𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐠𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

Chapter 184 + 185

"He's not out, is he?" Hermione asked, shivering under her cloak.

Lucifer casually stepped in between her and the wind that was blowing in, blocking it from hitting her.

She glanced at him, and if it weren't for the cold already doing so, her cheeks would have turned pink.

Ron had his ear to the door, "There's a weird noise... Listen, is that Fang?"

They all put their ears to the door, too. From inside the cabin came a series of low, throbbing moans.

"Think we'd better go and get someone?" Ron asked nervously.

"Hagrid?" Harry called out, thumping his fist on the door, "Hagrid, are you in there?"

There was the sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen; tears splashing down the front of his leather waistcoat.

"Yeh've heard!" He bellowed out and to their surprise, he flung himself onto Harry's neck.

Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter.

Harry was about to collapse under the weight of the giant man, but Lucifer was able to lift Hagrid off of him and help him back into his cabin.

Hagrid didn't fight Lucifer's guidance and allowed himself to be steered into his massive chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears which dripped down into his tangled beard.

"Hagrid, what is it?" Hermione asked, aghast.

Lucifer noticed as he led Hagrid to his chair that there was an official-looking letter lying open on the table, "What's this, Hagrid?" He picked it up, and began to read it aloud:

'Dear Mr. Hagrid,

Further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident.

However, we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated. Yours in fellowship...

It was then followed by a list of the School Governors.'

"Oh, but Buckbeak isn't a bad Hippogriff, you said so yourself. I bet he'll get off-" Ron started to say.

"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" Hagrid got choked, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!"

A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid's cabin made them all whip around.

Buckbeak the Hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor.

Lucifer looked in the opposite corner and saw Fang huddled into it, shivering; his mind was put to ease at least.

"I couldn' leave 'im tied up out there in the snow!" Hagrid wailed, "All on his own! At Christmas!"

The four of them looked at each other.

None of them had ever exactly seen eye-to-eye with Hagrid about what he called 'interesting creatures' and other people called 'terrifying monsters'.