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Harry Potter: "You knew where you were going? You knew where the giants were?"
Rubeus Hagrid: "Well, Dumbledore knew, an' he told us."
Ron Weasley: "Are they hidden? Is it a secret where they are?"
Rubeus Hagrid: "Not really, it's jus' that mos' wizards aren' bothered where they are, s' long as it's a good long way away. But where they are's very difficult ter get ter, fer humans anyway, so we needed Dumbledore's instructions. Took us abou' a month ter get there —"
— Harry, Ron, and Hagrid discussing Hagrid's giant colony mission[src]

This mission to the giant colony was one of the first events during the Second Wizarding War. Occurring before the outbreak of open war, Albus Dumbledore ordered Professor Rubeus Hagrid and Madam Olympe Maxime to travel the giant colony in Eastern Europe to bring the giants over there to the side of the Order of the Phoenix.[1]

History[]

The mission[]

Being half-giant, Hagrid and Maxime had to travel non-magically to Minsk. To make sure they weren't being followed by Ministry officials or Death Eaters, the two half-giants pretended they were going to France on holiday. They managed to escape "the berk tailin' us" near Dijon and on the Polish border, they outran some trolls. When they finally arrived in Minsk, they had a disagreement with a vampire in a pub.[1]

Finally, the two of them arrived in a giant colony made up of approximately eighty giants. Once the giants awoke, Hagrid and Maxime approached the Gurg, Karkus, with gifts — Gubraithian Fire and a goblin-made battle helmet. On the second day, Hagrid and Maxime extended the offer for Karkus to join Dumbledore. Karkus, having heard good things about Dumbledore, seemed to be receptive.[1]

However, the next day, it was discovered that Karkus had been killed, and there was a new Gurg by the name of Golgomath. Golgomath, quite unlike Karkus, was interested in more what Lord Voldemort had to say. When Hagrid and Maxime attempted to continue negotiations, Golgomath's minions seized Hagrid. Fortunately, Maxime saved him by shooting the giants in the eyes with Conjunctivitis Curses. Because of this, she and Hagrid had to flee.[1]

The next day, Walden Macnair succeeded where Hagrid and Maxime failed.[1]

Aftermath[]

Grawp (Conceptual Artwork for the HP5 movie 04)

Grawp, Hagrid's half-brother

During the mission, Hagrid met a giant named Grawp, who he discovered was the son of his giantess mother, Fridwulfa. Upon meeting Grawp, Hagrid was determined to bring his half-brother back to the Hogwarts grounds. Maxime, however, did not want anything to do with Grawp, and she and Hagrid parted ways.[1]

For the next few months, Hagrid led Grawp back to Hogwarts. Grawp, not knowing his own strength, bruised Hagrid during the journey home. The two brothers didn't arrive home until late November.[1]

As a result of this success to the Death Eaters, the giants fought alongside them during the rest of the war, creating mass destruction in the southwest of England in the summer of 1996 (although this was credited to a hurricane to the Muggles, and any eye-witnesses had their memory modified),[2] and battling in the Battle of Hogwarts in May 1998.[3]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 20 (Hagrid's Tale)
  2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 1 (The Other Minister)
  3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 31 (The Battle of Hogwarts)
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