Harry Potter 05 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

come back with another present – gives a good impression, see? An’ gives them time ter test out the firs’ present an’ find out it’s a good one, an’ get ’em eager fer more. In any case, giants like Karkus – overload ’em with information an’ they’ll kill yeh jus’ to simplify things. So we bowed outta the way an’ went off an’ found ourselves a nice little cave ter spend that night in an’ the followin’ mornin’ we went back an’ this time we found Karkus sittin’ up waitin’ fer us lookin’ all eager.’
    ‘And you talked to him?’
    ‘Oh yeah. Firs’ we presented him with a nice battle helmet – goblin-made an’ indestructible, yeh know – an’ then we sat down an’ we talked.’
    ‘What did he say?’
    ‘Not much,’ said Hagrid. ‘Listened mostly. Bu’ there were good signs. He’d heard o’ Dumbledore, heard he’d argued against the killin’ o’ the last giants in Britain. Karkus seemed ter be quite int’rested in what Dumbledore had ter say. An’ a few o’ the others, ’specially the ones who had some English, they gathered round an’ listened too. We were hopeful when we left that day. Promised ter come back next mornin’ with another present.
    ‘Bu’ that night it all wen’ wrong.’
    ‘What d’you mean?’ said Ron quickly.
    ‘Well, like I say, they’re not meant ter live together, giants,’ said Hagrid sadly. ‘Not in big groups like that. They can’ help themselves, they half kill each other every few weeks. The men fight each other an’ the women fight each other; the remnants of the old tribes fight each other, an’ that’s even without squabbles over food an’ the best fires an’ sleepin’ spots. Yeh’d think, seein’ as how their whole race is abou’ finished, they’d lay off each other, bu’ …’
    Hagrid sighed deeply.
    ‘That night a fight broke out, we saw it from the mouth of our cave, lookin’ down on the valley. Went on fer hours, yeh wouldn’ believe the noise. An’ when the sun came up the snow was scarlet an’ his head was lyin’ at the bottom o’ the lake.’
    ‘Whose head?’ gasped Hermione.
    ‘Karkus’s,’ said Hagrid heavily. ‘There was a new Gurg, Golgomath.’ He sighed deeply. ‘Well, we hadn’ bargained on a new Gurg two days after we’d made friendly contact with the firs’ one, an’ we had a funny feelin’ Golgomath wouldn’ be so keen ter listen to us, bu’ we had ter try.’
    ‘You went to speak to him?’ asked Ron incredulously. ‘After you’d watched him rip off another giant’s head?’
    ‘Course we did,’ said Hagrid, ‘we hadn’ gone all that way ter give up after two days! We wen’ down with the next present we’d meant ter give ter Karkus.
    ‘I knew it was no go before I’d opened me mouth. He was sitting there wearin’ Karkus’s helmet, leerin’ at us as we got nearer. He’s massive, one o’ the biggest ones there. Black hair an’ matchin’ teeth an’ a necklace o’ bones. Human-lookin’ bones, some of ’em. Well, I gave it a go – held out a great roll o’ dragon skin – an’ said, “A gift fer the Gurg of the giants –” Nex’ thing I knew, I was hangin’ upsidedown in the air by me feet, two of his mates had grabbed me.’
    Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth.
    ‘How did you get out of that ?’ asked Harry.
    ‘Wouldn’ta done if Olympe hadn’ bin there,’ said Hagrid. ‘She pulled out her wand an’ did some o’ the fastes’ spellwork I’ve ever seen. Ruddy marvellous. Hit the two holdin’ me right in the eyes with Conjunctivitus Curses an’ they dropped me straightaway – bu’ we were in trouble then, ’cause we’d used magic against ’em, an’ that’s what giants hate abou’ wizards. We had ter leg it an’ we knew there was no way we was going ter be able ter march inter the camp again.’
    ‘Blimey, Hagrid,’ said Ron quietly.
    ‘So, how come it’s taken you so long to get home if you were only there for three days?’ asked Hermione.
    ‘We didn’ leave after three days!’ said Hagrid, looking outraged. ‘Dumbledore was relyin’ on us!’
    ‘But you’ve just said there was no way you could go back!’
    ‘Not by daylight we couldn’, no. We just had ter rethink a bit. Spent a couple o’ days lyin’ low up in the cave an’ watchin’. An’ wha’ we saw wasn’ good.’
    ‘Did he rip off more heads?’ asked Hermione, sounding squeamish.
    ‘No,’ said Hagrid, ‘I wish he had.’
    ‘What d’you