Renewed Beginnings

Hagrid watched Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk back up to the castle, and then went back inside to clear away the dishes. The lunch with Catherine and the children had gone much better than he had imagined, and he thought about it now as he gathered together the remains of the meal to take back up to the castle. He made a mental note to thank Professor Dumbledore again for allowing the castle's House-Elves to prepare the meal for him.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had arrived before Catherine, anxious to meet this woman who seemed to them to be taking over his life. Catherine had arrived only a few minutes later, looking for the entire world as if she were about to face the full Wizengamot instead of three teenagers. Hagrid chuckled at the memory now.

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Hagrid made the introductions, and the first few minutes passed in idle talk as they all helped him to prepare the table for their meal. Once they were all seated, however, the real questions began. It was quickly apparent that they had decided beforehand that Hermione would do most of the questioning. As tactful as ever, she fired question after question at Catherine. They had obviously spent a lot of time the night before discussing what sort of things they felt they needed to know. Everything from what sort of business Catherine ran, to her sentiments on inter-species relations, to finally, her feelings about Lord Voldemort. It was then that Harry could keep quiet no longer.

"How do we know you're not some spy for Voldemort? I mean, no offence, but you haven't exactly been a very big part of Hagrid's life the past few years."

Hagrid started to answer, but Catherine put up her hand to stop him. "It's alright, Hagrid. Harry's suffered a lot at the hands of Voldemort, and he has every right to ask that question." Catherine turned to Harry, and spoke directly to him. "Harry, I know Hagrid has told you that my parents ran a Muggle bookshop in Devon which I took over when I finished Hogwarts, but has he told you what else they were doing?"

Harry shook his head slowly. "No. But I don't see how that has anything to do with Voldemort."

Catherine smiled sadly. "You will, dear. You will. You see, my parents ran their bookshop for many years before Voldemort's first rise to power. Everything was much more peaceful when they started it. But then, when Voldemort came into power, things...changed. My parents had retired by time he rose to full power, of course, but that didn't stop the Death Eaters from targeting them. You see, our family is a pureblood family that goes back many generations. My great-grandmother was part of the - " her voice turned sarcastic " - 'Most Noble and Ancient House of Black', so naturally, my family, running a bookshop for Muggle, no less, were seen as traitors. Our shop and home was attacked, and my parents were unable to escape in time. It was ironic that I, seen as the most traitorous of all, partly because of my friendship with Hagrid, among many other things, was not home at the time, but on a trip to procure some rare books for a customer. After I returned, I, of course, joined The Order, and worked closely, though behind the scenes, with the others, using my resources at the bookshop, once it was repaired, to gain whatever information I could. When Voldemort returned at the end of your fourth year, Hagrid, at Professor Dumbledore's request, contacted me about resuming my work for the Order once again. I immediately agreed. So you see, Harry, I have just as much reason to loathe Voldemort as you do. I would never work for him."

Everyone was silent for a moment after this revelation, and then Hermione spoke again, voicing a question that was obviously weighing heavy on her mind. "OK, that makes sense. But what exactly are your plans here with Hagrid?"

"You've got some good friends that really care about you here, Hagrid," Catherine said with a chuckle. "That's a fair question, Hermione. You see, Hagrid and I have been the best of friends since...well, almost as long as I can remember, really. Throughout everything in my life, I have always been able to count on only a few people to be there for me every time, and one of those people is Hagrid. Where many may look at Hagrid and see just the outside, the half-giant shell, I suppose I've always seen beyond that to his giant heart, full of love and compassion. Put quite simply, I love him."

At this point, Ron, who had been mostly silent until now, spoke up. "But why Hagrid?"

"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione.

Catherine just chuckled again, and Hagrid flushed bright red. "It's alright, Hermione. That's a legitimate question, too, and one I'm sure many more will ask. You see, Hagrid is the kindest, gentlest man I have ever known. He would never intentionally harm any creature, human or otherwise. For all his gruff exterior, he has the heart and soul of a child, open and giving. He doesn't try to be someone he's not, just to impress anyone. What you see is what you get. You see, Ron, you can't choose who you love. Sometimes the person you love is right under your nose for years before you realize how you truly feel about them."

Silence fell once again as the teens thought over what Catherine had said. After a few minutes, it seemed that they had accepted her answers and decided that she had no hidden agenda, for the rest of the visit had passed with small talk and merriment.

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Hagrid finished clearing away the dishes, and packed up the things to take back to the castle. His mind turned now to the following weekend. Catherine had told him just before she had left that her friends, Ashley, Fia, Erika, and Isla were coming for a visit next weekend. He knew that Catherine had stayed in contact regularly with them all since they had graduated, but he, himself, had not seen, nor heard from, any of them since then. He remembered them all quite clearly, of course. They had each had their own distinct personality, naturally, but all had been just as kind-hearted as Catherine. He wondered for a moment what they would have to say about their relationship, and then a grin flickered across his face. He had just thought of a wonderful surprise for Catherine. Still smiling to himself, he gathered the things he was taking to the castle, and headed out the door and across the lawn, whistling as he went.