The elation at winning the match was quite short-lived for Y/N however. The loss of Quidditch and his lessons with Remus in his timetable had instead meant that he was nose to the grindstone with his homework and exam preparation. Something had gotten in the way of the last two years, and he was determined this year to keep up with Hermione.

Hermione didn't seem to mind this at all. In fact, she seemed quite grateful to have someone challenging her and, with the absence of her own Divination lessons, the two were now spending increasing amounts of time quizzing each other back and forth.

This had sadly led to less time spent with Ginny as she was now mostly revising in empty classrooms with Luna, but they'd promised to meet up and hang out again properly once the exams had passed. These were Ginny's first proper tests after the last years were cancelled.

The two of them had drafted up exam timetables for themselves that reflected around their use of the time-turner. Ron and Harry attempted to question them on this one evening, but Y/N simply waved them away saying it was for alternating weeks when in actuality, Y/N and Hermione could be found in both the Common Room and the library in most hours of the day.

Then, a few weeks before exams were due to start, Harry and Ron approached them whilst Y/N quizzed Hermione on the properties of Salamanders.

'Letter from Hagrid,' said Harry. 'Buckbeak's appeal is set for the sixth.'

'That's the day we finish our exams,' said Hermione.

'They're coming up here to do it,' said Harry as he continued reading the parchment. 'Someone from the Ministry of Magic-'

'That'll probably be the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures,' said Y/N, 'Or whoever headed the trial.'

'-and an executioner,' said Harry slowly.

'What?' said Ron, Y/N and Hermione all together.

'Reads like they've already decided,' said Harry.

'They can't!' yelled Ron. 'Me and you spent ages looking up all that stuff. They can't just ignore it all.'

'They did with our stuff,' said Y/N angrily. 'I bet it's Malfoy again. He's probably pushed another "charitable donation", especially after darling Draco cost them the Quidditch cup. Wants to uphold his name somehow.'

'As if anyone cares what happens in some silly school Quidditch match,' said Hermione irritably. 'The life of a creature is far more important.'

'Not to people like the Malfoy's,' said Ron bitterly. 'To them, blood is everything. It's why Malfoy hates my family so much. We're one of the biggest cases of being blood traitors in history. He'll have grown up hearing about how it's wrong.'

'It's pathetic,' said Y/N. 'I'm glad he at least lost the match. Shows how incompetent they are without a pile of money to hide behind.'

Y/N's frustrations at the Malfoys actually worked in his favour. For the first few days of Malfoy strutting around it was difficult not to jinx him, but soon the exams were upon them and holding onto that pent up frustration served him wonderfully during his practical examinations.

And of course, to kick it all off, was his mother's exam.

All things considered it wasn't actually as hard as it should have been, though it was certainly new. She placed a teapot in front of all of them with instructions to turn it into a tortoise. Much to Y/N's surprise, he successfully managed the transformation within the first twenty minutes.

He sat there staring at his tortoise in shock for a few moments before it attempted to crawl sideways off his desk, and he quickly stooped to catch it.

'How did you do that?' asked Hermione once they'd left. 'Mine looked like a turtle!'

'No it didn't,' said Y/N, Hermione had managed her transformation around five minutes after Y/N but she had continued attempting for another five minutes despite nothing in its appearance changing. 'It was a tortoise. It looked exactly like mine.'

Hermione didn't look convinced but simply heaved a sigh and ran her hand through her hair.

'Charms up next,' she said. 'Want to run through Cheering Charms one last time before we get up there?'

'You've got them perfect, but of course,' said Y/N.

Sure enough, during the Charms Class, they were allowed to choose their partners and were asked to perform the charm on each other.

Professor Flitwick watched on curiously as Hermione took her turn at the spell and then as Y/N did his back. Both spells were done perfectly, and Flitwick burst into applause. Hermione seemed to feel better about this one, especially when they heard Ron start manically laughing from where he and Harry were sat.

'Think Harry overdid it,' whispered Y/N.

There was no rest despite their early success, however. Straight after dinner, it was time to head straight back upstairs and begin revising for Astronomy and Potions. They technically had Care of Magical Creatures the following morning too, but Y/N was confident in his knowledge there. It was the exam he was most confident about. The exact opposite of Potions.

He wasn't bad at Potions. But he'd certainly never taken to it, perhaps it was because of Snape. Whilst he didn't hate the teacher, it was hard to with the amount of respect Snape seemed to show him, something still felt off. Almost as though Snape was forcing himself to like Y/N.

In turned out, however, that Y/N had grossly over-prepared for Hagrid's exam the following morning. Hagrid was so distracted with the upcoming appeal that he simply gave them all a small batch of Flobberworms and told them that they all needed to be alive by the end of the hour. And with Flobberworms thriving best when left alone, the exam was basically just an hour of being able to revise for Potions whilst listening to Ron and Harry speak to Hagrid. No matter how sick to his stomach it made Y/N feel.

'Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed,' Hagrid was saying, as he bent low on the pretence of checking that Harry's flobberworm was still alive. 'Bin cooped up too long. But still... we'll know day after tomorrow, one way or the other.'

Potions went much better than Y/N was expecting. The Confusing Concoction they'd been told to make went better than it ever had before, and he only managed to get it to thicken around 10 minutes after Hemione had done her own.

Astronomy, History of Magic, Arithmancy, Runes and Herbology all followed. And Y/N soared through all of them.

'I think we over-prepared for this,' said Y/N to Hermione as they left their Ancient Runes exam. 'I was getting the translations wrong 'cause I was expecting them to be more complex. Had to tell myself that it was simpler than that.'

'Simple?' wailed Hermione. 'I know I mis-translated some of the earlier runes I just know it. I put the Demiguise as 0!'

'The Demiguise is 0, 'Mione,' said Y/N as he steered her into an abandoned classroom so she could calm down.

The last exam of the year for Y/N was Defence Against the Dark Arts and Remus had not disappointed. He'd set up a small obstacle course outside that the third years would have to attempt to battle their way past. Grindylows, Red Caps, Hinkypunks and a Boggart were all on the cards.

Harry went first out of the quartet and cleared all 4 without issue.

Next up was Ron. He handled himself well until reaching the Hinkypunk, who managed to misdirect him into the quagmire and made it so he needed to be rescued.

Then came Hermione's turn. She crushed everything until she vanished into the trunk with the boggart. She came out a few minutes later, tears streaming down her face but nodding. It wasn't perfect, but she'd at least kept her head this time.

Finally, last of the class, it was Y/N's turn.

First up was the Grindylow. Wading through the pool wasn't difficult. The difficult part was the anticipation, waiting to feel its long spindly fingers wrap around your legs or feet and attempt to drag you under into its domain.

Sure enough, he was about halfway across when he felt the long spindly fingers wrap tight around his leg. He pressed his fingers to his palm and his wand shot out of his sleeve.

'Relashio!'

The spell shot into the water and a split second later, he felt the water around his leg get very hot. Apparently so too had the Grindylow, because its grip released at once and Y/N could hear the dulled sounds of it hissing and spitting.

He clambered out the pool and pushed onto the next stage, making a mental note of the spell causing water to boil when within it.

The Red Caps were slightly easier. Red Caps being so small meant they were put off by the simplest of hexes. A few knockback and tripping jinxes with the occasional shield charm thrown in for good measure and Y/N was across with no issue.

The Hinkypunk was probably the easiest. The creature gave the most obvious cackle when trying to lead you astray and didn't seem particularly talented at lying. However, it would not be so easily ignored by Y/N.

He heard the whooshing sound before he saw the light and ducked. The ball of fire soared over his head. He saw Remus step forward out of the corner of his eye, but simply raised his hand and turned his attention to the Hinkypunk.

'Flipendo!'

The jet hit the wisp-like creature directly and it went soaring out of sight. Y/N pushed forward as quickly as he could, firing off the occasional knockback jinx as he saw a light begin to appear through the fog.

Finally, he was out and onto his last challenge. The Boggart.

The trunk doors flew open, and Y/N stepped inside. It was dark, he could hear the wind rustling around him, then the sound of something opening. All of a sudden, the room changed and morphed. He was in the Hospital Wing and lying on the bed in front of him was Hermione. Cold, still, unmoving, she wasn't even petrified. She was dead. A look around and he saw the other beds were occupied too. Ginny, Luna, Harry, Remus, Hagrid, Fred, George and even Ron. All those he cared about. His friends, his family. Dead.

Y/N knew it was a Boggart. Knew it was fake. But the sight of it still shook him to his core. He gritted his teeth and pointed his wand at Hermione.

'Riddikulus.'

All of a sudden, they weren't in the Hospital Wing. It was the after-party from the Quidditch Cup and Fred and George were sending fireworks into every corner they could. Y/N pulled the laughing Hermione in close to him and joined her in laughter.

And a moment later, the vision faded as the trunk doors re-opened.

'Excellent work, Y/N. One of the best takedowns of all of those creatures I have ever seen. Some fully grown wizards struggle with that more than you did.'

'I've had an amazing teacher,' said Y/N.

'Hermione is waiting for you just over there,' said Remus, pointing his finger to a figure sitting out on the grass nearby. 'Her Boggart turned into you again. Whilst she managed well, I think it still affected her a bit.'

Y/N nodded and wandered over to join his girlfriend.

After a few minutes of reassurances from Y/N that he loved her and wasn't going to leave her, the duo headed back towards the castle and re-joined Harry and Ron. The quartet made their way towards the Entrance Hall and were just about to begin climbing the stairs inside when they saw a trio of wizards stood at the top of them.

Amongst them was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic. Y/N stopped dead at the sight of him.

'Hello there, Harry,' said Fudge. 'Just had an exam I expect? Nearly finished?'

'Yes.'

'Lovely day,' said Fudge as he looked over at the lake. 'Pity… pity…' he sighed and then looked back towards them, his eyes now scanning Ron, Hermione, and Y/N.

'I'm here on an unpleasant mission. 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 on the Black situation, they asked me to step in.'

'He's in Malfoy's pocket,' hissed Y/N to Hermione and Ron. 'Easier to buy the Minister because he liked Lucius already.' But Ron wasn't listening. In fact, he stepped forward.

'Does that mean the appeal's already happened?' he asked.

'No, no, it's scheduled for this afternoon,' said Fudge, who was looking curiously at Ron.

'Then there might not be an execution,' said Ron. 'The Hippogriff may be proven innocent.'

Fudge went to respond, but was interrupted as one of the men next to him who had been discussing something with the other man cleared his throat and turned to look across the grounds. He looked very old, the other man was very tall and had a thin black moustache. This man sent chills down Y/N's spine, but he wasn't sure whether it was the appearance or the rather sharp axe hooked onto the man's belt that he was running a thumb over in the same way one would a pet.

'Dear dear, I'm getting too old for this. Two o'clock isn't it, Fudge?'

Ron made to open his mouth again, but Y/N caught his eye and shook his head. Ron didn't look impressed but did not speak and allowed the three men to turn and walk away from them.

'That's not justice,' said Ron as they went into the Great Hall. 'They're already planning on killing him.'

'We were worried that may happen but that's the Minster for Magic, Ron. We can't exactly sit there and tell him he's wrong, no matter how much he is. We just have to trust in Hagrid. He can do it.'

The trio left Y/N here. Harry and Ron heading off to their Divination exam whilst Hermione went off to Muggle Studies. Y/N slipped out of the Great Hall so the teachers could set up for the N.E.W.T exam that was happening that afternoon and wandered out into the grounds.

He felt a bit bad for not being in an exam, but it was hardly his fault that this is how the timetables had landed. And besides, it was a nice day, why shouldn't he enjoy himself?

He wanted to head down to Hagrid's to eavesdrop on the appeal, but he didn't imagine it'd help. He'd been too focused with his exam prep to actually help Ron and Harry much in their information gathering and besides, he didn't know too much about how these legal proceedings were supposed to go. Only who oversaw them. He'd probably just end up getting in the way.

That didn't stop him from staring at Hagrid's hut for a while anyway. The appeal hadn't begun yet, but he hoped Hagrid knew that he was thinking about him. He didn't want to be caught where he shouldn't be. Especially after running into Fudge on the steps.

Instead, he began wandering away across the grounds. He'd wait patiently until he saw the Ministry guys leaving Hagrid's hut and then go check on him. Possibly even wait nearby once they go inside.

He thought briefly about going and grabbing his Nimbus but waved off the idea. He wanted to be able to see what was going on. So instead, he settled himself on a small stump near the Black Lake and pulled out the book he'd received from his mother for Christmas back in his first year.

The book had taught him a lot already, the stunning spell, the shield charm, the disillusionment charm and even to a degree the Revulsion Jinx, though he had also learnt that in class.

His mind wandered back onto the dream. He hadn't had it in a while. A very long while. He was kind of grateful for that, he hoped it meant something though it most likely didn't. The names still rung through for him. Dolohov, Bellatrix and now Fenrir had joined them. And then there was Voldemort.

They hadn't had a run in with him this year. At least not yet, he'd learnt to not count it out. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to change soon. Something big. Voldemort had been off the radar for years and now suddenly they'd run into him two years in a row. Black was a much bigger issue at the moment though. The fact that he'd broken into the castle twice and was looking for Scabbers spoke to the fact that he was probably near or on the grounds somewhere.

He suddenly felt very anxious and glanced around quickly but he was quite alone. Wasn't he?

He couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. He tucked away his book and stood slowly glancing around cautiously. Then he spotted them. A pair of amber eyes watching him from the treeline of the forest. It was definitely him that they were watching. There was no one else around.

Y/N crouched low to eye level with the creature. Until he knew what it was, staying at its level was advised. Most creatures that this trick wouldn't work on were much bigger than whatever this was. He stayed low and beckoned to the creature.

It blinked and then the eyes vanished.

Y/N stayed still for a few minutes and then breathed a sigh. He was about to get back to his feet however, when he saw the bushes rustle and a moment later a large, shaggy, black dog stepped out from the treeline. It moved slowly towards him, but Y/N stayed low. The worst thing with a dog was to raise your head above its, at least whilst getting to know them. Showing dominance to a creature of this size and power was ill-advised.

It crept closer and Y/N extended a hand. The dog stepped up, sniffed it gingerly and then pushed its head into his hand. It allowed him to run his hand through its fur once or twice before it placed it's paw on his hand, stopping him.

'No pets, alright, no worries. You just after company?' he asked.

The dog tilted its head at him.

'Me? We're all doing exams, 'he jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the castle. 'I've finished all of mine, but my friends are all on their final ones. And my friend Hagrid is dealing with an appeal for his Hippogriff. The Ministry have said it's mad, but there's nothing wrong with him, Buckbeak's sweet.'

Y/N wasn't sure why he was talking to this dog, but it just felt right. Especially as it seemed to have some level of understanding. It followed his gestures with his eyes and now stared at the Hippogriff tied up in Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

'You're the dog I saw walking around with Crookshanks,' he added. The dog turned its head to look at him. 'The ginger cat, he's my girlfriend's. We saw you the day before our final Quidditch match. Harry swears you're the Grim, some form of death omen. Apparently, you've been following him since Little Whinging.'

The dog whimpered slightly at this, and Y/N found himself chuckling.

'Don't worry. I know it wasn't you. I do wonder how you got in here though. Do you just live in the forest?'

The dog looked like an ordinary dog if a bit bigger. It certainly didn't look like any magical creature he knew off. It was too big to be a Crup.

'Guess the school's enchantments don't work on animals,' he said idly. 'Must be why we still get birds. I just assumed nothing muggle could get in.'

The dog had flopped down next to him and was now basking in the sunlight. The temptation to pet it again was very hard to resist but he held back. It was oddly relaxing just lying out here in the sun with the creature. His curiosity was high, but he'd look into it more later. Right now, it was just nice to be here with it. He leant back on the stump and pulled his book back out.

He and the dog stayed there for a while until Y/N saw the three Ministry officials moving towards Hagrid's hut.

'That's them,' he said idly to the dog which lazily opened an eye and turned to look. 'Fudge has been sent to overlook the trial and they've already brought an executioner with them. I know Buckbeak's innocent, but I don't think they care. The executioner was rubbing his axe like he wanted to marry it.'

The dog's eyes were following Fudge and he could hear it growling slightly.

'Yeah, mum doesn't really like him either. She works up at the school, Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall. Says he likes his seat too much. He hasn't been bad for the Wizarding World, but he hasn't really done much good either. He's kind of just been there.'

The dogs growling had ceased, but its eyes were still following Fudge. The trio did not even look over however and after giving three short knocks on Hagrid's hut door, they disappeared inside. Only once they'd gone did the dogs head droop back down, but its eyes were still watching the hut closely.

It took around forty-five minutes for the contingent to leave Hagrid's hut. The entire time, Y/N was just idly flicking through his book of spells. At one point, the dog came over and seemed to be reading the pages over Y/N's shoulder, but stopped once the group had begun making their way back towards the castle and now eyed them almost wearily.

'I should go and see how he's done,' said Y/N, tucking the book away and getting to his feet. 'I appreciate you coming out to join me. Helped the time pass that little bit faster. If you see me around here again, don't hesitate to come and say hello, okay?'

The dog gave a low guttural half bark, half growl, but then turned its nose towards Hagrid's hut almost as though gesturing Y/N forward.

'You want to come with me? Do you want to hear what happened with Buckbeak?'

Another bark.

'Alright, come on then,' said Y/N beaming and together, he and the dog moved off up the grounds towards the hut. Y/N waited until the Ministry trio had vanished inside the castle and then knocked gently on Hagrid's door.

It took a few moments for the door to open and when it did, it was almost rattling in its hinges. One look at Hagrid's face told him everything he needed to know, and it would appear as though the dog saw it too. Its ears fell and it turned its eyes towards the Hippogriff.

'We lost?' asked Y/N and Hagrid nodded slowly.

'They're gonna do it at sunset. Tell the others, don' come down. Don't wan' yer to see it.'

'We can't leave you like this, Hagrid!' said Y/N. 'We've been there every step of the way! We should at least be there when… when he…' Y/N felt his voice catch and the dog pressed its nose gently against his hand. He smiled down at the creature, took a deep breath and turned back to Hagrid.

'Look I can't promise you anything. I can stand here now and say I won't come down, but the moment the other three hear this they'll want too. You know that.'

'Jus' stop 'em-' began Hagrid.

'No,' said Y/N flatly. 'If they all vote to come down, we'll be here so be ready for us. I'd rather be with you for this and I'm sure they would too.'

'Yer all to good ter me,' sniffed Hagrid, dabbing at his eyes.

'We'll see you later Hagrid, they'll be finished up in about half an hour. I'll let them know.'

Hagrid closed his door and Y/N wandered a few steps away before sinking onto the grass and wrapped his arms around his knees.

After all that, after all they'd done? They'd still lost…

He felt something nudging his side again and looked across at the dog. The dog wandered a few steps away and then looked back at him. Y/N got to his feet and followed. The dog led the way to the pumpkin patch and then moved forward towards the rope that was holding Buckbeak in place. Buckbeak watched them curiously, but did not seem to mind their presence.

The dog wrapped its jaws gently around the rope and then mimed tugging on it.

'No good I'm afraid,' said Y/N sadly. 'If we do that then Fudge will think Hagrid has let him go. Especially so soon after the final verdict. Then Hagrid will have to answer whatever the consequences are. It's all Lucius Malfoy's fault,' Y/N added with a snarl. 'If he hadn't had been so caught up on darling Draco's loss, he wouldn't have bought the Committee. But no son of his can get injured from being a dumbass. No, a poor innocent creature needs to suffer because of it.'

The dog's eyes were on Y/N as he spoke and once he finished, its eyes span onto Buckbeak. Was that curiosity?

'Here,' said Y/N, opening the gate to the pumpkin patch and stepping inside. 'Just be careful.'

He stepped slowly towards Buckbeak and then bowed low, keeping his eyes trained on it the entire time. Buckbeak watched him for a few seconds before inclining its head and allowing him to step forward.

'He won't hurt you,' said Y/N, looking back at the dog. 'Not unless you insult him and somehow, I don't think you're quite capable of that.'

The dog moved forward and sniffed the Hippogriff curiously, the Hippogriff lowered its head and sniffed back. The two stayed at a standstill for a few seconds before Buckbeak seemed contented and allowed the dog to approach. The dog couldn't really stroke the Hippogriff but it did move a paw along its side in an almost petting-like motion whilst Y/N scratched Buckbeak's head.

'You really are clever,' said Y/N, staring amazed at the dog. 'I'll have to look more into you once I'm back in the castle. See if I can find anything. This is incredible.'

They stayed with Buckbeak for around 10 minutes before they exited the pumpkin patch. The dog seemed quite happy with their little encounter and now bounded happily around for a few moments.

'Really is a learning day for you today, isn't it?' smiled Y/N. 'But I'm sure you can see what I mean. Buckbeak's a good Hippogriff, an incredible Hippogriff. He doesn't deserve what's going to happen.'

The dog gave another low growl with its eyes turned towards the castle.

'Now don't go declaring war on Fudge over this,' Y/N smirked. 'I'd rather the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures didn't get you as well.'

The dog gave a bark and then looked towards the castle doors again where a few students were now beginning to exit.

'I guess exams are finishing up,' said Y/N. 'I'd probably best go catch up with Hermione. She'll be tearing her hair out over her Muggle Studies exam as if she wasn't going to be top of our class in literally every single exam we've done. If you want, you can come by at sunset. Would be nice for Harry to not be so afraid of you. And even if you don't come say hello, I'm sure Buckbeak would appreciate having someone else there.'

The dog's eyes turned back towards the Hippogriff and it gave another quiet grumbling bark.

'I'll see you later tonight hopefully. If not, I hope to see you again. It would be a shame to have this be our last encounter.'

The dog turned its eyes onto him. It felt like they were reading him, judging him. But then a split second later and the dog had turned away and began slowly moving off towards the outskirts of the forest again.

Y/N watched the dog walk away for another few seconds before turning back towards the castle and beginning his trip across the grounds.

()()()()()()

'I missed so many of the things muggles use electricity for!'

''Mione, it asked for 5 and you gave 11. You've crushed it either way.'

'But I know I forgot some of the more important ones.'

'You don't even like the way they teach the subject! You've been saying you want to drop it.'

'That doesn't mean I don't want to try!'

Y/N had gone to wait outside the Muggle Studies examination room for Hermione to finish. By the time he'd gotten there, there was only about 10 minutes left before her exam let out. And as predicted, when she got out she was worrying over every question on the paper.

'I'm sure you did amazingly,' said Y/N. He sat with Hermione for a few more minutes so that she could fully recover from her exam. Once she'd regathered herself a bit, the two of them set off towards the Common Room.

'So what were you doing?' asked Hermione.

'I met Harry's Grim, the dog he thinks he's been seeing everywhere. It's out in the grounds. Quite friendly, very intelligent. Definitely not a death omen. And I went to see Hagrid, Buckbeak…'

'He lost, didn't he?' asked Hermione softly. Y/N breathed a sigh and nodded.

'He told us not to go down to see him, but I told him that you all probably wouldn't agree with that and I certainly don't.'

'How are we all going to get down there though?' asked Hermione. 'Harry doesn't have the cloak.'

'He says he left it in the secret passageway he used to get into Hogsmeade. To be honest, I'd quite like to know where it is and how to use it. I can get it for him.'

'I'll come with you. You'll need a lookout.'

'I'm enjoying this rebellious side of you,' smirked Y/N.

'You've had a bad influence on me,' shrugged Hermione.

'I'm hurt that you'd say bad. Why have rules if we aren't meant to break them?'

Hermione narrowed her eyes.

'Preservation,' Y/N said to the portrait of the Fat Lady, attempting to ignore Hermione's dagger-like stare.

Ron was already present in the Common Room, staring at the window down at Hagrid's hut. But there was no sign of Harry. He looked around as they approached.

'What have you done?' he asked Y/N.

'Is she still glaring at me?' said Y/N, trying his best to act unconcerned.

'She looks like she's going to murder you,' said Ron, pulling back in his chair slightly.

Y/N span around and kissed Hermione on the cheek. Her narrowed eyes immediately vanished, and her cheeks reddened.

'Problem solved,' said Y/N, sinking into the seat across from Ron.

'The problem is not solved-!' began Hermione, but she relented with an exasperated look at Y/N and then sank into the seat next to him.

'He's not doing too good,' said Y/N, following Ron's eyes down towards Hagrid's hut. 'Buckbeak lost.'

Ron didn't look surprised to hear this news, but his face certainly fell and he took a deep breath.

'We did everything we could,' said Y/N consolingly. 'We stood by Hagrid for as long as we could and gathered up everything that it was possible to find. If not for Lucius Malfoy, I think we would have won back at the hearing.'

'I just don't like letting Malfoy win,' said Ron dejectedly.

'None of us do,' said Hermione, 'but Y/N's right. We did everything we could.'

It was around this moment that Harry entered the Common Room and began moving over towards them, he was out of breath and looked like he'd run here.

'Professor Trelawney just told me-' but he stopped as the three of them turned to face him.

'Buckbeak lost,' said Ron weakly, who had apparently not heard what Harry had been saying before.

'We've got to go see him,' said Harry at once.

'He said the executions due to happen at sunset and that he didn't want us to go down and see him. I told him that's a load of rubbish and we'd be going down anyway.'

'Sunset though,' said Ron. 'We'd never be allowed out, especially Harry. The Ministry still think Black's trying to kill him.'

'Me and Hermione are going to go get the invisibility cloak,' said Y/N 'Where is it, Harry?'

'It's in the tunnel under the one-eyed witch on the third floor. You just tap it and say "Dissendium", but-'

The duo did not wait to hear the rest of what Harry had to say, however. With a nod to each other, they got up and slipped out of the Portrait Hole.

'Wonder what Trelawney told him,' said Y/N idly as they wandered down to the third floor.

'Probably that the Grim was coming closer and now hunted one of his friends instead. It's a load of rubbish. If it was a Death Omen, only Harry would be able to see it.'

'And it's definitely just a dog. A smart one, but just a dog.'

They arrived at the witch statue. Hermione made to move off, but Y/N grabbed her arm.

'You go down,' he whispered as he pressed his holster and caught his wand. 'I'll disillusion myself to keep watch.'

Hermione nodded and tapped her own wand against the statue, muttering 'Dissendium' just as Y/N wrapped himself on the top of the head and watched his body vanish.

Hermione was only gone for about five minutes before she re-emerged with the front of her robes pushed out slightly.

'You're brilliant,' said Y/N, pulling her into a kiss. Hermione seemed grateful, but also slightly weirded out and it took Y/N a few seconds to realise why. After which he promptly removed the disillusionment charm.

Together, they made their way back up to the Common Room and dropped the cloak onto the table in front of the other two. And then began the waiting game.

After dinner, the four of them slipped out of the Great Hall and ducked into the corridor Fred and George had used to eavesdrop on Y/N after recovering the Marauders Map. Harry, Ron and Hermione all waited anxiously inside whilst Y/N, disillusioned, sat crouched just in front of it.

Finally, the last group of students, a few giggling fifth year girls, disappeared down the corridor towards the Hufflepuff Common Room and Y/N leant back into the corridor.

'Coast is clear.'

Y/N watched Hermione stepping forward, hand outstretched. He caught it to show where he was, and she pressed a few pieces of chocolate into his hand.

'You're the best,' he whispered, placing one between his teeth and the rest in his pocket just as Harry withdrew the cloak and threw it over the three of them.

Y/N was used to the way that cloak felt by now but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. He had to keep a wide berth from his three friends as they descended towards Hagrid's hut. He bit down on the chocolate and ate it slowly. Whilst it didn't alleviate the pain as much as normal, it did subdue it for longer which was better for the longer trip.

After what felt like a month, they arrived at the cabin. Harry knocked and the door opened, Hagrid's face, pale and lost poked out and looked around.

'It's us,' he heard Harry whisper. 'Let us in so we can get this cloak off. Then Y/N's going to follow us.'

'Yer shouldn've come!' said Hagrid, but he stepped out the way, a few seconds later and he beckoned vaguely through his door. Y/N stepped forward, slipped inside, and tapped Hagrid on the shoulder to show he'd entered. Hagrid closed the door as Y/N revealed himself once again.

There were no tears on Hagrid's face, but he looked much the same as Y/N had seen him earlier. A broken man who seemed unsure of what to do with himself.

'Want some tea?' he asked, his hands were shaking as badly as they had been earlier and the kettle rattled dangerously as he lifted it.

'Where is Buckbeak, Hagrid?' asked Harry.

'Out in me Pumpkin Patch,' said Hagrid, 'Y/N was seein' to 'im earlier.' and he gave Y/N an appreciative smile. 'Thought he oughta see the trees an' smell fresh air before-'

SMASH

Hagrid's hand had been shaking so violently that he'd dropped the milk jug he was carrying.

'I'll do it, Hagrid,' said Hermione, getting to her feet and hurrying over.

Y/N got to his too, pointed his wand at the smashed jug and said, 'Reparo.'

'There's another one in the cupboard,' said Hagrid as he moved over to the desk and sat down.

Y/N moved over to the cupboard as Hermione was cleaning up the spilt milk and opened it. He dug around for a few seconds before spying the jug towards the back. He scooped it up.

'Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid?' Harry asked. 'Dumbledore-'

'He's tried,' said Hagrid. '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.' Y/N felt another shiver run down his spine as he remember the man almost caressing his axe. 'But it'll be quick an' clean... an' I'll be beside him...'

Hagrid swallowed. His eyes were darting all over the cabin as though looking for some shred of hope or comfort.

'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...'

Y/N straightened up and moved over to where Hermione was busying herself with the sink. But he could see the tears falling down her face. He wrapped an arm around her and she let her head fall sideways onto his shoulder as she closed her eyes.

'We'll stay here too, Hagrid,' said Ron at the table.

'Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told Y/N, 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,' said Hagrid at once.

Y/N kissed the top of Hermione's head and then moved over to the milk bottle to pour some into the jug. Just as he scooped it up however, he felt something knock against the side of the jug and he glanced inside.

His heart did a somersault.

Scrambling around inside, as though trying to press himself up against the corner of the jug, was Scabbers. Y/N stared at him for a few seconds. He wasn't sure what to say. The rat looked dreadful, he was ridiculously thin and tufts of hair seem to have fallen out.

'So you did fake your own death,' Y/N muttered, 'Or someone did. But why?'

'You okay?' whispered Hermione, walking up next to him. He wordlessly turned the jug to face her and she gave out a small squeal.

'You two alright?' asked Harry, looking over.

'Yeah…' said Y/N slowly. 'Only-' he walked over to the table and turned the jug upside down. Scabbers fell out of it and landed on the table.

'Scabbers?' said Ron blankly, staring at the rat. The four of them all shared a look. Ron reached forward and scooped up the rat which immediately began writhing against his grip trying to break free.

Y/N didn't like this. Why had he been missing for so long and suddenly they found him hiding in Hagrid's hut. What was going on?

He didn't have much time to think about it however as Hagrid jumped to his feet.

'They're comin…'

Y/N immediately released his wand and began twirling it as the other three moved over to the window.

'Yeh gotta go,' said Hagrid, his enter body now trembling as Y/N vanished. 'They mustn' find yeh here, go now.' Hagrid moved over to his backdoor and threw it open as Ron shoved Scabbers into his pocket and Harry withdrew the cloak. Y/N beat a hasty retreat, pressing another chunk of the chocolate into his mouth, and looked around.

There was Buckbeak, and a few feet away near the tree line was a pair of amber eyes which were watching the door they'd just left through.

'So it did come to see the execution.'

But just as soon as Y/N thought this, the eyes vanished.

Y/N felt the presence of the cloak leaving the house and then heard Hagrid speak.

'It's okay, Beaky, It's okay...' He then glanced at the rough area where he thought they were all stood. 'Go on, Get goin'.'

'Hagrid, we can't- '

'We'll tell them what really happened-'

'They can't kill him-'

'We don't have time, guys,' hissed Y/N. It hurt to be the voice of reason here. He wanted as badly as they did to stay with Hagrid, but getting caught was too risky.

'Go!' said Hagrid fiercely. 'It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!'

Y/N felt as the cloak began to move off. He gave the ground a soft stamp and then moved off after his friends just as they heard a knock on Hagrid's front door.

Y/N sped ahead of his friends now looking around wildly. They were moving slowly, much slower than he'd have liked. They needed to get back inside. They had Scabbers. They needed their answers, but if he knew anything Black had a knack for being around when he didn't want him to be. He wouldn't be surprised if-

There was a distant swish and a thud and Y/N felt his entire body lock. Frozen in horror. He realised now, that the reality of what was going to happen hadn't actually sunk in. His brain hadn't let him fully comprehend that Buckbeak was about to die.

His legs moved by themselves. Because he saw the lost look on Hermione's face as she stepped out of the cloak and glanced around wildly looking for him.

He wrapped his arms around her and hers fell around him. They stood there on the grounds, holding each other. One invisible, one in clear view of everything without any care for whether or not they'd be found.

Everything Y/N had been holding in since hearing about the initial loss broke free. All the emotions he'd ignored or tried to push away because he needed to focus on exams. Or because his friends needed him to be the strong one. Everything forced its way out of him now as he stood there with Hermione. Buckbeak hadn't been his, but in a weird way it felt like he had been. Y/N had been his first rider from the third years. Maybe ever from Hogwarts students. He'd fought so hard for him in the initial trial. Even been to see him outside of class a couple of times. All those were now memories. Things he couldn't do again. Things he'd never get to do again.

Buckbeak was dead.