.Hagrid!..
Hagrid.was.standing.beside.the.doors.into.the.Entrance.Hall,.waiting.for.a.crowd.of.Ravenclaws.to.pass..He.was.still.as.heavily.bruised.as.he.had.been.on.the.day.he.had.come.back.from.his.mission.to.the.giants.and.there.was.a.new.ut.right.across.the.bridge.of.his.nose..
.All.righ.,.you.two?..he.said,.trying.to.muster.a.smile.but.managing.only.a.kind.of.pained.grimace..
.Are.you.OK,.Hagrid?..asked.Harry,.following.him.as.he.lumbered.after.the.Ravenclaws..
.Fine,.fine,..said.Hagrid.with.a.feeble.assumption.of.airiness;.he.waved.a.hand.and.narrowly.missed.concussing.a.frightened‐looking.Professor.Vector,.who.was.passing...Jus..busy,.yeh.know,.usual.stuff.
‐.lessons.ter.prepare.‐.couple.o..salamanders.got.scale.rot.‐.an..I.m.on.probation,.
.he.mumbled..
.You.re.on.probation?..said.Ron.very.loudly,.so.that.many.of.the.passing.students.looked.around.curiously...Sorry.‐.I.mean.‐.you.re.on.probation?..he.whispered..
.Yeah,..said.Hagrid...S.no.more.n.I.expected,.ter.tell.yeh.the.truth..Yeh.migh.
.not.ve.picked.up.on.it,.bu..that.inspection.didn..go.too.well,.yeh.know…
.anyway,..he.sighed.deeply...Bes..go.an..rub.a.bit.more.chilli.powder.on.them.salamanders.or.their.tails.ll.be.hangin..off..em.next..See.yeh,.Harry….Ron…..
He.trudged.away,.out.of.the.front.doors.and.down.the.stone.steps.into.the.damp.grounds..Harry.watched.him.go,.wondering.how.much.more.bad.news.he.could.stand..
*.
The.fact.that.Hagrid.was.now.on.probation.became.common.knowledge.within.the.school.over.the.next.few.days,.but.to.Harry.s.indignation,.hardly.anybody.appeared.to.be.upset.about.it;.indeed,.some.people,.Draco.Malfoy.prominent.among.them,.seemed.positively.gleeful..As.for.the.freakish.death.of.an.obscure.Department.of.Mysteries.employee.in.St.Mungo.s,.Harry,.Ron.and.Hermione.seemed.to.be.the.only.people.who.knew.or.cared..There.was.only.one.topic.of.conversation.in.the.corridors.now:.the.ten.escaped.Death.Eaters,.whose.story.had.finally.filtered.through.the.school.from.those.few.people.who.read.the.newspapers..Rumours.were.flying.that.some.of.the.convicts.had.been.spotted.in.Hogsmeade,.that.they.were.supposed.to.be.hiding.out.in.the.Shrieking.Shack.and.that.they.were.going.to.break.into.Hogwarts,.just.as.Sirius.Black.had.once.done..
Those.who.came.from.wizarding.families.had.grown.up.hearing.the.names.of.these.Death.Eaters.spoken.with.almost.as.much.fear.as.oldemorts;.the.crimes.they.had.committed.during.the.days.of.Voldemort.s.reign.of.terror.were.legendary..There.were.relatives.of.their.victims.among.the.Hogwarts.students,
.who.now.found.themselves.the.unwilling.objects.of.a.gruesome.sort.of.reflected.fame.as.they.walked.the.corridors:.Susan.Bones,.whose.uncle,.aunt.and.cousins.had.all.died.at.the.hands.of.one.of.the.ten,.said.miserably.during.Herbology.that.she.now.had.a.good.idea.what.it.felt.like.to.be.Harry..
.And.I.don.t.know.how.you.stand.it.‐.it.s.horrible,..she.said.bluntly,.dumping.far.too.much.dragon.manure.on.her.tray.of.Screechsnap.seedlings,.causing.them.to.wriggle.and.squeak.in.discomfort..