Sorry for not updating.
To Lucy: if you have an account, then send me a private message so that we can talk more instead of talking through reviews and chapters
"She'll be after you lot next." Warned Ron in a low voice once the others had caught up as they walked up the street.
"Heh~? Let's see her try." Smirked Ban, earning a grin from Meliodas.
"Well I hope you show her that she's messed around in other people's lives for long enough." Said Hermione shrilly. "That woman…first Harry and now Hagrid…"
"What did you guys do back there?" Inquired Harry.
"Just warned her not to mess with us or there will be consequences~."
"You don't want to go upsetting Rita Skeeter," said Ron nervously. "I'm serious. She'll dig something up on you-"
Ron was interrupted by a bark of laughter and a snigger from Diane and Melidoas.
"I'd love to see what she can come up with, seeing as there's next to nothing for her to get her hands on." Giggled Diane.
"What do you mean?" Inquired Hermione.
"Well, due to our school being something along the lines of a private institution, all information on students accepted into Liones is highly classified for our own safety. So if she wrote anything about us then it'll most certainly be fake." Answered Meliodas causally.
"Aren't you worried though? If it'll be fake then won't you be afraid of what she'll write about?" Said Harry with worry.
"Not really."
Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Of course." She mumbled. "Anyway, I think we should be focusing more on Hagrid at the moment. He can't hide anymore! He should never have let that excuse for a human being upset him! Come on!"
Breaking out into a run, the group, with the Sins in tow, run up to Hagrid's cabin. When they approached, the curtains were drawn, no smoke was coming from the chimney and the premises was dead silent. Overall, it seemed as if no one lived there, but the group knew better.
"Hagrid!" Shouted Hermione, pounding on the 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 so this to you!"
"This Hagrid fellow lives here?" Murmured King absently.
"Isn't it a bit small?" Murmured Ban.
Hermione ignored the comments behind her and continued banging on the front door. "Hagrid, get out here, you're just being-"
The door opened suddenly, startling the group momentarily as Hermione began to form a reply, but halted in her tracks. There stood not Hagrid, but Dumbledore.
"Good afternoon." He greeted pleasantly, smiling down at all of them.
"We-er-we wanted to see Hagrid." Managed Hermione in a small voice.
"Yes, I surmised as much," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?"
"Oh ... um ..."
"Thank you!" Beamed Meliodas, cutting off Hermione from her stuttering as he walked in, followed by the rest of the Sins and later, the Golden Trio. It was a tight fit, with so many people crowded inside the small confines of the cabin, but they all managed to find a comfortable place to sit. Hagrid was sitting at his table, where two large mugs of tea sat steaming.
"Hi, Hagrid." Greeted Harry softly.
Hagrid looked up, "'Lo." He responded hoarsely. He looked like a mess. His face was blotchy, eyes swollen while his hair looked like a mess of tangled wire.
"More tea I think." Spoke Dumbledore, drawing out his wand and charming the nearby tea-tray along with a plate of cakes.
"I'm fine." Mumbled Ban when the tray floated neared him, while the others graciously accepted the offering of tea and cakes. Once everyone was settled, a pregnant silence hung in the air before Dumbledore once again spoke.
"Did you by any chance hear what Miss Granger was shouting, Hagrid?"
Hermione went slightly pink while Ban snickered, but Dumbledore, Elizabeth and Meliodas merely smiled at her as he continued.
"Hermione, Harry, Ron and the transfers 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!" Exclaimed Harry. "You don't think anything that Skeeter cow-sorry Professor," he added, looking towards Dumbledore.
"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said, Harry." Responded Dumbledore as he twiddled his thumbs.
"Ehhhh, I'll have to remember that for next time." Said Meliodas, earning a knowing smile from Dumbledore.
"Er-right. I just mean… Hagrid, how could you think we'd care what that woman wrote about you?"
Two fat tears leaked from Hagrid's beady eyes and tangled themselves in his mess of a beard.
"Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid. 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-"
"Not all of 'em." Came Hagrid's hoarse reply. "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," Spoke Dumbledore as he peered 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!" Croaked Hagrid.
"Who cares!?" Shouted Diane, finally having enough as she slammed her fist down on the table, startling everybody. "You're a half-giant? Who cares? Get out and own it! Do you think I got anywhere hiding from humans because of my height? You're not the only giant around here!"
The group, minus Dumbledore and the Sins, seemed startled.
"What are you talking about?" Inquired Hermione.
"It may come as a bit of a shock, but Diane here is actually a giant." Answered Meliodas, his usual beaming smile still plastered on his face as if nothing is out of the ordinary.
"WHAT!?"
Diane blushed, seating herself back down as she nervously played with the hem of her robes.
"See that bracelet Diane is wearing? It's spelled to shrink her down to the size of a human. However, if she were to take it off then she'd return to her normal height."
"Yeh…Yeh're a giantess?"
Diane nodded her head vigorously, a soft smile pulling at her lips.
"Yep, and I know what it's like to be judged by your appearance rather than your personality. So you're not alone. I didn't get by hiding and cowering. "
Harry, seeing the look of hope sparking in Hagrid's eyes, joined in. "Yeah, Hagrid. Look what I got for relatives! Look at the Dursleys!"
"My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practising 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 many not have been bravery…"
"Someone that I cared about was killed, her home burning to the ground. I killed the bastard responsible for it and I got the blame for the murder. Everyone called me a monster for something I didn't do, but I definitely didn't hide away from the glares." Smirked Ban.
"I…my home was destroyed while I was gone looking for a friend… when I came back, because I was the only survivor… I got the blame for the death of my kind and destruction of my home. I had no idea what happened and yet everyone accused me of committing the crime. I-I sure as hell didn't let it bother me." Muttered King nervously, clutching his pillow tightly as he spoke vaguely of his "Sin". While it is a rule amongst them not to ask another of their sin, but it isn't for one to speak of their own; especially so vaguely.
"You guys…" Murmured Hermione softly, her eyes wide with shock. An odd gleam flickering across Dumbledore's wizened eyes as his gaze landed from the Sins, to the Golden Trio.
"You're not the only one who's gone through hardship, Hagrid. But the only way to get through it is to hold your head up high and march forward. That's how we did it and that's the only way for you to do it as well." Spoke Meliodas.
"Come back and teach, Hagrid," said Hermione quietly, "please come back, we really miss you."
Hagrid gulped, more fat tears flowing down his face and into his tangled beard. Dumbledore suddenly stood.
"I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid, and I expect you back at work on Monday. You will join me for breakfast at eight thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all." Dumbledore then left the cabin, pausing to scratch Fang's ears before disappearing out the door. Once the door shut behind him Hagrid began sobbing into his dustbin-lid-sized hands. Hermione and Elizabeth kept patting his arm in comfort, and at last Hagrid looked up with red eyes.
"Great man, Dumbledore… great man…"
"Yeah, he is." Said Ron. "Can I have one of these cakes, Hagrid?"
"Help yerself." Said Hagrid as he wiped his eyes before looking back up at the group of Sins. "How'd yeh do it? Gettin' through all that yeh went through?"
A sad smile graced Meliodas' features, while Ban, Diane and King looked off to the side, their eyes far-away in memory; startling the group by the sudden change.
"It was hard at first, getting used to the glares, the harsh accusations, the menace…" Began Ban absently.
"Hmm. If we were to continue to stay on our lonesome selves then I doubt we'd be where we are today." Said Diane.
"What do you mean?" Questioned Harry in curiosity.
"We made it this far, through the accusations and harsh reality, we got through it all as a team." Answered Meliodas, his gaze coming back to the present as his smile beamed once more. "That's why you should be lucky to have the support you have, Hagrid. Because that means that you're not alone through these difficult times."
For once, the Golden Trio plus Hagrid looked startled by the rather motivating speech Meliodas had presented them.
"Yeh're right… I bin stupid… my ol' dad woulda bin ashamed o' the way I've bin behavin'…" Spoke Hagrid. "Never shown you a picture of my old dad, have I? Here…." Hagrid got up from his seat and over to his dresser, pulling open the drawers and pulled out a picture of a short wizard; beaming as he sat on top of Hagrid's shoulder next to an apple tree. "Tha' was taken jus after I got inter Hogwarts," Said Hagrid croakily. "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… 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."
While he Golden Trio looked at each other nervously, the group of Sins subtly sweat dropped.
"That was long." They all thought in unison.
OoOoOoOoOoO
With the second trial only a few days away, Meliodas still has zero clue as to what importance the Golden Egg holds. Hermione came up empty handed, Viktor not even telling her what he's discovered due to her friendship with both Harry and Meliodas, which was understandable. However, the only real clue Meliodas ever got was from Harry, who came up to him one day after classes rather nervously. It was there that Meliodas was clued on a possible hint.
"Got and have a bath?" Repeated Meliodas, a single brow raised in question.
Harry shrugged his shoulders. "It's what Cedric told me, as a means of helping me out after I told him about the Dragons."
"So you did know about that Dragons."
Harry paused, only just noticing his slip up before rushing to apologise.
"Meliodas, I'm so sorry. I should've told you but I-"
"I don't care."
"Huh?"
"I don't care." Repeated Meliodas nonchalantly. "If you'd told me then that would've ruined the surprise." He smiled.
Harry blinked owlishly at the response before slowly shaking his head. "You're unbelievable."
"I try to be."
"Whatever. Anyway, I think we should give it a try. What do you say?"
"Sure, I'm up for it. Meet you there."
The two then parted way, heading in separate directions as they finished classes for the day and plan on meeting later after dinner.
OoOoOoOoOoO
"So, Gowther, what did you discover?" Asked Meliodas, the Sins gathered around in a circle outside of Hogwarts whilst the students and staff had dinner in the Great Hall.
"Oh, nearly forgot you had Gowther peek into that Skeeter woman's mind." Commented King absently.
"I know how she's getting her information." Came Gowther's emotionless reply.
"And?"
"She's an unregistered Animagus. She can turn into a beetle. That's how she's been gathering information."
"Care to elaborate what an Animagus is?" Said Diane.
"An Animagus, is a witch or wizard who is able to turn themselves into an animal at will. It takes years of vigorous practice and is quite rare for one to achieve. But if one were to achieve it it's law to register it to the Ministry of Magic." Answered Gowther.
Ban whistled lowly, "Man, we got her now." He smirked.
"What do you plan on doing, Lord Meliodas?" Inquired Elizabeth.
"Hmmm. We'll wait and see. If she pulls another stunt again then I say we have a nice private conversation with her." Smirked Meliodas, earning mischievous gleams in response. The group then making their way back up to the Great Hall for dinner.
Short, I know, please forgive me. But please do review!