Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 193 The mantis stalks the cicada

"We can't give up, Olim."

Inside the cave, Hagrid said in a deep voice, "There must still be giants who refuse to submit to the rule of the tall horses; those are our targets."

"Your injuries need to heal a little bit, that's the most important thing right now." Maxim took a bottle of potion and poured it directly into Hagrid's mouth.

Hagrid was seriously injured in the previous conflict with the giants. He couldn't even use his arms and couldn't even take his medicine by himself.

"Cough..." Maxim drank a little too fast, making Hagrid cough. "What I mean is that we can observe first. It's normal for the leaders of the giants to change, but they shouldn't be so hostile towards us. It doesn't make sense."

"But the truth is, that guy named Gogoma almost killed you." Maxim grabbed Hagrid's arm and pointed his wand at his shoulder. A flash of white light, and Hagrid let out a scream.

"Don't worry, there's one more."

After another scream, Maxim released Hagrid's arm with a look of disgust and said, "Alright, he should be fine in a couple of days."

Hagrid moved his arms around; although they were still a little sore, it didn't bother him anymore.

"I still think we should take another look..."

"There's really nothing to see here. It's obvious they're the Dark Lord's henchmen," Maxim said. "Kakus said he rejected the two Death Eaters' offer."

"However, you're not wrong either. There are probably still giants who are not convinced by the Gorgoma... But we must be careful. Now the enemy is not only the Gorgoma, but also the Death Eaters!"

Hagrid nodded repeatedly, and upon seeing this, Maxim couldn't help but smile slightly, but it vanished in an instant.

They rested in the cave for a day, and then secretly slipped into the valley the next night to find the giants who refused to submit to the tall horse.

It was easy to find, after all, Gao Gaoma had only recently become a Gugo and his control over the tribe was somewhat insufficient. And the only way for him to control the tribe was to subdue those who did not submit.

Therefore, all we need to do is find those injured giants.

Their infiltration was difficult, and Hagrid disagreed with Maxim using the Disillusionment Charm. Giants hated wizards using magic against them, and while the Disillusionment Charm wouldn't directly harm them, it would give them the illusion that the wizards were planning a sneak attack.

Moreover, the difficulties go far beyond that.

"It really is them, those Death Eaters!" As soon as Hagrid slipped in, he saw Tall Horse talking loudly with two humans by a huge campfire on the lake.

He knew them both; one was McNeil, and the other was Ike.

"Damn, they must be so smug, but that's perfect, we can sneak in." Hagrid lowered his voice, patted Maxim's arm, and pointed in a direction.

"Let's go check that out first..."

The giant tribe had a strict hierarchy. Gugo enjoyed the best housing and services, and didn't have to hunt. His loyal followers lived closest to him, mostly in caves by the lake. Others, depending on their closeness to Gugo, became more distant the further out they were—which was exactly what Hagrid was looking for.

Carefully concealing themselves in the shadows, the two searched for a long time before finally finding three battered giants in the outermost cave. They looked utterly wretched, their skin torn and bleeding, injuries sustained just two days prior.

"Hello, we came to visit Kakus earlier. I'd like to talk to you..." Hagrid whispered to the three giants, explaining his origins and purpose.

Perhaps it was Hagrid's sincere attitude, or perhaps it was the kinship between the two, but gradually, the three giants were somewhat persuaded, though they were still hesitant.

Hagrid was very happy, but he didn't show it. After making an appointment with the three giants to come see them again the next day, he left.

"That's a good start, but we need more giants..."

The following evening, Hagrid and Maxim returned to the cave where the three giants were and spoke with them again. This time, they agreed that Hagrid wouldn't need to find a way to get them back to England; they would figure it out themselves.

"That's wonderful, thank you so much." Hagrid was very excited. "Then it's settled. We still need to go to that cave in the north, where there are four more giants like you."

"Please be careful. Gorgoma's men came to search during the day. They're looking for you," a giant said haltingly in English, his eyes full of sincerity.

"We will." With that, Haigla led Maxim out of the cave and headed towards the other cave they had discovered the night before.

It was a slightly larger cave than the previous one, yet it was packed with four giants. Even if one of them was underage, it was still very crowded.

"Are you alright? As promised, we've come to see you." Hagrid and Maxim stopped at the entrance of the cave, as there was simply no room to stand inside.

"I'm feeling a bit better." A muffled voice rang out, yet it was fluent enough; it was the translator who had been beside Kakus earlier.

"So, what's your decision? We just came from Demas, and they've agreed," Hagrid said. "We need your strength."

"If Dimas and the others agree, we agree too."

"That's great! Don't worry, we will..."

Suddenly, a deafening roar rang out, and the ground trembled noticeably. Immediately afterward, another scream echoed from the direction where Dimas and his group had been.

Everyone's expression changed. Maxim drew his wand and looked warily towards the cave entrance. There, several tall figures were running rapidly towards them.

It's a tall horse!

But this wasn't the main reason for her dramatic change in expression. Compared to the tall horse clad in gleaming silver armor, the real danger lay with the two Death Eaters beside him.

"I truly didn't expect to find the esteemed Lady Maxim with you, Hagrid," McNeil said, pointing his wand at Maxim but looking directly at Hagrid. "Is it because you're both half-giants?"

"Damn it! You'll pay for this!" Maxim roared in fury, unleashing a spell that brought him to McNeil's feet in the blink of an eye. It was too fast; McNeil didn't even have time to react.

"Snapped!"

Suddenly, a small silver shield appeared, blocking the incoming spell less than two inches in front of McNeil.

"Ms. Maxim, please forgive my companion's slip of the tongue; he meant no harm." Ike placed his hands in front of him, his expression calm.

"I apologize, McNeil."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Maxim." McNeil apologized very obediently and seemed very sincere, but Maxim's anger showed no signs of abating and she became even more vigilant.

Ike paid no attention to Maxim, who was holding the wand; his earlier probing had given him confidence. He turned to Hagrid, a bright smile spreading across his face, but for some reason, Hagrid involuntarily took a half-step back upon seeing him.

"Hello, Hagrid, long time no see..."

(End of this chapter)