Before Harry had a chance to respond, the last of the Watermelon Steven's was entering Lion's mane. For the first time Harry noticed that they were all carrying spears and shields made of thick, heavy oak, as well as massive rolls of super thick rope. He doubted that he would have been able to pick up one of the shields even with both hands, but the Steven's seemed to have no problems with it.
A moment later, Steven was pulling him on top of Lion. It shocked him, just how powerful Steven's grip was. There was no way he would have been able to resist, even had he tried.
There were times, sometimes as long as weeks at a time that Harry forgot that Steven wasn't completely human. Moments like this reminded him.
"Wait," he finally protested; unfortunately it was too late. Lion was already moving. He roared, and a moment later they were someplace else.
He grabbed Steven's shirt and held on as tightly as he could. The idea of falling off and being lost forever in this place that was not a place didn't appeal to him at all. He wasn't sure that even Lion could find him if that happened.
A moment later they were back in darkness.
His eyes were still trying to adjust when Lion sat down and Steven hauled him off.
They were at the rim of a valley near the mouth of a cave, and below them there was chaos. Dozens of giants were fighting each other, and the sound was enormous.
"Steven...Harry...what'r ye doin here?" Hagrid's voice came from behind them.
Harry spun around and saw Hagrid and Madam Maxine behind them. They were standing together at the lip of a cave.
"She sent us," Steven said from the darkness beside him.
Hagrid must have known what he meant, because his expression cleared.
"You'd better stay here by me," he told Harry. "The giants don't have to mean to hurt ye to do it."
Harry noticed that Hagrid didn't say anything to Steven. Of course, after several years of fighting monsters with him, he had to have a good idea of what Steven was capable of.
The Watermelon Stevens were already exiting Lion's mane. They moved quickly and in an orderly fashion.
Given the village they'd been in, they had to be more intelligent than the automatons he and Ron had assumed they were when Steven had left one in his room. It creeped him out a little, actually. If they were smart enough to be farmers on their own, they were Beings at least.
"We're not trying to hurt them," Steven said to the Watermelon soldiers as they stood before him. "But we're not going to let them hurt each other either."
The Stevens simply stared at him before lifting their spears in unison.
"Go," Steven said. "You know what to do."
A moment later, the Stevens charged silently down the slope. The giants below didn't even notice as they slipped into the battle.
The giants seemed to be fighting each man for himself. Unlike them, the Stevens worked as a unit, each man part of a team. They ducked and rolled, agilely avoiding giant legs and feet as they prepared themselves.
It shouldn't have made much of a difference. There were eighty giants and only a hundred Stevens, and despite the plants' supernatural strength no one of them was close to a match for a full grown giant. Individually, each was probably a little weaker than Hagrid.
Teamwork made all the difference. They worked in teams of six, using ropes as thick as Harry's calves to trip giants and then tie them up. They didn't have the numbers to attack the entire battlefield at once, so they started with the fifteen giants closest to the cave.
It was shocking how quickly they managed to take the giants down.
The first set of giants involved no casualties among the Stevens; they'd attacked with surprise and had been able to overwhelm their enemies without opposition.
One giant gave a surprised cry, and it was enough to warn the others of the danger.
The battle became harder then. It took them twice as long to subdue the second set of giants, and there were a couple of casualties, exploded into juice and seeded watermelon flesh. Harry had a moment to wonder if the seeds would sprout and create a whole new generation of these sentient watermelons.
Finally alert to the danger, the giants stopped fighting each other entirely even as a little over half their numbers were on the ground.
Harry realized that Steven was no longer beside him. He blinked as he realized that he was somewhere down in the middle of the chaos.
As strong and powerful as the giants were, they couldn't match the watermelon's speed and agility. Each watermelon was at a quarter as strong as the giants, and while they didn't have the mass that the giants had, they were everywhere.
Some giants were quicker than others; they managed to avoid being tripped, because once off their feet their greatest advantage against the Stevens was gone.
Despite everything, the giant's numbers dwindled. There were thirty, then twenty, then ten and fifteen. Harry finally spotted Steven. He wasn't actually fighting; instead he was transfiguring massive piles of rope from plants and detritus on the ground.
As much rope as the Stevens had brought with them, it couldn't be nearly enough to tie up eighty giants. Harry wondered where Steven had learned to transfigure rope and why.
One giant saw him and attempted to attack, but he was swarmed by a dozen Stevens and he went down in the space of a moment.
Madam Maxine murmured something to Hagrid that Harry didn't catch. Hagrid simply grunted in assent.
Within twenty minutes, the last of the giants fell. There had been casualties among the watermelons; as close as Harry could see, at least a dozen had been destroyed.
The Stevens were doing something now; at the edge of the battlefield they were clearing out a space and building a structure; it took them almost five minutes. It took time for Harry to realize that it was a throne.
Steven lit fires at the top of torches surrounding his throne.
Harry jerked as he felt a touch on his hand. He looked down and saw one of the Stevens gesturing for him to follow.
He glanced up at Hagrid, then sighed. He followed the Steven, slipping down the steep slope leading into the valley below.
The throne was sized for a giant, and Steven gestured for him to sit.
His remaining Stevens gathered behind him in a line four Stevens deep on each side of the throne. They began to strike their spears against their shields in unison, growling in unison.
Harry was shocked. He hadn't even realized that they were able to speak.
A moment later, Steven put this wand to his throat, and he spoke. His voice was amplified so that it spread across the valley.
"Voldemort's men have told some of you that Wizards are weak, that they are divided. Their side will win, and they will bring justice to giants."
He paused, looking at the silhouettes on the ground all around them; shadows of prone forms.
"They lie." Steven said. "Voldemort hates his own kind; what makes you think he has any room in his heart for any other beings?"
He stood and said, "Dumbledore has an army; you've seen the beginnings of it tonight. In the whole world there are only three people Voldemort fears...Dumbledore, Steven Universe, and Harry Potter."
Fears was probably an exaggeration, Harry reflected. However, from what he remembered about giants, they respected power. That was probably part of the reason they'd sided with Voldemort during the first war.
"He's put out a bounty on the three of us because he's afraid to fight us on his own," Steven said. His voice rang out across the valley. "Two children and an old man, and he fears us enough to hope that someone, anyone else could kill us."
He paused and said, "The thing about children is that they get stronger. Voldemort's time is done. He's been trying to kill us for years, and we've only gotten stronger each time."
Harry wasn't entirely sure about that, but he wasn't about to argue. He kept his face expressionless.
"Who do you think the Ministry will turn to when it is over?" Steven asked. "Harry Potter will have saved the world again, and he'll be in a position to make real change."
"Do you want to trust someone who believes non-humans are inferior? Or do you want someone whose best friends include a half-giant."
Steven turned to Harry and asked, "What do you think of Hagrid and of the giants?"
He pointed his wand at Harry's throat.
Caught off guard, Harry stumbled. "I...um...love Hagrid. He's been there for me since I was a baby. As for giants, I don't know any, but Hagrid always said they were strong and brave."
Steven smiled at him and nodded. He turned his wand to his own throat again.
"Harry will work for you; he grew up as a Muggle, and he doesn't have the prejudices some wizards have. I know many of you love to fight; there is going to be a fight no matter which side you choose. Will you fight with Wizards who hate you and will turn on you the moment the fight is won?"
The watermelon Stevens began a low chant, striking their shields softly.
"Or will you turn to the side that will let you fight the people who hate you? The people Harry loves believe in equality for all beings, no matter how small they are or how tall."
The Steven's dragged two giants forward. They released one giant, who immediately lunged forward and struck the other giant on the head.
"Will you work with us?" Steven asked.
The giant stared at them for a long moment. The moment stretched into several moments and Harry started to wonder if the giant understood them at all.
Finally, however, it nodded.
As they landed back beside the broom shed, Harry's mind was full of questions. How long had Steven known that his Watermelons were in the forest. How had he known how to transfigure rope and magnify his voice?
How had he known Hagrid was in trouble, or where he was at at all?
Who was the she who had sent them to Hagrid? Hagrid obviously knew who she was, enough to not question sending two children into battle with giants.
What did all of this mean for the future? Was there really going to be a battle? When was it going to happen?
Steven took Harry's school broom and put it back into the broom shed.
A dark figure stepped out from behind the broom shed, and for a moment Harry tensed. They still had prices on their heads and assassins out to kill them.
He relaxed as he recognized Lupin's voice.
"Is it done?" he asked.
Steven nodded. "They were impressed that Harry came out to meet them himself."
Harry suspected that the watermelons had been more impressive, but he didn't say anything. Snape had once told him that he'd learn more by listening than talking. Although it hadn't stopped him at the time, it seemed like good advice now.
Or maybe there was something about the giant culture that valued the personal touch. Steven had spent enough time with Hagrid that he'd know.
Steven turned to Harry with a regretful look on his face.
"I want to tell you that I argued with everybody about this, but Sapphire says we have to do it."
Sapphire?
Before Harry could respond, Lupin's wand was out. "Obliviate!"
Harry woke the next morning with the nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what.