── ⲇ ──
June approached and the skies were endlessly blue with no gray clouds in sight.
Exams were upon them.
Students were obliged to remain inside and study. Even Fred and George had now started to take studying seriously.
Y/n sat at a table, her button up shirt was two buttons down which let the breeze from the window hit her chest. Her robes were set on top of the chair she sat at. The sleeves to her shirt were rolled up, her necklace dangling as she leaned over to look at her book.
Fred watched her from across the table, chewing on his food as he admired her. He glanced to her necklace which dangled in front of her exposed bit of skin. His eyes peered up when he felt the fiery stare of the girl in front of him. "Hi." He grinned. She scoffed. "Eyes on your paper, Weasley, not my chest."
"I wasn't! I was looking at your necklace." She rolled her eyes. "I bet..." she glanced up as she heard the flap of wings. It was Hedwig.
Y/n stood up, disregarding her stuff as she made her way over to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Is it about Hagrid's appeal?" She quickly asked them.
Fred sighed as he watched her walk away. He huffed and continued to study.
"Yeah..." Harry responded and he began to read. "It's set for the 6th...it's taking place here. Someone from the Ministry of Magic and... an executioner?!"
"What?!" Ron, Hermione, and Y/n all shrieked. "That sounds as if they've already decided!" Hermione said. "They can't!" Ron howled. "I spent ages reading up on stuff for him, they can't just ignore it all!" He spoke furiously.
"Yeah, well, I'm sure the Department had their mind made up for them the moment Lucius Malfoy spoke to them." Y/n scowled.
── ⲇ ──
Exam week had started.
Y/n didn't really speak to any of her friends throughout the whole week. She remained focused on her exams, walking back and forth from classes to the common room.
At one point, minutes before her Transfiguration exam, Professor McGonogall found her with her head buried in her hands outside the corridor.
Her knuckles were bloodied and bruised, her hair was messed up which showed the clear signs that she had been frustrated and took it out on the wall as well as herself.
She vented to McGonogall about how Snape definitely unbiasedly failed her. Professor McGonogall offered her some Calming Draught.
At the end of the exam, Y/n sat still but soon stood up and walked to the common room.
She was done for the day and she kept assuring herself that she just had to get through it.
── ⲇ ──
It was Thursday, time for lunch.
Y/n sat in the Great Hall. Fred was laying his head on her shoulder as she fed him pieces of bread. "You're like a pigeon." She told him.
He chuckled and turned his head, pecking her cheek. She chuckled softly when she noticed Ron, Harry, and Hermione. They sat across from her, a few inches away.
Without warning, she slid over to them. Fred's body tilted as he fell from where he was once resting. "Hey— ow." He rubbed his elbow which banged against the table.
"They even got the axe ready! This isn't justice." Ron said. "Wait— axe? Why's the executioner here for the appeal?" She rose a brow. "That's not right."
"As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time and argues his case properly, they can't possibly execute Buckbeak." Hermione spoke but they could tell she didn't believe her words.
None of them did.
Y/n sighed and glanced to Fred who was happily talking to Angelina. "I'll meet you guys in the common room before the appeal." She told them and they nodded.
"We'll go together." Ron said. Y/n nodded and slid back to Fred's side. "Sorry, I had to talk to them... about Hagrid."
"How is he?" Angelina asked, concernedly.
Y/n shook her head sadly, and sighed. "The hippogriff might get executed... i wanna look on the bright side but it's just... I don't think there is one..."
Fred put an arm around her. "I'm sure the hippogriff will be free and he will eat as many ferrets as he wants." He spoke, confidently.
── ⲇ ──
Y/n sat in the common room with Ron and Hermione. The three were waiting for Harry, they sat with grim faces.
Y/n fiddled with her necklace, her mind was far from exams.
"Professor Trelawney just told me-" Harry said as he walked in but soon stopped when he noticed their faces.
"Buckbeak lost..." Ron trailed. "Hagrid just sent us this." He showed the letter that they had just read.
Buckbeak was scheduled to be executed at sunset. There was nothing they could do.
"We've got to go!" Harry told them. "He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!"
"Sunset though..." Ron spoke. "We'd never be allowed out, especially you Harry." Y/n added on. Harry put a hand to his chin in thought.
"If only we had the invisibility cloak."
'Invisi- what?'
"Where is it?" Hermione asked.
He told them how he left the cloak in the passageway to Hogsmeade. "If Snape sees me near there again, I'm in big trouble."
"That is true..." Y/n hummed before smirking as she concocted a plan. "If he sees you. I know the passageways, I'll get it." She told them as she stood up.
"Alright... be quick. And- and don't get caught." Harry warned her. "I know, I know. Not my first rodeo." She told him and walked out of the common room. "Be back in a jiffy!"
About 15 minutes later, the portrait to the common room was swung open but no one was standing there. There was a silence for a period of time.
"This is so cool!" Y/n revealed her face as she kept the cloak wrapped around her. "Alright, children, c'mon." She handed the cloak to Harry. "Let's head to dinner first."
── ⲇ ──
After dinner, they did not return to the common room. The four of them were huddled close together under the cloak as they tiptoed across the hall.
They made their way to Hagrid's cabin, the sun was already peering down.
Harry knocked and Hagrid opened the door, he looked around but saw no one. "It's us!" Harry told him. "We're wearing the invisibility cloak! Let us in and we can take it off."
"You shouldn't have come." Hagrid angrily told them but nonetheless he stood back and the four walked in.
Hagrid quickly shut the door and Harry pulled the cloak off. Hagrid stood, he looked like a man who did not know where he was.
He was pale and had definitely been crying. "Want some tea?" He asked them.
"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "Took him outside." Hagrid responded.
Y/n looked around the cabin. She flinched when the sound of the milk jug shattering reached her ears. "I got it, Hagrid." Hermione told him.
Y/n took notice of Hagrid's trembling hands. "Isn't there anything anyone can do?" She asked. "Dumbledore, maybe?" She sat next to him, patting his shoulder.
"He's tried. Got no power to overrule the appeal." He told them.
"Is Buckbeak alright?" Harry asked.
"He's scared. The executioner, is an old pal of Malfoy's. But he'll be quick and clean. And I'll be beside him."
Hermione walked over with the new milk jug. "We'll stay with you too, Hagrid." She told him.
"I'll take you back to the castle. I told you, I don't want you watching. And you shouldn't be down here anyway, if Fudge and Dumbledore catch you up without permission, there'll be big trouble."
Hermione then shrieked. "Ron, I don't believe it! It's Scabbers!" She told him. Ron stood up and Hermione flipped the milk jug upside down, Scabbers falling out squeaking.
"Scabbers!" Ron held the rat up. Scabbers looked dreadful.
Hagrid suddenly stood up, his eyes on the window. "They're coming! You've gotta go!" Hagrid ushered them.
"Go on... get goin." Hagrid told them. "Hagrid, we can't." Y/n said.
But the four knew they had no choice so they huddled under the cloak and walked out through the back.
"Please, let's hurry... I can't bare it." Hermione whispered and they treaded through the lawn. The sun was sinking faster.
Ron stopped in his tracks. "Oh please, Ron." Hermione pleaded. "It's Scabbers, he won't stay still." He said as he bent over, trying to keep Scabbers still in his pocket.
They continued to move on. Y/n was trying not to listen to the voices of the men. Ron stopped again but Scabbers squeaking couldn't blare out the sound of everything.
Especially not the thud of an axe.