As Rita walked towards one of the tables near where Harry and Hermione were sitting, they overheard her saying to her photographer, "...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 tow 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."

But just as Harry and Hermione looked at each other in surprise at hearing that Bagman had said he was showing the goblins the sights, when he'd so clearly not been, Rita spotted Harry.

"Harry!" she said, beaming, causing several nearby people to look around at them. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join us?"

"After blatantly turning the gullible, sheeple public against Hagrid? I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick," retorted Harry with a sneer.

"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my job —"

Rita tried to excuse her blatant attacks on Hagrid's character as she raised her perfectly manicured, heavily penciled eyebrows at being challenged by one of the sheep, but Harry and Hermione weren't having any of it.

"No, you're intentionally turning the public against him, and at the very least coming close to libel if not fully crossing the line for saying he's a blood-thirsty monster with a brutal nature when he has nothing but fifty years of peaceful interactions with people," interrupted Harry.

"Not to mention your blatant lie about him maiming several pupils in class. Hagrid hasn't touched a hair on a single student's head — the incident in question was the hippogriff he brought to class, and that only occurred because the student flagrantly disobeyed Hagrid's direct instructions. Then of course there's your blatant lies about said incident that came from that student which you clearly didn't check to see if were actually true, and the blatant lie from his friend about being bitten by a flobberworm, which anyone who's ever opened a magizoology book or taken even a year of Care class knows flobberworms have no teeth, and therefore physically cannot bite anything, let alone give a 'bad bite' as you published in your pure propaganda piece," added Hermione.

"But at least 'We all hate Hagrid' could have been true if you hadn't failed to specify that it's only Slytherins who hold that opinion," picked up Harry in a sarcastic tone. "Though you kind of lose any credibility you might have gained by immediately after that publishing in the most widely read publication in the country the full name of a student claiming to be 'too scared to say anything'. If he was actually too scared to say anything, and was actually in fear of retribution from Hagrid or anyone else on the Hogwarts staff, wouldn't he have requested anonymity before he told you everything he did? I mean, that was literally the textbook opposite of 'too scared to say anything'. Oh, but wait, he's lying hypocrite who actually fears nothing except being outperformed in absolutely everything magical by my genius girlfriend — you know, the girl you spread lies about the two of us being together back right after the wand weighing thing?"

"Oh — and let's not forget it takes a truly stupid witch or wizard to have met Hagrid and not know from one look that he's half-giant," finished Hermione with a truly magnificent contemptuous sneer that could have made her an honorary Slytherin. "Even I, a nothing mudblood, knew from one look at him when I was still only eleven years old that he obviously had to be at least partially descended from a giant — whether half, or quarter, or some other percentage."

Rita stared at Hermione in shock for several seconds, at both her use of the forbidden word 'mudblood' on herself, and the fact the mudblood clearly didn't know her place and was calling all the real witches and wizards of the world stupid morons. In fact, the entire pub had gone deathly silent at the battle of wits occurring in front of them between a school-aged, self-confessed mudblood and one of the most famous, if not always perhaps most liked, reporters in the Daily Prophet's arsenal.

But ever one for scavenging a less than ideal situation, the 'journalist' quickly snatched her Quick-Quotes Quill out of her dragon-skin handbag and said, "Then how about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know, Harry and — you, girl? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"

"You're a horrible woman, you know that?" retorted Hermione, her lip curled up scornfully. "You don't care who's life you ruin, so long as you have a story to sell. It's not about the truth — it's all about money with you. Sensational lies sell to the gullible, sheeple public, and you never see any repercussions from destroying their lives with your slander. You have no accountability, since the Prophet's your partner in crime, and you keep things just true and opinion-based enough that even if the Ministry had a court to sue you for libel in, you could get away scotch-free or with just a minor slap on the wrist. You're a disgrace to the name reporter. So good day, and hope to never see you again as long as I live, though unfortunately I know I won't be so lucky — stick that in your stupid articles!"

And with that she leapt up and grabbed Harry's hand, and drug him out of the pub with her.

Everyone stared at them as they swept out with their heads held high, while behind them Rita's Quick-Quotes Quill was flying a mile a minute over a piece of parchment splayed out on the table Rita and her photographer were sitting at.

~HP~

But as Harry and Hermione swept through the door and back out onto the high street, Ron, who'd happened to come into the pub with Dean and Seamus for another butterbeer soon after Rita had entered, and therefore had heard the entire exchange, joined them uninvited.

"She'll be after you next, Hermione," he growled as he followed them down the street.

"Let her," sneered Hermione as she picked up the pace in an attempt to try to silently get it through his thick skull that he was about as welcome in their company as Rita herself was.

"You don't want to go upsetting Rita Skeeter," growled Ron right back. "I'm serious, Hermione. She'll dig up something on you —"

"And what do you care?" retorted Hermione, cutting him off. "You've made it abundantly clear that you have no interest in being friends with Harry and I, so what difference does it make to you what she says about me or drags up about me?"

This she was actually curious about, as Ron seemed far too invested in this for some reason, than just being interested in protecting her feelings from another scathing article she herself couldn't care less about.

"People still associate me with you!" the redhead snarled back at her. "You'll go messing up my good reputation by dragging your name though the mud! Don't you ever think of anyone besides yourself?!"

So that would be why, Hermione thought to herself, as Harry stared openmouthed at the redhead in utter disbelief for accusing Hermione of not thinking of others by not caring what lies Rita spread about her, when the redhead never thought of anyone but himself, most specifically at that very moment as he was only concerned with protecting his own imaginary reputation.

But Hermione, who was far too used to Ron's hypocrisy to think much of it anymore, merely snarled, "I can damm well drag my name through any mud I like, thank you very much! I am a mud-blood, after all, remember? The mud's where I apparently belong according to your people. And it isn't just the likes of the Malfoys who are that way, either — you and your family may not be prejudiced against mudbloods, but I'll bet you didn't go 'So what?' when you heard Hagrid is half-giant, did you?"

Now it was Ron's turn to stare gape-mouthed.

"Go 'So what?'?!" he exclaimed after several seconds. "He's half giant, Hermione! They're just vicious, giants. It's in their natures, they're like trolls...they just like killing, everyone knows that!"

"And just like I told you he'd react," muttered Hermione under her breath to Harry, before turning back to Ron and saying, "Buck off. Go back to your giant-fearing friends, leave Harry and I alone unless you're coming to apologize for how absolutely horrible you've treated both of us over the years since you first walked into Harry's compartment on the Hogwarts Express, and for God's sake, grow a spine and stop caring about your bloody 'reputation' and social standing so much!"

And with that she turned abruptly away from him and picked up her pace yet again with a determined and unyielding look on her face, causing Harry to practically have to run after her to keep up, and leaving Ron standing in the middle of the street staring at her disappearing back in disbelief.

"Where are we going, anyway?" asked Harry a few minutes later once he was sure they were alone for good again.

For Hermione clearly had a destination in mind, one back towards the castle. But he didn't know what it could be, as there seemed to him no reason to actually go back to the castle yet, when they could easily stay in Hogsmeade for the rest of the afternoon successfully avoiding both Rita and Ron if she wanted to.

"Hagrid isn't hiding anymore!" she growled angrily, but not at him. "He should never have let that sorry excuse for a human being upset him! Come on — we're going to drag him back out into the world by force if necessary!"

Striding up to the door of Hagrid's cabin several minutes later, Hermione pounded on it as hard as she could, shouting, "Hagrid, that's enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if your mum was a giantess! You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you, Harry and I won't let you! So get over here and open this door this very minute, Hagrid, or I'll blast it down and we'll come in there ourselves! I know plenty of spells!"

The door abruptly flew open, and Hermione huffed, "About damn ti—!" until she noticed it wasn't Hagrid standing there, and stopped short.

"Good afternoon," said the visitor pleasantly as he smiled down at the two of them.

"Afternoon, Professor Dumbledore. We came to make Hagrid stop hiding," replied Hermione resolutely.

"Yes, I surmised as much," answered Dumbledore with a chuckle and a twinkle in his eyes. "Why don't you come in?"

So Hermione and Harry followed him in, where they found Hagrid sitting at his table, looking like a complete mess.

"Hi, Hagrid," said Harry and Hermione together.

"E'Lo," Hagrid answered hoarsely, looking up at them gloomily.

As Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore all sat down across from Hagrid, Dumbledore said to the half-giant, "Did you by any chance hear what Miss Granger was shouting, Hagrid? Hermione and Harry certainly still seem to want to know you, judging by the way they were attempting to break down your door and threatening to blast it off its hinges."

"Of course we still want to know you, Hagrid," replied Harry earnestly. "You didn't really think anything that Skeeter cow said could change how we see you, do you? Hagrid, how could you possibly think that we'd care what that despicable excuse for a human being wrote after her article about me and Hermione back when my name came out of the goblet? You aren't the only person she's attacked and spread lies about this year, even if she might have been a little more blunt in her attack on you than us."

"See? Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid," said Dumbledore as a couple of tears leaked out of the corners of Hagrid's eyes. "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," interrupted Hagrid hoarsely. "Not all of 'em wan' me ter stay."

"Really, Hagrid —" admonished Dumbledore. "If you are holding out for universal popularity, you will never do anything — no one ever would. Not a week has passed since I became headmaster of this school that I haven't had at least a dozen owls complaining about the way I run it. But what do I do? Hand over the position to someone else and barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anybody?"

"Yeh — yeh're not half-giant!" croaked Hagrid in what Hermione assumed was supposed to be a defensive tone, but more just came across as petulant.

"Hagrid — look at my relatives! Look at the Dursleys, and tell me who or what you're descended from completely determines who you are!" exclaimed Harry emphatically. "You aren't who you're descended from, you're who you make yourself to be!"

"And if you want to talk about hated and feared descendants, I'm a mudblood — born of muggle parents, the worst possible kind of parentage according to half the wizarding world!" added Hermione.

"Excellent points," said Professor Dumbledore, smiling down at Harry and Hermione. "And take my own brother, Aberforth, for example. He 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! Then again, I don't think he ever read the paper at that time, so he probably didn't know what anyone was saying about him, but still…."

"Come back and teach, Hagrid, please," implored Hermione quietly, completely changing tones from the demanding one she'd been using when threatening to destroy his door, to the perfect little bookworm, teachers' pet, innocent girl she'd perfected over the years, in hopes of appealing to his caring nature — and maybe in the process making him realize that was his nature, not the often vicious nature of giants that he may have been partially descended from. "Please come back, we really miss you. And that Grubby woman is insufferable as a person."

Hermione very briefly wondered if Dumbledore would reprimand her for saying that, as he doubtlessly was the one who'd appointed her in Hagrid's temporary stead, but he didn't — though whether because he thought what she said would help get Hagrid to return to his job or because he didn't disagree with her, she didn't know.

It was apparently Hermione's soft tone that finally won Hagrid over, as he almost imperceptibly nodded his head as more tears left his beetle-black eyes to track their way down his face to his mane of a beard.

His job done for him, Dumbledore stood up, saying firmly, "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."

Once he'd left, Hagrid finally said, "Great man, Dumbledore...great man…"

Harry and Hermione spent a while longer at Hagrid's, as the half-giant and their friend told them about his father, growing up, and Dumbledore always believing in him and helping him out. And when Hagrid had asked Harry how he was doing with his egg, upon seeing the wide, watery smile the half-giant gave him when Harry told him that they'd figured out the clue inside the the egg, he couldn't bring himself to burst the half-giant's finally happy bubble by telling him that even though they'd solved the clue, they still had no idea how to actually complete the task that they now knew what was going to be. But eventually they bid Hagrid goodbye, and walked back up to the castle hand in hand for supper.

As they walked across the slushy grounds, Harry squeezed Hermione's hand and said apologetically, "I'm sorry you never got the date you dreamed of."

"Nonsense. I protected Hagrid's reputation from Rita and saved him from himself with the man I love."