"How could that happen? Dumbledore never said he was going to sack you." Harry's voice drifted out along with the light from the hut. "If he sacked you, where would he find a better Keeper of the Keys and Grounds?"
A series of gulping sounds followed. Hagrid had probably taken a long swig of his drink.
He said miserably, "He hasn't yet, but it's surely only a matter of time... Malfoy..."
"Oh, stop talking about him!" Ron grumbled. "I bet he's faking it. I know all his tricks."
"Exactly. Madam Pomfrey can heal anything," Harry said firmly. "She regrew half the bones in my body. She can definitely fix Malfoy."
Hagrid still looked upset. "Maybe I started off too ambitious."
"I should've saved the Hippogriffs for later... started you off with Flobberworms or something. I just wanted the first lesson to be exciting. I never thought anything like this would happen."
"Malfoy brought it on himself, Hagrid," Hermione said earnestly as she pushed the door open and came in.
"Oh, you two are back." Hagrid's eyes widened. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"What on earth was Clop playing at? I really ought to have a word with him!"
"Everything's fine now," Silan said.
Hagrid nodded in relief and took another long swig. "That's good, that's good."
"I haven't had a chance to thank you yet, Silan." Hagrid looked at him guiltily. "I did become a professor, but it seems I'm not much good at it..."
"Don't worry, Hagrid," Silan reassured him. "You might just be rushing things a little."
"I'd suggest rehearsing your lessons beforehand to make sure nothing goes wrong. Of course, you can always talk them over with us."
"Yeah, Hagrid, don't worry," Harry said. "We'll all support you."
"Boo-hoo... thank you." Tears spilled from the creases around