The day after their last train ride to Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and Hermione went down to visit Hagrid. They hadn't seen him in ages, for he had been working hard along with the rest of the teachers to fix up the castle from the war- there was still sections that were blocked of because they still weren't safe for the students to be near.
As they crossed the lawn to Hagrid's hut, they saw a happy Buckbeak, of whom Harry and Hermione had saved, tied to the hut and in the pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patch was all dead now- it was just old remains of pumpkin plants, dirt, some wired fencing, and the occasional pile of snow here and there. There was also a path scraped out of the snow leading to the patch, and judging by the pine needles that littered the pth, Harry could guess that it was a trail from Hagrid bringing in Christmas trees from the woods.
They rapped on Hagrid's front door loudly, and soon it opened up to reveal a beaming Hagrid.
"Aye, if it ain't Harry, Ron and Hermione! I ain't seen the three of yas in ages! Come 'ere, give me a hug!" He pulls them into a rib cracking hug, and squeezes them tightly before releasing them. Hermione, who had been hugged the tightest, staggered slightly into Ron. "Come in, it's freezin' out 'ere."
He opens the door wide to let them in, and as soon as he shuts the door, Harry is knocked over by a large gray figure.
"Yuck." He says, as Fang licks his face enthusiastically. "Alright buddy- I missed you too."
Hagrid pulls Fang off of Harry, who proceeds to sit down at the table beside Ron and Hermione. Hagrid gives them a rock cake without giving them any time to refuse, and they can't do anything but eat it. The rock cake cements their teeth together.
"So, 'ow is it all goin' in the world of the little trio?" Hagrid asks, and Ron wrenches his teeth apart to answer with a smirk.
"Well, Hagrid, since you asked..." Ron trails off, grinning over at Harry and Hermione. "There has been a little bit of love going on here. Harry, would you like to tell him?" Before Harry could answer, Ron cracks a joke. "Harry and I are dating."
Hermione snorts and Hagrid flushes. "Well, er, that's er... I'm happy fer the two of yas, and 'f that's 'ow you want ter live yer life, then, who am I ter judge?"
Harry turns beat red as Ron cracks up. "No, no Hagrid you've got it all wrong. Ron was joking- I'm not gay, and neither is he- I'm dating Hermione."
Hagrid sighs with relief. "Yeah, that sounds a bit more... right. The two of yas together sounds right." He sits back in his chair. "I'm glad the three of ya decided to stop down ter visit me- I was startin' ter think ya forgot where I live."
Hermione smiles softly. "Sorry Hagrid, we meant to see you, honestly. But, we've been busy, with all of this, and you've been busy too, fixing the broken parts of the castle..."
Hagrid smiles down at them, but stays quiet. Finally he speaks up. "Look, er, Ron, I would ask ya to help out to, but he doesn't know ya as well... but Harry, Hermione, do ya think ya could do me a huge favor?"
"Sure Hagrid."
"I've got ter go out of town- a little bit o' stuff is missin' for ther last part of the castle that needs ter be finished- I need the two of ya to take care of Grawp." He says the last part quietly, as if he regretted asking for their help.
Hermione pales, and Harry slides closer to her while answering. "Of course we can- how long will you be gone?"
"Oh only two days... can yer handle it? Just make sure he's still there... check 'round noon if ya like, or night... only once er day."
"Alright. We can handle it."
Hagrid beams, and when he does, his whole face lights up and it gives Harry and Hermione a more positive look on taking care of Grawp- maybe it won't be so bad. They didn't have any classes these first two days back anyways. "Thank ya, I really 'ppreciae it."
~~~~~
"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."
"Fix up?"
"Wash him. He's covered with dirt."
Harry walks over, and when the bushes rustle again, he ignores them, coming to Hermione's side. "Agumenti!"
Water erupts out of both of their wands, and the dirt rushes off of Grawp into large mud puddles on the ground. When they're done, they both lower their wands in satisfaction. Grawp was clean- well, his natural skin color made it look like he wasn't that clean, not to mention he had dirt and grime stuck in all of the creases, but he at least looked better than he did before.
Just as they finish, Harry hears the rustling again. This time he whips around and yells "Stupefy!" before they even have a chance to go still. Once the spell comes bursting from the tip of his wand, Hermione grips his arm.
"Harry! Why in Merlin's pants are you stunning the bushes?"
In response, a stunned figure toppled out of the security of the bushes behind them, and Harry grins in triumph. "That's why. There has been a rustling sound coming from these bushes- I've heard it a couple times now. This person," he snarls the word "was following us."
Hermione marches forward and nudges the person onto their back with her foot, and she gasps.
"Who is it?" Harry asks, and when he rushes over, he sees someone he never expected to see- and how could he expect it? She was supposed to be dead.
It was Bellatrix Lestrange.
~~~~~
Hagrid strides through London with an air of confidence and purpose, but on the inside he was trembling with fear.
He hadn't wanted to lie to Harry and Hermione.
The truth was, Grawp wasn't doing to well in the mountains. So Hagrid took him away from the mountains and the other giants until he could find a better home for him. And he had found one, but he didn't have enough time to take Grawp there just yet- he was going to take him during the summer. So he had needed Harry and Hermione to check up on him these two nights he was gone- it was partially truthful.
But he had lied about where he was going. He told them later that he was going off to buy some parts that would help in the remodeling of Hogwarts. The truth was they were just about finished with Hogwarts, and all they had to do was replace a shattered window and a broken gargoyle.
Hagrid was actually here because he was called to the Ministry.
Kingsley Shacklebolt had been the chosen Minister of Magic, as Fudge was still, quite obviously, fired. Hagrid was a little less worried about going to the Ministry now that Kingsley was in charge- Kingsley had fired all of the scumbags and Death Eaters, and, naturally, Umbridge. He knew now that he would actually be with people who had fair judgement, rather than people who wanted all muggleborns in jail and all non-wizard people banished.
Hagrid was much to big for the toilet way to enter the Ministry, and he had no access to the Flu Network or a fireplace, so he had to use the telephone booth instead.
He squeezed himself into the small space and typed the numbers in.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic." A cool woman says. "Please state your name and business."
"The name's Rubeus Hagrid, and I'm here 'cause I was called to ther Ministry."
A token comes out of the slot. "Thank you. When you enter the Ministry, please go to courtroom 113 for your trial. Before entering the courtroom you must be checked in at the registration desk, located in the center of the main floor. Thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic, we wish you a good day."
And then the voice cut off and Hagrid was left to sit and wait for the phone booth to make it's way down to the bottom. When it finally did, he pries himself out of the telephone booth and walks up to the registration desk, where he proceeds to have his wand checked by a 'big burly' man, who was probably more intimidating to other wizards than he was to Hagrid.
As soon as he's checked in, Hagrid lumbers down to courtroom 113, and opens the doors wide.
Sitting in front of him is the panel of judges and the jury. The woman in the center, tall and elderly and completely unfamiliar to Hagrid, nods her heads for him to sit down, which he does.
"Rubeus Hagrid, correct?"
"Yes ma'am. Could ya please tell me what I'm being trialed fer? I have no idea why I'm here."
The woman smiles thinly. "You were called here for breaking the law, Mr. Hagrid."
"And which law migh' tha' be?"
"The law saying you can't have a living, breathing giant held hostage in the woods."
Hi guys!!!!
SUPER huge apology for not updating in a few days.... I started school! And honestly, it's soooo draining holy crap.
Anyways, I'm trying to get back on my every other day update schedule, I really am. It's hard, but I think I can do this.
That's really all I have to say- which isn't much except for I'm really sorry and that I hope you liked this chapter!!
I'll try to better, I swear.
Magisky