Harry looked from her to Hagrid and then, as realisation hit him, he looked back at the mound with a small gasp of horror.
The great mound of earth, on which he, Hermione and Hagrid could easily have stood, was moving slowly up and down in time with the deep, grunting breathing. It was not a mound at all. It was the curved back of what was clearly—
“Well—no—he didn’ want ter come,” said Hagrid, sounding desperate. “But I had ter bring him, Hermione, I had ter!”
“But why?” asked Hermione, who sounded as though she wanted to cry. “Why—what—oh, Hagrid!”
“I knew if I jus’ got him back,” said Hagrid, sounding close to tears himself, “an’—an’ taught him a few manners—I’d be able ter take him outside an’ show ev’ryone he’s harmless!”
“Harmless!” said Hermione shrilly, and Hagrid made frantic hushing noises with his hands as the enormous creature before them grunted loudly and shifted in its sleep. “He’s been hurting you all this time, hasn’t he? That’s why you’ve had all these injuries!”
“He don’ know his own strength!” said Hagrid earnestly. “An’ he’s gettin’ better, he’s not fightin’ so much any more—”
“So, this is why it took you two months to get home!” said Hermione distractedly. “Oh, Hagrid, why did you bring him back if he didn’t want to come? Wouldn’t he have been happier with his own people?”
“They were all bullyin’ him, Hermione, ’cause he’s so small!” said Hagrid.
“Small?” said Hermione. “Small?”
“Hermione, I couldn’ leave him,” said Hagrid, tears now trickling down his bruised face into his beard. “See—he’s my brother!”