Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

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"So someone was in the Prefects' Bathroom with you? That's scary!" Harry asked her, sounding fearful, after she finished telling him of what had happened and telling him about the code the egg said to her. 

"I'm not sure who it was, but they seem like they were trying to hide something. Whatever it was they were drinking, is clearly something they don't other people to find out." Hermione stated to Harry. 

"Are you sure you seriously knew Hagrid was half-giant?" Harry asked while Ron nodded while kept quiet to himself.

"I thought he must be. I knew he couldn't be pure giant because they're about twenty feet tall. But they can't all be horrible... it's the same sort of prejudice people have towards werewolves. Just mere bigotry, isn't it?" Hermione explained to Harry while they made their way to Hagrid's hut to go to Care of Magical Creatures. However, to their surprise, they didn't find Hagrid, but an elderly witch. 

"Um-- Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked her. 

"I'm Professor Grubbly-Plank," she told them, "I'm the temporary the Care of Magical Creatures teacher while Hagrid is indisposed." 

The three of them glanced at each other before Professor Grubby-Plank motioned for them past the paddock with the Beauxbatons horses were and towards where a unicorn stood tethered. Hermione stared in awe as the unicorn shot its head up and look directly at her. 

"Boys keep back!" Professor Grubbly-Plank barked, "unicorns prefers the woman's touch. Girls to the front and approach with care." 

Hermione and the other girls proceeded closer as the unicorn tossed its head here and there. The girls began petting the sides of the unicorn as Hermione gently rubbed its face. She felt like there was something glowing about the unicorn. 

"What do you mean, 'we all hate Hagrid'?" Hermione could hear Harry speak. She peered to the side so she was trying to listen to the Professor while trying to understand what's going on, "What's this rubbish about Crabbe getting a bad bite off a flobberworm? They haven't even got teeth!" 

"Well, I think this should put an end to the oaf's teaching career," Malfoy blurted out, "Half-giant.. none of the mummies and daddies are going to like this at all..." 

Hermione felt a surge of anger rush through her, upset with what Malfoy had to say about the whole thing. 

Hermione was still fuming about what Skeeter wrote in her article. Especially after their visit to Hagrid's hut where he didn't answer the door. She was glad when the Hogsmeade trip came and after checking the other shops for Hagrid, they made their way towards the Three Broomsticks. However, they didn't find Hagrid there at all either, which dishearten them. As they were ordering for butterbeer, Ludo Bagman suddenly showed up and insisted to talk with Harry alone. 

Hermione and Ron moved to the side as they waited for Ludo and Harry to be done. Hermione couldn't help but notice the crowd of Goblins sitting at the table Ludo had been at. After a few minutes, Ludo seemed to vanish as quickly as he had requested for Harry to talk to him. Hermione and Ron hurried back to the bar top as they asked Harry what was going on. 

"He was trying to help me with winning the tournament." Harry told them. 

"He shouldn't be doing that!" Hermione claimed, "He's one of the judges! And I surely don't think Dumbledore would like it if he knew Bagman was trying to persuade you to cheat... is he even trying to help Cedric as much because he surely wasn't trying to help me?"

"He's not, I asked him." 

"And those goblins?" Hermione asked, "What were they doing here?" 

"Looking for Crouch, according to Bagman."  

"Really?"

"Yeah, apparently he hasn't been to work for a while, claiming he might still be ill." Harry mumbled to them. 

"Or maybe Percy's poisoning him so he'll be the new Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation." Ron suggested to them. 

"This is no time to be joking about something like that. Heard about the disappearance of Bertha Jenkins? Maybe something bad happened to him?" Hermione suggested, "You don't think... his son got to him, do you?" 

"Why? His son seems more interested in you than his dad," Ron told Hermione. 

"Oh no! Look who just came in?" Harry growled. Hermione peered over to see Rita Skeeter walking in with a photographer, mumbling something about Bagman and digging into him and began mumbled about a title of Bagman that made him look bad. 

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry hissed loudly, earning a few stares from other people. Rita Skeeter turned towards them as she seemed to figure out that she was the one they were talking to. 

"Harry! Hermione! How lovely! Why don't you come and join--" Rita started when Harry cut in. 

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick! What you did to Hagrid is unspeakable!" Harry shouted at her. 

"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing--" 

"Truth? HA! You clearly aren't the brightest person, are you? Because if you were, you would know Malfoy and his goons lied to you about those incidents they told you about! Did they tell you how even after Hagrid warned everyone not to insult a hippogriff for risking to get attack by one, Malfoy went ahead and did so, which was the reason the hippogriff attacked? And the fact there's no way Crabbe could have been bitten by a flobberworm? They don't even have teeth!" Hermione shot at her. A couple of the patron began to mumble, shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders. Rita looked like she was about to explode. 

"Besides, that comment about 'we hate Hagrid' is also a lie! We love Hagrid! He's one the greatest teachers around! We don't care if he's half-giant! There's nothing wrong with him! But you, I list a million things that are wrong about you." Harry stated to her. Rita suddenly pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill and said,

"Then perhaps you guys would love to tell me about the Hagrid you know? Then Hermione, dear, you can also tell me about your relationship with the notorious... savage... Fenrir Greyback?"

Everyone suddenly shuttered and began mumbling amongst themselves. A few, who were sitting by the trio, got up and moved as far away from them as possible. Hermione shot a glare at Rita. 

"Oh please! You don't care anything about the truth!" Hermione stated before turning towards Ron and Harry, "C'mon Harry and Ron. Let's get out of her. There's only so much I can handle with the stench of trash." 

A few gasped and another whispered an 'oooh' under their breath. Rita's hands tightened into fists as she watched the trio walked out of the pub. 

"Hermione you shouldn't have done that! She'll be after you next, Hermione!" Ron warned her with a worried tone. 

"Oh! I dare her to try something!" Hermione growled in a tone that didn't even sound like herself. 

Upon entering the dorm room, Hermione paced from side to side till a sudden urge popped inside her. Slowly her eyes lowered down where they landed on the mysterious trunk. She darted her eyes back and forth to see if anyone was coming. Once she was sure no one was there, she pulled the trunk out and mumbled...

"I require a bit of aid, to settle a debt that needs to be paid," 

The trunk then opened... and a clawed hand slowly crawled out.