Chapter 10
Do You Want to Know a Secret?
"All right you two?" Hagrid asked.
"All right." Harry and Hermoine said together.
"Professor Lupin said he would look after Midnight and Buckbeak." Hermoine added. "And that he would help us and Sirius any way he can.
"That's good." Said Hagrid, "Lupin's a good man. How's he doin' anyway?"
"He says he's doing much better." Said Harry. "Snape is trying to help him and other werewolves with some potions that he is working on. Remus says that he's not cured yet but he's close."
"See." Said Hagrid, "I keep telling you lot that Professor Snape is not as bad as you give him credit for. I could have told you that he does a lot of research into things that other so-called Potions Masters won't touch with a ten foot broomstick."
Harry, Ron and Hermoine looked at each other.
"C'mon, Hagrid." Ron pleaded, "We didn't know about any of that."
"There's lots of things you don't know the whole story about." Hagrid lectured. "Jus' goes to show ya can't tell a book by it's cover."
"All right, Hagrid," said Hermoine, "You have made your point. We will try to look at him in a better light." And adding to Ron and Harry, "WON'T WE?"
Harry and Ron nodded quickly, "Yeah, yeah. Sure." They mumbled.
"As long as he quits making Slytherin look like angels when they are snakes." Harry added.
"Harry," said Ron, "Snape is head of Slytherin house. Of course he will support them. Just make sure you beat the pants off them in the next Quidditch match."
"Well," said Hagrid. "We don't need ter be standin' around out here. Let's go in and I'll make some tea an' we can fill each other in. Okay?"
They all went into Hagrid's hut and he put a pot of tea on to boil. He looked in the pantry and came out with a tray of treacle fudge. Harry and Hermoine didn't realize how hungry they were after their flight and just then realized they had missed dinner. They hoped no one was asking too many questions about that. Hagrid poured the tea and gave them each a plate of fudge.
"Okay," said Harry settling into one of Hagrid's giant chairs, "What did you guys find out?"
"I talked to Dad and Percy." Said Ron. "Percy, being in the Magical Sports department, wasn't much help. I think Dad was not real eager to tell me what was going on and I don't think he told me everything he knows."
"WELL!!!" Shrieked Hermoine.
"Okay, okay." Ron said quickly. "I did find out Sirius is in Azkaban. Apparently Buckbeak's would-be executioner McNair has been on an obsession ever since Sirius and Buckbeak got away. He's pretty sure that Sirius had help in that escape but doesn't know for sure who helped him or how they did it. Just thinks he does and from what I gather, he's got nothing to connect us in any way. Sirius was using a cave, and nobody's saying where it was, as his hideout and somehow McNair tracked him there. Had a full hit team with him and they say that it took all four to overpower him."
"Way to go Sirius." Harry grinned. "Anyone get hurt?"
"At first, they said Sirius blasted two of them. Then, later, they did some backpedaling and said one was frozen and one was "collaterally injured." Dad says that means that he was hit by one of his own guys. He thinks Sirius managed to do a 'petrificus totalis" on the frozen one."
"Sirius didn't get hurt did he?" Hermoine asked.
"Dad doesn't think so." Said Ron. "McNair probably would have loved an excuse to vaporize him, but he was not about to do that in front of witnesses without a real good reason."
"Well." Said Harry, "At least we know where he is and that he's all right."
"That's not all." Ron went on, "The ministry is buzzing like a beehive. They wanted Sirius brought in, in one piece. Something is going on and everyone is being real close mouthed about it."
"What does yer Dad think it is?" Hagrid asked.
"He either doesn't know or won't say." Said Ron. "I think he really doesn't know because he said he'd try to get back to me with some more information. Whatever it is, it's big. Even the S.T.A.M.P., Special Tactics and Magic Project, squad might be involved. That's the ministry's elite hit wizard outfit. He said that as soon as they found Sirius, people started getting real excited."
"He IS a convicted murderer and an escapee." Hermoine pointed out. "They were probably buzzing because they finally caught him."
"I said something to that effect to Dad." Said Ron, "And Dad said nobody even mentioned that. Whatever it is, it looks like it's got something to do with Sirius but not because of his murder or escape charges."
"This keeps getting weirder and weirder." Said Harry shaking his head. "Hagrid, did you talk to Professor Dumbledore?"
"Well, yes an' no." Hagrid mumbled.
"Hagrid." Said Hermoine, "Just exactly what does that mean?"
"I went ter see him." Said Hagrid, "But he wasn't there. Professor McGonagall said he left this mornin' for London. I tol' her that it was real important that I see him an' she said maybe I should use the fireplace. I tol' her I had something I thought he could have a use fer an' when I tol' her what it was, she let me borrow her time turner to go back to when he was here. Had ter give the thing ten turns to get to where I needed ter be before he left. It ain't a whole lotta fun fer somebody my size ter try to stay outa sight fer ten hours, ya know."
"Hagrid," said Hermoine, "You are rambling."
"Huh? Oh yeah." Hagrid went on, "He seemed real pleased ter have it an' he was glad we were doin' what we were doin' with Lupin an' all."
"What did you give him?" Harry asked.
"Never you mind." Said Hagrid, "You'll find out if everything works out and if it don't ya don't need to know. That's all I'm sayin' for now."
"Did he tell you anything else?" Harry asked.
"All he said was that he had to go do some consultin' fer the ministry and his powers of persuasion was goin' ter be put to the test." Said Hagrid.
"Did you guys send Sirius the owl?" Inquired Hermoine.
"Oh yeah." Said Ron, "Hagrid and I both wrote him notes and I gave them to Pig. Mine told him that we were worried about him because we hadn't heard anything and because Buckbeak showed up here. I told him that you and Harry were taking him and Midnight to professor Lupin's house and if he could to meet up with Lupin there and we'd all be in touch."
"What did you tell him Hagrid?" Asked Harry.
"Oh just gave him some directions." Said Hagrid vaguely.
"All right you two?" Hagrid asked.
"All right." Harry and Hermoine said together.
"Professor Lupin said he would look after Midnight and Buckbeak." Hermoine added. "And that he would help us and Sirius any way he can.
"That's good." Said Hagrid, "Lupin's a good man. How's he doin' anyway?"
"He says he's doing much better." Said Harry. "Snape is trying to help him and other werewolves with some potions that he is working on. Remus says that he's not cured yet but he's close."
"See." Said Hagrid, "I keep telling you lot that Professor Snape is not as bad as you give him credit for. I could have told you that he does a lot of research into things that other so-called Potions Masters won't touch with a ten foot broomstick."
Harry, Ron and Hermoine looked at each other.
"C'mon, Hagrid." Ron pleaded, "We didn't know about any of that."
"There's lots of things you don't know the whole story about." Hagrid lectured. "Jus' goes to show ya can't tell a book by it's cover."
"All right, Hagrid," said Hermoine, "You have made your point. We will try to look at him in a better light." And adding to Ron and Harry, "WON'T WE?"
Harry and Ron nodded quickly, "Yeah, yeah. Sure." They mumbled.
"As long as he quits making Slytherin look like angels when they are snakes." Harry added.
"Harry," said Ron, "Snape is head of Slytherin house. Of course he will support them. Just make sure you beat the pants off them in the next Quidditch match."
"Well," said Hagrid. "We don't need ter be standin' around out here. Let's go in and I'll make some tea an' we can fill each other in. Okay?"
They all went into Hagrid's hut and he put a pot of tea on to boil. He looked in the pantry and came out with a tray of treacle fudge. Harry and Hermoine didn't realize how hungry they were after their flight and just then realized they had missed dinner. They hoped no one was asking too many questions about that. Hagrid poured the tea and gave them each a plate of fudge.
"Okay," said Harry settling into one of Hagrid's giant chairs, "What did you guys find out?"
"I talked to Dad and Percy." Said Ron. "Percy, being in the Magical Sports department, wasn't much help. I think Dad was not real eager to tell me what was going on and I don't think he told me everything he knows."
"WELL!!!" Shrieked Hermoine.
"Okay, okay." Ron said quickly. "I did find out Sirius is in Azkaban. Apparently Buckbeak's would-be executioner McNair has been on an obsession ever since Sirius and Buckbeak got away. He's pretty sure that Sirius had help in that escape but doesn't know for sure who helped him or how they did it. Just thinks he does and from what I gather, he's got nothing to connect us in any way. Sirius was using a cave, and nobody's saying where it was, as his hideout and somehow McNair tracked him there. Had a full hit team with him and they say that it took all four to overpower him."
"Way to go Sirius." Harry grinned. "Anyone get hurt?"
"At first, they said Sirius blasted two of them. Then, later, they did some backpedaling and said one was frozen and one was "collaterally injured." Dad says that means that he was hit by one of his own guys. He thinks Sirius managed to do a 'petrificus totalis" on the frozen one."
"Sirius didn't get hurt did he?" Hermoine asked.
"Dad doesn't think so." Said Ron. "McNair probably would have loved an excuse to vaporize him, but he was not about to do that in front of witnesses without a real good reason."
"Well." Said Harry, "At least we know where he is and that he's all right."
"That's not all." Ron went on, "The ministry is buzzing like a beehive. They wanted Sirius brought in, in one piece. Something is going on and everyone is being real close mouthed about it."
"What does yer Dad think it is?" Hagrid asked.
"He either doesn't know or won't say." Said Ron. "I think he really doesn't know because he said he'd try to get back to me with some more information. Whatever it is, it's big. Even the S.T.A.M.P., Special Tactics and Magic Project, squad might be involved. That's the ministry's elite hit wizard outfit. He said that as soon as they found Sirius, people started getting real excited."
"He IS a convicted murderer and an escapee." Hermoine pointed out. "They were probably buzzing because they finally caught him."
"I said something to that effect to Dad." Said Ron, "And Dad said nobody even mentioned that. Whatever it is, it looks like it's got something to do with Sirius but not because of his murder or escape charges."
"This keeps getting weirder and weirder." Said Harry shaking his head. "Hagrid, did you talk to Professor Dumbledore?"
"Well, yes an' no." Hagrid mumbled.
"Hagrid." Said Hermoine, "Just exactly what does that mean?"
"I went ter see him." Said Hagrid, "But he wasn't there. Professor McGonagall said he left this mornin' for London. I tol' her that it was real important that I see him an' she said maybe I should use the fireplace. I tol' her I had something I thought he could have a use fer an' when I tol' her what it was, she let me borrow her time turner to go back to when he was here. Had ter give the thing ten turns to get to where I needed ter be before he left. It ain't a whole lotta fun fer somebody my size ter try to stay outa sight fer ten hours, ya know."
"Hagrid," said Hermoine, "You are rambling."
"Huh? Oh yeah." Hagrid went on, "He seemed real pleased ter have it an' he was glad we were doin' what we were doin' with Lupin an' all."
"What did you give him?" Harry asked.
"Never you mind." Said Hagrid, "You'll find out if everything works out and if it don't ya don't need to know. That's all I'm sayin' for now."
"Did he tell you anything else?" Harry asked.
"All he said was that he had to go do some consultin' fer the ministry and his powers of persuasion was goin' ter be put to the test." Said Hagrid.
"Did you guys send Sirius the owl?" Inquired Hermoine.
"Oh yeah." Said Ron, "Hagrid and I both wrote him notes and I gave them to Pig. Mine told him that we were worried about him because we hadn't heard anything and because Buckbeak showed up here. I told him that you and Harry were taking him and Midnight to professor Lupin's house and if he could to meet up with Lupin there and we'd all be in touch."
"What did you tell him Hagrid?" Asked Harry.
"Oh just gave him some directions." Said Hagrid vaguely.
