enchanted • draco malfoy

Year 3: Execution

Felicity's POV

"Beautiful day," Hermione said, smiling widely and surveying the sky on our walk to Hagrid's. "Gorgeous," Ron replied sarcastically, "Unless, of course, you've been ripped to pieces." I sighed. "Here we go again," I muttered under my breath. They'd been at it all morning, and Harry had left me to go practice the Patronus charm with Professor Lupin.

"Ripped to pieces?" Harry said, confused, "What are you talking about?" I shook my head rapidly, "Don't-" "Ronald has lost his rat," Hermione interrupted and I groaned. Ron glowered at Mione, "I haven't lost anything! Your cat killed him!" I hid my face in Harry's shoulder and sighed again as Hermione scoffed. "That's absolute rubbish," she fired back. Ron whirled around to face Harry and me. "Harry, Fel, you guys have seen the way that bloodthirsty beast of hers is always lurking about!" he said accusingly, "And now Scabbers is gone!" Hermione looked indignant. "Well, maybe you should take better care of your pets, Ronald!" she defended. "Your cat killed him!" Ron shrieked, his voice shrill. Hermione began walking faster, and Ron jogged to keep up with her. Their voices echoed through the courtyard as they walked farther from me and Harry. "Did not." "Did!" "Didn't!"

We finally reached Hagrid's, Ron and Mione bickering the whole way, only to find his hut empty, and the half-giant himself knee deep in the Great Lake, skipping rocks on the water. "Uh oh," I murmured as we approached. We stood in silence for a moment before Hermione spoke. "How'd it go, Hagrid? The hearing?" Hagrid's voice was trembling. "Well, first off, the committee members took turns talking about why we were there." He said the last part of his sentence with annoyance and threw another stone before continuing. "I got up and did my piece. Said how Buckbeak was a good hippogriff, always cleaned his feathers. And then Lucius Malfoy got up... well, you can imagine." My fists clenched at my sides at the mention of probably my second least favorite adult ever, second to only Bellatrix Lestrange and followed closely by Professor Snape. "He said Buckbeak was a deadly and dangerous creature," Hagrid said shakily and angrily at the same time, "one who would kill you as soon as he looked at you."

"And then?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "And then he asked for the worst, did old Lucius," Hagrid sniffled, tossing another rock. This one skipped seven times. "They're not sacking you, are they?" Ron gasped. "No, I'm not sacked," Hagrid said, as if that would be better than the alternative. For all I knew, it would be. "Buckbeak's been sentenced to death!" Hagrid shouted, throwing a stone the size of my head into the lake with a splash. My jaw dropped and I covered my mouth with my hand.

It was easy to hear Hagrid's cries in the empty forest.

~*~

I felt an oncoming headache as Professor Trelawney drawled on and on. "Broaden your minds... you must look beyond. The art of crystal gazing is in the clearing of the Inner Eye. Only then can you see. Now, what do we have here?" Ron nudged my shoulder and I lifted my head from the old scratched table to see Trelawney standing in front of our table hopefully.

"Do you mind me trying?" Hermione asked, and without waiting for an answer, replied, "The Grim. Possibly." I tried in vain to hide my smile behind my hand. "My dear," Trelawney said, sounding regretful, "from the first moment you stepped foot in my class, I sensed that you did not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination." My smile quickly slipped as I saw the professor grab Hermione's hand, palm up and Hermione's smoldering eyes. "No, you see, there," Trelawney continued, pointing to a line on Mione's hand. "You may be young in years, but your heart is as shriveled as an old maid's, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave." My eyes widened as Hermione ripped her hand away from the professor's and jumped to her feet before pushing our crystal ball off it's stand, sending to the ground and rolling down the hallway with a resounding thud that seemed to echo her anger.