Healing the Broken

Chapter 25- Grawp The Friendly Giant

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"I wish we would have told Hagrid that we couldn't take care of Grawp."

"I know- I do too. But did you see how happy he looked when we agreed to help? And besides, it's only two days." Harry tries to reassure her- while trying to reassure himself. They were walking through the woods, in the dark with nothing but their illuminated wands to light the way. They had decided to go at night, because if they went at noon like Hagrid had suggested, they would get caught and put in detention.

"I still don't know about this Harry." They couldn't see much- but what they could see was the dirt trail they were following to get to Grawp, and the leaves and pine needles and melting snow clumps littered here and there on the ground. It was cold- still only January, and they both had coats and scarves tightly wrapped around their bodies, and hats snug on their heads.

A tree root that had come up from the ground sicks up in Hermione's path, who doesn't see it. She staggers and falls straightforward into Harry, who catches her just before she hits the ground. Before he can right her back up onto her feet, a loud voice shakes the dead branches of the nearby trees.

"HERMY!"

And before Harry or Hermione can react, she's swept off of her feet and clamped in Grawp's hand.

"Hermione!"

"Grawp." Hermione says with steady calm. "Put me down. Now."

Grawp stares at her.

"Put. Me. Down."

From the ground Harry can see Hermione's hand clenched tight around her wand, and her arm dangles stiffly beside her legs. "PUT DOWN HERMY?" Grawp asks.

"Yes."

"GRAWP PUT HERMY DOWN NOW."

"Yes. Thank you Graw-" But her voice was cut off by a shrill scream as Grawp let go of her and she fell to the ground.

Hermione shrieks a spell, the same spell that she had screamed when they fell from the cart in Gringotts. She slows down before landing softly on the hard packed dirt. Harry rushes to her side as she grabs onto a branch and pulls herself up.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asks.

Hermione frowns at him. "Of course I am." She turns around, pointing a finger at Grawp. "We do not drop people! Understand?" He nods. "Repeat after me. We do not drop people."

"GRAWP DON'T DROP PEOPLE."

"No- well, I guess that's close enough." Hermione shrugs. Harry hears a soft rustling in the bushes behind them, but Hermione doesn't hear it because she was talking to Grawp. He turns around, and stares at the bushes.

"Hermione did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

He stares at the bushes some more, waiting for another rustling. When nothing comes, he turns back around. "Nothing. I must've just... I dunno. Nothing."

She glances over at him for a second, concern covering her face, but she brushes it off. "Okay. C'mere, help me fix up Grawp."