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𝕯𝖆𝖉'𝖘 𝖊𝖝𝖆𝖒 𝖜𝖆𝖘 early the next morning. He'd set up an obstacle course which was extremely fun, though dangerous. It was also, I thought privately, more useful than any other exam considering this would pertain to what would happen in real life.
There was a deep paddling pool with a grindylow, a road of potholes with red caps, a marsh with hinkypunks, and a trunk where we had to battle a boggart.
Most of the students did well, perhaps messing up in only one place or maybe even two. I did well until I got to the trunk. I stood in front of it, not necessarily wanting to climb down and see what my fear was now. Had it changed? Was it different? What if I couldn't find a way to defeat my fear?
Dad put an encouraging hand on my shoulder and whispered, "remember that whatever you see, I love you."
I nodded and opened the trunk and climbed inside. There was about five feet of space on all sides and I shivered slightly, claustrophobia settling in.
The boggart appeared and took the form of a clown. But it wasn't just any clown- it was Pennywise the clown. Pure white face with a huge receding hairline with red hair like Fred's. It wore a ruffled costume, also white, but dirty and matted with the standard red puffballs as the buttons. His eyes were yellowy orange with red scars going across both eyes. His mouth and nose were also painted red and when he smiled, he had teeth like a shark, jagged and more than one row. In his hand- with clawed fingers- was a singular red balloon.
"We all float down here." The clown said softly. Against my will, I shrieked, jumping backwards, and slamming my back into the ladder rungs. I cried out in pain next.
Just a Boggart, it's just a boggart. Just a stupid mother effing boggart Elizabeth.
"Float. . . we float down here Lizzy." Pennywise said. "Want a balloon? We all float."
I raised my wand, shuddering and cried, "Riddikulus!"
The clown shuddered and became a stuffed unicorn but I couldn't find laughter. I was still shaking. I put my wand in my pocket and turned, climbing the ladder. My fingers were slippery with sweat and I was trembling violently with fright. That was unnatural, it shouldn't exist. It didn't exist, of course it didn't. It was just a book character, that was all. Just a stupid boggart.
Dad looked worried when I finally climbed out of the trunk. Under his breath he asked, "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah." I said, trying to swallow with a dry mouth. "I forgot how small the trunk was and I slammed my back into the ladder rungs because the boggart was so large. That's all."
Dad looked relieved.
"Full points." Dad said and I went to stand with the others while the next person went. I was so glad that Dad couldn't see my boggart. But then again, it was my fault for reading IT so many times. But I was also glad that it wasn't Dad anymore.
I redid the hour so that I could take the Magical Theory exam. It was a confusing exam based on the nature on magic. How spells worked, theoretical aspects of magic, and also magical law. It was a very interesting class, like a mix of History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Charms. Except no magic was used in the class.
I went to potions next where I had to brew a confusing concoction from memory. My hands shook every time he walked past me. You're being ridiculous! I snapped at myself each time. But I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.
I redid the hour over so that I could go to Care of Magical Creatures exam. Hagrid simply said if our flobberworms were alive at the end of the hour, we passed. I left my flobberworm by itself. I went to sit with Hagrid in silence. He didn't seem able to say much.
After the exam, we went up to eat lunch. Charms and Muggle Studies were to be taken at the same time. I went to Charms first, redoing the hour for Muggle Studies. Astronomy had to be done at midnight.
That left Herbology and History of Magic tomorrow. That was nice. It was a shame that tomorrow was also Buckbeak's execution.
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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, after my exams, before dinner, I walked down to Hagrid's cabin and knocked on the door. Hagrid opened it. He wasn't crying, he just looked like a dead man standing.
"Oh, Hullo Elizabeth." He said. Off in the distance, I saw Fudge and the executioner talking to Dumbledore. "Buckbeak. . . he lost teh appeal. He's teh be executed. . . at sunset."
"I want to ride him." I demanded.
Hagrid stared at me for a second. "Alrigh' but I don' wan' yeh teh get in trouble."
"I won't." I said, setting my jaw.
Hagrid had Buckbeak in the pumpkin patch. He untied the rope. I bowed to Buckbeak and he bowed back immediately and I rushed over and petted his head. With Hagrid's help, I was sitting on his back. I turned Buckbeak around so that we would go away from Fudge. I knew Buckbeak had to be a 'fugitive' at the end of the day, but I wanted to ride him for one last time.
We took off and soared higher than I had ever soared on a broom. I felt free though, and I wasn't scared of the fall. It was peaceful up here, and Buckbeak was happy to be spreading his wings. I was happy for him. We soared over the forest and as I looked down, I saw galloping centaurs and farther to the left, there was a large spider. Then Buckbeak soared over the forest on the right side and I saw a large black dog. But all of these creatures weren't really more than sepcks on the forest floor.
I found however, as Buckbeak crowed with freedom and we dropped back to the ground, I was crying. I dismounted and put our heads together and sobbed one big sob.
"I love you Buckbeak." I said throwing my arms around his neck. I felt his head dip down so that his beak was touching the small of my back. After a moment or two I stepped back, wiping tears off my face. Hagrid wiped away one of his own tears.
"Don' come down at sunset." Hagrid said, "I don' wan' yeh teh see teh. . . yeh know. . ."
I shook my head but headed off, wiping away my tears. I wished that I could hurt Draco. This was all his bloody fault! But I kept my head. This had to play out a certain way, I knew this. In the redo, Hermione and Harry would save Buckbeak to save Sirius. It had to play out this way. . . It just had to.
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𝕬𝖙 𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖗, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 four of us sat at the Gryffindor table. I avoided looking at the teachers' table. None of us were eating. I was close to tears and distracted myself by stabbing a piece of sponge cake and watching cream pool out of the holes. It was actually quite satisfying and I continued to stab it rather viciously. Harry mindlessly continued stirring his spoon in his stew. Ron was eating half-heartedly. Hermione was just watching me mutilate the desert.
Finally, we left and headed into an empty chamber. Hermione and I pressed our ears up to the door, waiting for the last person to come up. If only Harry had the marauders map. . . but dad had taken it away from him and I hadn't see it in dad's office, though I had looked for it multiple times. I figured he might be carrying it on him. It was a reminder of when the four of them had created something amazing.
Four of them. . . like there were four of us now. But none of us would betray the other. . . right?
"Okay, no one there- cloak on-" Hermione said. I checked my watch briefly, marking the time with a marker on the inside of my elbow.
We had to walk very closely together because four of us barely fit under the cloak. Luckily, I was a bit shorter than the other three so I didn't have to crouch to walk and it worked out nicely.
The sun was sinking behind the Forbidden Forest. It cast long shadows down the grassy green slopes and gray stone steps. The Black Lake sparkled as the sun's long beams cast down on it. We made our way down to Hagrid's cabin. Fudge and the executioner were in the castle, most likely in Dumbledore's office.
We walked faster as we neared Hagrid's cabin. Harry knocked. I marked the time again quickly. Hagrid took a long moment to open the door. Then, he looked around for his visitor, his normal red face was nearly bloodless.
"It's us, We're wearing the invisibility cloak." Harry hissed. "Let us in and we can take it off."
"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered but he let us through and we headed into the cabin and took the invisibility cloak off. Hagrid shut the door.
Hagrid didn't sit down. He wasn't crying either. He didn't ask for any comfort. In some ways, this helpless mature person was worse to watch than if he'd sobbed his heart out. I felt tears spring to my eyes and I wiped them away furiously.
"Wan' some tea?" He asked. His hands were shaking as he reached for the tea kettle.
"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" Hermione asked, looking around the cabin.
"I- I took him outside." Hagrid said in a thick voice, but he wasn't crying. He spilled milk all over the table. I quickly made it disappear with my wand. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an'- an' smell fresh air- before-"
He dropped the milk jug before I could catch it. It shattered across the floor.
"I'll do it, Hagrid." Hermione said quickly.
"There's another one in the cupboard." Hagrid said, finally sitting down and wiping his forehead on his long sleeves.
I cleaned up the mess with a twirl of my wand. I was getting good at cleaning up stuff. Hermione grabbed the milk jug that was in the cupboard.
"Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid?" Harry asked anxiously. "Dumbledore-"
"He's tried." Hagrid said hopelessly. "He's got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared. . . Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like. . . threatened 'em, I expect. . . 'an the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's. . . but it'll be quick an' clean. . . an' I'll be beside him. . ." Hagrid swallowed hard. His eyes were darting through the cabin, searching for comfort.
"Elizabeth, can't you do something?" Harry pleaded.
I snorted, arms crossed. "I already tried. Told him this afternoon that Buckbeak wasn't a danger. But it doesn't do any good. He knows I hate Draco. Besides, I see the future. Telling him about the past doesn't help any. By the time I thought, sometime around my exam, to think of saying that I foresaw Buckbeak winning the appeal, it was too late."
You're lying, my mind hissed at me. Which was true, of course, but this had to be worked out in a certain way.
"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it- while it happens. Wrote me this mornin'. Said he wants ter- ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore. . ."
Hermione let out a small sob. She straightened up from where she was making tea and said, "We'll stay with you too, Hagrid." She said.
Hagrid shook his head. "Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway. . . If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, Harry, Yeh'll be in big trouble."
Hermione quickly turned away as tears spilled over her cheeks, hiding them from Hagrid. Then, she let out a shriek, "Ron! I- I don't believe it- it's Scabbers!"
I marked a third time.
"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, confused, his mouth open. Perhaps he thought Hermione had cracked from stress.
Hermione carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. Instead of milk pouring out, a small thin rat came out instead. I shuddered. I hated rats, even if they were rats that were actually Animagi.
"Scabbers!" Ron said in a blank way, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing, "Scabbers, what are you doing here?"
I rolled my eyes, thinking of how much hate had taken place between Hermione and Ron because of the stupid rat that wasn't a rat. Ron grabbed Scabbers and held him up in the light. I was glad to find that he looked horrible. He was thin and shriveled, with large patches of fur missing.
"It's okay, Scabbers!" Ron said as Scabbers struggled in his hands, trying to free himself. "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"
Except me, I thought. I breathed in deeply.
Hagrid stood up, his face having turned a yellow-brown parchment color. "They're comin'"
I looked out the window and then over at the forest and grinned. Then, I looked back at the path of people coming. Dumbledore was leading, his silver beard gleaming in the sunlight. Next was Fudge, looking hot in his suit. The last was an old Committee member and the last was the person I hated the most out of all of them- Macnair, the executioner.
"Yeh gotta go!" Hagrid said. Every inch of him was visibly trembling. "They mustn' find yeh here. . . go now. . ."
I hesitated and Hermione grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the back of the cabin. "I'll let yeh out the back way."
We were in his garden and more tears streamed down my face as I saw Buckbeak tethered in the pumpkin patch. Buckbeak seemed aware of what was going to happen. He kept turning his neck and pawed the ground with his paw.
"It's okay beaky." Hagrid said in a quivering voice. "It's okay." He turned to us. "Go on, get goin'."
"Hagrid, we can't-" Hermione said.
"We'll tell them what really happened-" Ron interjected.
"They can't kill him-" Harry seemed to be in a bit of a daze.
"Go!" Hagrid said fiercely, "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"
Hermione lifted the cloak and we all squeezed under it. "Go quick." Hagrid said hoarsely. "Don' listen. . ."
We set off silently to the other side of the house, timing it perfectly. By the time we reached the front of the house, the front door closed with a snap. I marked the time.
"Pick up the pace." I said tersely as we started walking.
"Please, let's hurry." Hermione agreed, "I can't stand it, I can't bear it. . ."
But it was hard to go faster when we had to go uphill. The sun was sinking fast now, the sky was a brilliant purple- tinged with gray and gold. And in the west, it was ruby-red with hints of orange.
However, as we reached the top of the hill, Ron stopped walking.
"Oh, please, Ron." Hermione whispered frantically.
"It's Scabbers- he won't-stay put-" Ron hissed, grabbing Scabbers and trying to shove him in his pocket.
"Stupid Scabbers." I hissed. "We're under an invisibility cloak, stop struggling."
But Scabbers continued to flail, trying to sink his little teeth into Ron's hand to free himself. "Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron." Ron said.
A door opened behind us and we heard men's voices.
"Oh Ron, please let's move, they're going to do it!" Hermione whispered hysterically.
"Okay- Scabbers, stay put-"
We moved forward again, as quickly as possible with Ron struggling to the side of us. I tried to block out the noises. Of course, everything would be okay the second time but as for the first time. . . I didn't want to hear it.
Ron stopped again. "I can't hold him- Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us-"
Scabbers was loud but I could still hear the voices down at Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Then, the voices all cut off and there was a loud whistling sound and a thud of an axe. I grabbed Harry's arm, sure I'd faint. Hermione swayed on the spot, her face pale.
"They did it!" She whispered to Harry. "I d-don't believe it-they did it!"
Behind us, Hagrid began to howl.