The Malfoy Principle (On Hiatus)

Too Close to Call [Pt. 2]

Saphira let out a loud curse after her last particularly annoying class period. Hagrid sighed from beside the animal cages. After all, he knew it had nothing to do with him or the animals. Their last class had been a batch of sixth years who all seemed to be more interested in each other rather than their assigned animals. Saphira had spent the entire period trying to keep their attention on the relatively dangerous creatures but Hagrid knew it was all in vain. Because it was Valentine’s Day and the students thought that their love would keep them safe.

“Miss  ‘Phira?” Hagrid asked as he stood straight. Saphira stopped in her cursing tirade to turn to the half-giant in questioning. Her blue eyes pinned themselves on his bearded face and Hagrid almost blushed.

“Don’ mind the students,” he offered in consolation.   He watched Saphira frown before sighing. Suddenly she smiled softly at him.

“I don’t. I’m just…angry at the holiday.” She offered as an explanation and it was true. Valentine’s Day was an awful holiday that served no purpose other than to shove love into everyone’s faces. Hagrid looked confused at her anger over a holiday but he had never really understood his assistant professor very much anyways. She was a contradiction with what he thought she should be like. In fact, he was surprised they got along as well as they did. Of course, he was surprised she got along well with anyone other than Snape.

“No use bein’ angry at a random day, Miss ‘Phira,” Hagrid offered before he lifted a nearby cage up off of the ground and heaved over his shoulder. Saphira watched the half-giant lumber away as she thought about his words.

“No use being angry over a random day, huh?” She asked herself and while she understood and appreciated the logic, the sourness that filled her heart did not go away.  Suddenly a thought swallowed up her sourness. The letter Hagrid had received at breakfast had sent him into a nervous fit and she had no doubt it was about his hearing to save Buckbeak. Albus had mentioned to her that they had moved up the date for the hearing.

“Buckbeak. Hagrid! Hagrid! When is Buckbeak’s hearing?” She shouted to her colleague as he began to trudge back from behind his cabin. Hagrid counted the days on his fingers until he was finally back in front of the blonde.

“Day after ‘morow, I’m sure,” he answered as Saphira sighed.

“Are you going to be alright going to London by yourself?” She questioned as she folded her arms across her chest. Hagrid looked slightly offended before he waved her worry away.

“I’m not goin’ by myself,” he replied simply as Saphira tilted her head to the side.

“Who’s going with you?” Although Saphira already knew the answer the moment the questions slipped from between her lips.

“The great Albus Dumbledore,” Hagrid responded proudly as he threw out his rather large chest. Saphira shook her head. There was no need to subtly defend the headmaster to her. However, she felt Hagrid often did out of habit now instead of situational necessity.

***

Two days after Valentine’s Day, Saphira was standing at the front gate with Severus, Hagrid, and Albus. She handed a heavy stack of papers over to Hagrid who looked confused. After being forced by Saphira to bathe and brush his unruly hair and beard, he had been squeezed into a less worn out pair of robes. She had claimed it was to help Buckbeak because it would help the committee take him more seriously.

“This is all of the research I’ve done over the last couple of weeks. You would’ve had more, but they moved it up so far,” Saphira explained as Hagrid nodded and patted the stack of papers.

“Don’t let Lucius bully you but don’t let your temper get the better of you either. I’m sure that my brother will be a condescending prick but he will not have prepared as much. Just tell them the truth and explain that Buckbeak isn’t a bad or dangerous animal. He was just defending himself.” Saphira offered as she stepped back from the half-giant. Hagrid nodded again at her advice as Albus smiled from beside him.

“Well, I think we’d best be off then, Hagrid,” Albus remarked cheerfully as he turned to lead the way out of the front gate.

“Good luck, Hagrid,” Saphira’s soft voice followed Hagrid’s lumbering form as she turned to face Severus who stood just behind her.

“I really wish Lucius had just dropped this,” she muttered as Severus chuckled and he led the blonde back to the castle.

“Your brother is stubborn when it comes to these things,” he replied simply. Saphira grumbled something incoherent but Severus managed to catch ‘bloody nodcock’ and ‘codswallow’. To be honest, Severus was surprised Lucius still was going through with his attack on the hippogriff. Usually when Lucius and Saphira were on opposing sides of a disagreement, Lucius often relented or switched sides to stand next to his sister. However, he had not conceded or relented on his intentions to have Buckbeak the hippogriff executed for scratching his precious son.

Saphira spent the day filling in for Hagrid. She took note that Draco had been called away from the school to testify and she frowned at the thought. Lucius should know better than to drag Draco away from his studies just for a bit of power-tripping. And that was what this entire debacle was about, Saphira knew it. It was a way for her brother to showcase the kind of pull he has in the ministry now. Saphira rolled her eyes at the thought. If Lucius put as much time and effort into his family as he did into his pea-cocking, Saphira was sure Draco wouldn’t be an almost exact replica of him. Considering the hell, Lucius had put her through in their childhood, Saphira was not happy to see Draco mimicking many of his actions. She made a mental note to have a stern talk with both her brother and her nephew during the summer.

It was dark before Hagrid and Albus returned from London. Severus and Saphira were in the middle of a game of wizarding chess when the two walked into the teacher’s lounge. Severus ignored their entrance as he moved one of his bishops to capture one of Saphira’s pawns. Saphira shot him a dirty look before she climbed to her feet and approached the pair. The other teachers joined her and formed a semi-circle around the headmaster and gamekeeper. Saphira could already tell the news was bad. Hagrid’s face was littered with tear stains and his handkerchief was wadded up tightly in his fist.

“Oh, Hagrid. How bad was it?”

“We lost,” he wailed suddenly as he shoved his handkerchief against his face to soak up his pouring tears and blow his massive nose. Saphira sighed as she approached the half-giant and patted his arm.

“I’m so sorry, Hagrid. I really am. If it makes you feel better, I’m going to make it a point to kick my brother the next time I see him,” Saphira offered as a makeshift apology for the horrible thing her family had brought down upon his head.

“Now, now, Saphira. Violence amongst siblings rarely solves anything,” Albus remarked as he informed the group that the committee had decided that the best course of action was to have the hippogriff executed here at Hogwarts in June. Saphira frowned deeply as she glanced over at Severus. Sensing her anger, he pulled away from the table and walked toward the group. While the rest of the teachers attempted to console Hagrid, Saphira slipped away and dragged Severus with her, intent on confronting her brother.

“That stupid git. He is murdering an innocent creature and putting a harmless oaf through a lot of misery just for a kick. How in Merlin’s beard am I related to him?” Saphira growled on their way to the dungeons. Severus remained quiet. After all, it wasn’t the first time he had seen Saphira angry at Lucius and he knew it wouldn’t be the last.