Tom spoke with such certainty because he knew Hagrid's relationship with his mother was practically nonexistent. She had abandoned him. His father was a wizard, and his mother was a giantess. Giants and wizards rarely saw eye-to-eye. Although Hagrid's parents had once been deeply in love, defying the prejudice their respective races held, everything changed after Hagrid's birth.
Hagrid had been considered too "small" at birth, only one-sixth the size of a typical giant infant. To giants, who equated size with health and strength, Hagrid was seen as a failure. So, his mother abandoned Hagrid and his father, returning to her giant tribe. For Hagrid, "mother" was a distant and unfamiliar word, though that didn't diminish his yearning for her.
"I don't know... maybe I shouldn't go," Hagrid said, his expression troubled.
"Why not?" Tom asked, walking over to pat the massive man on the arm. "Fridwulfa has been with the giants for many years now; perhaps you have siblings you don't even know about. Wouldn't you like to meet them?"
"Brothers and sisters?" A flicker of longing flashed in Hagrid's eyes, a clear indication of a desire both strong and distant.
Tom noticed this. "I seem to recall Albus Dumbledore mentioning Fridwulfa. She was only about sixteen feet tall, wasn't she? That's remarkably short for giants, who average around twenty-five feet."
Tom mused, "And giants tend to discriminate against those of shorter stature. Factor in her marriage to a wizard, and life there probably isn't easy for her."
"..."
"And if her children inherited her short stature, they might face discrimination or even bullying from other giants."
"..."
Hagrid's brow furrowed deeply, and he seemed to visualize the scene Tom described. After a long silence, Hagrid finally spoke, "Tom, maybe you're right. Maybe I should go see her." He stood, looking at Tom, who was so much smaller than him, his tone full of anticipation. "When do we leave?"
Tom's lips curled into a smile. "Now."
...
The setting sun painted the world in shades of orange and gold.
"Whoa!!!" A carriage, seemingly floating on its own, flew across the sky, followed by a massive three-wheeled motorcycle. Malfoy, riding in the sidecar, shouted, "This is thrilling!"
Having never been in such a flying Muggle vehicle, he had insisted on riding Hagrid's motorcycle before starting their journey. Harry, having been "snatched" by Tom when he enrolled, had never ridden it either, and he immediately protested.
Malfoy promptly exploited Harry's weakness, while Harry retorted with Malfoy's scandal. The two listed each other's embarrassing moments, but Malfoy ultimately won, having more "Harry scandals" to his name.
So, Harry conceded, and Malfoy got his wish, settling into Hagrid's passenger seat. However, Malfoy soon realized something was amiss. This flying motorcycle was exciting, but it also seemed a tad unsafe. When Hagrid turned, Malfoy could feel his backside nearly lifting off the seat. It then dawned on him that besides flying and being enchanted with an Illusion Charm, the motorcycle seemed devoid of any other magic.
That meant he had no safety protection save for his helmet...
Oh well, it's like riding a broomstick anyway. Malfoy shrugged. As long as he held on tight, he shouldn't fall off.
"Want to go faster?" Hagrid grinned.
Malfoy excitedly pumped his fist. "Let's go! Big guy!"
"Hold on tight!"
"Whoosh!!!"
…
Because they had set off close to dusk, they didn't fly for long. Night fell quickly, another night bathed in the light of a full moon. Shortly after nightfall, the group spotted a nearby Muggle village.
It was a small, settlement-like village, probably fewer than one hundred households. The buildings were linearly arranged along the road, following the terrain, and separated by dry stone walls. Though evening was still young, white smoke rose from some of the chimneys.
Because the carriage and motorcycle were under the effects of an Illusion Charm, Tom and his companions landed without attracting the Muggles' attention. Not far from the village, Tom and his group parked their vehicles. After patting the Thestrals' black bodies and feeding them some meat, Tom led Harry and the others toward the Muggle village.
Malfoy, feeling a bit queasy from the ride, stayed behind, leaving only Harry to eagerly search for accommodations in the village. After searching for a while, Harry found only a very small tavern, much like Jack's House.
Ding-ling~
Pushing open the tavern door, warm light spilled out, dispelling the night's chill. The tavern was nearly empty, save for a few burly, drunken men and a handful of young tourists carrying backpacks. They likely sought refuge here after finding no other lodging. Although there was nowhere to sleep, it was better than braving the cold wind.
To Harry and his friends' surprise, a familiar figure sat in a corner of the tavern. However, it wasn't only them eyeing the man; the man was eyeing them too, especially when Hagrid ducked to enter. They were all dumbfounded. "So tall?"
Expected, they thought, knowing the Muggles' reactions. Gigantism exists in the Muggle world, so there was no need to worry about them overthinking it. Besides, they were more concerned about the familiar face sitting in the corner.
"Lockhart?" Tom said, surprise evident in his tone.
In the corner sat Gilderoy Lockhart, the man in the green robe who had been Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professor two years prior. Now, however, he was a Death Eater. Beside him sat a young man with short blond hair and a backpack. He looked like a Muggle, a recent graduate traveling. The Muggle was chatting animatedly with Lockhart, who seemed quite fond of him.
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