Girl Who Survived: Book Two {Harry Potter: Order of Phoenix}

[Chapter Twenty: Hagrid's Tale]

In honor of Harry Potter's birthday and such a long wait, I decided to do double uploads. This is unedited so I apologize for any mistakes.

[Chapter Twenty: Hagrid's Tale]

I waited downstairs in the common room as Harry sprinted up to the boys' dormitories with Ron to fetch the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map from his trunk. Hermione came after them.

"Well, it's cold out there!" she said defensively, as Ron clicked his tongue impatiently.

We crept through the portrait hole and covered ourselfs hastily in the Cloak--Ron had grown so much he now needed to crouch to prevent his feet showing. It made me happy that I was so petite--then, moving slowly and cautiously, we proceeded down the many staircases, pausing at intervals to check on the map for signs of Filch or Mrs. Norris. We were lucky, I suppose. We didn't see anyone apart from Nearly Headless Nick, who was gliding along absent-mindedly humming something that sounded horribly like 'Weasley is our King'. I let out a low growl that had Nick spinning and looking for the source.

We crept across the Entrance Hall and out into the silent, snowy grounds. With a great excitement building within me, I saw little golden squares of light ahead and smoke coiling up from Hagrid's chimney. Harry and I shared a glance before setting off at a quick march, the other two jostling and bumping along behind us. We crunched excitedly through the thickening snow until at last we reached the wooden front door. When Harry raised his fist and knocked three times, a dog started barking frantically inside.

"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry called through the keyhole.

"Open up you big lug!" I finished, smiling as widely as my face would allow. Hagrid had taken me in when I'd first arrived at Hogwarts. He was the only real father figure I'd ever known.

"Shoulda known!" said a gruff voice. I giggled as we all beamed at each other under the Cloak. I could tell by Hagrid's voice that he was pleased. "Bin home three seconds... out the way, Fang... out the way, yeh dozy dog..."

The bolt was drawn back, the door creaked open and Hagrid's head appeared in the gap.

Hermione screamed.

"Merlin's beard, keep it down!" said Hagrid hastily, staring wildly over their heads. "Under that Cloak, are yeh? Well, get in, get in!"

"I'm sorry!" Hermione gasped, as the four of us squeezed past Hagrid into the house. I fought against the thick fabric of the cloak to get it off so he could see us. "I just--oh, Hagrid!"

"What in bloody hell happened?" I asked loudly, suddenly realizing why Hermione had screamed. Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple and black bruising. There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, which made me suspect internal injuries such as broken ribs.

"It's nuthin', it's nuthin'!" said Hagrid hastily, shutting the door behind us and hurrying to close all the curtains, but Hermione continued to gaze up at him in horror.

It was obvious that he had only just got home: a thick black travelling cloak lay over the back of a chair and a haversack large enough to carry several small children leaned against the wall inside the door. Hagrid himself, twice the size of a normal man, was now limping over to the fire and placing a copper kettle over it.

"Nothing?" I asked loftily, placing a hand on my hip and pointing with the other. "Hagrid you look like you were thrown into a den of trolls!"

"What happened to you?" Harry demanded, while Fang danced around us all, trying to lick our faces. Normally my first reaction would be to stop and let the beast, but I was far too concerned with Hagrid's well being. My arms were crossed and my foot tapped the floor impatiently.