Not wanting to go back to the castle just yet, in case one of the Slytherin's had made it back and told a teacher about what just happened on the pitch, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Jack, Annie, and Elisa went to go see Hagrid.

They were nearly there, when the front door opened, but it wasn't Hagrid who stepped out. It was Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of the palest mauve today.

"Quick, behind here," Harry hissed dragging everyone behind a nearby bush.

"Um... Why are we hiding?" Annie asked confused.

"Harry doesn't like Lockhart very well," Jack said simply, making a snowball and waiting for the right moment.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing!" Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid. "If you need help, you know where to find me. I'll let you have a copy of my book I'm surprised –" he was cut off when a snowball out of nowhere hit him in the back of the head.

Trying not to panic about his perfect hair being ruined he looked around, said one last goodbye to Hagrid and quickly made it back to the castle.

Once he was gone they came out to see Hagrid was waiting for them a smile on his face.

"I take it that was one of you lot was it?" he asked although his eyes were mainly on Jack.

"Hagrid, just because we happen to be where the snowball was launched from, and half of us like to see that loser suffer, doesn't mean it was us who threw it." Jack said grinning. "It could have been something from the woods."

"I've been here for over 50 years boy, and never once has there been anything in the woods that can make one snowball out of nowhere and aim it at the teachers."

"Maybe it's a new creature," Elisa suggested grinning the same grin Jack had.

"Sure. Anyway come in. Come in." Hagrid said inviting them all into his one roomed house.

"What did Lockhart want with you Hagrid?" Harry asked, Fang slobbering all over him, as Hagrid went about making some tea.

"Bah! Wanted to give me some tips about how to get kelpies outta a well" Hagrid said serving all of them tea. "Like I don't know. An' then banging on about some Banshee he banished. If one word of it were true I'll eat my kettle."

This surprised everyone, for it was very unlike Hagrid to go about criticizing a Hogwarts teacher.

Hermione however said in a voice much higher than her own "I think you're being a bit unfair."

"Yeah," Annie said having a little trouble because the fudge Hagrid had offered was sticking to the roof of her mouth "Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job. Even if he is a Narcissus."

"Huh?" Hagrid and Ron asked never hearing of this term before.

"Narcissus was the Greek God of Vanity," Jack explained "The story goes, that Narcissus was a hunter and was a very beautiful young man, meaning many fell in love with him. When he was a baby, Narcissus' mother was told by a Seer that he would live a long and happy life, as long as he never saw his own reflection. One day, while he was hunting in the woods, the nymph Echo spotted him and immediately fell for him.

When Echo eventually revealed herself and tried to hug him, he pushed her off and told her not to disturb him. Echo, in despair, spent the rest of her life roaming around the woods, and wilted away until all it remained of her was her voice which, because of a jealous Hera, could only repeat the last words someone else has said - an 'echo' sound."

Jack carried on ignoring all the confused and surprised looks he was getting from everyone.

"Anyway: Nemesis, the goddess of retribution and revenge, learned of what he had done and decided to punish Narcissus for his behavior by leading him to a pool; where, he saw his reflection in the water and fell in love with it. So much so, that he never left that spot again meaning he withered away because of thirst and starvation"

"So all we have to do to get rid of that git is to lead him to a river?" Ron asked smiling very evil smile that Jack thought would rival the Grinch's.

"Well that or knock him out and stick him in the middle of the woods" Elisa said taking a very ladylike sip of tea.

"Well anyway he was the only man for the job," Hagrid said returning to their previous conversation. "And I mean the only one. Getting very hard ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People are starting to think it's jinxed. No one's lasted fer more than one year for a while now.

After a bit of silence Harry spoke up wanting to know why everyone acted the way they did on the Quidditch pitch.

"Hagrid, what does 'Mudblood' mean?" he asked.

This almost made Hagrid drop his teapot which he was refilling at the point in question.

"Harry! Where in blueblazes did you learn a word like that?" he asked turning to him.

"Malfoy," Annie butted in "We were all on the pitch Harry having won a Seeker skills competition against them and some things were said and then, everyone got mad and Jack tried to freeze him."

"Why?" Eliza asked going by Hagrid's reaction "Is it some kind of Wizard swear or something?"

"No, but it might as well be," Ron said, fists clenched and face turning as red as his hair. "It's the most insulting thing he could have thought of to say. 'Mudblood' is a very foul name for those with non-magic parents. Malfoy and most of the other Slytherin's on the other think that their better than everyone because everyone in their family is magic meaning they are 'Pureblood'."

"That's ridiculous," Elisa said nearly slamming the cup down and breaking it "Everyone knows that unless you're part dragon, we all have the same color blood. So why does it matter?"

"That's the point," Ron said proudly "It doesn't. Take Neville for example, he's Pureblood and he can barley do the simplest spells or set up a cauldron correctly. It's a disgusting thing to call someone. And everyone knows that there isn't a point. There isn't a witch or wizard alive today who Half-Blood or less. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd have died out."

"Tell that to us over in America," Jack said scratching Fang's ears "70 years ago, there was a law that Wizards and No-Magi's couldn't marry. And we survived just fine. I've been away for a while, but I think it's still up."

"Well that's stupid," Elisa said slamming her new cup onto the table and breaking that one too "What if a witch fell in love with a Muggle, and he loved her back?"

"Then they'd either have to leave the country, or do a Romeo and Juliet, hopefully without it ending in the same way." Jack said shrugging.

"Well I don't blame ya for trying to freeze him Jack," Hagrid said getting back to the original subject "But maybe it's best that you didn't. 'Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marching up ter the school if he found out his son had been turned into a popsicle."

"But Hagrid, he'd have deserved it" Jack said in a slightly whiny voice making Elisa giggle, and Hagrid himself to roll his eyes.

"How did you get Lockhart to leave Hagrid?" Ron asked wondering.

"Told him I never read one of his books" Hagrid said offering around treacle toffee, which they politely refused.

"Come and see what I've been growing," Hagrid said as they all finished their tea.

In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins Jack had ever seen, each roughly the size of a large boulder.

"Evie will be excited this year then" he muttered to himself.

"Getting on a bit aren't they?" Hagrid said happily "For the Halloween feast... should be big enough by then."

"What have you been feeding them?" Harry asked.

Hagrid looked around to make sure no one else was watching "Well... I have given them a bit of help."

At this everyone noticed Hagrid's flowery pink umbrella resting against the back wall of the cabin.

"Better be careful then Hagrid, and don't give them too much," Jack said in a concern but proud voice "My brother says too much 'help' can make plants come to life and think for themselves."

"That's ridiculous Jack," Hermione said as she checked over the pumpkins.

"It's true. Haven't you heard of the plant in the play Little Shop of Horrors?" Jack countered.

"That was a play. And it was supposed to have come from space." she said rolling her eyes.

"Well either way, I think they're great Hagrid" Annie said smiling.

"That's what your little sister said," Hagrid said nodding to Ron. "Met her just yesterday, said she was just looking around but I think she was looking for something else here at my hut." he said grinning and giving a side look at Harry.

It was nearly lunch time and everyone thought it would be the best time to head back to the school to eat.

They said goodbye to Hagrid and walked back to the castle.