Chapter 123: The Most Terrifying Creature
Grawp crouched down and peered at Hermione with undisguised curiosity. Despite his enormous size, there was something almost childlike in his face—a hint of innocence in those large, dim eyes. He tilted his head, studying her the way a toddler might examine a new toy, trying to determine if she was something to play with or perhaps something to eat.
"This is Hermione, Grawp!" Hagrid said, keeping his voice as calm and soothing as possible. "She'll come to see you in the future. You need to listen to her, alright? Be a good lad."
Grawp's massive head suddenly rushed forward toward Hermione.
She let out a piercing shriek and dove behind Elian, pressing herself against his back so hard she nearly knocked him over. Her fingers clutched his cloak in a death grip.
For a moment, there was only the sound of Grawp's heavy breathing and Hermione's terrified gasps.
Then, slowly, Hermione peeked her head out from behind Elian's shoulder.
Grawp's face was right there, close enough that she could see the dirt caked in the creases of his skin, could smell his sour breath washing over her.
"Bad boy!" she whimpered, her voice breaking. "You can't—you can't catch me! Elian, you absolute—"
What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion.
As Grawp reached out with one enormous hand, Elian suddenly grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her out from behind him. Before she could process what was happening, he gave her a gentle but firm push—directly into Grawp's path.
Hermione's eyes went wide with utter betrayal.
"ELIAN!"
Grawp's hand closed around her, lifting her off the ground as easily as picking up a kitten.
"LIN XIAO!" Hermione screamed, her voice cracking with fury and terror. "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! I HATE YOU! I SWEAR I'LL NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN! YOU BASTARD! YOU ABSOLUTE—"
Her cursing devolved into incoherent shrieks as Grawp held her up to his face, examining his new prize with innocent fascination.
Harry and Ron stared at Elian, utterly dumbfounded.
Did he just... did he just feed Hermione to the giant?
"Now, now, Grawp," Hagrid said nervously, wringing his hands. "We talked about this, remember? You can't grab people! This is your new friend, Hermione. Can you say Hermione? Her-my-oh-nee?"
Elian touched his nose, looking distinctly uncomfortable. He could feel Harry and Ron's shocked stares burning into the side of his head.
Hermione dangled from Grawp's fist like a doll, her face red with rage and terror. She looked at Elian with such betrayal that he almost flinched.
I know I'll pay for this later, Elian thought grimly. But it's necessary.
The truth was simple: if Grawp was going to become the chieftain of the giant colony—and Elian was increasingly certain that was the right move—then someone would need to manage him during Elian's absences. Someone trustworthy. Someone intelligent enough to handle a giant with the mind of a child.
Hermione was the only real choice.
But for that to work, she needed to establish a relationship with Grawp now. A bond that went beyond fear. And sometimes, bonds formed fastest under pressure.
Even if Hermione currently wanted to murder him.
"Why would you DO that?" Hermione shrieked at him from Grawp's grip. "Do you have any idea how—how STUPID that was? What if he—"
"Grawp," Hermione suddenly snapped, her voice cutting through her own panic like a whip. "Let me down. NOW!"
Everyone froze.
The change in Hermione was instantaneous and shocking. One moment she'd been a terrified, screaming girl. The next, she'd transformed into something else entirely—something fierce and commanding that seemed to fill the entire clearing despite her small size.
Her eyes blazed. Her spine straightened even while dangling from a giant's fist. Every inch of her radiated absolute authority.
Ron grabbed Elian's arm and whispered urgently, "You're dead. Mate, you are so dead. I've seen Hermione angry before, but this—"
Harry just gave Elian a look of profound sympathy, the kind you give someone who's about to walk to their execution.
"I said NOW!" Hermione commanded again, pointing one trembling finger at the ground. "Put me down this instant!"
The effect was immediate and miraculous.
Grawp, who moments ago had been contentedly examining his new toy, suddenly looked like a child who'd been caught doing something wrong. His face crumpled into an expression of pure guilt. He took two shuffling steps backward and slowly, carefully, lowered Hermione to the ground.
Hagrid's mouth fell open. His eyes were the size of dinner plates.
"How..." he whispered. "How in Merlin's name did she—? He doesn't even listen to me half the time!"
The moment Hermione's feet touched solid earth, she whirled on Elian like an avenging fury.
"YOU!" she snarled, marching toward him with murder in her eyes. "How DARE you! Do you have any idea—any IDEA—what could have happened? That's a GIANT, Elian! A giant! If he'd squeezed too hard, if he'd decided I looked tasty, if—"
Her voice cracked. Her eyes were suddenly shining with unshed tears—not just from fear, but from the sharp sting of betrayal.
She reached him and started pounding her fists against his chest, each impact punctuated by words. "Damn. You. Why. Would. You. Do. That—"
Thunk.
Something large and gentle bumped into Hermione's back, nearly knocking her over.
She froze mid-punch.
Slowly, she turned around.
Grawp had crept forward on his hands and knees. In one massive hand, he held something—a small bell, the kind that might have hung from a horse's harness once, now crusted with dirt and tarnished with age. He held it out to Hermione with extreme caution, his face anxious and hopeful.
An apology. Or perhaps a peace offering.
Hermione stared at the bell, then at Grawp's expectant face. For a long moment, she didn't move.
Then, with trembling hands, she reached out and took the bell. It was cold and heavy in her palm.
She gave it an experimental shake.
Ring ring ring.
The clear, bright sound echoed through the clearing.
Grawp's entire face lit up. He clapped his hands together with a sound like two tree trunks colliding, then let out a delighted laugh—that same deep, rumbling sound from before, but somehow lighter. More innocent.
He looked, Hermione realized with a start, genuinely happy.
Oh, she thought, her anger deflating slightly. He's... he's just a child. A very, very large child.
She rang the bell again, and Grawp bounced excitedly, making the ground shake.
Despite herself, despite everything, Hermione felt the corners of her mouth twitch upward.
Then she remembered Elian.
"OW! Hermione, listen, I can explain—" Elian yelped as she whirled back around and kicked him hard in the shin.
Harry and Ron burst out laughing, unable to help themselves.
"Can't help you now, mate," Ron wheezed. "You did this to yourself."
"Literally pushed her into the giant's hand," Harry added, grinning. "That's... that's really something."
Hermione chased Elian around the clearing, the bell still clutched in one hand, landing kicks and swats whenever she could reach him. Her face was red, her hair was wild, and she was alternating between cursing and lecturing about trust and communication and proper risk assessment procedures.
Grawp watched the entire display with rapt attention, occasionally giggling in his rumbling way.
Hagrid, meanwhile, looked profoundly relieved. "Well," he said, wiping his eyes. "I suppose that settles it. At least someone can manage Grawp when I'm not around."
"During your absence?" Ron asked suddenly, his laughter fading. "Hagrid, did Professor Dumbledore give you a new assignment? Didn't you just get back?"
Hagrid patted Grawp's arm affectionately. "Well, I'm going to go to the Giant Mountains with Elian, over there... er... no, wait, what did I just say? I meant to say with Madame Maxime, of course. To the Giant Mountains with Madame Maxime."
But the damage was done.
Hermione stopped mid-chase. Harry and Ron both turned to stare at Elian, their faces blank with shock.
Giant Mountains? With Elian? What?
Hagrid stroked his beard vigorously and coughed, trying to cover his slip. "Er, that is to say—"
"You're WHAT?" Hermione's voice had gone very quiet. Very cold.
Elian met her gaze steadily. Her face had gone pale, and her hands were shaking—but not from anger this time. From fear.
"Elian," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me Hagrid didn't just say what I think he said. Tell me you're not planning to go to the Giant Mountains."
He said nothing.
That was answer enough.
"You can't," Hermione breathed. "Elian, you CAN'T. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? The giants there, they're—they're huge, they're violent, they nearly killed Hagrid and Madame Maxime, and they're working with You-Know-Who now, and if you think you can just—"
"I know what I'm doing," Elian said quietly.
"No, you don't!" Hermione's voice cracked. "You don't! Nobody knows what they're doing when it comes to giants! Even Dumbledore couldn't convince them! What makes you think—"
She stopped, pressing her hands to her face.
Harry and Ron exchanged worried glances. Neither of them knew what to say.
"Hermione," Elian began, but she held up a hand.
"Don't," she said. "Just... don't. Not right now."
The clearing had gone very quiet. Even Grawp seemed to sense the tension, shifting uncomfortably and making small whimpering sounds.
Hagrid cleared his throat awkwardly. "Er... perhaps we should head back to the castle? It's getting dark, and—"
"Yes," Hermione said flatly. "Let's go back."
She turned on her heel and started walking, still clutching Grawp's bell.
As they followed her back through the forest, Elian felt the weight of three separate stares on his back: Harry's worried, Ron's confused, and Hagrid's guilty.
But it was Hermione's silence that cut the deepest.
She'll understand eventually, he told himself. Once she sees what I'm really planning. Once she realizes why this matters.
Behind them, Grawp watched them go with sad eyes, already lonely again.
The bell's faint ringing echoed through the trees, growing fainter with each step.
(End of Chapter)
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