Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 42 - Hagrid's Adventure

In an instant, Harry sprinted up to the boys' dormitory and came back with his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map. Hermione hurried to get us each a scarf and gloves before we all squeezed ourselves under the cloak and walked out of the common room.

We crept through the portrait hole and covered ourselves with the cloak before slowly walking down the steps and walking outside. It was snowing now, and the ground was covered in a thin layer of soft snow. I smiled to myself when I saw a warm light coming from the small windows on Hagrid's hut and smoke coming out of the chimney. When we reached the door, Harry frantically knocked, making Fang bark.

"Hagrid, it's us!"

"Shoulda known!" said a gruff voice. that made us all smile under the cloak.

Hermione screamed when Hagrid opened the door, making us jump slightly under the cloak. We walked in and pulled the cloak off ourselves once the door was closed.

"Merlin's beard, keep it down!" Hagrid said, but a wide smile was plastered on his face.

"Sorry!" Hermione said.

"Oh, Hagrid!" I sighed as I noticed his blood-soaked hair and the purple bruise covering his left eye. He moved gingerly toward the fire to place a kettle over it, and I thought perhaps his ribs were broken.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked as we sat down around the table.

"Nuthin'," He said. "Want a cuppa?"

"Come off it, you're in a right state!" Ron said.

"I'm tellin' yeh it's nuthin'," Hagrid sighed. "Blimey, it's good ter see you again — had good summers, did yeh?"

"You ought to go and see Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid," Hermione said anxiously. "Some of your cuts look really nasty."

"I'm dealin' with it, alright?"

He picked up an enormous steak — that looked as though it was poisonous and slapped it on his face, moaning in satisfaction.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Harry asked.

"Can't," Hagrid replied immediately. "Top secret. More'n me job's worth ter tell yeh that."

"Did the giants beat you up?" I asked and he looked at me with wide eyes. "We guessed..."

"Never known kids like you fer knowin' more'n yeh oughta," he said with a small smile.

"So you have been to look for giants?" Harry asked.

"Alrigh'... yes, yes I have."

"And you found them?"

"Well they're no difficult ter find, ter be honest," he said. "Pretty big, yer see."

The kettle started whistling, and he stood up to fill five cups with boiling water to prepare the tea. He began to recall his adventure to find Giants in France with Madame Maxime as we sipped the warm, comforting liquid.

"But, Hagrid," I said once he had finished talking, "that doesn't explain why you have all these injuries."

"Or why you came back so late," Hermione added but was interrupted by a sudden outbreak of rapping on the door. I jumped slightly, and she gasped, spilling her tea which soaked both our robes before crashing on the floor.

"It's her!" Ron said as he looked outside the window.

"Get under here," Harry said as he pulled us under the invisibility cloak. We all leaned against one another and backed up into a corner.

Hagrid walked toward the door and opened it, revealing Umbridge staring up at him.

"So," she said with an evil smile, "you're Hagrid?"

Without waiting for an answer, she entered the cabin. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. Harry must have felt it, for he squeezed my hand reassuringly, calming me down slightly.

"I don't mean to be rude but who the ruddy hell are you?" Hagrid asked.

"My name is Dolores Umbridge," she said. "I am the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and Hogwarts High Inquisitor."

"What's that?" Hagrid asked with a frown.

"Precisely what I was going to ask," Umbridge said as she pointed to Hermione's broken cup on the floor.

"Oh... that, er, that was Fang," Hagrid said unconvincingly.

"I heard voices," Umbridge said.

The four of us did not even dare move a finger as those words left her mouth.

"I was talking to Fang."

"There are four sets of footprints in the snow leading from the castle doors to your cabin," she said. I involuntarily clutched Harry's arm and Hermione gasped beside me and Ron quickly placed his hand over her mouth. She did not seem to have heard her though as she kept staring at Hagrid.

"Well, I on'y jus' got back, maybe someone came ter call earlier an' I missed em," Hagrid said.

"There are no footsteps leading away from your cabin door," Umbridge said, leaving Hagrid at a loss of words.

Umbridge then began to walk around the cabin. She peered under the bed, inspected inside the cupboards and the large cauldron before passing dangerously close to where we were standing.

"Where have you been?" She asked, centring her attention back on Hagrid.

"I — I've been away for me health," he replied after a moment, "bit o' — o' fresh air, yeh know —"

"Yes, as gamekeeper fresh air must be so difficult to come by," she said. When Hagrid did not say anything, she spoke again. "You ought to know too that as High Inquisitor it is my unfortunate but necessary duty to inspect my fellow teachers. So I daresay we shall meet again soon enough."

"You're inspectin' us?" Hagrid asked as she was walking toward the door.

"Yes," she said, "the Ministry is determined to weed out unsatisfactory teachers, Hagrid. Good night."

She left, closing the door behind her with a snap. Harry began to pull the invisibility cloak off us but I stopped him.

"Not yet," I whispered to him, "she might still be there."

"Blimey . . . inspectin' people, is she?" Hagrid said as he looked outside the window to make sure she was gone.

"Yeah," Harry said, pulling the cloak off. "Trelawney's on probation already. . . "

"Um . . . what sort of thing are you planning to do with us in class, Hagrid?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Oh, don' you worry abou' that, I've got a great load o' lessons planned," he told us, but Hermione seemed unconvinced.

"Look, Hagrid," I said, "Professor Umbridge won't be at all happy if you bring anything to class that's too dangerous —"

"Dangerous?" Hagrid said. "When have I showed yer somethin' dangerous?"

Hermione and I exchanged a look but said nothing.

"Hagrid, you've got to pass Umbridge's inspection."

"Yeah, she's looking for any excuse to get rid of teachers she thinks are too close to Dumbledore," I said. "Please just show us something dull that's bound to come up in our OWL."

"Lis'en, it's bin a long day an' it's late," he said, completely ignoring Hermione and I. "Look, don't worry bout' me, I'll be fine. Now you lot had better get back up to the castle, an' don' forget ter wipe yer footprints out behind yeh!"

"I dunno if you got through to him," Ron whispered under the cloak as we walked back to the castle. This time, we left no trace behind us as Hermione was performing an Obliteration Charm as we walked.

"I'll plan his lessons if I have to!" She said. "I don't care about Trelawney, but she's not taking Hagrid!"

I nodded, the last thing I wanted was for Hagrid to be forced to leave Hogwarts.