Chapter 1027: Hagrid's Secret
Chapter 1027: Hagrid's Secret
After strolling outside the castle, the pair returned to their safe house in Hogsmeade. The gloomy weather was not conducive to a romantic walk, and it was much more pleasant to stay indoors, sipping tea and chatting.
Isobel often talked about her progress in potion research and sometimes shared news about her family or information she had gleaned from idle gossip with her friends via the two-way mirror. Occasionally, she would help Albert sort out the intelligence gathered from the gray area with the help of Dobby, her free elf.
Dobby had many connections with witches and wizards in the gray area, and for a small amount of galleons, many were willing to help gather information on the side.
After all, which wizard in the gray area didn't need extra money?
"Master, I have a message that may interest you."
The house-elf, Biter, entered the hall with a parchment in his hand and respectfully presented it to Albert.
"Thank you, Biter. I would like you to make paella for me tonight," said Albert as he took the parchment from the house-elf.
"It is my honor!" The house-elf left happily.
"What is it?" Isobel looked up and asked.
"Hagrid is back, and he's injured. He bought a large amount of fresh dragon meat from the black market," Albert said as he threw the note into the fireplace, watching it turn into ashes.
"Remember to come back early," Isobel said as she gave Albert a hug and kissed his cheek. "Do you want me to ask Dobby to bring you some oysters?"
"Garlic roasted oysters," Albert replied.
Although Albert had an instinctive aversion to raw food, he had to admit that the oysters from the cold northern waters were exceptionally delicious.
With the help of the house-elf, Albert easily apparated to the outskirts of Hogwarts Castle. The once bustling Quidditch pitch had fallen silent again, and the students from the two punished houses had returned to their common rooms.
Albert checked his pocket watch and quickened his pace toward Hagrid's hunting lodge.
"Your information is indeed well-informed. You came as soon as I returned," Hagrid said as he pushed away Fang, who was pawing at the door, and opened it to see Albert standing there. A smile spread across his face as he saw his old friend, although the smile seemed to tug at his injured face, causing it to twitch slightly.
"It looks like you haven't been doing too well lately. Do you need me to help heal your injuries?" Albert appraised Hagrid's face, which was barely holding its shape, and bent down to scratch Fang's head to keep the boisterous dog from jumping on him.
"Don't worry, it's just a minor injury," Hagrid said, stopping just short of thumping his chest to indicate that he could handle the pain. "I've prepared some dragon meat. It has pain-relieving properties."
"That may be true for you, but for ordinary people, getting injured like this would mean a stay of at least ten and a half months in the school hospital," Albert said as he fended off Fang, who was jumping around him excitedly. "You look like you've been beaten up pretty badly."
"Ahem, I fell," Hagrid said, changing the subject as he applied the dragon meat to his wounds, which seemed to ease the pain.
"Do I look like an idiot?" Albert raised an eyebrow in response.
"Ahem, we failed," Hagrid admitted, seeming reluctant to discuss his injuries further. He looked somewhat dejected as he recalled their mission, "I let Dumbledore down."
"Just as I told you before the summer holidays, Professor Dumbledore never expected you to succeed," Albert consoled him.
"That's impossible!" Hagrid argued loudly. "If what you say is true, then what was the point of spending over a month trying to find the giants?"
"Even if the chances of success were slim, it was still worth trying," Albert said without looking at Hagrid. He continued to stroke Fang's head indifferently, "At least you gave it a shot. Even if you didn't succeed, you never would have if you hadn't tried in the first place. Besides, even if you failed, the situation couldn't have gotten any worse."
That was just who Dumbledore was.
"Go ahead and tell me what happened. I'd like to hear your story," Albert prompted.
"You know?" Hagrid raised his eyebrows, but soon relaxed as it was, after all, Albert, and it wouldn't be surprising if he knew.
"Yeah, I guessed," Albert replied.
"Olympe and I went to look for the giants' camp. It took us quite some time to shake off the tail that the Ministry of Magic had put on us," Hagrid recalled the initially pleasant parts of their journey. He and Olympe Maxime had gotten along quite well.
He continued to recount some of the events after they had found the giants, and Dumbledore's good reputation seemed to hold some sway even with the giants, but...
"You encountered Death Eaters, and they easily persuaded the giants to side with them?" Albert asked.
"Yes," Hagrid said regretfully. "We were so close to convincing the giants' leaders, but on the second night, the original giant leader was killed by the other giants, undoing all our hard work."
"You don't need to blame yourself. In my opinion, failure was inevitable. Even if you had succeeded in convincing that giant leader, he still would have died," Albert said.
Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise at Albert's words, and he couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
"Giants are inherently aggressive and violent, prone to fighting. It's only natural that they would resent the wizards who exiled them to that desolate place, just as..." Albert trailed off, "people hate wizards who side with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and wish to see them all killed or locked up in Azkaban."
While the proposition from the mysterious person and the Death Eaters aligned more with the giants' demands; by pledging allegiance to the mysterious person, they could leave that godforsaken place, and Professor Dumbledore couldn't help them escape that damn cage. Do you understand now?"
"The Death Eaters easily persuaded the werewolves and other dark creatures to join their ranks because no one wants to live in a dingy, stinking gutter." Albert, seeing Hagrid's gaping mouth, steered the topic back to the main issue, "I came here to tell you about the situation at school."
"The situation at school?" Hagrid was a bit puzzled, unsure why Albert had come specifically to inform him about this, wondering if something significant had happened at Hogwarts.
"The Ministry sent an Undersecretary to Hogwarts to serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." Albert explained, "Her name is Dolores Umbridge, and you can consider her Fudge's lackey, sent to cause trouble for Professor Dumbledore and Potter."
"Trouble for Professor Dumbledore?" Hagrid frowned and asked.
"About the events at the end of last semester, you should also be aware that Fudge and Professor Dumbledore had a falling out. So, Fudge has been smearing Professor Dumbledore and Potter in the Prophet, and their relationship isn't exactly amicable at the moment." Albert gave Hagrid a brief overview of the current situation, "Potter was attacked by Dementors during the summer holidays and used magic to drive them away, but he ended up facing a formal trial at the Ministry for it, and I was present at that trial."
"Wait until I'm finished before you ask any questions." Albert stopped Hagrid from interrupting, and continued, "The Ministry, in their bid to oust Professor Dumbledore and expel Potter, and gain complete control over Hogwarts, issued an Educational Decree, allowing the Undersecretary, Umbridge, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. She's now a High Inquisitor."
"Fudge has granted Umbridge a lot of power through this decree; you can consider her almost a half-headmaster, minus the title."
"Not long ago, Umbridge began investigating the professors at the school. Professor Trelawney has already been put on probation, by the way. Incidentally, you were the first professor she wanted to sack."
"Just now, the match between Gryffindor and Slytherin ended, and an unpleasant conflict broke out between the two teams after the game. I suspect Harry will be permanently banned from Quidditch by Umbridge. That's the situation in a nutshell."
"Harry will be permanently banned?" Hagrid found this unbelievable; in just a few months, Hogwarts had undergone a drastic change.
"Yes." Albert nodded, "After the match, Gryffindor and Slytherin got into a scuffle, but Umbridge favored the Slytherin students. It's only natural for her to target Harry, and I even suspect she had a hand in instigating the conflict."
Hagrid opened his mouth, clearly unable to comprehend the situation, and asked, "So, she still wants to sack me?"
"Because you're a half-giant and one of Professor Dumbledore's close associates, she intends to make an example of you, to send a warning to Professor Dumbledore." Albert warned, "I think it won't be long before she comes looking for you, notifying you of an inspection of your classes. If your Care of Magical Creatures class is deemed unsatisfactory, she'll find an excuse to sack you directly."
"That's outrageous! She wants to investigate others, too?" Hagrid exclaimed, "How could Professor Dumbledore allow such a person to wreak havoc in Hogwarts?"
"Our Headmaster seems to think it's unnecessary to clash with Fudge, so he's chosen to make concessions." Albert continued, "But our Minister is taking advantage of the situation, bad-mouthing Professor Dumbledore in the Prophet, causing him to lose most of his titles and standing. Now, a large portion of the wizarding community believes that Professor Dumbledore is suffering from dementia, and he'll soon lose his position as Headmaster."
"What?!" Hagrid was furious and jumped up from his chair.
"Umbridge will drive Professor Dumbledore out." Albert warned, "She's already making a mess of the school. I suggest you ask Potter about the details; I think Potter and the others will also realize you're back soon and come looking for you."
"What should I do then?" Hagrid asked anxiously.
"Prepare well for your inspection and try to get through this first round." Albert checked his pocket watch and said, "I have to go now, Hagrid. Are you sure you don't need my help with your injuries?"
"No, thank you! And thank you for coming to tell me all this."
"I'll have a house-elf send some dittany; after your face has healed a bit, crush it and apply it to your wounds, they'll heal faster." Albert paused at the door and added, "Umbridge will target you sooner or later, so don't let your guard down, and don't underestimate her cruelty."
Albert did have dittany essence, which was very effective, but it might not be suitable for Hagrid's use. Fresh dittany might be slightly less effective, but it was available in large quantities, and Hagrid would likely need it often, as he tended to get injured frequently.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
