In the book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", there is an interesting sub-plot involving Hagrid, the beloved "care of magical creatures" professor. Hagrid loves the students, and welcomes Harry and his friends into his home on several occasions (in what was not considered proper conduct for a professor, mind you). But Hagrid, the gentle giant, loves his students to a fault.

At one point in the story, a busybody gossip-monger named Rita Skeeter discovers that Hagrid's personal background is not spotless, and that he has concealed a fact about himself that he feared would embarrass and scandalize him and his work. It's not a dreadful secret, but because of the prejudices of others he has denied it and hoped that his work at Hogwarts would never be jeopardized by it.

Well, of course, this is too much for Rita Skeeter! With evangelical glee at discovering the "scandal" (that Hagrid is, in fact, half-giant), Skeeter decides to "out" Hagrid. Her motives are purely to relish the power of possessing a secret and cause controversy, but she makes herself appear noble and superior by claiming, of course, that she is merely looking out for the good of others, so that future students would not be at risk of harm by this awful man, who is clearly an out-of-control heel with immorality run amok and a background of scandal that would (*gasp!*) SHOCK those who knew it and had ever trusted Hagrid. Skeeter pretends, in her expose, that she has irrefutable proof that Hagrid is vicious and harmful to his trusting students, whom he has lured into false adoration of him for the purpose of corrupting and manipulating them. Skeeter strings together her deformed half-truths to imply that Hagrid is not merely a fallible oaf whose heart outweighs his brain, but a cunning and duplicitous ogre of a man from whom Skeeter is most valiantly protecting all the innocent people around him!

Well, this brings the Wizarding community into an uproar. Hanging on Rita Skeeter's every gossip-drenched word, Hagrid is the target of furious accusations and condemnation by those who, despite having no knowledge other than Skeeter's tabloid-grade portrayals, suddenly see Hagrid as a pox. Hagrid is deeply wounded, ashamed, and can barely face his beloved friends. Harry, Ron, and Hermione plead and plead with Hagrid to continue his friendship with them because, as they point out, they love Hagrid for who they know him to be, NOT for any delusional assumption that he has always been a perfect man, role model, and professor. To them, it's Hagrid's gentle loyalty to them, his goofiness, his affection for them, that matters, not his past.

The tale ends with the three young students visiting Hagrid once more at his cottage, and Dumbledore happens to be there as well. Harry calls to Hagrid from outside the door, "Please talk to us! We don't care what that Rita Skeeter person wrote--she says stuff like this about all of us, all the time! We love you!"

Dumbledore opens Hagrid's door and lets them in, where they see Hagrid at the table, stooped over in misery. Dumbledore says to him, "have you heard what they just said to you? Did you even listen to them?" He reminds Hagrid that even he has had constant criticism for his methods, for breaking the rules of the Ministry of Magic, and for taking controversial stands. Dumbledore reminds Hagrid that he faces constant calls for his removal by the umbridge-filled parents of certain students. And he concludes by reminding Hagrid,

"If you're holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time."