"We deeply regret to inform you that your son isn't fit for our school. Hence, he must not be joining us this year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Although this was communicated by our last mail as well that your request to help your son join the school has been dismissed for we have found out that despite being born in a wizard family your son holds no magical virtual in other words as they prefer to say is a 'Squib'. We deeply regret to inform you about this decision, but there is no need to worry, as the school headmaster Professor Eric McLaggen had assured to help you find out the perfect school for your son.
His exact words- `Mister Robbin Greg, must and will surely be aided by me personally to the best and the highly rated school for special wizards. And I must leave no bounds in order to help him secure his position.` Robbin had outperformed many students in theoretical subjects such as history of magic...."
"Mom! what does it say? Can I have it?" said Marvolo with a jolt of happiness. "Wait Marv, I think this isn't our owl, I think this letter belongs to some Robbin Greg," Merina faced the own trying to imitate some actions that the owl would better understand and tried to explain him, "Theees....Eeesn't.....Ours" she said doing some weird hand gestures in an attempt to make the owl understand. She tied the letter as it is to the owl's feet and let it fly in open air. The happiness from Marvolo's face sunk deep into a pit of sadness as he rushed back into his room. Merina had no idea what to do for her son to make it up to him. How to explain him that it wasn't his fault that he wasn't going.
Marvolo spend days eating little to no food. Would keep awake in the night, and so did his mother waiting for her son to get normal. He would spend his afternoons in the forest talking to Corvus, according to whom he might surely get the letter one day.
"Marv, I got to show you something, you're gotta take it to the school once you go!" said Corvus in an excited expression,
"'If' I go, I don't think they would let me. Why do I get to suffer what my grandparents did? It wasn't me who put them on it, they had their choices" bursted Marvolo in anger.
"Sure they did Marv, not every slytherin is as bad as you think you know. Ages ago there was a teacher named Horace Slughorn who took care of my grandpa, and he was one of us, he was a slytherin!"
"One of us? I am not a slytherin, I don't even know which house I'll fall into, I don't even know if they would even find me or not? or am I even allowed in those walls!"
"Keep your mind positive will you Marv! it's all in your head. Although even if you do or not, I have to show you something," said Corvus silthering in the opposite direction to where they had been sitting. After a feet or so he moved his neck to see Marvolo still sitting there motionless staring at a nearby tree. "Hey Marv! coming or not?" said Corvus. "I am going home Corvus, will see you tomorrow,"
Disappointed Corvus kept staring at the sad Marvolo walking away on the narrow path down the forest.
The night fell upon the village of Hangleton, everybody was fast asleep except for Marvolo who was still looking out of the window waiting for another owl. But the only thing visible was bright silver moon which lit the sky and making it more beautiful. Marvolo couldn't stop thinking of all the fascinations he had about Hogwarts. Quiditch, Magic lessons, Christmas, Hogsmead, the idea of wearing new and fresh robs after ages of wearing second hand clothes his entire life. But not so soon, Marvolo saw a black dot in the corner of the moon which was growing bigger and bigger. Marvolo took a leap out of his bed and rushed to the window. This was unbelievable, a huge man was riding a broomstick flying towards the window. And crash! the man entered Marvolo's window making Marvolo duck on the floor and giving a shreik of horror. This made Merina wake up who saw a huge man riding a broomstick enter her room through the door. She gave a shriek of horror herself seeing the huge man revolving around the entire room and then speeding out. The man broke all the crockery in the kitchen and took huge leap on the ceiling eventually breaking it and speeding up to the sky. Marvolo rushed towards his mother and held her tightly when they saw the huge man falling off his broom from above and landing directly from the hole he made in the ceiling back the floor in the dining room. He lay wounded and gave howl of cry before he could get up.
Marvolo and Merina were looking at the man helplessly as he pulled himself together and stretched one of his arms towards them and finally spoke, "Som' help would yeh'", Merina and Marvolo held both his arms and helped him stand up back on his feet. "Me is never ever riding that stupid thang again!" shouted the huge man standing in between them. This man was looking like a miniature giant. "Thank yeh, for yer help Mrs Gaunt and lil Gaunt, and sorry for yer damage, I'll repair everythang," said the man again and took out a wand from his bag like pocket and spoke, "reparo maxima!" and the house started falling back into it's usual construction. The ceiling was repaired, the crockery was back to single piece and the house looked cleaner than ever again. Merina gave little shriek of joy in her head and both Marvolo and Merina stood in front of this half giant. "So, yer house is a lil betta than it was innit? could I have som tea?" he asked politely to Merina.
The man sat on a comfortable sofa, sipping tea, while Merina and Marvolo watched the stranger in awe. The man finally gave a glimpse to their expressions when he finally gave a stop to his noisy sipping of the tea and spoke finally, "Me so sorry Mrs Merina, coming to yer home uninvited, but me had to, it's for yer son, little Marvolo Gaunt,"
"Who are you?" said Merina staring at the man in a shaky voice, which she was finally able to lay out.
"Oh, me? Sorry, me forgets to introduce 'imself, me is called, Professor Grawp Hagrid, from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary,", a spark of joy flourished across Marvolo's face when he suddenly jumped and looked at his mother. Merina replied with a confused expression, "Hagrid? I have heard that name before, are you saying you are related to Rubeus Hagrid?", "Yes, me is his son" replied Hagrid. Merina understood at once and let out her hand for Hagrid to shake. In comparison to Hagrid's hand Merina's hand looked like one of his fingers. "I have come here on behalf of Hogwarts to recruit little Marvolo Gaunt to the school, but first I need to say something to Gaunt here, who looks a bit confused by all this fer sure," said Hagrid following a little chuckle. Now looking at Marvolo, Hagrid spoke.
"Yer a wizard Marvolo,"
"I know that, duh!" replied Marvolo with no evidence of surprise on his face. But a flash of disappointment fell over Hagrid who had expected him to react a certain way. "You know that already? com on' me had one chance in a lifetime to repeat what me dad did once with the great Harry Potter, and yer ruined it for me, eh little boy" moaned Hagrid while Marvolo chuckled. "But anyways me means business tonight, Professor McLaggen sends his deepest apologies to the Gaunt house, for the wrong owl. But here is me, with the right letter for Marvolo Gaunt! Hogwarts is glad to invite yer to-" before Hagrid could finish, Marvolo gave a bouncing shriek of joy and hugged his mother tightly, her mother was also giving a similar expression when she gave kiss on his cheek. "See, I told you will make it to the school, you were just worried," said Merina, "Right mom, I am sorry for being a bad boy this week, I promised I would work hard and make you proud!" said Marvolo giving a tight hug to his mother again. But soon they started hearing a high pitched feeble howl from Hagrid who was now weeping looking at the two. He took out a huge clothe from his bag like pocket and rubbed his eyes with it, following it to his nose and blew his nose like a storm had been waiting to unleash. "Yer remind me of me mum," said Hagrid looking up when he took another sip of tea.
For the next few moments, Marvolo sprang around reading the letter to himself and his mother again and again, while Hagrid was busy repairing his broomstick with Merina's help. "Where am I to find all the books? a wand? and all these cauldrons and everything else?" asked Marvolo with a curious face. "Ah, well for that yer need to go the diagon alley, the most beautiful market in wizard's land, better than at least that they have in America, 'Magic Alley' me means no hate to nobody, but Magic Alley? simply Magic Alley? No fun, no creativity, no talent. But hey no worry little Marvolo, me and yer mum will take you to the Diagon Alley tomorrow to buy yer stuff. Me will teach everything to Mrs Merina so she can help you later in the coming years,"
Merina's face fell a little grim when she whispered to Hagrid, "Well, mister Hagrid, I must inform you something," Hagrid's face fell upon Merina, who continued, "We have a little bad reputation when it comes to money. I don't think I'll be able to afford Marvolo's education for so long..." but before she could finish, Hagrid gave a laugh and said loudly, "Yer don't have no money? No Problem at all! Professor McLaggen told me everything about yer situation, for these cases we usually have a school fund, Marvolo will study over school fund for this year, and then there is a scholarship exam at hogwarts, which if he qualifies, his next years education will be absolutely free!" these words gave Merina a sigh of relief when she looked at Marvolo and gave him a smile, who gave a reassuring smile that he would do everything to make his mother proud.
"Well, me broomstick is fixed, thank you for the tea and help Mrs Gaunt, and sorry for me mistakes! and I will see yer lot tomorrow in the afternoon! well until then have great night!" Although the night was about to be over in a few hours when Merina and Marvolo gave each other a tight hug of happiness and of relief.
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