"Severus, you can not pretend this isn't happening!" Karkaroffs voice sounded anxious and hushed, as though keen not to be overheard. "It's been getting clearer and clearer for months. I am becoming seriously concerned, I can't deny it—"

"Then flee," said Snape's voice curtly. "Flee— I will make your excuses. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts."

Snape and Karkaroff came around the corner. Snape had his wand out and was blasting rose bushes apart, his ex pres sion most ill- natured. Squeals issued from many of the bushes, and dark shapes emerged from them.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw, Fawcett!" Snape snarled as a girl ran past him. "And ten points from Hufflepuff too, Stebbins!" as a boy went rushing af ter her. "And what are you two doing?" he added, catching sight of Lyla and Ron on the path ahead. Karkaroff, Lyla saw, looked slightly discomposed to see them standing there. His hand went nervously to his goatee, and he began winding it around his finger.

"We re walking," Ron told Snape shortly. "Not against the law, is it?"

"Keep walking then!" Snape said, and he brushed past them, his long black cloak billowing out behind him. Karkaroff hurried away after Snape. The two friends continued down the path.

"What's got Karkaroff all worried?" Ron muttered.

"And since when have he and Snape been on first- name terms?" said Lyla thoughtfully.

They had reached a large stone reindeer now, over which they could see the sparkling jets of a tall fountain. The shadowy outlines of two enormous people were visible on a stone bench, watching the water in the moonlight. And then they heard Hagrid speak.

"Mo men' I saw yeh, I knew," he was saying, in an oddly husky voice.

Lyla and Ron froze. This didn't sound like the sort of scene they ought to walk in on, somehow... Lyla looked around, back up the path, and saw Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies stand ing half- concealed in a rose bush near by. She tapped Ron on the shoulder and jerked her head toward them, meaning that they could easily sneak off that way with out being noticed (Fleur and Davies looked very busy to Lyla), but Ron, eyes widening in horror at the sight of Fleur, shook his head vigorously, and pulled Lyla deeper in to the shadows behind the reindeer.

"What did you know, 'Agrid?" said Madame Maxime, a purr in her low voice.

Lyla definitely didn't want to listen to this; she knew Hagrid would hate to be overheard in a situation like this (she certainly would have). If it had been possible she would have put her fingers in her ears and hummed loudly, but that wasn't really an option. Instead she tried to interest herself in a beetle crawling along the stone reindeer's back, but the beetle just wasn't interesting enough to block out Hagrid's next words.

"I jus' knew...knew you were like me...Was it yer moth er or yer fa ther?"

"I - I don't know what you mean, 'Agrid..."

"It was my moth er," said Hagrid quietly. "She was one o' the las' ones in Britain. 'Course, I can' remember her too well...she left, see. When I was abou' three. She wasn' really the maternal sort. Well... it's not in their natures, is it? Dunno what happened to her...might be dead fer all I know. ..."

Madame Maxime didn't say anything, and Lyla, despite herself, took her gaze off the beetle and looked over the top of the reindeer's antlers, listening…She had never heard Hagrid talk about his childhood before.

"Me dad was broken- hearted when she wen'. Tiny lit tle bloke, my dad was. By the time I was six I could lift him up an' put him on top o' the dress er if he annoyed me. Used ter make him laugh. ..."

Hagrid's deep voice broke. Madame Maxime was listening, motionless, apparently staring at the silvery fountain.

"Dad raised me...but he died, o' course, jus' af ter I start ed school. Sorta had ter make me own way after that. Dumbledore was a real help, mind. Very kind ter me, he was..."

Hagrid pulled out a large spotted silk handkerchief and blew his nose heavily. "So...anyway...enough abou' me. What about you? Which side you got it on?"

But Madame Maxime had sud denly got to her feet.

"It is chilly," she said— but what ever the weather was doing, it was nowhere near as cold as her voice. "I think I will go in now."

"Eh?" said Ha grid blankly. "No, don go! I've - I've nev er met another one before!"

"Anuzzer what, precisely?" said Madame Maxime, her tone icy.

Lyla could have told Hagrid it was best not to answer; she stood there in the shadows gritting her teeth, hoping against hope he wouldn't— but it was no good.

"Another half- giant, o' course!" said Ha grid.

"'Ow dare you!" shrieked Madame Maxime. Her voice exploded through the peaceful night air like a foghorn; Lyla heard Fleur and Roger fall out of their rose bush. "I 'ave nevair been more insulted in my life! 'Alf- giant? Moi? I 'ave— I 'ave big bones!"

She stormed away; great multicolored swarms of fairies rose in to the air as she passed, angrily pushing aside bushes. Hagrid was still sitting on the bench, staring after her. It was much too dark to make out his expression. Then, after about a minute, he stood up and strode away, not back to the castle, but off out in to the dark grounds in the direction of his cabin.

"Come on," said Lyla, very quietly to Ron. "Let's go..."

But Ron didn't move.

"What's up?" she hissed, looking at him.

Ron looked around at Lyla, his expression very serious indeed.

"Did you know?" he whis pered. "About Hagrid being half- giant?"

"No," Lyla said, shrug ging. "So what?"

She knew immediately from the look Ron was giving her, that she was once again revealing her ignorance of the magical world. Brought up by the Dursleys, there were many things that witches and wizards took for granted that were revelations to the Potter sisters, but these surprises had be come fewer with each successive year. Now, however, she could tell that most would not have said "So what?" upon finding out that one of their friends had a giantess for a mother.

"I'll explain inside," said Ron quietly, "c'mon..."

Fleur and Roger Davies had disappeared, probably into a more private clump of bushes. Lyla and Ron returned to the Great Hall. They couldn't see where Cedric and Arabella were, and spotted Hermione once more dancing with Krum. Lyla and Ron sat down at a table far removed from the dance floor, and was promptly joined by Draco, who was out of breath and quite disheveled.

"Where have you two been!?" he hissed, eyes darting wildly about. "I can't believe you left me alone with that girl— Mark my words, I think all those Beauxbatons girls are trying to— to—"

Lyla shushed him hurriedly, reaching out on instinct and wrapping her hands around his trembling fists.

"Sorry for leaving you, mate," said Ron, looking around to ensure no one was paying them any attention, "but we've just learned something massive about Hagrid."

"What?" asked Draco, anger momentarily forgotten.

"Giants," replied Lyla carefully. "What's so bad about giants, Ron?"

"Well, they're... they're..." Ron strug gled for words. "...not very nice," he finished lame ly.

"What about giants?" asked Draco faintly, eyes glued to his and Lyla's hands.

"There's nothing wrong with Hagrid," said Lyla in defense.

"I know there isn't," said Ron, biting down on his lips, "but...blimey, no wonder he keeps it quiet…"

"You're not implying that he's—"stammered Draco, eyes wide.

"Oh, we're not implying it, we're confining it," responded Ron, face turning a nasty shade of green. "Overheard him in the gardens— I al ways thought he'd got in the way of a bad Engorgement Charm when he was a kid or something. Didn't like to men tion it..."

"But what's it matter if his mother was a giantess?" said Lyla.

"Well...no one who knows him will care, 'cos they'll know he's not dan ger ous," said Ron slowly. "But… Lyla, they're just vicious, giants are. It's like Hagrid said, it's in their natures. They're like trolls...they just like killing, everyone knows that. There aren't any left in Britain now, though."

"What happened to them?"

"Well, they were dying out anyway, and then loads got themselves killed by Aurors. There's supposed to be giants abroad, though...They hide out in mountains mostly..."

"I don't know who Maxime thinks she's kidding," Lyla said, watching the big woman sitting alone at the judges' table, looking very somber. "If Hagrid's half- giant, she definitely is. Big bones… the only thing that's got bigger bones than her is a dinosaur."


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