Chapter 106

25 December 1994

Hello Kitty Cat,

Last night I received an owl from Viktor in regards to what happened at the ball between you and Ron. I had also heard from the twins about his behaviour and that they were writing home about it. Don't be surprised if his attitude suddenly changes — hopefully for the better. I think they have taken it upon themselves to inform their mother of his apparent jealous streak, so who knows, he might even receive a howler.

I am sorry his behaviour spoiled your evening, but glad that you had a good time with Viktor beforehand. That was really all I wanted for you. I am sorry that everything got so messed up with this. I hope that you can forgive me. I know that you said that you needed time to think, and I plan on giving it to you, I just wanted to let you know that I heard from Viktor and the twins about it, and let you know I'm here if you need someone to talk to about it.

I hope you write back soon, for all the teasing I get from the team about you writing to me, they have really come to look forward to your letters, whether I want to share them or not, they tend to find out. Hope you don't mind. I know the last one seemed a bit off, the one where I was apologising. I do apologise, I hope that you understand that, but they helped me write the letter — much like Lee and the twins did at school at least once. I just wanted to let you know that was why it didn't exactly sound like me. They wrote it and had me copy it, or they weren't going to let me leave the locker room, even for practice.

Oliver

PS. Zach and Wilda say that I was mopey last night, and fretting over Viktor taking you to the Yule Ball, worried whether you'd have a good time or not. They said that they've seen and heard enough about it, so Zach and Benjy are taking me out to a party to night to try to get my mind off things. I'm not certain that it will help or not, but since I can't really go home to spend the holidays with my folks... I might as well go, right? You don't have to answer that, we both know I'm not much of one for parties, still it beats being alone in my flat.

Hermione blinked, reading over the letter again. It had arrived in her dorm that morning before she'd even gone to breakfast. She wondered how Viktor had sent the letter to Oliver and had received a reply so fast. Then she looked at the bird sitting on the window ledge obviously waiting for a reply and scrutinised it. It wasn't an owl, but rather a Peregrine falcon. She wondered where it had come from and if — perhaps — it belonged to Viktor and was instructed to deliver Oliver's reply to her and take her response back to him before its job was completed. It would explain how he and Oliver seemed to communicate so fast since even Owl Post took a few days depending on how far away the recipient lived from where you were writing. She also had to wonder about the party that Oliver's teammates were going to drag him tow tonight. They really did remind her of Lee and the twins.

Shaking her head, she got into her trunk and pulled out some owl treats and gave it to the falcon.

"I'm sorry, but if you want some water, you'll have to go to the owlery," she told it quietly as her dorm mates were still sleeping. She had woken, hearing it tap upon the window and let it in to find out the letter it bore had been for her. The bird blinked at her, cocking its head but stayed put, eating the treats she'd given it. "No?" Hermione asked, looking at it. "All right then, one moment."

She dug in her trunk for her quill, ink and parchment and began to pen her reply. She folded it and held it out to the bird, who took to the air with a cry that caused her dorm mates to groan and roll over in their sleep, snatching the letter from her, it flew out the window. She hurried to follow it, leaning out the window. "Thank you!" she called, causing her dorm mates to groan again. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. If they were that light of sleepers, they really should consider using silencing charms around their beds. Closing the window she headed back to her bed and sat down.

Deciding there was no way around it, she got dressed and headed out of the dorm after feeding Crookshanks, and decided to wait and see if Oliver was right about Ron's change in attitude.

"Oh, there she is," Ginny said and waved as Hermione entered the Great Hall for breakfast. "Hermione," Harry said. "I need to talk to you."

Hermione looked at him curiously, noticing that he was sitting with Ron away from Ginny and the twins. It was likely that Oliver was right and that Ron was distancing himself from his siblings out of anger.

"One moment," Hermione said. "I'll be right there."

Harry sighed as though he felt let down before he nodded. "Okay, it can wait."

Hermione headed down the row to where Ginny was sitting with Lee and her brothers while Harry went back to sit with Ron.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, looking at her in concern. "I wanted to check on you last night after I heard you guys fighting, but it seemed really rude to leave Neville after inviting me, and I knew if I left I wouldn't be allowed back in since I only go there on his invitation."

"Oh, no," Hermione said. "I'm fine now."

"Really?" Ginny asked with uncertainty, the concern still present on her face as Hermione sat down with them.

"No," Hermione said airily and sighed. "But it's Ron, and I've come to expect that he won't change regardless of how much you yell at him. I swear, he behaves more like a girl that we do." "Tell me about it," Ginny replied and rolled her eyes.

"I got a letter from Oliver this morning though," Hermione said as she shifted primly on the bench.

"Oh?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, he said that the twins and Ginny wrote home about Ron last night," Hermione explained.

"Yeah, we did," Fred said.

"Told mom not to send a Howler," George added.

"Really?" Hermione asked, sitting back and looking at them in surprise.

"They don't work," Ginny said. "She can yell and yell at him and he gets embarrassed for a bit if there's people around, but it's not long before he's back at it again."

"Well," Hermione said and looked over to see Ron looking rather miserable and uncertain, as if waiting for the hammer to drop. "She must have sent him something," she continued looking back at Ginny and the twins.

"Oh, we're sure she did," Fred said with a grin.

"What better way to make someone afraid of what's to come," George asked.

"Then to whisper it quietly," they said in unison.

"But what did she say?" Hermione asked curiously.

"We don't know for certain," Ginny answered, looking quickly to her brother down by Harry and then back. "Only that we were advised not to worry about it, that it would be handled."

"Rumour has it in our family that with Charlie here to help with those dragons in the first task that at least she and Bill will be coming soon," Fred said.

"Maybe she threatened to take him home with her upon their return," George answered.

"Or moved up the time of the trip because he's being such a prat," Ginny added.

"All we know," Lee said, joining the conversation. "Is that no Howler was sent since the whole of the boys dorm was undisturbed this morning."

"Strange," Hermione said, and the four friends nodded. "Well, Harry wanted to talk to me about something, so I'll see you guys later."

"Okay," Ginny said.

"See ya," Lee and the twins replied nearly in unison, making Hermione laugh as she got up and headed back down the row to Harry where Harry and Ron were sitting. "You wanted to talk to me, Harry?"

"Um, yeah," Harry said and stood before she could sit down. "Excuse us a moment, Ron."

"Yeah, sure," Ron said morosely as he scraped his fork through his eggs, not making eye contact when Hermione came up.

Hermione blinked as Harry pulled her a little ways away and spoke quietly.

"I don't know what's up with him," Harry whispered. "He's been like that all morning. It's odd."

"I heard from Oliver this morning, Ginny and the twins wrote home about last night," Hermione murmured.

"Well, that explains a lot," Harry answered. "He did receive an owl this morning. He said it was from home, but that was all he told me. It wasn't a howler or anything."

Hermione nodded.

"I just spoke with Ginny and the twins," she said. "They said they asked their mum not to send him a howler since they don't last for long. They figure that it might have to do with a family rumour that Bill and his mum have plans to come to Hogwarts for the rest of the tournament." Harry looked back over at Ron who was still staring at his plate and sighed heavily. Harry noted this and turned back to Hermione.

"Well, his mum always threatened to take him home," he said. "That could be why he's been so cold to Ginny, Fred and George this morning. Speaking of last night," Harry continued, and paused putting a hand on her arm. "I'm really sorry about what happened. I didn't care if you came with Krum. I didn't care who you came with."

"I know," Hermione said and smiled. "Thanks Harry, and I know that you didn't say anything to him because you didn't want to start another fight with him after just starting to talk again. It's okay, Harry, really. I understand."

"So we're okay?" Harry asked with uncertainty.

"Yeah," Hermione said and laughed. "We're okay."

"Good," Harry said. "You guys had me worried there for a moment. It really stinks being Switzerland."

"Yes," Hermione said and laughed again. "It does."

They went back to the table and sat down, and Ron looked up at her but said nothing as she filled a plate and started to eat. Hermione and Harry both seemed to notice that it wasn't a tense silence though, and Hermione sighed with relief.

The mail came and the owls dropped a Daily Prophet in front of Hermione.

"You're still getting that?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Hermione looked at him as she unfolded the paper.

"Yes," she replied. "That way I at least know what it is exactly that she's saying about me."

Harry nodded.

"Sorry," he replied. "That makes sense. I didn't think about it that way."

She turned the page and groaned, rolling her eyes.

"What is it?" Ron asked, looking over curiously for the first time.

Hermione unfolded the paper further, laying it on the table and pointed to the article she'd found.

"Dumbledore's Giant Mistake?" Harry asked, reading aloud.

"Keep reading," Hermione said. "She's at it again."

Harry and Ron read over the article, each mumbling to themselves as they read it.

"Hagrid's a giant?" Ron asked in confused surprise.

"We need to go visit Hagrid," Harry said, looking up when he was done. "Make sure he's okay. That reminds me, you asked me where I was last night when I came up while you and Ron were fighting. I went for a walk. I heard Madame Maxime and Hagrid talking last night."

"About what?" Hermione asked.

"He was telling her about his family," Harry replied in hushed tones. "I was about to turn back and leave them alone so they didn't spot me and think I was spying intentionally, and I saw something strange."

"Okay..." Hermione said, leading him to continue when he stopped talking.

"I saw this odd bug on the wall take flight and land on the back of Madame Maxime's dress."

"Yeah, so?" Ron asked. "What's weird about that? Bugs land everywhere?"

"In winter?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes.

"Come on," Harry said, getting up from the table. "Let's go."

Hermione picked up her toast and followed them from the hall.

It was a good thing that they had their Care of Magical Creatures class today, Hermione thought as they headed down to Hagrid's hut, rolling her eyes as she heard Harry and Ron's conversation turn to what they had read in the paper. If they hadn't had that class first thing, they would have been late.

"Can you believe he's a half-giant?" Ron asked in awe as they continued down the path.

"Well, I thought he must be," Hermione said, speaking up for the first time since leaving the castle. "I knew he couldn't be pure giant because they're twenty feet tall, but have you ever seen another man able to pull in two full size trees for Christmas without the use of a strength potion? But honestly, the hysteria over giants. They can't all be horrible... It's the same sort of prejudice they have against werewolves... It's just bigotry, isn't it?" Hermione exhaled a heavy breath when no one answered, shaking her head.

When they arrived at Hagrid's a little late due to Ron and Harry dragging their feet to talk about the article, they found an elderly witch with closely cropped grey hair and a very prominent chin standing before his front door.

"Hurry up now," she said briskly, waving them into the group that was already waiting. "The bell rang five minutes ago."

Hermione blinked. Were they really that late?

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked, and Hermione wanted to elbow him for being rude. "Who are you?"

"My name," the witch said. "Is Professor Grubbly-Plank. I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated loudly, and this time Hermione did elbow him, and received a quick scowl in return.

"He's indisposed," Professor Grubbly-Plank replied shortly.

"After class," Hermione whispered to Harry when soft, unpleasant laughter reached them, and they looked up to see Draco and the rest of the Slytherins push their way through the class that was gathered around.

"This way please," Professor Grubbly-Plank said, and strode off around the paddock where the Beauxbatons' flying horses were shivering and flapping their wings occasionally. Harry and Ron followed her with Hermione reluctantly, the three looking over their shoulders occasionally to see the curtains closed and wondering if Hagrid was ill.

"What's up with Hagrid," Harry asked, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"Never you mind," she said as though she thought he was being nosy. Hermione kept her mouth shut because she thought he was too. She'd warned him they could find out after class.

"I do mind, though," Harry said hotly. "What's up with him?"

Hermione wanted to grab him and tell him to shut up and wait till after class, she couldn't blame Professor Grubbly-Plank when she pretended not to hear him.

She led them past the Beauxbatons horses as they moved to huddle together against the cold, and toward a tree on the edge of the forest where a large, beautiful unicorn stood tethered, looking at them warily as they approached.

Many of the girls, including Hermione, oohed at the sight of it.

"Oh! It's so beautiful!" Lavender Brown exclaimed, clasping her hands and looking at it doe-eyed as though she was about to cry. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch."

The unicorn was so brightly white that it made the snow surrounding them look grey and dingy. It pawed the ground nervously with its gold hooves at their approach and tossed its horned head.

"Boys, keep back!" Professor Grubbly-Plank said, throwing out her arm and Harry grunted as she got him hard in the chest and Hermione noticed that he glared up at her, but she paid no attention. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns," she said. "Girls to the front, and approach with care. Come on, easy does it... that's right." She nodded to Hermione as she moved forward between Ron and Harry and joined the girls in the class.

"Are you paying attention over there?" Professor Grubbly-Plank asked loudly, so her voice carried over to the boys after a while, and Hermione looked over from where she was stroking the unicorn to see Malfoy and his goons standing around Harry and Ron and wondered what was going on. She noted that Harry was holding the paper someone — Malfoy — had obviously given him, and was so angry that he was shaking as he looked toward her. She realised that he wasn't actually looking at her, but through her and the unicorn, his face livid, and his eyes unseeing while Professor Grubbly-Plank went over the many magical properties of the unicorn in a voice loud enough that the boys could hear as well.

They didn't get to stop and talk to Hagrid on the way back to the castle from class like they had hoped, for after the lesson, Professor Grubbly-Plank shooed them up the path and away from Hagrid's hut.

"I hope she stays, that woman," Parvati Patil said a little in front of them as they were heading back to the castle for lunch. "That was more what I thought Care of Magical Creatures should be like... proper creatures like unicorns, not monsters..."

"What about Hagrid?" Harry called angrily after her and she turned back to look at him over her shoulder, surprised for a moment.

"What about him?" Parvati returned, her voice hard, and Hermione wondered if it had to do with the way Harry and Ron had treated her and Padma at the ball the night before as well. She told anyone who would listen that she had made plans to meet with the boy from Durmstrang in Hogsmeade on their next weekend trip.

"Look, Harry," Hermione said as Harry led the way to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. "You said that you overheard Hagrid talking to Madame Maxime last night." "Yeah, what about it?" Harry asked.

"Well," Hermione hedged. "You don't think that something went wrong, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Well, like maybe he insulted her or something?" Hermione said. "That didn't happen, did it?"

"No, I don't think so, he was telling her about how he grew up, and came to Hogwarts, and she seemed to be listening, then he said that it was enough about him, and directed the conversation to her, I guess that would be normal, wouldn't it? I don't know what she said, I didn't stay to listen, but that was about the time I saw that bug," Harry said. "Why?"

"I was just trying to figure out why Hagrid wouldn't show up today," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "Whether it was something that happened between him and Madame Maxime, or if

it was that horrible Skeeter woman's article in the Prophet."

"How did she find out anyway?" Ron asked. "You don't think Hagrid told her, do you?"

"Well, he did have that interview scheduled with her after our last class before break," Hermione hedged weakly.

"No," Harry said, shaking his head vehemently. "He never even told us, did he? I reckon that she was mad he wouldn't give her loads of horrible stuff about me, that she went ferreting around to get him back."

"You'd have seen her in the garden!" Ron exclaimed. "Anyway, she's not supposed to come into the school anymore, remember? Hagrid said Dumbledore banned her."

"Maybe she's got an Invisibility cloak," Harry said, as he ladled chicken casserole onto his plate, sending bits of it everywhere in his anger. "Sort of thing she'd do, hide in the bushes and listen to people."

"Like you did, you mean?" Hermione asked, and got a scowl from Harry and Ron in return.

"Harry wasn't trying to hear him!" Ron said indignantly. "He didn't have a choice! You know how loud Hagrid is, and the idiot talking about his giantess mother where anyone could hear him! He was in the courtyard for Merlin's sake! You know his voice echoes there!"

"We've got to go see him," Harry said. "Tonight, after Divination. Tell him we want him back... you do want him back, right?"

Hermione quelled under Harry's accusing gaze.

"Look, I'm not going to lie and say I didn't enjoy the lesson today. It was nice having a proper Care of Magical Creatures class instead of feeding the flobberworms or trying to walk the Skrewts; even you have to admit that - but of course I want Hagrid back," Hermione replied.

Harry looked at her for a moment but finally nodded.

"Tonight then," he said.