21/12/21
Sorry the chapter is a bit long, but I couldn't find a good place to stop.
And sorry the story is taking longer to write than expected - Reason being is life, and I have a small attention span, meaning...
SQUIRREL!
The next day, despite it being the first day of the holidays, Jack got up at usual school-day time so he could see Elisa and Anna off, letting Baby Tooth sleep in a little.
"Here," he said handing them each a wrapped present. "Of course you'll need to wait until Christmas, just don't open them in front of your non-magic relatives."
"Can't I try and figure out what it is?" Annie asked picking at the paper.
"You could, but don't shake them," Jack said quickly stopping her "Some of the things in there are activated by shaking."
"Thank you Jack," Elisa said putting her present in her trunk, suggesting Annie did the same with hers.
Just then, a free carriage pulled up and the girls got inside.
Elisa let Annie go in first to have some more words with Jack.
"I hope Harry is fine," she said calmly looking up to where Gryffindor Tower was.
"He might be a bit unhappy, but I'll keep him from doing anything stupid." Jack said smiling.
"How? You do stupid things too," Elisa said grinning a little.
"Fine, I will keep him from going after Sirius by himself. Better?"
"I suppose," Elisa said giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before getting in the carriage "Just don't die before we come back, ok?"
"Ok," Jack said smiling and waving them off, a uneasy feeling in his tummy as she said that.
Needing some time alone to think about this, Jack spent the rest of the morning in the Room of Requirement, trying to decide if or not he would tell Elisa that he was actually the real (already dead) Jack Frost.
An hour or two later, after coming at a stand-still on what he should do Jack was getting a little hungry so went to go get some food from downstairs.
Just as he stepped out of the room, a flash of green and yellow, followed by a string of squeaks and a sharp poke here or there met him.
"Baby, ow! Baby stop!" he said trying to catch her.
After a few more squeaks and pokes, Jack reached out and grabbed her.
"Now, why are you so mad at me?" he asked once she settled down, but she wasn't answering.
"Is it because I wasn't there when you woke up?"
Baby nodded looking upset.
Sighing, Jack let her go and placed her on his shoulder.
"Baby I was saying goodbye to Elisa and Annie." Jack explained "It meant I needed to be up early, and I didn't want to wake you up if you didn't need to be woken up."
Getting a small 'Humph!' and a buzzing of her wings Baby looked away, but settled down a little and pointed in the direction to Gryffindor Tower.
Sighing, slowly Jack turned and walked back to the common room.
o0o
They arrived back just in time to hear Harry say:
"And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you find out someone who was supposed to be her friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her-"
"There's nothing you can do!" said Hermione looking stricken. "The Dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and – and serve him right!"
"The Dementors don't affect him Brownie," Jack said calmly coming over to join the conversation. "Besides, I heard he never got a trial, they just threw him in there because of what his family is like. So for all we know he could be innocent."
"Were you not listening to the teachers yesterday?" Ron asked, his hand on his fat tummy as he lounged in a chair.
"Not really," Jack said in an uncaring voice "I find eavesdropping on others conversations very rude, beside I was asleep for the last 15 minutes or so."
"Malfoy knows," Harry said abruptly, ignoring the last few lines of speech spoken from his friends. "Remember what he said to me in Potions? 'If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself... I'd want revenge.'"
"When was this?" Jack asked looking between Ron and Hermione?"
"The Potions lesson when you came back to classes after being scratched by Buckbeak." Hermione said just as Ron asked furiously:
"You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours? Listen... you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after Black had finished him with him? Dad told me – the Order of Merlin. First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him they could find."
"Really?" Jack asked being careful how he said this "Just... If I hit someone with a spell, powerful enough to blow up a street, crack the ground, and kill 13 people, I would have thought there would be a bit more of him to find than that."
Again everyone ignored him, but Hermione did have a small curious look on her face as if she was thinking about this.
"Malfoy's dad must have told him," said Harry more to himself than the others. "He was right in Voldemort's inner circle –"
"Say You-Know-Who, will you?!" interjected Ron angrily.
"-so obviously, the Malfoy's knew Black was working for Voldemort –"
"- and Malfoy would love see you hurt so much that you can't play Quidditch against him," Jack said not sure what else to say "I mean with me and the girls we can get that sorted out, but still..."
Baby Tooth rolled her eyes at this, almost as if saying 'Thank you, Jack, that's very helpful...'
"Harry, please!" Hermione said begging "Please be sensible. Black did –"
"May! have did," Jack butted in.
"Fine," Hermione said rolling her eyes and going with it just to stop him interrupting her "'May' have did a terrible, terrible thing. But there's no reason for you to go looking for him and putting yourself in danger Harry. It's what he would want. Your mum and dad –"
"Unless you're forgetting Brownie-Locks," Jack said in a calm voice, but Baby could tell he was getting mad now "He has no parents, or any caring relatives left, all because of Moldy-Wart and this spy of his that betrayed them!"
Harry nodded in agreement, his fists clenched tightly, shaking a little in anger.
Slowly Crookshanks came over and rubbed himself up against Harry to try and make him feel better.
Ron's pocket quivered – obviously 'Scabbers' was hiding in there.
"Look," Ron said trying to change the subject "It's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's go down and see Hagrid, we haven't seen him in ages."
"No!" said Hermione quickly "Harry's not supposed to leave the castle Ron."
"Technically: He's not supposed to leave the castle after dark," Jack said rolling his eyes at how motherly she was being (again) "Besides I haven't seen him yet except for lessons. I think we should go."
"Yeah, and I can ask him why he never told me about Black when he told me about my parents."
By the look on Ron's face, further discussion on Sirius Black was not what he had in mind.
"Or we can have a game of cards, or chess," he said quickly "or Gobstones. Percy left a set-"
"No, lets visit Hagrid," said Harry firmly.
So they got their cloaks – well Harry, Ron and Hermione did since Jack didn't need his - from their dormitories and set off through the portrait hole, ignoring Sir Cadogan's cry, through the empty castle, and out through the front door.
They made their way across the snow covered lawn, leaving a shallow trench in the snow; Jack looked around as they ventured to the Game-Keepers hut, pleased that the snow fairies once again did a good job at bringing winter.
Soon they got to Hagrid's front door and Ron started knocking, but there was no answer.
"He's not out is he?" Hermione asked shivering a little.
While Ron had his ear to the door, Jack went to look in through a window.
"No he's in there," he said "But he looks upset."
Coming back to the door he knocked and said "Hagrid? Hagrid we've come to see you!"
Heavy footsteps were approaching the door, it creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes all red and swollen, tear stains all over his waist coat.
It took him a few seconds to recognise them but when he did he hugged Jack and Harry (as they were the ones in the front) crying out "You've heard!"
Now with Hagrid being twice the size of a normal man, this wasn't a laughing matter.
Slowly the four students guided Hagrid back inside the hut and into a chair at the table, Hagrid sobbing all the way.
"What's wrong Hagrid?" Hermione asked surprised at how upset he was.
Too upset to say anything Hagrid held out an official looking letter to Harry who read it out-loud:
'Dear Mr Hagrid,
Further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident.'
"Well, that's ok then Hagrid!" said Ron clapping Hagrid on the shoulder, but Hagrid continued to sob and waved at Harry to carry on.
.
'However we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr Lucius Malfoy –'
.
"What's he got to do with this?" Jack asked as the name was read out "I was the one who was hurt, and only because Draco wasn't listening to you at the start of the lesson!"
Ignoring Jack Harry continued.
.
'and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime the Hippogriff should me kept tethered and isolated.
Yours in Fellowship...'
.
There was a list of names from the school governors.
"Oh," said Ron. "But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad Hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off –"
At this Harry and Hermione turned to Jack expecting him to challenge that, but he stayed quiet.
After a bit he said "Ron, unless Hagrid gets some help from Flim and Flam Scammer," he said mentioning his mentors/friends who taught him how to trick people of their money "I don't think the committee will even listen, even if what Hagrid tell them is the truth."
At this Hagrid blew his nose into a table-cloth size handkerchief, giving off a noise that sounded like a foghorn, a fresh lot of tears coming down his face.
Just then, another sound came from the corner of the cabin making the students spin around to see Buckbeak lying in said corner on a makeshift bed and chomping down on something that was leaking blood onto the floor.
"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!" cocked Hagrid answering there unasked questions. "All on his own! At Christmas!"
"I survived a lot of Christmas's on my own and I'm alright," muttered Jack before bowing to the Hippogriff who after a bit bowed back before going back to his food.
Being careful not to step in the blood Jack went over to him to pet him, Baby Tooth squeaking at him that he shouldn't say stuff like that in front of Ron and Hermione.
Ignoring her, Jack petted Buckbeak on the neck, pausing a little when the creature looked up, sniffed him, and then whined a bit almost apologetically.
"It's ok," Jack said gently being careful what he said "It was the other boy's fault I got hurt not yours. I'm sure loads of other griffs, creatures and humans, would act just like you did if they were told the same thing he said to you."
Crying out a little, Buckbeak flapped his wings in anger, but settled down quickly.
"Shall I make some tea?" Ron's voice said making Jack look over to him. "It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset," he said shrugging.
Rolling his eyes, Jack bowed to Buckbeak again and went back to the others to help Ron while Hermione and Harry tended to Hagrid.
Finally after a steaming mug of tea was in his hand and another blow on his large handkerchief, Hagrid said, "Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together..."
Fang the boarhound came out from under the table and laid his head in Hagrid's lap.
"I've not been meself lately," said Hagrid stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one liking me classes –"
"We do like them," said Hermione at once.
"Yeah they're great!" said Ron, crossing his fingers under the table.
"You two ever heard of porkie-pies?" Jack said from his seat "I hear they're not very nice."
"What's porkie pies?" Ron asked in a whisper to Hermione who said she'll explain later.
"How are the Flobberworms Hagrid?" Harry asked looking around the cabin for the blue blobs they had been looking after for the last few weeks.
"Dead," said Hagrid gloomily. "Too much lettuce."
"Oh no," said Ron, his lip twitching almost as if he was trying not to laugh.
"An' them Dementors don't help," said Hagrid with a shudder "Gotta walk pass 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. 'S like bein' back in Azkaban-"
"Well you could not go for drinks in the Three Broomsticks at all," said Jack in a thinking voice "That way you won't need to pass them at all. "Hey you can even keep Harry company when it's Hogsmeade weekends. Ow!" he cried as he was kicked under the table by Hermione to shut him up before asking:
"Is it awful in there, Hagrid?"
"You've no idea," he said quietly. "Never bin anywhere like it. Thought I was going mad. Kep' going over horrible stuff in me head... the day I got expelled from Hogwarts... the day me dad died... the day I had ter let Norbert go..."
Fresh tears came to his eyes as he thought about the baby dragon who's egg he won in a game of cards two years ago.
Hearing this Jack gripped his cup a little tighter – he had specifically told Pitch to be kind to Hagrid while he was in the wizard prison.
"Yeh can' really remember who you are after a while. An' you can' really see the point of living either. I used to hope I'd just die in me sleep... when they let me out, it was like bein' born again, ev'rythin' came flooding back, it was the best feeling in the world. Mind, them Dementors weren't keen on letting me go."
"But you were innocent!" said Hermione surprised.
"Brownie, you think that really matters to things like them?" Jack asked snorting along with Hagrid at Hermione's comment.
"Yeah, they don't care," Hagrid agreed "As long as they have a couple o' hundred humans there to feed off of, sucking all that happiness they have, they don't give a damn who's guilty an' who's not."
The room went silent for a moment no one sure what to say following that. Finally Hagrid spoke up:
"I thought about letting Buckbeak go... tryin' to make him fly away... but how do you tell a Hippogriff it's gotta go inter hidin'? An' – an' I'm scared o' breaking the law..." he looked up at them, fresh tears leaking down his face again. "I don' ever want ter go back ter Azkaban."
"That place to be knocked down and destroyed." Jack said gripping his mug of cold tea tightly. "When I first heard of it, I thought it was just a magical version of Alcatraz, but now hearing all these stories... It's worse. And those monsters don't help."
"Alcatraz is a Muggle prison on an located in San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco, in the United States." Hermione explained for Ron and Hagrid who both looked a little confused. "The island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a federal prison, the federal prison operating from August 11, 1934, until March 21, 1963."
"Did anyone escape from it?" Ron asked a little amazed.
"Because of where it is it's it was supposed to me inescapable, but there were a few men who tried, but they were either recaptured, shot and killed by guards, drowned by the waves, or just disappeared and presumed drowned." Harry recited saying that in his old school they had to do a history lesson on this island prison.
"So, what came first?" Jack asked smiling and looking up at Hermione "The Wizards or the Muggles?"
For the rest of the day the six of them – the four students, Hagrid and Baby Tooth talked about these two prisons and other things, until it was time for dinner back at the castle.
Sorry about that.
*ahem*
Anyway... This is possibly the last one of 2021, there might be one more, but don't count on it.
I will try and get more than one chapter up a month next year, but don't count on that either.
Either way Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.