Hagrid

Two months passed quickly.

To prepare for the thrilling and exciting life that awaited him at Hogwarts, Tierra quit his job as a receptionist at the Chinese restaurant.

He told them the truth. Facing the kind couple who had lent him a hand when he was at his lowest, Tierra simply could not bring himself to make up an excuse.

Explaining it was a bit difficult, though. Even after Tierra showed the couple his Hogwarts acceptance letter and demonstrated abilities such as the Levitation Charm, Flash Spell, and Flame Charm, the kind Chinese Auntie and the honest Chinese man were still worried. They insisted on accompanying Tierra to meet Hagrid, the gamekeeper, on July 31.

But Tierra firmly refused. Hagrid was a Half-giant, nearly three meters tall, and covered in hair like a giant brown bear.

Watching Tierra demonstrate the Levitation Charm and Flame Charm had nearly scared them into heart attacks, and Tierra had only managed to save them with his Curse Worm ability.

If Hagrid, who was like an oversized child, did anything too outrageous, Tierra would have to save them again.

Although Tierra had turned down the couple's suggestion, it still made him feel warm inside.

Tierra understood what the Chinese couple was thinking. Their child had died young, and after living together for the past few years, they had already come to regard Tierra as their own child. If Tierra had not always maintained a respectful yet distant attitude, they would probably have formally asked to adopt him by now.

But in Tierra's heart, his parents were still alive, in another parallel world.

Knock, knock, knock. Urgent, heavy knocking came from the first floor of the little building. Looking down from the attic window where Tierra was, he could see a hairy giant and a thin little boy.

"Hello, is anyone home? I'm Hagrid, Hogwarts' gamekeeper. Is Tierra Wu home?"

"Please wait!" Tierra called from the attic before quickly running downstairs.

"Hello, you must be Tierra Wu. I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts' gamekeeper. This young wizard is Harry Potter, your classmate." The hairy Hagrid spoke in a deep, booming voice as he shifted aside to reveal Harry Potter behind him.

"Hello, Hagrid. Hello, Harry!" Tierra said as he stepped forward to hug Hagrid, then hugged Harry as well.

Although Hagrid was a gamekeeper, he did not smell bad at all. Instead, he carried a fresh scent of leather, grass, and gasoline.

Harry, meanwhile, smelled of licorice, cake, and a faint trace of sweat.

Harry seemed unused to this kind of hug. He stiffened slightly when Tierra touched him, but still mechanically returned the embrace.

Sensing Harry's discomfort, Tierra quietly let go.

Then he took a careful look at Harry.

Harry looked very much like Daniel Radcliffe from the movies, but thinner and a little shorter. He wore a long-sleeved shirt and canvas pants worn through with holes. His hair was as messy as weeds, and the glasses on his nose were slightly crooked, as though they were often knocked around.

"Hello, Tierra. I was supposed to take you both to Diagon Alley to buy things, but... um... it's a little late now. Could we stay here for the night? I don't need a bed, just an empty space big enough for me... I'm terribly sorry. I meant to take you to Diagon Alley this afternoon, but... Harry's Uncle moved to a small island. It was terribly difficult to find, so we got delayed until now."

"No problem," Tierra answered cheerfully. He had expected this long ago. Whether in the movies or the novels, Hagrid had taken Harry away in the middle of the night, while Diagon Alley was only open during the day. So Hagrid and Harry would definitely need to find somewhere to sleep for the night.

Normally, they would have spent the night on the Dursleys' sofa or in a guest room at the Leaky Cauldron. But since there was suddenly another Tierra to pick up, Hagrid would most likely ask to stay over.

After all, in most wizards' minds, an unoccupied Muggle house was basically a free inn.

After Tierra agreed, Hagrid led Harry into Tierra's little building as if it were his own home.

Harry still seemed somewhat reserved, but Hagrid acted completely at ease.

With a wave of his pink umbrella, he lit the fireplace on the first floor, then took off his rain-soaked leather coat and spread it on the floor in front of the hearth.

"I'll sleep here. Can you find a bed for Harry? Poor little Harry has been sleeping on the sofa at those awful Dursleys' for days."

"No problem." Tierra took Harry's hand. "You can sleep with me. My bed is in the attic, and there's plenty of room."

"Uh... but wouldn't that... inconvenience you?" Harry asked awkwardly.

Harry had always lived under the shadow of his cousin Dursley. Other than being bullied, he had never experienced such close contact with anyone, nor had he ever received kindness from someone his own age. This kindness made Harry feel awkward, but also warm.

"My bed is very big," Tierra continued, showing him kindness. "You don't need to worry about inconveniencing me. I grew up in an orphanage. My parents were killed by bad people, and the children my age at the orphanage always bullied me. I'm very happy to meet a friend like you... Um... we're friends, right?"

"Me too!" Harry practically shouted. The restraint and unfamiliarity from when they had first met seemed to vanish at once. Facing a boy whose experiences were so similar to his own, Harry felt a resonance that moved him deeply.

If Harry were Tierra, he would know that this feeling was called friendship empathy.

In unfamiliar surroundings, people were more inclined to make friends with those who had similar experiences. Using shared experiences to establish an initial topic helped break the awkward atmosphere of a first meeting.

This kind of friendship empathy was utterly useless in adult social settings. Even without common topics, adults could force out awkward small talk.

But it worked extremely well on children.

This was a little trick Tierra had learned while working as a student teacher and looking after relatives' children. Empathy built from similar experiences helped close the distance between himself and children.

Harry was a child starved for affection right now. Well... he should be called a rich child starved for affection.

It was a little embarrassing to admit, but Tierra really needed money. Whether it was the Huris Potion, Hydra Poison, or Scorpion Serpent Gall he needed later, all of it required a certain amount of financial support.

Merlin above, at this moment, he had encountered a lonely, pitiful, helpless, infant-stage wealthy Potter.

Ding— Tierra seemed to hear the sound of Galleons brushing past his ear.