Another Potter

fifty three

chapter fifty three
the prisoner of azkaban

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As Fudge's voice started again, Amelia darted out from behind her tree, vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch, and approached Buckbeak.

"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the Hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall he executed on the sixth of June at sundown. . . ."

Careful not to blink, Amelia stared up into Buckbeak's fierce orange eyes once more and bowed. Buckbeak sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again. Amelia began to fumble with the knot of rope tying Buckbeak to the fence.

". . . .sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair. . . ."

"Come on, Buckbeak," Amelia murmured, "come on, we're going to help you. Quietly, quietly. . . ."

". . . .as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here. . . ."

Amelia threw all her weight onto the rope, but Buckbeak had dug in his front feet.

"Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stay inside. . . ."

"No, I, I wan' ter be with him. . . . I don' wan' him ter be alone. . . ."

Footsteps echoed from within the cabin.

"Buckbeak, move!" Amelia hissed.

Amelia tugged harder on the rope around Buckbeak's neck. The Hippogriff began to walk, rustling its wings irritably. They were still ten feet away from the forest, in plain view of Hagrid's back door. 

"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too." The footsteps stopped. Amelia heaved on the rope. Buckbeak snapped his beak and walked a little faster.

Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree.

"Amelia, hurry!" she mouthed.

Amelia could still hear Dumbledore's voice talking from within the cabin. She gave the rope another wrench. Buckbeak broke into a grudging trot. They had reached the trees. . . .

"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moaned, darting out from behind her tree, seizing the rope too and adding her weight to make Buckbeak move faster. Amelia looked over his shoulder. They were now blocked from sight, they couldn't see Hagrid's garden at all.

"Stop!" she whispered to Hermione. "They might hear us."

Hagrid's back door had opened with a bang. Amelia, Hermione, and Buckbeak stood quite still; even the Hippogriff seemed to be listening intently. Silence, then. . . .

"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.

"Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.

There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid. Amelia and Hermione tightened their grip and dug their heels into the forest floor to stop him.