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CHAPTER TWELVE

On the date of Buckbeak's execution, Arabella walked with Ron, Harry, and Hermione through the castle, intending on going to Hagrid's.

"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak," said Hermione. "It's just too horrible."

"It just got worse," Ron said as they reached the end of the bridge.

There, crouching behind a large rock was Draco and a few of his Slytherin friends, boasting about how he had brought about Buckbeak's execution. Arabella's heart sunk.

"Oh, no," she groaned.

Hermione started forward, an angry and determined look on her face, and Arabella knew there was going to be trouble.

"Look who's here," said one of Draco's friends.

"Ah! Come to see the show?" said Draco. He seemed to be purposefully avoiding Arabella's eyes and acting as if she wasn't there.

"You!" Hermione exclaimed. "You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" She took her wand out and pointed it right at Draco's throat. He pressed himself against the rock and began to whimper. His friends were just standing there, helpless.

Arabella gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Hermione definitely had not been lying when she said she didn't like him.

"Hermione, no!" Ron said. "He's not worth it."

After a few moments of consideration, Hermione lowered her wand. Draco quit whimpering and began to laugh. Hermione, clearly being done with Draco's antics, whipped around and punched him square in the nose. Draco and his friends ran away, Draco not hesitating to warn his friends not to tell anyone.

"That felt good," Hermione said to her friends. Arabella was shocked to see she was smiling.

"Not good. Brilliant," said Ron.

"Guys, come on. Hagrid," Arabella reminded them. They nodded and they all ran down the hill to Hagrid's cabin.

"I'm sorry. I had to," Hermione whispered to Arabella on their way down.

"No, I get it. I don't blame you at all," said Arabella. Then they reached Hagrid's front door and he let them in.

"Oh, look at him," said Hagrid as he and Harry watched Buckbeak through the window. "Loves the smell of the trees when the wind blows through them."

"Why don't we just set him free?" Harry asked.

"They'd know it was me, and then Dumbledore'd get into trouble. He's coming down, you know, Dumbledore. Says he wants to be with me when they... when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore. Great man."

"We're awfully sorry again, Hagrid," Arabella said. "I wish there was something we could do."

"Oh, don't you worry about it, Bella. It's not your fault."

Hermione suddenly stood up from her place at Hagrid's table. "We'll stay with you, too, Hagrid," she said.

"You'll do no such thing! Think I want you seeing something like that? No. You just drink your tea and be off. Oh, before you do, Ron..." He went over and removed Scabbers from a tin.

"Scabbers!" Ron exclaimed, getting up to get his rat. "You're alive!"

"Keep a closer eye on your pets, Ron."

"Yeah, Ronald," Arabella agreed.

"I think that means you owe someone an apology," said Hermione.

"Right," said Ron. "Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know."

"I meant me!"

Their argument came to a sudden halt when something hit a pot on Hagrid's table, cracking it and spilling the contents.

"Blimey!" said Hagrid. "What was that?"

Yet another something flew threw the window and hit Harry in the head, causing him to yell out in pain. Then he called Hagrid to the window. Arabella looked. Dumbledore, the Minister of Magic, and someone carrying a large ax was coming down the hill.

"It's late. It's nearly dark. You shouldn't be here," Hagrid said, turning back to the teenagers.

"Hagrid, it's not even sunset," Arabella said.

"It will be soon! And if someone sees you outside the castle this time of night, you'll be in trouble. Big trouble. Particularly you, Harry." There was a knock on the door. "With you in a moment!" In a hushed voice, he motioned them out of the back door. They waited until Dumbledore, Fudge, and the executioner entered the cabin to run around the property and hide behind some pumpkins. They were silent as they listened to the conversation inside until there was the sound of a stick breaking behind them. Hermione quickly looked around.

"What?" Ron asked her.

"I thought I just saw... nevermind."

"Let's go!"

And so they ran back up the hill and once they reached the top, turned around to watch.

"Poor thing," Arabella said, her eyes welling with tears thinking about what was about to happen to Buckbeak, who was lying down in Hagrid's pumpkin patch. The men in Hagrid's hut came out and the executioner readied his ex. Thankfully, Buckbeak himself was hidden from sight by the pumpkins, but that didn't make it any better. The executioner lifted his ax and before he brought it down on Buckbeak's neck, Ron put his hand over Arabella's eyes so she wouldn't have to see it happen. She had seen a dead unicorn during her first year at Hogwarts and still occasionally had nightmares about it. Ron knew this and wanted to spare her having to see a dead hippogriff while she was trying to have a good night's sleep.

Both Hermione and Arabella began to openly sob and leaned into Ron. But then Ron made a pained noise and dropped his rat.

"He bit me," he said. Then, realizing what he had done, he began to chase Scabbers. The other three ran after him, calling his name and begging him to wait, but he ignored them. He didn't stop running until he finally caught Scabbers and sat down right next to the Whomping Willow.

[word count: 958]
[written: 4/27/20]
[published: 5/29/20]