Potter Sibling Trilogy Plus One Book 2 (continued from Book 1)

Chapter 12 - Fireworks and Giants

~Harry's POV~
Me, Bella, Hollie, Ron, Hermione, Edward and Ben are on the bridge which leads to Hagrid's.
"This is all my fault," Bella says.
"You did everything you could." Ben says to Bella. "No one could win against that old hag."
"Even Dumbledore didn't see this coming," Edward says.
"Bella, if it's anyone's fault, it's ours," Hermione says.
"Yeah," Ron says. "We talked you into it."
"Yeah, but I agreed," Bella says.
"No, we agreed," Hollie corrects her. "It was all three of us teaching them."
"Yeah but it was me everyone hated."
"Nobody hated you, Bella," Edward assures her. "They were just afraid."
"We tried so hard to help, and all it's done is make things worse," Bella says.
She turns towards the forest.
"Anyway, that doesn't matter anymore," she continues. "Because I don't want to play anymore. All it does is make you care too much. And the more you care, the more you have to lose. So maybe it's just better to..."
"To what?" Harry asks.
She turns back round.
"To go it alone. I mean, it's me Voldemort is torturing, it's me he wants."
"No, it's not, Bella," Hollie says. "He wants all three of us, and probably Emberlee too now she's really of no use to him. It just so happens he only got you that night in the graveyard. If he'd got me and Harry too, we'd all be vulnerable."
She nods before Edward puts his arms round her.
We hear a hiss and look towards the end of the bridge where Hagrid is hiding.

He leads us down to the Dark Forest and Bella holds Edward's hand.
"Do you know what this is about?" she asks him but he just nods.
"Hagrid, why can't you just tell us?" I ask.
I hear neighing and then I see the Centaurs stampeding.
"I've never seen the Centaurs so riled," Hagrid says. "And they're dangerous at the best of times. The Ministry restricts their territory much more, they'll have a full uprising on their hands."
"Hagrid, what's going on?" Hermione asks.
"I'm sorry to be so mysterious, you lot. I wouldn't be bothering you at all with it, but with Dumbledore gone, I'll likely be getting the sack any day now. And I just couldn't leave without telling someone about him."
"About who?" I ask.
He leads us a little further where there's a giant tied to a tree in the middle of the forest - his back to us.
"Grawpy," Hagrid calls and the giant, who is much bigger than Hagrid, looks up. "Down here, you great buffoon."
He turns, his gaze following some birds until he claps at them, killing them instantly.
"Grawpy," Hagrid says with disappointment. "Brought you some company."
He looks at us and smiles before he charges at us. He is stopped when the rope tied to his leg cannot reach any further.
"I couldn't just leave him, because... because he's my brother. Well, half brother, really. He's completely harmless, just like I said. Little high-spirited, is all."
He grabs Bella and Edward smiles so I realise no harm will befall her.
"Grawpy, that is not polite," Hagrid says.
"Hagrid, do something," Ron pleads.
"We talked about this. You do not grab, do you?" Hagrid continues. "That's your new friend, Bella."
"Grawp," Bella says and the giant looks at her. "Put me down," she says firmly.
He looks taken aback but he leans forward and puts Bella down beside Edward before he moves to a pile of trash and starts rummaging through it.
He turns back to us with bicycle handles in his hand, and he rings the bell on them before offering them to Bella. She takes them and he looks at her anxiously so she rings the bell. Then she hands them back.
"He gets his own food and all," Hagrid says. "It's company he'll be needing when I'm gone. You will look after him, won't you? I'm the only family he's got."
Bella nods and smiles as Grawp sits down and rings the bell.

~Bella's POV~
As Snape is going through my mind again, in a private meeting that Umbridge knows nothing about, he sees the memory of me seeing my parents - my birth parents - in the mirror for the first time.
"That's private," I protest.
"Not to me. And not to the Dark Lord, if you don't improve."
He comes right up in my face.
"Every memory he has access to is a weapon he can use against you. You won't last two seconds if he invades your mind. Your precious Edward isn't here to stop me this time."
He moves away.
"You're just like your father."
"Ha, you'll be the first to say so. Everyone says I'm more like Lily."
"You may look more like her but you have your father's personality and blatant disrespect for the rules. He was lazy, arrogant..."
"You won't get to me, Snape," I say. "I don't get as upset over James and Lily as Harry and Hollie do. As far as I'm concerned, Charlie and Renée are my parents."
"Weak."
"I'm not weak," I protest, standing up.
"Then prove it. Control your emotions. Discipline your mind."
He casts the spell on me again.
"I may vomit," he says.
"Stop it," I cry.
"Is this what you call control?"
"We've been at it for hours. If I could just rest."
"The Dark Lord isn't resting," he says. "You and Black, you're two of a kind. Sentimental children forever whining about how unfair your lives have been. Well, it may have escaped your notice, but life isn't fair. Your blessed father knew that. In fact, he frequently saw to it."
"Keep pushing, it won't work."
"Your father was a swine."
He grabs me and throws me to the floor across the room before going to cast the spell on me again but I counter it with the Shield Charm.
I see James and his friends, including Remus, Sirius, Edward and Peter actually picking on Snape.
I fall back when Snape blocks me from seeing anymore.
"I am not James; I have never been a bully. If anyone was like James it's Emberlee."
"Your lessons are at an end. Get out."
I hurry out of the room and stop in the courtyard where I hear voices and turn to see Fred and George with a young boy.
"What's your name?" Fred asks.
"Michael."
"Your hands gonna be fine, Michael."
Yeah. It's not as bad as it seems. See?" George says.
I start towards them.
"It's fading already," Fred says.
"You can hardly see ours anymore, and the pain stops after a while," George says.
The first year continues crying.
I hear Umbridge clear her throat and we see her standing in the archway.
"As I told you once before, Miss Potter."
I don't bother correcting her this time.
"Naughty children deserve to be punished."
"You know, George," Fred says as Umbridge turns and walks away. "I've always felt our futures lay outside the world of academic achievement."
"Fred, I've been thinking the same thing."
I turn to them with a confused smirk on my face.
"What are you two cooking up now?"
They look at each other before they look at me and I can see they want me to help them.