knowledge is power

one

H A R R Y

the storm raged on more ferociously as the night went on. harry couldn't sleep. he shivered and rolled over. dudley's snores were muffled by the cracks of thunder. the light on dudley's new wristwatch told him that it was 11:50; he would be eleven in ten minute's time. he laid in solitude as his birthday ticked nearer and nearer, wondering where the letter writer would be and if the dursleys would even remember his birthday. 

five minutes to go. harry heard something creak outside. he hoped the roof wasn't going to cave in, although he might be warmer if it did. four minutes to go. maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters that he might be able to steal one when they got back. three minutes to go. was the sea really meant to be slapping on the rock like that? two minutes, wait, what was that crunching noise? was that the rocks crumbling into the water? one minute to go and he'd be eleven. half a minute. ten seconds, maybe he should wake dudley up to annoy him, three, two, one.

BOOM.

the whole shack shivered and harry bolted upright, staring at the door. someone was outside. and that someone was knocking to come in.

BOOM. 

they knocked again. dudley finally jerked awake, cheeks horribly red from the cold, resembling something close to a pig.

"where's the cannon?" he said out of stupidity.

there was a crash behind them and uncle vernon came skidding into the room. he was holding a rifle in his hands, now they knew what had been in the long, thin package.

"who's there?" He shouted, fearfully though he looked quite scary with only half a moustache. "i warn you, i am armed!"

there was a pause, then SMASH! the door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and landed flat on the floor. a giant of a man was standing in the doorway. his face almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild beard, but under all the hair, you could see his warm black eyes that were glinting like black beetles.

the giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping low so that his head wouldn't hit the ceiling. he picked up the door and fitted it easily into the frame.

"couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? it's not ben an easy journey." he grumbled. he calmly strode over to the couch where dudley was sitting, paralyzed with pure shock and fear. 

"budge up, yeh great lump." he said. dudley squeaked remarkably like a mouse and ran to hide behind his mother.

"harry!" the giant said, upon seeing harry, beaming happily."las' time I saw yeh, yeh was only a baby, yeh look a lot like yer dad but yer got yer mum's eyes fer sure." aunt petunia made a funny rasping noise at the mention of her sister. 

"i demand that you leave at once, sir!" bellowed uncle vernon, but it was nothing compared to the mere way the giant simply rolled his eyes. "you are breaking and entering!" 

"ah, shut up, dursley, yeh great prune." at these words, uncle vernon's face had turned magenta, purple from anger, and crimson from embarrassment. the giant bent over the back of the couch and nicked the rifle out of uncle vernon's hand, bending it into a knot as if it was made out of rubber, opened the window and threw it out and into the sea.

uncle vernon made a similar mouse sound as dudley had.

"anyway, harry, got summat fer yeh here. a very happy birthday. not every day yer young man turns eleven, does he?" he had now produced a slightly squashed box from the depths out of one of the many pockets from his heavily trenched coat. "mighta' sat on it at some poin' but it'll taste jus' fine."