up to Hagrid. “He’s not going to some magician school!”
“I’d like ter see a great muggle like you stop him.” Hagrid pulls Harry slightly closer to himself.
“Muggle?” Harry mutters, glancing at Petunia and Vernon again.
“Non-magic folk.” Hagrid grabs Harry’s hand. “We ought to get going.”
“Where?” Harry steps forward with Hagrid.
“To get your school supplies, of course. They won’t buy themselves.” Hagrid begins walking out while Harry follows. Petunia and Vernon watch, both completely silent as Hagrid and Harry leave. What else could they do?
Hagrid looks back inside through the door frame. “I ought to fix that.” He picks up the door and puts it upright in the frame.
“Wait, Hagrid!” Harry rushes forward to stand in front of the porch. “I need to get my dog.” Hagrid looks down at Harry. “You can’t bring a dog on campus..” Harry hesitates, “I’m not leaving him.” Hagrid glances away. “...I’m sure something could be adjusted.”
Harry grins and runs forward a bit more. “Sirius!” He calls out, missing the way Hagrid’s expression drops at the name. He pauses for a moment. “Sirius, come here!”
A large, black dog runs to Harry and sits down in front of him. Harry scratches behind his ear and leads him to the motorbike Hagrid is now standing in front of.
Hagrid fixes his expression and walks forward. “Don’t tell anyone what I did to Pudgy.. I’m not supposed to use magic.” He tucks his umbrella away and sits down on the motorbike’s seat. Sirius Black’s motorbike. He had nearly forgotten the motorbike was initially Black’s. Black had been gone for years, nobody had even heard anything of him until his escape from Azkaban a few months ago..