Harry and the others thought Hagrid had chosen a rather poor excuse.
Hagrid, however, seemed perfectly calm. He rolled his eyes at Umbridge. "Getting some fresh air means relaxing your body and mind in fresh, open surroundings. It's a figure of speech. If you can't even understand that, the Ministry of Magic really is..."
Although Hagrid never said what it really was, his disdainful look said it all.
Umbridge's mouth hung open, as though all the air around her had suddenly been sucked away, making it difficult to breathe.
Was a half-giant questioning my command of language? Looking down on it?
He was, wasn't he? Wasn't he?
Th-this... wasn't this just too humiliating?
Even with skin as thick as Umbridge's, she flushed scarlet. She struggled to breathe deeply, then again, and once more, doing her utmost to preserve her last shred of dignity.
She had to, of course. Several students were still standing behind Hagrid.
For a Senior Undersecretary at the Ministry of Magic to have a poorer command of language than a half-giant was already deeply embarrassing.
If word then spread that, after being outdone by a half-giant, she had flown into a humiliated rage and lost all composure, the dignity she believed she possessed and took such pride in would be utterly gone.
That was something Umbridge could not accept. She could only struggle to suppress her anger and appear as unconcerned as possible. "Aha, you certainly have plenty of leisure for a professor. I shall report to the Minister that you returned so late merely to get some fresh air."
As she spoke, she took out a little notebook and wrote something down, then said coolly, "I'm not sure whether you know, but I can tell you. As High Inquisitor, I have another important duty: investigating whether