Draco Malfoy insults Ron Weasley's family after Potions class, provoking Ron to grab Malfoy's robes in anger. Rubeus Hagrid intervenes, but Professor Snape arrives and punishes Ron, taking five points from Gryffindor. Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle leave, mocking Ron. Rubeus Hagrid tries to lift the boys' spirits by showing them the decorated The Great Hall, where Professors McGonagall and Flitwick are preparing for Christmas.
“Would you mind moving out of the way?” came Malfoy’s cold drawl from behind them. “Are you trying to earn some extra
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money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose—that hut of Hagrid’s must seem like a palace compared to what your family’s used to.”
Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.
“WEASLEY!”
Ron let go of the front of Malfoy’s robes.
“He was provoked, Professor Snape,” said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. “Malfoy was insultin’ his family.”
“Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid,” said Snape silkily. “Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn’t more. Move along, all of you.”
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.
“I’ll get him,” said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy’s back, “one of these days, I’ll get him—”
“I hate them both,” said Harry, “Malfoy and Snape.”
“Come on, cheer up, it’s nearly Christmas,” said Hagrid. “Tell yeh what, come with me an’ see the Great Hall, looks a treat.”
So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.
“Ah, Hagrid, the last tree—put it in the far corner, would you?”
The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.
“How many days you got left until yer holidays?” Hagrid asked.
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“Just one,” said Hermione. “And that reminds me—Harry, Ron, we’ve got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right,” said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.