Bedknobs and Broomsticks [HP fanfic; BNB Book 1]

The Accused; February 1994

Geoff looked up at the knock on his office door and was mildly surprised to see an exceptionally frazzled-looking Hermione standing in the doorway, a large bag slung over one shoulder and a heavy tome held in her arms. "Miss Granger," he said, "not going to the match?"

"No, sir," she said, sitting in one of the winged armchairs in front of his desk. She gingerly set the large book she carried on a clear spot on his desk, setting her bag down on the floor beside her. "Too much work to do."

"When Streelers Strike Back: Applying Magical Law to Magical Creatures," he said, scanning the title of the book. "This wouldn't have to do with that hippogriff, would it?"

She nodded enthusiastically, reaching into her bag and pulled out another series of books, naming them as she piled each one on top of his desk. "I've also got Murderous Mooncalves, which talks about the mad mooncalf disease outbreak of 1871, which was blamed on the mooncalves themselves; Lockhart's Criminalizing Cockatrices, Prosecuting Plimpies, and Lawyer for a Leprechaun -- I mean, of course I know he didn't actually handle those cases, but I thought there might still be some good information in the books about how trials for magical creatures are handled -- and Magical Legislature of the Twentieth Century, which only has a small chapter on nonhuman cases, but it's been really informative... oh, and here we have--"

"Miss Granger, it's clear you've done your homework," Geoffrey said, holding up a hand to stop her. He suspected that as large as her bag was, she had managed an expanding charm on it, and there was no telling just how many books she would pull out. "If I may ask, why are you so interested in this?"

"Because Hagrid's my friend," she said. "And you can't think that Buckbeak really attacked Malfoy," she added. "You've seen him -- Buckbeak, I mean, not Malfoy, though I suppose you've seen him, too, since you're a professor -- you know he's not dangerous. Malfoy wasn't even hurt that badly! There must be something..." Hermione faltered at the apologetic smile Geoff offered her, looking down at the book in her hands.

"It's your word against Malfoy's, I'm afraid," he said, "and the only evidence we have is that Buckbeak did injure him. Since Buckbeak can't speak for himself, there isn't much we can do."

"Couldn't you offer a testimony?" she asked. She grabbed one of the books from the desk and began flipping through it. "In Prosecuting Plimpies, Lockhart says an expert on magical creatures was brought in at the hearing, and his opinion--"

"It wouldn't do much good," he answered. "All I would be able to do is provide a statement about Buckbeak's condition, and talk about hippogriffs' general behavior. I couldn't say if Buckbeak was behaving inappropriately for the circumstances, or if Malfoy provoked him. Even if I could prove that Malfoy provoked him, what would that accomplish besides showing Hagrid's incompetence as a teacher? Not that I think he's incompetent," he emphasized as she opened her mouth to protest. "But if he failed to teach his students the appropriate etiquette for dealing with hippogriffs, the blame is on him."

"But he did teach us. Malfoy just--"

"I'm sure Hagrid did teach you. He would want you to enjoy the hippogriffs as much as he does. But the evidence is not in his favor, given the circumstances. Wouldn't you rather him lose a hippogriff than lose his job?"

"It's not fair," Hermione said, beginning to put her books back into her bag. "Buckbeak didn't do anything wrong."

"He hasn't been sentenced yet," Geoff reminded her. "Maybe the hearing will go our way. If anyone can figure out a good defense for him, it's you, Hermione."