The great mound of earth, on which he, Hermione and Hagrid could easily have stood, was moving slowly up and down in time with the deep, grunting breathing. It was not a mound at all. It was the curved back of what was clearly –
‘Well – no – he didn’ want ter come,’ said Hagrid, sounding desperate. ‘But I had ter bring him, Hermione, I had ter!’
‘But why?’ asked Hermione, who sounded as though she wanted to cry. ‘Why – what – oh, Hagrid!’
‘I knew if I jus’ got him back,’ said Hagrid, sounding close to tears himself, ‘an’ – an’ taught him a few manners – I’d be able ter take him outside an’ show ev’ryone he’s harmless!’
‘Harmless!’ said Hermione shrilly, and Hagrid made frantic hushing noises with his hands as the enormous creature before them grunted loudly and shifted in its sleep. ‘He’s been hurting you all this time, hasn’t he? That’s why you’ve had all these injuries!’
‘He don’ know his own strength!’ said Hagrid earnestly. ‘An’ he’s gettin’ better, he’s not fightin’ so much any more –’
‘So, this is why it took you two months to get home!’ said Hermione distractedly. ‘Oh, Hagrid, why did you bring him back if he didn’t want to come? Wouldn’t he have been happier with his own people?’
‘They were all bullyin’ him, Hermione, ’cause he’s so small!’ said Hagrid.
‘Small?’ said Hermione. ‘Small?’
‘Hermione, I couldn’ leave him,’ said Hagrid, tears now trickling down his bruised face into his beard. ‘See – he’s my brother!’
Hermione simply stared at him, her mouth open.
‘Hagrid, when you say “brother”,’ said Harry slowly, ‘do you mean –?’
‘Well – half-brother,’ amended Hagrid. ‘Turns out me mother took up with another giant when she left me dad, an’ she went an’ had Grawp here –’
‘Grawp?’ said Harry.
‘Yeah … well, tha’s what it sounds like when he says his name,’ said Hagrid anxiously. ‘He don’ speak a lot of English … I’ve bin tryin’ ter teach him … anyway, she don’ seem ter have liked him much more’n she liked me. See, with giantesses, what counts is producin’ good big kids, and he’s always been a bit on the runty side fer a giant – on’y sixteen foot –’
‘Oh, yes, tiny!’ said Hermione, with a kind of hysterical sarcasm. ‘Absolutely minuscule!’
‘He was bein’ kicked aroun’ by all o’ them – I jus’ couldn’ leave him –’
‘Did Madame Maxime want to bring him back?’ asked Harry.
‘She – well, she could see it was right importan’ ter me,’ said Hagrid, twisting his enormous hands. ‘Bu’ – bu’ she got a bit tired o’ him after a while, I must admit … so we split up on the journey home … she promised not ter tell anyone, though …’
‘How on earth did you get him back without anyone noticing?’ said Harry.
‘Well, tha’s why it took so long, see,’ said Hagrid. ‘Could on’y travel by nigh’ an’ through wild country an’ stuff. Course, he covers the ground pretty well when he wants ter, but he kep’ wantin’ ter go back.’
‘Oh, Hagrid, why on earth didn’t you let him!’ said Hermione, flopping down on to a ripped up tree and burying her face in her hands. ‘What do you think you’re going to do with a violent giant who doesn’t even want to be here!’
‘Well, now – “violent” – tha’s a bit harsh,’ said Hagrid, still twisting his hands agitatedly. ‘I’ll admit he mighta taken a couple o’ swings at me when he’s bin in a bad mood, but he’s gettin’ better, loads better, settlin’ down well.’
‘What are those ropes for, then?’ Harry asked.
He had just noticed ropes thick as saplings stretching from around the trunks of the largest nearby trees towards the place where Grawp lay curled on the ground with his back to them.
‘You have to keep him tied up?’ said Hermione faintly.
‘Well … yeah …’ said Hagrid, looking anxious. ‘See – it’s like I say – he doesn’ really know ’is own strength.’
Harry understood now why there had been such a suspicious lack of any other living creature in this part of the Forest.
‘So, what is it you want Harry and Ron and me to do?’ Hermione asked apprehensively.
‘Look after him,’ said Hagrid croakily. ‘After I’m gone.’
Harry and Hermione exchanged miserable looks, Harry uncomfortably aware that he had already promised Hagrid that he would do whatever he asked.
‘What – what does that involve, exactly?’ Hermione enquired.
‘Not food or anythin’!’ said Hagrid eagerly. ‘He can get his own food, no problem. Birds an’ deer an’ stuff … no, it’s company he needs. If I jus’ knew someone was carryin’ on tryin’ ter help him a bit … teachin’ him, yeh know.’
Harry said nothing, but turned to look back at the gigantic form lying asleep on the ground in front of them. Unlike Hagrid, who simply looked like an oversized human, Grawp looked strangely misshapen. What Harry had taken to be a vast mossy boulder to the left of the great earthen mound he now recognised as Grawp’s head. It was much larger in proportion to the body than a human head, and was almost perfectly round and covered with tightly curling, close-growing hair the colour of bracken. The rim of a single large, fleshy ear was visible on top of the head, which seemed to sit, rather like Uncle Vernon’s, directly upon the shoulders with little or no neck in between. The back, under what looked like a dirty brownish smock comprised of animal skins sewn roughly together, was very broad; and as Grawp slept, it seemed to strain a little at the rough seams of the skins. The legs were curled up under the body. Harry could see the soles of enormous, filthy, bare feet, large as sledges, resting one on top of the other on the earthy Forest floor.
‘You want us to teach him,’ Harry said in a hollow voice. He now understood what Firenze’s warning had meant. His attempt is not working. He would do better to abandon it. Of course, the other creatures who lived in the Forest would have heard Hagrid’s fruitless attempts to teach Grawp English.
‘Yeah – even if yeh jus’ talk ter him a bit,’ said Hagrid hopefully. ‘’Cause I reckon, if he can talk ter people, he’ll understand more that we all like ’im really, an’ want ’im ter stay.’
Harry looked at Hermione, who peered back at him from between the fingers over her face.
‘Kind of makes you wish we had Norbert back, doesn’t it?’ he said, and she gave a very shaky laugh.
‘Yeh’ll do it, then?’ said Hagrid, who did not seem to have caught what Harry had just said.
‘We’ll …’ said Harry, already bound by his promise. ‘We’ll try, Hagrid.’
‘I knew I could count on yeh, Harry,’ Hagrid said, beaming in a very watery way and dabbing at his face with his handkerchief again. ‘An’ I don’ wan’ yeh ter put yerself out too much, like … I know yeh’ve got exams … if yeh could jus’ nip down here in yer Invisibility Cloak maybe once a week an’ have a little chat with ’im. I’ll wake ’im up, then – introduce yeh –’
‘Wha— no!’ said Hermione, jumping up. ‘Hagrid, no, don’t wake him, really, we don’t need –’
But Hagrid had already stepped over the great tree trunk in front of them and was proceeding towards Grawp. When he was about ten feet away, he lifted a long, broken bough from the ground, smiled reassuringly over his shoulder at Harry and Hermione, then poked Grawp hard in the middle of the back with the end of the bough.
The giant gave a roar that echoed around the silent Forest; birds in the treetops overhead rose twittering from their perches and soared away. In front of Harry and Hermione, meanwhile, the gigantic Grawp was rising from the ground, which shuddered as he placed an enormous hand upon it to push himself on to his knees. He turned his head to see who and what had disturbed him.
‘All righ’, Grawpy?’ said Hagrid, in a would-be cheery voice, backing away with the long bough raised, ready to poke Grawp again. ‘Had a nice sleep, eh?�
�
Harry and Hermione retreated as far as they could while still keeping the giant within their sights. Grawp knelt between two trees he had not yet uprooted. They looked up into his startlingly huge face that resembled a grey full moon swimming in the gloom of the clearing. It was as though the features had been hewn on to a great stone ball. The nose was stubby and shapeless, the mouth lopsided and full of misshapen yellow teeth the size of half-bricks; the eyes, small by giant standards, were a muddy greenish-brown and just now were half-gummed together with sleep. Grawp raised dirty knuckles, each as big as a cricket ball, to his eyes, rubbed vigorously, then, without warning, pushed himself to his feet with surprising speed and agility.
‘Oh my!’ Harry heard Hermione squeal, terrified, beside him.
The trees to which the other ends of the ropes around Grawp’s wrists and ankles were attached creaked ominously. He was, as Hagrid had said, at least sixteen feet tall. Gazing blearily around, Grawp reached out a hand the size of a beach umbrella, seized a bird’s nest from the upper branches of a towering pine and turned it upside-down with a roar of apparent displeasure that there was no bird in it; eggs fell like grenades towards the ground and Hagrid threw his arms over his head to protect himself.
‘Anyway, Grawpy,’ shouted Hagrid, looking up apprehensively in case of further falling eggs, ‘I’ve brought some friends ter meet yeh. Remember, I told yeh I might? Remember, when I said I might have ter go on a little trip an’ leave them ter look after yeh fer a bit? Remember that, Grawpy?’
But Grawp merely gave another low roar; it was hard to say whether he was listening to Hagrid or whether he even recognised the sounds Hagrid was making as speech. He had now seized the top of the pine tree and was pulling it towards him, evidently for the simple pleasure of seeing how far it would spring back when he let go.
‘Now, Grawpy, don’ do that!’ shouted Hagrid. ‘Tha’s how you ended up pullin’ up the others –’
And sure enough, Harry could see the earth around the tree’s roots beginning to crack.
‘I got company for yeh!’ Hagrid shouted. ‘Company, see! Look down, yeh big buffoon, I brought yeh some friends!’
‘Oh, Hagrid, don’t,’ moaned Hermione, but Hagrid had already raised the bough again and gave Grawp’s knee a sharp poke.
The giant let go of the top of the tree, which swayed alarmingly and deluged Hagrid with a rain of pine needles, and looked down.
‘This,’ said Hagrid, hastening over to where Harry and Hermione stood, ‘is Harry, Grawp! Harry Potter! He migh’ be comin’ ter visit yeh if I have ter go away, understand?’
The giant had only just realised that Harry and Hermione were there. They watched, in great trepidation, as he lowered his huge boulder of a head so that he could peer blearily at them.
‘An’ this is Hermione, see? Her––’ Hagrid hesitated. Turning to Hermione, he said, ‘Would yeh mind if he called yeh Hermy, Hermione? On’y it’s a difficult name fer him ter remember.’
‘No, not at all,’ squeaked Hermione.
‘This is Hermy, Grawp! An’ she’s gonna be comin’ an’ all! Is’n’ tha’ nice? Eh? Two friends fer yeh ter – GRAWPY, NO!’
Grawp’s hand had shot out of nowhere towards Hermione; Harry seized her and pulled her backwards behind the tree, so that Grawp’s fist scraped the trunk but closed on thin air.
‘BAD BOY, GRAWPY!’ they heard Hagrid yelling, as Hermione clung to Harry behind the tree, shaking and whimpering. ‘VERY BAD BOY! YEH DON’ GRAB – OUCH!’
Harry poked his head out from around the trunk and saw Hagrid lying on his back, his hand over his nose. Grawp, apparently losing interest, had straightened up and was again engaged in pulling back the pine as far as it would go.
‘Righ’,’ said Hagrid thickly, getting up with one hand pinching his bleeding nose and the other grasping his crossbow, ‘well … there yeh are … yeh’ve met him an’ – an’ now he’ll know yeh when yeh come back. Yeah … well …’
He looked up at Grawp, who was now pulling back the pine with an expression of detached pleasure on his boulderish face; the roots were creaking as he ripped them away from the ground.
‘Well, I reckon tha’s enough fer one day,’ said Hagrid. ‘We’ll – er – we’ll go back now, shall we?’
Harry and Hermione nodded. Hagrid shouldered his crossbow again and, still pinching his nose, led the way back into the trees.
Nobody spoke for a while, not even when they heard the distant crash that meant Grawp had pulled over the pine tree at last. Hermione’s face was pale and set. Harry could not think of a single thing to say. What on earth was going to happen when somebody found out that Hagrid had hidden Grawp in the Forbidden Forest? And he had promised that he, Ron and Hermione would continue Hagrid’s totally pointless attempts to civilise the giant. How could Hagrid, even with his immense capacity to delude himself that fanged monsters were loveably harmless, fool himself that Grawp would ever be fit to mix with humans?
‘Hold it,’ said Hagrid abruptly, just as Harry and Hermione were struggling through a patch of thick knotgrass behind him. He pulled an arrow out of the quiver over his shoulder and fitted it into the crossbow. Harry and Hermione raised their wands; now that they had stopped walking, they, too, could hear movement close by.
‘Oh, blimey,’ said Hagrid quietly.
‘I thought we told you, Hagrid,’ said a deep male voice, ‘that you are no longer welcome here?’
A man’s naked torso seemed for an instant to be floating towards them through the dappled green half-light; then they saw that his waist joined smoothly into a horse’s chestnut body. This centaur had a proud, high-cheekboned face and long black hair. Like Hagrid, he was armed; a quiverful of arrows and a longbow were slung over his shoulders.
‘How are yeh, Magorian?’ said Hagrid warily.
The trees behind the centaur rustled and four or five more centaurs emerged behind him. Harry recognised the black-bodied and bearded Bane, whom he had met nearly four years ago on the same night he had met Firenze. Bane gave no sign that he had ever seen Harry before.
‘So,’ he said, with a nasty inflection in his voice, before turning immediately to Magorian. ‘We agreed, I think, what we would do if this human ever showed his face in the Forest again?’
‘“This human” now, am I?’ said Hagrid testily. ‘Jus’ fer stoppin’ all of yeh committin’ murder?’
‘You ought not to have meddled, Hagrid,’ said Magorian. ‘Our ways are not yours, nor are our laws. Firenze has betrayed and dishonoured us.’
‘I dunno how yeh work that out,’ said Hagrid impatiently. ‘He’s done nothin’ except help Albus Dumbledore –’
‘Firenze has entered into servitude to humans,’ said a grey centaur with a hard, deeply lined face.
‘Servitude!’ said Hagrid scathingly. ‘He’s doin’ Dumbledore a favour is all –’
‘He is peddling our knowledge and secrets among humans,’ said Magorian quietly. ‘There can be no return from such disgrace.’
‘If yeh say so,’ said Hagrid, shrugging, ‘but personally I think yeh’re makin’ a big mistake –’
‘As are you, human,’ said Bane, ‘coming back into our Forest when we warned you –’
‘Now, yeh listen ter me,’ said Hagrid angrily. ‘I’ll have less of the “our” Forest, if it’s all the same ter yeh. It’s not up ter yeh who comes an’ goes in here –’
‘No more is it up to you, Hagrid,’ said Magorian smoothly. ‘I shall let you pass today because you are accompanied by your young –’
‘They’re not his!’ interrupted Bane contemptuously. ‘Students, Magorian, from up at the school! They have probably already profited from the traitor Firenze’s teachings.’
‘Nevertheless,’ said Magorian calmly, ‘the slaughter of foals is a terrible crime – we do not touch the innocent. Today, Hagrid, you pass. Henceforth, stay away from this place. You forfeited the friendship of the centaurs when you helped the traitor Firenze escape u
s.’
‘I won’ be kept outta the Fores’ by a bunch o’ old mules like yeh!’ said Hagrid loudly.
‘Hagrid,’ said Hermione in a high-pitched and terrified voice, as both Bane and the grey centaur pawed at the ground, ‘let’s go, please let’s go!’
Hagrid moved forwards, but his crossbow was still raised and his eyes were still fixed threateningly upon Magorian.
‘We know what you are keeping in the Forest, Hagrid!’ Magorian called after them, as the centaurs slipped out of sight. ‘And our tolerance is waning!’
Hagrid turned and gave every appearance of wanting to walk straight back to Magorian.
‘Yeh’ll tolerate ’im as long as he’s here, it’s as much his Forest as yours!’ he yelled, as Harry and Hermione both pushed with all their might against Hagrid’s moleskin waistcoat in an effort to keep him moving forwards. Still scowling, he looked down; his expression changed to mild surprise at the sight of them both pushing him; he seemed not to have felt it.
‘Calm down, you two,’ he said, turning to walk on while they panted along behind him. ‘Ruddy old mules, though, eh?’
‘Hagrid,’ said Hermione breathlessly, skirting the patch of nettles they had passed on their way there, ‘if the centaurs don’t want humans in the Forest, it doesn’t really look as though Harry and I will be able –’
‘Ah, you heard what they said,’ said Hagrid dismissively, ‘they wouldn’t hurt foals – I mean, kids. Anyway, we can’ let ourselves be pushed aroun’ by that lot.’
‘Nice try,’ Harry murmured to Hermione, who looked crestfallen.
At last they rejoined the path and, after another ten minutes, the trees began to thin; they were able to see patches of clear blue sky again and, in the distance, the definite sounds of cheering and shouting.
‘Was that another goal?’ asked Hagrid, pausing in the shelter of the trees as the Quidditch stadium came into view. ‘Or d’yeh reckon the match is over?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Hermione miserably. Harry saw that she looked much the worse for wear; her hair was full of twigs and leaves, her robes were ripped in several places and there were numerous scratches on her face and arms. He knew he must look little better.
The Order of the Phoenix Page 68
