Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 51 - Meeting Grawp

A few weeks later the final Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match was upon us. We were not hoping for a victory, however, as it was a well-known fact that the Gryffindor team was disastrous this year.

"I can't get any worse, can I?" Ron said grimly over breakfast.

None of us said anything and simply kept eating. It felt very odd to be sitting beside Harry as we watched Gryffindor play. In no less than a minute, the Ravenclaw captain had already scored, making us all groan in annoyance. To make matters worse, the Slytherins had begun to sing 'Weasley Is Our King' again. Suddenly there was a hoarse voice coming from behind and the three of us turned around to see Hagrid.

"Can yeh come with me? Now?" He asked.

"Er, can't it wait, Hagrid? Until after the match.." Harry said.

"No," he said, "it's gotta be now . . . while ev'ryone's lookin' the other way. . . . Please?"

The three of us exchanged a look before obliging and followed him out of the stadium.

"I 'ppreciate this, you three, I really do," he said as we walked toward the edge of the forest.

We were forced to jog to keep up with his rapid pace and I frowned as I understood we were going into the forest.

"Hagrid, why are you armed?" I asked as I noticed he was holding his crossbow.

"Just a precaution..." he said, making us all exchange a nervous look.

It quickly became dark as we walked so deep into the forest that the tall trees covered the light from the bright sun almost completely.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked.

"Just a bit further," Hagrid said.

"Hagrid, would it be alright if we lit our wands?" Hermione asked as we could barely see the outline of the trees before walking into them.

"Er... all righ'," he said.

"Lumos!," we said and our the tips of our wands lit up to illuminate our path.

"Let me explain," Hagrid said as he stopped walking. "Well, there's a good chance I'm goin' ter be gettin' the sack any daynow."

"But you've lasted this long—" Hermione said tentatively.

"I don' wan' ter go, o' course, but if it wasn' fer . . .well . . . the special circumstances I'm abou' ter explain to yeh, I'dleave righ now, before she's go' the chance ter do it in front o' thewhole school, like she did with Trelawney," he said.

The three of us looked at each other, then back to Hagrid. "Don' worry abou' me," he said, "Look, I wouldn'be tellin' yer this at all if I didn' have ter. See, if I go . . . well, I can'leave withou' . . . withou' tellin' someone . . . because I'll — I'll needyou ter help me."

"Of course we'll help you, Hagrid," Hermione said.

"I knew yeh'd say yes," Hagrid said as he sniffed into his handkerchief.

We walked for a few more minutes before Hagrid gestured for us to stop. Suddenly we saw a large giant sleeping in front of us, making me gasp.

"You told us none of them wanted to come!" I said.

"I had to bring him," he said, "he's my brother."

"Hagrid, when you say 'brother,'" Harry said slowly, "do youmean — ?"

"Well — half-brother," Hagrid said. "His name's Grawp."

"Grawp?"

"Yeah . . . well, tha's what it sounds like when he says his name... he don' speak a lot of English, you see."

"So what is it you want us to do?" Hermione asked apprehensively.

"Look after him after I'm gone," Hagrid said, making us exchange miserable looks.

"What — what does that involve, exactly?" I asked.

"Just keep him company... and yeh know, if someone was teachin' him english..."

"We'll try, Hagrid..." Harry said.

Hagrid smiled. " I'llwake him up, then — introduce you —"

"Wha — no!" Hermione said as she shifted closer to me.

But Hagrid was already moving to wake him up. "All righ', Grawpy?" Hagrid said as his giant brother began to wake up.

Harry, Hermione and I backed away as far as we could while still keeping the giant within our sight.

"Oh...my," Hermione said beside me.

"I've brought some friends ter meet yeh.Remember, I told yeh I might," Hagrid said and Grawp looked at us, making me gulp nervously. "This, is Harry Potter! An' this is Elizabeth... an' Hermione!"

Hermione squealed beside me as Grawp looked at her and suddenly his hand shot out of nowhere toward her. Harry and I both pulled her away and hid behind a tree.

"GRAWPY, NO!" Hagrid shouted.

Hagrid then decided, to our utmost relief, that it was time to head back. We walked in silence all the way back to Hagrid's cabin. We said goodbye and walked back toward the school and saw that everyone was walking out of the stadium: we had missed the entire match.

"I don't believe him!" Hermione said. "A giant! A giant in the forest!And we're supposed to give him English lessons."

Harry and I exchanged a look. "We haven't got to do anything yet," I said.

"Yeah," Harry said, "We don't have to do anything unless hegets chucked out and that might not even happen —"

"Oh, come off it, harry!" Hermione said.

"Guys," I said as I began to hear 'Weasley Is Our King' issuing form the mass of Gryffindors in front of us.

"I wish they'd stop singing that stupid song!" Hermione said.

"No guys—" I said but was caught off by Harry's shout as he saw Ron running toward us, a wide smile on his face.

"YES!"

"HARRY! HERMIONE! ELIZABETH!" Ron shouted as he waved the silver QuidditchCup in the air. "WE DID IT! WE WON!"

We beamed up at him as he was pulled away by the rest of the team. We were smiling brightly now.

"Let's keep our news for tomorrow," Harry said and Hermione and I nodded in agreement.

***

The next day, we were studying as Ron kept talking about the match.

"We won," he said with a wide smile. "Did you see the look on Chang's face when Ginny got the Snitch right out from under her nose?"

"I suppose she cried, did she?" Harry asked, making me chuckle.

"Well, yeah... but you saw her chuck her broom away whenshe got back to the ground, didn't you?" Ron said.

"Er..."

Harry, Hermione and I exchanged a look. "Actually... no, Ron," Hermione said.

"You didn't watch?" Ron asked. "You didn't see me make any of those saves?"

"It was Hagrid," Harry said. "He decided to tell us why he's beencovered in injuries ever since he got back from the giants so he brought us in the forest..."

Harry proceeded to explain to him that Hagrid's giant half-brother was hiding in the forest and that Hagrid wanted us to keep him company if ever he was to get sacked.

"No, no he can't have..." Ron said at hearing about a giant. "He's lost his mind."

"Yes, maybe..." I said, "unfortunately, we promised we would help."