“An’ as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I’d like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D’yeh know, every
time
I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can’t get rid of her — Filch puts her up
to it.”
Harry told Hagrid about Snape’s lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that
Snape liked hardly any of the students.
“But he seemed to really
hate
me.”
“Rubbish!” said Hagrid. “Why should he?”
Yet Harry couldn’t help thinking that Hagrid didn’t quite meet his eyes when he said that.
“How’s yer brother Charlie?” Hagrid asked Ron. “I liked him a lot — great with animals.”
Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While
Ron told Hagrid all about
Charlie’s work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under
the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the
Daily Prophet
:
GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST
Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work
of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been
taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.
“But we’re not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what’s good for
you,” said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.
Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts,
but Ron
hadn’t mentioned the date.
“Hagrid!” said Harry, “that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might’ve been
happening while we were there!”
There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn’t meet Harry’s eyes this time. He grunted
and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again.
The vault that was searched had
in fact been emptied earlier that same day.
Hagrid had emptied vault seven
hundred and thirteen,
if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the
thieves were looking for?
As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock
cakes they’d
been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he’d had so far had
given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in
time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn’t want to
tell Harry?
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