Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 219 Hagrid's Request

Upon entering the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid immediately pulled a crossbow from his robes and became even more cautious, constantly monitoring his surroundings.

"Hagrid, why are you carrying a weapon?" Harry asked.

"Just in case," Hagrid said, "I'm not exactly welcome here right now..."

"Why? It was perfectly fine when I went to see the Thestrals last time."

“We didn’t have to go too far that day…” Hagrid replied, “and that was before Frenzer left the Forbidden Forest…”

"The other centaurs were furious about this. They considered Ferenze a traitor, and if I hadn't arrived in time, they probably would have kicked him to death." Hagrid sighed. "Anyway, some very unpleasant things happened..."

"So, it's for the centaurs?" Hermione asked softly.

"No, it's not centaurs, it's something else... You'll see when you see it."

Hagrid fell silent, carrying his crossbow and walking ahead with his head down. He also walked much faster, and Harry and Hermione struggled to keep up.

They ventured deeper into the forest, where the weeds grew thicker, the trees became denser, and even the light dimmed. Gradually, more bushes appeared; these thorny creatures posed little threat to Hagrid, but Hermione and Harry faced a more challenging task.

Suddenly, Hagrid stopped. The two men, who were focused on dealing with the nasty bushes, didn't notice and bumped into Hagrid's back.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

Hagrid turned around, a hint of hesitation in his voice: "I think... I should tell you the situation before I go there..."

"Okay," Hermione agreed, looking around. It was already too dark to see anything. "Can we use an illumination charm?"

"Illumination Charm? That should be fine... nothing serious."

Upon hearing this, Hermione drew her wand, and a soft orb of light appeared at the tip. Perhaps due to the eerie atmosphere, or perhaps for some other reason, neither Hagrid nor Harry noticed that Hermione hadn't uttered the incantation for her Illumination Charm.

Hagrid, preoccupied, sat down on the ground and sighed, "I could be fired at any moment. You know, ever since I came back, she's been looking for a chance to get rid of me."

"Of course, I don't want to leave, but due to some circumstances, I need to go now..."

"What happened?" Harry asked. "Is it...the Order of the Phoenix?"

"That's right." Hagrid nodded. "But that's not why I brought you here. I need your help. You'll help me, won't you?"

"Of course we'll help you," Harry said without hesitation.

Hagrid was so moved that he slapped Harry on the shoulder, making Harry stumble. He stood up again, waved to the two of them, and gestured for them to follow.

After walking silently for a long time, Hagrid stopped again. This time, without his explanation, the two stopped and stared in shock at the enormous creature not far ahead.

"Hagrid, who is this?" Hermione asked softly, her hand gripping her wand tightly; the soft orb of light on it had vanished sometime during the night.

"Who?" Harry was still a little confused, and he even thought Hermione was wrong. But after carefully looking in the direction Hermione was pointing, he immediately gasped.

"Didn't you say they wouldn't come?" Hermione asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Yes, they won't come, but he's different... He doesn't want to come either, but I have to bring him here," Hagrid replied.

"Why? He..." Hermione's words were interrupted by Hagrid's sudden sobs.

"I can't, I can't leave him there, he'll die!" Hagrid sobbed. "He's too weak, those guys will kill him..."

"Weak!" Harry exclaimed in shock, pointing to the head that was almost as tall as Hagrid's. "Is that what you call weak?"

"Yes, he's weak, he's only sixteen feet tall, I can't abandon him..." Hagrid's face was streaked with tears. "Hermione, do you understand? He's my brother... my half-brother!"

"younger brother!"

Harry and Hermione gasped in unison, staring at Hagrid in disbelief.

“Yes, brother, I only found out later,” Hagrid said. “After leaving my father, my mother went with another giant, and that’s how Grop came to be…”

"It should be this name; it sounds very similar when he says his own name," Hagrid said quickly. "He doesn't talk much, he's a bit withdrawn, and he doesn't have a very good temper... I've been trying to teach him, to teach him about values, to teach him manners, and to take good care of him..."

"So the injuries on your body...were done by him?" Hermione asked.

"Yes... but I swear Groop is a good kid, he just likes to play... He doesn't know how strong he is, I know, he was just careless, he just wanted to play with me..."

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and pointed to the still-sleeping, enormous figure, asking, "If I understand correctly, you want us to take care of him after you leave?"

"Yes..." Hagrid said expectantly, afraid that Hermione and Harry might change their minds at this point. "It's very simple. We don't need to provide food; he'll find it himself. He just needs someone to keep him company and someone to continue teaching him..."

"Actually, even just talking would be nice..."

"Let's give it a try." Harry also felt hesitant, but since he had already agreed to Hagrid's request.

"I knew it... I knew you'd agree." Hagrid wiped away his tears and finally smiled. "Great! It won't be too much trouble. Just come visit him once a week..."

As he spoke, he stood up and walked towards Gropp: "I'll go wake him up and introduce him to you..."

"No!" Hermione quickly tried to stop him, but Hagrid had already walked over to Gromp. He picked up a long branch from the ground and poked Gromp hard in the back.

"roar!"

With a roar, Grop stood up from the ground. His massive figure was almost as tall as the surrounding towering trees, and the ground even trembled when he stood up.

"Awake, Gloucester?" Hagrid said cheerfully. "It's alright, it's alright. Let me introduce you to two new friends..."

"Remember? I told you to introduce you to some friends so they could take care of you after I leave."

"Do you remember, Gropp...?"

Growl let out a low growl, lowered his head, and brought his massive head close to Hagrid's. Hagrid chuckled and patted Growl's large face, then turned and pointed to Hermione and Harry, who were hiding to the side.

"Yes, that's them. This is Harry, and this is Hermione. They'll take care of you... No! Stop! Don't do this, Gropp!"

As Hagrid was speaking, Gropp suddenly reached out his large hand and grabbed Hermione. Caught off guard, Hermione was caught off guard and lifted into the air.

This terrified Hagrid, and he yelled, but Gropp seemed not to hear him and instead leaned close to Hermione's face.

It looked like he was about to devour Hermione!

(End of this chapter)