Hogwarts' Letter

Hogwarts' Letter

Early in the morning, before dawn had broken, the eastern horizon was already tinged red, while faint traces of stars still lingered above Harry's head. Harry set out for his run as usual.

When he returned, he saw the postman delivering mail to Petunia's house. Harry's heart skipped a beat. Is it here? A strange feeling surged up inside him—anticipation mixed with disbelief and a trace of fear.

"Honestly, it's only a letter." Though Harry said that, the slight tremble in the hand reaching for the mailbox revealed his inner tension. How could he not be nervous? He had waited ten years.

Harry pulled out the mail. There were three items in all. One was a postcard from Uncle Dursley's sister, one appeared to be a bill, and the last one was a letter addressed to Harry Potter!

Harry felt a rush of blood shoot to his head and even forgot to breathe. Only after a long while did he slowly let out a breath. He looked at the unusual form of the address: Mr. Harry Potter, Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. The envelope was made of thick parchment, and the address had been written in emerald-green ink. On the back was a wax seal bearing a shield-shaped crest: a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter "H."

Harry swiftly hid the letter against his chest while glancing furtively around, as though afraid someone might see it. If a police officer saw him acting like that, they would immediately conclude, "This is definitely a thief!"

Once inside, Harry tossed the other two letters onto the table, quietly went upstairs, entered his room, and locked the door. Then he threw himself onto the bed, stared at the letter in his hand, gave it a hard kiss, and began to giggle.

Congratulations to Harry for winning this year's award for Creepiest Laugh!

Harry took a deep breath. What? He still hadn't calmed down? Then another breath. Still not enough? Then keep breathing...

At last, the beast blood... human blood... within him settled down. Harry carefully opened the envelope, pulled out the letter, and began to read:

Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Albus Dumbledore (President of the International Confederation of Wizards, President of the Wizards' Association, First Class Wizard of Merlin's Circle).

Dear Mr. Potter: We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl's reply by July 31. Yours sincerely, Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.

Another folded sheet slipped out of the letter. It was the list of required supplies:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

(Uniform) First-year students require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat for daytime wear (black)

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar material)

4. One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)

Please note: All student clothing must bear name tags.

(Textbooks) All students are required to prepare the following books:

Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1

History of Magic

Magical Theory

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

Potions and Elixirs

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

(Other Equipment)

One wand

One cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

One set of glass or crystal potion bottles

One telescope

One brass scale

Students may bring one owl, one cat, or one toad. Parents are especially reminded that first-year students are not permitted to bring their own flying brooms.

As Harry looked over everything in the letter, he could already sense the aura of that mysterious, shadowy magical world.

Just then, the sound of flapping wings came from outside the window. Harry looked up and saw an owl. Who could it be? He opened the window and took a sheet of paper from the pouch tied to the owl's leg.

The paper read:

Dear Harry:

I believe you should have received Hogwarts' acceptance letter by now. I will come to pick you up tonight, and we will head to Diagon Alley in London to buy the things you need.

Yours, Hagrid

"So it starts tonight? The plot's moving so fast, but I like it," Harry muttered to himself. "Then I'd better hurry up and pack."

As he watched the owl prepare to fly away, Harry suddenly remembered what the letter had said and hurriedly called out, "Wait." The owl circled once and flew back to the window.

"So you really can understand me."

"Can you deliver a letter to Professor McGonagall for me?" Harry asked.

The owl shook and bobbed its head.

"⊙﹏⊙b... Damn it, what does spinning your head in circles mean? If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."

Harry sat down at the desk, took out a sheet of white paper, and wrote in black ink:

Dear Miss McGonagall...

Harry thought for a moment, crumpled the letter into a ball, then took out another sheet of paper and wrote:

Dear, beloved, and deeply respected Miss McGonagall:

Looking at the opening, Harry nodded in satisfaction.

"What, someone says I'm shameless? Then thanks for the compliment!" Harry said with a hint of shyness.

Harry continued writing: I have received your letter, and I am willing to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I believe that under your patient guidance, I will surely become a young person with ideals, morality, culture, and discipline.

Yours, Harry

After finishing the letter, Harry folded it and stuffed it into Hagrid's owl's pouch. The owl spread its wings and flew away. Then Harry began packing his belongings.

Harry planned to leave all his books behind; he would not be reading them anymore. He packed the clothes that still fit, along with a few keepsakes. After rummaging around everywhere, all his belongings filled two large bundles and a suitcase.

Harry also wrote a letter to Aunt Petunia explaining the situation. Otherwise, she might think he had run away from home or been kidnapped. If she called the police, that would be fun.

At lunch, Aunt Petunia suddenly looked at Harry. "Is something going on with you?"

Harry, who had been fantasizing about how to have fun at Hogwarts, nearly blurted out, "Holy crap!"

"What is this? Can I call it a woman's intuition?" Harry grumbled inwardly.

At that moment, Harry fully displayed the acting skills expected of an Oscar winner. He raised his head in mild surprise and asked in confusion, "Nothing's wrong. Why?"

"...I just feel like you've been a little strange today."

"Oh, maybe I'm worried about Cousin Dudley's grades."

"..." Aunt Petunia gritted her teeth.

The afternoon passed uneventfully.

Night fell, and the lights throughout the city gradually went out. Everything grew quieter and quieter.

Everyone had gone to sleep, except for a few very, very special people—for example... Harry Potter!

Harry lay in bed, utterly unable to sleep. He could only wait.

At one moment, a low rumble suddenly sounded. Then Harry's room lit up as brightly as day, flickered twice, and fell back into darkness.

Harry hurriedly climbed out of bed and ran to the window. On the road in front of the house stood a gigantic motorcycle, with an enormous person sitting on it. The motorcycle's headlight went out.

The huge black silhouette saw Harry and waved excitedly.

Harry stepped away from the window, took a letter from beneath his pillow, and placed it on the desk. He picked up his luggage and quietly left his room, quietly went downstairs, quietly opened the front door. Just as he was about to step outside, Harry could not help turning back. In the darkness, he looked at the house where he had lived for ten years, familiar with every corner of it, a place that held so many of his memories. A sense of reluctance and sudden loneliness rose in his heart.

"I'm not some artsy youth. Sentimental nonsense doesn't suit me at all," Harry mocked himself.

Without looking back again, he stepped out of Number Four, Privet Drive!

Hagrid, beast-like in appearance, gave Harry a crushing hug and said incoherently, "Oh, Harry, long time no see. I mean... when you were still a child... I held you..."

Hagrid was as wide as several adults standing side by side. Thus, when Harry was caught in his embrace, Harry disappeared from view completely.

I have to persuade Hagrid to take a bath. This was Harry's only thought after being hugged by Hagrid.

The stench was simply unbearable.

Harry separated from Hagrid with a pale face. Unable to smell all the strange odors on Hagrid's body anymore, Harry actually felt as though he could smell happiness.

He forced a smile. "I know. Long time no see, Hagrid."

Hagrid took Harry's heavy luggage as if it were made of cotton. He placed it on the back seat of the motorcycle, then handed Harry a pair of goggles. "Put these on, or the wind'll keep you from opening your eyes along the way."

"Are we riding the motorcycle straight to London?" Harry asked curiously. In the original story, many letters had failed to reach him, and Hagrid had personally delivered the admission letter in the end. Then the two of them had taken the train to London.

"Yeah. At the motorcycle's speed, it should be close to dawn by the time we get there. These days, lots of new students are buying all sorts of things, so Diagon Alley will be very lively. Oh, you don't know about Diagon Alley yet, do you? But I think you'll like it there." Hagrid straddled the motorcycle and lifted Harry up, up, up, placing him on the seat.

"Ready? We're off." Hagrid started the motorcycle. It began to rise into the air, climbing higher and higher until they could look down on the city, then suddenly shot forward.

Harry held his breath. They were flying through the sky! He looked at the horizon unobstructed by buildings, the vast sky overhead, and the houses racing backward below—parks, schools, rivers... His thoughts drifted somewhere unknown.

Luo Bei: Hagrid's motorcycle belonged to Sirius Black, so it originally shouldn't have appeared. But I thought riding a motorcycle would be faster, so everyone can just treat it as Hagrid's.