𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞 | 𝐇.𝐏.

𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝟓 - 𝟖

"Grawpy?" Hagrid called. The giant didn't even look in his direction. Bird chirped in terror as Grawpy waved his hand through the branches of a monstrous tree about as tall as him. "Down here, you great buffoon!"

When Grawpy turned his eyes immediately locked on Weasley. He clapped his hands the size of trash can lids over Weasley's head, and probably would have crushed all of our skull if we hadn't ducked just in time. The bird Grawpy had just tried to catch squawked and flew away as fast as its tiny wings would allow.

Hagrid gasped like a disappointed parent after seeing their toddler drew on the walls. "Oh, Grawpy..." he scolded. "I brought you some company." Grawpy looked disappointedly at his empty hands, and then began stomping toward us extremely quickly with no warning. The four of us tripped backwards, and I was about to yell at Hagrid to do something when Grawpy stopped short.

He was tied to the thick trunks of one of the trees. It was a long rope, but he was still trapped. "I couldn't just leave him because..." Hagrid began. I steeled myself. Had Hagrid felt sorry for him? Maybe he'd looked at the giant and thought, Fang can finally have a playmate! 

Instead he said, "...because he's my brother."

"Blimey," was Weasley's weak response.

"Well, half-brother, really," Hagrid corrected himself, like that cleared it up. Grawpy bent down and put his face right up close to us. "Completely harmless, just like I said!" Hagrid assured loudly as we started to back up again. "Little high-spirited is all."

I tried to move but a huge, fallen tree was blocking my path. Grawpy grinned and picked me up in his fist. I let out a yelp and tried to kick punch his fingers. Then I figured that wasn't the best idea if he decided to drop me. 

"Grawpy, that is not polite!" Hagrid waggled his finger up in the air.

"Hagrid, do something!" Potter shouted.

"We talked about this. You do not grab, do you?" Hagrid was trying to calmly say, but even he looked worried. "That's your new friend, Alexandra." Obviously Grawpy was not meant to be cooped up in a forest, nor was he meant to be taught like a child.

Hermione tried to run forwards and hit his leg with a branch, but Grawpy only kicked her backwards. 

I did the only thing I could think to do. "Grawp!" I yelled, pointing my finger in his face. His smile dropped. "Put me down." My voice shook with fear, but he must have taken it for anger because his grip on me loosened. "Now." I demanded. He grunted sadly and slowly lowered me to the ground. 

Potter grabbed my arm immediately and pulled me back to them. I hugged my arms around myself tightly and watched as Grawpy turned away miserably and began to rummage through a pile of scrap metal behind him. 

"Are you alright?" Potter asked. 

"Fine," I said, not willing to take my eyes off the giant again. "He just needs a firm hand, is all."

"I think you've got yourself an admirer," Weasley observed as Grawpy came back holding the broken off handle bars of a bicycle. He crouched down, so now he was only a few feet taller than us, and rung the little bell on the side. He handed it to me and I took it from him hesitantly.

I looked at Hagrid, and when he nodded hopefully I rung the bell. Grawpy's face broke into another grin, and he went back to tormenting the birds in the trees happily. 

"He gets his own food and all," Hagrid said. "It's company he'll need when I'm gone. You will look after him, won't you? I'm the only family he's got."

I watched Grawpy pick the bicycle handles back up and start ringing the bell again. And again. And again. I smiled. Grawpy was our least difficult problem, and he might be growing on me just a little bit.