"I have to go, Hagrid."
Albert took out his pocket watch, checked the time, then rose and said to Hagrid, who was sitting at the dining table plucking a chicken, "I'll come see you next time."
"Won't you stay for dinner?"
"No." Albert had no desire to fish strange things out of his plate. "Don't take what happened earlier too seriously. It's not worth worrying over."
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Hagrid tossed aside the half-plucked rooster and looked up at Albert, who was preparing to leave. "If I'd listened to you and kept my mouth shut, I wouldn't have ended up in this mess."
"I've never expected anyone to listen carefully to my advice or seriously consider it." Albert paused at the door of the Hunting Cabin and looked calmly at Hagrid. "Honestly, I'm not surprised you got yourself into trouble. Potter causes something every year too."
"You knew this would happen early on, didn't you? Maxime was smarter. She said she was just big-boned." Hagrid grew gloomy whenever the subject came up.
"I thought you'd call her Olympe." Albert bent down and rubbed Fang's head. "Don't dwell on it too much. Trust me, you and Madame Maxime will make up soon enough."
"Why?" Hagrid asked foolishly.
"Because you have common ground. As long as you don't do anything stupid, there's no problem with being friends, at least." Albert said goodbye to Hagrid and left.
At dinner, Hermione came over to talk to him about Winky, the House-elf. Albert had no interest whatsoever in Hermione's suggestion.
After all, he was planning to send Little Barty Crouch away as well. Though he would not be the one doing it, Albert was not so carefree as to take in a House-elf who might be deeply hostile toward him.
"Hermione, some things