Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J. K. Rowling [356]
“What?” snapped Snape, though Harry knew he had heard perfectly well. “Oh — well — I suppose …”
“So that’s fifty each for Potter, the two Weasleys, Longbottom, and Miss Granger,” said Professor McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor’s hourglass as she spoke. “Oh — and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose,” she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw’s glass. “Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr. Potter, I think, Professor Snape — so there we are. …”
A few rubies retreated into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nevertheless.
“Well, Potter, Malfoy, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this,” Professor McGonagall continued briskly.
Harry did not need telling twice. He thrust his wand back inside his robes and headed straight for the front doors without another glance at Snape and Malfoy.
The hot sun hit him with a blast as he walked across the lawns toward Hagrid’s cabin. Students lying around on the grass sunbathing, talking, reading the Sunday Prophet, and eating sweets looked up at him as he passed. Some called out to him, or else waved, clearly eager to show that they, like the Prophet, had decided he was something of a hero. Harry said nothing to any of them. He had no idea how much they knew of what had happened three days ago, but he had so far avoided being questioned and preferred it that way.
He thought at first when he knocked on Hagrid’s cabin door that he was out, but then Fang came charging around the corner and almost bowled him over with the enthusiasm of his welcome. Hagrid, it transpired, was picking runner beans in his back garden.
“All righ’, Harry!” he said, beaming, when Harry approached the fence. “Come in, come in, we’ll have a cup o’ dandelion juice. …
“How’s things?” Hagrid asked him, as they settled down at his wooden table with a glass apiece of iced juice. “You — er — feelin’ all righ’, are yeh?”
Harry knew from the look of concern on Hagrid’s face that he was not referring to Harry’s physical well-being.
“I’m fine,” Harry said quickly, because he could not bear to discuss the thing that he knew was in Hagrid’s mind. “So, where’ve you been?”
“Bin hidin’ out in the mountains,” said Hagrid. “Up in a cave, like Sirius did when he —”
Hagrid broke off, cleared his throat gruffly, looked at Harry, and took a long draft of juice.
“Anyway, back now,” he said feebly.
“You — you look better,” said Harry, who was determined to keep the conversation moving away from Sirius.
“Wha?” said Hagrid, raising a massive hand and feeling his face. “Oh — oh yeah. Well, Grawpy’s loads better behaved now, loads. Seemed right pleased ter see me when I got back, ter tell yeh the truth. He’s a good lad, really. … I’ve bin thinkin’ abou’ tryin’ ter find him a lady friend, actually. …”
Harry would normally have tried to persuade Hagrid out of this idea at once. The prospect of a second giant taking up residence in the forest, possibly even wilder and more brutal than Grawp, was positively alarming, but somehow Harry could not muster the energy necessary to argue the point. He was starting to wish he was alone again, and with the idea of hastening his departure he took several large gulps of his dandelion juice, half emptying his glass.
“Ev’ryone knows you’ve bin tellin’ the truth now, Harry,” said Hagrid softly and unexpectedly. “Tha’s gotta be better, hasn’ it?”
Harry shrugged.
“Look …” Hagrid leaned toward him across the table, “I knew Sirius longer ’n you did. … He died in battle, an’ tha’s the way he’d’ve wanted ter go —”
“He didn’t want to go at all!” said Harry angrily.
Hagrid bowed his great shaggy head.
“Nah, I don’ reckon he did,” he said quietly. “But still, Harry … he was never one ter sit around at home an’ let other people do the fightin’. He couldn’ have lived with himself