"It was really interesting," Hermione said as they headed up to the castle for lunch. "I didn't know half of what she told us about unicorns."

She had stayed by the unicorns when Megan had joined the boys, and hadn't yet seen the article.

"Hermione, read this..." Megan said bitterly as she handed her the paper.

Hermione read and went pale with fury.

"That foul hag!" she hissed. "How'd she get a hold of that?! Hagrid didn't tell her!"

"Of course not, he didn't even tell us..." Ron said.

Megan then groaned.

"I think I know how she found out..."

"What? How?" Hermione asked sharply.

She sighed and slid a hand through her hair unhappily.

"She must have heard him telling Madame Maxime... idiot, going out and saying it in the open like that! She must have been ferreting around for something to get back at him because she didn't have anything juicy to say about me!"

Her anger wasn't directed at Hagrid but herself. If she hadn't stood up to Rita Skeeter more, maybe none of this would have happened.

"Of course she would have heard, how else...? But what was she doing in the grounds to begin with? The Yule Ball wasn't planned to be covered by the Prophet...?" Harry said.

"Harry, she wrote that I was weeping about my parents every other minute!" Megan sighed in frustration. "D'you really think she'll let a little detail like that stop her when she wants something? She's a rotten snoop, and that's keeping it polite."

"But what was she doing in the grounds to begin with? The Yule Ball wasn't planned to be covered by the Prophet..." Hermione commented, frowning.

"Whatever she was up to, it's too late to undo it now..." Megan said heavily. "The best we can do is go assess the damage to Hagrid."

The others agreed wholeheartedly, so that evening, they tried heading down to his hut to see him. But for all their banging, Hagrid didn't open.

"What's he avoiding us for?" Hermione asked. "Surely he doesn't think we care about his being half giant?"

It seemed he did. He didn't show up all week, even missing meal times at the staff table. Malfoy, of course, used every chance he got to gloat and mock them, always safely behind the presence of a teacher so they wouldn't retaliate.

Halfway into January, there was a Hogsmeade visit. Cedric had planned to go with Cho, so he wouldn't be able to go with them.

"I would have thought you would use the quiet to concentrate on your egg," Hermione said when Megan said she was planning on going.

"Well... I have a fairly good lead..." she said.

"Oh, really? Well done," Hermione said.

It wasn't quite true. Megan had Cedric's hint, but was trying to solve the clue without it, so as to not risk anyone suspecting him of leaking information to her. So far, however, no good. And she wanted a break, maybe it would give her some ideas. Plus, she was worried about Hagrid. But even after looking around the shops and the Three Broomsticks, and the Hog's Head, they found him nowhere. So, disappointed and worried, they decided to have a Butterbeer and decide what to do next then.

"Wonder what he's doing here...?" Hermione said pointing at the far end of the bar.

Glancing to where she was looking, Megan saw that Mr Bagman was there, talking to goblins... Megan found that a little odd. But he was with the Ministry, and she was pretty sure they worked with Gringotts a lot. So maybe it wasn't so unnatural... Just then, he spotted her, and strode towards her.

"Megan!" he said brightly. "Pleasure to see you."

"Uh... hello, Mr Bagman."

"Mind if I borrow her a moment?" he asked the others.

"We'll get a table," Harry said.

Megan nodded and followed Bagman to a corner of the bar.

"I wanted to congratulate you again on your superb performance at the first task."

"Thank you..." she said.

She knew there was something else, or he would have said so in front of the others. She had a feeling it had to do with the unpleasant looking goblins he was with. They were eyeing him suspiciously.

"A real nightmare," he said in a low voice, catching her gaze. "Don't speak English very well..."

"What do they want?" she asked.

"... Well, to know where Mr Crouch is."

"He's in London, isn't he?"

"To be perfectly honest... I don't know. He's been absent the past couple of weeks. Percy says he's ill, that he's been sending instructions by owl... But don't tell anyone, would you, Megan? If Rita Skeeter finds out... she's still snooping around and she'd make it into something even worse than it is..."

"Sure..." Megan said.

It seemed to her he shouldn't have told her in the first place, but it was too late, now.

"How are you getting on with that egg?" he asked her.

"Er... okay..." she said, slightly taken aback by the change of subject.

"Listen... you were thrown into this, you didn't even volunteer... don't get me wrong, you've risen to the challenge beautifully." He added quickly. "But you are at a large disadvantage. If I can help at all... I've rather taken a liking to you... And we all want a victory for Hogwarts, don't we?"

"Did you offer Cedric help?" Megan asked carefully, feeling she knew the answer.

"Well... no, but as I said, you're disadvantaged... I just thought I'd offer..."

"Thank you. But the fact that you like me or I'm at a disadvantage doesn't mean I'm willing to cheat, Mr Bagman," she said coolly. "If I do win, I want to do it the right way."

"Hello, Mr Bagman," said Fred and George, appearing near them.

"Oh, hello... hello, boys..."

"Mind if we have a word?" George asked.

"Ah, terribly sorry boys, must dash..."

And with that he headed out of the bar, soon followed by the goblins.

Megan joined the others at their table.

"What did Bagman want?" Harry asked as she sat down.

"... To help me with the egg..." Megan said, frowning.

"He shouldn't be doing that!" Hermione exclaimed, scandalised. "He's an official judge!"

"I know, it's not my fault he's so keen to help me." Megan defended herself.

"Does he help Cedric too?" Harry asked.

"No, I asked."

"Well, I don't like it, and I don't think Dumbledore would." Hermione frowned. "Plus, those goblins didn't look very friendly... what did they want, did Mr Bagman say?"

"He said they were looking for Crouch." Megan said. "Hasn't been in."

"That's odd..." Harry said, frowning. "I mean, I know he can speak a load of languages, but Goblins don't usually deal with his department..."

The door of the pub opened.

"Oh, no..." Ron said.

Wearing an eyesore of banana yellow robes, Rita Skeeter had marched in with her photographer. She made her way to a table, our four friends glaring at her.

"Didn't seem very keen to talk, did he Bozo? Why would that be, d'you think?" she was saying, her overly jewelled spectacles tinkling. "I reckon we should do some digging. Yes, Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Sports, Ludo Bagman... snappy sentence, Bozo... now we just need a story..."

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Megan called loudly.

A few people in the pub, including Rita Skeeter, looked around.

"Megan!" she said brightly, beaming. "Why don't you come –"

"I wouldn't go near you with a ten-foot broomstick," Megan spat. "Why did you do that to Hagrid?"

"The public has a right to the truth, Megan..."

"Who cares he's a half giant!" Megan shouted. "Nothing's wrong with him!"

There was silence. Everyone stared at Megan and Rita Skeeter. Then, she snapped open her ugly crocodile handbag and pulled out some parchment and her stupid Quick Quotes Quill.

"How about giving me an interview of the Hagrid you know, then?" she suggested. "About your unlikely friendship? Would you say he's a father substitute?"

Hermione got up, shaking with fury.

"You foul woman..." she said through gritted teeth. "You don't care about anything but yourself, as long as you have a story, ruining people's lives is okay to you? Even ministerial staff?!"

"Be quiet, silly girl," Rita Skeeter said icily. "I know some things about the Ministry that would make your hair curl. Not that it needs it," she added, eyeing Hermione's hair.

Megan got up too, took Hermione's elbow and said loudly:

"Come on, let's go. Something smells off in here."

Ignoring the stares around them, they left and walked in silence.

"She'll be after you, next..." Ron warned Hermione and Megan after a moment.

"Oh, let her try!" Hermione snarled, still shaking with fury. "First Megan, now Hagrid! Oh, I'll get her for this, you wait and see!"

"Really, I wouldn't go upsetting Rita Skeeter," Ron insisted. "I mean it, she'll just dig up something unpleasant..."

"My parents don't read the Prophet, I won't be scared off! Silly girl indeed..."

"And she doesn't scare me either." Megan said. "It's not like my aunt and uncle care about my life, and I'm an oddity as it is. So that won't make much difference."

Hermione was marching up the road. Megan had seen her in similar rage before, the day she had hit Malfoy.

"Hagrid isn't going to hide any more either!" Hermione added. "He never should have let that pathetic excuse for a human upset him!"