Snape and Lily's daughter

Rita Skeeter

The girls then went downstairs to have breakfast in the Great Hall, and join the others. Grace sat facing Blaise. The two of them were a little uncomfortable after what had happened at the Ball.

"I'm sorry, Blaise." Grace spoke.

"For what? You didn't do anything, Grace."

"My father... he is very protective sometimes... But apart from him, I loved going to the Yule Ball with you." she said sincerely.

"Me too!" he said, a little embarrassed.

"Did you read the latest news about Dumbledore in the Daily Prophet?" Daphne Greengrass said.

"No, what news?" Astoria asked. Daphne took the newspaper, opened it to the news part, and read it to everyone nearby.

DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE

Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. In September of this year, he hired Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the parthuman Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures.

Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates.

An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening."

"I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."

Hagrid has no intention of ceasing his campaign of intimidation, however. In conversation with a Daily Prophet reporter last month, he admitted breeding creatures he has dubbed "Blast-Ended Skrewts," highly dangerous crosses between manticores and fire-crabs. The creation of new breeds of magical creature is, of course, an activity usually closely observed by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Hagrid, however, considers himself to be above such petty restrictions.

"I was just having some fun," he says, before hastily changing the subject.

As if this were not enough, the Daily Prophet has now unearthed evidence that Hagrid is not — as he has always pretended — a pure-blood wizard. He is not, in fact, even pure human. His mother, we can exclusively reveal, is none other than the giantess Fridwulfa, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Bloodthirsty and brutal, the giants brought themselves to the point of extinction by warring amongst themselves during the last century. The handful that remained joined the ranks of HeWho-Must-Not-Be-Named, and were responsible for some of the worst mass Muggle killings of his reign of terror.

While many of the giants who served He-WhoMust-Not-Be-Named were killed by Aurors working against the Dark Side, Fridwulfa was not among them. It is possible she escaped to one of the giant communities still existing in foreign mountain ranges. If his antics during Care of Magical Creatures lessons are any guide, however, Fridwulfa's son appears to have inherited her brutal nature.

In a bizarre twist, Hagrid is reputed to have developed a close friendship with the boy who brought around You-Know-Who's fall from power — thereby driving Hagrid's own mother, like the rest of You-Know-Who's supporters, into hiding. Perhaps Harry Potter is unaware of the unpleasant truth about his large friend — but Albus Dumbledore surely has a duty to ensure that Harry Potter, along with his fellow students, is warned about the dangers of associating with part-giants.

Daphne finished reading the article. Grace had expected such things from Malfoy and Crabbe, so she wasn't even shocked, disappointed or sad.

"How did she find out?" Megan asked.

"I don't know, but it seems pretty strange, doesn't it? That she got it from Hagrid or Dumbledore. It sounds like someone who's been spying..." Grace said suspiciously. "This woman had already written another article about Harry, and totally distorted the story..."

Later, Grace went with Harry, Ron and Hermione to Hogsmeade, she had arranged to go with them. The four of them went to the Three Broomsticks. When they entered there, they saw none other than Rita Skeeter. Harry was the first to approach her.

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry said loudly.

A few people looked around. Rita Skeeter's eyes widened behind her jeweled spectacles as she saw who had spoken.

"Harry!" she said, beaming. "How lovely! Why don't you come and join — ?"

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick," Harry said furiously. "What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"

"Our readers have a right to 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. Grace pulled Harry by the shoulder, trying to get the boy to stop drawing so much attention.

"How about givin 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?"

"You horrible woman," Hermione spoke, 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," Rita Skeeter said coldly. ""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," Grace said. "c'mon, Harry — Ron, Hermione..."

They left.

"She'll be after you next, Hermione," Ron said.

"I'll show her! Silly little girl, am I? Oh, I'll get her back for this. First Harry, then Hagrid..."

"It is better not to do anything, Hermione, then she will write something about you and you will regret it..." Grace advised her.

"My parents don't read the Daily Prophet. She can't scare me into hiding!" Hermione said.

The four of them then went back to school. While Harry, Ron and Hermione went to Hagrid's hut, Grace went to meet her friends.

When she got to the grounds of Hogwarts, Grace saw Blaise sat by himself, so she went straight to him.

"Why are you here alone, Blaise?" Grace asked curiously.

"I was waiting for you. I wanted to talk to you."

"You seem serious about it..." Grace said hesitantly.

Blaise took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to speak his mind. "Grace, I wanted to tell you this even though I know you don't like me this way..."

Grace knew what he had to say.

"I like you. I like you a lot... I know you like Draco, but I thought you deserved to know the truth..." he said without looking at her.

A few seconds passed before Grace said anything. "You know, I think Draco hurt me so much that I started to lose interest in him... Blaise, if I didn't like you, what happened at the dance wouldn't have happened..."

Blaise seemed surprised. "R-really?"

"Yes."

They both kissed again.