Magical - Harry Potter Fanfiction

38| White Christmas

"Have you heard?" Hagrid asked as Harry, Ron Hermione and I made our way into his house.

Hagrid sat down and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, face glazed with tears that dripped down into his beard.

"Hagrid, what is it?" I asked.

I saw an official-looking letter lying open on the table.

"What's this, Hagrid?" Harry asked, seeing the letter too.

Hagrid's sobs stopped a bit and he shoved the letter toward Harry, who picked it up and 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," Harry read.

"Well, that's okay then, Hagrid!" said Ron, patting Hagrid on the back.

Hagrid continued to sob and told Harry to read on.

"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 be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April twentieth, 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... then there's just a list of the school governors," Harry read.

"Oh," said Ron. "Buckbeak isn't a bad hippogriff, Hagrid. He'll be fine."

"You don' know them gargoyles at the Committee for the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" choked Hagrid, wiping his face on his sleeve. "They've got it in for interesting creatures!"

A sudden sound from the corner of the house made us turn around to face it. Buckbeak was lying in the corner, eating something that was oozing blood all over the floor.

"I couldn't' leave him tied up out there, cold and alone in the snow!" Choked Hagrid. "All on his own! At Christmas."

We looked at each other.

"You'll have to put up a good strong defence, Hagrid," I said.

"Won't make no difference!" Sobbed Hagrid. "Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! And if I lose the case..." Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat.

"What about Dumbledore?" Asked Harry.

"He's done more'n enough for me already," groaned Hagrid. "Got enough on his plate what with keepin' them dementors outta the castle, an' Sirius Black lurkin' around."

"Listen, Hagrid," Harry said. "You can't give up. Charlene's right, you just need a good defence. We can be witnesses."

"I'm sure I've read about a case of hippogriff-baiting where the hippogriff got off," said Hermione thoughtfully. "I'll look it up for you Hagrid, and see exactly what happened."

"Shall I make some tea?" Asked Ron. "It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset."

After many more assurances of help and with tea in front of him, Hagrid blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and said, "Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull myself together."

Fang came out from under the table and laid his head on Hagrid's knee.

"I've not bin myself lately," said Hagrid. "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one likin' me classes."

"We do like them!" I said.

"Yeah, they're great!" said Ron.

"How are the flobberworms?" I asked.