Harry Potter 05 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

headed straight for the front doors without another glance at Snape and Malfoy.
    The hot sun hit him with a blast as he walked across the lawns towards Hagrid’s cabin. Students lying around on the grass sunbathing, talking, reading the Sunday Prophet and eating sweets, looked up at him as he passed; some called out to him, or else waved, clearly eager to show that they, like the Prophet , had decided he was something of a hero. Harry said nothing to any of them. He had no idea how much they knew of what had happened three days ago, but he had so far avoided being questioned and preferred to keep it that way.
    He thought at first when he knocked on Hagrid’s cabin door that he was out, but then Fang came charging around the corner and almost bowled him over with the enthusiasm of his welcome. Hagrid, it transpired, was picking runner beans in his back garden.
    ‘All righ’, Harry!’ he said, beaming, when Harry approached the fence. ‘Come in, come in, we’ll have a cup o’ dandelion juice …
    ‘How’s things?’ Hagrid asked him, as they settled down at his wooden table with a glass apiece of iced juice. ‘Yeh – er – feelin’ all righ’, are yeh?’
    Harry knew from the look of concern on Hagrid’s face that he was not referring to Harry’s physical well-being.
    ‘I’m fine,’ Harry said quickly, because he could not bear to discuss the thing that he knew was in Hagrid’s mind. ‘So, where’ve you been?’
    ‘Bin hidin’ out in the mountains,’ said Hagrid. ‘Up in a cave, like Sirius did when he –’
    Hagrid broke off, cleared his throat gruffly, looked at Harry, and took a long draught of juice.
    ‘Anyway, back now,’ he said feebly.
    ‘You – you look better,’ said Harry, who was determined to keep the conversation moving away from Sirius.
    ‘Wha’?’ said Hagrid, raising a massive hand and feeling his face. ‘Oh – oh yeah. Well, Grawpy’s loads better behaved now, loads. Seemed right pleased ter see me when I got back, ter tell yeh the truth. He’s a good lad, really … I’ve bin thinkin’ abou’ tryin’ ter find him a lady friend, actually …’
    Harry would normally have tried to persuade Hagrid out of this idea at once; the prospect of a second giant taking up residence in the Forest, possibly even wilder and more brutal than Grawp, was positively alarming, but somehow Harry could not muster the energy necessary to argue the point. He was starting to wish he was alone again, and with the idea of hastening his departure he took several large gulps of his dandelion juice, half-emptying his glass.
    ‘Ev’ryone knows yeh’ve bin tellin’ the truth now, Harry,’ said Hagrid softly and unexpectedly. ‘Tha’s gotta be better, hasn’ it?’
    Harry shrugged.
    ‘Look …’ Hagrid leaned towards him across the table, ‘I knew Sirius longer ’n yeh did … he died in battle, an’ tha’s the way he’d’ve wanted ter go –’
    ‘He didn’t want to go at all!’ said Harry angrily.
    Hagrid bowed his great shaggy head.
    ‘Nah, I don’ reckon he did,’ he said quietly. ‘But still, Harry … he was never one ter sit aroun’ at home an’ let other people do the fightin’. He couldn’ve lived with himself if he hadn’ gone ter help –’
    Harry leapt up.
    ‘I’ve got to go and visit Ron and Hermione in the hospital wing,’ he said mechanically.
    ‘Oh,’ said Hagrid, looking rather upset. ‘Oh … all righ’ then, Harry … take care o’ yerself then, an’ drop back in if yeh’ve got a mo …’
    ‘Yeah … right …’
    Harry crossed to the door as fast as he could and pulled it open; he was out in the sunshine again before Hagrid had finished saying goodbye, and walking away across the lawn. Once again, people called out to him as he passed. He closed his eyes for a few moments, wishing they would all vanish, that he could open his eyes and find himself alone in the grounds …
    A few days ago, before his exams had finished and he had seen the vision Voldemort had planted in his mind, he would have given almost anything for the wizarding world to know he had been telling the truth, for them to believe that Voldemort was back, and to know that he was neither a liar nor mad. Now, however …
    He walked a short way around the lake, sat down on its bank, sheltered from the gaze of passers-by behind a tangle of shrubs, and stared out over the gleaming water, thinking …
    Perhaps the reason he wanted to be alone was because he had felt