The other Miss Granger
Chapter 12:
Everybody got up late on Boxing Day. The Gryffindor common room was much quieter than it had been lately, many yawns punctuating the lazy conversations. Hermione's hair was bushy again; she confessed to Harry that Jolie and Fleur had used liberal amounts of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion on it for the ball, "but it's way too much bother to do every day," she said matter-of-factly, scratching a purring Crookshanks behind the ears. Ron and Hermione seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement not to discuss their argument. They were being quite friendly to each other, though oddly formal.
As they went down to the great hall they saw Jolie and Fleur walking in to the great hall, arms entwined. It still made Hermione laugh as all the boys in the room watched them closely. Fleur kissed Jolie on the cheek before going to sit with Roger her date from the ball at the Ravenclaw table. Jolie elegantly walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down beside Hermione and kissed her on the cheek and said "Good morning!" As she was pouring a cup of tea she looked at Hermione and asked "How was your evening with Mr Krum?"
Hermione blushed before saying "Wonderful" then looking at Ron "Although there were a few problems." Jolie turned and looked at Ron "I heard about that from the twins."
It was now Ron's turn to go bright red. Harry chuckled and shook his head.
"And what about you Romeo? I saw Cho giving you a little kiss." Jolie said turning to look at Harry who now went bright red.
"She did?" both Ron and Hermione bursted out looking at their best friend. Harry quickly looked for an escape and said to Jolie "And I saw Cedric kiss you!"
"And? I'm nearly an adult, I'm single and Cedric is a lovely young man." she said, calmly talking a sip from her cup of tea.
"I'll see you three later. I'm going to find a book in the library." She said standing up. "And by the way Harry, Cho really likes you." she winked at him and left. The three best friends watched as she left and as Cedric Diggory got up from the Hufflepuff table and followed Jolie out the door.
"I'm going to tell Charlie. He'll be so jealous." Ron said, grinning at his two best friends. Suddenly the twins popped up on either side of Hermione.
"It's our turn to make Charlie feel miserable-" Geroge began, "-So we're telling him-" Fred said.
"-But you can tell mum." they finished together before running of. Hermione shook her head before asking Ron "How do you know that Charlie fancies my sister?" curiously wanting to know.
"I have 5 reasons actually." he said proud of himself. He held up one finger " speaks to dragons." two fingers, "2. He keeps sending her letters." three fingers, "3. He got her a Christmas gift." Four fingers, "4. Have you seen your sister?" at that one Harry nodded in agreement.
"And? All the things you said could just be that their friends." Hermione told Ron. Ron shook his head and said "You haven't let me finish." he held up five fingers "And reason number five is he talked about her in his letter to mum."
"Oh." Hermione said, wide eyed. There was an unspoken rule in the Weasley family never write about a girl to Mrs Weasley unless you'd like to marry her because with Mrs Weasley it's bound to happen.
"She's probably already planning the wedding." Ginny said sitting down beside Hermione who said "Merlin that's why she asked me to invited Jolie over for the summer."
After the rest of the holidays had been lovely, Ron and Hermione were friendly again, Cho had said yes to go on a date with Harry to the next Hogsmead weeked and Cedric and Jolie seemed to be getting closer. And so when the first day of the new term arrived it was quite sad to end the holidays.
Harry set off to lessons, weighed down with books, parchment, and quills as usual, but also with the lurking worry of the egg heavy in his stomach, as though he were carrying that around with him too.
Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that they couldn't see out of them in Herbology. Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Ron said, the skrewts would probably warm them up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire.
When they arrived at Hagrid 's cabin, however, they found an elderly witch with closely cropped gray hair and a very prominent chin standing before his front door.
"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked at them as they struggled toward her through the snow.
"Who're you?" said Ron, staring at her. "Where's Hagrid?"
"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."
"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated loudly.
"He is indisposed," said Professor Grubbly-Plank shortly.
Soft and unpleasant laughter reached Harrys ears. He turned; Draco Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins were joining the class. All of them looked gleeful, and none of them looked surprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank.
"This way, please," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, and she strode off around the paddock where the Beauxbatons horses were shivering. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed her, looking back over their shoulders at Hagrid's cabin. All the curtains were closed. Was Hagrid in there, alone and ill?
"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Harry said, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly-Plank.
"Never you mind," she said as though she thought he was being nosy.
"I do mind, though," said Harry hotly. "What's up with him?"
Professor Grubbly-Plank acted as though she couldn't hear him. She led them past the paddock where the huge Beauxbatons horses were standing, huddled against the cold, and toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered.
Many of the girls "ooooohed!" at the sight of the unicorn.
"Oh it's so beautiful!" whispered Lavender Brown. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!"
The unicorn was so brightly white it made the snow all around look gray. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves and throwing back its horned head.
"Boys keep back!" barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, throwing out an arm and catching Harry hard in the chest. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it. ..."
She and the girls walked slowly forward toward the unicorn, leaving the boys standing near the paddock fence, watching. The moment Professor Grubbly-Plank was out of earshot. Harry turned to Ron.
"What d'you reckons wrong with him? You don't think a skrewt - ?"
"Oh he hasn't been attacked, Potter, if that's what you're thinking," said Malfoy softly. "No, he's just too ashamed to show his big, ugly face."
"What d'you mean?" said Harry sharply.
Malfoy put his hand inside the pocket of his robes and pulled out a folded page of newsprint.
"There you go," he said. "Hate to break it to you. Potter. ..."
He smirked as Harry snatched the page, unfolded it, and read it, with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville looking over his shoulder. It was an article topped with a picture of Hagrid looking extremely shifty. DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE, Harry read the article and saw red.
Harry finished reading and looked up at Ron, whose mouth was hanging open.
"How did she find out?" he whispered.
But that wasn't what was bothering Harry.
"What d'you mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?" Harry spat at Malfoy. "What's this rubbish about him" he pointed at Crabbe "-getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth!"
Crabbe was sniggering, apparently very pleased with himself.
"Well, I think this should put an end to the oaf's teaching career," said Malfoy, his eyes glinting. "Half-giant. . . and there was me thinking he'd just swallowed a bottle of Skele-Gro when he was young. ... None of the mummies and daddies are going to like this at all. ... They'll be worried he'll eat their kids, ha, ha. ..."
"You-"
"Are you paying attention over there?"
Professor Grubbly-Planks voice carried over to the boys; the girls were all clustered around the unicorn now, stroking it. Harry was so angry that the Daily Prophet article shook in his hands as he turned to stare unseeingly at the unicorn, whose many magical properties Professor Grubbly-Plank was now enumerating in a loud voice, so that the boys could hear too.
"That was a really good lesson," said Hermione as they entered the Great Hall. "I didn't know half the things Professor Grubbly-Plank told us about uni -"
"Look at this!" Harry snarled, and he shoved the Daily Prophet article under Hermione's nose.
Hermione's mouth fell open as she read. Her reaction was exactly the same as Ron's.
"How did that horrible Skeeter woman find out? You don't think Hagrid told her?"
"No," said Harry, leading the way over to the Gryffindor table and throwing himself into a chair, furious. "He never even told us, did he? I reckon she was so mad he wouldn't give her loads of horrible stuff about me, she went ferreting around to get him back."
"Maybe she heard him telling Madame Maxime at the ball," said Hermione quietly.
"We'd have seen her in the garden!" said Ron. "Anyway, she's not supposed to come into school anymore, Hagrid said Dumbledore banned her. . . ."
"Maybe she's got an Invisibility Cloak," said Harry, ladling chicken casserole onto his plate and splashing it everywhere in his anger. "Sort of thing she'd do, isn't it, hide in bushes listening to people."
"Like you and Ron did, you mean," said Hermione.
"We weren't trying to hear him!" said Ron indignantly. "We didn't have any choice! The stupid prat, talking about his giantess mother where anyone could have heard him!"
"What's going on?" Jolie asked suddenly sitting down beside Hermione. Harry passed her the Daily Prophet as Jolie read the article about Hagrid her eyes widened.
"Why that little toerag!" she hissed as she stared at Draco.
"We've got to go and see him," said Harry. "This evening, after Divination. Tell him we want him back . . . you do want him back?" he shot at Hermione.
"I - well, I'm not going to pretend it didn't make a nice change, having a proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson for once - but I do want Hagrid back, of course I do!" Hermione added hastily, quailing under Harry's furious stare. Harry looked at Jolie who nodded , she and Hagrid had hit it of fantastically when they first met.
Flashback
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Jolie were standing in front of Hagrids little hut waiting for him to answer the door.
"I wasn't expecting guests today." he said as he opened the door.
"Sorry Hagrid but I wanted you to meet my sister." Hermione said waving her hand at Jolie. Hagrid's eyes widened when he saw Jolie.
"Come in! Come in!" he said, rushing them all into his home.
"I'm Hagrid." he said holding out his hand to Jolie, who shook it while smiling, "I've heard a lot about you Professor. I'm Jolie Defontaine."
Hagrid blushed before saying "Just call me Hagrid."
After that they had talked about all sorts of creatures while drinking tea. Thank Merlin Harry had remembered to remind Jolie about Hagrid's cakes and his cooking.
End of flashback.
So that evening after dinner, the three of them left the castle once more and went down through the frozen grounds to Hagrid's cabin. They knocked, and Fang's booming barks answered.
"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry shouted, pounding on the door. "Open up!"
Hagrid didn't answer. They could hear Fang scratching at the door, whining, but it didn't open. They 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 they had finally given up and were walking back to the school. "He surely doesn't think we'd care about him being half-giant?"
"You wouldn't understand, Hermione." Jolie whispered as she walked of. All three best friends gave each other a confused look.
But it seemed that Hagrid did care. They didn't see a sign of him all week. He didn't appear at the staff table at mealtimes, they 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.
"Missing your half-breed pal?" he kept whispering to Harry whenever there was a teacher around, so that he was safe from Harry's retaliation. "Missing the elephantman? But it's disappointing all of those filthy half-breed's won't go away isn't it?"
"What do you mean by that?" Harry demanded. Malfoy sneered at him before replying "Granger's sister is a filthy half-breed as well."
Harry glared at Malfoy and was about to pull out his wand but he saw Pofessor Grubbly-Plank staring at him. Harry never told Hermione what Malfoy said afraid that it would upset her.
There was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January. Harry had asked Cho to come along with him, Hermione and Ron. She had agreed and Harry couldn't be happier.
As they entered the three broomsticks they saw Jolie sitting at a table with Cedric Diggory. Jolie waved them over, smiling. As they sat down with their butterbeers and talked.
"Doesn't he ever go into the office?" Hermione whispered suddenly. "Look!"She pointed into the mirror behind the bar, and Harry saw Ludo Bagman reflected there, sitting in a shadowy corner with a bunch of goblins. Bagman was talking very fast in a low voice to the goblins, all of whom had their arms crossed and were looking rather menacing. It was indeed odd. Harry thought, that Bagman was here at the Three Broomsticks on a weekend when there was no Triwizard event, and therefore no judging to be done. He watched Bagman in the mirror. He was looking strained again, quite as strained as he had that night in the forest before the Dark Mark had appeared. But just then Bagman glanced over at the bar, saw the group, and stood up.
"In a moment, in a moment!" Harry heard him say brusquely to the goblins, and Bagman hurried through the pub towards the group, 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.
"Cedric how have you been? I see the burn healed well still as handsome as ever." Bagman said, shaking Cedric's hand. "On a date I see oh-"
"Miss Defontaine! It's lovely to see you again. I never had a chance to thank you for helping out with the dragons. So thank you very much." he told her.
"Wonder if I could have a quick, private word, Harry?" said Bagman eagerly.
"eh- sure." Harry said and followed him.
"What did he want?" Ron said, the moment Harry had sat down, everyone looked at him curiously.
"Nothing." he said as he took a sip from his butterbeer, giving Hermione and Ron a look that meant I'll tell you later.
"Those goblins didn't look very friendly," said Hermione changing the subject, 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 Cedric. "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. Which caused Cho, Jolie and Cedric to chuckle at the glare Hermione gave them.
"Well, the're quite capable of dealing with wizards," said Hermione, taking another sip of butterbeer. "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, and Hermione 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, doyou 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 -"
"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" said Harry loudly.
A few people looked around. Rita Skeeter's eyes widened behind her jeweled 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 penciled eyebrows.
"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my-"
"Who cares if he's half-giant?" Harry shouted. "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. This made Jolie stand up, she looked downright scary in Harry's opinion.
"Don't talk to her like that." she hissed at the older woman. Rita Skeeter stared at her over her glasses before smirking "If it isn't Miss Defontaine. I think this shows that the rumours are true."
"What rumours?" she demanded, glaring at the older woman who answered "That Miss Granger here is your sister of course."
"Everyone knows that." she said dismissing it with a wave of her hand as she stepped closer to the woman. "So I'm sure you've heard other rumours If you come anywhere near these kids I'll make a dragon track you down and let it have it's fun with you." she said grinning evilly. Harry and Ron looked at each other and gulped.
"Cedric let's go somewhere else. I suggest you four leave as well." Jolie said staring at them. Cedric stood up and offered her his arm which she took and they left. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Cho followed closely as they left; many people were staring at them as they went. Harry glanced back as they reached the door. Rita Skeeter's Quick-Quotes Quill was out; it was zooming backward and forward over a piece of parchment on the table.
"She'll be after you next, Hermione and Jolie as well," said Ron in a low and worried voice as they 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 Hagrid ..."
"You don't want to go upsetting Rita Skeeter," said Cho nervously.
"She's right, Hermione, she'll dig up something on you -" Ron said.
"You should go enjoy the rest of your day with your friends Cho." Harry nervously said, Cho nodded, understanding and kissed him on the cheek. Before quickly leaving.
"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 could do to keep up with her. The last time Harry had seen Hermione in a rage like this, she had hit Draco Malfoy around the face. "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 them 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 they could hear Fang barking as they 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 them.
"We-er-we wanted to see Hagrid," said Hermione in a rather small voice.
"Yes, I surmised as much," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?"
"Oh . . . um ... okay," said Hermione.
She, Ron, and Harry 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 Harry, Ron, and Hermione, 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, and Ron 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. "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 -"
"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!"
"And Jolie! She's half veela! Me and her were walking past Malfoy when he called her a filthy half-breed, she just hung him out the window- er I mean she..." Hermione said looking at Dumbledore.
"I'm still deaf Miss Granger." Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. Hermione blushed.
"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. . .."
"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 eightthirty 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.
"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, and Hermione looked at one another nervously; Harry would rather have taken fifty Blast-Ended Skrewts for a walk than admit to Hagrid that he 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!" He looked at Harry for a moment and then said, very seriously, "Yeh know what I'd love. Harry? I'd love yeh ter win, I really would. It'd show 'em all... yeh don' have ter be pureblood 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?"
"Great," said Harry. "Really great."
Hagrid's miserable face broke into a wide, watery smile.
"Tha's my boy. . . you show 'em, Harry, you show 'em. Beat 'em all." he then turned to Hermione and asked "Jolie really do that to Malfoy?"
she grinned and answered "Oh yes, she also threatened to send a dragon after him if she ever said anything like that about you or her. She also said that to Skeeter just before."
Hagrid grinned at that "She's a good girl that one."