"Albert, do you know about Hagrid?"
Hermione hurried forward to stop Albert as he and the others got dressed and prepared to leave the Prefects' Bathroom.
"Hagrid's problem?"
Albert let Fred, George, and Lee Jordan leave first.
"Rita Skeeter reported on Hagrid's parentage in the Daily Prophet." After the three had gone, Hermione told Albert about Hagrid. "We went to see him some time ago, but he wouldn't open the door. I'm a little worried..."
"Oh, Hagrid went on and on about his mother being a giant, and Rita Skeeter overheard him?" Albert was not surprised in the least. "I imagine Hagrid's taken a heavy blow. Plenty of wizards have probably written to tell him to hurry up and die."
"There's nothing we can do. The matter has already spread everywhere. Whatever we do will be useless; we can only let it die down on its own."
Albert cut Hermione off before she could say what she wanted to say.
"Long ago, I warned Hagrid not to mention his parentage to anyone. More than once, I warned him, and I told him what the consequences would be." Albert sighed and shook his head helplessly. "But Hagrid clearly didn't take my words seriously, so you could say he brought this upon himself."
"Brought this upon himself?"
Hermione could hardly believe she had heard Albert say something like that.
"What else?" Albert asked. "What do you expect me to do? Go comfort Hagrid with you, only to be shut out with you?"
Hermione opened her mouth, but for a moment, she did not know what to say.
Even she did not know what she wanted Albert to do. She had stopped him merely because she wanted someone to discuss it with. In Hermione's eyes, Albert was far more reliable than Harry and