Insomnia | Fred Weasley |

27. Again with the timing, George!

"Alex!" A voice called and both girls looked up to see Cedric walking over, slightly pale.  "Is it true that Sirius Black got into Gryffindor tower?"

With a heavy sigh, she nodded.  "He attacked our friend, Ron," she told him.  "But if you want the full story, you'll have to ask him."

Just then, Ron and Harry walked into the Great Hall and Ron was telling the group surrounding him an eccentric story, most likely what had happened the night before.  Alex immediately lost her appetite, as did Hermione and they left the Great Hall as Alex bid goodbye to Cedric.

"Mornin'," Hagrid greeted from where he was standing waiting for them.

Immediately, Alex threw her arms around Hagrid as she sniffled.  The older man understood and held her tightly without actually crushing her and rubbing her back gently.

"Promise me if you come across him on the grounds, you'll just step on him, Hagrid?" She asked, causing Hermione and Hagrid to chuckle.  "I'm being serious."

"No, I thought you were his daughter," Hermione joked, which caused Alex to burst into laughter before the three of them began their walk down to his hut.

"Got some tea boilin'," he told them as the two girls settled at the table.

"We also brought all the research we've been doing to help your case with Buckbeak," Alex told him as they began to pull out the notecards and pieces of parchment.

"Thank yeh both so much fer helpin'," he told them as he looked over the research they had done.  "This stuff looks amazin'."

"It's all been Hermione mostly," Alex gushed,  nudging Hermione, who was silent as she sipped at the tea Hagrid had served them.

"Don't be modest," Hermione responded with a small smile.  "Alex has been staying up late on reading the books about hippogriffs and she even got that expert to send a whole letter about how to act around them."

"Yeh both are wonderful," Hagrid told them as he sat down.  "Now, what's this I hear 'bout Sirius Black breakin' inter Gryffindor?"

The two girls shared a look.  "It's just that," Alex spoke.  "He broke in using a list of passwords that Neville Longbottom had written on a piece of paper."

"He almost got Ron," Hermione squeaked, tears beginning to well in her eyes.

Hagrid gasped.  "Is Ron okay?"

"Yes, thankfully," Hermione reassured before she began to cry.  "But he's still not speaking to me because he thinks Crookshanks ate Scabbers."

Alex put her arm around Hermione, who was looking exhausted.  "He's being a right prat, Hagrid," Alex informed him.  "I'm ready to hex him if he doesn't stop harassing Hermione every chance he gets."

Hagrid looked exasperated at the girls statements.  "What 'bout Harry?"

"Oh yeah, Harry and I are on speaking terms again but we are divided when it comes to whether Crookshanks ate Scabbers," Alex told Hagrid.  "I sided with Hermione but Harry sided with Ron."

"Those boys," Hagrid grumbled as he shook his head.

Alex and Hermione stayed for a little longer, going over what Hagrid should say at the committee hearing.  Hermione cried a bit more over being so stressed with all her homework, as well as Ron almost being killed while Alex and Hagrid consoled her.  When it got around to lunchtime, Hagrid walked the two girls back up to the castle.

"Thanks again fer the help," Hagrid told them as they bid him goodbye and headed up to Gryffindor tower to get started on homework for the next day.

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