One More in the Family

Every action has a result, whether positive or negative, but never neutral.

That was something many Hogwarts students learned that day, though in a far less expected way.

People believed that Harry and his group would be expelled since forming a group of that nature went against one of the countless educational decrees.

By Merlin's beard, people couldn't even form something as basic as study groups in the library without permission!

So when the "big revelation" about the creation of Dumbledore's Army came out, with Fudge announcing Dumbledore's "dismissal" and appointing Umbridge as the new headmistress of Hogwarts, everyone was left speechless.

The greatest white wizard was now a wanted man?

Barnaby felt that the headmaster replacement was like swapping one poison for a worse one.

The first had been properly contained, but the new one was leaking everywhere.

One of the most affected people was undoubtedly Marietta Edgecombe, whether it was due to losing Cho's friendship after what she did or the curse from the scroll she suffered for her betrayal.

What really made him angry, though, was that amidst the commotion of this grand event, whispers about Sanshi surfaced. More precisely, about a dangerous creature under Barnaby's command.

He didn't need to think too hard; he knew exactly which bucktoothed person was behind those rumors. It was a childish and petty way of seeking revenge for the humiliation she had suffered, no doubt.

Ironically, Granger was the only one who hadn't seen Sanshi's arms before she passed out after getting hit back.

The concept of a magical familiar piqued the curiosity of several students, but strangely, the few books that discussed the topic had disappeared from the library at some point, including those in the restricted section.

And for once, Madam Pince couldn't provide any details about what had happened.

Or rather, she didn't want to and pretended to be puzzled.

Being the librarian allowed her unlimited access to the school's books, and after so many years on the job, she had also read about this topic, so she knew how serious the matter was and had cooperated with Barnaby to "de-list" those books the same day Harry and the others were arrested by Umbridge.

Now those books were safely stored in Barnaby's home.

Pince wouldn't even be surprised if some students tried to get their own magical familiar driven by impulse, but she couldn't allow them to do something so irresponsible out of curiosity without understanding the consequences of their actions.

And as far as she knew, the only student in the entire school who remotely met the strict requirements for such a solemn ritual was the current heir of the Longbottoms and his strange toad, Trevor.

But the teenager didn't seem particularly interested in the subject.

"You should have let me scratch her up at least a little," Sanshi complained, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance, selectively ignoring the fact that at the time, she had been aiming for the young witch's neck, driven by her protective instincts.

"As much as I would have liked to allow it, she's not worth the trouble it would bring later," Barnaby denied while helping Filch clean some graffiti Peeves had painted in the Charms classroom. "Besides, Aunt Minerva helped to calm the matter because she's seen you and knows what you're like. We can't waste her effort."

McGonagall had stepped forward and scolded the gossiping students, declaring that she had known about Barnaby's magical familiar for some time and that they should focus more on their studies.

With the influence and prestige of the head of Gryffindor House weighing in, people soon lost interest in Barnaby's mysterious familiar and assumed it was just another of his strange creatures.

Sanshi fell silent at that.

She liked Minerva, and in her opinion, the professor was a thousand times more suited to be headmistress than someone like Dumbledore.

They had even exchanged Christmas gifts that year!

"Almost done," Barnaby said as he cast another cleaning spell. "Where the hell did Peeves get the glitter for this graffiti?" he wondered aloud.

"Hello?"

Barnaby turned around when he saw his father peek in through the door, looking around and finally resting his gaze on him. It seemed like he was looking for him.

"Thanks for your help, Barnaby," Filch thanked him while gathering his cleaning tools and leaving first to give them some privacy. "Hagrid."

"Argus," Hagrid greeted back.

"What's going on, Dad? You seem nervous."

"Well, I think it's best if you come with me," Hagrid said while nervously fiddling with his fingers and beard. "I wasn't entirely honest about my trip with the giants, and I'd like to introduce you to someone."

Barnaby raised an eyebrow but followed Hagrid without saying anything more, until they reached a secluded spot in the Forbidden Forest, where he got a huge surprise.

"Meet your uncle, Grawp!" Hagrid said excitedly. "Well, actually, he's my half-brother, so... would he be your half-uncle?" The half-giant didn't seem very sure of this part as he scratched his beard in confusion.

"Grandma Fridwulfa had another child, and it was with a giant?" Barnaby exclaimed in shock.

Now Barnaby understood why his father had taken so much Christmas dinner with him, claiming he'd finish the leftovers on his own later. He was also a bit annoyed since they could have invited him as well.

Fridwulfa was the name of Hagrid's mother and Barnaby's grandmother, a giantess who had abandoned her human husband, Mr. Hagrid, and their young son Rubeus, when he was only three years old, due to her disdain for her offspring's short stature.

And speaking of height...

"Dad, two questions before anything else," Barnaby began. "If Uncle Grawp is a pure giant, isn't he a bit...?"

"Short," Hagrid agreed sadly, understanding his son's confusion. "It seems that short height runs in the famil—"

Hagrid stopped and looked at Barnaby, rephrasing his words.

"—uh, it's not that uncommon," he continued, slightly changing his phrasing. "All the other giants picked on him just because of his height! I couldn't leave him behind; they would've killed him! So, I brought him here!" Hagrid moved closer to his half-brother to give him a reassuring pat. "Let me tell you, everything was going well with the giant chief at first, but then one night there was a fight, and he died. The new chief was cruel, and..."

"I understand," Barnaby could imagine how things had played out based on the information. "That answers my first question, but why is he chained up?"

"He's lived his whole life with the tribe and isn't used to this change," Hagrid seemed a bit embarrassed. "Also, the centaurs aren't too happy about him being here. I've been teaching him, but..."

"So those bruises weren't from Fluffy playing too rough, but from Uncle Grawp exchanging ideas with you," Barnaby palmed his forehead. "You know, I could have fixed this very quickly if you'd told me sooner."

"Really?" Hagrid was taken aback. "Barnaby, you have to understand that even though Grawp is smarter, he still struggles with learning a few things."

"Give me a moment," Barnaby said, waving his staff and transforming a fallen log into a huge jug, filling it with water and adding some honeycomb panels he saw in a nearby tree.

He rummaged in his pockets for a while until he pulled out a potion of electric blue color, with occasional sparks jumping inside the glass, and poured it into the large jug.

"Hey, Grawp!" Barnaby approached the giant as the jug levitated beside him with a tempting sweet aroma. "I'm Barnaby, your nephew! You must be hungry, look, I brought you a gift!"

"Bagagy!" Grawp struggled to listen to the conversation between his brother and the young man, with whom he felt a vague blood connection.

He wanted to get up and grab him to look at him closely, but he couldn't move because of that thin hard thing surrounding him.

He didn't understand, he was obviously bigger, so why could something as thick as a branch stop him?

But when the smaller one waved his club, the hard thing disappeared, and he could move again.

He didn't even think about why, he just knew that now he could.

The familiar sweet aroma of the jug immediately made him hungry, and upon hearing it was a gift (though he didn't know what a nephew was), he felt the little one was nice. He extended his hands, grabbed the jug, and began drinking the glowing, sweet liquid inside.

As the liquid flowed down his throat and filled his stomach, he felt the fog that was always in his head start to lift, and he unconsciously began drinking faster.

"Tasty," Grawp said. "An excellent combination of the sweetness of honey with a floral touch undoubtedly coming from a blend of roses, lavender, and sunflowers. Its mellowness carries a slightly bitter note that prevents the sweetness from being too overwhelming, while the potion adds a stimulating and invigorating aftertaste. Would it be possible to have another, if it's not too much trouble?" he asked politely.

Hagrid stared at his half-brother, mouth agape, and couldn't help but wonder what the hell he had been doing these past months.

Had he taken all those hits for nothing?

At the same time, he felt immensely relieved—if Umbridge fired him in the future, it seemed there would be more options than he had thought.

While Hagrid let his mind wander, Barnaby had other plans for his newly discovered uncle.

"Maybe he could open a mammoth cheese shop?" he considered, imagining his uncle herding the massive creatures and making cheese as a peaceful and honest profession near the family.

There was plenty of free land back home, he could set up a pasture area, and with a simple barrier, he wouldn't even have to deal with the smell of mammoth dung.

Maybe Newt would be interested in investing in an entrepreneurial venture with good animal care?

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When I wrote this chapter I thought: Will people remember Hagrid's half-brother or will they think that Tonks got pregnant?