Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone By J. K. Rowling chapter one the Boy Who Lived

Back
, Fang —
back
.” 
Hagrid’s big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open. 
“Hang on,” he said. “
Back
, Fang.” 
He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound. 
There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper 
kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt 
over it. 
“Make yerselves at home,” said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and 
started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked. 
“This is Ron,” Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting 
rock cakes onto a plate. 
“Another Weasley, eh?” said Hagrid, glancing at Ron’s freckles. “I spent half me life chasin’ yer 
twin brothers away from the forest.” 
The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and 
Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested 
his head on Harry’s knee and drooled all over his robes. 
Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch “that old git.” 

---

“An’ as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I’d like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D’yeh know, every 
time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can’t get rid of her — Filch puts her up 
to it.” 
Harry told Hagrid about Snape’s lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that 
Snape liked hardly any of the students. 
“But he seemed to really 
hate
me.” 
“Rubbish!” said Hagrid. “Why should he?” 
Yet Harry couldn’t help thinking that Hagrid didn’t quite meet his eyes when he said that. 
“How’s yer brother Charlie?” Hagrid asked Ron. “I liked him a lot — great with animals.” 
Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about 
Charlie’s work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under 
the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the 
Daily Prophet
: 
 
GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST 
 

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work 
of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been 
taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day. 
 

“But we’re not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what’s good for 
you,” said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon. 
Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron 
hadn’t mentioned the date. 
“Hagrid!” said Harry, “that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might’ve been 
happening while we were there!” 
There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn’t meet Harry’s eyes this time. He grunted 
and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again. 
The vault that was searched had 
in fact been emptied earlier that same day.
Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, 
if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the 
thieves were looking for? 
As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock 
cakes they’d been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he’d had so far had 
given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in 
time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn’t want to 
tell Harry?