𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍 | 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺

Chapter 75 - Of Falcons, Giants and Potions

"I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."

Hagrid has no plan of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however. In conversation with a Daily Prophet reporter last month, he admitted breeding creatures he has dubbed "Blast-Ended Skrewts," highly dangerous crosses between manticores and fire-crabs. The creation of new breeds of magical creatures is, of course, an activity usually closely observed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, however, deems himself to be above such petty restrictions.

"I was just having some fun," he says before hastily changing the subject. As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not — as he has always pretended — a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror. While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature. In a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought around You-Know-Who's fall from power — thereby driving Hagrid's own mother, like the rest of You-Know-Who's supporters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truth about his large friend — but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants.

Betelgeuse finished reading and deeply frowned.

"That nasty woman!" Angelina spat.

Betelgeuse looked up at Fred, whose mouth was hanging open. "How did she find out?" he whispered.

"I may have an inkling," the Black returned, scowling.

But how Rita Skeeter had found out about Hagrid's roots was not what bothered her group of friends.

"What did Malfoy mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?" Lee hollered, outraged. "What's this rubbish about Crabbe getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth!"

"That dense ogre!" Katie huffed, making a second-year giggle.

"Bel, your cousin is a massive git," Alicia continued, then with raised hands, she hurriedly added, "don't hex me!"

Fred sniggered quietly as the Black rolled her grey eyes. "I cannot hex you, Spinnet, for a spoken truth. My cousin sometimes acts like a mandrake; he cries, rages and throws tantrums, and I am assured he will annihilate us all with his petulance one day."

"Damn," Lee breathed out. "Go off, girl."

☆☆☆

There was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January.

Betelgeuse, Fred and George left the Castle together on Saturday and set off through the cold, wet grounds toward the gates. As they passed the Durmstrang ship moored in the lake, they noticed Viktor Krum emerge onto the deck, dressed in nothing but swimming trunks. He was very skinny indeed, but apparently a lot tougher than he looked because he climbed up onto the side of the ship, stretched out his arms, and dived right into the lake.