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"Beautiful day," Hermione smiled at the three boys, dragging Max along by his wrist.
"Gorgeous," Ron agreed. "Unless of course you've been ripped to pieces."
Harry and Max both looked at each other curiously, neither knowing what their friends were referring to.
"Ripped to pieces?" The Potter asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Ronald has lost his rat."
"I haven't lost anything, your cat killed him."
"Rubbish," the girl scoffed.
"Honestly it's Scabbers' time anyways. What kind of rat lives that long?" Max gave a small shrug as Ron trained his glare on the boy.
"Harry, you've seen the way that bloodthirsty beast of hers is always lurking about."
Harry sent a pleading glance to Max, but the Prince just turned back to Hermione.
"And Scabbers is gone."
"Well maybe you should learn to take better care of your pets."
"Your cat killed him!"
"Did not."
"Did."
"How about we put the bickering aside until we get done meeting with Hagrid?" Max suggested.
The four were going into the woods to ask Hagrid what Lucius Malfoy and Dumbledore had decided to do about Buckbeak.
Max frowned as he watched the man throw stones into the pond, clearly not his joyful self.
"How did it go, Hagrid?" Hermione asked. "The hearing?"
"Well," Hagrid started, "first off, the committee members took turns talking about why we were there. Then I got up did my peace, said how Buckbeak was a good Hippogriff, always cleaned his feathers."
Hagrid paused, Max's stomach sinking as he waited for him to continue.
"And then Lucius Malfoy got up, well you can imagine what he said. Buckbeak was a deadly and dangerous creature who would kill you as soon as look at you."
Max and Hermione shared uneasy looks, discomfort clear on the boy's features.
"And then?"
"And then he asked for the worst, did old Lucius."
"They're not sacking you?" Ron's eyes widened in fear that Hagrid would no longer be at Hogwarts.
"No, I'm not sacked."
Hagrid was quiet for another moment, skipping another rock out on the lake.
