A/N: I squeezed as much as I could without ruining it into this chapter, so it's a bit fast. The longest one I've written yet, and Madame Maxime makes an appearance! There should be only a few more chapters after this. Enjoy!

Thanks to all my faithful reviewers! You're the only reason I write this junk!


Dilnavaz stared at the door. Professor R.M.Lupin, it read in simple, black letters.

Why am I so nervous? she asked herself. It doesn't matter, you have too many questions, you need to have them answered.

She knocked on the door. He opened it, and looked at her blankly.

"Hello, Romulus," she said sweetly.

He didn't answer.

"It's me, Dilnavaz Patil? We went to school together?"

He seemed to be fighting back his words. His mouth twitched,"Yes, I remember."

"Can I come in? I have some questions."

He stepped out of the threshold, and went over to a shelf to fetch a kettle. Steam pored out of it and he poured two cups of tea.

"Go on," he took a sip of tea, glaring up at her from under his brow.

She faltered. He had changed somehow. He was distant, not at all like Romulus had been,"Odd things have been happening, you know. You-Know-Who, Fudge, the disappearances. It's starting to be like it used to be, not sure who to trust."

He grimaced,"I don't think its come to that quite yet."

"And...and the giants. You and your horn, I'm worried. You-Know-Who would love the giants to be on his side, wouldn't he? The easiest way to get them on his side is...is through you."

He stared at her. His eyes were the same, she realised, his eyes were still Romulus's eyes, soft and pleading. They looked frantic, like they belonged to a lost soul.

"Out," he croaked, pointing to the door. His face was screwed up, his eyes still the same, pleading, fading.

She felt a flutter of panic,"What are you talking about? What's wrong?"

"You don't have any right to be telling me these things! Out!"

She stood fighting back tears,"You've changed, Romulus."

"We all have," he hissed as she stepped out.

* * *

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Parvati were going out to Hogsmeade on the first day of Christmas holidays. They were hoping to meet up with Parvati's mum in the village.

They didn't need to, however, as Dilnavaz Patil was standing in the Entrance Hall, walking towards the doors.

"Mum?" squealed Parvati, dashing down the stairs, three at a time.

Dilnavaz turned to her daughter,"Parvati! I was hoping to see you here!"

Dilnavaz looked a lot like her daughters, Harry thought, she had the same build and shape of face. Her hair was shoulder length, cut in layers around your face.

"And these must be your friends you've told me so much about," she said,"Ron Weasley, I used to know your father, Hermione Granger, and yes, Harry Potter." She stopped to look at Harry. She had a sudden, sad, far off look in her eyes.

"You look just like James, but you have Lily's eyes," she said quietly.

Harry felt awkward. He had only met a handful of his parent's friends, and they all said the same thing about his appearance, overlooking his scar.

"We were just off down to Hogsmeade, Padma's already down there," said Parvati cheerfully,"Think you're up to a Butterbeer?"

Dilnavaz gave an airy laugh,"Lead the way, Parvati."

Parvati seemed very attached to her mother. They found Padma in the Three Broomsticks, and sat down at the bar for a Butterbeer.

Mrs.Patil brought up the subject of Romulus Lupin after a quarter of an hour chatting.

"I saw him just before I saw you and he was acting odd."

"Odd? What do you mean by odd?" said Hermione.

Mrs.Patil seemed to be struggling with finding an answer,"He wasn't like he used to be."

Parvati waved this aside,"Why don't we go do some Christmas shopping? I still have some gifts to buy."

They agreed, and set off down Main Street. Parvati and Padma went into Gladrags, while the rest of them went into Honeydukes.

Harry had been hoping to talk to Mrs.Patil alone.

While Ron and Hermione argued over whether to buy Hagrid a package of Whiskymints ("Honestly, Ron, do you think it's smart getting him any more drunk than he usually is?") Harry said in an undertone to Mrs.Patil,"I've been noticing Lupin's been acting a bit off, too."

She turned to him sharply,"In what way?"

"Strict, irritible, like. He used to be nice in class, now he's mean."

"How long has he been like that?"

"For about a month."

Mrs.Patil fell silent, chewing her thoughts.

Harry continued,"You wouldn't have any idea why, would you?"

"Last time he acted up like this," she said slowly,"Was when he blew the horn...oh, hell!" She slapped her hand to her mouth, as if she had said too much.

"What?" said Harry eagerly, but they were interrupted by Parvati, who had appeared lugging several shopping bags.

"We've got to get back to the castle, it's nearly 3 o'clock," she said loudly,"Bye mum!"

"Goodbye," Dilnavaz said shortly.

* * *

Lucius grinned up at the doors of Hogwarts. Night had fallen, and dinner would be nearly over. He could catch Parvati on the way to her common room.

He slipped in quietly, hiding in the shadows. The remaining students had mostly emptied from the Great Hall, and a few could be seen climbing up the staircase.

"Findius Patil," he muttered, placing his wand in the palm of his hand. The wand spun, then pointed its tip at an East-Indian girl with a long plait and prefect's badge.

He followed her up the staircase, an Invisibility charm over him. She went down a left-hand corridor alone.

When they came to a bend in the hall, he muttered the anti-Invisibility charm and crept up behind her.

"Boo," he whispered.

She gave a little squeal of fright and whirled around.

"Who are you?" she gasped, breathing heavily.

"I think I'm in more a position to ask the questions," he replied simply, raising his wand.

A faint flicker of realisation crossed her face,"You're Draco Malfoy's dad, Lucius Malfoy."

He smiled,"Smart girl. Now, would you please tell me your name?"

She mouthed wordlessly.

"Well, if you won't tell me who you are," he stepped forwards, trapping her in the corner of the hall,"perhaps you could tell me if you know a certain Harry Potter?" Parvati nodded numbly.

He grinned broadly,"Why, that's just made my day. Imperio."

* * *

Harry woke on Christmas Day to the usual pile of presents at his feet. A miniature figure of a Hippogriff from Hagrid, who flapped its carved wooden wings furiously when Harry picked it up. A thick green jumper from Mrs.Weasley, a package of Dancing Lime Lollipops from Hermione, and a roll of Sellotape from the Dursleys.

When Harry and Ron trudged down into the common room a half-hour later, Hermione was sitting there, buried in a book.

"Parvati's gone down to Hogsmeade to see her mum," she announced as they neared,"I want to go see Hagrid, he's leaving tomorrow."

Harry felt a twinge of sorrow. He had been pained over the last few days over Hagrid's leaving; he didn't want him to leave.

"Yeah," said Ron quietly,"I got him a gift in Hogsmeade."

"Not the Whiskymints," Hermione groaned.

"No," said Ron quickly, but Harry knew he was lying, his ears were red,"A compass. I spent half my pocket money on it, and nearly blew it up trying to magic an inscription on the back, but it turned out alright." He pulled a flat, golden disc on a chain from his pocket.

It looked much like a Muggle compass, but instead of North or east on it, it had two words; Home and Destination.

"See," said Ron,"He won't get lost that way, going to the mountains or coming back to Hogwarts." He passed it to Harry, who found an inscription on the back;

'Your friends always,

Harry, Ron, and Hermione.'

"Oh, he'll love it," said Hermione softly.

They left the common room soon after, an hour before Christmas tea. Hagrid was in his cabin, and seemed very close to tears.

"I'm leavin' this evenin'," he said as they sat down,"I'm meetin' Olympe in Hogsmeade, then Portkey to Austria."

"Austria. That seems so far away," said Hermione quietly.

Ron reached into his robes,"We, er, got you a gift." He handed the compass, wrapped in red paper, to Hagrid.

Hagrid tore off the paper clumsily, took one look at the compass, and broke into anguished sobs.

"I...I don' deserve friends like ye three!" he cried.

Ron patted Hagrid's arm and wiped his own nose awkwardly on his sleeve.

"Oh, Hagrid, please don't cry. You'll be back," Hermione tried to sound comforting,"Besides, you're going to get me started if you carry on like that."

"You'll see Madame Maxime," Harry added,"And, like what Dumbledore said, maybe even your mum. I'm jealous of you, getting to see your mum."

Hagrid fought back his tears and looked up, his bright black eyes blurred with tears,"Harry, yer mum would be proud o'ye. Ye don' have ter worry 'bout anythin' like that."

With that he gave another great wail and grabbed all three of them in a bone breaking bear hug.

"Rubeus, I would advise you let them go before you suffucate them," said a calm, familar voice from the doorway,"They're quite right, there's no reason to cry."

Dumbledore had appeared.

"P..Professor Dumbledore!" yelped Hagrid, letting the three go in surprise, to their relief,"I'm not crying because I'm sad, I'm happy to go, overjoyed, in fact."

Dumbledore smiled his trademark smile and nodded,"You have every right to be upset about leaving, but this is very important business."

Hagrid nodded vigorously.

"I've come to tell you that tea has started, and you could hardly miss one last Christmas lunch at Hogwarts?"

"Not at all, Headmaster. I'll just go ou'side an' get meself cleaned up," Hagrid sniffed loudly and went outside.

Dumbledore turned to them,"He really values your friendship, Hagrid does."

"I think we understood that much," said Harry, rubbing his ribs.

"I'll see you all at the tea," Dumbledore swept out of the cabin.

When Hagrid returned, his eyes substantially less red, they all went back up to the castle.

* * *

Sirius threw Harry's letter down on the table,"Something's not right. Romulus would've contacted us by now, wouldn't he?"

Mundungus shrugged,"Dunno. He's Romulus, a nutcase."

"I'm not particularly happy with the response, either," said Arabella slowly,"Maybe we shouldn't have gone through Harry."

Sirius let out a muffled cry of anger,"I trust Harry. There's no reason to doubt Harry."

"But lots of reason to doubt Romulus," said Remus quietly.

Arabella half glanced at him,"Why do you say that?"

"We were sworn to secrecy, weren't we?" said Remus carefully,"If Harry said something about the horn, he'd ask Harry how he knew, right? Harry wouldn't say a thing about us, but Romulus would get the drift that someone told him, when they shouldn't have."

Mundungus laughed dryly,"Now ye think o'that, eh? Got ourselves into a mess now!"

"Maybe we should go talk to him ourselves," suggested Arabella.

"I like that," said Sirius.

"I dunno," said Mundungus quickly,"Dumbledore never told us to contact 'im, righ'? Probably saw this comin', 'e did. It's our own mis'ake, no use tryin' to fix it up." Remus stared at him.

Sirius shook his head,"No. We'll do it; there's no other way to follow Dumbledore's orders without Romulus to help us."

* * *

The three of them we going to see Hagrid off that evening. They waited outside the school gates with Dumbledore at about seven o'clock that evening.

Hagrid could suddenly be heard, bumbling along the path from his cabin. He appeared suddenly, carrying a suitcase, his pink umbrella, and Fang on his leash.

"'Ello," he said hoarsly,"Are ye comin' down to Hogsmeade wit' me?"

"Of course. We've got to see you off, don't we?" said Harry.

"Well, come along then," said Dumbledore kindly,"The Portkey leaves at 7:17."

They walked down the road to Hogsmeade in silence.

"Here," Dumbledore announced, pointing to a twisted old oak at the base of a hill to the right,"You'll find the Portkey in the trunk, it's a hat. Here I must bid you goodbye, Hagrid, I must, regrettably, return early to the castle." He shook Hagrid's hand and turned back.

"He's a great man, lettin' me go like this," sniffed Hagrid. Tears were leaking out of his eyes.

"Look!" cried Hermione,"It's Madame Maxime!"

Sure enough, Madame Maxime was walking down the path, dressed in a sweeping travelling coat and carrying a pale violet tote bag the size of a shopping cart.

"Olympe!" Hagrid seemed to gather himself rather quickly as she approached,"You're here!"

"Oui, 'agrid," she replied,"Where is ze Portkey?"

Hagrid strode over to the tree and pulled a tattered witch's hat out of it,"Here."

"It's 7:13," said Ron, looking at his watch.

"Alright, then," Hagrid gave Harry Fangs leash and gave the dog an affectionate pat on the head,"I don't think the giants will like him, ye better take 'im."

"We'll miss you," said Hermione, biting back tears.

"7:15," said Ron,"Bye, Hagrid!"

"Good bye," Harry and Hermione called.

"7:16!"

"Good bye!" yelled Hagrid, holding onto the hat, as Madame Maxime was.

"7:17!"

"Good luck," said Harry quietly as Hagrid and Madame Maxime vanished in a flash of light. Fang whined and pulled on his leash.

"Jeez, I'm gonna miss him," Ron wiped his eyes. Hermione nodded, sniffing.

"C'mon, before I start bawling," said Harry, turning back up the path.

* * *

Hagrid could feel the world swirling past him in a dizzying whirl of colour. With a jarring jolt, his feet found rocky ground.

Looking up, he saw a cliff face, dotted with snow, against a velvet black sky.

"Eight o'clock in Austria," said Olympe quietly.

Hagrid turned to her,"Do you think we should try them now?"

"Why not? They're wild, it's Chreestmas, they'll be up until midnight."

Sighing, Hagrid looked back at the mountain,"Fridwulfa, we have business with you!"

Not sure what to expect, they remained silent. Suddenly, a boulder shifted away and a doorway appeared. A giantess, in dark green clothing and wild blonde hair, stood in the threshold. Pale light poured out from behind her.

She looked with surprise at the two. Half giants, she thought in awe. She had never seen one before.

"I am Juta Rastendotter, Keeper of the Gate," she announced,"You are half giants. What business do you have with our queen?"

Hagrid swallowed,"I'm her son, come to visit her."

Juta's mouth dropped. Shaking herself a bit, she told Hagrid to wait here, and turned back into the cliff opening.

Fridwulfa's son! Fridwulfa's son! She ran into the throne room, stumbled over the drinking and celebrating giants, and fell before her queen.

"Queen Fridwulfa, most merciful," Juta gasped,"There are two half giants waiting for you, and one says he is your son."

The room fell quiet and Fridwulfa jumped up, her ruby skirts rustling,"Lead me to him, Juta."

As they swept down the passageway, Fridwulfa's head pounded. In the back of her mind, she could remember something, something from long ago. A little child, little to a giant, with curly black hair like hers, black eyes like his fathers.

"Rubeus," she whispered as she rounded a corner, the entrance glittering in front of her.

Hagrid could she two figures now, Juta again, and another with black hair, with immaculate robes of red on, a golden band in her hair...

"Mum."

* * *

Harry sat on his bed, flipping through the leather bound book of photos Hagrid had given him in his first year.

He found the picture of his parent's wedding. He had been wondering about Arabella Figg and Mundungus Fletcher for a while, and now, after Romulus Lupin's and Mrs.Patil's odd behaviour, he was even more interested in his parent's friends.

There was a photograph of the reception. His parents sat in the center of the table, smiling. A blonde woman with her hair in a fancy bun and dressed in a blue dress sat to the right of his mother. An East-Indian woman, in the same dress, sat beside her. Arabella Figg and Dilnavaz Patil, Harry decided in his mind.

On the left of his father sat Sirius Black, and a ragged looking man with wispy, balding brown hair and a crooked grin. Mundungus Fletcher looked a little disagreeable, Harry thought to himself. He slammed the book shut and blew out his candle. Too much had happened today to dwell on his parents past tonight.

* * *

Mundungus paced the garden outside his cottage, frantic. They knew, they must know, the way Romulus was looking at him!

Now, said a voice in his mind, now. Tonight! Tomorrow morning! Soon! Before they get you! Quickly, the plan must unfold!

Mundungus raced back into his home and pointed his wand at the fireplace. Flames leapt up and he threw a handful of glittering powder into the fire.

"LUCIUS!" he yelled into the smoke,"NOW!"

There was a hollow rushing noise, and Lucius stumbled into Mundungus's sitting room.

"What do you want at this bloody hour of the night?" he spat, brushing soot off his sleeve.

"We get Potter tomorrow mornin'," said Nemo forcefully,"No questions asked. You get the Patil girl to trap Harry, and then we get 'im, alrigh'?"

"But..," began Lucius.

"I don't care!" bellowed Nemo,"Tomorrow, or I'll 'ave yer master cut yer throat!"

Lucius spat into the floor. He itched to get his hands around Nemo's neck, to wring him dead. But then Voldemort would skin him alive, gladly, at that. The little weasel wasn't worth it.

"Fine," Lucius stepped back into the flames.

Mundungus stood there wringing his hands. It had to work, it had to work, he couldn't afford it not to.








A/N: Dun dun dun! The plot thickens! It was fun writing the part about the giants, I hope you enjoy it!

Congrats to whoever guessed Mundungus as Nemo, I guess I did make it really obvious. REVIEWS ARE WONDEFUL, hint hint.