The War Hammer of Hogwarts - Harry Potter

Buckbeak's Sentencing

YN: Harry, you look terrible.

We were seeing him for the first time since we'd left Hogsmeade.  During the trip, we had eavesdropped on a conversation between Cornelius Fudge and some of the professors, and we'd learned that not only was Sirius Black Harry's godfather, but he also was the one who told Voldemort where they were the night they died.  When we'd gotten back, Harry had supposedly gone straight to bed, but by the looks of it he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

Harry: Where is everyone?

Ron: Gone!  It's the first day of the holidays, remember?  It's nearly lunchtime.  I was going to come and wake you up in a minute.

Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire.  Snow was still falling outside the windows.  Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug.

Pieck: You really don't look well, you know.

Harry: I'm fine.

Hermione: Harry, listen... you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday.  But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid.

Harry: Like what?

YN: Like trying to go after Black.

Harry didn't say anything.

Hermione: You won't, will you, Harry?  Because Black's not worth dying for.

Harry looked at us.

Harry: D'you know what I see and hear every time a dementor gets too near me?  I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort.  And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry.  And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her-

YN: Harry, I'm sorry.  I get it.  But there's nothing you can do.  The dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban.

Harry: You heard what Fudge said.  Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are.  It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others.

Pieck: Harry, what are you saying?

Ron: You want to... to kill Black or something?

Hermione: Don't be silly.  Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?

Again, Harry didn't answer right away.

Harry: Malfoy knows.  Remember what he said to me in Potions?  "If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself... I'd want revenge".

Ron: You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?  Listen... you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after Black had finished with him?  Dad told me.  The Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box.  That was the biggest bit of him they could find.  Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous-

Harry: Malfoy's dad must have told him.  He was right in Voldemort's inner circle-

YN: ENOUGH, Harry.

He spun towards me, looking stunned.

YN: I know you're hurting.  I know you're angry.  But the way you're thinking right now... it's exactly how a wizard goes down the path of becoming like Voldemort.  If it comes down to it, I will find Black and hand him over to the ministry.  But not you.  I don't want to see one of my best friends get killed!

Everyone stared at me in silence, all with a look of shock on their faces.  Pieck was the first to speak.

Pieck: Look.  It's the holidays!  It's nearly Christmas! Let's go down and see Hagrid.  We haven't visited him for ages!