Huh? What's this? Me posting two chapters in the space of a week? That's not happened since forever.
Next Chapter: Harry witnesses Snape's worst memory, and Dorea and Fred have their first tense moment as a couple.
Okay, so as the title suggests, this chapter will feature Dorea learning more about her mum, Marlene McKinnon. I also delve into Marlene's family a bit. Now, from some sources I've researched, a lot of non-canon sources claim that Marlene had at least four siblings. My headcanon is that she had four brothers and one sister. Please bear in mind that this is only a headcanon and not true fact.
My personal favourite faceclaim for Marlene: Freya Mavor
Tuesday was a pretty straightforward affair, with both Charms and Transfiguration double periods spent working through past papers. Care of Magical Creatures was a bit different though - they did a practical with loads of different creatures, with Hagrid asking questions such as where certain names of the body parts were located, and questions relating to the creatures diet. Double Herbology at the end of the day was spent going over Belladonna, which was a rather tame plant, therefore meaning it was an easy class.
After dinner on Tuesday evening, notices had appeared in the common rooms - dates and times of both the OWL and NEWT exams, which were happening in June. It was quite an extensive list, and it meant there were quite a lot of people crowded around it, trying to note down all the dates and times for the relevant exams. Amelia wasn't really a fan of the fact that a lot of them were close together - in the first week, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defence and Ancient Runes were taking place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday respectively. The second week was almost as bad - with Potions on the Monday, Care of Magical Creatures on Tuesday, Arithmancy on Wednesday morning (with Astronomy Theory in the afternoon, and their Astronomy practical that evening) and finishing off with History of Magic on Thursday morning and Muggle Studies that afternoon. Divination would be held on Wednesday morning, much to Ron's chagrin. "The theory paper is only an hour, but then we've got the practical straight after it without a decent break or anything." he was complaining.
On Wednesday, their classes were started off by their teachers talking about the dates and times of the relevant exams and explaining what will happen. "It is recommended to arrive in the Entrance Hall ten or fifteen minutes before the exams scheduled start time, to ask any last minute questions or to do some last-minute recapping." Professor Babbling explained to the Ancient Runes class first period on Wednesday. "In regards to this subject, there will only be a theory paper, but for your other subjects you will also have practicals. The practicals always take place in the afternoons and there will be an interval period between the theory and practical to allow you a break."
Professor McGonagall drilled into them the importance of honest work. "I must remind you all about the policy regarding anyone who thinks themselves smart enough to try and cheat. Multiple Anti-Cheating Spells are applied to all of the papers, and if you decide to take a pencil case into the exam it will be thoroughly checked beforehand. No student has successfully cheated since 1896. If any member of Gryffindor House in particular thinks about defying these rules… Well, dare I say you will face my extreme disappointment."
After Transfiguration was Care of Magical Creatures, and as they walked down to Hagrid's Hut, Harry found Blaise and Theo on either side of him, looking happy. A thought came to him then. "That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you two something."
Theo looked at him. "Really?"
"Yeah, it's just something that's been on my mind these past few days - I had an encounter with two Slytherin girls on Monday evening; Merula Snyde and Ismelda Murk. Do you two know anything about them?"
Blaise grimaced a bit. "Those two girl are so annoying."
Theo hummed agreement. "To get an idea of the type of people they are; they hang around Pansy and Millicent."
"Ah," Harry knew, "they're just like them, I assume?"
"Yes, but twice as irritating. Merula has this weird obsession with being powerful. Trust me, it's bad enough listening to them harp away in the common room." Blaise said.
"How did you encounter them?" Theo asked, intrigued.
"They were bullying a member of the Junior DA - Ben Copper. I had to step in and deescalate the situation, though it was Professor Lupin that properly resolved it. They called Ben… that word people like Malfoy use against muggleborns." Harry explained, hoping they knew what he meant at the end. Blaise and Theo understood, but didn't repeat the word, which was nice of them.
That period was spent revising Bowtruckles in particular. It went by as normal as any Care of Magical Creatures class did, and Harry was surprised that even Malfoy had suspended taunting Hagrid behind his back; for the blonde seemed to be note-taking. Even Crabbe and Goyle were silent for once.
Last period of the day was Astronomy, although they would have it again at midnight. Sirius took them through the exam information, like the other teachers had done, and they spent that period doing multiple choice quizzes on theory stuff that Sirius thought most likely to come up in the paper. Though they had to just shade in their answer, Sirius also wanted them to say how they worked out their answer beside it. Harry surprised himself by getting an O - in Astronomy, he tended to get A's or E's, this was his first O.
"You've certainly been revising!" Hermione remarked, impressed, after they'd self-marked their tests.
He flushed a bit. "I guessed a few, but I'm very happy with that."
Ron, sitting next to him, seemed to be another person experiencing firsts in Astronomy - for he'd gotten an E in the test. Hermione had got an O, and both Amelia and Dorea seemed pleased with their E's. In fact, the whole Gryffindor and Hufflepuff class had got passing grades.
"Great work, guys!" Sirius beamed at them just before the bell rang. "The theory paper is really what brings your marks up. But that's not to say you can slack off a bit when doing your star charts; lots of marks go into that part of the exam too. But I'm still super impressed with you all. Keep up the good work!"
The class seemed happy as they got up to disembark. Harry looked to his twin, who was talking to Dorea. Just as he went over to them, he heard Dorea saying something. "You can go on ahead without me, I need to talk to dad. I won't be too long, save me a seat."
"What are you going to talk to Sirius about?" Harry asked Dorea, as they were walking towards the door as a large group.
"Just something I've been thinking of… He's never really spoken about my mother." Dorea answered.
Harry was surprised a bit. "Now that I think about it - he's mentioned James and Lily more times than he has your mum."
Dorea nodded. "That's what's been puzzling me. I just… would like to learn more about her."
He understood. He suddenly felt a bit bad then - Sirius really did talk about Harry and Amelia's parents more than the woman who was his fiance and mother of his daughter. It was no wonder that Dorea wanted to talk to him about her; Harry didn't even know if Sirius had even mentioned Marlene McKinnon's name at all in conversation. He smiled good naturedly at his godsister before she decided to hang back. He felt himself being pulled into a conversation with Justin and Ernie as they walked down the stairs.
"You alright, darling?" Sirius said to Dorea, noticing that she'd hung back.
"I'm good, dad," she said, trying to sound optimistic, not knowing how the next conversation was going to go. "I was just wondering if we could talk."
"About what?" Sirius replied, turning to face her after he filed their tests away. "If it's about Fred - I haven't done or said anything to him, if that's what you're asking."
She smiled. "It's not to do with Fred. I was just… how do I say this.."
Sirius sat on his desk and waited patiently for her to find the words.
Oh fuck it, she thought, we have to talk about her at some point, "I want you to tell me about my mother."
Dorea studied her father carefully, trying to see how he was about to react. So far, his composure was still intact, but his eyes immediately darted down to the floor, though that was the only part of him that moved. "Ah." Was all he said.
After a few moments of giving him time, she spoke again. "It's just.. You've not told me much about her, and you knew her best."
"I did." Sirius said, and his eyes flickered back up. "I'm so stupid; of course we need to talk about her. I've neglected her memory so much, I… I've avoided talking about her for so long because it just makes me feel sad all over again."
"It's fine," Dorea said quickly, "we can talk about her another time, when you're ready-"
"-No, sweetheart, I want to talk about her now too." he gently cut her off. He ran a hand down his face and took a deep breath. "She was a deity in life and in death. It would be insulting if she wasn't remembered."
That warmed Dorea's heart. Though she had a picture of her mother - the original Order of the Phoenix photograph, - she was finally getting some closure at least as to who she was personality wise. She'd always wondered about the character behind the large smile and big eyes.
"Where to start… It's fair to say you're a perfect mix of me and her, darling. You have her quick wits; one of the first things she said to me when I asked her out was 'Sirius, I have heels higher than your standards'."
At that, Dorea barked laughter. Okay, I definitely take after her there, she thought happily, but that's also the sass that comes with being a Black.
"I'm definitely using that line in future." Dorea giggled. "Did she say yes to you then?"
Her dad smiled widely. "It took convincing, but yes, she did. Miraculously."
It was clear that Sirius was thinking of what to say next. Dorea gave him some encouragement. "Tell me about her family - did she have any brothers or sisters? What were her parents - my grandparents, - like?"
He cleared his throat. "Your granny and grandpa were nice people, Dorea. Marlene's dear mum was a pureblood, with some great ancestry to boast. Her dad was a muggleborn. Though Marlene's dad was Scottish, they moved into the Manor in England that belonged to Marlene's mum almost as soon as they were married. I think it was near a place called Carlisle… Together they had six children-"
"-Six?" Dorea exclaimed. If they lived, those five siblings her mother had would have been her aunts and uncles.. She could have had cousins galore if not for Voldemort.
"Four brothers and a sister. The boys had traditionally Scottish names to signify her dad's entrance and acceptance to the family. Their names were: Malcolm - who was the oldest of the boys, Lewis and Harris - who were twins, and then came Fergus. Her sister was named Agnes - she was very like your mum. It was her own undoing though."
"How come?" Dorea asked hesitantly.
"Agnes was the first of the McKinnon's to die… gosh, it was horrible, she died barely a year after she graduated. She was a year older than Marlene, so we were seventh years when she passed. She died in her first deployment as a Healer to a place where Death Eater's had attacked. She was just doing her job, providing aid to whoever needed it, and… they killed her." Sirius explained, though he had a rough time doing so. He looked to the roof of the class as if he was staring up at the sky, willing himself not to get upset.
Dorea felt sad too; her aunt sounded like a carbon copy of her own mother. She also thought of how upset Marlene must've been when the news was owled to her - she would have felt rotten, stuck at school and unable to go and help. At least she had her friends around her, Dorea thought, as a sort of conciliation.
"Did her siblings like you?" Dorea asked, trying to change the subject.
"Malcolm, Lewis and Harris had graduated by the time we started dating, so it was Agnes and Fergus attending school with us when we went public. Agnes was delighted, though Fergus was initially quite shocked to say the least. He idolised me and the Marauder's quite a bit. However, her other brothers sent letters saying that they were happy for us, but that if I harmed their sister in any way, they would castrate me with a rusted spoon."
She chuckled. "I imagine her father said the same thing."
"Oh yeah, the meet the parents moment was quite spectacular. Alasdair soon warmed to me though. Nice man." Her dad seemed to be reminiscing now.
"Back to mum," Dorea said, happy with all that information, "what was she like at school?"
"I'm sure you know she was a Gryffindor. She was roommates with Lily Potter, and Neville's mum Alice. Their two other roommates were really close mates with us too - Dorcas Meadowes and Mary McDonald. Mary disappeared without a trace some time ago, and Dorcas died during the first war. Lily and Marlene got on like a house on fire - joined at the hip as much as me and James were. Even as a first year she was just so bubbly and friendly, yet had an aura of badassery about her. Much like you have, dear. She was very much no-nonsense, and stood up for those who she felt had been wronged. There was this one instance - a boy in our year had been obsessed with trying to get Lily to be with him. Your mother, sensing how uncomfortable this boy made her best friend feel, turns around and sticks her middle finger up at him across the courtyard, telling him to take a hint and back off."
Dorea chuckled, picturing her mother's energy. "That sounds bold."
Sirius hummed. "She was amazing at everything. She wasn't the most spectacular at school subjects; she was just your average student. She excelled at Charms and Defence, though. Art was also something that captivated her. Music too, she liked a lot of muggle bands. Believe it or not, she was also on the Quidditch team."
"Really?" That shocked Dorea.
"Well, she was a Reserve Chaser, and only played like, two games, but she really took to it. You look like her when you fly - your style is the same." Her dad was now looking at her in a way that made her think he was trying to picture Marlene there - maybe not as Dorea herself, but side by side. His eyes still had a glassy look to them.
Dorea tried to think - what else did she want to know? She felt happy with what she'd been told so far. After all, in the space of ten minutes she'd learned about her mothers family, her character, her likes and even hobbies. What more was there to know?
Then she realised; there was one more thing she wanted to ask. "Do you know exactly how she… passed away?"
Her dad straightened up. "Well, sweetie, that's the thought I don't like to dwell on."
"Oh, you've made it this far," she insisted gently, "we're at the final chapter of her life story, dad, you can't leave me on a cliffhanger. It's not that I want to know - it's just… everybody knows about how James and Lily died bravely, valiantly, full of love for their kids, and ever since I've learned about her I've wanted to know if Marlene McKinnon passed away with the same heroity in her heart."
Sirius inclined his head in a nod, as if he understood. "You're right, darling, you have a right to know. I can only tell you what I… was told. I wasn't there when she died - stupidly, I should've been there to protect her, protect them all. The whole family had been on high alert ever since the Bones' family had been near wiped out, since Edgar Bones was their secret keeper and he'd been killed. You-Know-Who arrived with a battalion, and Alasdair ran outside. He offered himself up to them, to be killed, to bide his kids and wife more time to get away. Your grandpa was brave, but he was no match for them. I think it was Dolohov that did it - killed him, I mean. It was all over before you could know it. You-Know-Who murdered Lewis and Harris, and then your grandma. It took two Death Eaters to take Malcolm down fighting. Fergus to his credit managed to kill Avery Snr, but he'd only started Auror training the month before, so he was also no match. And then we arrive at your dear mum."
Dorea allowed her father time to compose himself. Then he continued. "When Voldemort came to her, he didn't murder her immediately. He just stood there, looking down at her as she accepted there was nowhere to run to. She was crying by this point, shattered. She'd just seen her siblings be brutally killed off and likely her mother too. Though your mumma was defeated, she did not embrace death. Instead, she had tried desperately to defy Voldemort to his face."
Goosebumps were all over Dorea's skin. What a woman, she thought, heart aching yet bursting with pride as she imagined her being brave and defiant despite knowing she was going to die any moment.
"Your mum… Apparently she said to Voldemort's face 'You've lost.'" Sirius's eyes were very watery now. "She also said, 'You'll never win'. And then Voldemort killed her."
Her dad now had his head in his hands, but he didn't make any sound to indicate he had burst into tears. Dorea just felt a bit empty - she loved the fact that she could now be truly proud to call Marlene McKinnon her mother, yet at the same time yearned for her. To put it fairly, Marlene had been a queen in life, and she was sure everyone who knew her would agree. I'll make you proud, mummy, Dorea thought, the next generation of freedom fighters will carry on your legacy, so that everybody who died at the hands of Death Eater's didn't die for nothing.
"Oh, dad…" She didn't quite know what to say. "She.. She was amazing."
Sirius had let a few tears slip, but he wasn't full on red in the face balling. "She was a gem. You are so like her, Dorea. You channel her spirit, and for that I could not be more proud. If she was here to see you now - I guarantee that she would be immensely proud of the person you are becoming. She would support you in everything, as I do."
"She's with us in here," Dorea held her hand over her heart.
"That she is. She'll be up there guiding you through life, I bet. Along with your grandparents, uncles and aunt. Lily and James will be too, and even Dorcas and Mary, wherever they are." Her dad said softly, and then pulled her in for a hug. They hugged for what felt like ages, glad that they had bonded a bit more after clearing the air of that tough subject. When they had both calmed down, they pulled apart.
"Thank you for telling me about her, dad," Dorea said, "truly. It's good to hear stuff about her."
"You're welcome, sweetheart." Sirius said, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry it took me so long to talk about her. If only she could be with us now."
"If only," she repeated, "but we can't dwell on the past. Her legacy will carry on through us, I know it will. She'd want us to, wouldn't she?"
Her dad nodded. "Yes. She'd urge us to go on in living, and live for her."
She smiled up at him, and he smiled back, corners of his eyes creasing slightly. "Well, I better get on down to dinner."
Sirius nodded avidly. "We better, else our friends start worrying."
The father and daughter walked down to the Great Hall together, a slight spring in their step now, as Sirius decided to tell a funny story about how Marlene was prone to prank even the Marauder's from time to time. Dorea laughed as he told the story, happy that her and her mother had another thing in common - fun. When they eventually got to the Hall, everyone was in there. It felt a bit daunting walking in, but mostly everyone was engrossed in either eating or talking, so nobody really gave them anything other than a glance (except those who still thought Sirius attractive).
Dorea said bye to her dad before sitting down opposite Harry. She smiled at them as she started plating up - glad that dinner was an hour and a half, as she wouldn't have to rush.
"Did you learn anything about your mother, then?" Hermione asked. Her friends looked eager to know.
"A lot, actually. I'll tell you all about it."
So she did - Harry, Amelia, Ron and Hermione listened as she relayed what Sirius had told her, and hung onto every word. They seemed really intrigued. Dorea left out the part about how she died - she would tell them in a less busy place, in case they started crying or something.
"So as well as Regulus and technically Lupin being your uncles, you've also got four other ones and an aunt." Ron said, piecing it all together. "Imagine how brilliant it would be if they lived - you'd have a huge family!"
She grinned. "I guess that would be awesome. I wish I knew more about them, too, I don't even know what they looked like. Or my grandparents."
"I know they were murdered, but do you think their house still remains? Or a Gringotts vault?" Amelia pondered.
"Possibly, I'd have to ask dad. Though the McKinnon's weren't pureblood, they did used to be some time ago before they started mixing with muggles, so that implies that they might've had a vault and an ancestral home… But I don't know." Dorea said.
"I could look in the library for you," Hermione offered. "I think there's books on all of the wizarding families, both extant and extinct."
"That would be great!" Dorea nodded. "We can organise a date to do it together. We can also check Tomes & Scrolls during our next Hogsmeade visit."
After dinner, the Gryffindor team had Quidditch practise - which Dorea had almost forgotten about, and had to be reminded that Angelina had upped their practises to three times a week Tuesday-Thursday. It went okay, though their Captain clearly wanted them to be ultra ready for the Final at the end of May. "Though Slytherin are down a Keeper, their replacement for Bletchley looks stronger than him." Angelina explained. The practise in itself went relatively smoothly, although Alicia did sprain her wrist, but she was quickly seen to.
The rest of the first week back went by relatively the same; classes were mostly dedicated to revision, and the teachers kept assigning either past papers or quizzes for them to do. The plus side was that there was less homework to do now - as mostly everything had been covered. Only Professor Snape, Lupin and Vector were assigning homework still. In Remus's case it was just making sure to get everything covered in time before June.
Harry found he was also spending a bit less time in the Room of Requirement, however when he was going, he was delaying time more. When he wasn't revising theory, he was practising the practical stuff. He nearly tired himself one night, when he got that engrossed he spent half an hour duelling one of the dummies at a level slightly higher than usual. He had no clue what spurred him to train that hard; and he regretted doing it now, but at least it blew away some cobwebs.
The Senior group of the DA met again for the first time since the end of last term on Saturday evening. They spent half the session taking it easy, so the dummies were wheeled out. Harry figured he'd let people start duelling each other either next session or the one after. As usual, halfway through the session the Defence study group commenced, where Harry told them a bit about Counter spells. He told them the theory, and then they practised it. When a sixth year Hufflepuff asked him a question that was a bit out of his knowledge range, he directed the lad to Professor Flitwick instead, who answered it instead.
He was also back practising Occlumency a bit more. Though every night he was strengthening his mind shield and meditating, he felt he was ready to do more. Susan had mentioned memory stores and what not. At breakfast on Sunday morning, he approached her.
"I know we're quite swamped right now, but I feel like I'm ready to learn more about the other Occlumency methods." He said to her.
She agreed. "Have you read up on them?"
He shook his head.
"It's no bother. Are you free all morning? We could go to the Room and I can take you through the theory and information about the memory stores to start with." Susan asked him.
"I am free, although we'll have to be mindful - Ernie and Justin are having their Astronomy study group at half ten." He replied.
Susan nodded. "I'll have to go to that too. Though memory stores are complicated to do practically, the theory of it is not too bad. We'll be done before ten if we go now."
So they went to the Room. He brought the book that Susan had given him regarding Occlumency, and just as well, for she read from there. He wrote down what he felt was important. The process seemed simple enough - to store a memory, one had to think of it from start to finish, but simultaneously meditate and be focused enough on it to literally lock it away within the mind. "This is gonna be so hard, I can tell." He said, and Susan laughed.
"You mastered the Occlumency shield in literally no time at all, I wouldn't be surprised if you got the stores in one go too."
Susan also asked him if he wanted to attempt it right now, and although he wanted to, politely declined. He wanted to be fully knowledgeable regarding it and know the procedure inside out. Susan Bones understood, and with that they concluded their session.
Harry joined his squadron of friends as they attended the Astronomy group session together outside in the sun. It was fair to say that Ernie did most of the talking, but he did share his workload with Justin, who was knowledgeable at physically finding everything via the telescope. It was a good session, as they all helped each other out in one way or another. At lunch time, they concluded the meeting. However, everyone was a bit confused when Hannah Abbott got up quicker than everyone else and strode towards the entrance on her own.
"What's up with Han?" Padma wondered, looking concerned.
"I'll go and see," Megan Jones said, getting up and jogging after her friend. Susan went after them too. Neville looked like he was about to get up too, but changed his mind last minute.
When Megan and Susan returned and sat with them at lunch, everybody wanted to know why Hannah left so abruptly. "It's nothing too serious, but the OWLs are definitely getting to her. She's quite stressed - she kept saying how much she was going to fail and what not. We took her to Madam Pomfrey who gave her a Calming Draught. She's fine now, but is going to take it easier and stay in her dorm until dinner." Megan explained.
Everyone understood and sympathised with Hannah. She definitely wouldn't be the last student to be going to the Hospital Wing with exam stress. In fact, since the first week, the toilets were a commonplace to let your stress out - either via panicking or crying. Some NEWT students in particular were to be found there, worrying about their future careers and the upcoming exams. Harry had even found Carl Hopkins (who was a sixth year Gryffindor, DA member, and brother of Wayne) hidden amongst the back shelves in the library one night, head in his hands and trying to calm himself down.
On Sunday afternoon, Harry noticed that the Quidditch pitch was free, and mentioned to Ron, Amelia and Dorea that they could go out and get extra practise in (especially as Ron would benefit without the rest of the team or school watching him). They agreed, and went to grab their brooms. Hermione came with them, but she said she'd stay in the stands and just watch them. They playfully rolled their eyes when she brought Numerology and Gramatica out with her; she couldn't bring a bigger book if she tried.
After quickly changing they took to the air. To keep it interesting they altered the Keeper every few minutes or so. Ron excelled in this more friendly setting, barely letting in as many goals as he was prone to in matches. It was a frustrating problem - nervousness, - but it couldn't really be helped apart from with confidence. Harry made sure to always compliment Ron when he saved to see if that helped him, and it seemed to.
Just as Amelia was lining up to take a shot, did they hear from down below them their names being called. Looking down, Harry seen Hermione and who he soon realised was Hagrid standing on the pitch, looking up at them and waving to come down. They quickly flew downwards to see what was up.
"Hagrid," they nodded in welcome.
"Am sorry teh disturb yer downtime, but there's sumthin ye's need teh be shown." Hagrid said.
They looked to one another. "What is it?" Dorea asked.
"A secret," Hagrid answered, looking around, "A've been hidin' it e'er since I came back from France. It's in the forest."
"Give us five minutes." Harry said, referring to their brooms. Once they locked their brooms away, they decided to change back into their ordinary robes.
They met up with Hermione and Hagrid again, and quickly moved towards the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid wasn't for telling until they got there. Harry wondered what on earth this was going to entail.
"I 'ppreciate this, you five, I really do," said Hagrid as they reached the entrance.
"Hagrid, what are you showing us?" Ron asked, looking around for any indication of the surprise.
"Wait, why are you armed?" Harry realised that there was a crossbow slung behind Hagrid's back.
"Jus' a precaution," Hagrid mumbled, "the Centaur herd 'as been a bit hostile lately is all."
They shared doubtful looks with one another. Soon enough, Hagrid's steps got longer; for every one of his giant steps they took three. It became increasingly hard to keep up with him. The path became increasingly overgrown, and it became a challenge to not get caught up in nettles or brambles. Once or twice their robes became snagged on branches which was a bit irritating.
They came to a clearing, and it was here that Hagrid stopped at last. They breathed sighs of relief. "Are we here yet?" He asked.
"Almos' there," Hagrid replied, "just a bit further. Jus' want teh tell you's now - don't be 'larmed when you see him."
"Him?" Amelia perked up. "Who's Him?"
"Well, we're 'bout teh find out. Now don't be makin' too much noise, that'll startle him no end." Was all Hagrid said, walking further.
They walked on for a few more minutes, but then all of a sudden Hagrid stuck his arm out behind him and gestured to be quiet. They followed his lead, quietly creeping forward, wondering what they were about to see.
Lying up against a tree (with about four trunks ripped up around him), was what could only be a giant.
"Sleepin'" Hagrid breathed.
The giant was sound asleep, however there was a rhythmic rumbling sound coming from it which sounded like some lungs at work.
"Hagrid, did you take this giant back from France with you?" Dorea asked, sounding concerned.
"I 'ad to, he was being bullied no end by the others for being smaller-"
"-Smaller?" Said Ron and Hermione simultaneously, as if they didn't believe it.
"Well, he's only sixteen feet tall, y'see-"
"-Oh yes, tiny, miniscule!" Amelia said sarcastically.
"I couldn't just leave him t'that, so he came back wi' me." Hagrid finished, as if it was some normal story.
"Is that why it took you almost two months to get back?" Harry voiced. "You were lugging a sixteen foot giant along behind you?"
Hagrid, a half-giant himself, nodded. "Not just any old giant, 'Arry, he's my half-brother!"
Hermione and Ron just stared between the two. Amelia and Dorea were unreadable, and Harry didn't know how to react.
"So.." Hermione said after a few long moments, "Is this what you wanted to show us, then? Your half-brother?"
"His name is Grawp." Hagrid said, with a bit of pride.
"Grawp.." Ron repeated, as if he was not expecting that name choice.
"I've bin tryin teh teach him some English, as it 'appens." Hagrid explained. "Not going tha well. I was jus' thinking… Dumbledore's probably going teh give me more work teh do with the Order next year. By next year I mean a'er the summer holidays. Now, it was jus' a thought, but if I am going teh be away nex' year, Grawpy here will need someone teh look after him."
The five of them looked wholly unsure. "What does that entail?" Hermione asked.
"Not food or anythin. He can get his own no problem. It's the company he needs. Needs teaching a few manners." Hagrid replied.
Harry wondered how on earth you went about teaching a giant that barely spoke a word of English any sort of manners or etiquette. Was there a universal giant language? Grawp had come from France - did he know French? Doubtful, but you never knew.
"So you'll do it then?" Hagrid asked hopefully.
"Well… we will be in sixth year next year, which is a busy year, but I'm sure we can figure out something." Dorea said, not sounding very willing.
"Even if it's just two of you that come and see him and sit and talk ter him. Reckon he'll pick up on a few words that way." Hagrid said, pleased that they were on the same line as him.
"We'll try." Harry said, smiling, though he wasn't exactly jumping for joy at the prospect.
"Oh, I knew I could count on you five." Hagrid said happily. "Right, now that tha's settled, lets get you's introduced."
The five of them looked very alarmed. "You're not going to wake him up, Hagrid, are you?" Amelia asked.
"Why not?" Hagrid replied, already standing near the giant.
"Hagrid, no!" Hermione said desperately, "We can meet him another day, when he's awake."
"It's fine, Hermione, just a short introduction so 'e knows your faces." Hagrid said, and with that he gently slapped Grawp awake. The giant woke with a start, and looked down at Hagrid. Without warning, the creature let out a yawn, but the sheer volume of it made it sound like a low roar.
"Now, Grawpy, I've brought yeh some friends!" Hagrid said cheerily to the giant as if he was a normal human being. "They'll be teaching yeh some English, and how teh be less uncouth." The giant made a noise.
"I don't like this one bit." Ron said quietly next to him.
The giant did look at them, and Harry wondered if he sensed their uneasiness - as he let out another roar which made Ron, Amelia and Hermione flinch.
"Now now, Grawpy, settle down-" Hagrid tried to say, raising a hand, but Grawp only let out a louder roar. The giant actually got to his feet; and it was here that they noticed that Grawp was actually tied up.
"Is he dangerous, Hagrid?" Amelia called out over the noise, gesturing to the thick ropes tied around the giant's huge feet..
"He's harmless-"
"-I doubt that very much!" Hermione said shrilly.
Now that Grawp was on his feet, it was clear as day how big he actually was. If he got bullied for being small, how big were the other giants? Harry wondered. The giant was at least three feet taller than some of the trees in the near vicinity, and his legs alone were thicker than some of the trunks.
The giant was having an episode to himself, Hagrid's attempts at calming him down proving fruitless. Though he was walking about, he couldn't walk very far - the ropes only allowed him to walk about eight feet from the tree he was tied to.
There was one moment where Grawp actually calmed down, looking to both Hagrid and the five of them seemingly with interest. Ron shuffled uncomfortably next to Harry, and Dorea gulped audibly. But then the giant was trying to move forwards, and one of his arms made a move towards them.
They all quickly moved behind one of the thicker trees, Hermione shrieking a bit. Try as he might, Grawp's arms couldn't reach them courtesy of his bounds.
"Bad Grawpy, bad! They are your friends!" Hagrid tried to tell his half-brother off.
Grawp roared again, so loudly that they felt the vibration of it hitting the tree they were hiding behind. They then heard the sound of rumbling. When Amelia poked her head around, she said it was Grawp attempting to upend one of the trees over by him.
Hagrid appeared next to Harry. "Can we go now, Hagrid?" Ron asked.
"He's seen our faces, he knows us, so surely we can come back another day?" Amelia added.
"Yes, we better get goin'. Don't want the school wondering where we are. Another time we can teach him yer names." Hagrid said, ushering them forward. They barely looked back at Grawp as they exited the scene.
When they were safely out of the forest and back near the quidditch pitch did Hagrid leave them with farewells. When he was safely out of earshot, did they finally catch their breath and process the past half an hour.
"Do you think he really wants us to dedicate time to that thing?" Ron said.
"I get why he wants to get him used to human company, but how are we meant to teach him English when he doesn't even understand it in the first place?" Harry nodded, adding to that.
Even Hermione was in agreement. "I'm not sure the poor giant even wanted to come here… But we will keep our promise to Hagrid, we owe him."
They agreed, if only for Hagrid's sake. "God knows when we'll actually have time next year to spend with him." Amelia said.
"We'll make it work." Dorea said.
"I think we'll need to read up a bit on giants," Harry said, "you know, to understand them a bit more."
They agreed with him, even Ron. With that, they made their way back up to the school - in hopes of finding some of their other friends to spend time with.