Harry Potter and the Alternate Universe!

11. The Prisoner of Azkaban

Neville, Ron and Ginny were walking, tense when they saw a man in a mask sharpening his big axe. They automatically knew he was there to execute Buckbeak. 

"Can't believe they are going to execute Buckbeak!" Ginny murmured as they walked by him, "It's just too horrible."

"It just got worse," Ron groaned pointing at Malfoy.

Ginny stormed towards them in anger Neville and Ron dutifully following her. Malfoy and his groupies also moved towards them.

"Look who's there," Theodore Nott said to Draco pointing towards the trio.

"Ahh... Come to see the show?" Malfoy taunted them.

"You...you bloody cowardly snivelling little ferret!" Ginny sneered holding Malfoy at her wand point. Malfoy seemed to be even paler than usual, with a healthy dose of fear on his face.

Neville sighed and patted Ginny's shoulder "Let him be Ginny. He's not worth it."

Ginny removed her wand with great reluctance and started moving away when Malfoy and his groupies started laughing.

Ginny's wand moved automatically, and Malfoy was hit with Ginny's signature purple spell. Malfoy started sneezing and his mucus took the form of bats and started harassing his face. 

Malfoy shouted as his cronies tried to bat the creatures away with disgust on their faces. Finally, Malfoy ran as fast as he could even forgetting to deliver his favourite Dady threat to the trio.

Ginny smirked as she watched the retreating Ferret, "That felt good."

"Good? That was brilliant Ginny." Neville said in awe as Ginny beamed back to him.

"I reckon Neville is right. That was great, Ginny." Ron agreed.

-------X-------

[Hagrid's Hut]

"Why don't you just set him free?" Neville asked Hagrid.

"Can't. It will put Dumbledore in trouble. He wants to be here with me when... you know. Great man Dumbledore." Hagrid says sniffling a little.

"We will stay with you too, Hagrid," Ginny told him resolutely.

"You will do no such thing. I don't want you to see something like that. You will drink your tea and be off." Hagrid said fiercely. He then gestured at Ron, "Before you do, Ron. I have something for you," He then proceeded to bring out Ron's rat from a container and handed it to him.

"Scabbers!" Ron explained with joy, "You are all right!"

Ginny wrinkled her nose at the sickly rat "Keep it away from me Ron."

Before Ron could answer, they were distracted by a stone hitting one of Hagrid's earthen vessels and breaking them, while the second hit Neville on his head.

Ow! Who is that?" Neville asked.

Hagrid peeked through his window and saw Minister of Magic Fudge being accompanied by Walden McNair and Albus Dumbledore.

"It's time. It's nearly dark", Hagrid herded the trio towards the back door, "Go now!"

The trio escaped through the backdoor but saw McNair using his axe to sever Buckbeak's neck. Ginny hugged Ron and started to cry, while rage and emotion crossed the face of Ron and Neville as they comforted Ginny, who had ridden the Hippogriff on the first day of the lesson.

After a few moments, Ron dropped his rat, and held his bleeding finger and screamed incuriously "Ow, he bit me. Scabbers!"

He then followed his rat in an attempt to catch him ignoring the calls of his sister and best mate "Scabbers! Scabbers wait! Come here!" he finally caught the rat after some hard work, when his breath hitched.