James Potter and the Half Blood Hallway

Sixteen

Harry stared at the house elves. They exchanged looks. No one said anything, however. They just stared, as if afraid to be the first to speak. It was Kreacher who finally shattered the silence.

"Where?" he asked.

"From the muggle libary," said Harry. "They seem to make you nervous." Kreacher and Elisa started whispering to each other.

"The hold the books," whispered Elisa.

"Kreacher is not blind! Kreacher can see they have them!" said Kreacher.

"They will find out," said Elisa.

"Yes, but we will have not told them." There was silence between the two.

"Kreacher and Elisa won't have broken their swear?" asked Elisa. Kreacher shook his elfen head gruffly.

"But," whispered Elisa rather loudly. "They aren't meant to know! Kreacher said so himself!" Kreacher scowled, as if he were about to do something he'd later regrate.

"Then, Kreacher will have to take them!"

CRACK! CRACK!

In a second, Kreacher was at the other end of the room. He knocked Harry over and snatched the book from his hands ; soon he had the other four books as well.

CRACK! CRACK!

Following his lead, Elisa Apperated to the other end of the room as well. In just the same amount of time she had snatched up the other five books.

CRACK! CRACK!

Before any of the wizards or witches could proccess what had just happened the house elves were gone. Little did they know, they would not soon return.

~***~                       ~***~                        ~***~

James threw his broom down the moment he started running. He was running down hill, his scarlet robes flying behind him. Of coarse he heard Scorpius, Rose, and Albus behind him, but he didn't stop, he didn't turn around. The voice had been haunting him for days, even weeks now.

He skidded to a halt at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He stared in, a cold feeling of dread settling over him. He heard the cold whisper, as if the forest itself was inviting him in, beckoning for him walk straight into his doom. He heard Rose and the other two come to a stop behind him, breathing heavy.

"James -" started Rose, but he held a hand up to silence her. James crept forward, slowly.
"James!" whispered Rose urgently. "Don't!" James pretended not to hear. The closer he got to the forest the louder the noise got. He wondered for a brief fraction of a second if he somehow inherited parseltoung from his father, but of coarse that didn't seem quite right to him. It sounded different, like an actual language, rather than a slither. It sounded ancient, almost older than time itself.
The sun was disappearing behind the trees and everything was silent. Even the wind seemed to be holding its breath. The cold air seemed to get colder, as if alerting them of danger. James sucked in a breath when he thought he seen a rather large something out of the corner of his left eye. He was very aware of the presence of the other three standing behind him.
James thought that they might be holding their breath too.

Had they seen the figure as well? There was a crack from a near by twig. Really near by. So near by that James yelled a jumped back, stumbling and falling on his bum. He scampered back in attempt to get away, for standing above him was the ugliest, and most dangerous, monstrous looking thing James had ever seen. 

It was a good thirty feet tall with grey hair matted to its forehead and neck. Its blue skin seemed to sparkle against the sunlight. The thing turned and grinned shyly at James, who was still on the ground. He sighed of relief when he realized he was still holding his breath. The thing seemed to be more lost than anything.
Slowly getting to his feet, James reached out a hand to the giant.

"James!" came Rose's voice. "Careful!" Again, James pretended not to hear his cousin's warning.
"You don't look like you belong here," said James to the giant. "You got a name? Where did you come from?" The giant just stared at him, not saying anything as he slowly crept closer to it.

"What's the matter?" said James, laughing slightly. "Don't you speak?" It cocked its head to one side, as if wondering weather or not to attack.
"It's alright," insisted James. "We're not going to hurt you. You just startled me is all. I'm James. That lot over there is my cousin Rose, my brother Albus, and his friend Scorpius." The giant waved and grinned at them. The tension seemed to lesson. The trio smiled and waved back.

"What are you?" asked James. "Guy or girl?" He examined the giant more closely when it did not answer. "Hmm... well you look more masculine if you ask me. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm going to guess your a guy." The giant nodded.
"Cool!" said James. "Now it'll be easier to guess your name."

"Oi!" said a new voice. The group swung around. "What d'yeh doin' out here?" James sighed for the second time that night of relief. It was only his parents' good friend Hagrid. 
"James thought he heard something down here," said Rose. Hagrid came into James's view, his long brown beard and shaggy hair as messy as ever. The half giant smiled at the blue giant next to James.

"I see yeh've met Gus," said Hagrid. " He's a hyperborean. Friendly enough, though when upset they will attack. They'd freeze you in  a heartbeat. Bu' they're usually very gentle creatures, hyperboreans are." James looked up at Gus.

"He doesn't seem so bad," said James. "Gus, huh? Nice name."
"It's ac'ually Frigusist, bu' he pre'fers Gus more than anythin'," said Hagrid.
"I like it," said James.
"Doesn't frigus mean cold in Latin?" asked Scorpius. Hagrid nodded.
"Hyperboreans nor'mally go where it's colder," said Hagrid. "Can' imagine what he's doin' here."

James shrugged. "Welcome to the Forbidden Forest, Gus! Rose, Scorpius, Albus, and I technically aren't suppose to be out here. It was nice meeting you anyway. I think we had better go back up to the castle now, or else the head mistress will put us all in detention and owl our mothers and I really don't want to get another howler from Mum....but hey! Maybe she'll give us a detention with Hagrid. That way we can actually come into the forest and not get in trouble."

Gus grinned at his new friend before waving. James waved back.
"Bet'er hurry," said Hagrid. "I'm gonna let yeh off with a warnin' this time, but there have been some dangerous things lurkin' round in da forest, so don' let me catch yeh out this late again, und'er stand?"
"Sure, Hagrid," said James. "We understand."
"Al'righ'. Now, ge' back up to the castle."

The four friends bit the hyperborean and the half giant fair well and ran back up the hill that would lead to the back door of the castle, James stopping to pick up his broom along the way.

"What sort of dangerous things do you think Hagrid was talking about?" asked Albus quietly as they slipped through the door.
"Dunno," said James. "Probably nothing anymore dangerous than what usually walks round in there."

Boy was he wrong.