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"He bit me..." Ron's eyes shift and see Scabbers streaking away.
"Ron! No!" Hermione yells.
As Ron pelts after Scabbers, Harry, Hermione, and Aubery give chase. Ron reaches the summit and disappears over the top.
"Harry. You do realize what tree this is..." Aubery stops in her tracks.
Ron nabs Scabbers, cradling him in his bloody palm. "Now behave yourself." Ron is kneeling under the Whomping Willow.
"That's not good," Harry says. "Ron! Run!"
Ron spins and looks toward Harry. "Harry! Run!"
Harry's eyes shift. Bounding toward him in the gathering loom is an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog. Harry shields himself when the dog leaps clear over him.
"Aaaahhh!" The dog's teeth flash and close on Ron's foot, dragging him towards the trunk like a rag doll. Instantly, Harry dashes forward, leaping out and grabs Ron's hands but he and Ron just keep skidding along the ground.
"I've got you-" Hermione pitches herself onto Harry's feet... and the three of them go skidding along.
"Harry!"
Harry raises his chin. The dog vanishes into the gap at the base of the tree, and begins to pull Ron through.
"Hold on, Ron!" Aubery shrieks, as she grabs Hermione's ankles, and began to pull the 3 towards her.
But it's no use. The dog is too powerful. Harry glances around desperately, then finds himself looking directly in Ron's eyes. "No, Ron..."
One by one, Ron releases his fingers from Harry's forearm, sacrificing himself.
"Nooooo!!!"
But Ron closes his eyes, releases his hands fully, and disappears. As his voice echoes deep into the earth, Harry, Aubery, and Hermione rise, and peer into the hole. The Whomping Willow sweeps first Hermione, Harry, then Aubery into the air and drops them on their backsides. Swaying beautifully against the dusky sky, swishing softly.
As one, they rise and run back toward the gap in the tree. A branch swoops down. Hermione ducks. Harry doesn't. He's is flung one way, his glasses the other. Hermione HOPS over another branch looking briefly pleased with herself only to find herself swept high in the air by a second branch. She looks down seeing Harry searching the ground for his glasses.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"
Aubery turns into the familiar white fox, dashing around the tree, chasing crazily after Hermione.
Harry squints up, seeing a pile-driving fist of a branch screaming straight down for his head. He rolls away just as the branch pulverizes the ground. Hermione whips around, still clinging on for dear life, and Harry rises and he's promptly knocked to the ground again. Hermione goes crashing through the high branches, Aubery spies Harry's glasses and grabs them. She grabs them, bounding over to Harry. He fits them to his face and he looks just in time to see Hermione flying madly toward him.
