Defying the Stars

An Execution and Killer Trees

   Approaching the hill overlooking Hagrid's hut, we see Draco and his goons messing around, obviously happy about how this situation is turning out.

"Draco, go back to your dorm please. I can smell your Ferret stench from all the way over here," I call, hoping for them to go away.

"Oh, come to see the show have you?" he laughs, and that's the final straw for Hermione.

"You-" she growls, marching up to him, "you fowl, loathsome, evil-little-cockroach!" she yells, drawing her wand and pointing it at his neck.

"Hermione, don't!" Ron yells, "leave him, he isn't worth it."

Hermione contemplates this, and after a few seconds she puts her wand away, causing Draco and his friends to laugh as she begins to walk away and-

CRACK

Draco's reeling from Hermione's punch to his nose. Crabbe picks him up and runs away, Goyle following behind.

"That. Was. Amazing." I breathe out, a broad smile on my face, reflecting Hermione's.

"That felt good," Hermione says.

"Not good, brilliant!" Ron responds.

I scoff. "Says the one who told her to leave it not even thirty seconds ago."

*~*

"Hagrid? You home?" Hermione asks as she knocks on the door of Hagrid's hut.

"He might be worried about us getting in trouble," I whisper.

"Hagrid, it's us," Harry says, again knocking on his door. "We're wearing the Invisibility cloak. Let us in and we'll take it off."

The door swings open, and the four of us rush in and shred the cloak once it swings shut.

"Yeh shouldn't have come!" Hagrid exclaims.

"And let you go through this alone? It's not what friends do Hagrid," I smirk and sit down on his couch, Fang jumping up beside me.

Hagrid isn't crying, but at the same time, he's not the cheery giant we're used to either. His face is blank, like he's lost in an ocean of emotions, and it breaks my heart more than his crying does.

"Want some tea?" he asks us, his hands trembling as he gets out the kettle and cups.

"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" Hermione asks hesitantly.

"I took him outside," he responds, spilling milk all over the table as he fills up a jug. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an'-an' smell fresh air before-" he's interrupted by the jug slipping from his hands because of how violently they were trembling.

"I'll do it Hagrid," Ron says quickly, not wasting a second to clean up the mess.

"There's another one in the cupboard," he says as he sits at the table, wiping his forehead with his sleeve, and I get up to the cupboard to get it.

"Isn't there anything anyone can do? Dumbledore-" Harry starts, but Hagrid cuts him off.

"He's tried," he responds. "He's got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's alright, but they're scared...yeh know what Lycius Malfoy's like...threatened 'em I expect...an' the executioner Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's...but it'll be quick an' clean...an' I'll be beside him..." Hagrid swallows. "Dumbledore's gonna come down herewhile it happens.Wrote me this mornin'. Said he wants ter-ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore."