Chapter Eight

The Friendly Giant

Several weeks had passed since Harry Potter's guest visit to Defence against the Dark Arts. Jenny could finally make her way, unimpeded around the castle without fear of getting lost, though the chance of getting accosted by Peeves didn't really change much at all. The lessons were becoming more and more interesting, the Potions more and more tricky to get right and unfortunately the homework had started to come in thick and fast. It was with great shock that Jenny realised she had now been in Hogwarts a full month. Her old home life hadn't been forgotten though, as her mother sent weekly letters updating them with news about the family and occasionally sending muggle chocolates for them to eat.

These occasional letters from her family, although making her miss her parents more than ever reinforced the idea that she was where she finally belonged. The normal world, the muggle world felt so mundane now that she didn't think she would ever be able to go back to it. Summertime was going to drag. Especially as she had been told she wouldn't be able to use magic.

Hogwarts though was more exciting than her old home. Though when she later came to think, it wasn't much of a fair comparison. Her old home didn't have a giant lake or a sweeping lawns to explore. She hadn't had much of a chance to explore the grounds either save for the occasional walk out to the Herbology Greenhouses. So, on the first Saturday in October, Jenny decided to go for a long walk outside. Admittedly she did have homework to do but, she reasoned, she could always do it on the Sunday.

She woke early, before anyone else in the dormitory had even considered, changed and hurried down into the common room where she excitedly waited for Cleo and Will who had agreed, although not particularly enthusiastically, to come along.

It took twenty minutes before Cleo and Will had managed to struggle downstairs, yawning and rubbing their bleary eyes.

The sun was just peaking over the horizon now, though the dark clouds looked to swallow it up just as quickly as it had risen.

'Why can't we do this later?' Cleo asked as they clambered out of the common room.

'Or never?' commented Will 'We've still got that History of Magic homework to finish, I don't want to leave it to the last minute.

Jenny frowned.

'If you don't want to go for a walk with me, fine. You can go back up to bed and I'll find a new friend and twin brother to hang around with.'

'Alright we'll come.'

Jenny smiled. She could always get her way with Cleo with that line. It wasn't something she did too often though, she never wanted Cleo to think she was just using him.

By all accounts it was early and Jenny had no idea if it was going to be too early. She knew there were rules for leaving the common room late at night but she didn't know how far into the morning the rule stretched. She voiced her concern to Will who seemed to pass it aside.

'I don't think it's going to be too bad. I mean it's only... six o'clock. If it was like, four then maybe it would be a problem but I doubt anyone would raise an issue being out at this time.'

Thankfully, on their way downstairs, they saw what looked like the dreary exhausted faces of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team returning to their common room after an early morning practice.

'They don't look to happy...' Jenny muttered as the Ravenclaws passed them.

'I'm not surprised. They've probably been up since around three.'

The front doors leading down to the grounds were wide open when they arrived in the Entrance Hall which, like the corridors above, were empty. Once outside however, Jenny spotted several cats lazily sunbathing in a small patch of sunlight, one watching a fly circling above their heads.

The morning dew of the grass slipped across the front of their shoes as they made their way down to the lake. The air was fresh and their was a gentle autumnal breeze that threatened to push the overbearing rainclouds in their direction.

They passed the Herbology Greenhouses and aimed their feet down around the lake with the forbidden forest behind them. As they walked they spoke quite freely with each other. Will gad started to ask questions about Jenny and Cleo's life before they had come to Hogwarts. His muggle studies lessons had only gone so far to tell him what life was like so to hear how computers worked and what the postal service was directly from Jenny and Cleo was something else entirely. Equally, Cleo and Jenny were excited to hear what Will got up to in the wizarding world, how his father bred and sold racing Hippogriffs, how he grew up on their ranch in Wales, and briefly about how Will's mother used to ride the Hippogriffs with him before she died.

As they walked, the weather worsened. The breeze turned into chilly gust, whipping up around them, the sun retreated into the dark clouds and around two hours after they had set off around the lake, the rainfall began.

The ground sagged under their weight and now the focus was less on talking to each other and more on making their way around and back up to the castle in as short a time as possible.

Jenny raised her hood only to have it pushed back by the wind almost instantly. Behind her she heard Cleo grumble. Maybe if she had chosen a different day to go out for a walk.

As they round a corner of the lake, they passed the Quidditch pitch where even now, several blurred shapes could be seen zooming in and around the stands. Jenny hadn't even given a lick of a thought to Quidditch ever since her first disastrous flying lesson but she knew Cleo was more than enthralled by the idea of the sport and would listen intently whenever Will would discuss the matches he had been to.

A bit further on from the Quidditch pitch was a wooden hut that sat alone at the edge of the forest. Outside, several pumpkins were growing in a patch, larger than any pumpkin Jenny had ever seen. This, they knew was where the gamekeeper and half giant Hagrid lived. Jenny had heard tales from James Potter in the Gryffindor common room about Hagrid during the war. He seemed almost too terrifying to believe.

Suddenly, a rumble of thunder up above caught Jenny unawares and as she gazed skywards for the inevitable crash of lighting that followed, she missed the root that was sticking up from an old yew tree. Her foot however found the root and she toppled over, her face finding the soaking muddy ground.

'Aah!'

It felt as if her foot had detached itself from her body. Attempting to detach herself from the gnarled root her eyes caught the concerned faces of Cleo and Will looking down at her.

'Jenny!'

Cleo knelt down next to his sister and place a hand on her shoulder.

'Don't move to much it'll only make it hurt more.'

'Get someone!'

'Who?' Will said panicking.

'Doesn't matter, someone's already coming.'

Jenny heard it too, the thunderous thumps on the ground then the feeling of someone very strong but gentle lifting her up from the sunken earth and into a warm wooden hut.

'Is she alright Hagrid?'

'Looks like a dislocated ankle to me. I reckon I can sort it out tho.'

The giant dropped Jenny onto a bed, she lifted herself up to see Cleo and Will hurry into the hut.

'Now what was it... ain't reparo... not instaurabo that'll take er foot off... what was it?'

'She really should go to the hospital wing Hagrid.'

'S'no matter I got it. Ah! Contrinumus!'

A warm feeling spread through Jenny's toes in an instant, relaxing her muscles and easing her foot into a more natural position. The pain had vanished almost as quickly as it had arrived.

Jenny looked up at her saviour. The giant gamekeeper gave her an encouraging grin behind a large beard that was scratched with grey. Behind Hagrid, Cleo and Will had come forward both looking relieved and soaked to the core. Behind them, at a giant table was Lily Potter and Hugo Weasley.

A sudden scampering sound forced Claire to look down to see a large German Shepherd dog nestling his soft head in between Jenny's legs.

'Get outta there Rufus ye dumb dog.'

Hagrid raised a wide hand and waved the dog away.

'Close that door would ye? Otherwise he'll run out and roll in the mud and I ain't spending Saturday cleaning up his bloody mess,' Hagrid turned to Jenny 'Ye alright?'

'Yes... thank you.' Jenny replied in an almost terrified voice which Hagrid didn't seem to catch.

'S'nothing. Reckon you'll take things a bit careful for a bit, though I don't mind saying, you don't half scream loud.'

'She always over reacts.' Cleo said.

'Hah... reckon yer right. You the Abels then?'

'Y-Yes.' Jenny flustered 'I'm Jenny, this is my brother Cleo... how did you-'

'These two.' He nudged his head towards Lily and Hugo.

'Oh.'

'And... I remember you.'

Will nodded. 'You bought a Hippogriff off my father. The auburn one.'

'Mayla! Emerich Douglas? Up in Snowdonia?'

'Yeah. He loved that Hippogriff was sad to see her go.'

Hagrid gave a warm smile.

'Well you tell year dad she was absolutely wonderful. Died last year unfortunately... but I still look after 'er young.'

A clash of thunder sounded overhead, Rufus whimpered slighting from his bed in the corner.

'Well, come on over, got some tea if ye fancy it, an' I can fry up some bacon too.'

With a lift from Cleo, Jenny stood, equally afraid of putting too much weight on her foot and of the giant who was now counting teabags.

The small hut was soon sizzling with frying bacon and the rustle of a self serving teapot which poured equal amounts in Jenny, Cleo and Will's mugs as they sat around the giant table.

'Hagrid was just telling us, weren't you Hagrid, about your... condition.'

'Yeh don't 'ave to tell everyone! Bleedin hell. Yer worse than yer father.'

Hugo turned away from Hagrid, awkwardly trying not to catch his eye. Instead he focused on Rufus who was watching the bacon sizzle with keen interest

Hagrid let out a sigh.

'I don' suppose you three know much about me?' he asked, turning to Jenny, Will and Cleo.

'A bit...' Jenny said awkwardly.

'Only what others have said.'

'Right well, I had a bit of a issue couple a years ago. Went to Cambodia to help an old friend with some research. He thinks I was bitten by something, cos ever since me hearts not been right... beating out of rhythm they say. A couple of them bugs out there will do that to yeh. Anyway couple o' weeks ago now, Madam Abbott confirmed it. I got Lewrins disease. All magical... effects my heart rate... gotta keep drinking a potion to keep it regular. That's Professor Bole's job, but mind you he had a hard job convincing the ministry to let him have some of the ingredients. Whelp Grass is a class A tradable good.'

'But once they found out who it was for, surely they'd allow it?' Lily asked.

Hagrid gave a warm smile 'Well... yeh can thank ye dad fer that. Walked right into the ministry and told em'. They didn't hesitate after that.'

He took a sip from his mug of tea, which appeared to drain it completely, and took another look at Jenny, his eyebrows narrowed in concentration.

'I know you don't I? Sure I do...'

'Um...'

'Whose your parents?'

'Claire and Phil.'

'Not Phil, don't member anyone called Phil. It's not... Claire... Keele?'

Jenny nodded. Hagrid let out a guttural 'Aaaah.' in realisation.

'Claire Keele... I remember her. Hufflepuff, with her little pigtails... how old is she now thirty eight... thirty-'

'Six.' Jenny responded wondering why Hagrid was so interested all of a sudden.

'I haven't seen her in years... what happened to her? Short stint in the ministry then vanished.'

He looked to Jenny as if expecting her to be able to give a precise run down of mothers activities ever since she had left school. Jenny shrugged and a quick glance to Cleo told her that he had no idea either.

'I dunno, she was always at receptionist a Doctors Surgery.'

'Uh... well... maybe she wanted a bit of quiet after you two were born? Some wizards do, don like bringing kids up in the wizarding world... dunno why though.'

It suddenly struck Jenny that she didn't know either. She knew her mother was a witch and that she had gone to Hogwarts. But that was it, nothing else had come out when she had been telling them of what went on in the wizarding world. It was never what happened after she had left Hogwarts. What had she done? Will's father bred Hippogriffs and everyone knew about Lily and Hugo's parents. Why hadn't her mother told her?

'Mum's invited you over for Christmas day Hagrid.' Hugo was now saying.

'I've told her, I'd rather spend Christmas here, she can come I'm sure McGongall wouldn't mind.'

'I'm not having my mother come to Hogwarts for Christmas.' Hugo said.

As Hagrid, Lily and Hugo began talking about the Potter/Weasley family, Jenny glanced at Cleo and Will, both of whom looked as if they had had enough.

'We better be off.' Cleo said rising from his chair.

'Not stayin fer the Bacon?'

'Uh, no... sorry. Think I'll just go and... rest my leg.'

'Oh ok then. Well yer welcome to come down fer tea if ye like. Anytime.'

Thanking Hagrid for the tea, they left the hut and headed back out into the never ending wind and rain of the storm, careful this time, not to get themselves caught on anything that could cause too much harm.

Much later that evening, Jenny, Will and Cleo were sat around the fire working on their History of Magic homework. Outside, the storm still battered the grounds. The lake had began to swell and, for what they could see, in the distant forest the trees were rattling against each other so violently, Jenny was surprised they weren't ripped from the ground.

'What do you think mum did?' Jenny said suddenly looking up from her homework, her quill held loosely in her hand.

'Oh... Hagrid said she was in the ministry wasn't she?'

'Yeah but... the ministry's going to be pretty big isn't it? It's going to be hard to say exactly what she did.'

'Why don't you write to her?' Will said, not looking up from his own work.

Jenny scoffed. 'Oh what would I write? "Dear Mum, Just wondering what you did with your life?. Love Jenny" I can't just write that and expect her to answer it.'

'Then don't ask her. Look it's no big deal. My dad new a couple that went into the muggle world to raise their kids. It happens. The magical world is a dangerous place, a lot of parents think their kids would be better off growing up in the muggle world. It gives them a different perspective on life, lets them appreciate the wizarding world more.'

'And your parents didn't-'

'It's not as if they never thought about it, they just never could. The farm existed long before I came along.'

Jenny was not convinced. Something about the whole situation felt off and she was going to find out what if it killed her.

'Hey is that Draco Malfoy?'

The voice was James Potters. He was sat two tables away from Jenny, Will and Cleo with his own friends. His face was pushed up against the window looking into the stormy grounds.

'Give up James,' one of his friends said 'I'm not falling for that?'

'No it is! Look!'

'It is... what's he doing at Hogwarts?'

All around the common room people began to scramble to the nearest window. Jenny quickly dropped to the floor and crawled past a couple of sixth years. She was lucky she was so small, she was able to push up against the nearest window and look down to the scene below.

There indeed was Draco Malfoy. Multiple flashes of lightning clearly caught him creeping across the dark grounds.

'Didn't you say you saw him when you went to Diagon Alley?' Will asked.

'Yeah, he was threatening someone... why's he here now?'

'Maybe he's come to see his kids?' Cleo suggested.

Will looked down to the grounds to where a flash of lightning made Draco's pale face just visible. 'Seems an odd way of going to visit his kids, sneaking through the grounds, late at night.'

Jenny's mind raced back to the day in Diagon Alley. Who had Draco threatened? Why was he sneaking up to the castle as if he didn't want to be seen?

Jenny raised her head to look up at Cleo and Will but they didn't seem to have any idea either and by the time she had turned her had back towards the grounds, Draco had gone.