Mass Collision

33. You Can't Kill McGonagall

When they reached the top of the Astronomy Tower at eleven o'clock they found a perfect night for stargazing, cloudless and still. The grounds were bathed in silvery moonlight, and there was a slight chill in the air. Each of them set up his or her telescope and, when Professor Marchbanks gave the word, proceeded to fill in the blank star chart he or she had been given.

Professors Marchbanks and Tofty strolled among them, watching as they entered the precise positions of the stars and planets they were observing. All was quiet except for the rustle of parchment, the occasional creak of a telescope as it was adjusted on its stand, and the scribbling of many quills. Half an hour passed, then an hour; the little squares of reflected gold light flickering on the ground below started to vanish as lights in the castle windows were extinguished.

As Natalia completed the constellation Orion on her chart, however, the front doors of the castle opened so that light spilled down the stone steps a little way across the lawn. Natalia quickly filed out a few more things on her sheets before she glanced at the commotion. There was five or six elongated shadows moving over the brightly lit grass before the doors swung shut and the lawn became a sea of darkness once more.

She shook her head and got back to the planets, marking down Venus and Juptier. It wasn't until she saw something going on over at Hagrid's hut that she almost completely abandoned her work, she was close to being finished anyway.

There were multiple people surrounding the hut and a roar could be heard from the distant cabin that echoed through the darkness right to the top of the Astronomy Tower.

Professor Tofty gave another dry little cough.

"Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls," he said softly. Most people returned to their telescopes, but Natalia could see Harry and Hermione still looking towards Hagrid. "Ahem — twenty minutes to go," said Professor Tofty.

Natalia finished labeling the last three things on her chart when she hear a loud BANG from the ground.

Several people said "Ouch!" as they poked themselves in the face with the ends of their telescopes, hastening to see what was going on below.

Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin they saw him quite clearly, a massive figure roaring and bran- dishing his fists, surrounded by six people, all of whom, judging by the tiny threads of red light they were casting in his direction, seemed to be attempting to Stun him.

"No!" cried Hermione.

"HAGRID!" Natalia yelled as well.

"My dear!" said Professor Tofty in a scandalized voice. "This is an Examination!"

But nobody was paying the slightest attention to their star charts anymore: Jets of red light were still flying beside Hagrid's cabin, yet somehow they seemed to be bouncing off him. He was still upright and still, as far as anyone could see, fighting. Cries and yells echoed across the grounds; a man yelled, "Be reasonable, Hagrid!" and Hagrid roared, "Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"

"No," Natalia sighed and she turned. Everyone looked panicked and scared, even Draco seemed worried. Theo gulped and tried to ignore it, looking back to his start chart.

Pansy was scooting closer to the edge with Daphne wanting to get a better look. Everyone could see the tiny outline of Fang, attempting to defend Hagrid, leaping at the wizards surrounding him until a Stunning Spell caught him and he fell to the ground. Natalia gasped along with Pansy and Daphne. Really? They just stunned a dog? Hagrid gave a howl of fury, lifted the culprit bodily from the ground, and threw him: The man flew what looked like ten feet and did not get up again. Hermione gasped, both hands over her mouth; Harry looked around at Ron and saw that he too was looking scared. None of them had ever seen Hagrid in a real temper before. . . .