Author's notes: Another story I discovered on my old hard-drive while moving files across to my new computer. Seeing as this site currently only holds two stories about Fang in over half a million HP fics, I though Fang deserved some more love, which is why I'm uploading this. I hope you enjoy reading it. :)
Hagrid was in a particularly cheerful mood. As he ambled through the Forbidden Forest, a sack of meat slung over his shoulder for Aragog, he hummed contentedly to himself. He loved working at Hogwarts, it meant he got to do what he loved and didn't have to abandon his oldest friend. It was very kind of Dumbledore to give him the position of gamekeeper after his expulsion, there was nothing Hagrid would rather do than work in the outdoors all day, dealing with animals.
Hagrid changed his hum to a whistle, strolling down the familiar path leading in the direction of the right clearing in the forest, when he heard the sound of a boy shouting nearby.
"OI!" he bellowed, lumbering in the direction of the voice. "THE FORES' IS FORBIDDEN FER A REASON, YEH KNOW!" What if they happened upon Aragog? he thought. Students might panic and attack him and his children...
As Hagrid crashed through the last row of trees between him and the boy, Hagrid saw that there was, in fact, a small group of green-clad boys standing in a circle. Hagrid drew nearer, and realised that in the centre of the circle of laughing teenagers there was a cowering, whimpering boarhound puppy, so skinny he could have been a skeleton, and the poor thing obviously hadn't eaten in days.
One of the boys in the group, who evidently hadn't noticed the half-giant approaching or heard Hagrid's bellows raised a large stick, and as he did the dog whimpered even more loudly and cowed its head in submission.
"Don't yeh dare. Don' even think abou' it," Hagrid growled, seizing the stick from the boy's hand and snapping it in two with his huge hands. The group all turned to face Hagrid, their eyes widening in terror at the furious expression on the man's face before turning and running back up the path, back towards the castle. The ringleader gave the dog a kick before leaving.
Hagrid dropped his bag on the floor and bent down to the boarhound. It had curled itself up into a ball, apparently used to its treatment. Hagrid's heart broke; how could anybody do this to such a poor, defenceless puppy? He reached out his hand and ticked the dog's head, and slowly, it uncurled itself and raised its nose to Hagrid's hand.
"There yeh go, you poor little mite," Hagrid murmured to the dog, and it sat up warily. "Hungry, are yeh?" He reached into the sack he'd dropped a couple of feet away and withdrew a lump of meat, offering it to the dog. The dog sniffed it suspiciously, unable to believe it was actually being given food, before tucking in greedily.
"There's more where tha' came from, little one," Hagrid said to it, as the puppy finished the meat and looked at Hagrid hopefully. He was rewarded with an even bigger piece, as Hagrid said "Aragog don' need this, 'e can fend fer himself. Yeh need fattenin' up more'n 'e does.
"I suppose yeh'll be comin' ter live with me, eh?" Hagrid smiled at the dog. "Yeh'll need a name though. How's abou' Fang?" he said, as the dog looked up. "Yeah, Fang it is. Enjoying yeh food?" he grinned. Fang looked up at Hagrid with what could only have been gratefulness.
"Yeh know, I've had all kinds o' pets in my life," Hagrid said to the dog, who was chomping its way through a third slab of meat, as Hagrid swung the sack back over his shoulder and stood up, ready to lead the puppy back to his hut. "Bu' I've never had a dog. Well, yeh may not have three heads or breathe fire, but yeh'll do."