CHAPTER FIVE
back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty Harry didn’t speak
at all as they walked down the road; he didn’t even notice how
much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as
they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl
asleep in its cage on Harry’s lap. Up another escalator, out into
Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Ha-
grid tapped him on the shoulder.
“Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves,” he said.
He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic
seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so
strange, somehow.
“You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet,” said Hagrid.
Harry wasn’t sure he could explain. He’d just had the best birth-
day of his life — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to
find the words.
“Everyone thinks I’m special,” he said at last. “All those people in
the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander . . . but I
don’t know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great
things? I’m famous and I can’t even remember what I’m famous for.
I don’t know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night
my parents died.”
Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eye-
brows he wore a very kind smile.
“Don’ you worry, Harry. You’ll learn fast enough. Everyone
starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you’ll be just fine. Just be yer-
self. I know it’s hard. Yeh’ve been singled out, an’ that’s always hard.
But yeh’ll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, ’smat-
ter of fact.”
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