"But what you're not telling me is why you didn't just tell us why Hagrid is staying couped up in his house," I snapped frostily as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dani, and I walked down the grounds after dinner. "I mean, we're his friends too, Harry."
"I didn't tell you because I was too busy reading the article about you snogging Cedric," Harry replied, though he only sounded upset now instead of furious like he was before.
I huffed and glanced at Dani, who just shrugged.
"How could Rita Skeeter be so evil?" I fumed. "Does she have no heart?"
"She is a horrid woman," Hermione agreed. "Writing that Hagrid was half-giant to the entire world..."
We stopped at him cabin door. We glanced at eachother and Harry steped foreward.
"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry shouted, pounding on the door. "Open up!"
Hagrid didn't answer. I could hear Fang scratching at the door, whining, but it didn't open. I hammered on it for ten more minutes; Ron even went and banged on one of the windows, but there was no response.
"What's he avoiding us for?" Hermione said when we had finally given up and were walking back to the school. "He surely doesn't think we'd care about him being half-giant?"
But it seemed that Hagrid did care. We didn't see a sign of him all week. He didn't appear at the staff table at mealtimes, we didn't see him going about his gamekeeper duties on the grounds, and Professor Grubbly-Plank continued to take the Care of Magical Creatures classes. Malfoy was gloating at every possible opportunity.
The worst part was that he only gloated when teachers were around, so he was safe from our retaliation. Dani wanted to badly to punch him in the nose she sat rigid in her seat with her hands clamped together.
There was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January. Dani was disaproval when I announced that I was going.
"You should take the quiet to your advantage, Nixie," she said, her voice a little edgy because we had to endure an hours worth of Malfoy's taunting. "You could figure out that egg."
"I need a brake from that stupid egg," I said truthfully. "And besides. Cedric keeps dropping hints to me on how it works..."
"Well tell him to just tell you exactly how it works," Dani said. "He would listen to you, he is your boyfriend after all."
"He was going to, right after the Yule Ball, but I want to try and figure it out for myself..." I said.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I left the castle together on Saturday and set off through the cold, wet grounds toward the gates. As we passed the Durmstrang ship moored in the lake, we saw Viktor Krum emerge onto the deck, dressed in nothing but swimming trunks.
He was very skinny indeed, but apparently a lot tougher than he looked, because he climbed up onto the side of the ship, stretched out his arms, and dived, right into the lake.
"He's mad!" said Harry, staring at Krums dark head as it bobbed out into the middle of the lake. "It must be freezing, it's January!"
"It's a lot colder where he comes from," said Hermione. "I suppose it feels quite warm to him."
"Yeah, but there's still the giant squid," said Ron. He didn't sound anxious – if anything, he sounded hopeful. Hermione noticed his tone of voice and frowned.
"He's really nice, you know," she said. "He's not at all like you'd think, coming from Durmstrang. He likes it much better here, he told me."
Ron said nothing, which I thought was a marical because normally he would have made a stupid / jealous comment.
Harry kept his eyes skinned for a sign of Hagrid all the way down the slushy High Street, and suggested a visit to the Three Broomsticks once he had ascertained that Hagrid was not in any of the shops.
The pub was as crowded as ever, but one quick look around at all the tables told us that Hagrid wasn't there. Heart sinking, we went up to the bar, ordered four butterbeers from Madam Rosmerta.
"Why aren't you going here with Cedric, Nixie?" Ron sneered Cedric's name as though it were dirt.
"Because a lot of rumors are spreading around about me and both Cedric and I decided it would be best if we both spent a little less time together," I said, ignoring his tone.
"I think that's a good idea," Hermione admitted. "I'm happy you weren't there when Pansy Parkinson was talking to a whole group of Slytherins about you..." She trailed off at my peircing stare.
"I think it's a good idea too," Harry agreed. "If I see you two going all lovey dovey on eachother again, I think I will puke."
I stuck my tongue out at him and smirked.
"That's mature," Hermione grinned while Harry and Ron roared with laughter.
"Doesn't he ever go into the office?" Hermione whispered suddenly. "Look!"
She pointed into the mirror behind the bar, and I saw Ludo Bagman reflected there, sitting in a shadowy corner with a bunch of goblins. The goblins didn't look too happy with him because their ars were crossed and they were glaring at him with narrowed eyes while he spoke fastly.
It was weird that he was here even though he had no bussiness to actually be here. No tournament. No judging. I watched Bagman in the mirror. He was looking strained. But just then Bagman glanced over at the bar, saw Harry, and stood up.
"In a moment, in a moment!" I heard him say brusquely to the goblins, and Bagman hurried through the pub toward Harry, his boyish grin back in place.
"Harry!" he said. "How are you? Been hoping to run into you! Everything going all right?"
"Fine, thanks," said Harry.
"Wonder if I could have a quick, private word, Harry?" said Bagman eagerly.
"You couldn't give us a moment, you three, could you?"
"Er - okay," said Ron, and he, Hermione, and I went off to find a table.
We sat down in a booth right next to the door.
"Why does he always ignore me?" I asked Ron and Hermione in irritation.
Ron grinned at me. "Not fun being ignored, is it? You'll get used to it."
I frowned at him. The problem was that I was used to being ignored, but only at the Dursleys. Being ignored in the wizarding world was unsettling, though. I was used to being smiled at or sneered at, it was natural...
"I'm not bothered because it's not fun Ron." I said stiffly, watching Harry and Bagman closely through slitted eyes.
Hermione twisted in her seat and watched them too. "Why do you think Ludo is taking an interest in Harry, anyways?"
"He probably fancies him," I said seriously.
Hermione glared at me and Ron snorted.
"I'm serious," Hermione went back to spying on the pair. "You don't think he's up to something, do you?"
"Of course he is," Ron scoffed. "He wants something from Harry."
"Yeah, a kiss," I laughed. This time Hermione laughed along with me but Ron looked quite sick.
"Too far, Nixie, that was taking it too far," Ron mumbled, sipping his butterbeer.
"Oh, come on!" I giggled. "Hermiones laughing!"
Hermione tried to muffle the sound by covering her mouth with her hand. Ron smirked at her and for the first time - ever - I thought about what a cute couple they would make.
"Nixie? What are you staring at?" Hermione asked, snapping her fingers in front of my face.
I blinked and blushed a bit at being caught. "Er - nothing."
They both stared at me weirdly for a second but snapped out of it when they saw that Harry was making his way over here.
"What did he want?" Ron said, the moment Harry had sat down.
"He offered to help me with the golden egg," said Harry.
"He shouldn't be doing that!" said Hermione, looking very shocked. "He's one of the judges! And anyway, you've already worked it out - haven't you?"
"Er… nearly," said Harry.
"Yeah, I still haven't figured it out either," I admitted sypathetically.
Harry looked at me weirdly. "But Cedric sent me a hint the day of the Yule Ball, why didn't he tell you how the egg worked?"
"I told him not to," I said with a shrug as though it was the most normal thing in the world.
"You told him not to help you?" Ron looked incrudulous. "But that just means that you have less free time!"
"I want to show everyone that the youngest champion in the tournament can get through a simple riddle with this stupid egg," I said, even though the egg wasn't there.
Harry nodded in agreement and glanced sheepishly at Hermione.
"Well, I don't think Dumbledore would like it if he knew Bagman was trying to persuade you to cheat!" said Hermione, still looking deeply disapproving. "I hope he's trying to help Cedric as much because we know he doesn't care about Nixie!"
"He's not, I asked," said Harry.
"Who cares if Diggorys getting help?" said Ron. Harry looked as though he agreed.
"Those goblins didn't look very friendly," said Hermione, sipping her butterbeer. "What were they doing here?"
"Looking for Crouch, according to Bagman," said Harry. "He's still ill. Hasn't been into work."
"Maybe Percys poisoning him," said Ron. "Probably thinks if Crouch snuffs it he'll be made head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."
Hermione gave Ron a don't-joke-about-things-like-that look, and said, "Funny, goblins looking for Mr. Crouch… They'd normally deal with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
"Crouch can speak loads of different languages, though," said Harry. "Maybe they need an interpreter."
"Worrying about poor 'ickle goblins, now, are you?" Ron asked Hermione. "Thinking of starting up S.P.U.G. or something? Society for the Protection of Ugly Goblins?"
"Ha, ha, ha," said Hermione sarcastically. "Goblins don't need protection. Haven't you been listening to what Professor Binns has been telling us about goblin rebellions?"
"No," said Harry and Ron together as I nodded.
"well, lets just say, never mess with a goblin," I said. "They're very clever. They're not like house-elves, who never stick up for themselves."
"Uh-oh," said Ron, staring at the door.
Rita Skeeter had just entered. She was wearing banana-yellow robes today; her long nails were painted shocking pink, and she was accompanied by her paunchy photographer. She bought drinks, and she and the photographer made their way through the crowds to a table nearby. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I glaring at her as she approached. She was talking fast and looking very satisfied about something.
"… didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he, Bozo? Now, why would that be, do you think?
And what's he doing with a pack of goblins in town anyway? Showing them the sights… what nonsense… he was always a bad liar. Reckon something's up? Think we should do a bit of digging? 'Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman… ' Snappy start to a sentence, Bozo - we just need to find a story to fit it -"
"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" said Harry loudly.
I did a facepalm, but accidentally poked myself in the eye. Now I had to glare at Rita Skeeter looking like Popeye.
A few people looked around. Rita Skeeter's eyes widened behind her jewelled spectacles as she saw who had spoken.
"Harry!" she said, beaming. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join-?"
"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick," said Harry furiously. "What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"
Rita Skeeter raised her heavily pencilled eyebrows.
"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my-"
"Why in the name of Merlin would your readers need to know about my love life," I asked angrily. My cheeks going red with anger.
Rita Skeeter smiled, her cheeks stretching unattractively.
"Now that was just for my entertainment, Nixie," she said truthfully, taking me aback. "I enjoy making you angry."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why you little bi-"
"Who cares if he's half-giant?" Harry shouted, he didn't look pleased that I was about to cuss. "There's nothing wrong with him!"
The whole pub had gone very quiet. Madam Rosmerta was staring over from behind the bar, apparently oblivious to the fact that the flagon she was filling with mead was overflowing.
Rita Skeeters smile flickered very slightly, but she hitched it back almost at once; she snapped open her crocodile-skin handbag, pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill, and said, "How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know. Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"
Hermione stood up very abruptly, her butterbeer clutched in her hand as though it were a grenade.
"You horrible woman," she said, through gritted teeth, "you don't care, do you, anything for a story, and anyone will do, wont they? Even Ludo Bagman -"
"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand," said Rita Skeeter coldly, her eyes hardening as they fell on Hermione. "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl… not that it needs it -" she added, eyeing Hermione's bushy hair.
"Let's go," said Hermione, "c'mon. Harry - Ron, Nixie…"
We left; many people were staring at us as we went. I saw Harry glance back and he seemed to only get angrier so I did the smart thing and didn't look.
"She'll be after you next, Hermione," said Ron in a low and worried voice as we walked quickly back up the street.
"Let her try!" said Hermione defiantly; she was shaking with rage. "I'll show her! Silly little girl, am I? Oh, I'll get her back for this. First Harry, then Nixie, then Hagrid…"
"You don't want to go upsetting Rita Skeeter," said Ron nervously. "I'm serious, Hermione, she'll dig up something on you -"
"My parents don't read the Daily Prophet. She can't scare me into hiding!" said Hermione, now striding along so fast that it was all Harry and Ron and I could do to keep up with her. "And Hagrid isn't hiding anymore! He should never have let that excuse for a human being upset him! Come on!"
Breaking into a run, she led us all the way back up the road, through the gates flanked by winged boars, and up through the grounds to Hagrid's cabin. The curtains were still drawn, and we could hear Fang barking as we approached.
"Hagrid!" Hermione shouted, pounding on his front door. "Hagrid, that's enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if your mum was a giantess, Hagrid! You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you! Hagrid, get out here, you're just being -"
The door opened. Hermione said, "About t-!" and then stopped, very suddenly, because she had found herself face-to-face, not with Hagrid, but with Albus Dumbledore.
"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, smiling down at us.
"We-er-we wanted to see Hagrid," said Hermione in a rather small voice. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle my laughter.
"Yes, I surmised as much," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?"
"Oh… um… okay," said Hermione.
She, Ron, Harry, and I went into the cabin; Fang launched himself upon Harry the moment he entered, barking madly and trying to lick his ears. Harry fended off Fang and looked around.
Hagrid was sitting at his table, where there were two large mugs of tea. He looked a real mess. His face was blotchy, his eyes swollen, and he had gone to the other extreme where his hair was concerned; far from trying to make it behave, it now looked like a wig of tangled wire.
"Hi, Hagrid," said Harry.
Hagrid looked up.
"'Lo," he said in a very hoarse voice.
"More tea, I think," said Dumbledore, closing the door behind us, drawing out his wand, and twiddling it; a revolving tea tray appeared in midair along with a plate of cakes. Dumbledore magicked the tray onto the table, and everybody sat down. There was a slight pause, and then Dumbledore said, "Did you by any chance hear what Miss Granger was shouting, Hagrid?"
Hermione went slightly pink, but Dumbledore smiled at her and continued, "Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Nixie still seem to want to know you, judging by the way they were attempting to break down the door."
"Of course we still want to know you!" Harry said, staring at Hagrid. "You don't think anything that Skeeter cow - sorry, Professor," he added quickly, looking at Dumbledore.
"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said, Harry," said Dumbledore, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling.
"Er-right," said Harry sheepishly when I smirked at him. "I just meant - Hagrid, how could you think we'd care what that-woman-wrote about you?"
Two fat tears leaked out of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes and fell slowly into his tangled beard.
"Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid," said Dumbledore, still looking carefully up at the ceiling. "I have shown you the letters from the countless parents who remember you from their own days here, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I sacked you, they would have something to say about it -"
I couldn't help but think that that was sweet, but Hagrid seemed to be a big pessimist today.
"Not all of 'em," said Hagrid hoarsely. "Not all of 'em wan me ter stay."
"Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time," said Dumbledore, now peering sternly over his half-moon spectacles. "Not a week has passed since I became headmaster of this school when I haven't had at least one owl complaining about the way I run it. But what should I do? Barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anybody?"
"Yeh - yeh're not half-giant!" said Hagrid croakily.
"Hagrid, look what I've got for relatives!" Harry said furiously. "Look at the Dursleys!"
"An excellent point," said Professor Dumbledore. "My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practicing inappropriate charms on a goat. It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide? No, he did not! He held his head high and went about his business as usual! Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that may not have been bravery…"
"Then that wasn't a very good example, was it, Professor?" I smirked and he smiled back.
"Come back and teach, Hagrid," said Hermione quietly, "please come back, we really miss you."
Hagrid gulped. More tears leaked out down his cheeks and into his tangled beard. Dumbledore stood up. "I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid, and I expect you back at work on Monday," he said. "You will join me for breakfast at eight-thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all."
Dumbledore left the cabin, pausing only to scratch Fangs ears. When the door had shut behind him, Hagrid began to sob into his dustbin-lid-sized hands. Hermione kept patting his arm, and at last, Hagrid looked up, his eyes very red indeed, and said, "Great man, Dumbledore… great man…"
"Yeah, he is," said Ron. "Can I have one of these cakes, Hagrid?"
"Help yerself," said Hagrid, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. "Ar, he's righ', o' course - yeh're all righ'… I bin stupid… my ol' dad woulda bin ashamed o' the way I've bin behavin'…"
More tears leaked out, but he wiped them away more forcefully, and said, "Never shown you a picture of my old dad, have I? Here…"
Hagrid got up, went over to his dresser, opened a drawer, and pulled out a picture of a short wizard with Hagrid's crinkled black eyes, beaming as he sat on top of Hagrid's shoulder. Hagrid was a good seven or eight feet tall, judging by the apple tree beside him, but his face was beardless, young, round, and smooth - he looked hardly older than eleven.
"He has your eyes," I said kindly, because that was the only thing similar about the two.
"Thank you," Hagrid thumped me on the back so that I stumbled foreward a bit. He didn't seem to notice.
"Tha was taken jus' after I got inter Hogwarts," Hagrid croaked. "Dad was dead chuffed… thought I migh' not be a wizard, see, 'cos me mum… well, anyway. 'Course, I never was great shakes at magic, really… but at least he never saw me expelled. Died, see, in me second year…"
Dumbledore was the one who stuck up for me after Dad went. Got me the gamekeeper job… trusts people, he does. Gives 'em second chances… tha's what sets him apar' from other heads, see. He'll accept anyone at Hogwarts, s'long as they've got the talent. Knows people can turn out okay even if their families weren'… well… all tha' respectable. But some don understand that. There's some who'd always hold it against yeh… there's some who'd even pretend they just had big bones rather than stand up an' say - I am what I am, an' I'm not ashamed. 'Never be ashamed,' my ol' dad used ter say, 'there's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth botherin' with.' An' he was right. I've bin an idiot. I'm not botherin' with her no more, I promise yeh that. Big bones… I'll give her big bones."
Harry, Ron, Hermione and I looked at one another nervously; I would rather have taken fifty Blast-Ended Skrewts for a walk than admit to Hagrid that I had overheard him talking to Madame Maxime, but Hagrid was still talking, apparently unaware that he had said anything odd.
"Yeh know wha, Harry?" he said, looking up from the photograph of his father, his eyes very bright, "when I firs' met you, you reminded me o' me a bit. Mum an' Dad gone, an' you was feelin' like yeh wouldn' fit in at Hogwarts, remember? Not sure yeh were really up to it… an' now look at yeh, Harry! School champion!"
"What about Nixie?" Ron asked, raised eyebrows.
Hagrid grinned, tears still leaking. "Oh, this girl righ' here didn' care what no body though' o' her. She said she'll learn a spell 'o hex anyone who got in her way into oblivion."
"What happened to that adorable little Nixie?" I asked with an innocent smile.
"She turned into this weirdo," Ron nudged me playfully.
Hagrid looked at Harry and I for a moment and then said, very seriously, "Yeh know what I'd love Harry, Nixie? I'd love yeh two ter win, I really would. It'd show 'em all… yeh don' have ter be pure-blood ter do it. Yeh don have ter be ashamed of what yeh are. It'd show 'em Dumbledore's the one who's got it righ', lettin' anyone in as long as they can do magic. How you doin' with that egg, Harry, Nixie?"
"Great," said Harry. "Really great."
"Almost..." I lied for the first time, unconvicingly. It was hard to lie to someone's teary face.
Hagrid's miserable face broke into a wide, watery smile.
"Tha's grea'… you show 'em, yeh two, you show 'em. Beat 'em all."
Lying to Hagrid wasn't quite like lying to anyone else. That thought weighed on me all the way back up to the castle, but it quickly disapeared when I seen Cedric with his breathtaking crooked smile.