Magic? || Years 1-5

Scabbers's Alive?!: Year 3

"Ah, my dear, I think we're done for today... I'm so sorry you had to see that," She gave her student a slight smile, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Amisty nodded numbly, picking up her bag and climbing down the ladder.

"How was it?" Harry asked expectantly.

She shrugged, hoping she looked nonchalant, "Not too bad. Just make something up. I'll meet you in the common room."

And so, she adjusted her bag and walked down the steps towards the Gryffindor common room, the shadow still lurking on the edge of her thoughts.

-=+=-

"How was your exam?" Hermione asked brightly, clearly pleased with how she did on her Muggle Studies exam.

"Boring... there's got to be some evidence that it's just enchanted milk!" She joked, dropping down next to her.

Hermione laughed, and the two of them fell into an easy chatter, shortly joined by Ron. Everyone around them was heading outside, grinning as they awaited the freedom of the outdoors.

And that's when an owl landed on their table, dropping a note and flying off. It was from Hagrid.

Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it.

Hagrid

The paper was dry, but he was shaking so much that the words were almost illegible. They all traded glances, mouths open but no words falling. Amisty barely flinched when Harry burst into the common room, panting.

"Professor Trelawney just told me -- " He gasped, cutting off at the sight of their faces.

"Buckbeak lost. Hagrid's just sent this," Ron whispered, handing him the note numbly.

"We've got to go. He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!" Harry protested.

"Sunset, though. We'd never be allowed... 'specially you, Harry..." Ron replied, staring out the window as if in shock.

"If we only had the Invisibility Cloak..." Harry groaned, his head in his hands as he took a seat.

"Where is it?" Hermione asked suddenly, her brown eyes wide and alert.

"I left it in the passageway with the one-eyed witch statue. It opens when you tap it with your wand, and then you can crawl through and there's this little dark tunnel. That's where the entrance to Honeydukes is. If Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I'm in serious trouble," Harry replied.

"That's true. If he sees you... How do you open the witch's hump, again?" She asked, brushing down her robes as she got to her feet.

"You -- you tap it and say, 'Dissendium,'" Harry stammered, confused as Hermione started walking toward the door. "But -- "

He didn't finish. She had already left, pushed open the portrait, and disappeared into the hall.

"She hasn't gone to get it?" Ron wondered aloud, his gaze fixated on the now-closed portrait hole.

Amisty blinked, trying to process what was happening with Hermione.

Fifteen minutes later, the bushy-haired girl reappeared, pulling out the Cloak from under her robes as she walked back to them.

"Hermione, I don't know what's gotten into you lately! First, you hit Malfoy," Ron listed. Amisty was stuck between a grin and a frown... it wasn't very comfortable, "then you walk out on Professor Trelawney -- "