Grawp

• Fred and George's escape from Hogwarts becomes a legend within a week of its happening.
• Professor Umbridge can't get rid of the swamp they made, so it becomes Filch's job to row students down the hallway to their classes.
• A lot of students step up to prank in the absence of Fred and George.
• They also use Skiving Snackboxes to get out of Professor Umbridge's class in huge groups.
• It's not just the students who are revolting against Professor Umbridge; the teachers refuse to help her at all.
• Hermione starts to worry about whether she should do something.
• She's worried about where Fred and George got the money to start their joke shop – could they have done something illegal with Mundungus Fletcher?
• Harry finally comes clean: he gave them the thousand Galleons in prize money that he won from the Triwizard Tournament last year.
• Hearing that Fred and George haven't stolen anything, Hermione switches her worries.
• Now, she's on about Harry's lack of Occlumency practice.
• She asks, "You are trying to block your mind, aren't you? [...] You are keeping going with your Occlumency?" (30.45).
• Harry doesn't want to admit that he is really curious about what is at the end of that long hall he keeps seeing in his dreams.
• The final match of the Quidditch season is set to take place at the end of May, between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
• Ron seems to be feeling a bit better about his goalkeeping: "I mean, I can't get any worse, can I? [...] Nothing to lose now, is there?" (30.53).
• As Harry and Hermione settle in to the stands to watch the Quidditch game, they hear a voice.
• It's Hagrid, and he wants them to come with him right away while everyone else is distracted by the Quidditch game.
• Hagrid brings them into the Forbidden Forest.
• Hagrid brings his crossbow with him: they're going deeper into the forest than usual, and he can't trust the centaurs now that Firenze is gone.
• Hagrid protected Firenze from the rest of the herd when they attacked him for working with Dumbledore.
• So the centaurs aren't too happy with Hagrid, or with humans in general these days.
• Before they get to their destination, Hagrid stops and explains: "Well, there's a good chance I'm goin' ter be gettin' the sack any day now" (30.111).
• He's worried that, if he gets fired, there will be no one to look after ...
• Hagrid brings them deeper into the forest, where they see a large figure lying on its side, sleeping.
• It's Hagrid's giant half-brother, Grawp.
• He is a full-blooded giant, the son of Hagrid's mother with another giant.
• Even so, he's a runt by giant standards (only sixteen feet tall).
• Because Grawp is small, he gets bullied by the other giants.
• Hagrid felt that he couldn't leave his only brother there, to be injured by everyone else.
• So, Hagrid brought Grawp home with him. That's why it took him two months to travel back to Hogwarts – because Grawp didn't want to come.
• Hermione asks an excellent question: "What do you think you're going to do with a violent giant who doesn't even want to be here!" (30.154).
• Hagrid claims that he's not violent – he just doesn't know his own strength!
• Grawp can hunt just fine for himself, but if Hagrid gets sent away, he worries about what will happen to his brother without company.
• So, Hagrid makes Harry and Hermione promise to come and keep Grawp company in the forest.
• Then, Hagrid introduces Harry and Hermione to the now-awake Grawp.
• Hagrid points to Hermione and says, "This is Hermy, Grawp! An' she's gonna be comin' an' all! Is'n' tha' nice? Eh? Two friends fer yeh ter – GRAWPY, NO!" (30.191).
• Grawp tries to grab Hermione, but Harry manages to drag her behind a tree.
• Hagrid takes Harry and Hermione back to the school.
• But before they manage to leave the Forbidden Forest, the centaurs ambush Hagrid.
• One of the centaurs, Magorian, warns Hagrid, "You ought not to have meddled, Hagrid [...] Our ways are not yours, nor are our laws. Firenze has betrayed and dishonored us" (30.208).
• Hagrid disagrees with the idea that working for Albus Dumbledore could ever be a dishonor.
• The centaurs also aren't too thrilled about having Grawp around, but Hagrid insists that it's Grawp's forest, too. He has as much of a right to it as the centaurs do.
• Bane, an even more human-hating centaur than Magorian, keeps egging Magorian on to kill Hagrid, Hermione, and Harry.
• Magorian refuses: "the slaughter of foals is a terrible crime – we do not touch the innocent" (30.218).
• But he promises Hagrid that, if Hagrid comes back to the Forest in the future, it will be a different story.
• Hermione pulls Hagrid away and they return to the Quidditch stands.
• After Hagrid leaves, Hermione says, "I don't believe him. I really don't believe him [...] A giant! A giant in the Forest!" (30.234-6).
• As they argue about what to do next, they overhear a crowd singing, "Weasley is our King!" (30.242).
• Hermione thinks it's the Slytherins being nasty, as usual.
• But then Harry and Hermione listen more closely.
• It's the Gryffindors chanting, "Weasley is our King,/He didn't let the Quaffle in" (30.245).
• Ron shouts as he sees them: "HARRY! HERMIONE! [...] WE DID IT! WE WON!" (30.247). He's waving the silver Quidditch Cup over his head.
• Harry and Hermione decide to wait a bit before breaking the news about Grawp to Ron.