I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR DRACULA! PLEASE REVIEW!

LADY OF THE NIGHT: YEAR THREE:

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

My House's happiness at finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasted about a week. It felt as though even the weather was celebrating. The days became cloudless as June approached, and all the four of us felt like doing was going outside and flopping down on the grass while enjoying some iced pumpkin juice; but that wasn't an option. Exams were coming up on us, and we were stuck inside the castle, trying to force ourselves into concentrating while drifts of summer air came through the windows.

We'd given up asking Hermione how she was attending several classes at once, but we couldn't help ourselves when we saw her exam schedule. The first column read:

Monday

9 o'clock, Arithmancy

9 o'clock, Transfiguration

Lunch

1 o'clock, Charms

1 o'clock, Ancient Runes

"Um-Hermione?" Ron asked carefully, not wanting to upset her because she was so stressed out. "Are you sure you've copied down these times right?"

"Of course I have."

"D'you mind telling us how you're going to sit for two exams at once?" Harry asked.

"No. Have you three seen my copy of Numerology and Grammatica?"

"Yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading," Ron muttered to me and Harry as Hermione searched for her book. Just then, Hedwig flew in the window, a piece of parchment in her beak. "It's from Hagrid. Buckbeak's appeal-it's set for the sixth."

"That's when we finish our exams," I said. Hermione nodded, still looking for her Arithmancy book. "And they're coming up here to do it. Someone from the Ministry of Magic and-and an executioner." Hermione stopped looking for her book and stared at Harry. "They're bringing an executioner to the appeal!? But that makes it sound as though they've already decided!"

"Yeah, it does."

"They can't!" Ron yelled. "I spent ages reading up on stuff for him; they can't just ignore it!"

But I thought that Mr. Malfoy seemed to have decided the verdict for the committee. Draco was once again strutting around the castle, making comments about how Buckbeak was as good as dead. I could barely keep myself from hitting him in the face like Hermione had. We didn't even have any time to see Hagrid because of the newly-tightened security measures, and Harry couldn't get his Cloak from below the one-eyed witch.

Exam week started, and a tense silence fell over the castle. We left Transfiguration at lunchtime on Monday, comparing results and complaining about the difficulty of the tasks we'd been given, which included turning a teapot into a tortoise.

"Mine still had a spout for a tail..."

"Were the tortoises supposed to breathe steam?"

"It still had a willow-patterned shell, d'you think that'll count against me?"

After a quick lunch, we hurried upstairs to Charms. Hermione had been right. Professor Flitwick had been planning to test us on Cheering Charms. Harry overdid his, and Ron had to be led out of the room before he'd calmed down enough to do it himself.

After dinner, we went back to the common room to study for Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Astronomy.

The next morning, Hagrid supervised the Care of Magical Creatures exam the next morning, but he seemed distracted. He'd provided us with a large tub of flobberworms, and told us that in order to pass the test, our flobberworm had to be alive by the end of the hour-long test. Considering that flobberworms flourished if left alone, it was the easiest test we'd ever had. It also gave us time to talk to Hagrid.

"Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed. Bin cooped up too long. But still...we'll know day after tomorrow...one way or the other-"

We had Potions that afternoon, which was a disaster. I couldn't get my Confusing Concoction right, and I saw Snape smirking as he walked past.

Then was Astronomy at midnight, on the tallest tower; History of Magic on Wednesday morning; Wednesday afternoon was Herbology; Wednesday night was Muggle History, and then Muggle Music.

Our second-to-last exam on Thursday morning was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin had made the weirdest exam that I'd ever seen. It was a sort of obstacle course outside that involved wading across a small pond containing a grindylow; cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps; make our way across a patch of marsh while ignoring misleading directions from a hinkypunk; then climb into an old trunk and battle a boggart. Harry got through with full marks, and I watched Ron and Hermione make their way through before me. Ron did fine until he reached the hinkypunk, which confused him into sinking waist-high into a quagmire. Hermione was great until the boggart. She burst out of the chest, screaming. "Hermione, what's wrong?" Lupin asked, startled. "Professor McGonagall! She said I failed everything!" Ron and I couldn't restrain ourselves. We burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Finally came my turn. I hesitated as I drew nearer to the chest. The only way to get out of facing the boggart was to let myself be distracted by the hinkypunk, so that's what I did. I saw Lupin lift an eyebrow at this, and I knew that he knew I had done it on purpose.

As we made our way back up to the castle, we spotted Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic standing on the front steps. "Hello, Harry! Just had an exam, I expect? Nearly finished?"

"Yeah." Hermione, Ron, and I stood quietly in the background, not being on speaking terms with the Minister of Magic. "Lovely day. Pity..." He looked down at us. "I'm here on an unpleasant mission, Harry. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad hippogriff. As I needed to visit Hogwarts to check in on the Black situation, I was asked to step in."

Ron spoke up. "Does this mean the appeal's already happened?"

"No, it's scheduled for this afternoon."

"Then you might not have to witness an execution at all! Buckbeak might get off!" Just then, two other wizards came through the doors. One was an extremely old man, and the other was running his finger along the blade of a sharp axe. The old wizard looked over at Hagrid's cabin and sighed, shaking his head. "I'm getting too old for this...Two o'clock, isn't it, Fudge?"

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione elbowed him hard in the ribs. As we went inside, he glared at her. "What'd you stop me for? Did you see them?! They've even got the axe ready! This isn't justice!"

"Ron, your dad works for the Ministry of Magic! You can't just mouth off to his boss! As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time, and argues his case properly, they can't possibly execute Buckbeak..." But I could tell that Hermione didn't believe what she was saying.

Harry's, Ron's, and my last exam was Divination; Hermione's was Muggle Studies. We climbed the marble stairs together, and Hermione left us on the first floor while we headed up to the seventh floor, where the rest of the class was waiting. "She's seeing us all separately," Neville told us as we sat down next to him. "Have any of you ever seen anything in a crystal ball?"

"Nope."

The line outside the classroom shortened, and as each person climbed down the ladder, everybody asked, "What did she ask? Was it okay?" But they all wouldn't say. "She says the crystal ball's told her that if I tell you, I'll have a horrible accident!" Neville whispered as he climbed back down the ladder. I snorted. "That's convenient." Ron nodded. "You know, I'm starting to think Hermione was right about her. She's a right old fraud."

"Yeah...wish she'd hurry up," Harry said, checking his watch. Parvati came down, beaming. "She says I've got the makings of a true Seer! I saw loads of stuff! Well...good luck!"

"Ronald Weasley," Trelawney's voice called from above us. Ron sighed and climbed the ladder. Now it was just me and Harry. After about twenty minutes, he came back down. "How'd it go?"

"Rubbish. Couldn't see a thing, so I made up some stuff. Don't think she was convinced, though."

"Evangeline Lestrade!" I grimaced back at Harry, then climbed the ladder. When I came back down, Harry asked me how it had gone. "Well...I told her I saw myself being set on fire, but I don't think she bought it."

Harry laughed as she called his name. "Meet you back in the common room."

"Right. See ya later."

About a half-hour later, Harry came bursting into the common room, out of breath. "Professor Trelawney just told me-" Harry looked around at our sad faces. "What's wrong?"

"Buckbeak lost. Hagrid just sent us this." Ron held out the note 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.

Harry looked at us. "We've got to go. He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!" Ron frowned, looking out the window. "Sunset, though. We'd never be allowed...'specially you, Harry." Harry put his head in his hands. "If we only had the Invisibility Cloak..."

"Where is it?" Hermione said suddenly. Harry told her where it was. "...but if Snape sees me anywhere near there, I'm in serious trouble."

"Wait here." She got up and left the common room. "She hasn't gone to go get it?" Hermione returned fifteen minutes later with the Cloak. "Hermione, I don't know what's gotten into you lately!" Ron said, grinning. "First you hit Malfoy, then you walk out on Professor Trelawney-" Hermione looked flattered.

We headed down to dinner with everyone else, but didn't head back to the common room afterward. Instead, we put the Cloak on in an empty room, then snuck down to Hagrid's. We knocked a couple times, and he opened the door, looking pale as he glanced around for who had knocked. "It's us," Harry whispered. "We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn've come!" Despite saying this, Hagrid swung the door open and let us in. He shut the door quickly and we removed the Cloak. He wasn't crying, and he didn't throw himself sobbing upon our necks. Instead, he looked like someone who didn't know what on earth to do. That scared me. "Wan' some tea?" He picked up the kettle with shaking hands. "Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" I asked.

"I-I took him outside. He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an'-an' smell fresh air-before-"

His hands began shaking so violently that he dropped the milk jug and it shattered all over the floor. "I'll get it, Hagrid," Hermione said, cleaning up the mess. "There's another one in the cupboard," Hagrid said, sitting down and wiping his forehead on his sleeve. We glanced at each other. "Isn't there anything anyone can do? Dumbledore-"

"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...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 stood up, holding the new milk jug, her eyes filled with tears. "We'll stay with you, too, Hagrid."

He shook his head. "Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' want yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here, anyway...If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, yeh'll be in big trouble." Hermione bustled around making tea, trying to hide her tears. As she picked up the milk jug, she let out a loud shriek, making us all jump. "Ron! I-I don't believe it! It's Scabbers!"

Ron stared at her. "What?!" Hermione carried the milk jug over and upended it. Scabbers came sliding out, and began squeaking frantically as he tried to hide in the milk jug again. "Scabbers! Scabbers, what are you doing here?" Ron grabbed Scabbers. He looked awful. Most of his hair had fallen out, leaving large bald patches, and he had gotten considerably thinner. "It's okay, Scabbers! No cats! You're safe!"

Hagrid stood up quickly, glancing out the window. "They're comin'..." We whirled around and saw a group of men headed towards Hagrid's hut. "Yeh gotta go. They mustn' find yeh here...Go, now..." Ron placed Scabbers in his pocket and Hermione grabbed the Cloak. "I'll let yeh out the back way."

Hagrid took us out into the garden, where Buckbeak was tethered. Buckbeak was pawing the ground nervously, as though he knew something was going to happen. "It's okay, Beaky," Hagrid whispered. "It's okay..." He turned to us. "Go on. Get goin'." We didn't move.

"Hagrid, we can't-"

"We'll tell them what really happened-"

"They can't possibly kill him if they hear what we have to say-"

"They can't kill him-"

"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

Hermione threw the Cloak over the four of us just as we heard voices from the front of the cabin. Hagrid looked at the place we'd vanished. "Go. Don' listen..." Hagrid walked back into his cabin as someone knocked on the front door.

"Please, let's hurry," Hermione whispered, her voice pained. "I can't stand it, I can't bear it..." We headed up the sloping lawn to the castle, and Ron stopped dead. "Ron, please, come on..."

"It's Scabbers-he won't-stay put-" Scabbers was going crazy, twisting and turning, trying to get free of Ron's grasp. "Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron..." We heard men's voices, and then a door opened. "Ron, please, let's go!" I began tugging on his arm.

"Ron, they're about to do it!" Hermione moaned. "Okay...Scabbers, stay put!" We started forward again, but Ron stopped once more. "I can't hold him-Scabbers, be quiet, everyone will hear us!" Scabbers was squeaking loudly, but not loud enough to cover up the sounds from Hagrid's garden. We heard a swish of an ax, and then a dull thud. Hermione looked as though she were about to faint, and Harry, Ron, and I froze in shock. "They did it!" Hermione gasped. "I can't believe it-They did it!"