"My younger brother!" Hagrid exclaimed with a trembling voice, his eyes welling up with tears. He opened his eyes to look at Grawp, even though he could only see part of him through the trees. From what Ivan could tell, Grawp's head was a massive sphere covered in twisted, grass-colored hair. At the top of his head were large, drum-like ears, and his head seemed to blend into his shoulders with almost no neck. Grawp was clad in dirty, brown overalls that appeared to be thickly sewn from animal skins, and his back was broad. Even in his sleep, the rough seams of his overalls seemed to stretch tautly over his body. His two legs were folded beneath him, and from another angle, Ivan could see his large, dirty, bare feet that resembled sleds, sinking into the muddy ground in the woods.
Grawp was considered small and abnormal in the context of giants, but this "heap" was already big enough to accommodate Ivan, Sirius, Hagrid, and Madam Maxime, who easily stood upon it.
"Do you want to say hello to him?" the old giant asked, lowering his head.
Hagrid nodded but then immediately shook his head. "I want to see my mother first."
"It's probably best not to wake him with noise. Let him continue to rest. He has a bad temper," the old giant advised. They carefully maneuvered around Grawp, who was still sound asleep. Ivan and the others had to navigate the grove to see his head, almost a sphere covered in twisted, grassy hair.
Ivan thought about the moss-covered stone he had seen earlier, which had looked like a distant landmark. To his surprise, he realized that it had been part of Grawp's head. Grawp's head was so large that it appeared to have no neck. His ears were massive and stuck out from the sides of his head, and his eyes were deeply set.
The group proceeded for about five minutes until they reached a dense thicket deep in the forest. In front of them was a large trellis covered in thick vines. A female giant was sitting in front of the trellis, gazing up at the sky, lost in thought.
Fridwulfa, Hagrid's mother, was very old, with a face covered in wrinkles, a hunched back, and withering muscles. This made her appear shorter despite her true height. Though bathed in sunlight, her body still shivered uncontrollably from within. She wore complete clothing, a black-blue robe, the most proper attire Ivan had seen among the giants today.
She was Rubeus Hagrid's mother, once a highly regarded female giant in the British wizarding community. According to the Ministry of Magic's reward for her capture, her head was still worth five hundred golden Galleons.
Hearing their approach, Fridwulfa slowly turned her head. Her muddy eyes showed no signs of recognition.
"Herbert, do you have time to visit me today?" she asked slowly, her voice equally old and frail.
"I brought some people with me. They'd like to see you. Take a look at them," Herbert replied.
"Humanity?" Fridwulfa's gaze moved over each of the individuals before settling on Hagrid.
Hagrid took a dirty handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and wiped his eyes as he looked at his mother. They stood there for minutes, gazing at each other without a word.
"Rubeus, you're Rubeus Hagrid!" Fridwulfa finally said in disbelief after a long while, her voice shaky. Her body trembled with weakness, and her expression was filled with astonishment.
"Mom!" Hagrid murmured, wiping his eyes again with the large handkerchief. In a way, the reunion between mother and son, despite the peculiar circumstances, was a touching sight.
Hagrid finally found some closure for his biggest regret: reuniting with his mother. While Fridwulfa may not have had strong feelings for Hagrid, she did ask a few simple questions. She showed deep concern for Hagrid's father, who had spent some joyful time with her during her life. He was the first man in her life.
She inquired about Hagrid's father, and her expression grew even more desolate after learning of his death. Hagrid shared his father's final words with Fridwulfa before he passed away, and she waved slowly in response. It was the first time sadness had been visibly etched on her face, like words written on water.
Ivan realized that Fridwulfa's life was nearing its end, as indicated by her age and frailty. She might not have much time left.
After a lengthy conversation, Hagrid helped Fridwulfa process the emotional whirlwind of their reunion. Meanwhile, Ivan, Sirius, Madam Maxime, and Herbert worked together to prepare some food nearby.
As the aroma of the cooking meat wafted through the air, a loud, grating roar echoed through the forest. It was Grawp, awakened by the scent of the barbecue. The other giants joined in with their roars, and the noise reverberated through the otherwise silent woods. Birds perched in the treetops took flight in response to the sudden disturbance.
Grawp, the giant, began to rise from the ground, using one massive hand to support himself. The ground trembled as he attempted to kneel. Grawp also roared and turned his head in search of the source of the tantalizing food aroma.
With a rumbling sound, Grawp appeared before Ivan's eyes. His face was a picture of astonishment, resembling a massive, dimly lit moon in the gloomy woods. His features were rough-hewn, with a broad, short nose, crooked mouth, and grotesquely large yellow teeth, each the size of half a brick. His eyes were a muddy brownish-green color.
If Ivan had encountered such a huge monster for the first time, he might have been terrified. However, at this point, he felt no fear. Compared to the other giants they had encountered, Grawp was shorter but more agile.
"My dear younger brother!" Hagrid cried out, his eyes red with emotion, and he walked directly toward Grawp as if he intended to embrace him.
In the next moment, a commotion erupted as Hagrid was sent flying, tumbling through the air like a ball.
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In Evan's perception, Hagrid could handle any dangerous magical creature, including fighting dragons. However, seeing Hagrid easily sent flying by Grawp, the weakest giant, highlighted their vast disparity. Madam Maxime cried as Hagrid crawled up from the ground, his nose and mouth bleeding. Herbert restrained Grawp and scolded him, but the giant stood there restlessly, emitting incomprehensible sounds.
"It's okay, don't blame him. It's not his fault," Hagrid said as he covered his bleeding nose. "I think Grawp saw that I was too excited and couldn't control himself. After all, I'm his big brother."
He extended his arms to comfort Grawp, even though he could only reach the giant's waist. For Evan, hugging Grawp would be like trying to hold his leg.
During lunch, Evan found it hard to eat with the lingering fear of the incident. Fridwulfa introduced Evan to Grawp, but the young giant's head seemed too simple to remember Hagrid's name. Grawp grabbed a roasted sheep in one hand and attempted to pull a nearby pine tree's top towards himself with the other. He seemed to enjoy watching the tree snap back when he let go, causing pine needles to rain. He laughed heartily, as did the other giants. Even Fridwulfa scolded him, but Grawp couldn't resist repeating the action, seemingly afraid of his mother.
Grawp was a genuine giant, different from Herbert and Fridwulfa, who could communicate with humans. After lunch, Evan, Sirius, and Madam Maxime left to return to the camp. At the same time, Hagrid chose to stay behind with his mother and younger brother. After hearing Herbert's words, it seemed that Hagrid had decided to attempt further communication with Grawp.
On returning to the camp, Madam Maxime expressed concerns about Grawp's temper. Evan agreed, suggesting that maintaining distance might be the wisest action.
The next morning, Hagrid returned, seemingly transformed. His hair was messy, and his face and hand were scarred, some still bleeding. He moved carefully, and Evan suspected he might have a broken rib.
Hagrid assured them he was alright and shared that he had spent the night trying to communicate with Grawp. Their primary form of communication in the giant world was through physical interaction, even if it meant engaging in primitive combat.
"I'm alright now. Grawp remembered me; when he's not in a temper, he's actually a good lad. We need a little patience," Hagrid explained.
He revealed his plan to teach Grawp to speak English, hoping that if Grawp could communicate with others, he would understand that they cared about him and help him become more open.
Evan, Sirius, and Madam Maxime silently listened to Hagrid's determination. Hagrid had taken it upon himself to bridge the gap with his family members and was determined to succeed.
In the afternoon, Evan witnessed two male giants engaged in a fierce fight for hours. It became clear that this was a unique form of communication among giants, something Hagrid had been concerned about earlier. Unlike other creatures that Hagrid had dealt with, giants communicated by fighting.
Herbert delivered troubling news as they prepared to deliver their gifts to Cacus later that day. Golgomath had rejected the gifts they had given him and had no intention of communicating with them. Nobody knew the reason behind this rejection.
This turn of events left them with no other option but to rely on Cacus and hope he would agree to their request.
When they again met the giant, Cacus had received them in his summit grotto, and it felt more official this time. He was dressed in regal attire and sat on a giant throne within the grotto hall. This cavern was unlike Evan's expectations of a primitive dwelling. It was expansive, with rows of ancient and mysterious stone columns lining both sides. These columns extended into the distance, and an awe-inspiring statue stood at the front of the hall behind Cacus's throne.
The statue depicted a Cyclops, its crimson skin protected by armor at vital points. A giant yellow gem emitted a mysterious energy from its single eye. The Cyclops held its hand high as if controlling lightning and stood atop the corpse of a massive black dragon. The dragon's skeleton was petrified and enormous, its sheer size awe-inspiring.
However, a massive crack on the Cyclops statue captured Evan's attention even more. The crack ran from top to bottom, splitting the statue into two halves, diminishing its imposing presence and robbing it of its intimidating aura.
Evan looked up, following the line of the crack, and saw an object deeply embedded in the Cyclops's eye. It was a silver-white scabbard, the scabbard of Gryffindor's sword!