Lyla rarely ever came close to the forest edge. She had, you can say, been forbidden to do so. But Lyla's curiosity always got the better of her. So here she was sitting on a tree branch gazing out to Hogwarts.
It always amazed her, Hogwarts. The huge, wooden front doors, the towers ending in points, the windows which littered all over, and when the dark arrived, the castle emited a soft glow, light streaming out the windows. Lyla always loved it.
She had only been inside once and that was the day before she came and lived in the forest. She still could remember the huge halls, she remembered been so fascinated and probably had her mouth open the whole entire time. She smiled at the memory.
It was then she noticed three certain people, two of which she recognised and one was familiar, throw a cloak over themselves and then disappear. She knew people didn't just disappear, but she also knew magic could do a whole lot of things.
So when she saw two people appear at the forest edge that looked exstradiary like two of the three people who went under the cloak. She only wondered where the other one was. They both stopped underneath the tree she was on.
"Right," The bushy haired girl said, "We need to sneak over to Hagrid's. Keep out of sight-"
She then gave out a shriek, and then quickly realising her mistake, put her hand over her mouth.
Lyla just grinned from her hanging place above them.
"It isn't funny Lyla…" Potter boy said sighing. As Lyla jumped to the ground joining them.
Lyla laughed saying, "It never gets old…"
"So Potter boy," Lyla said her laughter gone but her grin still there. "Who's your friend?"
"Potter boy?" Potter boy mumbled to himself.
"Um, Hermione Granger," Hermione squeaked.
"Why Potter boy?" Potter boy asked looking strangely at her.
"I actually don't know you're really name…" Lyla said.
Potter boy seemed confused by this, "Well it's Harry."
"Alright then...Harry," Lyla said trying out the new name. "What are you doing so close to the forbidden forest? Last time it was because of spiders."
"Um, well we're trying to save a hippogriff and a mass murder…" Harry said his voice trailing off, realising how weird it actually sounded.
"Or is it," Lyla said looking towards Hagrid's hut. "Because that your actually heading towards that house right now with Ron?"
"Er…that too," Harry said.
"Mind if I tag along?" Lyla said smiling.
"Er…no. We don't mind." Harry said.
Hermione seemed to have a sudden thought, "How did you know we were heading towards that hut, when we are actually underneath the invisibility cloak? That is so weird to say…"
"I watched you put the cloak on and you guys seemed to be heading towards the house…so I presumed that's where you're going." Lyla said.
"Okay..." Hermione said not really sure about her. "Come on we've got to get close enough to Hagrid's."
They followed Hermione sticking close to the shadows of the trees. When they came with-in range of Hagrids house they heard a knock.
"It's us." Came Harry's voice by the door. "We're wearing the invisibility cloak. Let us in so we can take it off."
"Yeh shouldn't of come!" Hagrid whispered opening the door. He then stood aside and closed the door behind what they knew to be themselves.
"This is the weirdest thing I have ever done," Harry said.
"Let's move along a bit," Hermione said, "We need to be closer to Buckbeak."
"That's the hippogriff right?" Lyla asked.
Harry and Hermione both nodded.
They silently moved through the trees, coming across to a pumpkin patch, with a tethered hippogriff in it.
"Now?" Harry whispered.
"No!" Hermione said desperately. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"
"That's going to give us sixty seconds." Harry said.
It was starting to seem impossible now, and Lyla would know.
A huge crash was suddenly heard from inside the house.
"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment"
"Scabbers?" Lyla asked.
"Ron's rat who turned out to be an Amimagus called Peter Pettigrew," Hermione answered for her.
"Well that simplifies that a bit," Lyla said sarcastically.
There was a sudden shriek from inside, which Lyla guessed was Hermione finding Scabbers.
"Hermione," Harry said suddenly, "what if we - we just run in there, and grab Pettigrew-"
"No!" said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen-"
"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!" Harry said.
"Harry, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?" Hermione said.
"I'd - I'd think I'd gone mad," Harry said, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on - "
"Exactly! You wouldn't understand, you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened to when wizards have meddled with time...loads of them end up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"
"Oh is that why there's two versions of you." Lyla said.
"Wait, what?" Harry said seeming to come back to reality, both turning to look at her.
"Oh it was just bugging me, how you could be in two places at once," Lyla said with a shrug.
Harry and Hermione both stared at her. "Didn't you know that already? Hermione asked.
"Why would I know already?" Lyla asked puzzled.
"Oh...um no reason," Hermione said thinking it through.
Then Hermione quickly pointed towards the castle. Sure enough there was Dumbledore, and three other people, one of them with an axe.
"Are those...?"Lyla asked.
"Yep, that's them." Harry said.
"We'll be coming out in a minute." Hermione whispered.
And sure enough, they watched the three of them appear from Hagrid's backdoor with Hagrid.
Lyla imagined what it would be like to see yourself standing in front of you...she conclued it would be awfully weird...
"It's okay, Beaky, it's okay..." Hagrid said to Buckbeak. Then turning to Harry, Ron and Hermione, "Go on. Get goin'."
"Hagrid, we can't - "
"We'll tell them what really happened - "
"They can't kill him - "
"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!" Hagrid said.
Then, the Hermione in the pumpkin patch, threw the cloak over them all and they listened to the soft retreating footsteps of their past selves. And they were gone.
A knock on the front door, meant the execution party had arrived. Hagrid quickly went to open the door, going through the back to get there.
"Where is the beast?" Came a cold male voice.
"Out - outside," Hagrid croaked.
A head appeared from the window gazing at the hippogriff hungrily.
Another voice, softer then the one before spoke.
"We - er - have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, you're supposed to listen too, that's procedure - "
The man at the window vanished. If they were going to do it, it will be now.
"Wait here," Harry whispered, "I'll do it."
Harry scampered out heading towards Buckbeak. He then slowed down when he was slightly with-in range.
The man with the softer voice started to speak again.
"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the Hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall be executed on the sixth of June at sundown - "
Harry bowed in front of Buckbeak, keeping his head level with the hippogriff. Buckbeak bowed back. Then Harry quickly ran over and started to fumble with the rope. Undoing the knot.
"...sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair..."
Harry tried to pull on the rope, but Buckbeak had decided otherwise...
"...as witnessed below. Hagrid you sign here..."
Harry pulled with all his might, leaning back to drag the hippogriff along. But Buckbeak dug his heels in...
"Well let's get this over with," came a new weedy voice. "Hagrid, prehaps it would be better if you stayed inside - "
"No, I - I want' ter be with him...I don' wan' him ter be alone - "
The sound of footsteps echoed within the cabin.
Harry was still trying to pull and Lyla got up and ran over, grabbing onto the rope as well.
Buckbeak started to walk, rustling his wings irritably. They still weren't close enough and they will be out any moment.
"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign, too."
The footsteps stopped. Lyla thanked Dumbledore silently in her mind.
They continued to drag Buckbeak closer, almost there...
Then the footsteps started again.
Lyla could see Hermione mouthing, "Hurry, hurry!"
With one last tug they pulled the hippogriff into the forest.
"Stop!" Harry whispered, "They might hear us..."
They did and stood as still as rabbits caught in head lights.
There was the sound of the back door opening and then...
Silence...
"Where is it?" Came the weedy voice. "Where is the beast?"
"It was right here!" said the executioner. "I saw it tied. It was right there!"
"How extraordinary," Dumbledore said amused.
"Beaky!" Hagrid cried.
A swishing noise came and the sound of an axe hitting the ground, was heard...The execution must of swung in annoyance.
Then Hagrid started wailing and howling, "Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Breaky, yeh clever boy!"
Buckbeak tried to get back to Hagrid, it took all three of them to stop him.
"Someone untied him!" The executioner yelled. "We should search the grounds, the forest - "
"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" Dumbledore said still sounding amused. "Search the skies if you must...Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."
"O'...o' course, Professor," Hagrid said, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in..."
They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.
"Now what?" Whispered Harry, looking around.
"We'll have to hide in here," Hermione said, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait until it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius' window. He won't be there for another couple of hours...oh, this is going to be difficult..."
Hermione looked into the dark depths of the forest. The sun was setting.
"We're going to have to move," said Harry. "we've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."
"Okay," said Hermione. "But we've got to keep out of sight, Harry, remember..."
This and the chapter after it were meant to be one chapter...but it just got to long, so I cut it in half.
...So will you review and tell me whether it was good or not?
It will be immensely helpful if you do.