(1) The Other Potter (D. Malfoy)

Chapter Eight

After leaving Ollivander's store, Magnolia takes Daisy all the way down to the opposite end of the street, all the way down the opposite end back to the Leaky Cauldron. It's a long walk for little legs. Daisy is already tired, having not slept much the night before. Her mind was on her other family. Magnolia holds her hand back to Daisy who shifts the wand box in her hand to tuck it under her arm so she can hold her mother's hand as they enter the inn. It's got a lunchtime buzz about it now, with plenty of witches and wizards littered around eating and drinking. It's a nice atmosphere. Warm and joyous. Some families enjoy a last meal out before their kids go off to school. Workers enjoying their lunch break. Magnolia leads Daisy through the tables though. She seems to know exactly where she is going and where her friend is waiting for them. Likely planned to the T so that no time running around looking for them would be wasted. Magnolia's like that. Daisy knows almost as soon as she sees them. Because he is very hard to miss. Tucked away at the back of the inn but that does nothing to hide him from view. He stands when he sees Magnolia heading his way, weaving through the tables with Daisy behind her.

"Mags" He greets warmly.

"Hagrid" She counters, releasing Daisy to embrace him. As much as she can considering his size. He towers over everyone else in the inn. His face is almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard.

"Thanks fer agreeing to let me see 'er"

"Of course" She assures him. She knows that Hagrid was the one to rescue Harry and Daisy from the house after Lily and James' death, when he wrote to her asking to see Daisy before she started school, to take her to Gringotts and get her sorted with the Potter vault, how could she say no to him after what he did for them? He saved them both from whatever other fate was waiting for them without him. Magnolia turns to her daughter. "Daisy" Magnolia starts. "I want you to meet an old friend..."

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He introduces himself as he looks over Daisy. "I sen' yeh letters"

"I remember" Daisy assures him softly. She'd get at least two every year from him. One at Christmas and one on her birthday. Just little notes really. She didn't really understand why this person was sending letters to her, but she knew that Magnolia would have intercepted them if they were unwanted. She knows that he is important to her past, that he was the one to save her and Harry but she's never been able to put a face to the name. Till now. Hagrid's eyes soften as they take in Daisy's appearance. The resemblance between her and Harry is uncanny even for twins. Her hair has gone back to its natural black after her pink outburst at Ollivander's. The eyes. The glasses even. There will be no denying them being twins. "Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," He tells Daisy. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes...." Magnolia smiles in agreement. Daisy is the absolute spitting image of James. "You an' Harry share that, yeh the spit of each'ther"

"You've seen him?" Magnolia asks as she and Daisy sit at the table with him. "How is he?" Hagrid shrugs a little, curling his hand around the mug on the table as if he is trying to avoid the question, which of course doesn't put Magnolia at ease. "Hagrid" She pushes, eyes pleading with him to just tell her.

"No offence to yeh family, Mags" Hagrid starts quietly and Magnolia frowns. "But he shuld'n't been lef' wih them" He leans closer to Magnolia, as if to spare Daisy. "They told 'im that their paren's died in a car accident" Magnolia shakes her head.

"I have begged Dumbledore for years to give him to Grayson and me...." She admits. "It would be a push on space, but we would have managed...Jeremy is still young, I'm sure he wouldn't have minded sharing...I don't think he would have minded a brother either....to separate them the way he did...I never understood"

"Me nei'er" Hagrid agrees. There are a few people, those in the know, who all agree with them. Splitting the twins up was an unfavourable option for a lot of those involved and yet Dumbledore choose to do it anyway. Magnolia drums her fingers on the table, thoughtful. She has been writing to Petunia during the summer, she had wanted Harry to be here today with them, but she never heard anything back. She wasn't even sure he would be going to Hogwarts until McGonagall assured them. "Oh, I do 'ave this for yeh, Daisy" Hagrid offers as he pulls a crumpled envelope from his pocket and slides it across the table to Daisy. She raises an eyebrow as she picks it up, opening it up to pull out the contents. It has a crude charcoal drawing of a dragon on the front and the misspelt congratulations of 'Happy Birthday' written over the drawing. She chuckles to herself and then looks at Hagrid.

"Thank you" She offers warmly.

"I woulda sent it but I knew I wud be seeing yeh..." Hagrid defends the fact that he didn't send the card this year. But she doesn't mind that he waited. She did wonder on the day though, but it has been explained.

"We'll have lunch and then Hagrid is going to take you along to Gringotts" Magnolia explains. Daisy turns a frown at her, not really sure as to why she needs to go to the bank. She has nothing left to buy. And everything that she has gotten Magnolia and Grayson paid for. "James came from a rather wealthy family" Magnolia explains. "When he died...the vault went to you and Harry....and now you are both old enough to take care of it yourselves" She offers. "But Hagrid has the keys and he wanted to be the one to take you through it...."