So Jinx and Fred are officially together. :D

I've been waiting to write that for a while.

Now I have to figure out how to write romance...

Sheep.

Thanks to everyone who commented on Chapter 20! The comments were so sweet! You guys ship Frinx like a bunch of sailors! 

That's extremely cheesy, but I don't care.

Everybody got up late on Boxing Day. The Gryffindor common room was much quieter than it had been lately, many yawns punctuating the lazy conversations. Hermione's hair was bushy again.

Ron and Hermione seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement not to discuss their argument. They were being quite friendly to each other, though oddly formal. Ron and Harry wasted no time in telling Hermione and I about the conversation they had overheard between Madame Maxime and Hagrid, but Hermione didn't seem to find the news that Hagrid was a half-giant nearly as shocking as Ron did. 

"Well, I thought he must be," she said, shrugging. "I knew he couldn't be pure giant because they're about twenty feet tall. But honestly, all this hysteria about giants. They can't all be horrible.... It's the same sort of prejudice that people have toward werewolves.... It's just bigotry, isn't it?" 

Ron looked as though he would have liked to reply scathingly, but perhaps he didn't want another row, because he contented himself with shaking his head disbelievingly while Hermione wasn't looking. Fred wandered over to where we were sitting and kissed me gently. 

"Morning love," he said. 

"Morning," I replied. "How did you sleep?"

"Good, you?"

"Fairly well." He smiled and I smiled back. I noticed Ron looking between us with a shocked expression on his face. Harry just looked constipated. Hermione was grinning like mad. 

"You two are...?" Ron said, dumbfounded.

"Yup," I said. Ron frowned and turned to Fred. 

"You didn't even ask me!" he said hotly. 

"Ask you?" Fred repeated. "Why would I ask you?"

"She's my best friend!" Ron protested. 

"Ron, shut up," I said. "He didn't need to ask you, and we'll both date whoever we please."

Ron shut up, but still looked pissed.

It was time now to think of the homework we had neglected during the first week of the holidays. Everybody seemed to be feeling rather flat now that Christmas was over - everybody except Harry, that is, who was starting to feel slightly nervous. 

And so the first day of the new term arrived, and we set off to lessons, weighed down with books, parchment, and quills as usual, but I felt happier than I did before Christmas. Fred was the best person to ever spend time with. 

Snow was still thick upon the grounds, and the greenhouse windows were covered in condensation so thick that we couldn't see out of them in Herbology. Nobody was looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures much in this weather, though as Ron said, the skrewts would probably warm us up nicely, either by chasing them, or blasting off so forcefully that Hagrid's cabin would catch fire. 

When we arrived at Hagrid 's cabin, however, we found an elderly witch with closely cropped gray hair and a very prominent chin standing before his front door. 

"Hurry up, now, the bell rang five minutes ago," she barked at them as we struggled toward her through the snow. 

"Who're you?" said Ron, staring at her. "Where's Hagrid?" 

"My name is Professor Grubbly-Plank," she said briskly. "I am your temporary Care of Magical Creatures teacher." 

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry repeated loudly. 

"He is indisposed," said Professor Grubbly-Plank shortly. 

Soft and unpleasant laughter reached my ears. I turned; Draco and the rest of the Slytherins were joining the class. All of them looked gleeful, and none of them looked surprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank. 

"This way, please," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, and she strode off around the paddock where the Beauxbatons horses were shivering. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I followed her, looking back over our shoulders at Hagrid's cabin. All the curtains were closed. Was Hagrid in there, alone and ill? 

"What's wrong with Hagrid?" Harry said, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly-Plank. 

"Never you mind," she said as though she thought he was being nosy. 

"I do mind, though," said Harry hotly. "What's up with him?" 

Professor Grubbly-Plank acted as though she couldn't hear him. She led us past the paddock where the huge Beauxbatons horses were standing, huddled against the cold, and toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered. 

Many of the girls "ooooohed!" at the sight of the unicorn. 

"Oh it's so beautiful!" whispered Lavender Brown. "How did she get it? They're supposed to be really hard to catch!" 

The unicorn was so brightly white it made the snow all around look gray. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves and throwing back its horned head. 

"Boys keep back!" barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, throwing out an arm and catching Harry hard in the chest. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it...." 

We girls crept forward to the unicorn. Professor Grubbly-Plank was saying stuff, but I ignored most of it. 

"Hey gorgeous," I whispered as I stroked it's pure white muzzle. The unicorn shook out it's mane. The other girls started petting it and I decided to back off for a bit, just watching the beautiful creature.

"I hope she stays, that woman!" said Parvati Patil when the lesson had ended and we were all heading back to the castle for lunch. "That's more what I thought Care of Magical Creatures would be like... proper creatures like unicorns, not monsters...." 

"What about Hagrid?" Harry said angrily as we went up the steps. 

"What about him?" said Parvati in a hard voice. "He can still be gamekeeper, can't he?" 

Parvati had been very cool toward Harry since the ball. I supposed that he ought to have paid her a bit more attention, but she seemed to have had a good time all the same. She was certainly telling anybody who would listen that she had made arrangements to meet the boy from Beauxbatons in Hogsmeade on the next weekend trip. 

"That was a really good lesson," said Hermione as we entered the Great Hall. "I didn't know half the things Professor Grubbly-Plank told us about uni -" 

"Look at this!" Harry snarled, and he shoved the Daily Prophet article under Hermione's nose. 

Hermione's mouth fell open as she read. I read over her shoulder. It was some crap by Skeeter about how Hagird was half-giant.

"How did that horrible Skeeter woman find out? You don't think Hagrid told her?" 

"No," said Harry, leading the way over to the Gryffindor table and throwing himself into a chair, furious. "He never even told us, did he? I reckon she was so mad he wouldn't give her loads of horrible stuff about me, she went ferreting around to get him back." 

"Maybe she heard him telling Madame Maxime at the ball," said Hermione quietly. 

"We'd have seen her in the garden!" said Ron. "Anyway, she's not supposed to come into school anymore, Hagrid said Dumbledore banned her...." 

"Maybe she's got an Invisibility Cloak," said Harry, ladling chicken casserole onto his plate and splashing it everywhere in his anger. "Sort of thing she'd do, isn't it, hide in bushes listening to people." 

"Like you and Ron did, you mean," said Hermione. 

"We weren't trying to hear him!" said Ron indignantly. "We didn't have any choice! The stupid prat, talking about his giantess mother where anyone could have heard him!" 

"We've got to go and see him," said Harry. "This evening, after Divination. Tell him we want him back... you do want him back?" he shot at Hermione. 

"I - well, I'm not going to pretend it didn't make a nice change, having a proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson for once - but I do want Hagrid back, of course I do!" Hermione added hastily, quailing under Harry's furious stare. 

So that evening after dinner, the four of us left the castle once more and went down through the frozen grounds to Hagrid's cabin. We knocked, and Fang's booming barks answered. 

"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry shouted, pounding on the door. "Open up!" 

Hagrid didn't answer. We could hear Fang scratching at the door, whining, but it didn't open. We hammered on it for ten more minutes; Ron even went and banged on one of the windows, I swore a little bit, but there was no response. 

"What's he avoiding us for?" Hermione said when we had finally given up and were walking back to the school. "He surely doesn't think we'd care about him being half-giant?" 

But it seemed that Hagrid did care. We didn't see a sign of him all week. He didn't appear at the staff table at mealtimes, we didn't see him going about his gamekeeper duties on the grounds, and Professor Grubbly-Plank continued to take the Care of Magical Creatures classes. Draco was gloating at every possible opportunity. 

"Missing your half-breed pal?" he kept whispering to Harry whenever there was a teacher around, so that he was safe from Harry's retaliation. "Missing the elephant-man?" 

There was a Hogsmeade visit halfway through January. Hermione was very surprised that Harry was going to go. 

"I just thought you'd want to take advantage of the common room being quiet," she said. "Really get to work on that egg." 

"Oh I - I reckon I've got a pretty good idea what it's about now," Harry said. 

He's lying.

I can tell.

Lying little fucker.

"Have you really?" said Hermione, looking impressed. "Well done!" 

The three of them went off the Hogsmeade together. Fred and I were going to spend a bit of time together alone.

And by that I mean we were going to go to Hogsmeade for a bit then come back and snog.

We're charming, really. 

"Where to first?" Fred asked as we walked into Hogsmeade, hand in hand.

"Zonko's?" I suggested. "We could pull a couple pranks while everyone's out of the castle."

"Have I ever told you that I like you?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm saying it again. I like you."

I smiled and we strolled into Zonko's. 

"Shall we plant a surprise for Slytherin?" I suggested, wiggling my eyebrows attractively. 

And by attractively I mean not at all attractively. 

 "Too typical," Fred said. 

"Ravenclaw?"

"Too smart -- They'll know it was us."

"Hufflepuff?"

"Puffies are too cute."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You said Puffies were cute."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"You're delusional."

"A bit, but this time I'm not."

"How about we prank the entire school?"

"How?"

"Give all the statues hats?"

"Jinx likey."

"Fred likey Jinx."

"Stop you're making me blush."

So we went and we bought hats. Then we went and drank butterbeer. Then we went back to the castle and put hats on all the statues. Then we snogged. Then we decided to go for a walk on the grounds.

That's when I saw Hermione, Harry, and Ron, running toward's Hagrid's. 

"Wonder what those three are up to...." Fred mused. I sighed. He looked at me. "Oh, go on. I know you four can't stay apart for long."

I kissed him quickly and ran towards them, reaching the door at the same time as them. 

"Hello," I said breathlessly.

"Hi," Hermione said breathlessly.

"Your lips are chapped," Ron said breathlessly. I licked them selfconciously. They still tasted like Fred.

"What you three up to?" I asked. 

"This," Hermione answered. She turned to Hagrid's cabin.

The curtains were still drawn, and we could hear Fang barking. 

"Hagrid!" Hermione shouted, pounding on his front door. "Hagrid, that's enough! We know you're in there! Nobody cares if your mum was a giantess, Hagrid! You can't let that foul Skeeter woman do this to you! Hagrid, get out here, you're just being -" 

The door opened. Hermione said, "About it-!" and then stopped, very suddenly, because she had found herself face-to-face, not with Hagrid, but with Albus Dumbledore. 

"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, smiling down at us.

"Good going Hermione," I whispered.  

"We, er, we wanted to see Hagrid," said Hermione in a rather small voice. 

"Yes, I surmised as much," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Why don't you come in?" 

"Oh... um... okay," said Hermione. 

Nah....

She's cute.

I'M NOT A LESBIAN. 

I HAVE A BOYFRIEND.

GOD.

She, Ron, Harry and I went into the cabin; Fang launched himself upon Harry the moment he entered, barking madly and trying to lick his ears. Harry fended off Fang and looked around. 

Hagrid was sitting at his table, where there were two large mugs of tea. He looked a real mess. His face was blotchy, his eyes swollen, and he had gone to the other extreme where his hair was concerned; far from trying to make it behave, it now looked like a wig of tangled wire. 

"Hi, Hagrid," said Harry. 

Hagrid looked up. 

"'Lo," he said in a very hoarse voice. 

"More tea, I think," said Dumbledore, closing the door behind Harry, Ron, Hermione and I, drawing out his wand, and twiddling it; a revolving tea tray appeared in midair along with a plate of cakes. Dumbledore magicked the tray onto the table, and everybody sat down. There was a slight pause, and then Dumbledore said, "Did you by any chance hear what Miss Granger was shouting, Hagrid?" 

Hermione went slightly pink, but Dumbledore smiled at her and continued, "Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Jinx still seem to want to know you, judging by the way they were attempting to break down the door." 

"Of course we still want to know you!" Harry said, staring at Hagrid. "You don't think anything that Skeeter cow - sorry, Professor," he added quickly, looking at Dumbledore. 

"I have gone temporarily deaf and haven't any idea what you said. Harry," said Dumbledore, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling.

I love Dumbledore.

I'd date him if he wasn't gay.

That's right.

G-A-Y. 

He'll be my biffle instead.

"Er-right," said Harry sheepishly. "I just meant - Hagrid, how could you think we'd care what that - woman - wrote about you?" 

Two fat tears leaked out of Hagrid's beetle-black eyes and fell slowly into his tangled beard. 

"Living proof of what I've been telling you, Hagrid," said Dumbledore, still looking carefully up at the ceiling. "I have shown you the letters from the countless parents who remember you from their own days here, telling me in no uncertain terms that if I sacked you, they would have something to say about it - " 

"Not all of 'em," said Hagrid hoarsely. "Not all of 'em wan me ter stay." 

"Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time," said Dumbledore, now peering sternly over his half-moon spectacles. "Not a week has passed since I became headmaster of this school when I haven't had at least one owl complaining about the way I run it. But what should I do? Barricade myself in my study and refuse to talk to anybody?" 

"Yeh - yeh're not half-giant!" said Hagrid croakily. 

"Hagrid, look what I've got for relatives!" Harry said furiously. "Look at the Dursleys!" 

"An excellent point," said Professor Dumbledore. "My own brother, Aberforth, was prosecuted for practicing inappropriate charms on a goat. It was all over the papers, but did Aberforth hide? No, he did not! He held his head high and went about his business as usual! Of course, I'm not entirely sure he can read, so that may not have been bravery...." 

Inappropiate charms on a goat....

Why do I always take things the wrong way?

"Come back and teach, Hagrid," said Hermione quietly, "please come back, we really miss you." 

Hagrid gulped. More tears leaked out down his cheeks and into his tangled beard. 

Dumbledore stood up. "I refuse to accept your resignation, Hagrid, and I expect you back at work on Monday," he said. "You will join me for breakfast at eight-thirty in the Great Hall. No excuses. Good afternoon to you all." 

Dumbledore left the cabin, pausing only to scratch Fangs ears. When the door had shut behind him, Hagrid began to sob into his dustbin-lid-sized hands. Hermione kept patting his arm, and at last, Hagrid looked up, his eyes very red indeed, and said, "Great man, Dumbledore... great man...." 

"Yeah, he is," said Ron. "Can I have one of these cakes, Hagrid?" 

"Help yerself," said Hagrid, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. "Ar, he's righ', o' course - yeh're all righ'... I bin stupid... my ol' dad woulda bin ashamed o' the way I've bin behavin'...." More tears leaked out, but he wiped them away more forcefully, and said, "Never shown you a picture of my old dad, have I? Here..." 

Hagrid got up, went over to his dresser, opened a drawer, and pulled out a picture of a short wizard with Hagrid's crinkled black eyes, beaming as he sat on top of Hagrid's shoulder. Hagrid was a good seven or eight feet tall, judging by the apple tree beside him, but his face was beardless, young, round, and smooth - he looked hardly older than eleven. 

"Tha was taken jus' after I got inter Hogwarts," Hagrid croaked. "Dad was dead chuffed... thought I migh' not be a wizard, see, 'cos me mum... well, anyway. 'Course, I never was great shakes at magic, really... but at least he never saw me expelled. Died, see, in me second year...." 

"Dumbledore was the one who stuck up for me after Dad went. Got me the gamekeeper job... trusts people, he does. Gives 'em second chances... tha's what sets him apar' from other heads, see. He'll accept anyone at Hogwarts, s'long as they've got the talent. Knows people can turn out okay even if their families weren'... well... all tha' respectable. But some don understand that. There's some who'd always hold it against yeh... there's some who'd even pretend they just had big bones rather than stand up an' say - I am what I am, an' I'm not ashamed. 'Never be ashamed,' my ol' dad used ter say, 'there's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth botherin' with.' An' he was right. I've bin an idiot. I'm not botherin' with her no more, I promise yeh that. Big bones... I'll give her big bones." 

People can turn out okay even if their families weren't respectable....

People... people like me....

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another nervously.

"Yeh know wha, Harry?" he said, looking up from the photograph of his father, his eyes very bright, "when I firs' met you, you reminded me o' me a bit. Mum an' Dad gone, an' you was feelin' like yeh wouldn' fit in at Hogwarts, remember? Not sure yeh were really up to it... an' now look at yeh, Harry! School champion!" 

He looked at Harry for a moment and then said, very seriously, "Yeh know what I'd love. Harry? I'd love yeh ter win, I really would. It'd show 'em all... yeh don' have ter be pureblood ter do it. Yeh don have ter be ashamed of what yeh are. It'd show 'em Dumbledore's the one who's got it righ', lettin' anyone in as long as they can do magic. How you doin' with that egg, Harry?" 

"Great," said Harry. "Really great." 

Hagrid's miserable face broke into a wide, watery smile. 

"Tha's my boy... you show 'em, Harry, you show 'em. Beat 'em all." 

And in that moment I realized something. Harry's never had much for a family -- that year with his parents hardly counted. But once he came to Hogwarts, he had Hagrid. How many times has Hagrid helped us? Cared for us? Hagrid was really Harry's father figure. Sure, Sirius is his legal guardian, but he wasn't there for years, and we thought he was a murderer for a year. But Hagrid never let us down. He's always been there.

And I don't think that Harry's ever realized how lucky he is.