FINITE | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [4]

𝘅𝗹𝘃𝗶 | 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘇𝘃𝗼𝘂𝘀

On Saturday morning, the four of them left the castle, bags laden with food for Sirius from the breakfast table. The weather was milder than it had been all year, and by the time they were in Hogsmeade, they had all slung their cloaks over their arms.

They went into Gladrags Wizardwear first to buy a present for Dobby-- Harry had filled them in on it being Dobby who had provided the gillyweed-- and they had quite a lot of fun selecting a bunch of random, crazy socks for Dobby to wear. Then, at half past one, they made their way back up the high street, past Dervish and Banges, and out toward the edge of the village.

Gwen had never been this way before. The winding lane led them out into wild countryside; there were fewer cottages and big gardens and they realised that they were walking toward the mountain in whose shadow Hogsmeade lay. Then they turned the corner and saw a stile at the end of the lane. Waiting for them, its front paws on the topmost bar, was a very large, shaggy black dog, which was carrying some newspapers in its mouth.

'Hello, Sirius,' Harry smiled when they reached him.

The black dog sniffed their bags eagerly, wagged its tail, then turned and began to trot away from them across the scrubby patch of ground that rose to meet the rocky foot of the mountain. Gwen, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed over the stile and followed.

Sirius led them to the very foot of the mountain, where the ground was covered with boulders and rocks. It was easy for him, with his four paws, but Gwen, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were soon out of breath. They followed Sirius higher, up onto the mountain itself, struggling over the rocks and boulders until they reached a steep, winding, stony path.

They must have been climbing for over half an hour, when at last, Sirius slipped out of sight, and when they reached the place where he had vanished, they saw a narrow fissure in the rock.

They managed to all squeeze in, finding themselves in a small, dimly lit cave, which also held, tethered to a rock, Buckbeak the Hippogriff. All four of them bowed low to Buckbeak, who, after regarding them for a moment, bent his scaly front knees and allowed Gwen and Hermione to rush forward and stroke his feathery neck.

Sirius, who had now transformed into his normal, human self, was wearing ragged grey robes, the same ones he had been wearing when he left Azkaban. His black hair was longer than it had been when he had appeared in the fire, and it was untidy and matted once more.

'Chicken!' he said hoarsely, throwing down the old Daily Prophets as Gwen and Harry opened their bags and handed him the food they had stolen this morning. 'Thanks,' said Sirius, starting on a chicken drumstick ravenously. 'I've been living off rats, mostly. Can't steal too much food from Hogsmeade, I'd draw attention to myself.'

He was grinning at Harry, but Harry did not really seem willing to return it.

'What're you doing here, Sirius?' he said.