"Really easy. Very quiet, now.." He warns, invoking us to trudge lightly from there. I gaze around us curiously and skeptically, the area open compared to the forest we were just in with a large dirt mound between some trees, a bunch of other trees up lifted from the ground surrounding.

"Sleepin'." Hagrid breathes out. I look at Hargid and back at the area before us, indeed hearing the rumble and snoring of something sleeping in the distance. The mound in the distance moved with each breathe, my eyes widening at the realization as Harry turned to us questioningly.

"Is he..?" I ask breathlessly.

"Hagrid, who is he?" Hermione whispers silently over the snores.

"Hagrid, you told us, you told us none of them wanted to come!" Hermione exclaims under a hushed breathe. I turn to her.

"There's more?" I can't help but question. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm open to diversity, but Giants did have a reputation of be unpredictably hostile. And this was still a school full of students afterall.

"Well- no- he didn' want ter come. But I had ter bring him, I had ter!" He says, my jaw dropping at the fact the friendly giant had kidnapped a more bigger one.

"But why? Why- what- oh, Hagrid!" She scolds faintly while still processing the whole thing.

"I knew if I jus' got him back, an'-an' taught him a few manners- I'd be able ter take him outside an' show ev'ryone he's harmless!" He explains in a rush.

"Harmless!?" Hermione exclaims, my own brows raising at this too. Hargid rushes forward, trying to hush the girl.

"He's been hurting you all this time, hasn't he? That's why you've had all these injuries! That's.. That's why you came back.. and-" Hermione casts me a glance, a curious action that Hagrid must have been able to understand, as he nods. I look at Harry, him silently assuring me it was noting to worry about. I work with the puzzle pieces given to me so far, trying to guess what was implied. The only other encounter I've really had with him in when I first- Hermione's questioning- because I had seen him when others hadn't.. I get it. And still, she trusted me, accepted me into her group. Something in me warms at this, knowing I was trusted despite being suspected for whatever foul deeds, I mean, she believed me about the hat too..

"Yes, yes. I came back in time fer Viper's arrival, but I left to, to make sure he settled in alrigh'. He jus' don' know his own strength! An' he's gettin' better, he's not fightin' so much anymore-" I focus on the giant problem before us.

"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?" She counters.

"They were all bullyin' him, Hermione, 'cause he's so small!" Hagrid throws back with a heavy heart.

"Small? Small?" I glance back at the giant in his slumber some state, questioning his choice of words.

"Hermione, I couldn' leave him.. See- he's my brother!" Hermione stares flabbergasted.

"Hagrid, when you say 'brother,' do you mean-?" Harry asks slowly.

"Well- half-brother. Turns out me mother took up with another giant when she left me dad, an' she went an' had Grawp here-"

"Grawp?" We ask.

"Yeah.. well, tha's what it sounds like when he says his name. 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! Absolutely minuscule!" Hermione retorts in her hysteria.

"He was bein' kicked around by all o' them- I jus' couldn' leave him-" 

"Did Madame Maxime want to bring him back?" Harry asks.

"She- well, she could see it was right importan' ter me. Bu'-bu' she got a bit tired of 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?" Harry wonders.

"Well, tha's why it took so long, see. 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! What do you think you're going to do with a violent giant who doesn't even want to be here!" Hermione replies harshly in exasperation and worry.

"Well, now- 'violent'- tha's a bit harsh, 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 points out. The giant tied with giant ropes that anchored him to a tree.

"You have to keep him tied up?" Hermione murmurs faintly.

"Well.. yeah.. See- it's like I say- he doesn' really know his strength-"

"Hagrid, he may be on the smaller size in terms of Giant's standards, but he's still rather exceptionally large for human standards too. He's still a Giant by heart and blood.." I turn to the friendlier giant with a heavy heart, my brows scrunched at the sentiment I was implying. He looks at me with a pained expression, his eyes soft as they held so much sadness.

"I couldn' leave him. I still canno do tha'.." I breathe in heavily, nodding my head slowly as to agree.

"So what is it you want us to do?" Hermione asked apprehensively. 

"Look after him. After I'm gone." He gives a curt nod.

"What-what does that involve, exactly?" Hermione inquired.

"Not food or anythin'! 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.."

"You want us to teach him..?" Harry says, as his eyes stay on the sleeping giant.

"Yeah- even if yeh jus' talk ter him a bit. 'Cause I reckon, if he can talk ter people, he'll understand more that we all like him really, an' want him to stay.." Hagrid says hopefully. Harry turns back to Hermione and I, her hands covering her face as I contemplated the situation.

"Kind of makes you wish we had Norbert back, doesn't it?" Harry references back to Hermione, a shaky laugh as her response.

"Yeh'll do it, then?" He perks. Harry turns to me this time, his brows up in question. I see his uncertainty, but not the will to actually back out from the request. I nod, might as well help them. Besides, what else do I have to do? Could be fun even.. I glance at the giant who snores away, the rumbles from his snores felt from where we were as a reminder of just how powerful the being was compared. Or not..

"We'll.. We'll try, Hagrid.." Harry gives in, the friendly big fellow crying out at this.

"I knew I could count on yeh, Harry. 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 him.. I'll wake him up, then- introduce you-" I feel Hermione tense in her spot immediately, resting a hand on her shoulder as she goes to object against the idea.

"Wha- no! Hagrid, no, don't wake him, really, we don't need-" He ignores her attempts, already making his way over to wake him. He grabs a long bough, poking into the back of the sleeping giant, invoking a roar from the creature that erupted through the forest. I apply pressure to Hermione's shoulder as assurance, backing up with her as she frightened away from the looming giant that had been forced awake.

"All righ', Grawpy? Had a nice sleep, eh?" Hagrid greets his brother.

"Oh my.." I offer a small hush to Hermione as she squeals.

"Quiet now, you wouldn't want to startle him." I watch the creature carefully as she gives a small nod. The giant reaches up to some tree branches, knocking a nest to the ground in contempt. Hagrid shielding himself from the egg bombardment. He looks to make sure it's safe from the raining eggs before resuming his attempts on his brother.

"Anyway, Grawpy, 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?" He attempts, unsure if his brother was even actually listening to him as he pulls back on a tree to watch it spring forward.

"Now, Grawpy, don' do that! Tha's how you ended up pullin' up the others-" I raised my brows as I re-examine the trees, noting that's the true reason behind the destruction. As if to prove point, the tree he had released begins to unroot itself partially before falling back into place. The roots now going to have to work hard to reconnect themselves.

"I got company fer yeh! Company, see! Look down, yeh big buffoon, I brought yeh some friends!" Hagrid grows impatient, poking the giant with the bough once again.

"Oh Hagrid, don't." Hermione blenches as Hagrid is showered with pine needles from the tree Grawpy had released. He gazes down, Hagrid taking his chance to point us out to the looming giant.

"This, is Harry, Grawp! Harry Potter! He migh' be comin' ter visit yeh if I have ter go away, understand?" He first points to Harry who stood just share a head of us.

"An' this is Viper, got it?" Grawpy leans forward some inspectantly.

"An' this is Hermione, see? Her- Would yeh mind if he called yeh Hermy, Hermione? On'y it's a difficult name fer him ter remember.."

"No, not at all." She gives in stiffly.

"This is Hermy, Grawp! An' she's gonna be comin' an' all! Is'n tha' nice? Eh? Three friends fer yeh ter- GRAWPY, NO!" The giant's hand suddenly shot out for Hermione, my hand already pulling on the back of her cloak. I pull her back, Harry grabbing her and shoving her behind the tree to deflect the giant's hand. I stare at the creature with narrowed eyes at his attention flickers to me, my head lifting as to put in place his brazing curiosity.

"BAD BOY, GRAWPY! VERY BAD BOY! YEH DON' GRAB- OUCH!" I refrain from exclaiming out at Hagrid's assault, stepping forward cautiously as the giant turns his attention back to the tree. I offer a worried glance to the injured giant, his hand up to keep me at bay as the others poke their heads out from behind the tree.

"Are you okay-? oh, you're nose is bleeding." I exhale a sharp breath at the notice of blood. He picks himself up from the ground, pinching his bloodied nose.

"Alrigh'.. Well.. there yeh are.. Yeh've met him an'-an' now he'll know yeh when yeh come back. Yeah.. well.."

"Well, I reckon tha's enough fer one day. We'll- er- we'll go back now, shall we?" He leads, the three of us nodding silently as we follow him. I turn back after a moment, the tree Grawp had been messing with seemingly finally giving out and tumbling to the ground like the others.

   After a long while, I began to grow a sense of unease, not sure if it was because of the giant we had encounter with still left me on edge or if- suddenly Hagrid stops us. Our stillness making it much more clear why I was on edge.

"Hagrid?" I question urgently.

"Oh blimey." He lets out quietly.

"I thought that we told you, Hagrid, that you are no longer welcome here?" I turn in the direction of the voice, wand raised defensively. A centaur makes himself shown, his torso bare as he radiated with pride. He had a weapon on him, a bow and arrows over his shoulder.

"How are yeh, Magorian?" Hagrid grows uneasy, trying to play it cool. I straighten, a few more centaurs making themselves seen behind the one to show himself, Magorian.

"So.. We agreed, I think, what we would do if this human showed his face in the forest again?" One them says with a nasty tone, turning back to the one to reveal himself first. I step closer to Hagrid, next to Harry as Hermione remains behind us.

"'This human' now, am I? Jus' fer stoppin' all of yeh committin' murder?"

"You ought not to have meddled, Hagrid. Our ways are not yours, nor are our laws. Firenze has betrayed and dishonored us." Magorian speaks up.

"I dunno how yeh work that out. He's done nothin' except help Albus Dumbledore-" Hagrid says indignantly.

"Firenze has entered into servitude to humans." Another says this time.

"Servitude! He's doin' Dumbledore a favor is all-" Hagrid defends with a bark.

"He is peddling our knowledge and secrets among humans. There can be no return from such disgrace."

"If yeh say so, but personally I think yeh're makin' a big mistake-" Hagrid shrugs as a means of insult.

"As are you, human, coming back into our forest when we warned you-" My brow twitches at the ignorance before me.

"Now, you listen ter me, I'll have less of the 'our' forest, if it's all the same ter you. It's not up ter you who comes an' goes in here-"

"No more is it up to you, Hagrid, I shall let you pass today because you are accompanied by your young-" My head turns quizzically at this, cautious of conditions and terms.

"They're not his! Students, Magorian, from up at the school! They have probably already profited from the traitor Firenze's teachings.." The centaur continues with his vitriolic attacks at anyone who dare opposes them.

"Nevertheless, 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 us."

"I won' be kept outta the fores' by a bunch of mules like you!" Hagrid protests. I eye the centaurs, placing a hand on Hagrid's shoulder.

"Hagrid, let's go, please let's go!" Hermione tries as the centaurs grow antsy at our being here. I tuck my wand away, tugging the friendly but the stubborn giant along.

"We know what you are keeping in the forest, Hagrid! And our tolerance is waning!" Magorian calls after. This raises a reaction from Hagrid, the other two helping redirect the giant back.

"You'll tolerate him as long as he's here, it's as much his forest as yours!" We drag the riled up giant away, our attempts barely even noticed as he glances down as he takes notice to our useless efforts.

"Calm down, you three. Ruddy old nags though, eh?" He faces forward to walk now.

"Hagrid, 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. They wouldn't hurt foals- I mean, kids. Anyway, we can' let ourselves be pushed around by that lot.."

"Nice try." Harry commends Hermione's effort. We plod our way back, eventually seeing light and hearing the sounds of cheering in the distance.

"Was that another goal? Was that another goal?" Hagrid vocals in wariness.

"I don't know." Hermione murmurs, her person a mess as I pick twigs and bits of leaves from her hair and off her robe. Her lips flatten in a lethargic grateful smile.

"I reckon it's over, yeh know! Look- there's people comin' out already- if you three hurry yeh'll be able ter blend in with the crowd an' no one'll know you weren't there!"

"Good idea. Well.. see you later, then, Hagrid.." Harry agrees.

"Take care, Hagrid." I offer as we begin to part ways.

"I don't believe him. I don't believe him. I really don't believe him.." I glance around observantly for any wondering eyes, trying to comfort Hermione as I do so.

"Careful Hermione.." I try and ease.

"Calm down." Harry adds.

"Calm down! A giant! A giant in the forest! And we're supposed to give him English lessons! Always assuming, of course, we can get past the herd of murderous centaurs on the way in and out! I- don't- believe- him!"

"We haven't got to do anything yet! He's not asking us to do anything unless he gets chucked out and that might not even happen-" Harry attempts this time, the lot of us stealthily merging in with some Hufflepuff yapping away mindlessly.

"Oh come off it, Harry! Of course he's going to be chucked out and to be perfectly honest, after what we've just seen, who can blame Umbridge?" It was hard to completely argue against the fact, but still. I step closer between the two as Harry sends her a glare.

"Hermione, come now.. You're still shooked from meeting.. our new friend." I look between the two, trying to ease the growing tension. Her eyes line with tears.

"You didn't mean that." Harry says quietly.

"No.. well.. all right.. I didn't. But why does he have to make life so difficult for himself- for us?" She wipes her hand hastily, sniffling harshly.

"I dunno-" He exhales, feeling the stress of the situation more that we were away from the danger and the adrenaline was wearing off. Of course, just because we were out of the dark forest didn't mean there wasn't danger still about. There was still Umbridge.

"Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King, He didn't let the Quaffle in, Weasley is our King.."

"And I wish they'd stop singing that stupid song, haven't they gloated enough?" She sulks miserably, the Slytherins not helping us feel any better in the slightest and their persistent chanting.

"Oh, let's get in before we have to meet the Slytherins.. No offense, Viper." I grin, a light smile coming to her face briefly before we were met with more chanting.

"Weasley can save anything, He never leaves a single ring, That's why Gryffindors all sing: Weasley is our King."

"Hermione.." I raise a brow, the colors of the ones chanting the song, not of those from my house, but of the Gryffindor's beside me.

"Weasley is our King, Weasley is our King, He didn't let the Quaffle in, Weasley is our King.."

"No!" She exclaims at the Gryffindor's on the shoulders of the others. I smile, waving at the figure cheering as he turns back.

"YES!" Harry exclaims back loudly.

"HARRY! HERMIONE!" Ron yells out, waving his silver winning cup up for show.

"WE DID IT! WE WON! LOOK VIPER! I ACTUALLY DID IT!" I clapped for the prideful boy as the others cheered and gleamed for the boy, still going even after hitting his head entering through the doors. I refrain from laughing, biting on my lips inwardly as we watched after the overzealous crowd.

"We'll save our news till tomorrow, shall we?" Harry suggests.

"Yes, all right. I'm not in any hurry.." I nod while agreeing with Hermione, taking a deep tired breath.

"I tired, I'm going to rest.. I'll catch up with you tomorrow." Hermione and Harry nod.

"That was rather tiresome.. Goodnight, Viper." I bid my farewell to Hermione, Harry offering a small wave.

"Goodnight Vo-.. Sorry, uh, Viper." My brows come together as I look at him strangely, smiling as I could see his weariness was hitting him too.

"Make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight, Harry." I joke. He agrees in a taut voice, taking my leave.

   I yawn, nearing the Slytherin chambers when someone's steps could be heard suddenly behind me. I stop, turning to face them. I smile at Professor Snape, nodding to greet him.

"And just where have.. you been..? Miss Ripley?" I don't falter under his gaze, not even blinking as I keep his challenging eye.

"With Harry and Hermione. Watching the game. Gryffindor the winner, can you believe Ron won? Just shows that anyone is capable of anything." I smile wider. His brow raises.

"Or perhaps he got lucky.. Like not being caught sneaking around, doing who knows what." I chuckle innocently.

"Whatever do you mean, Sir?" I pretend. He stares a long moment.

"You were at the game? The whole time..?" I nod, my eye unwavering under his scrutinizing one.

"Of course, Sir."