Don't Act Like You Know Me

Year 3 - Corpse Man

"Look at 'im," Hagrid said, staring at Buckbeak with sad eyes through the window of his hut. "Loves the smell o' the trees when the wind blows." Hagrid wiped a tear.

"I say we set him free," Harry suggested. 

Hagrid shook his head. "They'd'a known I did it. And tha' would only get Dumbledore in trouble. 'E's gonna come down, yeh know. Says he wants ter be with me when it... when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore."

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," Hermione said. 

"Yeh will not! Think I wan' yeh seein' a thing like this?! No. Yeh'll drink yer tea an' be off. But before yeh do, I wan' ter see you an' Hermione shake hands, Harry." Hermione and Harry shook hands reluctantly. "Thin' I haven' seen 'ow it's bin betw'n you two? Now then, Ron, I wan' ter see you give Hermione a hug."

"What?!" Hermione and Ron both exclaimed. "Go on! You two've been a' it all year. An' I'm sick o' it." The air was filled with awkwardness by the time Ron and Hermione bucked up the courage to hug each other. 

"Crikey, tha's jus' abou' the most pathetic hug I e'er seen, but yeh did it, an' tha's wha' matters. There's jus' one other thing."

"I'm not kissing Fang, if that's what you're thinking," Ron said. Fang, after hearing his name said, sat up and sloshed his tail around on the floor. Hagrid turned to his kitchen and opened his flour tin. Out thumped Scabbers onto the floor, covered in white flour. "Scabbers! You're alive!" Ron leaned down and picked up Scabbers, some flour drifting onto his clothes.

"Yeh should keep a closer eye on yer pets, Ron."

"I think you owe someone an apology," Hermione crossed her arms.

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

"I meant me." 

"Crikey. Here we go again," Hagrid grumbled. Suddenly, a glass jar shattered into shards on the floor. Hermione looked to see that a small jagged-edged rock was the culprit. Then, another similar rock was launched into the back of Harry's head.

"Ow!" Harry turned around and looked out the window. "Hagrid..." Hermione turned and saw Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge, and the executioner with his axe approach the door. 

"Yeh got to go! It's almost dark," Hagrid said in a panicked voice. "Anyone sees yeh outside the castle, it'll be trouble! Big trouble! 'Specially you, Harry." There was a knock at the door, Hagrid's hut shaking slightly, almost as a representation of his aura. Hagrid stiffened and walked towards the door. 

"C'mon," Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione. The trio exited out the back door into the pumpkin patch. They found an extra large pumpkin and hid behind it. Crows flew overhead, cacaw-ing, some landing on Hagrid's hut and some circling Buckbeak. Hermione observed Fudge secretly picking his nose through the window.

"Ew," she whispered to herself. Suddenly, Hermione heard a snap behind her. She whipped around. All she saw were plain trees.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Nothing, I just thought I heard... never mind." Ron, Harry, and Hermione escaped through the forest. Hermione turned back to see the executioner raise his axe and... the bell from the top of the tower tolled. Hermione swallowed hard as tears dripped down her cheeks. Hermione looked at Ron, holding Scabbers. She put an arm on his shoulder.