The night was deep and still upon the mountaintop, where the giant tribe slept. Only a few hulking giants remained on watch, idly gazing at the stars, considering their task pointless. Giants, they believed, had no need to fear any challenge, save perhaps Tom Riddle himself. Let someone try to attack while they slept; they would soon learn the unparalleled strength of giant-kind!
Besides, their tribe resided on a mountaintop; an attack would be no easy feat. Therefore, they considered the night watch utterly pointless.
...
Elsewhere on that same mountaintop, a band of goblins stealthily ascended. Mindful of the giants' sentries, they dared not fly, for even under the cover of darkness, they would be too easily seen. Besides, they came not to fight, but to steal. The giant tribe was far more formidable than the vampire inn; for these goblins, it was a "nightmare dungeon" filled with "bosses" at every turn! Their comrades had been utterly annihilated at the inn; against the giants, a direct assault would be suicidal.
No, fighting was out of the question. They only needed to capture one giant.
Using their innate magic, the goblins cast a rudimentary illusion, slipping past the disinterested, star-gazing giants and infiltrated the tribe's encampment. Their plan was simple: snatch a newborn giant. After all, no rule said they had to abduct an adult. Besides, adult giants were nearly impossible to move silently; their sheer size made it impractical. Giant cubs, however, were a different story. Though larger than human infants at birth, they stood only a little over a meter tall – manageable targets for a daring capture.
...
Inside a crude dwelling within the giant camp, Tom, feigning sleep, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.
...
He had detected the goblins long ago, when they were still at the foot of the mountain. He knew their intent: to abduct sentient beings—the giants themselves. However, he had no intention of interfering, nor of warning the giants. After all, he was to fight their god on the morrow, and the giants, he knew, would try to stop him, even at the cost of their own lives.
For some, faith was more important than survival.
Since a conflict was inevitable, Tom saw no reason to help. Had he not needed to learn more about "priests" and Bloodball Barrow, he might have eradicated the giant tribe after his chat with Grolger. Even Hagrid's mother would not have been spared! While not as mad as Voldemort's remnant soul, Tom was not one to shy away from ruthlessness.
He might, however, consider taking Groop; the runt giant did not seem particularly clever. Besides, having been bullied by his own kind for so long, Groop's loyalties likely lay elsewhere. If they did not act foolishly and cause him trouble, Tom had no desire to kill a weak giant.
The same applied to the others; if they behaved, he would spare them. But the odds of that happening were slim indeed.
"Tom?"
Hearing Nagini's voice, Tom turned to find her stirring on the bed beside him. "What is it? I thought you wished to rest?"
Nagini regarded Tom's gleaming green eyes with confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Watching a play unfold."
Tom shook his head slightly, then lightly tapped the bed with his right hand. The surrounding space rippled, as though water droplets had fallen into a still pond. When Nagini looked again, she realized they were still sitting, but "sitting" in mid-air! She touched the "mid-air" incredulously, finding it as soft and comfortable as a normal bed.
"You are still on the bed; your position has not changed," Tom said, looking down. "I have merely altered our perspective."
"..."
What manner of magic was this?
However, Nagini was accustomed to such displays by now. She followed Tom's gaze and saw a dozen small, almost transparent figures below.
"Goblins?" Nagini recognized them, then realized she might have spoken too loudly.
"It is quite alright; they cannot hear you," Tom said, shifting their "perspective" once more.
Nagini found herself "near" the goblins, able to observe their every move clearly. The goblins were furtively observing the houses near Grolger's, climbing through windows and peering through cracks in doors.
Peering through one such window, Nagini saw several small giants inside. "Those are newborn giants, are they not? Are they trying to capture them?"
"Indeed."
"But there are several giants inside, on guard. Surely they cannot succeed?"
Every race was protective of its young, even giants.
And as Nagini had suspected, the goblins soon ceased their observations.
"No good! The big ones are watching too closely!" they whispered amongst themselves. "We cannot take them; it would cause too great a commotion."
"Then let us try another."
"..."
Although the goblins had brought a supply of potent hypnotic powder extracted from magical plants, knocking out multiple adult giants simultaneously was clearly an impossible task.
Moving away from the first house, they began to focus their attention on the younger giants. Though still large, with their magic and specially-forged artifacts, they might manage it if they were careful. However, they were in no hurry, proceeding with extreme caution as they searched for their target, ensuring they remained undetected.
Fortunately, the mountain possessed magical properties that isolated magical perception, which greatly aided their efforts.
Tom and Nagini watched for nearly half an hour before the goblins finally found their prize.
"He is not as tall as the other underage giants and appears to be lightly guarded. He has been left alone in a dilapidated place? A perfect target!"
"Was he rejected by the other giants?"
"Whatever the reason, we have found our catch!"
---
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