Out of The Shadows (Golden Trio Era) {1}

Hagrid the Half Giant

On Boxing Day everyone got up late, there was a more exhausted and calm atmosphere, which was unusual to the Gryffindor Common room. Ron and Harry were filling the girls in what they had overheard the night of the Yule Ball. They told them about their run in with Snape, and Karkaroff about something that wouldn't be able to be ignored. How Harry being the good person he is tried not to eavesdrop on Hagrid and Madam Maxine by busying himself with a Beetle. Ron told them how Hagrid was half giant, as if it was a massive shock to the system. When Mikayla and Hermione didn't provide Ron the reaction he was hoping for, Ron went on to explain the problem about Giants. "They're not very nice." Ron argued Mikayla rolled her eyes at this statement, feeling that it's very ironic for this sentence to come from him after his behaviour lately. "Why isn't this a shock to you?" Ron questioned finally giving up on trying to get a reaction. "I just assumed when I met him that he was." Mikayla shrugged in an unsurprised tone, "I knew he couldn't be pure giant because they're about 20 feet tall. But honestly, all this hysteria about giants. They can't all be horrible... It's the same sort of prejudice that people have toward werewolves... it's just not bigotry, isn't it?" Hermione argues, Mikayla nods in agreement. "Plus we know Hagrid, he's just a big softie, all he got from his giantess mother is height and protection against certain spells." The three others look at Mikayla in confusion of her last statement. "Certain creatures have thick skin that prevent them for example from stunning spells." She explained. They nodded understandingly even though they were very confused as to why Mikayla knew this.

The foursome were back to lessons, no one was really looking forward to Hagrid's lesson as the snow piled up around the grounds. Ron did argue that the Blast-Ended Skrewts would keep them all warm, either by chasing after them or them setting fire to Hagrid's hut or a nearby tree. When they arrived for class, five minutes late, Hagrid was no where in sight, in his absence they had Professor Grubbly-Plank. Professor Grubbly-Plank led them past the paddock, where the huge Beauxbatons horses were standing huddled against the cold, and toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered. Many of the girls cooed at the sight of the unicorn, it beauty unarguable. Mikayla remembered the time of seeing the slain Unicorn in the Dark Forest during a detention in first year. "Oh it's so beautiful!" Lavender whispered. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!" The unicorn was so brightly white it made the snow all around look grey. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves and throwing back its horned head.

"Boys keep back!" Professor Grubbly-Plank barked, throwing out an arm and catching Harry in the chest. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it..." Hermione and Mikayla followed Professor Grubbly-Plank and the rest of the girls forward toward the unicorn, while the boys stood back near the paddock fence, watching. The unicorn was stunning and once the boys were further away, it became less nervous and more confident as Professor Grubbly-Plank let some of the girls stroke its back. Professor Grubbly-Plank started talking about unicorns' many magical properties while all the girls, Hermione, and Mikayla took turns stroking it gently. The unicorn was really sweet tempered and it neighed as Mikayla scratched it behind the ears. "Are you paying attention over there?" Professor Grubbly-Plank called suddenly. The girls looked up to see that she was staring pointedly over at the boys. Harry and Ron were facing Draco, who had a malicious look on his pale face. Harry seemed to be holding a copy of the Daily Prophet, he was shaking, looking at Draco with a murderous look on his face. Mikayla went to go towards them but Avery stopped her, "Don't get involved kay. They're just trying to wind you up." Mikayla nodded understandingly sending the Slytherin boys death glares. Professor Grubbly-Plank spoke more loudly now so that the boys could hear what she was saying too. She went on, mentioning how unicorns' horns were often used in certain potions. At the end of the class she ushered them away from the unicorn, giving the class an essay due the next class about unicorns' magical properties.

"I hope she stays, that woman!" Parvati said when we were all heading back to the castle for lunch. "That's more what I thought Care of Magical Creatures would be like... proper creatures like unicorns, not monsters..." Mikayla looked at her dorm mate angrily, "Hagrid has shown us creatures. Blast-Ended Skrewts are monsters they're just ugly creatures. Just because a creature is ugly doesn't make it a monster." Parvati scoffed at Mikayla's comment. "How about the Hippogriff that almost killed you and Malfoy?" Mikayla was in complete disgust that Parvati described Buckbeak as a monster. "Buckbeak wasn't a monster, he was provoked by Malfoy and I got in the way. A monsters main purpose is to kill, most monster fall under the 'being' category in the The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the Ministry of Magic." Mikayla argued logically to Parvati. "I'm just saying that I've learn more about unicorns with her than Hagrid. She's a way better teacher." Parvati stated argumentatively. "What about Hagrid?" Harry asked angrily as we went up the steps. "What about him?" Parvati said in a hard voice, sending Harry a cool look. "He can still be gamekeeper, can't he?" Parvati and Lavender stomped up the rest of the steps and into the castle. It seemed that Parvati was still upset with Harry about the Yule Ball. "I wondering what's going on with Hagrid. I hope he's not ill." Mikayla spoke worryingly about her big hairy friend. "That was a really good lesson." Hermione said happily as we entered the Great Hall. "I didn't know half the things Professor Grubbly-Plank told us about uni—" "Look at this!" Harry snarled suddenly, shoving the Daily Prophet article that Malfoy had rubbed in his face during class, into Mikayla's hand. Mikayla quickly looked over the title, my mouth falling open as she read the first line.