Hagrid, who had just been teaching Harry and Hermione how to take care of Grawp, suddenly froze. A forced, uneasy smile spread across his face.
"J-John."
John stepped out from the trees, expressionless as he stared at Hagrid.
He casually tapped the sleeping giant with his wand and said, "So this is the guy you've been hiding?"
"John, don't—he'll wake up if you do that."
His action made both Harry and Hermione panic. Hermione shrieked, "Get away from there, quick!"
John raised an eyebrow and let out a sigh. "Hagrid, do you really think I'm that terrifying?"
"N-no, of course not, John." Even Hagrid's beard seemed tangled with nerves as he waved his hands, fumbling for words. "It's just a feeling, you know? I thought you'd be disappointed by me and would not like this.."
He tried to explain, but words weren't exactly his strong suit.
John's expression remained blank. "So this big guy is the reason you're always covered in bruises?"
"That's my brother, Grawp," Hagrid muttered, tugging nervously at his mole-skin coat. "It's not really fighting, he just… doesn't know his own strength."
Hagrid was still trying to convince John that Grawp was just a harmless gentle giant—when Grawp woke up.
His face was enormous and frightening, features seemingly carved into a giant round boulder.
His nose was thick and short, barely a proper shape.
His mouth was crooked, and the jagged teeth inside were each the size of half a brick.
Freshly woken, Grawp's gaze was immediately drawn to the beautiful unicorn.
Weiwei let out a sharp cry and trotted out of reach as Grawp stretched out a large hand toward her.
Only then did Hagrid notice Weiwei was there too.
Weiwei ran a bit farther, but Grawp still tried to go after her. The rope around him yanked tight and held him back.
Annoyed, Grawp turned around and started tugging at the rope with his hands. Hagrid quickly called out to calm him down, "Grawp, easy! Don't go after the unicorn!"
But Grawp, like a stubborn child, didn't listen at all—he just kept pulling with all his strength.
"I said stop that, Grawp!" Hagrid shouted. "I brought someone to keep you company—look, a friend! See?"
"Hey! You big oaf—look down here!"
"Hagrid, no!" Hermione cried out, her voice nearly pleading.
Grawp let out a low growl, completely ignoring them.
John felt a throbbing pain in his temples—like someone had dumped a giant, unruly kid into his lap.
Apparently realizing there was someone else present, Grawp dropped the rope and reached out a massive hand toward John.
"John!" Hermione screamed.
John finally had enough. He turned, revealing his dragon-like eyes, and let out a low growl. ||Stop what you're doing—unless you want to lose that hand, kid.||
A wave of draconic pressure burst forth, forcing Grawp to roar and stumble backward.
In Grawp's eyes, that small figure suddenly transformed into a massive dragon capable of swallowing him whole. Terrified, he let out a frightened wail.
Shaken, Grawp curled up in a ball where he stood, looking utterly pitiful.
"Ah.. John, you scared him," Hagrid said, wearing a look that clearly said I knew this would happen, though he hesitated and added, "But at least he finally calmed down."
John shot Hagrid a glance, then walked toward Grawp.
With each step John took, Grawp backed away in fear.
Even Hermione, who'd been scared stiff just moments ago, suddenly thought Grawp looked pitiful now.
Harry felt the same—like John was the real giant here, and Grawp was just a poor helpless creature.
Grawp, still bound, quickly ran out of room to retreat. He cowered in place, letting out garbled cries.
"Ha…g..r…"
Harry frowned. "Hag…r?"
"He can't make complex sounds," Hagrid said worriedly. "He's calling me."
He hurried over and tried to soothe him. "Grawp, I'm here, don't be scared. He's your friend too—you can call him, uh… Yon."
Noticing John looking at him, Hagrid rubbed his hands awkwardly. "It's just… your name's a bit tough for him."
Fair enough.
Seeing that Grawp was still frightened, John extended a hand, releasing a wave of calming energy.
Grawp, who had been cowering in fear, slowly began to relax. Hagrid's eyes lit up. "Maybe I should've brought you here sooner, John."
"And yet you treated me like some dangerous creature," John said with a cold laugh.
Hagrid looked utterly embarrassed and ashamed.
Harry and Hermione, watching from a distance, gathered their courage and came closer.
With John around, Grawp didn't dare act out.
Hagrid beamed. "Hermione, can he call you Hermi? Your name's a bit tricky for him."
"Sure… whatever works." Hermione still looked a little nervous.
Harry, on the other hand, was feeling much bolder. He tried moving closer to Grawp, thinking that this guy wasn't much smaller than the dragon from the Triwizard Tournament.
"This is Yon, and Hermi, and Arry. They're your friends now, Grawp," Hagrid said cheerfully, seeing how well-behaved Grawp was being. Once again, he regretted not bringing John along sooner.
He'd only worried that John might scare Grawp—he hadn't considered that it might actually make Grawp more obedient.
"Yo… Yo… n," Grawp repeated timidly.
Hagrid clapped his hands in delight. Though, perhaps because of fear, the first name Grawp managed to remember was John's.
Weiwei came trotting over.
Despite how pretty the glowing horse looked, Grawp didn't dare move—he could only watch as Weiwei walked to John's side.
"A unicorn," Hermione breathed in amazement.
"This is Weiwei," John said.
Weiwei dipped her head and gently touched Hermione's forehead with her horn. "Hello."
Hearing the voice, Hermione was stunned—she could hardly believe it.
Harry found the unicorn oddly familiar, as if he'd seen it back in first year.
"That's enough for today," Hagrid said. Having successfully entrusted Grawp to them, he was happy, though there was a hint of melancholy in his tone. "Let's head back now, alright?"
He looked at John, who gave a slight nod and turned to Weiwei. "Thanks for today, Weiwei."
Weiwei gently touched John once more, then turned and vanished into the forest.
Hagrid was in high spirits as they walked. After a while, Hermione whispered, "If someone finds out Grawp's in the Forbidden Forest…"
John said casually, "There are already all kinds of creatures in the Forbidden Forest—just say he wandered in on his own."
It was actually a pretty solid excuse. The forest was vast; hiding a giant in there wasn't exactly unbelievable.
Harry suddenly felt enlightened—if it were up to him, he'd have no idea how to explain this situation away.
As they walked, Hagrid suddenly stopped. John's ears twitched—he'd picked up the sound of hoofbeats.
"Hold up," Hagrid said, pulling an arrow from the quiver slung across his back and nocking it to his bow.
Harry and Hermione raised their wands, tense.
"We did tell you," came a low, rough voice, "you're no longer welcome here."
From the other side, a man's bare torso emerged through dappled green light, drifting closer.
It was a centaur—half horse from the waist down.
The chestnut horse body bore a man's upper half, with long black hair falling over a proud, high-cheekboned face.
After he appeared, there was more rustling, and four or five other centaurs stepped out.
Hagrid kept his eyes fixed on the first one. "How are you, Magorian?" he asked warily.
A black-bodied, black-bearded centaur—Bane—strode out irritably and said to Magorian, "We've already decided how to deal with this man if he shows his face in the forest again, haven't we?"
"I've become 'that man,' have I?" Hagrid snapped. "Just because I stopped you from killing someone?"
Magorian sighed. "You shouldn't have interfered, Hagrid. We're not the same as you—our laws are different…"
"There's no such difference."
The voice cut him off, and the centaurs' hooves pawed anxiously at the ground.
"In this world, there is only the law of the jungle. Nature's law. Power is the only truth."
Under the wary gazes of the centaurs, John stepped out from behind Hagrid, expression cold. "It seems you didn't take my warning seriously."
Even the hot-headed Bane hesitated now. In an instant, the centaurs had their bows drawn, arrows aimed at John.
"Don't move!" Hagrid roared, his own bow trained on the centaurs.
Bane said tensely, "We warned him, but he still set foot in our forest."
"This was never yours," John said as he slowly walked past Hagrid, face calm. "If not for Hogwarts, do you really think you'd still be allowed to stay in this forest?"
Bane's expression turned ugly, and the tension of drawn bows filled the air with a metallic hum.
Hermione said nervously, "John, don't…"
John glanced at her, then sneered. "Go on, try me."
So you want pressure? Fine, I'll give it to you.
John's eyes half-opened, pupils narrowing—an overwhelming, soul-piercing pressure crashed down on the centaurs.
"Let's see if I can't just… kill you all."
The moment those last two words left his mouth, John raised his wand. A bolt of white light shot out like lightning, striking Bane and binding him in an instant.
The other centaurs released their arrows at the same time—but before they could reach John, an invisible force stopped them midair.
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