Hagrid hadn't emerged by the time the January Hogsmeade trip came around. Skylar for one was no longer worried or sad for him, but now disappointed and irritated at his behaviour.
"Giants are thought of as vicious Sky, you cannot blame him for assuming others might think he is the same," Stephen rationalised. Then he added quickly after her expression contorted before his eyes, "Even though you'd never think that of him, or me, or most people."
"Who gives a crap what other people think?!" She complained, throwing her arms in the air.
On top of Hagrid hiding in his hut, avoiding even the four of them who had always accepted him, even when they thought he could be the heir of Slytherin and was possibly attacking muggle-borns in their second year, Skylar hadn't had any luck with her animagus quest. She had been constantly saying the incantation, twice a day, every day, but no lightning storms seemed to be occurring. Professor McGonagall was checking on her more frequently now as it seemed that with spring slowly approaching, she may not get any before the year ended.
"Now you're more than welcome to try again next year," Professor McGonagall assured.
"What if we got a dry storm over the summer?" Skylar frowned. "I'm sure I can continue over the holidays."
"I'm afraid you may not get a chance when your exams begin to continue the process." Professor McGonagall warned her.
"I still don't want to give up, I've come this far." Skylar said sternly.
Professor McGonagall surveyed her for a moment before she nodded. "Alright, I will allow you to continue with the spell, however I will require constant updates." She warned.
Skylar didn't mind such a condition and so she nodded hopefully. She'd gotten used to chanting twice a day without fail, just like she got used to having a leaf in her mouth. She was sure she could continue the process, what's more, if she did have to continue it into the holidays, that seemed a lot more manageable without classes in the way.
She still hadn't told anyone else about her experiment apart from Harry. No one yet questioned her lack of presence before dinner time, not even Stephen. It helped that she left Harry, Hermione and Ron to go see Stephen at dinner, or in the library to complete their homework.
When the day of the Hogsmeade trip arrived, Stephen asked if he and Skylar were going together. Ron wasn't surprised that when he, Harry and Hermione asked her to join them she declined.
"Honestly, you're supposed to be a Gryffindor." Ron complained.
"I am a Gryffindor?" Skylar said, confused.
"I'm surprised you haven't gone into their common room yet." He continued.
"Who's common room?" Leon had come down the boys dormitory staircase.
"Ron's complaining that I'm not spending enough time with him." Skylar sighed.
"Am not!"
"Yes you are." Hermione said from over a book she'd taken from the library to help her with her Arithmancy homework.
"Skylar gets a boyfriend and our time's not good enough." Ron continued.
"I thought those were just rumours?" Leon admitted looking surprised.
"What rumours?" Skylar asked.
"About you and Stephen, I thought you were just friends… though he obviously likes you."
"No." Skylar shrugged. "Besides, getting into the Ravenclaw common room is nothing like getting into ours, you can't just use a password." She said turning back to Ron. "You're acting as if I've replaced you or something."
Ron said nothing but slumped unhappily. Leon started chuckling and Skylar's expression grew smug.
"Aww, I'm sorry you're feeling neglected Ron, but I promise no one can ever replace you." She pouted at him mockingly as Hermione was grinning.
"Shut up." Ron grumbled.
"I didn't think you'd be the one putting up a stink about this." Leon confessed and he glanced at Harry. Ron did as well and Skylar looked between them confused before Ron crossed his arms.
"She was my friend first."
"I thought Nick was supposed to be the one who's the protective older brother." Leon laughed.
"It's like you don't approve of Stephen." Hermione joined in.
Harry was being unusually quiet as he sat amongst them.
"He's annoying." Ron muttered.
Skylar and Hermione shared a look as the bushy-haired girl rolled her eyes. "It's not like you spend any time with him." She reminded him.
"He's always around."
"You were just saying you never see me because I'm with him?" Skylar raised an eyebrow.
Ron's ears went slightly red before he turned to Harry for back up. "You think it's weird don't you?"
Harry just shrugged.
"Harry's more concerned with the second task than my love life Ron." Skylar shook her head. Ron scoffed but the mention of it definitely brought the task to the forefront of Harry's mind again. "I promise for the next Hogsmeade trip, I'll spend it with you guys."
Skylar and Stephen, wrapped up against the cold, set off through the wet grounds towards the gates. The snow was beginning to melt slowly now, making the ground slushy as mud mixed with the white substance.
"Shall we go to Honeydukes?" Stephen asked.
"Sure." Skylar nodded.
They got a number of sweets, Stephen buying her a few before they went to Zonko's. Skylar caught a glimpse of Harry, Ron and Hermione as they went through High Street, merely peering into shops rather than emerging themselves in them. It was different from last year, all the shops were so exciting then, now they had lost a part of their excitement.
They went into the post office to see all the different owls, passing the time before heading to the three broomsticks. They were walking in just as the door opened and Hermione, looking in quite a rage, came storming past with the two boys following, making Skylar and Stephen both back away.
"What happened?" Skylar questioned.
"Rita Skeeter." Harry said, looking worried.
"Come on Skylar!" Hermione shouted back at her. Skylar looked taken aback and she turned to Stephen, he looked rather frightened himself and he nodded vigorously, as if there was no way Skylar should disobey. The auburn-haired girl hurried after her three friends as they made their way back towards the school. Hermione was striding along so fast it took Skylar a run to catch up as Harry and Ron struggled to keep up without falling behind. Hermione hadn't looked this worked up since she'd punched Draco in the face almost a year ago.
"Um, where are we going?" Skylar questioned carefully.
"Hagrid's! He's not 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, Skylar, 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, Skylar, 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, Skylar, 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. Skylar chuckled, she'd always liked Professor Dumbledore, he was such a character.
"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!"
"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…"
Skylar looked at the headmaster interestedly, she didn't know he'd had a brother.
"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 Fang's 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."
Skylar was trying not to smirk while Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another nervously.
"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."
Skylar raised an eyebrow at him and Harry glanced at her. He still hadn't touched the egg since the holidays, he still couldn't discover what the wailing meant. It seemed he'd been lying to Hermione who constantly pestered him about having worked through the eggs clue also.
Hagrid's miserable face broke into a wide, watery smile."Tha's my boy… you show 'em, Harry, you show 'em. Beat 'em all."
They were silent as they walked back to the castle and Harry glanced at Skylar as she nudged him. She gave him a questioning look and he shook his head. When they headed into the Great Hall for dinner she stopped him and let Hermione and Ron go ahead.
"What?" He asked.
"What? How about you lying to everyone about having that egg worked out? And what's this about Cedric?"
Harry avoided her gaze but she wasn't going to let him remain silent. "Hermione won't leave the topic alone so I told her I was almost there so she'd stop bugging me, and you saw Hagrid's face, how could I tell him I've got no clue about it?"
"But you do have a clue?" Skylar said, watching him as she read him. "Cedric told you to take a bath with it?" What kind of help was that?
Harry scoffed, clearly also looking annoyed at such a hint.
Skylar looked thoughtful. "Maybe water affects the egg in some way, like changing the wailing to a code? Try pouring some water on it and see." She shrugged.
"He told me to take a bath, not wash the egg?"
"Maybe it's the bubbles then? Or the steam?" She continued. "What a strange hint."
"Useless is the correct word."
Skylar rolled her eyes at him. "You won't know that if you don't give it a shot, you've only got, what, a month left? What harm is there in trying?"
Harry looked at her annoyed for being so logical.
"Look, we both know you're only annoyed at his clue because you're jealous he's with Cho and you're not. If that wasn't a factor, you'd have probably taken his advice already." She said before eying her watch. "And I've got a chant to conduct, see you later." She turned to hurry past him and for an empty classroom but Harry stopped her.
"Hey, you're coming to dinner with us right?"
"No, I'm having dinner with Stephen." She smiled. "I'll see you in the common room later."
She left without another word and missed the disappointed look on Harry's face.