Harry raised an eyebrow as he broke the wax seal and unfolded the parchment, revealing the letter Aunt Petunia had been staring at with barely concealed envy.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Grand Sorcerer, First Class Order of Merlin)
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.
Term begins on September the first. We await your owl no later than July thirty-first.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Harry scanned the letter, his thoughts spinning. A school dedicated entirely to teaching magic? Organizations like the International Confederation of Wizards? A Merlin Order? This world had its own hierarchy, structure, and clearly a long-established magical society.
Even more impressive, there was a formal institution to train young witches and wizards. That alone put it ahead of Kamar-Taj in some respects. Maybe, just maybe, once he rose to the rank of Sorcerer Supreme, he could borrow a few ideas to reform their own system.
Curious, Harry turned to the attached supply list and began to read.
The deeper he read, the more stunned he became. Fire dragon hide? For school gloves?
Harry fell silent, eyes fixed on the words. In his original world, Earth didn't have dragons, not unless you counted other dimensions. And even there, the dragons were terrifying, rare beings capable of wiping out entire cities. The most ancient of their kind could obliterate entire planets with ease.
If Hogwarts was using dragon hide for student gear, did that mean the magical world here had already surpassed the magical capabilities of Kamar-Taj?
Why hadn't he ever heard of this place before? Was this hidden magical society part of the Earth's secret defense, just like the Masters of the Mystic Arts? Maybe they were out there, battling the same interdimensional horrors... just out of sight.
The thought made Harry view the wizarding world with a touch more respect. Even if they had a few prejudices against non-magical folks, if they were silently defending Earth from cosmic threats, they were likely on the side of good.
He knew what it meant to stand against beings like Dormammu. The dark dimension's master had tried to devour his world once. Only through sheer will and clever magic had they stopped him. He knew better than most how terrifying those dimensional gods could be.
If this world had wizards strong enough to stand against such threats, perhaps he could learn something new here. Maybe even find allies.
With no owl of his own, Harry improvised. Using a strip of jerky as bait, he managed to coax a delivery owl down from the rooftop. It hooted happily as it landed, clearly pleased with the snack. Harry quickly scrawled his reply, tied it to the owl's leg, and stroked its gray feathers as it took off into the sky.
Hogwarts, ready or not... here comes the future Sorcerer Supreme.
If this place really held magic stronger than what he already knew, he was determined to master it and prepare for the battles ahead. He owed that much to the one person who had guided him through so much - the Ancient One. She was growing weaker, he could feel it. And he was running out of time to grow strong enough to bear the burden she had carried alone.
The very next afternoon, just as he was pouring himself a glass of water, someone pounded on the front door.
BANG BANG BANG!
The flimsy wood trembled under the force, rattling in its frame like a tin sheet in a storm.
Dudley, who had wholeheartedly embraced his new role as Harry's willing sidekick, leapt to his feet.
As he flung the door open, he barely had time to blink before two massive arms scooped him up like a teddy bear.
The door creaked open to reveal a giant, literally. Nearly three and a half meters tall, he had to crouch to fit through the two-meter frame. His beard was wild, his eyes were teary, and his sheer presence filled the room.
The giant, squeezing poor Dudley like a teddy bear, bawled with joy.
"Boo-hoo! My little Harry! Last time I saw you, you were just a baby and now look at you!"
He sniffled loudly. "You've grown so round! Like a plump little piglet, but that's alright! It just means you're healthy, eh?"
Dudley flailed wildly, red-faced and horrified.
"I'm not Harry! He's Harry!" he screamed, pointing frantically at the actual Harry.
The giant paused mid-sob. Slowly, he held Dudley out at arm's length and studied his face, blinking as if trying to make sense of the mix-up.
After a beat, he let Dudley go like a sack of flour and turned to Harry with a sheepish grin.
Harry didn't flinch. He sensed no malice from the man, only overwhelming emotion and possibly a hygiene issue. The smell was a bit much.
The giant pulled him into a hug next, sniffling again.
"Oh, Harry, my sweet boy... finally, I get to see you. You look just like your father, James. And your eyes, they're Lily's. Like two little green emeralds."
Harry was slightly startled. He did remember something about this man or rather, a blurred memory of a large, fuzzy-faced figure holding him as a baby. Most babies forgot everything from that age. Not Harry. His magical memory was sharper than most, a side effect of his immense magical power. He remembered green light, screaming, and faces, his parents' faces and this man's as well.
He gently wriggled free from the hug and asked politely, "Hello. I'm Harry. Did you know my parents?"
The giant straightened up proudly. "Knew them? Course I did! I'm Hagrid. I was good friends with James and Lily. I was the one who brought you here after... well, after that night."
He gave the Dursleys a quick once-over and raised a brow. "Heard a lot of nasty things about how they treated you. Was ready to teach them a lesson myself. But you seem well-fed and clean. Guess the rumors were wrong."
Hagrid gave Vernon and Petunia a surprisingly warm smile, as if reassured. The two adults stood frozen, looking like they'd been hit with a Confundus charm.
Turning back to Harry, he continued, "Come on, lad. I'll explain everything. We've got a trip to make - to Diagon Alley. You'll need supplies for school, and a wand, of course. Lots to talk about on the way."
They boarded a train to London together. As they traveled, Harry couldn't help but notice the stares - or lack thereof.
A man this huge should've drawn attention like a lightning rod, but people barely looked at him. They glanced up, blinked, and then returned to their newspapers or phones.
Illusion magic?
Harry leaned in, examining the faint shimmer of power around Hagrid. There it was - a residue of magic, subtly cloaking him.
"Some kind of glamour spell?" he mused. "Or maybe soul-based masking... interesting."