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With some trepidation, Ginny knocked on the door. The door was thrown open a moment later and she suddenly found herself pulled into an enormous, warm hug. Then she was pulled into the hut with great enthusiasm. “Hello, Hagrid.”
Once she was inside, he hugged her again, squeezing so hard she couldn’t breathe for a moment. “It’s so good to see yeh!”
“No kidding,” she exclaimed, laughing a little.
“Cuppa, Ginny?”
She hesitated, and then nodded, taking a seat at the scrubbed wooden table. “This feels funny,” she said, as she watched him from behind, preparing the tea. “After all we’ve been through together—classes here at Hogwarts, friendship, the Order of the Phoenix, and… after—I’m right back where I started with you.”
“Hah,” he agreed with a laugh, turning around with one normal-sized cup and a gigantic one for himself. “I remember that first couple months yeh were here at Hogwarts and havin’ a tough time of it.” He handed her the tea, and she sipped it. “Away from home fer the first time, not doing well in yehr classes—”
Ginny interrupted, “Having Voldemort talking to me through a diary and making me attack my classmates.”
He nodded. It sounded funny, the way she said it, but they both treated it with the seriousness one-seventh of Voldemort’s soul deserved. “Aye, and thinking Harry hated yeh ‘n all. We know how that turned out in the end, don’t we?” He nodded towards her wedding ring.
She looked down at the stone, feelings of regret and joy and sadness and love all rushing through her at once. Ginny cleared her throat. “So a parent-teacher conference, Hagrid? I can’t remember Hogwarts doing those before. And I can’t help but point out that Albus Severus isn’t old enough to be taking Care of Magical Creatures yet.”
Hagrid avoided her gaze.
“And why didn’t you send for Harry as well? Your owl was addressed to me and you sent it during the day when Harry was at the Ministry.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Gin…”
“Is it even about Al at all, or was that just a way to get me here?”
“Oh, it’s about him all right,” Hagrid said. “The boy has… changed since he started here.”
“Changed?” She set her cup down and leaned forward, arms on the table, looking concerned. “Has his brother been at his throat? I thought for sure things would be better for them once they were at school together and didn’t have to compete for their parents’ attention.”
“That’s not the kind of change I’m talkin’ about. Ginny… he’s sprouted.”
She stared at him and shook her head, not understanding. “Sprouted what? Leaves? Buds? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hagrid shook his head. “Nah, the boy’s not a plant. He’s a quarter giant.”
Ginny flinched and her hand hit her teacup, knocking it right over. The tea pooled on the table, spreading out. But she made no move to clean it up. “But… the charms…”
“Wore off, apparently,” Hagrid said. He grabbed a dishrag and began mopping up. “Maybe it’s puberty, maybe time, I dunno. But it’s tough not to notice. His hair’s lightened, his eyes’ve darkened, and he’s grown five inches if he’s grown one.”
Ginny was speechless and she bit her lip with worry.
“Al is a smart boy. Pretty soon he’ll figure it out and then come ‘round asking me. I don’t know what I should say.” He set the towel down and took her hand, his hand encompassing hers and squeezing gently. “We gotta talk, Gin.”
She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “No kidding.”