Disclaimers: See the first chapter.

Snippets From the Potterverse

Chapter 90 - Fondue For Buckbeak

It was Saturday morning. As usual, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going down to Hagrid's house to visit before Quidditch practise started. Harry led the way, walking a million miles ahead of Hermione. He still hadn't quite forgiven her for trying to pair him up with Draco Malfoy.

Buckbeak the hippogriff was tethered in Hagrid's front yard. Sirius and Hagrid had a system where Buckbeak lived at 12 Grimmauld Place on weekdays and came to visit Hagrid on weekends. Harry often wondered if Sirius and Hagrid knew how strongly a resemblance their agreement bore to the custody settlements of divorced Muggles.

The three teenagers bowed to Buckbeak, who bowed back and resumed crunching a mouthful of ferret bones. Harry trooped up to Hagrid's door and knocked. After a few seconds, Hagrid's heavy footsteps were heard and the door opened, emitting a strong smell of cheese.

"'Morning, Harry, Hermione, Ron," Hagrid said happily. He was wearing a massive pink apron bearing the legend KISS THE WARLOCK, as well as an enormous pair of flowered oven mitts. He smelled like cheese as well, and Harry suspected there was cheese in his beard. "'Ow's things?"

"Pretty good," Harry said, as he and his friends filed into Hagrid's cheesy-smelling cabin and plopped into chairs around the kitchen table. They cast glances around with wrinkled noses. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, except that the large cauldron hanging in the fireplace was bubbling and frothing. The cheesy smell seemed to be coming from there.

"Er - Hagrid, how's Grawp?" Hermione asked timidly, having not yet located the source of the odour.

"Wonderful," Hagrid responded happily, stirring his cauldron with an oar-like wooden spoon. "He's comin' along great, learnin' more and more ever day. Proud of him." His huge chest puffed up to alarming standards as he went to a cupboard and opened it. He withdrew a gargantuan wheel of cheese, which he stuffed into the cauldron.

Ron was sweating profusely. Harry figured it was because of the heat in the stuffy, cheesy house; or perhaps Ron thought the mixture in the cauldron was intended for them. Harry supposed either was possible.

Hagrid went to another cupboard and pulled out a box. Inside were several dead ferrets.

"Oh, are you feeding Buckbeak?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Hagrid responded cheerfully. He took the cauldron off the fire, stirred it again, and set it down on the hearth. He seized a pair of fire tongs and used them to grasp a dead ferret, which he immediately dunked into the cauldron. The children turned many interesting colours. Finally, Harry summoned the courage to speak.

"Er... Hagrid?"

"Yeah?" Hagrid raised the dead ferret out of the cauldron and put it on a plate. It was now covered in what looked like melted cheese.

"What exactly are you doing?" Harry was afraid this was a new recipe to share.

"I tol' yeh. Feedin' Buckbeak." Hagrid dunked a few more ferrets in the cheese and stacked them neatly on top of the first. Then he seized the platter and skipped outside.

"He's gone mental," Ron said in disbelief, as they watched Buckbeak chow down. "He's making fondue for a hippogriff."

"He must really want Buckbeak to like living with him better than living with Sirius," Harry said.