Kassandra Bauer and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)

Chapter 20: Confrontation.

We went down to dinner with everyone else, but we didn't return to Gryffindor Tower afterward. Harry had the cloak hidden down the front of our robes.

"Ready?" Harry asked us. And we all crowded into the Invisibility Cloak. You would not believe how difficult it was to move all 5 of us underneath the cloak.

"Maybe we should make the cloak bigger." Ryan suggested.

Harry shushed him. It was a good idea. But we were all kind of in a rush. 

At the very least, we did reach Hagrid's hut just as the sun had set. 

We knocked on the door. And Hagrid opened it, staring around in confusion, looking for who did it.

"It's us." Harry hissed. "We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"And can you do it fast? It's getting cramped in here." Ryan asked. 

"Yeh shouldn't have come." Hagrid whispered. But he stood back and let us in anyway. He shut the door quickly behind us, and Harry pulled off the cloak.

He wasn't crying, nor did he throw himself onto our necks. He looked like a man who did not know where he was, or what to do. Couldn't say I blamed him for that.

"We had to." I told him.

"Wan' some tea?" Hagrid asked. His big hand shook as he reached for the kettle.

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

"I-I took him outside." Hagrid answered, spilling milk all over the table as he filled up the jug. Really wished we had Chocolate Chip Cookies with us right now. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an'- an' smell fresh air- before-" 

His hands trembled so violently that the milk jug slipped from his grasp and shattered all over the floor. "Sorry." He grumbled. "There's another one in the cupboard."

"I'll get it." I offered.

"Isn't there anything else we can do, Hagrid?" Harry asked. "Dumbledore-" 

"He's tried." Hagrid answered. "He's got no power ter overrule the Committee." 

"Yeah, neither does Malfoy, but he intimidated the Committee." I pointed out. 

"They're running scared... yeh know what Lucius 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..."  And Hagrid swallowed as I got the jug.  

Oh, that Committee thinks that Malfoy is intimidating? They have never seen Ethan when he's angry. 

"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it- while it happens. Wrote me this mornin'. Said he wants ter-ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore..."

I let out a small stifled sob. And I could hear Hermione do the same.

"We'll stay with you, Hagrid." I said in-between my tears. "Please?"

"You'll do no such thing." Hagrid shot down "I'm sorry, Kassie. But yeh've to got back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don't wan' yeh watchin'." He then turned to Harry. "An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway... if Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh without permission, Harry, yeh'll be in big trouble."

Malaka! This was just too much. I couldn't take it anymore. I put some milk into the tea. And then I saw something quite odd.

"Scabbers?" I asked.

Ron picked up his head. "Did you say Scabbers?" He asked.

I carried the jug over to the table and turned it upside down. With a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, Scabbers gave up and slid out onto the table.