Gryffindor Princess and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Chapter Sixteen: The Quidditch Final

She and Hermione found Harry and Ron outside the portrait hole and told them the news about Buckbeak.

"They can't do this", Harry said, "they can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous."

"Malfoy's dad frightened the committee into it", Hermione said, "you know what he's like."

"Hope knows better than we do", Ron muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Well he's your uncle isn't he? Just send him a letter to fix all of this."

"Don't you think I would already have done that if I thought it would do any good?", She snapped.

"Well -"

She stomped inside the portrait hole, letting it slam shut behind her, cutting him off.

The next day in Care of magical creatures the four of them were finally all on speaking terms.

"S'all my fault. Got all tounge-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them dates yeh found fer me. An' then Lucius Malfoy stood up an' said his bit, and the Commitee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em..."

"Don't give up yet Hagrid", Ron said, "there'll be an appeal, we'll work on it."

"S'no good, Ron", said Hagrid, "that commitee's in Lucius Malfoys pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that..."

Hagrid hurried back towards his cabin, burrying his face in his hankercheif while the rest of them walked back up to the castle.

"Look at him blubber!", Malfoy said, "have you ever seen anything quite as Pathetic? And he's supposed to be our teacher!"

Hope dove her hand into her pocket for her wand, Harry and Ron both lurched forwards furiously but Hermione got there first, all of a sudden she was slapping him hard across the face.

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul - you evil-"

"Hermione!", Ron tried to grab her hand, but she wrenched herself free.

"Get off, Ron!"

Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle hurried away before Hermione could pull herself free of Ron. Malfoy sent her a look as they hurried way but she couldn't figure out what he was trying to convey.

"You had better beat him in the Quidditch final!", Hermione's voice came out shrilly, "you just better had, because I won't stand it if Slytherin wins!"

"We'd better go" Ron was still goggling at Hermione, "we're due in Charms."

They hurried up the marble staircase towards Professor Flitwick's classroom. She remembered Malfoy warning her that this would happen the other day, telling her that his father had power of the committee and they would side with him. Had he been saying that just to spite her? Or was it more of a warning to prepare herself for what was to come?

"You're late, boys!, Miss Dumbledore", Professor Flitwick said as Harry pushed open the classroom door, "come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with cheering charms today."

They hurried to a desk and grabbed their wands.

"Hermione do you want to - oh", she'd turned around and found Hermione was no where to be seen.

"That's weird", Harry said, "maybe - she went to the bathroom or something?"

But Hermione never turned up. Instead she was forced to partner with Neville Longbottom and by the end of the lesson she didn't feel any more cheerful than she had earlier.