Hogwarts night. Dark. Ominous. Dementors drift in the distance. Restless...
Snape walks every corridor, guarding the castle in case there's a student wandering around the corridor after bed. Students aren't allowed to wander around the castle in the middle of the night.
That's the rules to be followed.
As he walked in the dark corridor, a painting was hanging on the wall.. Snape notices there's a small light around the corner that he knew there was a student out of the bed without permission.
Quickly he ran towards the light, peered and found a stranger standing from the back Snape saw.
The stranger extinguishes the wand. Snape posits his wand and reveals it was Harry all by himself.
"Potter. What are you doing wandering the corridors at night?"
"I was sleepwalking".
A sneer curdles the corners of Snape's lips. "How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter. He, too, was exceedingly arrogant, strutting about the castle".
"My dad didn't strut. And nor do I. Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you could lower your wand".
Snape eyes Harry coldly. Containing himself. Lowers his wand. "Turn out your pockets".
Harry doesn't move, eyes still boring into Snape. "Turn out your pockets!" Finally, Harry obliges. Seeing the map, Snape's eyes glitter. "What's this?"
"Spare a bit of parchment".
"Really? Open it". Snape poisoned his wand. "Reveal your secrets". To Harry's horror, words begin to appear.
Snape studies him, a sadistic half-smile on his lips. Turn the map his way. "Read it".
"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs... offer their compliments to Professor Snape and..."
Harry stopped reading, looked up at Snape. "Go on..."
"And request he keep his large nose out of other people's business."
Snape's smile drops. "You insolent little..."
"Professor!"
Snape turns. Sees Lupin standing in the shadows. "Well, well. Lupin. Out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?"
"Harry, are you all right?" ask Lupin to Harry.
"That remains to be seen. I have now just confiscated a rather curious artifact. Take a look, Lupin. Supposed to be your area of expertise".
Lupin takes the parchment, which now displays a rather unflattering caricature of Snape and a pair of potions. "Clearly, it's full of dark magic".
"I seriously doubt it, Severus. It looks as though it's a parchment designed to insult anyone... who tries to read it. I suspect it's a Zonko product. Nevertheless, I shall investigate any hidden qualities it may possess. It is, after all, as you say, my area of expertise".
Lupin smiled. "Harry, would you come with me, please?" Harry nods. "Professor, good night".
Snape watches Lupin and Harry walk away through the dark corridor. Snape's tip of his wand still lights on.
"Are you deaf? Put that light out!"
Snape rolled up his eyes as the painting scolded him. He then walked, put the tip and lights off.
Hogwarts ground. Day. In the Divination classroom..
Hermione suddenly acts mental like Ron's said about her earlier. Trelawney's is the problem, she makes Hermione fool herself in Divination class.
Stung, Hermione starts to reply, but remarkably seems incapable of a single word. Rising gracelessly, she exits, knocking her crystal ball to the floor, as the ball rolls slowly out the doorway...
Black lake. She sits there by herself, calmy her down. Trelawney's..
"I don't have a mood to argue with you, Professor". Snape stood beside her. "I thought I could learn something new but I can't".
"Don't pressure yourself Miss Granger. Of course, there is something new we should learn about it, like myself when I was your age, I do something that other students couldn't. Dumbledore was proud of me until I was now".
Hermione looked up at him. Their eyes met. "I don't understand.."
"Neither do I, Miss Granger. And I'm here not to argue, you must understand that I'm worried about you Miss Granger. Dementors, you've been petrified, you turn into a cat.. you've died!".
Silent as Snape studied her face.
"That I'm worry about.. every years you trying to kill yourself. Risking your life for Mr. Potter for.. You-Know-Who-That-Cannot-Be-Named".
He sighs. "I know Mr Potter is your best friend.. just for once Miss Granger do what I'd said. Stay away from trouble".
Hermione dusting her skirts. She smiling. "I'm a troubled girl that I love to do that again. Good day, Professor. Thanks for the advised". She walk back inside the castle.
Clocktower courtyard. Later. a crow glides to the flock circling the feet of the Executioner sitting in the courtyard.
As he sharpens his ax. Harry, Ron and Hermione hurrying past. The Executioner looks up at Harry, leading Ron and Hermione toward Hagrid's hut.
"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak. It's just too horrible".
"It just got worse".
She and Ron look and see Malfoy, along with Crabbe and Goyle, lurking within a grouping of monolithic menhirs, binoculars in hand, spying on Hagrid, who stands in the pumpkin patch, tossing dead ferrets to Buckbeak.
Hagrid wipes his eyes, lopes into the hut.
"What did I say? Father said... I can keep the hippogriff's head. I'll donate it to the Gryffindors' room. This is going to be rich".
Draco notices someone standing behind him. He turns. "Look who's here. Come to see the show?"
"You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!"
Malfoy stumbles back against a tree, cross-eyed with fear as Hermione jabs the tip of her wand under his nose, when...
"Hermione, no!" She turns, surprised Ron's spoken to her. He looks away. "He's not worth it".
Hermione nods, then SMACK! quick as lightning, lands a looping right to Malfoy's jaw, putting him flat on his back.
"Malfoy, are you okay?" Stunned, he leaps to his feet and runs, Crabbe and Goyle huffing and puffing behind
"Let's go. Quick. Not a word to anyone, understood?"
Hermione snickering. "That felt good".
"Not good, brilliant".
The trio makes their way down the slope and past Buckbeak, chewing on a ferret with idle satisfaction. Later that, Hagrid stands by the window watching Buckbeak.
Harry and Ron sit. Hermione makes tea.
"Look at him. Loves the smell of the trees when the wind blows through them".
"Why don't we just set him free?"
Hagrid shakes his head. "They'd know it was me, and then Dumbledore... would get into trouble. He's coming down, Dumbledore. Says he wants to be with me when they... When it happens. Great man, Dumbledore. A great man".
"We'll stay with you too".
"You'll do no such thing! Think I want you seeing something like that? No. You just drink your tea and be off".
Ron and Harry exchange a glance, then look at Hagrid. "Oh. Before you do, Ron..."
Hagrid turns,takes the lid from a flour tin , a tiny head , ears flecked with powder, emerges.
"Scabbers! You're alive!"
"Keep a closer eye on your pet".
"I think you owe someone an apology".
Hermione's sharp eyes stare at Ron. "Right. Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know".
"I meant me!"
SMASH!
A glass jar on the shelf shatters . As Hermione scoops up a jagged star shaped stone , a second stone bounces off the back of Harry's head.
"Blimey. What was that?" Harry turns, looks out the window. "Hagrid!"
"Oh, crikey".
Everyone turns. Looks. Dumbledore and Fudge approach. Behind them, in a fluttering shroud of crows, the Executioner follows, axed at his side.
Hagrid begins to panic. "It's late. It's nearly dark. You shouldn't be here. Someone sees you outside this time of night, you'll be in trouble. Particularly you, Harry. With you in a moment!".
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The door shakes. Hagrid stiffens in fear. Harry reaches up, puts his finger to Hagrid's trembling lips, speaks softly to the others.
"Quick. Quick!"
"Hagrid".
"It'll be fine. It'll be okay. Go on, go on!"
As the trio exit through the back door, Fudge, Dumbledore and the Executioner enter through the front. A veil of crows flutters onto the roof. More drop into the patch, begin to slowly circle Buckbeak.
Harry and the others duck behind the pumpkins, watch Hagrid solemnly greet the others.
Fudge appears at the window. Picks his nose. Just then, a Shhh! is heard. Hermione turns. The branches of the trees behind her are dancing oddly.
"What?"
"I thought I just saw... Never mind".
"Let's go!"
The trio slip silently into a stand of trees. Beyond them, Hagrid's hut glimmers desolately in the dying sun. High in the clock tower, a bell begins to toll.
The trio stops, fighting their tears. A quartet of bleak shadows files from the hut.
One of the shadows, Dumbledore raises his hand and points, directing the attention of the others away from Buckbeak.
Dumbledore speaks briefly unintelligible from this distance, then the crows shriek excitedly and the Executioner separates from the others, disappearing behind a low stand of trees.
All goes very still. The wind loses its voice... Sunlight kicks off the ax as it rises over the trees, into view..
The ax hangs seemingly forever, etched against the sky, then drops from sight. A sickening chop! fouls the breeze and Ron and Harry stare toward the trees in numb disbelief.
Hermione, face turned away, trembles...
The sun sets, dropping behind the mountains in the distance. Hermione turns. Sees a frenzied spray of crows stain the bloody sky, their primal shrieking rising like a curse.
Slowly, Hermione's hand falls onto Ron's shoulder and the length of Ron's arm to his hand, where a drop of blood hangs from his finger, drops like a tear...
Ron stares at his hand. At the blood running down his finger. "He bit me. Scabbers".
His eyes shift. See Scabbers streaking away.
"Ron. Ron!"
"Ron!"
As Ron pelts after Scabbers, Harry and Hermione give chase. "Scabbers, come back".
"Wait!"
Ron reaches the summit, disappears over the top. Hermione and Harry follow. "Scabbers, you bit me!" Harry and Hermione reach the top of the ridge. Stop.
"Harry, you do realize what a tree this is?"
"That's not good. Ron, run!"
Ron nabs Scabbers, cradles him in his bloody palm. Ron lookup. Look toward Harry. "Harry, Hermione, run! It's the Grim!"
Harry's eyes shift. Bounding toward him in the gathering gloom is an enormous, pale eyed, jet-black... DOG. Harry shields himself when... the dog leaps clear over him.
"Harry!"
"Ron! Ron, wait!"
The dog's teeth flash and close on Ron's foot, dragging him towards the trunk like a rag doll. Instantly, Harry dashes forward, leaps out, and grabs Ron's hands... but he and Ron just keep skudding along the ground.
"Harry! Help!"
Hermione pitches herself onto Harry's feet... and the three of them go scudding along.
"Ron!"
"Ron. Ron".
"Ron!
Harry raises his chin. The dog vanishes into the gap at the base of the tree, begins to pull Ron through... But it's no use. The dog is too powerful. Harry glances around desperately, then finds himself looking directly in Ron's eyes. He can read his mind.
Disappears. As his voice echoes deep into the earth... Harry and Hermione rise, peer into the hole.
WHOMP!
The Whomping Willow sweeps first Hermione, then Harry, into the air and drops them on their back sides.
"Come on!"
Swaying beautifully against the dusky sky, swishing softly. As one, they rise. Run back toward the gap in the tree. A branch swoops down.
"Move!"
Hermione ducks. "Duck!"
Harry doesn't. He is flung one way, his glasses the other. Hermione hops over another branch, looks briefly pleased with herself, only to find herself swept high in the air by a second branch.
She looks down, sees Harry searching the ground for his glasses.
"Haaaaaaarrrrrr!"
Harry squints up, sees a pile driving fist of a branch screaming straight down for his head. He rolls away just as the branch pulverizes the ground.
Hermione whips through the frame, still clinging on for dear life, Hermione goes crashing through the high branches, Harry spies his glasses and grabs them.
Rising, he fits them to his face and... his blurry turns crystal clear just in time to see Hermione flying madly toward him.
"Harry! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Hermione reaches out, grabs Harry's shirt and rides the branch in tandem with the two boomerangs back, hurtling toward the trunk of the tree, through the gap, and into the darkness...
Below the branches, Harry hits the ground hard. Hermione falls on top of him.
"Oh, I'm sorry".
"Don't worry".
Lumos. As the tip of Harry's wands glows, it reveals a long, snaking tunnel. "Where do you suppose this goes?"
"I have a hunch. I just hope I'm wrong".
Harry and Hermione make their way through the primitive passageway, ducking the roots that dangle overhead.
Then, abruptly, the tunnel... ends. Confused, Harry and Hermione glance about, then as one peer up. A small opening. Harry reaches up, hoists himself through.
Harry pulls Hermione up. Look about. Paper peels from the walls. Stains suspiciously similar to dried blood litter the floorboards. Shattered furniture lies strewn everywhere.
"We're in the Shrieking Shack, aren't we?"
"Come on".
Harry staring at the dog prints in the dust on the floor. The ceiling creaks. They dash to the stairs.
They come out, look down. A wide, shiny stripe cuts through the dust laden floor as if something has been dragged to the end of the hallway, where a light seeps from a door.
Harry wand light dies. Slowly, they step to the door. Exchange a look. She nods, wand ready, and Harry kicks the door aside. Ron sits upon a sagging bed, clutching his bloody foot.
"Ron. Ron. You're okay". Hermione asks ron.
"The dog. Where is it?".
"It's a trap. He's the dog. He's an Animagus".
Harry looks down, follows the paw prints on the floor toa pair of filthy human feet. Harry looks up slowly at the man standing in the shadows.
Filthy, matted hair hangs to his shoulders. His skin is like a corpse. Sirius Black. He studies Harry's face keenly. Harry draws his wand.
"If you want to kill Harry, you have to kill us too!"
Hermione blocks Harry behind her. But Black snickering said. "No. Only one will die tonight".