HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 433

Chapter 433: Grawp

“Someone! Get someone in here! We are here on Dumbledore’s orders to negotiate. You can’t treat us like this!”

“All right, Hagrid, I think you can be a bit quieter.”

The sudden voice made Hagrid jump. Madame Maxime, who had been sitting with her eyes closed inside the cell, opened them at once and smiled in the direction of the sound. “I did not expect Dumbledore to send you, Sean.”

“Professor Dumbledore and the others are tracking Voldemort and the Death Eaters, so I was the one sent to bring you two out.”

As he spoke, Sean’s figure shimmered into view before Hagrid and Madame Maxime.

Seeing him appear, Hagrid burst out laughing, slapping his massive hands against the bars. “I knew it. I knew it. Dumbledore was bound to send someone for us, hahaha…”

“Hagrid, if you laugh any louder, you may as well invite the giants in to grab me as well.”

There was a limit even to Hagrid’s foolishness. Hearing the edge in Sean’s tone, he clapped a hand over his mouth at once.

Madame Maxime came up to the door of the cage. “Sean, this cell is made from dragon bone. The magic resistance is very strong. It is difficult to open with spells. We may need some other—”

Before she could finish, a strand of fierce fire jetted from the tip of Sean’s wand. It twisted into a thread of flame and wrapped around the lock, spinning rapidly. After only a few breaths, the lock parted with a hiss, and the door creaked open.

Madame Maxime stared, momentarily lost for words.

To use the Fiendfyre Curse like that…

When Fleur had said Sean could hold his own against Voldemort alone for quite some time, Maxime had suspected she was looking at him through rose-tinted glasses. But just from that one neat display, it was obvious Fleur had not exaggerated in the slightest.

“Come on, Hagrid, Madam Maxime. No noise. Watch your step. I will get you out.”

Sean raised his wand and cast the Disillusionment Charm. All three of them vanished.

They had not gone far when Hagrid blundered into a massive earthenware jar. It toppled over and smashed on the ground with a deafening crash.

Sean held his breath, listening. When no giants came roaring in, he finally let the air out slowly. “Hagrid, not just your feet. Watch your sides as well. We cannot afford to slip. Madam Maxime is right behind you. Do you want her caught, too?”

“S–sorry. I… I get it.”

The moment Sean mentioned Madame Maxime, Hagrid finally mustered every scrap of caution he possessed. He fell utterly silent and crept behind Sean, as carefully as he could manage.

On their way out, they passed a great many giants. The camp was in a flurry of activity, as if they were preparing for some sort of feast. Some giants were dragging in fresh kills from outside. Others were butchering the carcasses and sorting other food. A few were hauling up casks of foul, low-grade alcohol from the pits where it had been buried. They really did look as though they meant to play host to someone.

Watching them work, Sean frowned slightly. A guess formed in his mind, but this was not the time to test it. First, he needed to get Hagrid and Madame Maxime safely away. He could come back later. These giants were walking bundles of experience. His Troll Strength and Troll Hide had both plateaued, and they were no longer enough at his current level. It was about time for an upgrade.

They reached the edge of the giants’ encampment and were just about to leave when a roar and a chorus of shouts broke out behind them.

Instinctively, all three turned.

A smaller giant—shorter compared to the rest—was being kicked and punched around by two of his fellows. The smaller one had curled up, arms over his head, taking the blows and giving only the occasional pained grunt or strangled cry.

Sean saw at a glance what was happening and was about to whisper to Hagrid and Madame Maxime to slip away while all eyes were on the beating. But then Hagrid’s breathing changed, turning rough and ragged, as if he were trying and failing to choke down a surge of rage.

Sean’s heart sank. From that reaction alone, he could guess who the smaller giant must be.

He reached out to stop Hagrid, but he was too late. Hagrid had already charged out, bellowing as he slammed his shoulder into the back of one of the bullies’ knees. The giant staggered and stumbled back a step.

The Disillusionment Charm on Hagrid shattered. His comparatively tiny body, by giant standards, came fully into view as he planted himself in front of Grawp, roaring challenge after challenge at the giants around them. Sean had never seen him so furious. The force pouring off him was nearly as intense as the giants’ own.

“Sean, help him. Help Hagrid,” Madame Maxime said tensely.

Sean nodded slowly. His mission was to bring both of them back. Leaving even one behind was failure. And he had wanted a go at these giants anyway. Since things had reached this point, he might as well move the schedule up. It would spare him a trip later.

“Can you manage on your own, Madam Maxime?”

“In fact, our wands were never destroyed,” she said. “And I know where they were put. The Disillusionment Charm you cast will last a while yet. I will fetch the wands and come back to assist you.”

“Good. Let us do it that way.”

While Sean and Madame Maxime were planning, Hagrid was already trading blows. His fury and strength were impressive, far beyond an ordinary man’s, but against full-blooded giants, he was hopelessly outmatched. In the space of a few exchanges, he was covered in bruises. Only his half-giant resilience kept him alive. A normal wizard would already have been pounded to death.

A punch to the chest sent Hagrid crashing to the ground. He tried to get up and could not. One of the giants who had been tormenting Grawp lifted a foot, ready to grind Hagrid into the dirt.

At that moment, anger finally flickered across Grawp’s face. He snarled, surged forward, and slammed into the giant, knocking him over and shielding Hagrid with his own body. He let out a series of low, warning growls, barking something in the giants’ tongue. The only response was jeering laughter as more giants lunged towards the pair, utterly unconcerned.