"ALLONS-Y!" I exclaimed and jumped onto Draco's back. "Giddy up horsey!"
"Did you call me a horse?" Draco questioned as Blaise laughed at me.
"Okay... umm.. Giddy up donkey!" I smacked Draco's ass.
"You did not just call me a donkey," Draco growled.
"Aw. Ember's in trouble!" Blaise laughed.
"Would you prefer ass then?" I questioned, "because it sure does fit you."
"Sometimes I just want to strangle you, Els." Draco sighed.
I jumped off his back and smirked at him, "then do it."
"I don't want to hurt you," he said.
"Really? Because you just said you wanted to."
"I was kidding," Draco said.
"I want to slap you," Blaise told me.
"Do it." I pat my right cheek, "go on."
Blaise stared at me, "Hell no. I know what you can do."
I smirked, "afraid of me, Blaise?"
"Yeah. Actually, I am. You're bloody scary sometimes."
"Good. You should be," I smile widely.
Ron and Hermione ran over, along with Harry. "Ember, Hagrid's back."
I smiled, "Bye guys!" I gave Draco a quick peck on the cheek and ran away with the Trio. We ran down the hill and approached Hagrid's hut. I was about to knock, but I heard a voice. Whose voice? Umbridge's. Harry pulled me back and we peeked through the window.
"I will say this one last time." Umbridge said, "I'm ordering you to tell me where you've been."
"I told you. I've been away for me health." Hagrid responded, "You know. A bit of fresh air."
"Yes, because being games' keeper, fresh air is very hard to come by." remarked Umbridge. "If I were you, I shouldn't get used to being back. In fact... I wouldn't bother unpacking at all." Umbridge walked out of the hut and sprayed some perfume on herself then, on the door. She took a deep breath and walked away.
Once she was gone, Harry, Ron, Mione, and I knocked on Hagrid's door. "Hagrid!"
Hagrid opened the door and let us in. Hagrid's hair was matted with 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 were still bleeding. I think he must have had broken ribs because he was moving around weirdly. Hagrid limped over to the fire and placed a kettle over it.
I spoke up, "What happened to you?" Fang rested him head on ron's lap and started to slobber on him. Aw, Fang is adorable!
"Nothing," Hagrid said, "Want a cuppa?"
"Come off it," Ron told him, "you're in a right state!"
"I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine, Blimey, good ter see yeh four again - had good break, did yeh?"
"Hagrid," I gave him a look, the look that said, you better tell us. now. we will will find out sooner or later.
He sighed, "Alright. this is top secret. Dumbledore sent me to parley with the giants."
"Giants?" Mione gasped, "You found them?"
"Well,they're not that hard to find, to be perfectly honest. They're so big, see?" Oh Hagrid. Sarcastic Hagrid. "I tried to convince them to join the cause. but i wasn't the only one that was trying to win them over."
"death eaters," ron said.
"yes. trying to persuade them to join you-know-who."
"And..." harry started, "did they?"
"i gave them dumbledore's message. suppose some of them remember he was friendly to them. i suppose."
"And... they did that to you?" I motioned to his wounds.
Hagrid held up a raw piece of meat to hit eye, "not exactly, no." fang barked at him. "Oh well, you go on and have it then." he tosses the piece of meat towards fang, and fang happily ate it. We all looked outside when the wind started to blow loudly, "it's changing out there. just like last time. there's a storm coming, and we best be ready when she does."
