days at Hogwarts

Chapter 538 News from the Giant

"Please tell us about the giants and what we need to pay attention to when going up the mountain..."

"Those giants are big, brainless guys. If there is any difference between them and trolls, it's probably that they don't swing sticks and can speak a few simple human words... Back then, their tribe followed the Death Eaters to persecute wizards. Barty Crouch used iron-blooded methods and allowed the Aurors to use the Unforgivable Curse to eliminate the giants. After the fall of You-Know-Who, the most vicious giants with wizards' blood on their hands were basically shot dead. The survivors had relatively minor crimes and were scared out of their wits, so they fled into the mountains and hid in embarrassment."

Old Dodd paused and frowned slightly, as if recalling what happened in the past. "The Aurors originally wanted to chase them to the end and completely wipe out these dangerous creatures, but the fog in the mountains was thick and lingering, and all kinds of dangerous and rare magical animals were mixed in it, making it very troublesome to clear them out. In the end, Dumbledore presided over a discussion meeting at the Wizengamot and decided to spare them and confine them in the mountains."

"We thought the giant had escaped from the country."

"Britain is an island country surrounded by endless oceans. Where can the giants escape to?" Old Dodd took a sip of wine. "Those guys can't use magic, nor do they have any innate magic like other magical animals. They are just big, with thick skin and flesh, so they can withstand beatings. However, no matter how resistant they are, they can't withstand suffocation. If seawater pours into their noses, they will still drown. They can't withstand the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse... I guess they are scared of being beaten, so they have been quite quiet over the years. They have dug rows of caves on the mountainside, and slowly settled down by relying on fruit trees and wild animals. They don't cause any more trouble."

"What's your personality like? Can you communicate?"

"What good character can savages have?" Old Dodd shook his head. "They won't take the initiative to leave their settlements and attack humans, but if someone mistakenly enters their territory, they will most likely not end up well. Wizards can leave smoothly if they don't provoke them, but Muggles are different. In recent years, some reckless adventurers have disappeared in the mountains. Who knows who they have eaten?"

"They eat people?!" Hermione said in horror, her face pale.

"It's not necessarily to fill their stomachs. After all, normal humans are not enough to fill their teeth. They may catch them and torture them, then throw them into their mouths after they die, just like a snack."

If you count carefully, as Alice mentioned earlier, there have been thirteen climbing disappearances in the past five years...

It is unclear how many people died in the giant settlement, but the number was neither too many nor too few, probably about the same as the casualties caused by wild beasts in the mountains, such as wolves and wild boars.

It's a pity that President Alfrida Cragg and Minister Grogan Stump's efforts were in vain. You know, during the first Wizarding Council a hundred years ago, the giants who could speak human language were classified as human beings, which was higher than mermaids.

"The situation was quite serious before, and there were even rumors among Muggles that they had seen monsters in the mountains. Later, people from the Ministry of Magic came and cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm, and the situation got much better."

Old Dodd's voice was filled with disdain for giants. He looked at the two young wizards with childish faces and was still a little worried: "In short, if you want to go to the giants' territory to look for someone, it's best not to alarm them... In fact, I suggest you don't go into the mountains. If your friends are in trouble, it's best to report it to the Ministry of Magic for handling."

"Thank you for your concern..."

Loren spoke calmly, expressing his sincere gratitude to the old wizard who had been stabbed in the back and was depressed but still cheered up to care about them. "But we have the ability to protect ourselves. The mountain environment is very suitable for some special magic, such as the Disillusionment Charm and Animagus, which are easy to hide. Even if we are really discovered by the giants, we can leave directly through Apparition without any danger to our lives."

Animagus...

Apparate...

No life-threatening situation...

Old Dodd muttered these curses in his heart.

According to the regulations, young wizards can take the Apparition test when they are 17 years old, but this does not mean that all 17-year-old wizards can master Apparition. On the contrary, only a few can pass the test successfully. There is also the more difficult Animagus. The flexible animal form is indeed very suitable for the mountain environment, but how many wizards can master Animagus? Even if he has been hiding in the countryside for many years and has been isolated from the news, he knows that there are no more than two hands of Animagus in Britain.

Old Dodd had other guesses - the young wizard only mentioned the magic of hiding and escaping, and did not mention any means of facing the enemy head-on. He did not believe that a wizard who could master Animagus and Apparition had no offensive magic. With the talents shown by the two, any spell was possible.

Maybe it's the Unforgivable Curse.

Are all Hogwarts graduates of this standard now?

How outrageous.

The worry in old Dodd's heart gradually dissipated, and he even left some of it to the giants in the mountains.

"So when do you plan to go into the mountains? The mountain road is rugged and steep, and it takes a lot of time and effort to climb up. There is also thick fog in the mountains, and you will get lost if you are not careful. Why don't you rest in the tavern for a night? I will take you there tomorrow morning."

"Thank you very much, sir!"

"You two picked a lucky day to travel far away..." Old Dodd pointed to the half-spine of beef ribs beside him and stood up slowly. "It's not easy to buy fresh and high-quality ingredients in our remote place. There is some sirloin on the front of this rib. Cut it into pieces and make beef brisket stew with potatoes. Alice loves it the most."

When Loren heard "beef brisket stewed with potatoes", he pursed his lips with a complicated expression.

Hermione smiled softly, "Do you need our help, sir?"

"No, go out for a walk."

"Walking around?"

"Well..." Old Dodd turned around and walked towards the kitchen with the beef in his hand, hiding his shy face. "If... I mean if, you meet Alice, remember to tell her that we have beef stew with potatoes for lunch..."

"Okay, Mr. Dodd, we got it."

Loren and Hermione's lips curled up into a small smile.

Anyone could tell that the old wizard went out early in the morning to purchase ingredients, not because the tavern was running out of food, not because he was craving for something delicious, and not because he expected any guests to visit today, but because the girl who was studying away came back to her hometown for the holiday, and it just so happened that the girl loved stewed beef brisket with potatoes.

The two men who were entrusted with an important task walked out of the tavern and strolled along the shabby country road.

The road was bumpy, and there were mud and water traps hidden under the uneven stone slabs, which would splash onto your trouser legs if you weren't careful.

There are only a dozen households in the remote village at the foot of the mountain. Several families moved away in the past few years. There are almost no young people. Only some old people who don’t want to live in the town are left, slowly trimming the flowers and plants in the courtyard in front of their doors.

It’s deserted and dull.

(End of this chapter)