Chapter 11

Hagrid's Tale

Harry sprinted up to the boy's dormitories to fetch the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map from his trunk; he was so quick that he, Ron and Emma were ready to leave at least five minutes before Hermione hurried back down from the girl's dormitories, wearing scarf, gloves and one of her own knobbly elf hats.

"I don't need to go under the clock" said Emma and she suddenly disappeared.

"Whoa, that was a little creepy" said Ron as Harry threw the clock over him, Hermione and Ron.

When they got down to Hagrid's hut, Emma knocked briskly on the door.

"Something's not right" they heard her murmur but before they could ask her what she meant, Hagrid opened the door and they could see why.

"Oh, Hagrid" said Hermione, looking at him anxiously.

"It's nothin', it's nothin'!" said Hagrid hastily, shutting the door behind them and hurrying to close all the curtains. Emma reappeared.

"Merlin's beard, who the hell are you" said Hagrid, gazing at her in shock and horror. Emma held her hands up like surrender.

"I'm Harry's sister. Dumbledore kept me quiet for so long because I was dangerous because I am a vampire. I came because I know exactly what you have been doing and what you brought back and I know it's not a good idea" said Emma all in one breath.

"Okay, okay, I get yuh. Just checkin'. Yuh can never be too careful" said Hagrid. Emma raised her eyebrows. He can talk.

Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed 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 still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, which made Emma suspect broken ribs. It was obvious that he had only just got home; a thick travelling cloak lay over the back of a chair and a haversack large enough to carry several small children leaned against the inside the door. Hagrid himself, twice the size of a normal man, was now limping over to the fire and placed a copper kettle over it.

"What happened to you?" Harry demanded, while Fang bounded over to Emma and almost knocked her down. She smiled at him and stocked him lovingly.

"I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine" said Hagrid.

"Uh-huh, sure. Did I mention I can see peoples past and future" said Emma and Hagrid looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Alrigh', alrigh' I'll tell yeh" said Hagrid. "I've been ter look fer giants."

"And have you found them?" said Hermione in a hushed voice.

"Well, they're not that difficult ter find, ter be honest" said Hagrid. "Pretty big, see."

"Where are they?" said Ron.

"Mountains" said Hagrid unhelpfully.

"So why don't Muggles...?"

"They do" said Emma darkly. "Only their deaths are always put down as mountaineering accidents, aren't they?"

"Come on, Hagrid, tell them about your summer and Harry will tell you about how he was attacked by Dementors" said Emma convincingly. Hagrid chocked on his tea.

"Dementors? Attacked Harry?" he growled while still coughing.

"He'll tell you about it when you tell them about the giants" said Emma in a calm, smooth sort of voice. Harry, Ron and Hermione beamed at Emma.

"Oh, all righ'" Hagrid said in a resigned voice.

He took another fortifying gulp of tea, then said "Well, we set off righ' after term ended..."

"Madame Maxime went with you, then?" Hermione interjected.

"Yeah, tha's righ'" said Hagrid, and a softened appeared on his face. "Yeah, it was jus' the pair of us. An' I'll tell yeh this, she's not afraid of nothin' it, Olympe. Yeh know, she's a fine, well-dressed woman, an' knowin' where we was goin' I wondered 'ow she'd feel abou' clamberin' over boulders an' sleepin' in caves an' tha', bu' she never complained once."

"You knew where you were going?" Harry repeated. "You knew where the giants were?"

"Dumbledore told them. I was eavesdropping because I was dead bored. And that is no metaphor" said Emma with a childish grin on her face.

"And I wondered how you could go out with George" said Hermione and Hagrid looked confused.

"Yeh are da'ing George Weasley" he asked.

"Uh-huh" said Emma nodding.

"God help you" said Hagrid and Emma laughed.

"Some think it's complicated, But its straight up fun for me, I don't, need no explanation, It's nothing more than what you see , My heart still feels divided, Halfway between wrong and right, I know I'm playing with fire, But I don't mind" Emma sang, smiling.

"Anyway, mos' wizards aren' bothered where they are, as long as it's a good long way away. B7t where they are's very difficult ter get ter, fer humans anyway, so we needed Dumbledore's instructions. Took us abou' month ter get there..."

"A month?" said Ron, as though he had never heard a journey lasting such a ridiculously long time. "But-why couldn't you just grab a Portkey or something?"

"Everyone is being watched. The Ministry is being a pain in the ass" said Emma, looking around the room.

"You swear?" asked Hermione in shock.

"Only when I'm upset or depressed or angry or any negative feeling" said Emma casually, as if she wasn't really paying attention. Her eyes were slightly dazed. "Carry on Hagrid" she said after a pause.

"We found 'em" said Hagrid badly. "Went over a ridge one nigh' an' there they was, spread ou' underneath us. Little fires burnin' below an' huge shadows... it was like wachin' btis o' the mountain movin'."

"How big are they?" asked Ron in a hushed voice.

"About twenty feet" said Hagrid casually. "Some o' the bigger ones mighta bin twenty-five."

"I've gotta go" said Emma with a smile.

"Now?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, now. Mercury wanted to talk to me" said Emma, grabbing her bag.

"Who's Mercury?" asked Ron.

"Oh, he's my friend" said Emma, opening the hut door. She hesitated and then she spun on her heels "Err, he's a unicorn."

"Right... okay" said Ron as if she was worried about her mental health.

"It's true" said Emma, stamping her foot and crossing her arms.

"It's true, Ron, most unicorns can talk to people they feel attached to or feel really close too" said Hermione matter-of-factly.

"Yeh, anyway, see yuh" said Emma with a grin and ran out.

"You wanted to see me" said Emma, setting down her bag and looking around her. She was sitting on a rock covered in bright green moss. Trees towered over her like guardians and the sun shining down on them like a spot light.

Mr Weasley said Mercury in her head and Emma snapped her head up.

"What about him" she asked urgently. She had seen something like this but it was always too fast and bright to understand it.

You-Know-Who is looking for something. Something he needs to have full power. His snake goes looking. He finds Mr Weasley Mercury replied scripted.

"So you're saying that Mr Weasley is going to be attack by Voldemort's snake?" Emma asked. Why couldn't unicorns just give straight answers? Mercury shook his main and ran off.

"I'll take that as a yes" said Emma and ran off to Dumbledore. She only hoped she wasn't too late.