There was a pause in which Hagrid stared at her with his newly uncovered eye. Harry could almost hear his brain working furiously.
“I—I’ve been away for me health,” he said.
“For your health,” repeated Professor Umbridge. Her eyes travelled over Hagrid’s discoloured and swollen face; dragon blood dripped gently and silently on to his waistcoat. “I see.”
“Yeah,” said Hagrid, “bit o’—o’ fresh air, yeh know—”
“Yes, as gamekeeper fresh air must be so difficult to come by,” said Umbridge sweetly. The small patch of Hagrid’s face that was not black or purple, flushed.
“Well—change o’ scene, yeh know—”
“Mountain scenery?” said Umbridge swiftly.
She knows, Harry thought desperately.
“Mountains?” Hagrid repeated, clearly thinking fast. “Nope, South o’ France fer me. Bit o’ sun an’… an’ sea.”
“Really?” said Umbridge. “You don’t have much of a tan.”
“Yeah… well… sensitive skin,” said Hagrid, attempting an ingratiating smile. Harry noticed that two of his teeth had been knocked out. Umbridge looked at him coldly; his smile faltered. Then she hoisted her handbag a little higher into the crook of her arm and said, “I shall, of course, be informing the Minister of your late return.”
“Righ’,” said Hagrid, nodding.
“You ought to know, too, that as High Inquisitor it is my unfortunate but necessary duty to inspect my fellow teachers. So I daresay we shall meet again soon enough.”
She turned sharply and marched back to the door.
“You’re inspectin’ us?” Hagrid repeated blankly, looking after her.
“Oh, yes,” said Umbridge softly, looking back at him with her hand on the door handle. “The Ministry is determined to weed out unsatisfactory teachers, Hagrid. Goodnight.”
She left, closing the door behind her with a snap. Harry made to pull off the Invisibility Cloak but Hermione seized his wrist.
“Not yet,” she breathed in his ear. “She might not be gone yet.”