Harry Potter 04 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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 of the fact that the flagon she was filling with mead was overflowing.
    Rita Skeeter’s 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 was a grenade.
    ‘You horrible woman,’ she said, through gritted teeth, ‘you don’t care, do you, anything for a story, and anyone will do, won’t 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.
    ‘Let’s go,’ said Hermione. ‘C’mon, Harry – Ron …’
    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 backwards and forwards over a piece of parchment on the table.
    ‘She’ll be after you next, Hermione,’ said Ron, in a low and worried voice as they walked quickly back up the street.
    ‘Let her try!’ said Hermione shrilly; 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 Ron nervously. ‘I’m serious, Hermione, she’ll dig something up on you –’
    ‘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 going to hide any more! 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 … OK,’ 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 Fang off, 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 mid-air, 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