"Albert, do you know about Hagrid?"
Hermione hurried over 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 Hagrid's ancestry in the Daily Prophet." After the three had moved away, Hermione told Albert about Hagrid. "We went to see him a while ago, but he wouldn't open the door. I'm a little worried..."
"Oh, Hagrid went around talking about his giant mother and Rita Skeeter overheard?" Albert was not surprised in the least. "I imagine Hagrid took a huge blow. Plenty of wizards have probably written to tell him to hurry up and die."
"There's nothing we can do. The news is already out, and anything we do now would be useless. We can only wait for it to die down on its own."
Albert cut Hermione off before she could say what she wanted to say.
"A long time ago, I warned Hagrid not to tell people about his ancestry. More than once. I even told him what the consequences would be." Albert sighed and shook his head helplessly. "But Hagrid clearly didn't take my words seriously, so this can be considered him bringing it on himself."
"Bringing it on himself?"
Hermione could hardly believe Albert had said something like that.
"What else?" Albert asked. "What do you expect me to do? Go comfort Hagrid with you, only for all of us to be turned away at the door?"
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 simply because she wanted someone to talk to. In Hermione's eyes, Albert was far more reliable than Harry