Finally came their Divination exam. One Amisty was certain she'd fail or walk out of halfway through. Hermione had left them at the marble staircase as they went up to the seventh floor, where most of their class was already sitting and studying as much as they could before the exam.
"She's seeing us all separately. Have any of you ever seen anything in a crystal ball?" Neville asked as they took a seat beside him, Unfogging the Future propped up against his lap.
"Nope," Ron replied, distracted.
He kept checking his watch periodically, foot tapping. Amisty had a feeling he was waiting until Buckbeak's appeal started.
The exam then started, the group outside slowly dwindling down.
"What did she ask? Was it okay?" Were the constantly repeated questions as their peers crawled back down the ladder.
They would never get any reply.
"She says the crystal ball's told her that if I tell you, I'll have a horrible accident!" Neville squeaked to them as he went down.
"That's convenient. You know, I'm starting to think Hermione was right about her," He glanced up at the closed trapdoor, "she's a right old fraud."
"Yeah. Wish she'd hurry up..." Harry nodded, glancing down at his own watch as Parvati crawled down.
"She says I've got all the makings of a true Seer. I saw loads of stuff... Well, good luck!" She beamed, bounding down the spiral staircase to go and join Lavender.
"Amisty River," Professor Trelawney whispered softly, her misty voice somehow making its way down to them.
Amisty glanced back at her friends before climbing up the rest of the ladder. She almost fainted at the sheer heat of the room, choking on the scent that flooded her nostrils and stumbling toward the circular table Professor Trelawney was sitting in.
"Good afternoon, my dear. If you would kindly look into the Orb... Take your time... tell me what you see in due time..." She whispered as Amisty practically fell into the seat.
So that's what she did, and to her amazement, she saw something inside it.
"It's... It's a person," She gasped softly, inching closer as the image slowly solidified.
"Is it? Now, what does this person look like?" She prompted gently, scribbling down on a piece of parchment.
"I think it's a woman... but she looks young," Amisty replied, touching a curl of her knotted hair. "Her hair looks just like mine."
"Maybe you're seeing your own future," Professor Trelawney offered, still writing away.
"But it couldn't be me... she has gold eyes," Amisty protested, leaning oven closer still.
There was a shadowy figure behind the girl, one of which that was slowly growing bigger and bigger, before taking the form of what looked like a wolf's head.
"And now there's this shadowy thing..."
That's when it hit her. That girl was her mother, but younger, happier.
"Go on," Professor Trelawney urged quietly.
"It's my mother... she's -- " Her voice cut out with a sharp gasp as the shadow engulfed the girl, her golden eyes going wide and then disappearing into the inky darkness that overpowered the silvery-white.
"She's...?" Professor Trelawney looked slightly concerned, her big eyes creased behind her glasses.
"She's gone... I can't see her anymore..." Amisty replied meekly.
"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 -- "
Hermione looked very proud of herself.
-=+=-
Once dinner came around they didn't go back up to Gryffindor Tower. Instead, they sneaked off to an empty corner off the entrance hall and listened closely until it was silent.
"Are we safe?" Harry mouthed to Amisty, was the closest to the door and transformed for space puposes. She focused her hearing, picking up the last bit of footsteps and a door closing before nodding to them.
Hermione poked her head around the door just to make sense.
"Okay, no one there -- Cloak on -- " Hermione whispered.
Amisty snuck between Harry and Hermione beneath the cloak, careful to keep her claws from tapping against the stone as they left the castle and onto the grounds. The sun had started to set, dousing the Forbidden Forest in scarlet and orange.
They reached Hagrid's cabin and knocked. It took around a minute for him to answer when he did he was trembling and pale.
"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off," Harry whispered sharply.
"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid scolded, all the while stepping back so they could get inside. He shut the door, and Harry tugged the Cloak off.
"Lupus Estaria," Hermione whispered the spell, Amisty climbing to her feet and joining them. Hagrid looked hopeless, not even a trace of tears in his eyes, and yet somehow it made it worse.
"Wan' some tea?" He asked, hands shaking as he reached for the kettle on the counter.
"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" Hermione asked gently.
"I -- I took him outside. He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an' -- an' smell fresh air -- before -- " Hagrid dropped the milk jug and it fell to the ground with a harsh crash.
Amisty felt her throat constrict.
"I'll do it, Hagrid," Hermione dropped down to her knees instantly, cleaning up the mess on the floor.
"There's another one in the cupboard," Hagrid nodded, sitting down clumsily and wiping his forehead with his sleeve.
"Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid? Dumbledore -- " Harry started, determined.
"He's tried. 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 replied weakly. "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..."
There was a strangled sound coming from where Hermione was, and when she stood back up with the new jug in hand, her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid -- " She started.
"Yeh're ter go back up ter the caslte. 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," Hagrid protested.
Hermione was silently crying now, turning her face away to hide them from Hagrid as she went to pour the milk into the jug when --
"Ron! I -- I don't believe it -- it's Scabbers!" She exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the jug.
"What are you talking about?" Ron gaped, his expression very similar to her own. Hermione headed over to where they were sitting, turning the milk jug upside down on the table gently.
Scabbers slid out, squeaking and struggling to go back inside it.
"Scabbers! Scabbers, what are you doing here?" Ron blinked, staring at his pet and picking him up.
The rat had gotten even worse. Patches of fur were missing, leaving very pale sections, and he was writhing around in Ron's grasp.
"It's okay, Scabbers! No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!" Ron soothed, still in shock.
Hagrid shot to his feet, even more color draining from his face, "They're comin'..."
Amisty whirled around so quickly her hair almost whacked Harry against the face, her actions followed by Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
The group of men walking toward them all looked very different, but with matching grim expressions. First, Professor Dumbledore, then Fudge, the old Committee member, and Macnair, the executioner.
"Yeh gotta go. They mustn' find yeh here... Go now..." Hagrid urged. Ron shoved Scabbers into his pocket and Hermione grabbed the cloak. "I'll let yeh out the back way."
They tailed him closely, Amisty's gaze captivated by Buckbeak standing tethered a few feet away from where they were gathered.
He was pawing the ground, head turning wildly.
"It's okay, Beaky. It's okay..." Hagrid reassured gently, turning to the rest of them. "Go on. Get goin'."
They didn't move.
"We can do more than this -- " Amisty piped up.
"Hagrid, we can't -- " Hermione argued.
"We'll tell them what really happened -- " Ron started.
"They can't kill him -- Harry protested.
"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!" Hagrid snapped.
They shut their mouths, Hermione whispered the spell once more and then threw the cloak over top of them.
"Go quick. Don' listen..."
Just as Hagrid started to walk back into his cabin there was a soft knock at his door. The four of them snuck around the house, Amisty jumping as the door snapped shut when they reached the front.
"Please, let's hurry. I can't stand it, I can't bear it..." Hermione pleaded desperately.
So they picked up the pace, straining to see in the slowly diminishing light of the sun. Ron stopped in his tracks.
"Oh, please, Ron," Hermione started, her voice strained.
"It's Scabbers -- he won't -- stay put -- " Ron replied, struggling to keep his rat in his pocket. Scabbers wasn't having it, twisting, clawing, biting. "Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron."
A door opened behind them, followed by the sound of voices.
"Oh, Ron, please let's move, they're going to do it!" Hermione urged, her tone verging on hysterical.
"Okay -- Scabbers, stay put -- " Ron hissed sharply. They kept walking, Amisty trying and failing to ignore the voices.
"I can't hold him -- " Ron stopped yet again. " -- Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us -- "
The rat had started to squeak very loudly, but even then Amisty could pick up the voices.
They talked, then there was silence, and then the swishing sound of an axe.
Amisty couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her throat.
"They did it! I d-don't believe it -- they did it!" Hermione almost fainted right then and there.