Evan struggled to sit up, feeling weak and disoriented. He took in his surroundings and saw Sirius standing beside his bed, not one of the giant's youngest daughters.
"Thank God, you're finally awake!" Sirius said with relief as he hurriedly helped Evan sit up.
Evan rubbed his eyes, still feeling a bit dizzy. He examined himself and found that he had his wand, Slytherin's locket, skill bracelet, various books, materials, the Book of Abraham, and Ravenclaw's diadem in his possession. His clothes were intact as well.
"How long have I been asleep?" Evan asked, still a bit blurry.
Sirius handed him a glass of water and replied, "You were in a deep sleep for three days. We were really worried about you. Madam Maxime and I conducted a health examination, but we didn't find anything unusual. It might be a side effect of using the Philosopher's Stone. Your condition is much worse this time than when you touched it. I think you should be more careful with that stone."
"It wasn't the Philosopher's Stone; it was more like a dream," Evan explained vaguely. He described the first part of the dream, focusing on the magical ceremony, Gryffindor's scabbard, the consciousness within, the deep core magma, and the terrifying Cyclops. Sirius listened attentively, his expression becoming increasingly serious.
"You mean the terrifying power emanating from the statue was really Cyclops?!" Sirius exclaimed, disbelief in his eyes. "And a living Cyclops in the deep magma underground?! And those dark wizards are planning to awaken it?! Are they insane?"
This news was even more frightening than Voldemort's return, as the strength of Cyclops was potentially far more formidable.
"I can't confirm whether it was a dream or an illusion shown by the scabbard," Evan said after taking a sip of water. "I can't determine what those dark wizards are planning to do. I don't understand their dark magic."
"Regardless of whether they're awakening Cyclops, it's not a good thing," Sirius said grimly. "We should send owls or write a letter to Dumbledore using any means available. The situation is dire."
"What happened during my three days of sleep?" Evan inquired, surveying his surroundings. "Where are Hagrid and Madam Maxime? And why aren't we in our own camp? This seems to be a giant's cavern."
"They're outside, dealing with other matters. This is indeed a giant's cavern, and we had to hide here," Sirius explained. "Considering your safety, we had to leave our camp. Before you woke up, I wanted to take you back to our carriage first. It was too dangerous here."
"What happened?" Evan pressed.
"After you fainted that day in the grotto, that overwhelming pressure gradually dissipated," Sirius began. "The giants emerged from the ground. Whether it was Cacus or the burly Golgomath, they were terrified. You should have seen how they looked at you that day; they treated you like a god."
This reaction was quite normal, considering Evan had used the Philosopher's Stone to defeat a giant soldier and had been surrounded by the overwhelming aura of Cyclops.
"Once we reassured the giants, we left and returned to our camp," Sirius continued. "In the afternoon, Cacus and Golgomath sent gifts and initiated discussions about forming an alliance with us."
"Thanks to the awe-inspiring display of your power, things were moving positively," Sirius noted, waving his hand. "We established a friendly relationship with the two giant leaders, and Cacus and Golgomath were particularly eager. They even proposed that you marry their daughters, who are almost your age."
"Did you agree on my behalf?" Evan asked, recalling the latter part of his dream.
"I definitely declined. Do you even like female giants?" Sirius teased, looking at him with a playful expression. "But they brought up the topic themselves, and when they returned, there seemed to be an argument. They probably debated who should marry their daughters to you. That night, a fight broke out between them in the camp. We heard the commotion, and the battle lasted five hours before it subsided after midnight. We didn't dare intervene, and by the time the sun came up, the entire giant territory was in chaos, with Golgomath's head submerged in the lake."
"Whose head?" Evan asked, surprised.
"Cacus's head," Sirius replied solemnly. "His strength was inferior to Golgomath's. Golgomath became the new giant leader, and when we met him to exchange gifts, he was quite pleased with himself. He now sits on the throne, wearing Cacus's helmet and holding his wife. He warmly received us."
"Cacus died like that? Who could have known that giants couldn't distinguish us," Evan mused. "All we needed was to cooperate with the giant tribe. I rephrased Dumbledore's words and presented them to Golgomath, who was somewhat interested but reluctantly agreed to the alliance and told us what goods they needed."
"That should have been a good thing, right?" Evan inquired, surprised. "Why do you say things have turned for the worse?"
"True, it should have been," Sirius admitted. "Once we finalize the alliance with them and give Dumbledore that detailed list, the plan to unite the giants will be complete, and we'll have dealt a significant blow to Voldemort's plot by causing his dark army to lose an important ally. But Hagrid, Madam Maxime, and I were too careless. We didn't expect the Death Eaters to act so suddenly."
"Death Eaters?!" Evan was trying to connect the dots between Golgomath and the Death Eaters.
"Do you still remember when Golgomath withdrew our gifts?" Sirius continued. "He had made contact with the Death Eaters and agreed to Voldemort's request, preparing to join his army. But overnight, he killed Cacus and became the new giant leader, ruling over all the giants. He informed the Death Eaters that he no longer wished to proceed with their plan and wanted to withdraw. However, withdrawing is not an option in Voldemort's dictionary. Worse still, he was preparing to form an alliance with us."
"So, what did the Death Eaters do?" Evan inquired, moving his stiff body and wrist.
"When we spoke with Golgomath that day and agreed to meet again the next day, he had already met with his trusted subordinates and the Death Eaters. They weren't too pleased with his plans to withdraw from Voldemort's army, and their conversation wasn't very pleasant. That's when all these giants were killed!" Sirius paused, giving Evan time to absorb the information before continuing. "Almost the entire grotto fell silent, and the giants all died without making a sound."
"How did they manage that? Voldemort didn't come himself, did he?" Evan wondered.
"No, it wasn't a straightforward battle, and they didn't have the strength to kill so many giants," Sirius explained, waving his hand dismissively. "It was cruel dark magic. Before the giants, they received gifts from Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Do you recall that dark magic ring you saw on Golgomath's finger?"
Evan nodded, recalling the strange black ring he had noticed on Golgomath's finger. It hadn't seemed quite right to him.
"Golgomath and his trusted subordinates received similar magical accessories," Sirius continued. "The Death Eaters had given them these gifts, but they were actually cursed items created by Voldemort. Dark Lord was distrustful of them, and he believed that the gifts he gave them granted formidable power and came with shackles in the form of a terrible curse. As it turns out, his concerns were well-founded."
"So, the curses on those accessories were activated?" Evan raised an eyebrow.
"I later went to the grotto to investigate, and the scene was horrific. If Golgomath knew this would be the outcome, he probably wouldn't have planned to betray Voldemort," Sirius said. "I suspect that when Golgomath and the other giants discussed their plans to betray Voldemort, the cursed items they wore activated and killed them instantly. There was no need for the Death Eaters to intervene, as Voldemort's immense power ensured that."
It made sense. Giants, despite their immense physical strength, were ignorant of magic. Voldemort could easily place a curse on those accessories, and all the giants would die in an instant.
"What a foolish move, accepting items from Voldemort," Evan mused. "And without any protection against it."
"Exactly. Giants, for all their physical might, have no knowledge of magic. Voldemort himself cast the curse on those items, and it wasn't difficult to kill so many giants with it," Sirius confirmed. "In fact, Golgomath and Cacus both met tragic ends. Now, only a few giants are left, and the overwhelming power they once felt from you and Cyclops has diminished."
On the contrary, Voldemort and the Death Eaters had quickly gained a fearsome reputation among the giants. In their simple minds, strange dark magic was equated with the god of death. To make the giants submit, they had to instill fear. The giants were now more afraid of Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
"Participating in wizarding wars is the misfortune of these giants. They were born with immense strength, which is a curse," Evan sighed, remembering Ravenclaw's words. This was his primary goal in his visit to Sicily. "So, with Cacus and Golgomath gone, who's in charge of the giants now?"
"You hit the nail on the head—no one!" Sirius emphasized, raising his voice. "The giants are terrified after two successive deaths, especially Golgomath and his supporters. But for ambitious giants, this is an opportunity."
"As I mentioned before, the Sicilian giants are a complex group. Giants like Herbert or Hagrid's mother fled here from Europe to escape persecution. They belonged to different tribes before and often fought among themselves. After the deaths of Cacus, Golgomath, and many giant soldiers, the influence of the local Sicilian tribe declined. They couldn't effectively control the other giant tribes, which suddenly became chaotic, engaging in daily battles and vying for leadership. The situation here has become a complete mess, especially with the Death Eaters instigating them from behind. It's going to take some time to stabilize," Evan analyzed.
"Is there a strong giant emerging to unite the tribes?" Evan wondered.
"No!" Sirius scoffed. "Giants may be formidable in combat but lack the intellect and finesse required for diplomacy and strategy. They're simple-minded and often engage in fights. They don't care why they're fighting, even if it's against their closest kin. They're a bunch of straightforward brutes."
After silence, Evan imagined the scenario Sirius described—a chaotic giant territory.
"Giants act independently and won't agree to form alliances or cooperate with us meaningfully. The giants that the Death Eaters are gathering are survivors, and they're just trying to bolster Voldemort's forces. This move was ruthless, and whoever the Death Eaters sent here was not someone to be taken lightly. By the time we reacted, we had already missed the best opportunity," Sirius lamented.
"Does that mean the current situation is a three-way struggle between us, Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and the independent giants?" Evan inquired.
"Almost," Sirius agreed. "But our giant population is the smallest. Hagrid and Madam Maxime have been trying to convince them, but it's had little effect. These giants lack intelligence, and the enticements offered by the Death Eaters are hard for them to resist. Over the past three days, their numbers have increased, and they even launched an attack on our camp yesterday after midnight, attempting to kill us."