Kai Lily Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 1)

Chapter 14: Fudge and Mr. Malfoy

Kai P.O.V.

Did someone else know about Hagrid? Of course they did, Riddle had reported him! Honestly, Kai, where has your brain gone? But Riddle had been told to keep his mouth shut-

"Stop doing that, Harry!" I said, slapping his hand, playfully...ish.

"Ok, ok!" he backed away, raising his arms in surrender. 

Harry, Ron and I stood in the cabin watching Hagrid. He hardly seemed to know what he was doing. He almost extinguished the fire, spilling water from the kettle on it, and then smashed the teapot with a nervous jerk from his massive hand. 

What was going on? Hagrid was never like this unless something was wrong. Was it Hermione?

Third Person P.O.V.

"Is everything alright, Hagrid?" Kai asked worriedly. 

"Have you heared about Hermione?" Ron added. 

Kai slapped him and gave him a 'not the right time' look. 

"Oh, I heard, all righ'." said Hagrid, a slight but obvious break in his voice. 

Hagrid continuously glanced nervously at the window. He had poured four cups of boiling water (as he forgot to add the tea bags) and was just putting a slab of fruitcake on a plate, when there was a loud knock on the door. 

Hagrid dropped the cake. Harry, Ron and Kai exchandged panic-stricken looks, getting up from their chairs as quietly but quickly as possible. As Hagrid grabbed his crossbow, Harry, Ron and Kai threw the Invisibility cloak over themselves and retreated into a corner. Hagrid double checked hey were hidden before opening the door. 

"Good evening, Hagrid."

It was Dumbledore. He entered, looking dead serious, followed by a second, very odd looking man. The stranger was a short, portly man with rumpled grey hair and an anxious expression. He was wearing a strange mixture of clothes: a pin-striped suit, a scarlet tie, a long black cloak and pointed purple boots. Under his arm he carried a lime-green bowler.

"That's dad boss!" Ron breathed, "Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic!" 

Harry elbowed Ron hard to make him shut up. 

Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty. He dropped down into a chair, looking between Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge. 

"Bad Buisness, Hagrid." said Fudge in rather clipped tones, "Very  bad buisness. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things've gone far enough. Misistry's got to act."

"I never," Hagrid said, looking desperately at Dumbledore, "you know I never, Professor Dumbledore, sir-"

"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence." said Dumbledore, frowning at Fudge.

"Look, Albus," Fudge began, uncomfortably, "Hagrid's record's against him. Ministry's got to do something...the school goveners have been in touch-"

"Yet again, Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest." Dumbledore explained. His blue eyes were full of a fire not Harry nor Kai had ever seen before.

"Look at it from my point of view." Fudge tried, fidgeting with his bowler, "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take him. Got to. Wouldn't be doing my duty-"

"Take me?" asked Hagrid, who was trembling by now, "Take me where?" 

"For a short stretch only, " Fudge explained, not meeting Hagrids big eyes who were on the verge of tears, "Not a punishment, Hagrid, more a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology."

"Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid. Kai noticed a single tear slide down his cheek, then getting caught in his huge beard. 

Just as Fudge opened his mouth, there was another rap on the door. Dumbledore answered it. Harry took his turn being elbowed in the rips by Kai: he had let out an audible gasp. 

Mr Lucius Malfoy strode into Hagrid's hut, swatted in a long black travelling cloak, smilling a cold and satisfied smile. Fang stared too growl. 

"Already here, Fudge." he said, nodding approvingly, "good, good..."

"What're you doin' here?" Hagrid said, furiously, "Get outta my house!"

"My dear man, please believe me, I have no pleasure at all in being inside your-er-d'you call this a house?" said Lucius Malfoys, looking around the hut in disgust, "I simply called at the school and was told the Headmaster was here." 

"And what exactly did you want with me, Lucius?" asked Dumbledore. He spoke politely, but the fire was still alight in his blue eyes. 

"Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," said Malfoy lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension - you'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you're losing your touch. How many attacks have there been now? Two more this afternoon, wasn't it? At this rate, there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts, and we all know what an awful loss that would be to the school."

"Oh, now, see here, Lucius," said Fudge, looking alarmed, "Dumbledore suspended - no, no - last thing we want just now."

"The appointment - or suspension - of the headmaster is a matter for the governors, Fudge," said Mr. Malfoy smoothly. "And as Dumbledore has failed to stop these attacks--"

"See here, Malfoy, if Dumbledore can't stop them," said Fudge, whose upper lip was sweating now, "I mean to say, who can?"

"That remains to be seen," said Mr. Malfoy with a nasty smile. "But as all twelve of us have voted-"

Hagrid leapt to his feet, his shaggy black head grazing the ceiling.

"An'how many did yeh have ter threaten an'blackmail before they agreed, Malfoy, eh?" he roared.

"Dear, dear, you know, that temper of yours will lead you into trouble one of these days, Hagrid," said Mr. Malfoy. "I would advise you not to shout at the Azkaban guards like that. They won't like it at all."

"Yeh can'take Dumbledore!" yelled Hagrid, making Fang the boarhound cower and whimper in his basket. "Take him away, an'the Muggle-borns won'stand a chance! There'll be killin'next!"

"Calm yourself, Hagrid," said Dumbledore sharply. He looked at Lucius Malfoy.

"If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside--"

"But -" stuttered Fudge.

"No!" growled Hagrid.

Dumbledore had not taken his bright blue eyes off Lucius Malfoy's cold gray ones.

"However," said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, "you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me... Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

For a second, Harry was almost sure Dumbledore's eyes flickered toward the corner where he, Kai and Ron were hidden. Kai noticed this too, and glanced at her older brother. 

"Admirable sentiments," said Malfoy, bowing. "We shall all miss your - er - highly individual way of running things, Albus, and only hope your successor willl manage to prevent any - ah - killin's."

Kai growled in a way she never knew she could. It sounded so real, but she waved it off. The adults thought it was just Fang, and let it slip, though Kai still got her fair share of an elbow in the ribs. 

He strode to the cabin door, opened it, and bowed Dumbledore out. Fudge, fiddling with his bowler, waited for Hagrid to go ahead of him, but Hagrid stood his ground, took a deep breath, and said carefully, "If anyone wanted ter find out some stuff, all they'd have ter do would be ter follow the spiders. That'd lead em right. That's all I'm sayin'."

Fudge stared at him in amazement.

"All right, I'm comin', said Hagrid, pulling on his moleskin overcoat. But as he was about to follow Fudge through the door, he stopped again and said loudly, "An'someone'll need ter feed Fang while I'm away."

The door banged shut and Ron pulled off the Invisibility Cloak.

"We're in trouble now," Ron said hoarsely. "No Dumbledore. They might as well close the school tonight. There'll be an attack a day with him gone." Kai and Harry nodded. 

Fang started howling, scratching at the closed door. Kai approached him and began petting him, trying to comfort the hound. 

"Well," Harry said after a minute, "Off we go after the spiders!"