#3 Coming for a visit

Waiting patiently to see if Hagrid would answer, Ruby found herself once again giving thought to where her new friendships might take her. Whilst Rubes didn't see herself as the most popular girl in school, she'd still managed to make friends with the people she met, with the exception of the Slytherin girl she'd tried to have a discussion with. 

Considering the letter she'd written to her parents, Rubes wondered if they'd agree to let her new friends come and visit the family's estate. More importantly, what would her parents and siblings think of the kids she'd made friends with? After all, her family believed that moral philosophy was the only correct and true way of the world but she wasn't sure how many other people believed that.

Ruby looked up at Hagrid and smiled. He seemed like a very kindly and approachable person.

"Good morning! You must be Hagrid, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Ruby Farrowbrooke, but you can call me Rubes if you like. Just wanted to come and say hello."

Rubes waited to see how Hagrid would respond.

Hagrid beamed at the first years. 'That's kind of yeh. I've just put on some tea, if yeh fancy a cup?' He left the door open for them and headed into his hug.

While Hagrid fussed at the fire to check the tea, the dog whined and followed him. 'That's Fang. He's harmless,' Hagrid added. Fang sulked at that, laying comfortably on the dusty floor.

There were some huge armchairs near a table, for guests to be comfortable with plenty of room. The hut was small in terms of a house, but they were much shorter than Hagrid so it felt less so for them. Some covered objects rattled or squawked, and if they looked up they'd see some bats sleeping in the higher shadowed areas. There was a lot going on, even with many shelves of strange plants or liquids.

They were told Hagrid was the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts, but the busyness and variety inside his hut suggested that was a far bigger and more involved job than they'd assumed.

'Won't be a moment.' Hagrid turned away from the fire, taking in the view of the first years so he could commit them to memory. 'And what's yeh name?' He asked the Ravenclaw, who was yet to speak or introduce himself.

Looking around, he was surprised at how much this looked like a cartoon Haunted house. Everything squeaked and rattled, and their were bats in the roof, but it looked cheery. When asked his name, he felt far more comfortable, and said with more confidence. "I'm Gerald"

Standing next to Ruby's chair, he continued to look around. The Place was absolutely huge.

"Things are going pretty well so far," Rubes answered. She took a sip of her tea and helped herself to a biscuit. "Made some friends, earnt a few house points in Potions and managed to keep myself out of trouble."

Rubes continued to gaze around the hut. She was particularly interested in Hagrid's peculiar plants. "What are all these plants, Hagrid?"

Hagrid listened keenly, as he always enjoyed hearing what students got up to or how things were going for them. First years in particular, as he still vividly remembered the joy and wonder of seeing Hogwarts for the first time. He was rather impressed Ruby earned house points in Potions class though.

He chuckled at their interest in his plants nearby, comparing it to a lab. 'Oh, yeh know - bit of this and that.' Hagrid shrugged, pausing to sip his tea. 'Yeh never know when yeh might come across a beast in trouble. Just planted a new batch of Blessed Sage as well - got to keep some in yeh house common rooms, after all. Should yeh ever need some.'

He listed some various plants and their medical or cleaning uses, finishing with a particularly pink and isolated pot. 'And that there is Gakhood - been growing them fer Professor Snape. Nasty stuff, Gakhood. Been keeping it aside, just in case.' He sipped more tea, a bit lost in thought as he looked at the plants either growing or being stored nearby.