SABAISM | H. POTTER

SIXTEEN. | RED-HEADED CHEW TOY

Harry, leading Hermione and Ron toward Hagrid's hut, pulled his two friends along, scampering past the morbid figure of the executioner, who sharpened his menacing axe in the gloomy courtyard.

"I can't believe they're really going through with this—killing Buckbeak! It's too horrible!" Hermione lamented, a shudder coursing through her as the garroter's shadow faded from view. "Ugh," Harry groaned, pointing ahead with a tone of dismay. "Well, it just got worse." There, emerging menacingly from a cluster of ancient menhirs, stood Pansy Parkinson, flanked by the hulking forms of Crabbe and Goyle, their eyes glinting wickedly as they spied on Hagrid, who was in the pumpkin patch, tears streaming down his face as he tossed dead ferrets to a blissfully unaware Buckbeak. "Merlin," Ron exhaled, "Where are Draco and Gem when you need them?"

Harry tensed, fully aware of precisely where the pair were—laboring in the kitchens, preparing to devote a night of howling at the moon with their father. "Who knows?" Harry misled, gesturing ahead, desperate for them not to dwell on it. "But we've got this! Come on."

"Did you see the great, fat blubbering oaf? Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic? And he's supposed to be our teacher! Oh, this is going to be rich. Ha! You three come to see the show, did you?" Pansy shrilled, her voice dripping with malicious delight as she caught sight of the Gryffindors.

In an instant, Hermione's indignation erupted. "You... foul... loathsome... evil... little pug-faced witch!" she hissed, surging forward and pinning Pansy against a tree, her wand trembling ominously under the Slytherin's nose. "Hermione! No!" Ron called out, his voice filled with surprise as he intervened and pulled her back. "She's not worth it." Nodding, seeming to accept Ron's wise counsel, Hermione suddenly unleashed her pent-up frustration, landing a well-placed punch to Parkinson's jaw with all the strength she could muster, sending the girl sprawling onto her back. Stunned, Pansy scrambled upright, fleeing into the night with Crabbe and Goyle huffing after her.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed, his voice a mixture of disbelief and admiration. She simply smiled, admitting, "Huh, I guess Gemini has taught me a thing or two."

"Yeah. And you know she's going to be so proud of you when you tell her what you've done," Harry acknowledged as the trio continued their journey down the slope, passing Buckbeak, who chewed on a ferret with gleeful satisfaction.

"Bless him," Hermione murmured, gazing at the majestic creature who remained blissfully ignorant of the doom that awaited him. Hagrid, having spotted the trio approaching from his window while watching over Buckbeak, threw open his front door and lamented, "You shouldn't have come!" Yet, despite his protests, the giant stepped aside, granting them entry into his somber dwelling.

Hagrid no longer wept, nor did he throw his arms around them in an affectionate embrace. He looked like a man trapped in a haze of despair, utterly lost and bewildered. The sight of him — so utterly crushed, so helpless — was far more painful to witness than tears.

"Wan' some tea?" the man questioned, his great hands trembling as he busied himself with the kettle. But his hands shook so violently that the milk jug he intended to pour slipped from his grasp, shattering on the floor into a thousand pieces. "I'll do it, Hagrid," Hermione interjected hurriedly, rushing to clean up the mess. "There's another one in the cupboard," Hagrid revealed, his voice heavy with despair, as he sank into a chair, wiping the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his worn jacket. Harry looked at Ron, who returned his gaze with a blend of hopelessness and resolve, and implored, "Isn't there anything we can do, Hagrid? Or Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore's tried," Hagrid replied soberly, shaking his head like a man who had lost all hope. "He's got no power to overrule the Committee. He told them Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared... You know what Lucius Malfoy's like... threatened them, I suspect... and the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal of Malfoy's... but it'll be quick and clean... and I'll be beside him. And Dumbledore's going to come down while it—while it happens. Wrote to me this morning. Said he wants to—be with me. Great man, Dumbledore..." Hagrid choked on his words, his eyes darting around the dimly lit cabin as though seeking a glimmer of hope amidst the shadows.