(CoS) CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Hagrid's Great Escape

Ellie felt Harry's gaze on her from the moment she started descending the stairs to the common room that night. She hadn't yet mastered reading his expressions like she had Fred's, but she was pretty sure that whatever she saw in those handsome, green eyes of his was good.

"Hey," he said softly to her when she reached him.

"Hey," she said back, just as softly. She glanced at Ron, not sure how much to say in front of him. "Harry…"

He glanced at Ron, nudging him pointedly. Apparently they'd had at least some degree of discussion about her before she joined them, because Ron blushed, muttered an apology, and scampered off to the far corner of the common room with the seeming understanding of their need for privacy. There were still a handful of others scattered about the common room, but they were out of hearing range.

"Look," Harry said, turning back to Ellie with a trace of amusement in his eyes. "You don't have to explain yourself. I know you have a lot going on, and if you don't feel the same way I do, I don't want you to stress about it."

This was one of the things Ellie liked best about Harry—his courage and honesty. How many boys she knew could be so brave and so true, all in one? Even Fred seemed to have no capacity for sharing how he really felt about Ellie—that, or he simply didn't have any deeper feelings for her. Either way, it was clear that Harry was the better choice for her, right?

"I do feel the same way you do," she told him, taking a step closer to him. "That is—assuming you really enjoyed the kiss and wouldn't mind a round two."

A smile broke out on his face at that. "Really?"

She grinned back at him as she threw an arm around his neck, heart starting to pound in a fun, exhilarated, happy sort of way she was rather fond of. "Yeah," she said softly as she brought her lips in close to his. "Really."

This time, he kissed her. And, boy, did she kiss him back. She didn't have a care in the world for anyone in that common room, nor even for Oliver or Fred. All she cared about was the way she felt when their lips touched and the sparks flew—like she was actually happy about a boy for a change.

"Okay, lovers, ready to go?" asked Ron, who had apparently walked back over to them somewhere in the midst of their kiss.

"Yeah," said Harry, shooting Ellie a sweet, little smile. "Let's do it."

And with that, they climbed through the portrait hole, under the cloak, and out to Hagrid's.


It was dark and unseasonably cold for spring, but they were able to make their way to Hagrid's easily enough. They knocked nervously, and were all shocked when he flung open the door with a crossbow pointed at them.

"Who's there?" he asked, squinting into the darkness. "Tha' you, Harry?"

"Yeah," whispered Harry sharply. "So maybe lower the giant weapon?"

Ellie giggled as Hagrid quickly set the crossbow down on the table next to him and backed up to let them in. "Yeh're really not s'posed ter be here," he said as he closed the door behind them.

"Yeah, but we are," said Harry impatiently. "Did you hear about Hermione?"

Hagrid nodded, going pale. "I did. Can' hardly believe it."

"Hagrid," Ellie said quietly, trying to give him her most reassuring smile. "Remember the last time I came here, asking certain… questions?"

He didn't look pleased by that question. "I told yeh before—Aragog was just a harmless, old spider."

"We believe you, Hagrid," Harry promised him. "But with what happened to Hermione, we need more answers."

"But I don' have any!" Hagrid wailed. "Don't yeh understand?"

Before they could answer him, another knock sounded at Hagrid's door. The three of them dived back under the cloak as Hagrid reached for his crossbow. Once confirming that they were safely hidden, he turned back to the door and opened it.

Dumbledore was the first to enter, looking dreadfully serious. He was flanked by an older, well-dressed, odd-looking man. Ron half-gasped and whispered, "That's Cornelius Fudge—the Minster of Magic!"

"Good evening, Hagrid," said Dumbledore.

Hagrid collapsed into a chair, tossing his weapon aside and glancing up at the two men with a look of utter misery.

"Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge. "Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on Muggle-borns. Things have gone far enough. Ministry's got to act."

"But it wasn' me!" Hagrid insisted, the same way he had with Harry. "I never—Professor Dumbledore, sir, I never—"

"I have assured Cornelius," Dumbledore told Hagrid reluctantly, "that you have my utmost trust and confidence."

But Fudge clearly didn't care. He mumbled something about how Hagrid's record was against him and that the Ministry needed to do something about it. Dumbledore insisted that taking Hagrid wouldn't help with the attacks, but Fudge said it was necessary, and that if someone else was caught, Hagrid would be sent back with sincerest apologies.

"Sent back," she whispered to Harry, heart starting to pound. "Does he mean…?"

"Not Azkaban Prison?" wailed Hagrid, clearly thinking the same thing she was.

But he was interrupted by another knock on the door, which Dumbledore answered. Ellie's heart rapped inside her chest with anger when she saw Lucius Malfoy, the man who not only had insulted her pseudo-family at Borgin and Burke's that year, but also apparently knew more about her father than anyone else she knew.

She felt Harry's hand on hers and forced herself to breathe. There was nothing she could do about her father now.

"Get outta my house!" Hagrid was shouting at Lucius.

"Believe me, the last place I want to be is here in your… you call this a house?"

Harry's grip on Ellie's hand tightened at that. She knew it was to keep from breaking free of their hiding spot himself to hit Lucius for that comment.

"No," continued Lucius; "actually, I'm here for Albus. Dreadful, really, but the governors feel that it's time for you to step aside."

"No," Fudge said quickly. "Lucius, we can't have Dumbledore suspended—"

But Lucius explained evenly that it was a matter for the governors to decide.

The arguments only escalated from there. Hagrid accused Lucius of blackmailing the governors; Lucius shot back with teases and taunts about Azkaban. Somewhere amidst all of it, Dumbledore agreed to step aside, which made Harry, Ron, and Ellie all stiffen; none of them could imagine a Hogwarts without Dumbledore, especially in the midst of all these attacks.

"You will find," Dumbledore said then, "that I will only truly have left this school when none here remain loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

Dumbledore and Lucius headed outside at that. Fudge waited for Hagrid to follow, but first, Hagrid had words to say—obviously for their benefit.

"If anyone wanted ter find some… stuff… all they'd have ter do would be ter follow the spiders. That'd lead 'em right! That's all I'm sayin'."

"Hagrid," said Fudge, who didn't seem to have the slightest idea what Hagrid was talking about, "please don't stall. You know this is what must be done."

There was something in Hagrid's expression that Ellie couldn't bring herself to accept. The fear in his eyes—the knowledge of the torture he would be subjected to in a place like Azkaban—it was devastating. And what if they never caught the real Heir? Would Hagrid be stuck in Azkaban forever?

She knew she shouldn't do it. She knew it was insane. But she didn't care. She already had a father in Azkaban; she wasn't about to have a groundskeeper there, too.

So she transformed, jumped out from behind the cloak, and launched herself straight at Cornelius Fudge, knocking him to the ground. Then she grabbed Hagrid's pants with her teeth and pulled him to the back door.

Looking utterly baffled, Hagrid opened the door and allowed her to continue dragging him all the way to the forest. Only when they had made it deep enough not to be heard by the very confused Dumbledore, Lucius, and Fudge did Ellie change back into her human form.

"Ellie?" Hagrid asked in amazement. "How… what… how?"

"Don't really know," she admitted, pulling out the Marauder's Map and glancing at it. "Something to do with my dad. Listen, Hagrid—if you go in that direction—" she pointed to the spot on the Map that marked the Whomping Willow "—you'll reach the Whomping Willow. There's a passageway beneath it that will take you to Hogsmeade, if you can manage to get past its branches."

"I can," said Hagrid eagerly. "I know the trick."

She made a mental note to ask him what the trick was, but now wasn't the time. "Do you think you'll be safe in Hogsmeade?"

"For a time, yeah. You three just hurry up an' find the real monster, an' then I can come along back."

She smiled. "We'll do our best. Speaking of which—I should get back."

"Ellie," he said before she left. "That was the nicest thing anyone's done fer me."

"I couldn't let you go there, Hagrid," she said softly. "Not to Azkaban."

And with that, she changed into a dog and headed back to the hut.


There's one significant change for you. I couldn't bear sending sweet Hagrid to Azkaban, especially knowing how sensitive to that place our heroine is! How will this affect the trip to meet Aragog? You'll find out soon - and don't forget to drop those reviews in the meantime to let me know your thoughts!