Several Miles from the Sun

CHAPTER NINE: GRAWP

Ron patiently waited by the gates of Hogwarts. His dark brown robes covered his jeans and green jumper quite nicely against the strong breeze. He leaned against the gate, feeling the locket in his pocket. It had been carefully wrapped in cloth, and Ron felt a certain pride in being the one charged with its care.

Remus, standing beside him and humming, was dressed in similar robes. He shuffled his feet nervously, eyeing the castle of Hogwarts. It no longer seemed to look large and imperious; instead it had taken on a desolate appearance, almost as though it were falling apart, a nice mirroring on the lack of faith its once inhabitants now had on it.

"Hagrid should be arriving any minute now," Ron said conversationally.

And indeed it was only five minutes until they could spot Hagrid crossing the path, unlocking the gate, and giving Ron such a strong pat on the back, his knees wobbled. "Come on in," Hagrid said, heaving the gates open enough for Remus and Ron to pass through. "We'll be takin' a Thestral carriage. Fastes' way ter the mountains, and safes', too."

As they crossed the grounds to Hagrid's hunt, Ron found himself looking at the way the castle loomed over them. There hadn't been any news whether Hogwarts would reopen in September, but somehow Ron doubted it. While Hogwarts had always seemed somewhat intimidating, its deserted look gave them a feeling of lost, and very little parents found it a safe school for their children.

There was a loud bang that sounded in the distant; it seemed to come from within the castle, but Ron found himself glancing at the Forbidden Forest. Peeves' cackle could be heard as well, and even Hagrid stopped to glance at Hogwarts for a mere second, before grunting and telling them to hurry up.

"It's probably just the ghosts," said Remus, noting Ron's suspicious look.

A small black carriage was waiting by Hagrid's hut. Fang ran up to Ron, slobbering all over him, barking happily. There was a harsh snort from the carriage; the Thestrals, which Ron still couldn't see, were patiently waiting to leave.

"Hooked up four to the carriage," Hagrid was telling Remus. Remus looked slightly nervous, and Ron wondered if he could see the horses.

Fang gave a delighted bark and ran around the carriage; after two turns, he became tired and plopped himself at Ron's feet.

"Will it be a long trip?" he asked.

"Not long. The thestrals are fas' fliers," Hagrid assured him. "Righ', then. You and Remus get into the carriage with Fang. I'll sit up fron'."

"Are you sure, Hagrid?" Remus said politely. "It's a bit chilly tonight."

Hagrid grunted. "Someone's gotta lead the Thestrals, and the cold has nothin' agains' me." He opened the door, and Ron peered in. It was the common carriage that generally took them from the Hogsmeade station to the school every year. It looked oddly inviting from the cold and sleet.

Ron hopped in, followed by Remus and then Fang. "Must admit I haven't been in one of these for a long time," Remus said, stretching against the chair. "Hagrid says it's about an hour trip. I don't suppose you'd mind if I...."

"Go ahead," Ron assured him, and Remus leaned against the window, closing his eyes.

Ron scratched Fang's ear, and looked out the window. The moonlight was the only source of illumination, and he watched it grow brighter as the Thestrals took to the sky.

-!-

Harry had curled himself up in one of the chairs, in Chadwick. A chess game had been left open, and he moved a pawn to distract himself. It sourly stuck its tongue out at him. Harry glanced up at the clock; it was only a quarter past ten, hardly anything to worry about. But he was worried. Ron was on a mission alone, and while it was quite simple, Harry couldn't help but think of everything that could go wrong.

Sitting in the sofa across from him was Ginny, reading a novel Hermione had lent her. She had offered to keep him company, and Harry was slightly grateful for it, although he felt it did nothing to help his heart from beating in a nervous pattern.

"Stop staring at me," Ginny said, not unkindly.

Harry quickly turned away, feeling himself blush, and stared determinedly at the clock.

"Ron will be back soon," Ginny assured him, not looking up from her novel. "I'm worried too. I haven't been able to read beyond this stupid page. It is an easy job, right? Grawp's not harmful, is he?"

"He managed the funeral quite well," Harry said.

Ginny was about to respond in a very negative way when Hermione interrupted, coming in, closely followed by Regulus. Harry immediately jumped to his feet, and Ginny raised an eyebrow.

Regulus grinned. "Hello, Potter, Miss Weasley. I suppose we're all up for the same reason?" he said, with a fake edge of niceness in his tone.

Hermione smiled at Harry and Ginny. "Harry, Regulus thinks that there might be a few objects in the house that we all missed in our search. Secret places that were well-protected against even Moody's eye," she explained. "Regulus and I have been talking about it--"

"You have, haven't you?" asked Harry, eyeing Regulus.

Regulus looked at the chess board and moved a black tower, pretending to ignore the conversation.

"Yes, we have," Hermione said firmly, "and we thought it'd be best to get rid of anything that might be lurking. I mean, look what happened to you."

"Fine, we can do it in the morning," Harry agreed, a bit grouchily.

Regulus looked up from the chess board. Ginny had moved a white bishop and he had turned a black horse against it. "Chin up, Potter," he said. "There might be a few things that your godfather left behind."

Harry frowned. "Sirius cleared up the place, he would have picked them up," he said.

"Actually, Regulus was telling me that after Sirius ran away, his mother went a bit... er, into a rage and started throwing Sirius' things out. Regulus saved a few things and hid them," Hermione said.

Harry's eyes turned into frightful slits. "You two have been talking a lot, haven't you?"

"Regulus does know a lot of things that might help us," Hermione said meekly.

Ginny suddenly jumped to her feet. "What about some hot chocolate to help us keep awake until Ron gets here?" she asked. "Harry, why don't you help me? I still don't know where mum put everything in the kitchen."

Harry glared at Regulus, but followed Ginny out of the living room. Hermione immediately turned on Regulus, sharply poking his chest with her finger. "What did you do to Harry?" she demanded. "He's suddenly become very edgy."

Regulus shrugged innocently. "I think it's Ginny. All that sexual tension in the air. Not good on a seventeen-year-old, you know. Much like the tension between us." He gave her a wide grin.

Hermione blinked. "The what between us?" she demanded. "Are you insane? There is not--there was never--" she spluttered off uncomfortably, and tugged at the hem of her shirt.

He was on her in a flash.

Hermione was cornered. Like a rat, at least she was a pretty rat.

Well, prettier than Wormtail could ever wish to be and--

Incoherent thoughts. Which meant she was very, very nervous.

Regulus had her practically up against the wall, a predatory gleam in his eye, a smug grin on his face. He looked like a cat about to eat the canary. And Hermione didn't want to be that canary.

"I'll scream for help," she warned. "And it won't be pretty!"

"I'm sure your boyfriend will run to defend his damsel in distress," Regulus said, moving - dangerously! - closer.

"Er, Harry is not my boyfriend," she argued. "Because, well, Ginny!"

"Ronald, then?" Regulus asked. "Must admit your children will turn out lovely!"

"No!" Hermione said hurriedly. "Ron is sweet and nice, but he's not... you know, and you're awful! Go. Away!"

Regulus looked thoughtful, placing each hand next to her head, making her feel extremely claustrophobic. "I've heard rumours about a Bulgarian," he continued.

Hermione huffed and slipped from under his arms, putting the table between them. "I think you need a bit of sleep," she said, like a doctor prescribing a remedy. "Obviously you're a bit stressed and it's gone to your head and--what are you doing?"

Regulus was moving around the table, and she hurried to maintain high ground. "Er, Regulus, honestly," she continued nervously. "I'm very flattered, but it wouldn't work out between us. See, it's the whole dead thing, and I've never been much into necro--"

Somehow - she never truly knew how - Regulus had managed to sidestep her around the table, and grabbed a hold of her, pressing his mouth to hers in a very demanding kiss.

It was, as Hermione would secretly tell Ginny later, a very good kiss, but that wasn't the point, at the moment.

Regulus had her pressed against the sofa, and she could feel the arm of the chair imbedded against the back of her knees. But it was all trivial; the kiss was actually a very good one. Not quite like snogging Viktor Krum, but, then again, it never was the same between two very different men.

"Glad to see you're coming around," Regulus whispered, looking pleased with himself.

Hermione knew she was blushing. She cleared her throat. "That wasn't quite fair," she complained, mostly to herself. And then suddenly they had broken apart as Harry and Ginny came back, carrying a tray with mugs.

Ginny eyed Hermione suspiciously and grinned. "I put a bit of ginger in it, to spice things up," she said.

Hermione blushed ever harder. "Thanks, Gin," she squeaked.

Harry watched as Regulus moved a black pawn, and moved the white queen to take his bishop in response. Regulus nodded. "Good play," he muttered.

Harry turned to look back at the clock. It was almost eleven. "Can't take long to finish the job, can it?" he asked.

Hermione looked up from her mug as Regulus sneaked her a satisfactory smile. "Hagrid said the ride was about an hour," she muttered. "They should be back between midnight and one in the morning. Why don't you rest a bit, Harry?"

Harry peered out the window. The street was completely dark except for the streetlamps, and most of the houses had already turned their lights off for the night. "No," he said, "I want to make sure Ron arrives safely."

-!-

It took the Thestrals a little less than an hour to reach the base of the mountain where Grawp was staying. A cold breeze had picked up, and Ron tightened his cloak around him. The cave was hidden by magically grown vines, which gave it a curtain-like look. However, it was impossible to ignore the way as most of the trees in the perimeter were bent and broken.

"I'll wait out here," Remus said. "You two go ahead. I think I'll take a walk."

Ron clutched the locket in his pocket nervously. "I have to go?"

"You are the leader of this mission," Remus said patiently. "Go on. Hagrid won't let anything happen."

Hagrid had already gone ahead and a loud--almost childish--roar could be heard from inside the cave. Ron shuddered. His fingers tightened around the locket, but he did not remove it from its place. Even he could not deny the way it seemed to pulse, like a beating heart in his grip. He straightened his back, took a deep breath, and followed Hagrid inside.

Gryffindor bravery, he reminded himself. Fang bounded after him, giving an energetic bark.

The cave was not very big in length, but somehow it seemed to grow in height. There wasn't a single clue that somebody lived there, and Ron wondered if it had been magically concealed. He walked cautiously, even though Fang seemed confident and was leaping about like a rabid bunny that ought to be banging symbols for a living.

When they reached the end, Ron was surprised at what he saw. Shelves had been built into the walls of the caves, holding up an assortment of things that ran from tinned goods to books. Stone chairs and a tabler were placed in the centre, accompanied by a make-shift bed in one of the corners. Something that looked suspiciously like a stove, gleamed under the candles. It was like a hotel from the Stone Age.

Grawp gave a delighted noise when he spotted Ron, but when he tried to reach for a hug, Hagrid gave him a firm no.

"Hi, Grawp! Great to see you," Ron said, trying to sound like he meant it.

"Won Won," Grawp boomed.

Ron felt himself flush and looked at Hagrid accusingly. The half-giant shrugged. "Sorry, Ron. Told him a bi' about you and Lavender. The nickname seems to 'ave stuck."

"As long as Harry doesn't hear about this," Ron muttered, and he pulled out the locket. He set it on the stone table, carefully unwrapping the clothes that hid it. "Right, Grawp, I need you to break this."

"Pretty," Grawp said.

Hagrid beamed. "He's a fas' learner!" he said proudly.

Ron quickly turned a condescending snort into a series of sneezes. "It's very pretty, Grawp," he said, remembering what Hermione had told him before leaving.

"Be polite," she said. "He's not an animal, plus he's Hagrid's brother. Try to make conversation!"

"But you see, Grawp," Ron continued, looking up at the giant, "it's very dangerous. You know dangerous, right? So I need you to break it, like you did to the trees."

"You're very good at this, Ron," Hagrid said. "You should work with animals."

Not likely, thought Ron, but he kept it to himself. "Ready, Grawp?"

Grawp raised a fist and both Ron and Hagrid flew for cover. The giant brought it down upon the locket and stone table, both which went into pieces, flying in all directions.

"Boom!" Grawp said delightfully.

"Boom," Ron agreed, picking out rubble from his hair. "Er, sorry about the table, Hagrid. Reparo!" He carefully picked up the gold pieces of the locket, placed them in the cloth and put it back in his pocket. "Harry will want to see it," he said, in mean of explanation.

"Good job, Grawp!" Hagrid complimented his half-brother, patting one of the monstrous arms. "Are you eating properly? You look a bi' on the thin side."

Ron gave a cheery goodbye, left Hagrid to finish feeding Grawp, and went outside to find Remus. He felt happy with himself for having completed the mission without a single hitch. He couldn't wait to get back to Chadwick, and have a nice long sleep.

Remus was sitting on the stump of a tree, playing with Fang, who had retreated before Grawp had done his bit. Remus looked up at Ron and smiled. "Everything go as planned?" he asked.

Ron grinned. "Easy as pie," he boasted.

When he got home later that night--or morning, if you were picky--he was immediately pounced on by Harry and Hermione. Harry took the pieces of the locket, handing them to Remus with instructions to lock them up in Gringotts. Hermione brought Ron a glass of water to drink before he went to bed, and the trio sat alone in the living room going over the visit to Grawp.

Finishing the last of his water, Ron stood up, and then glanced at the chess board, irritated. "Who's been buggering up my chess match?" he demanded.