Aside from the latest article in the Daily Prophet, Sirius also pulled out a thick stack of letters... all brought by Dumbledore.
To some extent, Rita Skeeter's report wasn't wrong, because a lot of former students really thought Dumbledore shouldn't fire Hagrid, and mailed in letters about it.
The ones Sirius brought this time were just a portion; Dumbledore had even more, he just hadn't had time to read through them all yet.
The article, plus the letters, finally helped Hagrid regain his confidence,
"Thank you... thank you all."
He gratefully patted Sirius's shoulder. "I think I've got to get back right away. First lesson this afternoon is fourth-year Care of Magical Creatures, and I haven't prepared anything yet."
"Not staying here for lunch?" Kael asked.
"No, there's not enough time..."
With that, Hagrid hurriedly strode out of the entrance hall.
"Hagrid really ought to realize just how strong he is," Sirius muttered nearby, rubbing his own shoulder in a low voice.
That smack just now nearly broke his arm—he even heard his bones crack.
"You alright..." Kael looked at him with a faint laugh. "Need a trip to the Hospital Wing?"
"No need, I'm not that fragile," Sirius waved his hand. "By the way, how's your preparation for the second task going?
"Professor Dumbledore has been so busy the last few days, we hardly see him—probably because he's setting up the venue for the contest."
"Mm... it's going okay, I guess," Kael shrugged.
"Good, that's good." Sirius also clapped Kael on the shoulder. "I believe you can beat them all, especially Durmstrang. I really want to see Karkaroff's face when that happens."
With that, Sirius also left the entrance hall.
Kael and Conna walked into the Auditorium together.
"That Rita Skeeter actually spoke up for Hagrid," Conna said as she sat down, "You guessed it spot on."
"Of course," Kael replied, ladling stew into his bowl with a big-handled spoon. "I told you, Rita Skeeter is smart—she can definitely guess what we want her to do."
"So are you still going to send the photos to the Ministry of Magic?" Conna asked.
"Why do you think that?" Kael looked at her in surprise.
"You didn't actually promise her, did you?" Conna blinked. "I remember it perfectly. You just said you wouldn't release the pictures if you were in a good mood—not that you'd speak up for Hagrid."
"Hmm... well, what you say makes sense, but after thinking it over, I decided to hold onto the photos for now. After all, I'm a Champion now, representing Hogwarts, can't go around doing things that go against my conscience, right?"
Conna raised her eyebrows.
If it had been three or four years ago, she might've believed Kael when he said that, but things were different now... She didn't buy a single word.
"What are you up to now?"
"Nothing, I promise," Kael said, then hurriedly added, "At least, not right now."
"So, you mean, maybe later then?" Conna replied, and for some reason, she suddenly started to feel sorry for Rita Skeeter.
Who was the last person Kael had his sights on... oh, right, that rat Peter Pettigrew.
If it weren't for clearing Sirius's name, he might never have changed back, ever.
"But speaking of this, you actually reminded me," Kael patted his forehead, pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket, and turned it into an envelope.
He wrote Rita Skeeter's name on the envelope, then stuffed ten Galleons inside.
Whistling, Kael called. Ladon flew in from outside.
"Can you take this to the newspaper office for me?"
Ladon nodded, grabbed the envelope, and flew out through the little window near the ceiling.
Watching all this, Conna asked Kael in bafflement, "Why are you sending Rita Skeeter Galleons?"
"It's her payment for this time, obviously," Kael said. "The photos were just one part—if you want a better working relationship, giving a little benefit is necessary.
That way, she'll put more effort into her articles next time. It's just ten Galleons anyway—not much."
"Are you going to keep hiring her to write for the Daily Prophet?" Conna asked.
"What else? Other than her articles having a big audience, what other use does she have?" Kael replied, eating a bite of Yorkshire pudding.
Conna was momentarily speechless—Kael had just claimed he had no ulterior motives, and now he'd totally changed tune.
"Those things aren't mutually exclusive," Kael noticed her thoughts and explained, "It's always good to be prepared. You never know when you'll need something."
...
Mid-January marked the first Hogsmeade weekend since the start of term.
Kael didn't go to Zonko's Joke Shop with Fred and George; instead, he headed straight to Dervish & Banges, wanting to see if they'd gotten any new Magic Items in.
Unfortunately, it seemed the shop owner hadn't been out for a while; after browsing for ages, Kael only bought a few exploding beans.
They weren't that powerful, but could still give someone a good scare.
Afterward, Kael met up with the others—Cedric suggested heading to the Three Broomsticks for a sit-down.
The pub was as crowded as usual. Hagrid was sitting at the bar, drinking with Sirius; there were several empty bottles in front of him, so clearly he'd been there a while already.
Sirius, sitting opposite, seemed quite drunk; he was swaying, looking about to pass out any second.
"Oh, what's he doing here too..." Fred suddenly pointed at the bar mirror behind them. "There's no Triwizard Tournament event now, so they shouldn't need a judge, right?"
Kael looked up. Reflected in the mirror was Ludo Bagman, speaking in a low voice—and in front of him sat a few goblins, arms folded, all looking fierce and forbidding.
"What do you suppose they're talking about?" George asked.
"No idea, but I doubt he's in a good spot. That goblin looks pretty angry," Fred replied.
"You know, we should try to get Dad's Galleon back from him," George said, suddenly a little indignant. "That swindler... Good thing we didn't place any bets. He didn't even pay Dad's one Galleon—no way he'd ever pay us..."
As the two of them were talking, the bar door opened again—Harry, Hermione, and Ron came in from outside,
and not long after, Durmstrang's Krum arrived as well.
At that moment, Bagman suddenly left the goblins behind and hurried over.
"Ah, Viktor, so glad to see you here. I wonder, might I have a word with you in private? Don't worry, it won't take long."
Without waiting for Krum's reply, he dragged him to the other side of the bar.
The goblins kept a watchful eye on them, as if worried he might run at any moment.