Chapter 122: A Future Chieftain
The silence that followed Hagrid's tearful confession felt heavier than the massive creature sleeping before them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood frozen, their wands still raised, eyes locked on the hulking form of Grawp.
Elian remained perfectly still, his gaze shifting from the giant to Hagrid's bruised, pleading face. The half-giant was trembling—not from cold, but from the vulnerability of exposing his deepest secret. His beetle-black eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Grawp lay with his back to them, bound by ropes as thick as saplings, each one wrapped around his enormous wrists and ankles before being secured to the thickest trees in the clearing. The giant's body was oddly proportioned—his head, massive and round like a moss-covered boulder, seemed too large even for his sixteen-foot frame. Coarse, curly hair covered his scalp in uneven patches.
His clothing was pitiful: a crude smock sewn from animal hides, brown and filthy, worn thin in places but still managing to cover most of his bulk. The smell was overwhelming—unwashed skin, rotting vegetation, and something distinctly animal.
Hermione's face had gone pale. Her lips trembled as she pressed closer to Elian's side, seeking reassurance. Ron had taken two steps backward, his freckles standing out starkly against his blanched skin. Even Harry looked shaken.
"Hagrid," Harry began, his voice hollow. "Are you asking us to... to take care of him?"
"Just a bit, Harry," Hagrid said desperately, hope flickering across his battered features. "Even if you just come and talk to him sometimes. I reckon if he could talk to people more, he'd learn that we—that we like him. That we want him to stay."
Harry didn't answer. Instead, he turned to look at Elian, clearly seeking guidance from the one person who never seemed afraid of anything.
But what Harry saw surprised him.
Elian's face showed no fear. No disgust. Not even concern. His expression was calm, almost thoughtful, as if he were studying an interesting puzzle rather than a dangerous giant bound in the Forbidden Forest.
"We'll try, Hagrid," Hermione said weakly, though her voice shook. She forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Hagrid's face lit up with pathetic gratitude. "So you agreed?"
"We'll try," Hermione repeated, giving a bitter smile.
Elian felt her trembling against him. Without thinking, he shifted slightly, letting her lean more fully into his shoulder. Under normal circumstances, such proximity would have made her blush and stammer. Now, she just gripped his cloak tightly, grateful for the support.
Ron noticed their closeness but said nothing. Honestly, he was too terrified to care. If anything, he envied Hermione for having someone to hold onto. How could Elian stand there so calmly? It was a giant, for Merlin's sake.
"Elian," Hagrid said, turning to face him directly. His tone became more serious. "I brought you here for a reason. I wanted you to see what a real giant looks like—up close. Grawp here, he's only sixteen feet tall. He's a runt among giants. The real ones, the full-bloods in the mountains, they're well over twenty feet. Some are nearly twenty-five."
Hagrid paused, watching Elian's face carefully for any reaction. "I needed you to understand that before you went off saying you wanted to go find them. Needed you to see what you're up against."
Harry and Ron both turned sharply to stare at Elian, confusion written across their faces.
Go find the giants? What was Hagrid talking about?
But Hagrid was disappointed. Because from the very beginning, Elian had maintained a calm that didn't match his age. There wasn't even the slightest panic when he saw Grawp. Instead of being frightened by the giant's huge body, he'd actually smiled to comfort the terrified Hermione.
Before Harry and Ron could ask questions, Hagrid stepped over a massive fallen tree trunk and approached Grawp, picking up a long branch from the ground as he went.
"What—no!" Hermione shrieked, jerking away from Elian. "Hagrid, no! Don't wake him up! Really, we don't need to—"
Too late.
Hagrid prodded Grawp firmly in the ribs with the branch.
The giant's reaction was immediate and terrifying. He let out a roar that seemed to shake the very ground beneath their feet, echoing through the forest like thunder. Birds exploded from the canopy in every direction, their panicked cries adding to the chaos.
Grawp lurched upward, bracing himself on massive hands the size of wagon wheels. He turned his head slowly, searching for whoever had disturbed his sleep.
Ron's face had gone from pale to a sickly green. "Harry," he whispered urgently, tugging at Harry's sleeve. "Are we really going to help take care of him? Because I think—I think he might—" He swallowed hard, unable to finish the sentence.
Harry couldn't answer. He was too busy watching in horror as Grawp staggered fully upright. The ropes binding him to the trees went taut with sharp, creaking protests, straining against the giant's strength. Grawp looked around with dim, unfocused eyes—eyes that held no real intelligence, only animal confusion and irritation.
His hand, each finger as thick as Hagrid's arm, reached out and grabbed a small tree beside him. With a single pull, he ripped it from the earth, roots and all, then smashed it against the ground in a display of raw, frightening power.
"Now, now, Grawp," Hagrid said in the softest, most soothing voice Elian had ever heard him use. It was the voice someone might use with a frightened child. "Don't make a fuss. Look, I've brought you visitors, just like I promised. Remember? I said I'd bring you some new friends, and sometimes they'll come and take care of you when I can't. Don't you think they're nice?"
Hagrid positioned himself carefully between Grawp and the students, his body a living shield to prevent the giant from suddenly rushing toward them.
But when Grawp heard Hagrid mention visitors, he let out a low, rumbling growl and took a step directly toward Elian and the others.
"Oh, Hagrid, please!" Hermione moaned.
Hagrid quickly swatted Grawp's knee with the branch—it was like tapping a mountain with a twig. "Look down, you great oaf! Down! See? Down there!"
Slowly, ponderously, Grawp lowered his enormous head. His eyes—small and dull like dirty marbles—focused on the four figures standing before him. To Grawp, they must have looked like toys. Like insects.
"This here is Harry," Hagrid announced, gesturing proudly. "Harry Potter. See? Dark hair, green eyes. And this is Ron—Ronald Weasley. Ron, smile at him, let him see you're friendly!"
Ron's attempt at a smile looked more like a grimace of pain. He even managed a tiny, trembling wave.
"And this is Hermione," Hagrid continued. "Hermione Granger. She's very kind, Grawp, so you be gentle with her, hear me? If I have to go away for a bit, these three will come visit you instead of me. Hermione—do you mind if he just calls you 'Hermy'? 'Hermione' is a bit tricky for him."
"I don't mind at all!" Hermione squeaked, her voice an octave too high.
Elian noticed that Hagrid didn't introduce him to Grawp. It made sense, he supposed. Hagrid still believed Elian would be leaving for the giant colony soon—a journey Hagrid assumed would take weeks, if not longer. During that time, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would need to care for Grawp in Hagrid's absence.
There was no point introducing Elian to a giant he wouldn't be visiting.
But what Hagrid didn't know—what he couldn't possibly guess—was that Elian was already thinking about Grawp in an entirely different way.
This time, going to the giant territory won't be smooth, Elian thought, his eyes studying Grawp's hulking form with clinical interest. I'll probably have to kill some of them. Make examples. If their chieftain refuses to submit, I won't keep such a threat alive.
The thought was cold, practical. Elian had no illusions about what awaited him in the mountains. The giants served Voldemort now, and breaking that allegiance would require more than words. It would require blood.
But once the giants lose their chieftain, they'll need a new one. Someone to lead them. Someone they'll follow.
Elian's gaze shifted from Grawp to Hagrid, and something almost playful flickered in his eyes.
Your half-brother, Hagrid, he thought with quiet amusement, might very well become a giant chieftain.
The idea had a certain elegant symmetry to it. Grawp was young, simple-minded, and currently weak—but he was also Hagrid's blood. If Elian could install Grawp as the leader of the giant colony, he would secure not just their submission to his cause, but also Hagrid's unwavering loyalty. The half-giant would do anything to protect his brother.
And more importantly, a puppet chieftain controlled by Elian would be far more useful than a colony ruled by fear alone.
"Elian?"
Hermione's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She was looking up at him with concern, having noticed the distant expression on his face.
"I'm fine," he said softly, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
Grawp, meanwhile, had finished his inspection of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He grunted—a sound like rocks grinding together—and turned his attention to the one person Hagrid hadn't introduced.
The giant's dull eyes fixed on Elian.
For a long moment, neither moved. Elian met Grawp's gaze steadily, showing no fear, no hesitation. There was something in that stare—a silent communication that transcended words.
Grawp tilted his massive head, confused. The other small humans had smelled of fear. This one didn't.
Hagrid noticed the exchange and stepped forward nervously. "That's... that's just Elian, Grawp. He won't be visiting, so no need to—"
But Grawp wasn't listening to Hagrid. He took a single, ground-shaking step toward Elian, close enough that the group could smell the sour stench of his breath.
Hermione gasped and tried to pull Elian back, but he didn't move.
"Elian," Harry hissed urgently. "Maybe we should—"
Grawp lowered his face until it was level with Elian's, only a few feet separating them. His breath washed over the young wizard in hot, fetid waves.
Then, slowly, Grawp raised one massive hand.
Ron let out a strangled noise of terror.
But Grawp didn't grab Elian. Instead, with surprising gentleness, he extended a single finger—as thick as Elian's arm—and poked him lightly in the chest.
Once.
Twice.
Testing.
Elian didn't flinch. He simply raised his own hand and placed it flat against Grawp's finger, meeting the giant's curiosity with calm acceptance.
"Hello, Grawp," Elian said quietly.
The giant blinked. Then, without warning, he let out a sound that might have been a laugh—a deep, rumbling noise that vibrated through the clearing.
Hagrid's mouth fell open in shock. "Blimey," he whispered. "I've... I've never seen him do that before."
Grawp pulled his hand back and straightened up, seemingly satisfied. He gave Elian one last curious look, then turned and lumbered back to his nest, the ropes trailing behind him like leashes.
Within moments, he had settled back down into his pile of moss and ferns, already half-asleep again.
Hermione let out a shaky breath. "What... what just happened?"
Elian shrugged. "I think he was just curious."
"Curious?" Ron repeated incredulously. "He looked like he was deciding whether to eat you or keep you as a pet!"
Harry was staring at Elian with an expression caught between awe and exasperation—an expression that had become increasingly common over the past few months. "You're insane," he said flatly. "You know that, right?"
Elian just smiled.
Hagrid, meanwhile, was looking at Elian with something close to wonder. "I don't know what you did," he said slowly, "but Grawp... he liked you. Really liked you."
"He's not so bad," Elian said, glancing back at the sleeping giant. "Just scared and confused. Like anyone would be, torn from their home and left in a strange forest."
Hagrid's eyes grew misty. "You really think so?"
"I do."
The half-giant sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Well... well, that's... thank you, Elian. Really."
As they began the long walk back to the castle, Hermione fell into step beside Elian. She was still pale, still shaken, but her hand found his beneath the cover of his cloak.
"What are you planning?" she whispered, so quietly that only he could hear.
Elian glanced at her. Hermione was brilliant—of course she'd noticed the calculating look in his eyes when he'd studied Grawp.
"I'm planning to make sure the giants don't fight for Voldemort," he said simply.
"And Grawp?"
"Might be useful. We'll see."
Hermione bit her lip, clearly torn between her usual moral objections and her trust in Elian's judgment. Finally, she squeezed his hand.
"Just... be careful," she said. "With the giants. With all of it."
"I will."
Behind them, Hagrid was explaining to Harry and Ron the finer points of giant care—what Grawp liked to eat, how often he needed to be visited, how to avoid making him angry.
Harry looked faintly ill. Ron looked like he was seriously reconsidering his life choices.
But Elian's mind was already racing ahead, calculating possibilities, weighing strategies. The mission to the giant colony was no longer just about disrupting Voldemort's plans.
It was about building something new.
And if everything went according to plan, Hagrid's poor, simple-minded half-brother might just become the key to securing the first true vassals of a Supreme Mage.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕
Ongoing Discount on Patreon 1 days left.
Uchiha Itachi : The Tenth Straw Hat has won the Patreon poll. So Please support it and add it to your collection 😊