Into The Light (Golden Trio Era) {2}

The View From the Astronomy Tower

"No!" Hermione yelled, her hands digging into the railing on the tower. "My dear!" said Professor Tofty, sounding shocked. "This is an examination!" Though no one was still focused on their exam. Everyone had abandoned their work and crowded on the side of the tower with the best view. They were still trying to stun Hagrid, though he seemed unaffected, each spell seemed to just bounce off of him. Hagrid wasn't going down without a fight. There was yelling accompanying the spells, you could hear a man shout,  "Be reasonable, Hagrid!" Hagrid yelled back, "Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!" The barking returned as Fang galloped across the lawn in Hagrid's aid, he leapt around the people attacking Hagrid, trying to grab their arms until someone hit him with a stun and he fell to the ground. Hagrid roared with anger once again, he grabbed the man who cast the spell and threw him ten feet. The man hit the ground and did not get up. Hermione gasped and threw her hands over her mouth. Mikayla stood there with her mouth hung open. She didn't think any of them have ever really seen Hagrid angry.

"Look!" Parvati gasped, she was leaning over the side of the tower and pointing to the base of the castle were the front doors opened again. One more shadow had crossed through the doorway and was now on the lawn. "Now, really!" Professor Tofty said anxiously. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!" But no one bothered with him.  "How dare you!" The new figure shouted as she ran toward the commotion. "How dare you!" "It's McGonagall!" Hermione whispered, looking at Mikayla with wide eyes. "Leave him alone! Alone, I say!" said Professor McGonagall's voice through the darkness. "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such-"  Some of the girls screamed, four or five stuns were shot at McGonagall simultaneously and they all collided with her. She fell to the ground quickly and silently. "Galloping gargoyles!" Professor Tofty shouted, he too was now against the side of the tower, gapping at the fight. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behaviour!"

"COWARDS!" hollered Hagrid, his voice carrying over perfectly to them, it sounded as if he was in the same room. Lights began flicking back on inside the castle. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT- AN' THAT-" "Oh my-" gasped Hermione. Hagrid had hit and knocked two people out cold. Then, he doubled over, Mikayla thought for a moment that the spells finally got to him and he been knocked out, but he stood back up and threw something over his shoulder. As he passed by the light of his hurt it was clear that what he picked up was Fang's limp body. "Get him, get him!" Umbridge shrieked, but her last conscious companion was reluctant to get within arm's reach of Hagrid. He actually tried to retreat but managed to trip over one of the unconscious people and fell over. Hagrid took his chance and began to run, Fang bounced on his shoulders with each step. Umbridge cast one last spell toward him, but luckily it missed and Hagrid sprinted toward the gates. They watched even after he was consumed by darkness and they couldn't see him anymore. Everyone was gapping at the field where the battle had just ended, no one knew what to say. Then Professor Tofty's voice rang out, frightened, "Um.... five minutes to go, everybody..." Mikayla quickly filled in the last of her star chart, smiling at her accomplishment, she began a inner countdown to when they would be dismissed from the tower.

When they finally did Mikayla rushed to stuff her telescope back into it's holder and ran down the staircase. No one was going to go to sleep, those of them who were awake and saw what happened now had to tell the tale to the countless students who were woken by the commotion. "That evil woman!" fumed Hermione, "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!" "She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," Ernie Macmillan added in, forcing himself through a crowd to join them, "Hagrid knew it was coming, I saw it yesterday when I was down in his hut." Hermione looked happy that Hagrid had some kind of warning, "Hagrid did well, didn't he?" said Ron, trying to less worried than he really was. "How come all the spells bounced off him?" "It'll be his giant blood," Hermione shook her head as she spoke. "It's very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough... But poor Professor McGonagall... Four Stunners straight in the chest, and she's not exactly young, is she?" "Dreadful, dreadful," said Ernie, "Well, I'm off to bed... 'Night, all..." "At least they didn't get to take Hagrid off to Azkaban," said Ron. "I 'spect he's gone to join Dumbledore, hasn't he?" "We can hope," Mikayla said solemnly.

"Oh, this is awful, I really thought Dumbledore would be back before long, but now we've lost Hagrid too...." Hermione said, tearfully. When they got back to the common room it was full and bustling with commotion. Anyone who hadn't been woken by the sounds outside was woken by those who did, and at this point, you wouldn't find a single person who didn't know what happened. "But why sack Hagrid now?" asked Alicia Spinnet, "It's not like Trelawney, he's been teaching much better than usual this year!" "Umbridge hates part-humans," Mikayla spoke bitterly, crossing her arms and sitting down in the armchair. "She was always going to try and get Hagrid out." "And she thought Hagrid was putting nifflers in her office," added Katie Bell. "Oh blimey," Lee Jordan covered his mouth. "It's me's been putting the nifflers in her office, Fred and George left me a couple, I've been levitating them in through her window..." "She'd have sacked him anyway," Dean assured him. "He was too close to Dumbledore." "That's true," Harry sat down in another armchair. "I just hope Professor McGonagall's all right," said Lavender emotionally. "They carried her back up to the castle, we watched through the dormitory window," Colin Creevey joined in. "She didn't look very well..." "Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," said Alicia Spinnet, convinced of this. "She's never failed yet." Mikayla nodded agreeing with Alicia.