Renewed Beginnings

After seeing Professor Dumbledore out, Hagrid stood by the door, contemplating the Headmaster's parting words. "The heart is a most fragile thing, Hagrid. Be careful, and good luck." Was he offering encouragement...or a warning? Or was this meant to be both?

Turning to go back inside, Hagrid saw Catherine making her way across the grounds. He paused, and waited until she had reached him. He held out his hand to her, and led the way inside.

"I'm glad yeh came, Cath'rine. It ain't much, but, well, it's home," he said with a smile, closing the door behind them. "That there's Fang, by the way," he added, as the boarhound, having heard them come in, came over and started sniffing the newcomer curiously.

"Hello, Fang," said Catherine, idly scratching the dog behind the ears as she looked around the small hut. " I think it's lovely, Hagrid. It suits you perfectly."

Catherine walked over and took a seat in on of the chairs beside the large table, and motioned for Hagrid to join her. When they were both seated, she began to speak. "Now, Hagrid, if we are truly going to see if we can take our relationship beyond friendship, I think it's time we were completely honest with one another." There was an odd glint in her eyes as she continued. "For instance, you confided in me quite a bit of that 'mission' you went on last year accompanied by that Madame Maxime from Beauxbatons. I get the feeling that there is more that you haven't told me, though. There was a lot that you said, or left unsaid, is more like, that gave me the impression that she was more than just someone who was assigned to help you on a mission. Before we go on, Hagrid, I need to know. What exactly was your relationship with her, and where does it stand now?"

Hagrid had the decency to blush. "Alrigh'. That's on'y fair. But before I get into all that, there's somethin' I gotta ask, too. I've been wonderin'...I mean, I know what mos' folks think about giants, an' about me fer being half giant an' all. So, what made yeh decide that I migh' be, well, yeh know, 'the one'?"

Catherine thought about this for a few moments before she answered. "Well," she started slowly. "That's certainly not an easy question to answer. I'm not really sure myself when I decided it might be you. It almost seems as if I have known it from the moment I met you, but that doesn't seem quite right, either.

"That first day we met, there you were, at least twice the size of any of those boys, and you could have easily taken them all down, yet you didn't. You had tried to reason with them, and when they backed you into that corner, you were terrified. Later, after they had gone, when we were playing, you were so open and honest with me. I had never met anyone like you before. And you're that way still. You don't try to hide your emotions and feelings from anyone. You are naturally open and honest in a way most people never learn to be.

"Also, I read the letters you send me, the ones about Harry, Hermione, and Ron, especially, and I can see the amount of love you have for those children. Reading them, I can't stop myself from thinking what a wonderful father you would have been. You have such a big heart, and such a large capacity for love, and that is something that should have been shared with others. You are always so kind and gentle with my cousin's children when you come home to visit.

"You're easy for me to talk to, Hagrid, and you always listen. I know I can tell you anything, and you would never judge me. Remember that time when I was studying up in Gryffindor Tower, and I stuck my wand behind my ear, and accidentally hexed my ear off, not to mention half of my hair? Well, you were always so protective of me that I never told you, but I took quite a bit of ribbing for several weeks over that. Everywhere I went, people kept asking me if I still had both ears. Things like that. After about a week, I was ready to give up and go home. I would have, too, if Isla hadn't noticed how distraught I was, and made me come and see you. You never teased me about it. You just said 'Well, I guess yeh won' be doin' that again.', and that was the end of it. You reminded me of all the reasons I had for staying, not to mention how sad my parents would be if I left. Then you took me out to the edge of the garden to see the new litter of Knarls you had discovered out there. You've always known exactly how to cheer me up.

"You know I've tried dating a few times over the years. I've never hid that from you. But I think, on some level, at least, I've been comparing them all to you. Things would start off fine, but then the games of hiding their feelings would start, or I would find out they hadn't been completely open about something. I want more than that, and there's only one person I've met so far who has all of those qualities, plus the added bonus of already being my friend."

Catherine finished speaking, and drew a deep breath. Looking over at Hagrid, she smiled. Hagrid, unused to hearing such praise about himself first-hand, appeared stunned and speechless. Slowly, he regained his composure.

"Thank you for yer kind words, an' fer bein' so honest. Let me jest see ter the food, an' then I'll answer yer questions."

At Catherine's startled look (for she had eaten his cooking before), Hagrid chuckled. "Don' worry. I had the house-elves prepare the meal, an' bring it down before yeh got here. I jes' had to heat it up a bit."

As Hagrid set about placing the re-warmed food on the table, Catherine, not used to being waited on, got up and started setting the table with dishes from the cupboard.

Once they were both seated and had begun to eat, Hagrid knew he could no longer avoid the inevitable. He sighed, and began. "Well, you've been honest with me. Now it's my turn. I told yeh most of the stuff about the mission itself. I s'pose it's time I told yeh the rest o' the story, the part about Olympe - tha's Madame Maxime's firs' name - an' me."