Chapter 695: The Death Eaters’ Decision

After resolving the crisis with the Giants, Kyle and the others did not leave immediately. Instead, they prepared to follow the Giants back to their tribe.

Before setting off, Kyle glanced at the Death Eater lying on the ground and asked, "What about him? Should we take him with us?"

"Leave him to me," Hagrid replied, pulling out a small round mirror and walking over to it. He muttered a few words under his breath.

The mirror was unassuming, about the size of one a girl might carry in her purse. Hagrid handled it cautiously, like it was a delicate corn chip he might crush at any moment. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

Moments later, two tiny black dots appeared in the sky. Almost as quickly as they were noticed, the dots grew larger, and Sirius and Lupin stumbled to the ground before the group.

"Hello, Mr. Scamander, Madam Maxime," Lupin said, discarding a small stone he had been holding. It had served its purpose as a Portkey and was now useless. "Oh, and Kyle, Hagrid. Long time no see."

"Long time no see, Remus," Hagrid greeted warmly. "I was worried the mirror wouldn't work."

"I've been keeping an eye on the Two-Way Mirror this whole time," Lupin said, producing a similar round mirror and smiling. "As long as you call my name, I'll hear it first. How did it go? Any trouble?"

"Fortunately, everything's been resolved," Hagrid said, then gave a brief recount of events. His summary was limited, as when he arrived, the entire valley had been cloaked in thick fog, obscuring much of the action.

As they spoke, Sirius's attention shifted to the Death Eater lying motionless on the ground. He approached and, upon seeing the man's face, suddenly froze. He stood silently until Lupin tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's the matter?" Lupin asked.

"Ah, nothing," Sirius said, shaking his head, though his gaze remained fixed on the Death Eater. "Do you know who this is?"

"Lestrange?" Lupin said, stepping closer, his tone tinged with surprise. Though Hagrid had mentioned it earlier, seeing it in person was another matter entirely. The man before them was, after all, an old acquaintance. They had crossed paths numerous times over a decade ago.

"Yes, Lestrange," Sirius said, shaking his head again. "Remember how he was back at school? Always so full of himself."

"Of course I remember," Lupin replied. "The star of Slytherin—Prefect, Head Boy, and President of the Boys' Student Council. It's a shame he defected to You-Know-Who."

"Wait, do you know him?" Kyle asked, intrigued. "You're not usually this sentimental about a dead Death Eater."

"Sentimental? Don't be ridiculous!" Sirius retorted, shaking his head. "We just had a lot of dealings in school. Plus, he's married to my cousin Bellatrix, so we're... distantly related."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hagrid said instinctively, his tone apologetic. "I didn't mean to—"

"What nonsense are you spouting, Hagrid?" Sirius interrupted, giving him an incredulous look. "He's a Death Eater! Why would you apologize? If I'd been here, I'd have killed him myself."

"And anyway," Sirius added, "Pureblood families are all interconnected in some way. I barely know him."

"Weren't you still cellmates?" Kyle muttered under his breath.

Sirius froze for a second before turning to glare at Kyle, visibly annoyed.

"All right, you're right," Sirius muttered. "Lestrange was in the cell next to mine. He used to say he'd kill me, but a month later, he couldn't even speak... what an idiot."

As Sirius spoke, Lupin had already picked up Lestrange's unconscious body. "We have to go. Alastor and the others are waiting," he said, pulling another stone from his pocket.

"So soon?" Sirius asked.

"Don't forget, the Portkey has a time limit," Lupin reminded him. "We can't stay to help you here."

"Alright then," Sirius relented, placing a hand on the stone. "Are you all coming back with us? We could leave together."

"No," Newt replied, shaking his head. "We still have other matters to attend to and can't return just yet."

"We'll keep in touch if anything comes up," Lupin said, waving as the two disappeared again in a flash of light.

With that, Kyle and the others resumed their preparations to visit the Giant tribe. According to Newt, they needed to confirm that the Giants were truly safe.

"But is this really okay?" Kyle asked, his voice tinged with concern as they followed the path the Giants had taken. "We just stopped them from joining You-Know-Who, and the Death Eaters who came here are either dead or injured. What if You-Know-Who gets so angry that he comes here himself? We wouldn't stand a chance against him with just a few people."

"Don't worry. You-Know-Who won't come," Newt said confidently, shaking his head. "Before we left, Dumbledore explained that You-Know-Who despises all Magical Creatures. He doesn't truly care about the Death Eaters, either; he only sees them as tools."

"Yes, he'll be angry because his orders weren't carried out, but that won't make him change his plans or come here for revenge."

"And even if he does, we have ways to deal with it," Newt added firmly.

Reassured by Newt's confidence, Kyle didn't press further and walked alongside the others, following the massive footprints imprinted on the ground. The journey was longer than Kyle had expected, with the trail of footprints stretching endlessly ahead.

After an entire day of walking, they finally arrived at a secluded valley deep within the mountain range. Oddly, the ever-present chirping of insects and birds they'd heard along the way had completely disappeared, as if some invisible force kept all living creatures away from this place.

Led by Newt, the group climbed a hillside that provided a view of the valley below. It was surrounded by enormous caves, clearly shaped by human hands. The Giants they had encountered earlier were now gathered before the caves, locked in fierce combat.

"This is how they choose a new Gurg," Newt explained. "Giants select their leader by determining who is the strongest. The simplest way to do that is through battle."

"It's similar to Dragons," Kyle whispered, recalling what they'd observed at the Romanian Dragon Reserve.

"Pretty much," Newt agreed. "Most Magical Creatures choose their leaders in this way. Giants and Dragons are no exception."

As they spoke, the valley below became increasingly stained with blood. Giant blood flowed freely, painting the stones a deep red.

"I wonder how many will be left after they've chosen a new Gurg," Maxime murmured, her voice carrying a strange edge.

"Don't worry," Newt said, shaking his head. "Giants will kill their predecessor to cement the new leader's position, but in situations like this, to preserve their fighting strength, they won't kill their opponents. Oh, look."

He pointed to the valley below, and Kyle followed his finger. A relatively smaller Giant had just been knocked to the ground with a single punch. Instead of finishing him off, the victor turned to face a new challenger. Meanwhile, the fallen Giant stood and moved to the sidelines without further protest.

Some Giants, even smaller and more slender, weren't participating at all, seemingly unqualified to fight.

"You see," Newt continued, "falling is enough to signify defeat. The last Giant standing becomes the new Gurg, and they hold the position until the next challenger appears."

Kyle watched for a while longer, observing how each fallen Giant withdrew voluntarily from the fray.

...

Just as it had been at the Romanian Dragon Reserve, the battle between the Giants turned out to be a long and grueling process.

After quickly eliminating the weakest contenders, the remaining Giants entered a prolonged struggle, with neither side able to gain a decisive advantage.

Kyle and the others had been perched on the hill for an entire week, yet the battle still raged on. At first, Kyle had been eager and excited to watch the spectacle, but as time dragged on, he found himself growing bored.

The fights were repetitive—one Giant punching, another kicking—and while the raw power on display had been thrilling at first, seven days of the same tactics had dulled the excitement.

The one silver lining was that they hadn't encountered Voldemort or any Death Eaters during their time there. As Newt had predicted, Voldemort showed no interest in retaliating over Lestrange's death or otherwise causing trouble.

One morning, as Kyle stepped out of the tent, he overheard Hagrid talking to Lupin through the Two-Way Mirror. The group had been using the mirrors for updates since owls could easily reveal their location.

"The Death Eaters attacked St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries..."

"What?" Hagrid exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. "The Death Eaters attacked St. Mungo's? How dare they!"

"They did," Lupin confirmed. "The good news is they had a specific target, so most patients and staff weren't harmed."

Hearing this, Kyle approached to get a closer look at the mirror. "Morning, Kyle," Lupin greeted him. "How are things on your end? No trouble, I hope?"

"Not at all," Kyle replied. "But the Death Eaters attacking St. Mungo's—could it have been for the Longbottoms?"

"No," Lupin said, his expression tightening slightly. His voice sounded as if he were trying to laugh but couldn't quite manage it. "It was for... Umbridge."

"What?" Hagrid said, scratching his ear. "Who?"

"Dolores Umbridge," Lupin repeated. "The Death Eaters broke into her hospital room and tortured her in front of everyone."

"Huh?" Hagrid's face contorted with confusion. "But why? Umbridge isn't even part of the Order of the Phoenix."

"No, but she's from the Ministry of Magic," Lupin explained. "She's been prominently opposing Dark Magic in the media, and recently, her name has been everywhere."

"The Death Eaters made it clear they wanted to send a message. They said this is what happens when you defy the Dark Lord. They demanded that Umbridge publicly declare the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix powerless, claiming they'd never be able to defeat Voldemort."

"Did she say anything?" Hagrid asked anxiously.

"...No," Lupin said, though his expression grew even stranger.

"That's a relief," Hagrid said, exhaling deeply. "I suppose I was wrong about her. She's tougher than I thought. If she'd said something like that, it would've humiliated us completely."

"Hagrid..." Kyle said, patting his arm. "What do you think the Death Eaters use to torture people?"

"The Cruciatus Curse, of course," Hagrid replied without hesitation, his large arm swinging in frustration. "They've used it on members of the Order of the Phoenix before—those bastards."

"That's the point," Kyle said, looking him in the eye. "Do you think anyone under the Cruciatus Curse could actually speak?"

Hagrid paused, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Huh? Well... I've been hit by the Cruciatus Curse before. It hurts like nothing else, but it's not like I couldn't talk..."

"You're a half-Giant," Kyle reminded him, rubbing his forehead. "Your Giant blood gives you incredible resistance to magic. Ordinary wizards don't have that advantage."

"Oh," Hagrid muttered, nodding, though it was clear he didn't fully understand.

Kyle chose not to press further. Turning back to the Two-Way Mirror, he looked at Lupin and was about to ask for more details.

At that moment, Newt's voice called out from afar.

"Finally, it's about to come to a close."

Hearing this, Kyle abandoned his conversation with Lupin and hurried over to join the others.

The valley below had turned a deep, ominous red, and the air was thick with the metallic tang of blood, so strong that Kyle could smell it even from a distance. Only two Giants remained standing, both visibly exhausted and swaying unsteadily.

As Kyle arrived, the two combatants raised their massive fists simultaneously and struck each other in the face with brutal force.

There was no finesse in their movements—just sheer, unrelenting power.

A moment later, the Giant on the left staggered, its colossal body crashing to the ground with a resounding bang.

The Giant on the right, now victorious, raised its head and let out a thunderous roar that echoed through the valley.

From the caves, the other Giants emerged one by one and knelt before their new leader in a show of submission.

"It seems he is the new Gurg," Newt observed. "Wait here for a moment."

Without hesitation, Newt vanished from their side, reappearing a short distance away from the gathering of Giants.

The kneeling Giants immediately rose to their feet, their movements tense and wary.

From their vantage point, Kyle and the others couldn't hear what Newt was saying, but they could see him moving slowly, arms outstretched and head bowed. His gait was strange, deliberate—sometimes stepping left, sometimes right, as though weaving an intricate, deliberate dance.

The Giants appeared to relax, though they kept their new Gurg at the center of their formation, clearly protective.

"Should we go help?" Hagrid asked nervously. "He's too close. If they all charge at once, Mr. Scamander could be in real danger."

"Ah, don't worry," Kyle said, waving dismissively after observing for a moment.

He recognized this as Newt's distinctive method of approaching Magical Creatures. Newt wouldn't have gone to meet the Giants alone unless he was completely confident in his ability to handle the situation.

The tension in the Giants' roars had noticeably softened, their ferocity replaced by something more measured. Newt had clearly succeeded.

In this case, Kyle thought, intervening would only complicate matters and risk reigniting hostility.

"Amazing..." Maxime murmured, her voice filled with admiration. "I've always known Mr. Scamander has extraordinary talent with Magical Creatures, but seeing it firsthand is something else entirely."

She recalled her previous trip to the Giants' territory, where even she and Hagrid—both possessing Giant blood—had been forced to lower themselves, present lavish gifts, and wait for an extended period before finally being allowed to meet the Gurg.

Now, Newt had not only approached the Giants at their most irritable and volatile—during the selection of a new Gurg—but had also earned their trust effortlessly.

The contrast was staggering. Maxime couldn't help but acknowledge the profound difference in skill and expertise. No matter their natural advantages, the gap between them and Newt was as vast as an unbridgeable chasm.

Meanwhile, Kyle, having reassured Hagrid, considered resuming his conversation with Lupin to learn more about the current state of the wizarding world. However, when he glanced back at the Two-Way Mirror, he saw that Lupin had already disappeared.