Complete :||: Loved Series #1

10) Nothing But Gargoyles

Ft. Lily's Trick

Lily's POV
It had been two weeks since we had found out the...startling information about Sirius Black. It was a few days before Christmas and Ron and Hermione had decided to stay over the three-week break to keep us company.

So far we'd worn out Ron's chessboard and Percy's Gobstone set. We'd also finished all our holiday homework so we were free for the rest of the break. Now, we walked down to Hagrid's, not just for a hearty catch-up but because Harry couldn't restrain himself any longer from confronting him about not telling him about Sirius Black.

After some complaining from Hermione that Harry and I shouldn't be out of the castle with a back-stabbing, mass-murder running around, we made our way down the hill and through the snow. Hagrid's hut resembled something like an iced cake and as we neared a loud moaning was coming from inside.

"Is that—Fang?" Ron asked as we pressed our ears to the door.

I rapped hard and loudly on the door. "Hagrid!"

There were heavy thumping footsteps towards the door and it creaked open, showing Hagrid's teary face. "S'pose you've heard?" He sobbed pathetically.

He was answered with four confused looks. Gesturing us inside, we scrambled for our favourite seats at the table and he shoved a formal-looking letter in front of us.

Harry bravely picked it up and read it aloud:

Dear Mr Hagrid,
Further into our inquiry about the attack by a Hippogriff on a student, we accept the assurance of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident.

"But that's good, isn't it?" We smiled up at him, but he waved a hand for us to continue reading.

However, we register concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will be brought before the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.

The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committees offices in London. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated.
Yours in fellowship...

There was a long list of names of the school governors. Oh, we all seemed to say through the silence. "Nothing but gargoyles at the Committee, I'm half tempted to set Buckbeak free but they'd know it was me...I don't want to go back to Azkaban."

I glanced at Harry wondering, through all Hagrids misery if he would confront him, but he never did. We sat there for the rest of the afternoon, comforting him and changing the topic.

We asked about the new batch of Flobberworms he'd had to get in because we killed the last ones. He told us we weren't allowed to kill these ones for we had to use them for our exams.

The group turned our focus now from revenge on Black to putting together a case for Buckbeak. We had worn a path from the Tower to the library from going back and forth so much, and the common room was submerged in books.

We were so set on creating a case that we hardly noticed the spectacular Christmas decorations spring up all around the castle. Thick strands of holly and mistletoe along corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside suits of armour and not to forget, the twelve giant, beautifully decorated, Christmas trees in the Great Hall, each with its own glittering golden star on top.