Giants were not meant to live in such a big group. They can't help but fight among themselves every now and then. Even if their population has gotten so low, they continued to fight, usually for food, mates, or old grudges remaining between members of previous tribes, but sometimes for even more trivial matters such as better sleeping places near the fireplace or simply for no reason other than to satisfy their lust for violence.
Hagrid watched as the male giants began fighting against each other. The females were also in a huge fight among themselves.
Hagrid and Madam Maxime watched the chaos unfold from high up; the scene below them was a tangled mess of roaring, thrashing giants. Rocks and debris flew through the air as the giants engaged in brutal combat.
The booming roar of the giants echoed through the night as they fought, shaking the very ground beneath Hagrid and Madam Maxime's cave.
The fight only died after going on for several hours. Madam Maxime and Hagrid dared to get out of the cave only after the sun came out, and when they could confirm that there was no chaotic fight around.
As they descended from the cave, the snow around the giant's colony was scarlet, due to the large amount of blood spilled at night.
As they approached the lake where Karkus usually resided, they found his head lying at the bottom of the lake.
Hagrid and Madam Maxime stood frozen for a moment, the sight of Karkus's severed head confirming their worst fears. The bloodshed from the previous night had led to a change in leadership, and they would have to start all over again with the new Gurg.
Golgomath, the new Gurg, was a terrifying figure even among giants. Standing taller than Karkus, with black hair and matching teeth, he had a necklace of bones.
Hagrid looked terrified as some of them looked like human bones.
Just looking at him wearing the helmet that had been given to Krakus yesterday, Hagrid had a funny feeling that Golemagath was not going to listen to them. But even so, Hagrid had to give it a try. Hagrid held a great roll of dragon skin above his head as a present for the new Grug.
"A gift for the Grug of giants..."
Hagrid did not have time to complete his sentence. He found himself hanging upside down in the air by his feet.
Two of the giants who were the mates of the new Grug had grabbed Hagrid.
Hagrid already thought he was done for, but thankfully, he was not alone. He just heard the sound of two quick spells rapidly firing one after the other, and in no time, Hagrid found himself back on the ground.
Hagrid scrambled to his feet and noticed that Madam Maxime had her wand pointed at the two giants by him. Upon closer notice, Hagrid saw that both of those giants were rubbing their eyes.
Madam Maxime had cast the Conjunctivitis Curse, a curse that irritated the target's eyes, forcing them to swell shut.
"Quick, Hagrid, we need to get away." Hagrid's focus was back on his situation, and he followed the command that the other half-giant had just shouted.
Both of them knew they were in trouble because giants hated it when wizards used magic against them.
Since the giants were still affected by the curse spell caused by the headmaster of Beauxbatons, she and Hagrid were able to successfully escape the giant's camp and climb back into the cave.
"BLIMEY, we can't just go back into the camp again," Hagrid spoke while breathing heavily.
Madame Maxime's face was flushed with anger and frustration. "All the progress from the last two days, Hagrid, it was all in vain!"
Hagrid slumped against the cave wall, his face etched with worry. "Aye, but we can't just give up, Maxime. Dumbledore's relyin' on us. The Order needs the giants on our side, or at least not on You-Know-Who's."
"We'll have to lay low for a while," Hagrid said, his voice determined. "Stay in this cave, keep watchin' the camp, and try to think of a solution. Maybe there's a way to get things on our side without putting ourselves in immediate danger."
Just like that, the two half-giants remained hidden in the cave while continuing to observe the giants. But what they saw after two days was something very bad.
Wizards had come to visit the giant's camp.
Death Eaters.
Hagrid was able to recognize one among the wizards, Macnair, which confirmed Hagrid's suspicions.
And it seemed that the new Grug Golgomath was not wary of them. Instead of dangling them upside down, he accepted the gift from the Death Eaters.
Walden Macnair was part of the dark wizarding world during the first wizarding war under Voldemort's leadership, but after the Dark Lord went missing, Macnair pretended that he was under the Imperius Curse and thus avoided Azkaban. Later on, he went on to work for the Ministry of Magic as the executioner for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.
"Of course, it will be this maniac Macnair. I still remember how he wanted to kill Buckbeak a few years back. No wonder he and Golgomath, who both like killing, will get along," Hagrid growled.
"The situation is getting dire. I believe we should start to act," Madam Maxime said. On his side, he was also feeling unrest by the arrival of the Death Eaters.
"Like we talked, even if the Grug Golgomath has joined the side of the Death Eaters, we can try to convince those who did not want Golgomath as their Grug."
Like that, Hagrid and Maxime began their plan. First, they identified the giants who did not get along with the new Grug. It was easy, as these giants were the ones who had been beaten to a pulp. As such, they were hiding out in caves just like Hagrid and his partner.
As such, on the third night after Karkus was killed, Hagrid and Madam Maxime crept out of the cave where they were hiding and headed down the slope towards the other caves near the giant's camp.