The rising sun in the morning gently shed rays of light, once again illuminating every corner of the children's home.
The warm light gently caressed Michael's cheeks through the gaps in the curtains, seemingly gently urging him to welcome a new day.
"Duh-duh-duh-duh," a crisp knock on the door sounded steeply, breaking the original tranquility.
Michael, who had been tossing and turning on the second floor due to last night's events, was awakened by the sudden sound.
He sat up violently from his bed, his hair standing up messily, his eyes hazy from sleep. But soon he realized that the knocking on the door might mean something important, so he scrambled to get dressed, nearly putting his shoes on backwards, and then ran down the stairs three steps at a time to open the door.
In the doorway stood a towering giant of a man, 11 feet 6 inches (3.54 meters) tall.
His long, disheveled hair flew wildly like weeds in a gusty wind, and his thick, tangled beard looked like an untrimmed jungle, covering almost his entire face.
And from the gap between the hair and beard, one could catch a glimpse of his eyes that shone like black beetles underneath the hair, with a look of affection and curiosity in his eyes.
On the side of the pugilistic man followed a teenager, who looked extraordinarily skinny next to such a huge figure.
He had a slim face, and those cheeks seemed to be sharply defined by the excess flesh that had been shaved off by the years.
His legs with protruding kneecaps looked like two slender bamboo poles supporting his body. His black hair was disheveled, as if it had just been ravaged by a gale.
The pair of turquoise eyes looked like deep lakes, clear and full of curiosity. The pair of round-framed glasses on his nose were slightly old, with some wear marks on the temples.
On his forehead there was a faint scar like a lightning bolt, hidden in the sunlight, which seemed to tell an unknown story.
Such a unique combination of the two made Michael instantly know the identity of the duo.
"Hello! Little one, I guess you must be Mr. Foster, after all, Mr. Dumbledore's reply specifically described your appearance to me."
The giant Hagrid bent down, a sunny smile blooming on his face and a friendly look in his eyes.
He looked at Michael, who had opened the door, and greeted him as softly as possible, yet to Hagrid this so-called soft voice still boomed through the air like muffled thunder, startling the birds on the branches of nearby trees into fluttering flight.
"My name is Rube Hagrid, I am the Key Keeper and Hunting Ground Warden at Hogwarts. I've come to pick you up today to go with Harry to purchase supplies for school." Hagrid's voice was low and thick, each word seeming to carry the tremor of the earth.
"It's wonderful to see you!" Hagrid said excitedly while enthusiastically extending his large bushy hand, the lines on the palm of which were as thick and deep as a dry riverbed.
He seemed to want to pat Michael's shoulder, but fearing that his strength would be too strong to hurt him, his hand paused in the air, bringing up a breeze that caused the corners of Michael's coat to flutter slightly.
Turning, he pointed to the little one beside him, "This is Harry Potter, a child who, like you, is about to go to Hogwarts. I think you should be able to become good friends, after all, kids who also grew up in Muggle society will always have something in common."
Michael faced Hagrid, who looked like a looming giant, and at first entertained the idea of shaking his hand.
However, when he took a look at his tiny palm and sized up the other man's towering stature and the palm large enough to wrap around the upper half of his body, he eventually gave up on the idea and handed Harry a hand of friendship instead.
The small hand trembled slightly from nervousness, as if it were a leaf swaying in the wind.
"Hello, I'm Michael Foster, nice to meet you Mr. Potter." Michael's voice was crisp and friendly with a hint of excitement, his voice slightly dull from nervousness.
Looking into Michael's incredibly sincere eyes, and facing the palm that was firmly extended towards him and held steady in the air, Harry reached out and shook it without hesitation and with a bit of unconcealed enthusiasm.
Harry's hand was slightly rough from long hours of labor, but at the moment it was full of strength and anticipation.
"Mr. Foster, if you would like to call me Harry, then we are friends." Harry said with a look of sincerity that seemed to spill out of his eyes, after all this was the first friend he had made in years.
"Alright then Harry, just call me Michael too." Michael's face blossomed into a smile as gorgeous as a melting ice sculpture, a smile that revealed how much he cherished his new friendship, the corners of his mouth curving up just enough to reveal a row of white, neat teeth.
Hagrid smiled after the two children had exchanged friendly words, ''I wish I had time to go in for a cup of tea, but alas, we have much to do today. Why don't you two young wizards let's start the day off right away."
After saying goodbye to Nancy's mother, Michael set off with great anticipation, following Hagrid and Harry.
After departing from the children's home, the trio made their way to the tube station in the London Borough of Sheridan.
Hagrid walked up to the tube ticket gate and looked down at the tiny entrance, which he obviously couldn't get through with his large frame anyway.
He smiled softly, as if pondering a response, as Michael and Harry watched him curiously from the sidelines.
"Gee, looks like I'll have to do it another way." Hagrid said, gently waving the pink umbrella in his hand, but no visible magical effect showed up.
He then strided over the ticket checker, his large frame crossing the barrier as if it were just a small stumbling block.
Michael and Harry smiled at each other and followed Hagrid's lead, passing through the ticket checker in turn. Hagrid walked in front of them, and they simply followed him closely, like two little sheep following an elephant.
When they entered the subway, Hagrid complained loudly about the narrowness of the seats, and his huge body filled almost the entire seat, squeezing the passengers next to him to the side with helpless expressions on their faces.
The speed of the train was too slow, Hagrid was so anxious that he stomped his feet, and his heavy footsteps made the whole carriage tremble slightly.
However, this subway had been built up for more than a hundred years, and it was really lucky to be able to cram in a giant like him without being broken.
Exiting the subway, Hagrid's tall frame strutted through the crowd, people avoiding him wherever he went, and some even nearly falling over. Michael and Harry followed closely behind him.
Arrived at the bustling street, only to see the street crowded, endless flow.
The stores on both sides of the street were densely packed, with signs lined up.
The bright sunshine on the street, but by the bustling crowd and a wide range of signboards cut into pieces. The breeze gently brushed by, bringing a gust of aroma from the street-side food stalls.
In order to seize the time, Hagrid didn't stop for a moment, and drove straight ahead, looking back from time to time to see if the two little ones had gotten separated.
After all, his tall stature was like a towering mountain, and he could always find them easily over the 'bushes'.
"Harry, I really envy Hagrid! Look at his strong body, it's as if he has endless power. I'm afraid that even a ferocious dragon would be scared to flee when faced with such a powerful Hagrid." Michael's gaze followed Hagrid's figure closely, and he said to Harry with a face of emotion.
When he finished speaking, Michael's mind instantly conjured up the "Gandalf" version of Hagrid's appearance.
He was holding his wand in one hand and mouthing the words, and the top of the wand was shining brightly, illuminating the surroundings. In his other hand, he clutched a heavy sword, the blade of which flashed with a cold aura and clear lines.
Hagrid roared loudly towards the evil dragon, "Your power is too strong, I must destroy you!" Then, his body shape was like electricity, and he swung the huge sword in his hand violently, which carried the force of a mountain, and slashed down the dragon's head in a stern manner.
Eh, the image was so shocking that Michael hurriedly shook his head, trying to dispel the sight in his mind.
"Michael, I have also fantasized that if I could have half of Hagrid's power, Dali and Pierre would stop bullying me. Whenever I think of those days of bullying, I long to be strong enough to fight back against them. That thought is really exciting and desirable at the same time. "
Harry clenched his fists, a longing gleam in his eyes, and followed Michael's words by expressing the longing that had been within him for so long.
His expression was firm and full of anticipation, as if he had already foreseen the moment when he would be powerful.
While the two were thinking freely, Hagrid in front of them stopped without warning. The two little ones who were lost in their fantasies were caught off guard, and couldn't help but run headlong into Hagrid's thick thighs.
"Watch out kids, this is it. The Broken Cauldron Bar, a very famous place." Hagrid said as he pointed to the dilapidated storefront in front of him.
The sign on that storefront was faded, and the windows were covered in dust that seemed to whisper of its antiquity and mystery.