¹𝐒𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞 ─ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲

BLACK

. . .

It had never happened to her before, Tilly's was stunned into silence. The four students stood, transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling.

"Hagrid," Harry muttered. Without thinking what he was doing, he made to turn back, but Matilda caught his arm.

"Harry, we can't," said Tilly, even though she too had thought to turn back and run to Hagrid's place. "Hagrid will get into worse trouble if it was known that he knew we were out here and we've been to see him."

Hermione's breathing became shallow and uneven.

"How — could — they?" she choked. "How could they?"

"This was most likely one of the easier decisions for the Ministry to make," answered Tilly, her tone had no trace of emotion to it. "They've allowed themselves to become conditioned to doing stuff like executions, especially when they've been paid."

"Come on," said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering.

They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now. By the time they reached the open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.

"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!"

"Ron you've got to let the rat go," said Tilly as she was slowly becoming annoyed with having to constantly stop so that Ron could fight with Scabbers. "It looks as if Hermione is about to have an asthma attack and Fudge will be coming through any moment!"

"He won't — stay — put —"

Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip.

Tilly began to wonder what had become of Scabbers, she never remembered him acting that way with Ron ever before. She turned her head away from the fussing Ron and looked into what looked like an endless sea of trees, and that's when she noticed — slinking toward them, his body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting in the darkness — Crookshanks. Whether he was following them or the sound of the shrieking rat, the cat was there with them now.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!"

But the cat was getting nearer—

"Scabbers — NO!"

Too late — the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, and before anyone was able to stop him, Ron had thrown the Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness.