A Little Help from a Snake // Tomarry

Part 48

Reposted: December 12, 2021

I want to revise this, but I don't know why. Regardless, here's a heads up if I do.

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Summary: Tracey is suddenly famous; the second task takes place; Sirius finds something interesting regarding the headmaster

Tracey Davis wanted to scream. Or kick the wall. Or scream and kick the wall. She couldn't read in the library without someone asking her for details, walk through the halls without being pointed at, and eat in peace. All of this was because she went with Harry to the ball, which solidified the belief they were definitely dating now if not before.

Not everyone was pleased with Harry's apparent choice and whispered nasty things when they passed her. Tracey wasn't affected so much by their words, but rather the fact she was at the center of attention.

"If I hear one more word, I'm gonna shove a skrewt up their backside," she groaned as she slumped in a chair back in the common room.

"Wait till they're a bit bigger," Harry suggested. "The average length of an adult skrewt is ten feet long, Hagrid told me."

A group of first years nearby pretended they didn't hear their words.

On top of that, Rita's article came out. Surprisingly, it didn't talk much about the interview she had with Hagrid. Instead, she had written about Hagrid's blood status as a half-giant.

DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE

... The Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not— as he has always pretended— a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror.

While many of the giants who served He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature.

"Are you paying attention over there?"

Professor Grubbly-Plank, who was substituting for Hagrid, was showing the girls a unicorn; the girls were all clustered around the unicorn now, stroking it. Professor Grubbly-Plank began listing the unicorn's magical properties in a loud voice that carried over to the boys.

"That was fascinating," Daphne said as they headed back inside. "Lovely creatures they are, unicorns...."

"Hagrid's mother is a giant!" Theo blurted out, shoving the article under her nose.

"I would have thought that was obvious," Daphne replied, pushing the article out of her face to take a better look, "but how did Skeeter find out?"

"Maybe she overheard him," Tracey suggested. "He was talking with Madame Maxime during the ball. She got really angry about big bones."

"But wouldn't you have seen her?" Pansy asked. "I mean, it's not easy to hide, especially with other people about. And what about Hagrid?"

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Daphne said. "I mean, Professor Grubbly-Plank is all right, but it is strange to have her after Hagrid teaching us for so long."