Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Chapter Twenty-Four Summary & Analysis

The next morning, Ron and Hermione are friendly but strangely formal with each other. Ron and Harry share what they heard about Hagrid's parentage, but Hermione isn't shocked. She suggests that the giants can't be too horrible and wonders if it's the same kind of bigotry that people show to werewolves.

With Christmas over, Harry thinks that the second task looks very close. He starts taking the egg out daily to listen, but nothing happens. Though he keeps Cedric's clue in mind, Harry desperately wants to figure it out for himself--especially when he sees Cedric holding Cho's hand in the hallways.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione get to Hagrid's for Care of Magical Creatures, they find a short witch who curtly introduces herself as Professor Grubbly-Plank, the temporary teacher. She refuses to tell them where Hagrid is and leads the class to a unicorn tied at the edge of the forest. She invites the girls to step forward and touch it and while the boys stand back, Malfoy smirks and hands Harry a newspaper clipping. It's an article written by Rita Skeeter outing Hagrid as being half-giant and including interviews with Malfoy saying that Hagrid "maims" students during lessons with dangerous animals.

Ron is dumbfounded that Rita Skeeter found out about Hagrid's parentage, while Harry hisses at Malfoy that most of the creatures haven't been that dangerous. After the lesson, Harry shoves the article at Hermione, who's also curious how Skeeter uncovered this information. She wonders if she heard Hagrid during the ball too, and Harry muses that she might have an Invisibility Cloak. After dinner, the trio goes down to Hagrid's cabin and bangs on the door, but Hagrid doesn't answer. Hagrid doesn't show himself for the next week.

Halfway through January, Harry lies to Hermione that he's figured out the egg so she doesn't scold him when he decides to go on the Hogsmeade trip. On their way to the village with Ron, they see Krum diving off the Durmstrang ship into the lake. When Ron looks hopeful that the giant squid might eat Krum, Hermione frowns and says he's actually really nice. Hogsmeade is uneventful and there are no signs of Hagrid. The trio does see Bagman sitting with three goblins who all look upset. They think it's strange that Bagman is in Hogsmeade when there's no reason to be there.

When he spots Harry, Bagman pulls him aside and, seeing Harry looking at the goblins, says that the creatures are a nightmare and he can't understand them. They want Mr. Crouch, who's stopped coming to work and says he's ill. Bagman asks Harry to keep this a secret, as Rita Skeeter is likely to insist that Mr. Crouch is missing like Bertha Jorkins. Bagman changes the subject and asks Harry how he's doing with the egg and again offers to help. When Harry refuses, Bagman looks disappointed and turns down Fred and George's offer to buy him a drink. The goblins follow Bagman out of the pub.

Harry and Ron are shocked that Bagman wants to help and Ron wonders jokingly if Percy poisoned Mr. Crouch so he'd be made head of the department. Rita Skeeter enters the Three Broomsticks with her photographer and the two mutter about why Bagman doesn't want to talk and what he's doing with goblins. Harry loudly asks her if she's trying to ruin other people's lives and asks why she wrote about Hagrid like she did. Skeeter invites Harry to tell his account of what Hagrid is like, which makes Hermione angrily stand and insult Skeeter. Skeeter coldly tells Hermione that she knows all sorts of unsavory things about Bagman and calls Hermione a "silly little girl."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave the pub and Hermione vows to get revenge. Ron cautions her to not get on Rita Skeeter's bad side, but Hermione angrily leads the boys to Hagrid's hut and bangs loudly on his door, shouting that Skeeter is awful and that Hagrid's being silly for ignoring them. She stops short when Dumbledore opens the door and pleasantly invites them in. Hagrid looks like he's been crying. Dumbledore conjures a tea tray and tells Hagrid that the trio still wants to be friends with him. After Harry insists that he doesn't care what Skeeter wrote, Dumbledore says that this is proof of what he's been saying all along: that parents will revolt if Hagrid loses his job. He reminds Hagrid that achieving universal popularity is impossible and says that he expects him back to work on Monday.

Dumbledore leaves and Hermione comforts Hagrid as he cries. When he collects himself, he pulls out a photo of himself with his dad as a child. His dad sits on Hagrid's shoulder. Hagrid says that Dumbledore believes that people can rise above unfortunate beginnings. He looks at Harry and says that he'd love it if Harry won the Triwizard Tournament. Harry lies and says that he has the egg figured out. On the way back to the castle, he decides to take Cedric's advice.