CHAPTER NINE
~ The Giant's Family ~

Lily Evans

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun. Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon that is already sick and pale with grief. That thou her maid art far more fair than she. Be not her maid since she is envious, her vestal livery is but sick and green and none but fools do wear it …"

Lily sighed as she turned the page of the old book. She had decided to spend some valuable time by herself out on the school grounds, sitting by the lakeside under a shady and peaceful tree. She had to admit to herself, that this was an extremely delightful place to relax and unwind. Romeo and Juliet was one of her most favourite stories and though she has read her own copy approximately twelve times, the romantic love tale still brought tears to her eyes, sending a fuzzy warm feeling in her stomach. Personally, she thought it was a crazy thing to do, killing one's self just because a person they liked had died. As if you would do that!

But I guess, she thought with a shrug, I am only eleven. I wouldn't have a single clue about loving anyone at this point in time. Just as she started getting engrossed in Romeo's chimerical and romantic lines once more, she received a blow on her back that sent her face forward onto the ground. A couple of squeals and laughter followed and Lily sat up raged, spitting bits of grass.

"Can't you two ever say hello in a much more … quieter … nicer … gentler way?" she said.

Paige and Felice looked at her with innocent eyes. Felice snorted, unable to keep in her laughter and Paige followed. Both were doubled on the ground, laughing as though they had just seen the funniest comedy show ever to be presented. Felice's curly locks were in a tragic mess and Paige's blue eyes were brimming with tears from so much laughter.

"Oh I don't believe you two!" Lily cried. "You knock the wind out of me one moment and the next you're laughing you're head off!" The pair took one look at her, drew in their breaths and kept laughing. "Someone explain to me what is so funny?"

Paige, tears streaming down her face, gasped and pointed at Lily. Then she asked, "Did we really – laughs – hit you that hard?"

"Can't you tell?" Lily said. "Now tell me what you two lunatics are laughing at!"

Felice hiccuped, and, mimicking Paige, pointed at Lily. "Teeth … grass …" and she continued to laugh.

Totally bewildered, Lily ran her tongue along the surface of her teeth. It was smooth and normal until she felt a bump. An unpleasant taste reached her tongue and Lily spat again, now running a fingernail along the groove between her teeth to rid of the blade of grass.

Lily smiled, surprising not only herself but Paige and Felice as well.

"I can't believe it! Lily Evans – the Lily Evans – actually smiled - !" said Paige

" – right after finding out that she had grass in her mouth." Felice continued, acting as usual as if she was Paige's twin.

"Nah, I just remembered this time when I got tricked into eating a Bertie Botts Bean, grass of course." Lily explained. "My sister and I were trying them when we came back from Diagon Alley. I didn't think she would want to even look at them – she hates everything that's got to do with magic. She still does, so I guess you could say she hates me." Lily sighed.

Paige and Felice exchanged looks, both unsure of whether to interrupt their friend or not. She seemed to be talking to herself more than to them.

"Anyway, she seemed to have a thing with the jelly beans so I was just basically there, staring at her, not believing that Petunia, my sister Petunia, was being friendly and fun for once. That's when I decided not to waste the moment. It's one of the things I'll miss most 'cause I know she'll never be like that ever again … unless I could bring home a Super Pack of Bertie Botts …"

Lily stopped and looked at her friends, who looked at her blankly.

"I thought you hated your sister back?" Paige asked.

"Oh I do," laughed Lily. "But you can't fully hate someone who's related to you. There's always that little teeny weeny bit in your heart where you'll love them, like it or not."

Felice pretended to wipe a tear in her eye. "Please," she sniffed. "don't get emotional on us. It' more than I can bare!"

Lily slapped her playfully and the three girls laughed.

"Thanks for the visit! I'd be glad ter have yer four again some other time. Not that busy these days," came a rough voice a few metres from behind them.

The three girls jumped up and looked around just in time to see Peter, James, Sirius and Remus emerging from the gamekeeper's cabin. The girls stared at the boys, taking in their odd facial expressions. Peter had a strange one, looking a bit like a power-hungry person. His eyes were wide open and he was breathing deeply with a slight curl on the corners of his mouth, all the while looking determinedly at something. Sirius was, to all the girls' astonishment, looking downcast and dejected. The usual trademark grin that he always wore on his face had gone somewhere only to be replaced by an ugly frown. Remus was looking happy, with an added twinkle in his eye. And James, well James had a rather uncanny expression – he seemed to be angry, disbelieving and disgusted, all at the same time.

Hagrid waved them goodbye and closed the door.

"Hey Lily," smiled Remus. "Paige, Felice." He nodded in their direction politely. "What are you doing here?"

James then did something unexplainable. At the mention of Lily's name, he jumped, stared wildly around until his gaze landed on the redhead. He gasped, eyes widening and yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Everyone looked flabbergasted. They all gawked at James for several seconds until Sirius decided to break the silence.

"James, I think Remus just asked the same question."

"We were just talking, reading, laughing – the sort of stuff that everyone else does when it's a weekend and there's no homework."

James was taking deep breaths and was still staring wide-eyed at Lily. Finally he gasped with what seemed like a large amount of strength, "I – I'm going … lunch … I'm hungry." And he ran off.

"Doesn't seem very good with girls, that one, does he?" said Lily, watching James dash up the castle steps.

The three boys said goodbye and followed James to lunch. The girls sat there in silence, taking in what had just happened. Then Paige and Felice followed suit and left Lily by herself. Ten pages after her best friends left, Lily heard a sobbing noise coming from somewhere not far away. Closing her book, she looked around, her curiosity getting the better of her.

She walked around, following the muffled sound. Every step she took sounded like she was getting closer and closer to her target. Finally, she stopped dead in front of Hagrid's cabin. The sobbing was coming from in there, she was sure of it. Lily walked as carefully and silently as she could up the steps, her head in an odd position way ahead of her shoulders. As a result of not looking where she was going, she tripped. Lily swung out her hands just before she collided with the enormous wooden door. The impact made quite a bit of noise and at once, the sobbing vanished. The door flew open and before Lily could stand up, she found herself facing Hagrid's tremendous figure, looking ten times as menacing.

"Who's there?" Hagrid said worriedly, obviously missing Lily. "Who was that?"

"H – Hello …" mumbled Lily from somewhere below him.

The giant glanced down and spotted Lily, sprawled on the ground. He gave a sigh of relief and helped her up to her feet.

"And what can I do fer you, Miss Evans?" he asked, smiling.

"P – Please, call me Lily," she said. "I just heard … heard someone crying and I thought … I thought I might go see if they were okay or not."

"Ye're a gentle miss, aren' yeh?" said Hagrid. "Cummin, cummin. I seem to be gettin' a lot of visitors today." Hagrid bustled around the kitchen while Lily took a seat in front of the vast table Hagrid owned.

"Cup o' tea?"

Lily looked around the small room, taking in the objects that lay here and there, looking like they were too big to be in such a small place. Everything was pretty cramped in but there was still that sense of cosiness within the cabin.

""So yeh heard me howlin', did yeh?" Hagrid said, handing Lily a hot cup.

"Er, howling?"

"Cryin'."

"Oh!" she said. "Well, yeah I guess. I really didn't know who it was but if it was coming from here then it had to be you erm …"

"Hagrid," he supplied helpfully.

"Yes," Lily squirmed in her chair uncomfortably. "Can I ask something Hagrid?" she asked after a moment's pause.

He looked at her with his warm beetle black eyes. They still had a faint shine of sadness and Lily's sympathy grew towards him even though she didn't know why.

"Why were you crying?"

Hagrid seemed to observe her. Then he turned around and pointed at something behind him.

"See that, Lily? It's a mirror of some sort. Tells yeh somethin' but the boys and meself can' figure out whether it's tellin' the future or not. Can' be though … some things you see in there are gone from this bloomin' world so howr'you s'posed to see them again?!" Hagrid slammed a fist into the table, causing it to shake.

Lily began taking deep breaths. "What did you see, Hagrid? I still don't understand what this mirror's about but I've got time if you need to talk."

"Me parents …" fat, large tears leaked out of Hagrid's eyes. He began crying. "Me mum and me dad … saw them both in there … there were smilin' like they had no problems in the world … both o' them looked happy …"

"What do you mean Hagrid? Aren't they happy now?"

"I dunno … s'pose me old dad's happy. He's dead now o'course … died in me second year …"

Lily gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"And me mum … I don' like talkin' about her," he said gruffly. "I've never even seen her! Left jus' before I was born. Left me poor dad to take care o' me." Hagrid looked at Lily carefully, studying her face. He seemed to have reached a decision and said, "Yeh know what, Lily? I trust yeh. I know I've only known yeh for around about three minutes but I trust yeh." Lily blushed.

"Thanks Hagrid but – "

"Can I tell yeh something? Can you keep a secret for me?"

"I …" Lily stopped and thought. What did Hagrid want her to know? Curious, she replied instead, "Yes Hagrid, I'll be glad to keep any secret."

More tears poured out onto Hagrid's red cheeks as he choked out the words. "Me mum was a giantess, Lily, a giantess!" he said in a hoarse whisper. Lily gasped. "Yeh have no idea how ashamed … how scared I am to – to be rejected. 'Course, I already have been at school …"

"So you've never spoken to your mother before?"

"Never in me whole life."

"Would you like to, though Hagrid?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well, if you want, I could help you find her. I'll research about what happened to the giants and everything, but of course, I'll need some of your help."

"Y – Yeh would do that, for – for me?"

"Why not?" said Lily. "It'll probably be a lot of work but I'm sure we can try … there's really no harm to it, is there?"

Hagrid suddenly jumped up and enveloped Lily into a bone-crushing hug. Lily laughed, feeling her own tears welling up.

"Are yeh sure that – that you want to do this?" he asked uncertainly but hopefully.

"Yes," Lily smiled. Then before she changed her mind, she asked Hagrid a question. "Can I look in the mirror Hagrid?"

"Wha - ? Oh! 'Course yeh can."

Lily walked up to the enchanted glass. She stood in front of it, feeling like a small bug compared to its infinite height. That's when she looked to discover what this mirror held for her.

It was her sister and herself hugging. Petunia was laughing, her whole face lighted up in a big smile. Lily was pretty much the same, her hands gesturing wildly and her mouth talking at a hundred miles per hour. Lily strained to hear what her mirror-self was saying but no words were heard. Petunia was listening intently to Lily, once in a while taking the chance to laugh. It was basically a dream that had never come true. Lily and Petunia acting like real sisters. Lily shook her head and bowed, hastily wiping the tears.

"What's the mirror showin' yeh?" asked Hagrid from behind her.

Lily couldn't bring herself up to answer him. For so long she had wanted to see what it would be like if her and Petunia got along. Now she had seen and now she wanted to experience. It was painful to even think about it. She wanted that kind of bond with her sister more than ever.

She decided to side-track Hagrid from his question. "You know what Hagrid?" she said. "I think we better take a trip down to the good old library and get down into some serious researching."