Heeeeeeeeeeeeey sssoooooooooooooooo, sorry about the MASSIVE delay to this story folks, but bear with me - I do have my reasons. The first being that I spent three weeks away on a holiday to Australia during which time I thought I would be able to keep writing but, as it turns out, I didn't. I then spent another week getting over the jet lag when I got back, and another week trying to get back on track with everything, including this story. Which I now think that I have. So, here we go again. Hope you enjoy and I am very much looking forward to the next couple of chapters after this one!

Dance of the Fairies, Flight of the Phoenix

Chapter 57:- The Forbidden Forest

"Hermione, are we sure this is a good idea?" Ron asked for what was probably the fiftieth time in the last half hour.

"Once again, no," Hermione shook her head with a heavy sigh. "But we've got to do something. This is normally where Harry takes charge and makes the decisions but considering the state he's in… well, it's up to us to figure things out."

"Yeah, but… the Forbidden Forest…" Ron moaned. "I still have nightmares about the last time I went in there. You didn't see the spiders, Hermione. You have no idea…"

"I have an idea! I've read about acromantula in books."

"There is a huge difference between reading about them and looking at pictures to seeing one in the flesh… the horrible, hairy flesh…"

"Ron, stop complaining. We probably won't even go anywhere near the Acromantula. I highly doubt they're the creatures responsible for all of Hagrid's bruises. They aren't exactly built for such heavy blows."

"Yeah but whatever is causing them's probably going to be just as dangerous."

Hermione had to concede that point, even though it was a very obvious one. She and Ron were currently lying on the edge of the forest as close to Hagrid's Hut as they could get and both wrapped in Harry's Invisibility Cloak which Hermione had persuaded Ron to borrow from Harry's trunk… without permission. It was highly unlikely Harry would miss it anyway, especially in the middle of the day. They were taking advantage of a couple of free periods to watch Hagrid in secret, since Hermione's attempts to get Hagrid to tell them what was happening had ended with him spectacularly avoiding the subject.

"Look, I'm not happy about it either," the witch sighed. "But if we're going to keep making Umbridge pin the blame on Hagrid for her hauntings then we need to help him in any way we can. And if he won't tell us the problem then we're going to have to find it our for ourselves, understand?"

"I know, I know, I know," Ron muttered, hunching his knees beneath the cloak. "…But I don't think following Harry around secretly is going to help us figure out what's wrong with him like it might with Hagrid."

"No… me neither. We're going to need to find a way to make Harry talk to us about that one."

"Any ideas?"

"A few. But I don't know if any of them would actually work…"

The door to Hagrid's hut inched open before she could outline what those plans might be and Hagrid peered out. Hermione and Ron immediately fell silent, hardly daring to breathe and watching as Hagrid inched his way out of the door with surprising delicacy and stealth for someone of his size. Fang tried to slip out after him but Hagrid turned back around and shut him inside the cabin.

"No Fang," he whispered. "Not today. Don't want you to get hurt, understand?"

Again he scouted the area for any signs that he was being watched before he hefted his enormous crossbow off his back and hurried towards the treeline, clearly hoping that nobody would notice him go. Ron and Hermione watched him quietly, easing themselves off the ground and hunching over to keep their ankles beneath the cloak as they hurried after him.

"He's leaving Fang behind?" Ron whispered in Hermione's ear. "He almost never does that."

"I know," Hermione nodded. "Whatever it is he's doing… it's got to be something big."

She had absolutely no idea how right she was.

They followed behind him as closely as they dared, neither of them willing to let him leave their sight but also not willing to risk having a crossbow bolt the size of a spear fired in their direction if Hagrid heard them and mistook them for a threat. It was slow going, and hard to to manage while both huddled together under the cloak particularly with all the branches and tree roots snagging at their limbs and trying to trip them over, but somehow they managed to pull it off.

And though Ron couldn't remember much of the forest's layout, he sighed in relief when he realised that they weren't going in the right direction to meet with Aragog and his multitude of spider children.

However, when he saw what they were really going to see, he practically keeled over in shock.

"Grawpy!" Hagrid cried as he entered a large clearing in the forest… which had probably been just regular forest until recently because the trees were all lying around the edges, torn up by their roots and heaved onto their sides. And sitting up against what may have been the largest tree in the forest was a man that was even taller than Hagrid but at least over five feet, with matted brown hair and a flat face. His nose looked like it had been broken multiple times and although he was wearing clothes they looked like they were made of earth and reeds.

"Is that…" Ron coughed. "Is that…!?"

"A giant!" Hermione squeaked. "It's… an actual giant!"

The giant looked up at Hagrid's approach and almost immediately he surged to his feet, casting a shadow over the invisible students. He stomped forwards towards Hagrid only to be pulled up short by the thick rope around his waist holding him to the tree, which looked like it might be the one tree in the forest that a being of the giant's size couldn't rip out of the ground.

"HAGGER!" the giant slurred. "HUNGY!"

"Yes, I thought yeh might be hungry again, Grawpy. Such an appetite yeh've got," Hagrid said with obvious affection in his voice. "Don't worry, I'll make sure the get yeh a fresh carcass soon but first I though'…"

"HUNGY!" the giant bellowed, so loudly that Hermione and Ron were stunned that someone from the school hadn't realised that he was there yet. "GRAWP HUNGY!"

"Don't worry, I'll get yeh food, I will," Hagrid promised. "But like I was sayin' I though' we could continue our English lessons firs'."

"FEED GRAWP!"

"Now Grawpy, we talked abou' this," Hagrid said sternly, as if he was lecturing a small child. "Yeh do not get yer way just by yellin' it all the time. Tha' didn't work for yeh back with the other giants and it won't work 'ere."

"HUNGY!"

"How about this then? I'll get yeh something to eat if yeh get this word right. It's no' 'hungy'… it's 'hungry.' Can yeh say that? Hungry. Huuuungrrryyyy."

"GRAWP HUNGY!"

"Oh, I think I 'eard a really faint R in there," Hagrid said encouragingly. "Come on, one more try. HunGGROOOOF!"

He didn't get much further than that because the giant had bellowed and taken a swing at him, clouting him in the shoulder hard enough to knock him off his feet and spin him over to land painfully on his front with a mighty crash. And before Hermione knew it she'd dashed out from under the cloak yelling. "HAGRID! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?"

"Wha…?" Hagrid gasped, pushing himself up with a grunt of pain and shock. "Hermione! What do yeh think yeh're doin' 'ere!?"

"What are we doing?" Hermione gasped, looking up at the giant who was now staring down at her in bemusement. "I think we're the ones that should be asking that question."

"She's right," Ron said, breaking cover to join Hermione at Hagrid's side. "Hagrid, are you nuts!? No wonder you've been getting so many bruises lately!"

"We had to find out why, Hagrid. We want to make sure you're going to be okay," Hermione insisted. "But… still… I never expected…"

"You've brought a freaking giant home with you!" Ron summarised quite nicely.

"…Yes," Hagrid nodded, hissing as he nursed his ribs and his shoulder. "Yes, I 'ave. And quite frankly you two are out o' line, sneaking after me like tha'. What if somethin' had happened to yeh and I hadn't known you were there. This forest is out o' bounds and as yer teacher…"

"Hagrid, you're more than just our teacher. You're our friend," Hermione cut across him. "You can't just push us out and expect us to not investigate."

"Yeah, seriously, you should know us better than that by now," Ron murmured. "But returning to my earlier question… are you nuts?"

Hagrid looked from one face to the other and sighed. "Alright fine. You want to know the truth… I guess there's no really backin' away from it now is there. This… there 'ere is Grawp. And… he's my brother."

"…He's what!?" Hermione squeaked.

"Well… 'alf-brother. We both 'ad the same mother anyway. I didn't even know 'e existed until I found 'im hiding in one of the caves on the edge o' the giant colony. And they were all picking on 'im cos… well.. he's quite small as giants go."

"This is small?" Ron breathed. "If this is small I'd hate to see a big one."

"HAGGER!" Grawp suddenly interrupted before Hagrid could explain any further, pointing awkwardly at the two new arrivals. "SMALL!"

"Yes, yes, well done Grawpy," Hagrid said encouragingly. "They are very small, at least compared to you. These two are my friends y'see. This here's Hermione… and this is Ron. You can say Ron, can't you? That's quite an easy word. Come on, Grawp. Say Ron. Rooooooonnn!"

"WON!"

"That's close! That's close!" Hagrid beamed. "And er… well… um, I don't think he's going to be able to manage yer name yet Hermione. Mind if he just calls you Hermy or something?"

"Why does have to call me anything, Hagrid?" Hermione asked. "Why is he here?"

"Well I couldn't just leave 'im there," Hagrid wrung his hands. "'E's the only family I've got left and when I learned that my mother 'ad died… and well, you remember what I said abou' the new Gurg. Golgomath's a vicious brute and no mistake - an' they were already pickin' on poor Grawp before. It would have only gotten worse for 'im if he'd stayed."

"You mean it could be like what you're going through now?" Ron asked pointedly. "Hagrid, he's using you as a punching bag."

"He don't know 'is own strength is all," Hagrid protested. "Least not when it comes to people that aren't giants. "He's no' used to pullin' 'is punches and giants is very rough people. But he's gettin' better. I'm tryin' to teach him manners and he's learning English alrigh'. Slow, but alrigh'. I'm hopin' that one day he'll be able to integrate with humans with no problem."

"That's a big ask, Hagrid," Hermione sucked on her teeth worriedly.

"Well maybe, but giants and people can co-exist if they want to," Hagrid said stubbornly. "My mother was proof o' that when she married my Dad… granted she left when I was young but so what? It's possible. But I'm no' just goin' to abandon my brother. You should understand that better than most Ron, considering the number o' brothers you have."

Ron didn't reply. Grawp had evidently lost interest in both him and Hermione, much like how a person might watch an ant for a minute or two before losing interest in that, and was pulling on the top of a nearby tree.

"This is barmy," he eventually said. "Absolutely barmy. But… I can see where you're coming from this time, Hagrid."

"You can?" Hermione blinked in surprise.

"Well yeah," Ron said. "This isn't like Norbert or Fluffy or Aragog. This isn't like the Blast-Ended Skrewts from last year. This isn't just some monster Hagrid's decided he wants for a pet. This is his family. I bet if you found out you had a half-sister you didn't know about, you wouldn't abandon her would you Hermione? Especially if your sister was about to be forced to join up with You-Know-Who if you didn't intervene."

"…No… I don't think I would," Hermione whispered. It wasn't often that Ron was the voice of wisdom but when it came to family… he definitely knew what he was talking about. "But still, this is so dangerous. How many more injuries can you take from all this, Hagrid?"

"As many as I need to take," Hagrid said firmly. "It happens less than it used to these days. It was definitely a lot harder when I was draggin' him away from the clan. He didn't want ter go at first. I never though' it was goin' ter be easy, but I'm no' giving up on him. But I didn' want yeh ter get involved either cos… well, yeh can't help me with this. If he hurts me I can just get up. If he hurts either of you… he could kill yeh."

"Nice to see you at least recognise your brother as a hazard to the health of students… now if only you thought the same about all the monsters you bring in,' Ron thought, but he didn't say that out loud.

What he did say was, "Well… maybe there is someone who can help you out with this."

"Like who?" Hagrid asked. "Anyone but me that comes near Grawpy risks getting stomped on. An' don't forget I'm keepin' him secret. Not even Dumbledore knows I brought him back…"

"HAGGER! GRAWP HUNGY! NOW!" Grawp suddenly ripped the top off the tree he was playing with and hurled it over the other treetops, making Ron and Hermione flinch as it crashed out of sight with a rending sound of splintering wood.

"Okay, okay, Grawpy I'll get yeh some lunch," Hagrid said. "Say bye to Ron and… Hermy…"

"Is that really what he's going to have to call me?" Hermione asked dazedly, but Grawp just blinked at them a couple of times before reaching for another tree.

"Bad names aside," Ron said. "I have an idea. Grawp isn't the only secret around Hogwarts right now is he? But I think I know the perfect person to help you out, Hagrid. I didn't see it for myself… but Ginny told me all about what the Master of Fairy Tail can do. If you want a giant to behave, maybe he'll listen to another giant."

"Hhhrmmm…" Makarov Dreyar murmured as he strode beneath the treetops later that evening, his arms folded and his eyes beadily flicking from left to right, keeping an eye on his surroundings. "You say this forest is full of dangerous beasts… are you implying that most forests in this country do not?"

"Well… not really," Hermione shrugged as she and Ron led him and a few other Fairy Tail members who had decided to join them along. "Most forests have some type of magical creature hiding in them but, there's not many that have things that are dangerous to human beings."

"In our world you always have to be wary in the wilds - there lies the potential for a dangerous beast to show up almost anywhere," Makarov said. "And yet you chose to build the school next to such a dangerous forest? It doesn't seem like the wisest decision."

"I don't think the forest was that dangerous when the school was actually built," Hermione said. "It's just… gradually filled up with dangerous things over the years until it became forbidden to enter it."

"Things such as giants?" Gray asked with a raised brow.

"Just the one giant… and I'm pretty sure he's the first one that's been to this forest in our lifetimes."

"We've got giant ape things called Gorians that live in the forest next to our town," said Elfman, with fist raised. "Takes a real man to walk through those woods and face off against them!"

"Oh sure, it does," Gray snorted. "It's easy for you. You just have to tell them to turn around and walk away and they do it thanks to your Beast Soul. How's that a manly way of facing them?"

"Hoo!?" Elfman's eyes flashed and he cracked his knuckles. "You want to see who's the more manly of the two of us right here and now, Gray!?"

"Knock it off you two," Laxus muttered, his voice immediately draining the fighting spirit from both Gray and Elfman at once. "I think this forest has probably got enough problems without you two rampaging about in it."

"Hmm… you can say that again," Evergreen murmured, pushing her glasses up her nose and looking around at the dank trees with distaste

"Juvia thinks Gray-sama would have won anyway," Juvia muttered under her breath. Others had expressed interest in coming when Ron and Hermione had mentioned that Hagrid's giant half-brother was currently staying in the forest, but those five mages had been the quickest to ask, so they had been allowed to tag along.

Hagrid was waiting for them nervously at the edge of the clearing when they arrived. And Grawp was tearing into the carcass of a deer, eating it completely raw with bones and all.

"Whoa!" Gray breathed at the sight of him. "That's a big guy."

"This is supposed to be a small giant?" Evergreen agreed. "That's just nuts."

"He is definitely… bigger than a Gorian," Elfman whispered. In fact, he thought silently, he must have been about the same height as the Beast was at its full size.

"Well, thank yeh fer comin' Makarov," Hagrid dipped his head respectfully. "But… but please don't get too close everyone. Grawpy's never been around so many humans before. He might think yer crowdin' him if yeh get too near."

"You sure about that?" Laxus raised a brow. "I'm not sure he'd even notice."

"So, what is it exactly that you want me to do here?" Makarov asked. "I doubt that I'd be that effective at being a teacher if I'm perfectly honest."

"That's not what we're after. Hagrid's the teacher," Ron said. "But… well, look at him. He's getting beaten up every time he comes out here."

"Beaten up's a little harsh Ron," Hagrid protested, but his following wince and clutching at his shoulder didn't really add credence to his complaint.

"All we're asking is if you'd be willing to sit in and… you know… keep Grawp under control when Hagrid's trying to teach him," Hermione said. "We can't really send Grawp all the way back to the other giants now. Especially since they've joined Voldemort. That means he's here to stay so we have to make the most of it."

"Hmm… I see," Makarov brushed his fingers over his moustache. "Well that sounds doable. Why don't we give it a try?" He nodded to Hagrid, who inhaled deeply through his nose and hobbled his way towards the giant with Makarov close behind. Everyone else watched quietly, though only Ron and Hermione were doing so with bated breath. The Fairy Tail members just looked on with silent confidence.

"Grawpy," Hagrid called. "It's time for yeh ter meet someone new!"

Grawp ignored him and continued crunching on a deer leg.

"This 'ere is Makarov!" Hagrid pointed down at the Fairy Tail master just behind him. "But, I think you can call him Mak, if you like. Yes, this 'ere is is Mak."

"Don't any of you get any ideas about calling me that!" Makarov pointed over his shoulder at the others, most particularly at his smirking grandson.

"Now remember what we talked about Grawpy!" Hagrid shouted as Grawp continued ignoring them. "It's good manners to say 'hello' when meeting new people."

Still Grawp ignored them and appeared to be trying to use a deer bone to pick his teeth. His hand reached down for the other half of the carcass that was left, but Hagrid hurried forwards and grabbed it, pulling it swiftly out of the giant's reach. "Yeh've got ter listen when people are talking ter yeh, Grawpy!" he shouted sternly, but his voice was quickly drowned out by Grawp's angry roar!

"HUNGY!" he shouted and surged to his feet in rage. He did not like having his food taken away - not in the least tiniest little bit! His arm lashed out in Hagrid's direction, aiming right for his nose… but suddenly his fist was caught and stopped flat in an even bigger hand. Grawp stopped short, stumped, and Hagrid gaped in shock. Makarov's arm was now even bigger than the rest of him, the diminutive Master having just reached up to catch Grawp's punch like it was nothing.

And the rest of him was beginning to grow bigger too, to catch up with his arm.

"Didn't you hear what your brother said to you?" Makarov growled, his body glowing a slight yellow colour as he grew larger and larger. "Didn't you care at all what he had to say? Dear lord, you're even more disrespectful than my grandson can be. And if you think that's acceptable then you're sorely mistaken!"

By this point he was even taller than Grawp and the giant was looking up at him with jaw slack as he kept growing even bigger… until he was bigger than any giant! Makarov's moustache bristled fiercely and he stepped forwards to shove his face right up next to Grawp's until they were eye to eye, his intense gaze burning itself onto Grawp's memory forever.

"SO SIT DOWN AND LISTEN WHEN YOUR BROTHER IS TALKING TO YOU!" Makarov shouted, letting go of Grawp's fist but doing nothing else but yell and glare. But Grawp still went down like seven tons of bricks, slamming onto his backside hard enough to make the onlookers stumble, with the exception of Makarov himself who remained rock solid.

"Good," Makarov nodded, using a foot to clear a patch of the forest and sitting himself down as well, still as a giant. "Now, Hagrid what were you saying?"

"I… I was sayin' that… this here is Mak…arov…" Hagrid stumbled over his words, trying to overcome his own awe at what had just happened and get back on track. "He's gonna be here every now and then… helpin' us out when he can spare the time. Say 'ello, Grawpy."

And this time Grawp seemed to put effort into paying attention. "Lo… Makurub…" he said, actually lifting his hand and waving slightly.

"Much better," Makarov nodded, picking up the rest of the deer and tossing it back to within Grawp's reach. "We can work on the pronunciation later."

"Whoa…" Ron breathed. "I can't believe I just saw that."

"You did it, Ron," Hermione grinned. "You're idea to bring Master Makarov in was spot-on! That's one of our problems down already!"

"Well really it was never in doubt," Gray chuckled. "Gramps is a force to be reckoned with."

"Although he does still have problems controlling his own brats," Laxus snorted. "Still, I suppose that's to be expected really, considering who his brats are."

"But he always knows what he has to do when the need arises," Juvia smiled. "Juvia believes he's the best Master the guild could ask for."

"Yeah," Laxus murmured under his breath. "Yeah… he really is…"

Before anyone could say anything else though, a voice behind them made half of the group jump:-

"Well, this is a surprise. And it is rare for me to be surprised."

It was a centaur.

There was no doubt in any of the minds of the Fairy Tail mages. A bare-chested man with a ragged black beard from the waist up but a chestnut brown horse from the waist down. He towered over even Laxus and Elfman thanks to his lower half. And his gaze tracked rapidly across all of them, taking them all in one at a time - his arms folded and his tail swishing.

"…My goodness," Evergreen whispered, momentarily awestruck. And the others agreed with her. In their world, centaurs were like fairies - nobody was totally sure if they existed or not but everybody knew what one was. Certainly none of them had ever laid eyes on a centaur until now. And neither had Ron. After all this was only the second time that Ron had ever entered the Forbidden Forest and the only thing he remembered from last time was the spiders.

Hermione, on the other hand…

"Hey. I know you," she gasped. "You're… you're the centaur that let Harry ride on his back in our first year. You saved him when he was attacked by Voldemort."

"Ah yes, I do remember you, young foal," the centaur dipped his head respectfully. "Yes, that was I. My name is Firenze. And what, might I ask, are you doing in the forest? It is, after all, supposed to be forbidden for Hogwarts students."

"We… we came to help Hagrid," Ron said. "You know… with his brother…"

"Yes, I am familiar with the giant," Firenze glanced across at Grawp. "The rest of my herd are very angry with Hagrid for keeping him here. They consider it an invasion of their territory, but they are grudgingly letting him do it because he has always been more considerate than most humans to us in the past. Though I am not certain how much their patience will hold now that there are apparently two giants living here," he looked to Makarov curiously.

"That's no giant," Gray stated. "That's just a regular human with magic that let's him grow to be that size."

"Is that so?" Firenze raised a brow. "You make it sound as though he uses a specific branch of magic that others cannot use… and clearly none of you five are Hogwarts students… could it be that you are humans that hail from another universe?"

"Wha!?" Elfman gasped. "How did you know that?"

"Well, that answers that question," Firenze smiled. "And to answer your own, I guessed. But it was an educated guess. After all, we centaurs knew about you the night before you even arrived."

"You did? How!?" Gray asked, bewildered.

"We read the stars, young human," Firenze indicated the sky, which was now beginning to darken. "We analyse the patterns in the sky to determine the future. A couple of months ago there were some extremely peculiar occurrences surrounding Jupiter. The heavens played out before us in a way that we had never seen before, but they told us that strangers from a far off land would be coming… and land beyond even the borders of our world. It was quite a shock even for us."

"You could get all that from looking at the stars?" Juvia asked.

"If you know how to read them," Firenze smiled. "And I do not wish to brag, but we centaurs have been able to read the stars far better than humans can. But nevertheless I did not think that you would be here today. However, it is an honour and a pleasure to meet you. People from beyond the heavens themselves… that is truly remarkable."

"You're a lot more composed about it than most people tend to be," Evergreen observed with a smirk. "Most people freak out, especially we're currently number one on the Ministry of Magic's hitlist."

"A misunderstanding, I am sure. You would not be here trying to help Hagrid if you were not good, decent people," Firenze said. "However, with all due respect I must ask you to leave the Forest. Other members of my kind might not be so welcoming of you. Even humans from another world are still humans, and this could be considered an encroachment on our turf, even if you are here to help Hagrid. It would be more preferable if a skirmish could be avoided."

"He's right," Hermione nodded. "I know you guys can handle yourselves, but centaurs aren't our enemies. Let's make this easier on Hagrid and leave. I'm certain he and Makarov have Grawp under control now."

"Understood," Laxus murmured. "Oi, Old Man. We'll be heading back to the castle now. Feel free to come back and join us whenever."

"Watch your tone, brat," Makarov glowered over his shoulder at his grandson. "I could still bend you over my knee if I felt like it."

"I'm sure," Laxus snorted, as he followed Firenze away, the other mages falling into step behind him. Ron and Hermione were about to do the same, but they heard Hagrid call out behind them. "Ron, Hermione… thanks. Fer everythin'… and yeh can tell Harry abou' this if yeh like. I'd prefer it if nobody else found out but I don't want yeh ter be keepin' secrets from him either. Okay?"

"Alright, Hagrid," Hermione waved. "Good luck!"

"Would be nice if Harry wouldn't keep secrets from us either," Ron muttered, but Hagrid didn't hear him. All three giants and half-giants watched them go until they had disappeared from sight amongst the trees.

"Those two really care about you," Makarov noted.

"Yeah," Hagrid wiped a tear away from his eye. "Sometimes I don't know how I lived before they came to the school. Them and Harry. I mean I had Dumbledore o' course, and many of the students have always been friendly with me, like Ron's older brother Charlie. But I don't think that any of them have been so considerate and helpful and attentive ter me as those three have. Most of the others end up intimidated by my size, I reckon. They're such good kids. I'm really gonna miss 'em when they graduate."

"I suppose being half-giant must have made you stick out for your whole life," Makarov observed.

"Yeah," Hagrid nodded. "I was always taller than the other children even when I was in school. Heck, I was taller than all o' the seventh years when I was just in my second year. Taller than some of 'em in my firs'. Nobody ever really commented on it but I could tell they were thinkin' height jokes in their 'eads."

"You get that for being at the other end of the spectrum too. The very short don't have it much better than the very tall. But I never let anyone get to me for that… though admittedly I used to beat them up whenever they tried."

"I couldn't have done tha' even if I wanted to," Hagrid chuckled dryly. "I would 'ave been expelled fer sure. Not that it mattered. I got expelled anyway, fer a crime I didn't even commit… though admittedly I did break the rules to an extent. An' though they never said it, I can't help but think that me bein' a half-giant affected their decision to judge me as guilty. Only Dumbledore ever though' I was tellin' the truth. Everyone else judged me. That's part o' the reason why I didn't tell 'em about Grawp when I got back. They told me it doesn't matter ter them that I'm half-giant… but still… I did wonder whether they could still say that when I introduced 'em ter my full giant half-brother."

"But they stood by what they said."

"Yeah… that they did."

"You would do well to remember, Hagrid, that you are not defined by your ancestry. Who your parents are, who you your grandparents are… none of that really matters when it comes to you yourself. All that matters is you. And when I say that I mean who you are, not what you are. Ron and Hermione know that. And frankly, only those that know that are the people worth getting to know."

Hagrid nodded, blowing his nose on an enormous handkerchief. "That's why I'm so grateful that they're 'ere now… when all this is happening. The stuff with Norbert, with Buckbeak, with Grawp… perhaps I couldn't have coped with any of it if they hadn't had my back. I'll miss 'em so much when they're gone."

"And yet when they are gone, they will still look out for you," Makarov smiled. "They have the spirit of Fairy Tail inside them. No matter how far away they are, no matter the distance between you… they will always watch over you and have your back if you need it. If you ever need them again, I'm sure they'll come."

Hagrid beamed. "Yeh know… I believe yer right," he sniffed. "When yeh talk like that, yeh really remind me o' Dumbledore."

"I will take that as a very high compliment," Makarov chuckled.

"But y'know," Hagrid added. "Dumbledore gave me a second chance when nobody else would. He allowed Professor Snape to join us even though he was once a Death Eater. He believed in Sirius Black when Harry and the others tol' him Sirius was innocent. Dumbledore always believes in second chances."

"Hmm?" Makarov hummed, knowing that Hagrid was getting to a point and spurring him towards it.

"I don't think it could hurt if yeh did the same yerself with yeh grandson."

Makarov said nothing for a time - he just sat there with his eyes closed and taking several deep breaths.

"Perhaps…" he murmured. "Perhaps… but for now, let us focus on the lesson at hand."

"Yes," Hagrid nodded, turning to Grawp who had been sitting there obediently waiting for someone to talk to him again. "Okay, Grawpy… what's that?" he pointed to the nearest tree. "We went over this last week remember. What's that?"

And for some time the three of them sat together, and although Makarov didn't really do or say anything else throughout the lesson Grawp didn't throw a single punch at his brother whatsoever.

"So… could you clarify something for me, Firenze-san," Elfman said as he took the lead of the other party beside the centaur. "Are your kind technically Beings or are they Beasts? Because from what I see of you, you should be the former but one of my friends told me you were Beasts."

"Yes, it is a rather paradoxical situation," Firenze replied. "Centaurs are a very dignified race. We take immense pride in our intelligence, our farsight, our athletic superiority over humans. We are most definitely beings. But we asked to be classified as Beasts under the human register of species, because the humans were adamant on including other species we, in general, find rather distasteful as Beings. Such as vampires and hags. We had no desire to be 'lumped in' with them so we chose to be Beasts. As did Merpeople I believe."

"That's a very peculiar way of doing things," Elfman murmured. "We don't have an official record in our world of what species is which. A species is just… a species…"

"Quite a healthy perspective, but it simply doesn't work like that here," Firenze shook his head. "In this world, humans tend to be very biased towards their own kind and condescending of others… not that I can say centaurs are any different. Though very few of my kind would admit they are at fault for that. Regardless, it is rare for us to mix with humans. They do tend to look on us rather negatively."

"That's why we've chosen not to use centaurs so far in our scare program against Umbridge," Hermione said. "We used merpeople because they're quite difficult to reach down there in the lake, but we even though we're using things she considers to be half-breeds we don't want her seeking retribution against the centaurs. Things could get messy if they did."

"That is very considerate of you," said Firenze. "Generously thoughtful."

"Well, we are trying to keep the amount of damage she can do to the school to a minimum," Ron noted.

"Juvia thinks that centaurs are magnificent," Juvia said, which knocked everyone for a loop because they'd never heard her give a compliment like that to anyone that wasn't Gray. Even Gray himself was a little disconcerted by it. "It was once Juvia's dream to ride on the back of a centaur when she was a child. She dreamed that maybe the centaur could run fast enough to get Juvia out of the rain she always carried around with her everywhere she went."

"Well, I'm afraid that will most likely stay a dream," Firenze said. "My herd would be most displeased if they found out I'd given a lift to a human a second time." He paused, his ear cocking to the wind. "And speaking of my herd… it appears you are about to meet them."

There was an instant stillness, allowing the distant rumble of hooves to appear in the ears of each of the humans. A rumbling that grew louder until over two dozen centaurs showered into view from off to the group's right, fanning out like perfectly trained warhorses to surround the group. Several of them had ridiculously large longbows clutched in their hands with quivers full of arrows nestled on their backs, and some had spears and even the occasional sword upon their backs.

One particularly large centaur with a thick black beard stepped forwards. "What is this, Firenze?" he demanded. "What business do seven humans have in our forest?"

"They are simply friends of Hagrid's who came to see his half-giant brother with him," Firenze said calmly and rationally, to a crowd of several very irrationally angry faces. "I was just escorting them back to the edge of the forest so they could leave."

"Leave?" Bane snorted. "They shouldn't have even been in here in the first place! This forest may be on the grounds of their school, but it belongs to us."

"But most of these humans are not part of the school," Firenze gestured to the Fairy Tail mages who were standing warily, ready to fight if needs be. "Some of them are from another universe entirely."

"…What?" asked another centaur in astonishment, to an accompanying quiet hubbub from many of the others. "Then… they are the ones we saw coming in the stars?"

"That is correct, Ronan," Firenze nodded. "There are others besides them, but they are among that number."

The centaurs didn't seem to know how to take this. Many of them were looking to the Fairy Tail mages with interest, even intrigue. But eventually Bane stamped one hoof powerfully on the ground and declared:- "If that is the case then this is an even bigger encroachment on our land than I suspected! It's bad enough having people from the castle beneath our trees. People from another world belong here even less."

"It's not an encroachment," Gray protested. "It's not like we're trying to usurp this forest from you. We just came in here briefly to help out a friend."

"That is still an encroachment," Bane countered. "If you climb over one of your ridiculous human fences into someone else's back garden then you are trespassing on their property. It is the same principle here."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing with the trespassers?" Laxus asked, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes as his body crackled with lightning, a sight that made some of the centaurs skitter nervously while others tensed to attack.

"Why are you so concerned with your territory anyway?" Evergreen asked. "Can't you share? It's not like any human who comes into this forest can really stay here indefinitely - they'd only wander in and out like we're doing. What's wrong with sharing?"

"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong with it - you humans aren't interested sharing with us so why should we share with you?" Bane asked contemptuously.

"What do you mean?" Elfman asked.

"He means," Ronan folded his arms and gave a disgruntled grimace. "That we centaurs used to be able to roam wherever we wanted, do whatever we liked and interact with whoever we chose to - human and Muggle alike. But then along came the precious Statute of Secrecy to keep magic secret from the non-magical. It made sense for the humans considering they were being branded as evil and hunted, but it did no favours for us."

"Exactly," Bane nodded. "Unlike magical humans, the Muggles always held us in high regard. They were in awe of us. They had legends about us. We were not hunted in the way that magical humans were. But no, the Statute of Secrecy had to cut off all magical creatures from the non-magical world. The centaurs, the dragons, the giants… everything!"

"And ever since then," Firenze supplied with a sad sigh. "The Ministry has been doing absolutely everything in its power to contain magical creatures in places where Muggles don't normally go. This forest is our home, but it's actually quite small for a centaur herd, especially when we are forced to share it with acromantulas. And we are hunted down and forced back by the Ministry if we attempt to leave it and find a new place. It is as if we are normal horses enclosed within human fences."

"Exactly! You limit our space so we protect what's ours," Bane growled. "You don't let us leave so we don't let you in. Now leave this forest at once, humans. And don't ever return or we will open fire on you next time."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to do what he says. And quickly," Ron suggested, but Gray was having none of that.

"Look, I know we were going anyway, but are you seriously saying that you're going to evict us because of the actions of the Ministry of this world? How does that make any sense? They're not our Ministry and they're hunting us too as a matter of fact. They don't want us to roam free either."

"Yes, we should be kindred spirits if anything," Juvia agreed.

"Kindred spirits? With humans?" Bane snorted. "That is almost insulting. And it doesn't matter what world you're from - you're still humans. Humans are the same everywhere, and that means that they are not welcome here."

"The same everywhere are we?" Elfman glared, stepping forwards in front of Firenze to glare Bane in the eye. "As a Man, I cannot let that pass. Humans are all very different from one another. You cannot lump us all together into one box, just as I am certain we cannot all lump you centaurs into one box."

"But you do lump us together into one box," Bane growled insistently. "Even if you humans have differing opinions on centaurs, you still all seek to control us. You wish to be the dominant species of the planet, and every other race must kowtow to your whims."

"Is that so?" Elfman's eyes narrowed, stepping slowly forwards - he was almost tall enough to be level with Bane even despite the latter's horse body. "That is an extraordinarily unmanly thing to accuse someone of being, especially when you've only just met them."

"You deny it?" Bane glowered… and quite suddenly he dropped his bow. The bearded centaur glanced down in surprise, looking at his hand as if it had betrayed him. But he wasn't the only one. Around the entire clearing, all the centaurs were letting their weapons fall from their hands, bows and spears clattering against the loam and the tree roots around them and none of them looked like they'd done it on purpose. It was as if all of them had suddenly fumbled their gear at the exact same time and when the tried to bend down to pick them up again their bodies wouldn't even obey them.

"Huh… what happened?" Ronan blinked, a sentiment many of the others echoed at the same time, looking about at each other in confusion.

"I happened," Elfman folded his arms. "I'm using my Beast Soul, which allows me to take control of non-human entities like yourself. I commanded you all to drop your weapons in my head, so you did."

"What…! You? You dare to use magic on us!?" Bane roared. "You dare to control us!? This is exactly what I was saying! All you humans insist that we obey you. You completely ignore our pride and…"

"I could completely break your pride if I wanted to," Elfman strode forwards until he was right in front of Bane, electricity practically sparking between their eyes. "I could have you kneel before me. I could have you grovelling, declaring me to be the manliest person you've ever laid eyes on in your lives and that you will never see a greater Man than I. I could command you to let me ride you. I could even command that you jump through a hoop or something if we had a hoop big enough for it. And I could do it all with just a thought… but that would hardly be a manly thing for me to do now would it?"

He bent down and picked up Bane's bow, handing it back to the centaur who took it with an expression of complete bewilderment. All the other centaurs bent down to pick up their weapons too as Elfman stepped back towards his comrades.

"I don't understand," Bane frowned. "What did you hope to accomplish there exactly?"

"I wanted to show you that we're not all alike," Elfman said simply. "Like I said, I could make you do anything I wanted. But I have absolutely no intention of doing so. I have no quarrel with you centaurs, and I have no desire for you to obey me. Because you are not Man's servants. You are your own race and we have no right to govern you. As a matter of fact, I think that you should have complete freedom to go wherever you wanted. And if you were in our world, you would have that freedom."

"We would?" Ronan blinked.

"He's right," Evergreen nodded. "In our world, magical and non-magical species live as close to being in harmony as its possible to get. Humans only drive away the creatures that seek to bring harm to them."

Gray continued. "But if you centaurs were willing to live in peace with humans, you'd be allowed to go everywhere you wanted. You'd probably even have your own form of government that works with the human government to keep peace between us. If some human tried to ride you without permission, other humans would arrest them for it if that's what you wanted."

"It's a great shame that it's not the case in this world," Juvia agreed. "We hate the Statute of Secrecy here. We hate that the magical need to hide themselves away. It's dreadful. And it's divisive."

The centaurs' reactions to all this was fairly mixed. Some of them still looked suspicious, like Bane. Others were actually looking at the Fairy Tail members with mild admiration in their eyes now which was a very stark contrast to just before. But even the suspicious ones were no longer tensed for a fight.

Eventually Bane coughed and muttered, "You are saying you would not fence us in like… common mules?"

"If it were up to us, the entire way that this world operates would change," Elfman said. "Of course, its not up to us - we have no control over what the Ministry of Magic here does. But we will treat you with respect. And we won't ask for anything in return, though it would be nice if you could treat us with respect in turn. Heck, more than that. It would be nice… if we could even be friends."

That caused quite a stir among the centaurs. None of them even seemed sure how to process that - as if the idea of being friends with humans was completely preposterous yet somehow didn't sound so bad at the same time. A sentiment that Bane voiced out loud by saying:- "Friends? No human has ever been friends with a centaur for hundreds of years. Some humans, like Hagrid and Dumbledore, do have our respect… but friends? Most certainly not."

"That is not quite true," Firenze said, his arms folded. "I consider Hagrid to be a friend. And based on what I know of these humans, being friends with them does not sound so bad to me either. And while it is true that most humans and most centaurs are not on good terms, there was a time where we did live side by side, when we actually were friends. We know the tales of Chiron and is exploits with Heracles and Achilles better than most humans do. And while I believe just as much as the rest of you that humans should not rule us, I see no problem with befriending them either."

The wall of silence that followed was quite palpable, broken only by the occasional sound of a centaur pawing at the ground, all of them looking to the five Fairy Tail members like they were interestingly shaped stones, but the previous hostility had all but disappeared.

It was Ronan that eventually spoke up again. "You have given us… much to digest," he said. "But I think it would be prudent for you to continue on your way. As of right now, you are still encroaching on our lands. And from this point on, it would be best that you not return unless accompanied by Hagrid at all times… or by invitation."

"Is that latter likely to happen?" Laxus asked, with a raised brow.

"…I doubt it. But who knows?" Ronan shrugged. "Off you go humans. And… good luck to you."

The centaurs parted ways to let them through, even Bane moving off to the side, and Firenze led the way through the gap to continue their journey back to the school. The centaurs watched them go for a while, and it wasn't until they were out of sight that the thundering sound of hooves started up again, dying down quickly as the herd ran off deeper into the forest.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Firenze remarked. "I was quite certain that Bane would open fire. He is easily the most anti-human of all the centaurs in our herd, which is saying a lot because all of them dislike humans. But you won their respect back there. And for a human to do such a thing makes them worth of even more respect. Which is why Dumbledore has a lot, and why Hagrid used to before he brought that giant home with him."

"Well, I happen to agree with everything you said there," Hermione voice up. "That was very noble of you guys and the Ministry absolutely should let centaurs have more space and more freedom. Just like they should give more rights to House Elves."

"Oh god, here comes the SPEW again," Ron rolled his eyes.

"How many times, Ron," Hermione glowered at him. "It's not SPEW. It's S.P.E.W!"

"I know what it is, but that doesn't change the fact that you're trying to help House Elves get something that they don't even want," said Ron. "But if you were to start up something like for centaurs - well, that would totally make sense cos they DO want more rights, don't they?"

"…Maybe I will start something like that for centaurs," Hermione murmured. "…Though that doesn't change the fact that House Elves need better treatment. Period."

"Yeah, I get it," Ron chuckled, turning to look back in the direction they'd come from. "I wonder what the centaurs would think of you trying to help them. Better make sure the name that this society doesn't sound… like…"

The words died in his throat, and suddenly Ron felt that his heart had not only completely stopped beating but had also been plunged into the icy cold depths of the Hogwarts lake. There was… something… emerging from the darkness of the trees behind him. Something big and quadrupedal, making Ron wonder for a split second whether one of the centaurs had followed them… until it emerged into a patch of light and he got a good look at it… and it got a good look at him.

Ron's jaw dropped open in terror. The creature staring balefully in his direction had the body of a gigantic leopard, but it's head was that of a snake! A cobra, to be exact, with mottled green scales and even greener eyes. It's wide mouth had row upon row of vicious looking fangs, and it's forked tongue slipped out rapidly and repeatedly, flicking the air as if it could already taste Ron from several metres away. It was a creature unlike anything that Ron had ever seen, heard of or read about before, and yet there it was, staring right at him!

"G… g…" he tried to get the other's attention as they were walking on without him but his voice came out as nothing more than a hoarse whisper. But fortunately for him, Hermione noticed his sudden absence and turned back to look. And when she spotted the creature she was much more vocal about it.

"AAAHHH!" she screamed. "WHAT THE… WHAT IS THAT!?"

The rest of the company instantly wheeled around and when they set eyes on the creature they sprang into action, rushing forwards to flank the Hogwarts students and prepare themselves for battles, Firenze stringing an arrow to his bow while the rest of them triggered their magic. The creature was easily as tall as Firenze, but it didn't stick around long enough for a confrontation to start. It just swept a blank gaze over the group, flicked its tongue one last time, and then turned to bound away into the trees, disappearing into the foliage like a whisper in the night despite its massive size, and leaving the group utterly bewildered in its wake.

"The hell was that?" Gray asked, a sentiment the rest of the Fairy Tail mages shared.

"Was… was that… what I think it was?" Hermione squeaked. "Head of a snake… body of a leopard… I've only read about one thing that matches that description."

"That… was the Questing Beast," Firenze breathed, his voice extremely grave. And that was enough to make Hermione gasp, having just had her suspicions confirmed.

"The what?" Ron asked, finally recovering his wits enough to back away towards Hermione, almost expecting the creature to come bursting out again at any moment to try and devour him. "The Questing Beast? I've… never heard of that before."

"That is not surprising," Firenze murmured. "To my knowledge, the Questing Beast has not been seen by anyone for hundreds of years. Most humans have probably never heard of it, and even we centaurs thought it might just be a legend. For it to show up now…"

"Is it really that big a deal?" Laxus raised a brow. "So a creature everyone thought was extinct just turned up. Is that a problem?"

"It is if it's a Questing Beast," Firenze whispered. "Have any of you heard of the Grim?"

"No," said the Fairy Tail Mages as one, while Ron and Hermione both said, "Yes." Ron continued with, "The Grim is an omen of death. A giant, spectral dog and if you see it then you die. My Uncle Bilius saw one once and he died less than a day later."

"So the stories go," Hermione said. "But if you ask me it's a load of superstitious drivel."

"You only say that because of how much Trelawney banged on about it," Ron glared at her. "She was making light of a terrible omen sure, but the Grim is a real thing."

"I still say that people who think they've seen a Grim just die of fright."

"Well, regardless of what you think of the Grim," Firenze cut across them before an argument could start. "According to the legends, the Questing Beast is also a terrible omen. Only one exists at any one time and when the current Questing Beast dies it is said a new one will be born on the same day. But while the Grim is an omen of death… the Questing Beast is an omen of chaos… and disaster."

"Disaster?" Evergreen breathed. "As in… widespread?"

"Yes," Firenze nodded. "Every time that it's seen, it supposedly means that a massive disaster is imminent."

"Well yes… in the stories," Hermione said sceptically, but with a hint of nervousness in the back of her voice. "But you don't really believe that, do you? …Do you?"

"As I said, it's been hundreds of years since anyone saw a Questing Beast," Firenze murmured. "Who knows if the legends are true or not? But one thing I am certain of - there's a reason it's been seen now. It's a creature of Old Magic… the Old Religion, I believe it's called. If it's shown up now after such a long absence, that means that the power of the Old Religion is surely rising once again. Which means… the Questing Beast could show up again in the future. And I pity anyone who might stumble across it unprepared."

"Because of the omen?" Juvia asked.

"That… and because it is deadly. The legends also say a single bite from the Questing Beast brings death. Not through venom like a Basilisk bite, but through the magic of the Old Religion. And unlike the Basilisk, it has no cure. If those fangs pierce your flesh, not even phoenix tears could save you."

A wall of silence hung over the group, each trying to process the information. Even Hermione, dubious as she was about all things related to divination, and the Fairy Tail mages, who knew comparatively little about this world, could all tell that this was a big deal! It was unclear how big at this point, but even if the Questing Beast was not a terrible omen, it's presence surely meant that something big was going to happen.

And soon.

Ron and Hermione said nothing to each other on their way back to the Gryffindor Tower later on. What had started as an attempt to find out what was wrong with Hagrid had ended up far more eventful than they'd expected it to be and the both of them were still trying to process it all. But that last part with the Questing Beast had particularly taken the cake. Even Hermione hadn't thought that the Questing Beast was a real thing, omen or no omen.

She silently vowed not to mention it to Luna unless she had to. If Crumple-Horned Snorkacks turned out to be real one day too… yeah, she'd never live that one down.

But as soon as they entered the Common Room they were immediately set upon by Ginny.

"Oh thank god you guys are back," she said quickly, her face ashen.

"What? What's going on?" Hermione asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course there's something wrong!" Ginny cried, punctuating her words by waving a wand in their faces urgently. But it wasn't her wand… many wands might look similar to one another but Ron and Hermione had been with Harry long enough to recognise his wand from most others.

"What the… what are you doing with Harry's wand, Gin?" Ron asked, perplexedly.

"I had to take it off him! If I hadn't… Ron… he was going to snap it!"

"He what!?" Ron and Hermione yelled at the same time.

"You heard me!"

"Ginny, start from the beginning. What happened?"

"I came back from lessons about half an hour ago and I found Harry sitting in the corner with a face like he'd just swallowed a bucket of pond slime or something. Nothing out of the ordinary really but I still went over to ask him what was wrong and if there was anything I could do… you know, the standard stuff. And of course he said no and I tried to get him to open up for a while, but then he sat up suddenly like he'd had some spark of realisation and he pulled out his wand. I thought he was going to hex me for a second there but he just stared at it… as if it was suddenly the most repulsive thing he'd ever seen in his life."

"But… why would he do that…?" Ron floundered, wracking his brain for some type of explanation.

"I don't know, but after that he seized the other end and it looked like he was about to snap it completely into two pieces," Ginny related. "If I hadn't pulled out my own wand and disarmed him, he would surely have done it! And then he kept demanding I give it to him so he could throw it in the fire or something until he gave up and stormed off to his room without it!"

"Oh Merlin," Ron whispered as he took Harry's wand and stared at it, deep in shock. "I knew Harry was bad… I knew Harry was feeling like dragon crap right now but I didn't realise it was this bad… if he throws away his wand… it's like he's giving up on being a wizard completely!"

"But why!?" Ginny insisted. "Why would he do that?"

"…I… have a theory," Hermione said. "Or… at least part of one. Whatever this is, whatever's bothering him, it has something to do with Harry's… relationship… with Voldemort."

"How do you figure that?" Ron blinked.

"Because… Harry's wand has the shares a core with Voldemort. Both of them have a phoenix feather that came from the same phoenix."

"Wha…?" Ron blinked, while Ginny looked stunned. "Did he… did he tell you that?"

"No, but I figured it out. That thing that he talked about back in the graveyard, when his and Voldemort's wands linked themselves? That's Priori Incantatem, and that can only happen when wands share a core from the same source. But Harry never told us up front so I never mentioned it. But it's never made him hate his wand before today! So… if he suddenly wants to break his own wand that means whatever's bothering him… it has to do with Voldemort somehow. I just… don't know how."

"Well whatever reason it is, we'd better do something about it pretty damn quickly," Ron said gravely.

Hermione was right on the money of course, and Harry had buried his face in his pillow upstairs, fist clenching and unclenching repeatedly. It had suddenly come to him as he brooded about his whole situation as a Horcrux - what if his wand had chosen him for the piece of Voldemort inside him and not for him. Ollivander had said that the wand chose the wizard after all… and he'd suddenly found himself wondering whether he was even the wizard his own wand wanted to serve.

He'd never thought that much about the connection before, believing it to be a complete coincidence. But if that was the reason, then he didn't want to have anything to do with it. He'd rather go full Muggle and face Voldemort with just his fists than keep using a wand that wanted to serve his parents' murderer.

As far as Harry was concerned right now, he didn't even deserve to be a wizard.

(Author's Note:- I couldn't remember a time in the books where Harry ever actually mentioned that his wand shared a core with Voldemort's to Ron and Hermione before the Deathly Hallows at the very least, so if I got that detail wrong somebody let me know and I'll amend the chapter accordingly.)