Percy Jackson and the Department of Mysteries

103) Hagrid's Journey Of Self Discovery - He Discovered Nothing

Hagrid couldn't keep the glare up for long, and instead snorted in amusement, "Never known kids like you four fer knowin' more'n yeh oughta. An' I'm not complimentin' yeh, neither. Nosy, some'd call it. Interferin'." His beard twitched with a smile.

"So you have been to look for giants?" Harry grinned.

Hagrid sat tea in front of everyone except me (I got a water — he knew my preferences), and grumbled, "Yeah, all righ'. I have."

"And you found them?" Hermione whispered.

"Duh," I said, motioning to Hagrid's steak covered face. Hermione glared at me.

"Yeah, they're not that difficult ter find, ter be honest," Hagrid shrugged. "Pretty big, see."

"Where are they?" Ron asked.

"Mountains," Hagrid said. I didn't find that very helpful. There are a lot of mountains in the world.

"So why don't Muggles — ?"

"They do," Hagrid said. "The Mist has 'em puttin' their deaths down ter mountaineerin' accidents."

"Come on, Hagrid, tell us what you've been up to!" Ron pleaded. "Tell us about being attacked by the giants and Harry can tell you about being attacked by the dementors —"

Hagrid choked on his tea and dropped the steak, which hit the table with a meaty shmack, "Whadda yeh mean, attacked by dementors?"

"Didn't you know?" Hermione's eyes were wide.

"Uh, no. Duh," I motioned to Hagrid's shocked face. Hermione kicked me.

"I don' know anything that's been happenin' since I left. I was on a secret mission, wasn' I, didn' wan' owls followin' me all over the place — ruddy dementors! Yeh're not serious?"

"Yeah, I am," Harry said, "they turned up in Little Whinging and attacked my cousin and me, and then the Ministry of Magic expelled me —"

"WHAT?"

"— and I had to go to a hearing and everything, but tell us about the giants first."

"You were expelled?"

"Tell us about your summer and I'll tell you about mine. As a bonus, Percy and Ron will tell you about theirs."

"What happened to you two?" Hagrid asked.

"You'll find out if you tell us about the giants," Ron said, looking like he didn't want Hagrid to find out at all. There'd probably be some blemishing so nothing embarrassing would come up.

"Oh, all righ'," Hagrid sighed, bending down to retrieve the steak from Fang, who had snatched it almost immediately.

"Oh, Hagrid, don't, it's not hygien —" Hermione started, but Hagrid slapped the steak on his face anyway.

"Oh gods," I shuddered at the sight. "You're definitely going to get asbestos."

"Percy, I don't think you know what asbestos is," Hermione patted my shoulder helpfully.

"What is it, then?"

"Well, we set off righ' after term ended —" Hagrid started, but was quickly interrupted by Hermione (who would not explain asbestos to me for a while).

"Madame Maxime went with you, then?"

"Yeah, tha's right," Hagrid's face softened. "Yeah, it was jus' the pair of us. An' I'll tell yeh this, she's not afraid of roughin' it, Olympe. Yeh know, she's a fine, well-dressed woman, an' knowin' where we was goin' I wondered 'ow she'd feel abou' clamberin' over boulders an' sleepin' in caves an' tha', bu' she never complained once."