Miss Quinn

105 ~ Giants and Fights

Everybody got up late on Boxing Day. The Gryffindor common room was much quieter than it had been lately, many yawns punctuating the lazy conversations. Ron and Hermione seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement not to discuss their argument they'd supposedly had the night before. Harry revealed their fight was about Krum, and Emma and Venus shared a knowing look. Ron was jealous, and both were too stubborn to admit their feelings. Ron and Hermione were being quite friendly to each other, though oddly formal. Ron and Harry wasted no time in telling Hermione, Emma, and Venus about the conversation they had overheard between Madame Maxime and Hagrid, but none of the girls seemed to find the news that Hagrid was a half-giant nearly as shocking as Ron did.

"Well, I thought he must be," Hermione said, shrugging. "I knew he couldn't be pure giant because they're about twenty feet tall. But honestly, all this hysteria about giants. They can't all be horrible....It's the same sort of prejudice that people have toward werewolves....It's just bigotry, isn't it?"

Ron looked as though he would have liked to reply scathingly, but perhaps he didn't want another row, because he contented himself with shaking his head disbelievingly while Hermione wasn't looking.

It was time now to think of the homework they had neglected during the first week of the holidays. Everybody seemed to be feeling rather flat now that Christmas was over.

Emma spent most of her time either pouring over homework or spending time with Dean, Venus, and Seamus. She had to make up reasons to rush out of the great hall during meal times to talk with Malfoy. Since the Yule Ball he'd been acting rather strange towards her. She asked him what was bothering him and he brushed her away. While Emma had never expected them to be friends, she felt as if she were losing one. His coldness towards her was a blessing, but it also made her worry. His change in attitude might be bad for her, as he might have a change of heart about their deal.

Nonetheless, Emma tried her best to act as normal as possible for the remainder of the holidays, choosing to bring it back up when he couldn't get away. As classes started up again, Emma felt a sense of calm, as her schedule returned to normal.

Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that they couldn't see out of them in Herbology. Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Ron said, the skrewts would probably warm them up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire.

When they arrived at Hagrid 's cabin, however, they found an elderly witch with closely cropped gray hair and a very prominent chin standing before his front door.

"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked at them as they struggled toward her through the snow.

"Who're you?" said Ron, staring at her. "Where's Hagrid?"

"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated loudly.

"He is indisposed," said Professor Grubbly-Plank shortly.

Soft and unpleasant laughter reached Emma's ears. She turned; Draco Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins were joining the class. All of them looked gleeful, and none of them looked surprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"This way, please," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, and she strode off around the paddock where the Beauxbatons horses were shivering. Emma and her friends followed her, looking back over their shoulders at Hagrid's cabin. All the curtains were closed. Was Hagrid in there, alone and ill?