Icy Heart #wattys2017

Buckbeak's Brawl

Icy avoided Harry, Ron and Hermione from the time they returned from Hogsmeade, until Christmas, when she figured the three would be visiting their families for the holidays.

It was the first day of the holidays and Icy had woken early, hoping to ditch her new security troll and visit Sirius. But the troll had caught up with her, and she decided to instead go down to Hagrid's hut.

She found the half-giant in tears, sobbing. "What's wrong, Professor Hagrid?" asked Icy kindly, petting his dog, and pulling a chair out from under the table for him.

Hagrid sat down and passed a very official-looking letter to Icy. Her eyes skimmed over it, and she scoffed at the first line. "You're a professor. Shouldn't those goons address you as such?" The witch continued to read the letter, being reminded of what Harry, Ron and Hermione had told her about a twat who'd insulted a hippogriff and had his arm torn apart.

"You have a hearing, Professor. And we've four months to prepare for it. Buckbeak will be fine," Icy assured him. "I'll make you some tea," she busied herself with the kettle, and Hagrid continued to wail.

There was a knock at the door, but Hagrid's sobs drowned it out. Then Harry shouted, "Hagrid, are you in there?"

Hagrid thumped over to the door, his eyes red and swollen; tears splashing down the front of his leather waistcoat.

"Yeh've heard!" he bellowed, and flung himself onto Harry's neck.

Icy shrunk away from the door, turning towards the kettle and wishing she could leave. Why were those three still there?

Harry, Ron and Hermione steered Hagrid into a chair, and Hermione asked what had happened.

Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter towards Harry, who picked it up and read it aloud.

A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid's cabin made Icy spin around, and she noticed the hippogriff lying on a cot, chomping on something that oozed blood onto the floor.

"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!" choked Hagrid. "All on his own! At Christmas!"

"You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid-"

A new owl arrived, staring Buckebeak's execution would be in the next week, and Hagrid sobbed even harder.

Icy droned out the rest of their conversation, the water about to boil, when she heard Ron ask if he should make a cup of tea.

"Position's taken already," said Icy, and the trio looked at her, as she passed Hagrid a steaming mug of tea.

"Icy!" Harry smiled when he saw the girl, and she gave him a confused look.

"Icy." Ron and Hermione were less happy to see the girl, but she didn't mind.

"T'is I. Didn't you see that damn troll guarding the exit? Follows me everywhere."

"We should make a petition to stop that," offered Hermione.

"That would be wonderful," Icy smiled slightly, and she patted Hagrid's back. He blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a table cloth and said,

"Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together..." Fang the boarhound timidly came from under the table, and laid his head on Hagrid's knee.

"I've not been meself lately," said Hagrid, stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no on likin' me classes-"

"I love them," said Icy truthfully. "I'd never even seen any magical creatures until this year, any creatures at all other than Dementors and... A dog. The Flobberworms are brilliant, Professor Hagrid."

"Yeah, they're great," lied Ron, crossing his fingers under the table. "Er- how are the Flobberworms?"

"Dead," said Hagrid gloomily. "Too much lettuce."

"Oh, no!" said Ron, his lip twitching.

"An' them Dementors make me feel ruddy terrible an' all," said Hagrid, with a sudden shudder. "Gotta walk past 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. 'S like bein' back in Azkaban."

"You went to Azkaban?" Icy asked with interest, Harry, Ron and Hermione just watching the two breathlessly.

"Is it awful there, Hagrid?"

"Yeh've no idea," said Hagrid quietly. "Never bin anywhere like it. Though I was goin' mad. Kep' goin' over horrible stuff in me mind... the day I got expelled from Hogwarts... day me Dad died... day I had ter let Norbert go..."

His eyes filled with tears, and Icy felt herself tearing up aswell. "It's dreadful there, you three are so fricking lucky. -In the highest of security, where Sirius and I were, there was a Dementor walking past the cells each minute, day and night. And the screams- prisoners wail all night. But it's even worse when you hear the wails stop. Or see the Dementors dragging a body down the corridor-" Icy shuddered.

"Yeh can' really remember who yeh are after a while. An' yeh can' see the point o' livin' at all. I used ter hope I'd jus' die in me sleep... when they let me out, it was like bein' born again, ev'rythin' came floodin' back, it was the bes' feelin' in the world. Mind, the Dementors weren't keen on lettin' me go."

"Escaping was the happiest point in my life. Plunging into the frigid ocean, breathing clean air, knowing that if I died it would all be okay, because atleast I managed to see the sun," Icy shivered. "Now every time the Dementors come anywhere near me, they try to kiss me. It's horrifying."

"But you two are innocent!" said Hermione.

Icy snorted.

"Think that matters to them? They don' care. Long as they've got a couple o' hundred humans stuck there with 'em, so they can leech all the happiness out of 'em, they don' give a damn who's guilty an' who's not."

Hagrid went quiet for a moment, staring into his tea. Then he said quietly? "Thought o' jus' letting Beaky go... Tryin' ter make him fly away... But how d'yeh explain ter a Hippogriff it's gotta go inter hidin'? An'- An' I'n scared o' breakin' the law..." He looked up at them, tears leaking down his face again. "I don' ever want ter go back ter Azkaban."

"I was there for the worst years of my life," Icy nodded.