When Kael and Sirius returned to Hogwarts through the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, Dumbledore and the others were already gone from the Headmaster's Office.
Fawkes, perched on his branch, lazily lifted his head to glance at them, then buried his head back into his wing again.
Phineas put on a show of greeting them, but Sirius ignored him completely, which made him swear up a storm in his portrait.
But by then, Kael and Sirius had already left the office and didn't hear a word he said.
When they reached the Entrance Hall, a group of students in a tense standoff immediately caught Sirius's attention. As a professor, he had to stay and deal with the situation.
Kael nodded his understanding, then walked out of the castle alone.
The snow outside the castle hadn't melted yet, pure white, with several long tracks in the snow—probably left by the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students.
Kael made his way through the grounds all the way to Hagrid's Hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Normally, Hagrid would have swept the front steps clean by this time, but now the snow was about to cover the stone steps, already dotted with a mess of footprints.
Clearly, someone had already been here.
"Listen to me, Hagrid..." came a voice from inside—it was Hermione's.
"You really don't need to be so sensitive about being a Half-Giant. I've always thought it's just a prejudice, like the way people think about Werewolves... it's just preconceived notions, that's all. The truth isn't anything like what the papers say, is it?"
"Hermione's right, Hagrid," Ron added.
"Don't listen to what those Slytherins say. Everyone knows you're not violent at all, and a lot of people like you."
"You don't need to comfort me," Hagrid said with a sob in his voice. "Last year Professor Lupin had to leave Hogwarts because he was a Werewolf, and I guess it's my turn this year... Nobody's going to like me. I know it."
"No way!" Harry said loudly. "We like you, and so does Angelina. She just got into a huge row with Slytherin for saying bad things about you—just now, in the Entrance Hall."
Hearing this, Kael realized who had been in the standoff in the Entrance Hall earlier.
But with Sirius there, Angelina probably wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
He reached out and knocked on the door.
"It must be Dumbledore—he's come to tell me to leave Hogwarts..."
Then, the door swung open.
Hagrid looked a complete mess. He'd obviously just been crying—his eyes were red and swollen, and his hair was all tangled into a wild nest on his head.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Kael said. "The Headmaster is with Karkaroff and Maxime right now, so he probably wouldn't have time to come here."
"Kael, you..."
"Can I come in first? It's freezing out here."
As he spoke, Kael squeezed past Hagrid and into the hut.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked over nervously, but relaxed the moment they saw it was Kael.
"Kael, did you come here because you read that article too?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah." Kael nodded. "I figured Hagrid might be in trouble, so I wanted to see if I could help."
"It's all because of Rita Skeeter," Harry said angrily. "That awful woman just lives to stir things up."
"You know her?" Kael asked.
"Met her once after the first task."
Harry sounded frustrated. "She asked me a few questions—I thought it was just a regular interview. But a few days later, she writes in the newspaper that I'm bitter about not being a Champion, and that I called Professor Dumbledore a senile old fool.
"But I never said anything like that. I would never insult Professor Dumbledore, and I never wanted to be a Champion.
"Just look at what the first task was—Zouwu, Fire Dragon. I'd be mad to want to be a Cham—uh, sorry, Kael, I didn't mean you."
"I know." Kael shook his head, not taking it to heart.
"Speaking of which," Hermione asked, "Hagrid, how did that woman find out you're a Half-Giant?"
"I don't know," Hagrid said. "I never told anyone except Ms.Maxime..."
"Ms.Maxime?" Ron said. "Isn't she a Half-Giant too?"
"That's what I thought at first," Hagrid said, "but then she flew into a rage and claimed she just has a big bone structure." Something seemed to occur to Hagrid, and he covered his face with one hand, letting out a moan.
"She must be too scared to admit it," Harry fumed. "'Big bones'... Who does she think she's fooling?"
"But it works, doesn't it? Don't forget, Hagrid's the only name in the paper."
Kael chimed in, "Being a Half-Giant isn't like being a Werewolf; you don't transform or anything. If you just deny it, then you're just 'big-boned.' All kinds of strange things happen in the Magic Realm—a couple of Wizards with unusual builds is nothing special."
"Wait—the newspaper?" Hermione said. "Kael, you think that Rita Skeeter overheard all this last night? But outsiders aren't allowed into Hogwarts. Hagrid, did you see her then?"
"I don't remember," Hagrid said. "...But I don't think so."
"Rita Skeeter can do magic," Kael shrugged and reminded them, "It's too easy for her to hide herself."
Everyone suddenly saw the light.
That explains it—why Rita Skeeter was so certain about Hagrid being a Half-Giant, because she heard it straight from him.
"I get it. It must have been the Disillusionment Charm," Hermione said after thinking for a moment. "She must have used the Disillusionment Charm to hide nearby and eavesdrop that night."
"Or maybe it was an Invisibility Cloak," Ron said.
"Or Animagus," Harry added. "Like Peter Pettigrew, changing into some really small animal. Hardly anyone pays attention to a Rat or a squirrel, do they?"
"I doubt it," Hermione frowned, "I've checked the Animagus registry for the century—Rita Skeeter's name isn't on it."
"Not everyone registers," Harry said. "Don't forget, Pete—Peter Pettigrew's name isn't on the list either."
He had almost said Sirius's name, but thinking of Hagrid's situation, he quickly corrected himself.
The three of them passionately discussed how Rita Skeeter found out about Hagrid's identity, but Hagrid himself didn't really care.
He just sat there, staring blankly at the teapot on the stove. Great plumes of white steam were pouring from the spout, but he didn't move a muscle.
"Could I have a cup of hot tea?" Kael said. "Just now, someone—don't know what they were thinking—insisted on treating me to ice cream in this freezing weather. I need something warm to drink."
"Oh, sure..." Hagrid finally reacted. He picked up the teapot and poured Kael a steaming cup of pine-needle tea.
Harry glanced at the heavy snow outside and shivered. "Honestly, even if someone offered me ice cream, I wouldn't eat it."
He liked ice cream too, but he'd never choose it in this weather—it was just too cold.
"Can't be helped, that person's really tough. Rolling around in the snow doesn't bother them at all."
Kael accepted the cup from Hagrid. "I didn't want to eat it either, but we'd already bought it—couldn't just waste it..."