The aftermath of Pettigrew's death and Hannah's outcry.

HARRY XXIII

Harry was allowed out of the hospital wing in the morning when Madam Pomfrey could ensure he had no trace left of the carving Pettigrew left in his arm. Ron and Hermione were gone and escorted back to the Gryffindor common room last night since they had no injury of any sort, but Madam Pomfrey insisted to keep Harry for the night in case the dagger with which Pettigrew opened his arm contained a magical agent that might manifest itself later. She now stated that she was confident this blade had been nothing more than a common knife, and Harry was allowed to leave.

Harry first headed towards the Gryffindor Tower. Maybe Ron and Hermione were still there. If not, he would join them in the Great Hall for breakfast. It was pretty early, so the odds were in favor of his two best friends being still in the common room.

In this morning following tonight's events, Harry wasn't sure how to feel. He had watched the former friend of his father, the one who betrayed him and got him killed, die. But he wasn't elated, not even happy. Truth be told, he was glad that Pettigrew was gone, but at the same time, he couldn't forget the blood coming from his face, his lifeless body on the ground. This was the first time Harry saw someone die. Well, there had been Quirrell two years ago, but truth be told, Harry didn't see much back then. The pain caused by his contact with Voldemort was so intense that he barely saw anything with his eyes. And although he witnessed several people Petrified last year, not to mention Ginny almost dying, this was the first time that he actually saw someone being killed right in front of him, and it was not a sight he was going to forget anytime soon.

Harry also felt some kind of relief that Pettigrew was dead, but all of it was almost washed away by the questions yesterday's events brought. He didn't have the opportunity to question Dumbledore or his mother. First, there had been Snape's actions. He was the one who killed Pettigrew. When the green light was thrown… This brought Harry back to his nightmares. He saw that green flash of light before. And the spell that was uttered by Pettigrew before he died… Avada Kedavra… He knew the words. He knew where and when he heard them before. This was the spell that took his father's life. He was sure of that. And Pettigrew had tried to use it against Snape, who turned it against its caster. But what was Snape doing here? And why did he look with such hatred at Pettigrew when he ended his days? Snape was a former Death Eater, and Pettigrew was clearly still one. Why did he seem to hate him so much?

But truth be told, there was something else that intrigued Harry even more and left him with even more questions as he climbed the stairs towards the Gryffindor Tower. The castle looked empty. They were early in the morning. After the exams, people were probably sleeping at this hour. He turned a corner. He was only three corridors away from the common room.

"HARRY!"

Before he had time to look up and see who screamed, someone had jumped on him and squeezed him so tightly that he had his breath cut short.

"You're alive! I was so afraid!"

He managed to break away from her tight hug and found himself catching his breath in front of the girl with tanned skin.

"Parvati, calm down! You're going to strangle me!"

"Oh, sorry." To her merit, she looked genuinely sorry. "I just…"

"Well, you're showing at the right time. I wanted to speak with you."

"Oh. Well, I wanted to see you me too. I wanted to see if you were okay. I was heading for the infirmary to see if you were fine…"

"Can we go there?" he asked, pointing a tapestry that gave on a hidden corridor most students weren't aware of its existence.

"Oh, yes. Of course."

The two pushed away the tapestry, and Harry didn't have time to let it fall back into position that Parvati was talking feverishly again.

"I was so worried. We saw a bright green flash of light from the Gryffindor Tower. A girl said it was a Killing Curse, and I noticed you, Ron and Hermione had disappeared. I was told not to…"

"Parvati, please. You… You said yesterday that Professor Trelawney knew something would happen last night."

"YES!" Harry was surprised. He seldom saw Parvati angry like that. "I told you! Why didn't you believe me?"

"Parvati, we're talking about Trelawney…"

"Exactly! She saw what would happen at your Quidditch game. You remember, that match when you almost died? She also foresaw the death of Lavender's pet rabbit, Hermione leaving Divination, and tons of other stuff that were true."

"Okay, but she also keeps saying…"

"… that I will die a painful and long death. Yes, I'm already aware of that. You think I don't know it by now? But you said yourself that it might happen in many years or decades, maybe when I'll be over a hundred years old. So don't use predictions that haven't concretized yet to say she cannot predict the future, because that's stupid!"

Harry didn't expect that one day Parvati would give him lessons of morale or common sense. And he still wasn't sure if it was really one, but she made it sound quite well that it was one.

"Parvati… What did Trelawney predict exactly?" he asked, as calmly as he could. He wouldn't be able to have a conversation with Parvati if she kept shouting, and it was best to soothe her right now.

She still looked furious, but when she spoke next, handing something that looked like a small notebook to Harry, her voice had lowered down at least. "Look by yourself."

Harry took the notebook at the page Parvati opened and read what was written there.

It will happen tonight.

Before the full moon, blood will be shed thrice.

Death shall strike, from wood, silver and steel.

Under the lightning's sight, the traitor will have what he wants the most.

The Chase will be over.

The Dark Lord will be closer than ever to his greatest desire.

Harry read the whole prediction three times before he talked again to Parvati. "And she told you all of this yesterday?"

"Yes!" she said the word abruptly, but then she seemed to calm down significantly as she provided explanations. "It was after my exam was completed. I had just…" She gulped. "… seen the Basilisk in the Orb. I was about to leave, when she began to say that something was going to happen." She looked straight at Harry. "Her voice was different. She wasn't behaving normally. She looked like she was in a… trance of some sort. She said these words, and then she was back to being normal, and she didn't remember anything she just said. When I questioned her about what she just predicted, she said that she predicted nothing. She had absolutely no memory of what she just said."

She now looked pleadingly to Harry, as if she was begging him to believe her. "Maybe she was lying to you," Harry suggested.

"No! That's impossible." She was angry no longer, but she was pacing around, as if she was thinking very strong. "The Professor Trelawney never denies that she predicts something, especially not after she just predicted it. She remembered predicting that Hermione would leave Divination when it happened, months after she foresaw that happening."

Harry wasn't sure if he was entirely convinced. With everything Ron and Hermione told him about Trelawney, and what other professors said, she didn't seem able to predict anything seriously, and her class was mostly a joke.

"You wrote down what she predicted?" he asked Parvati.

"Yes, right after I left Divination. I thought it was important. After I failed to understand her predictions before, I thought it would be better to write it down this time. I was trying to understand what it meant, when I heard you, Ron and Hermione talking about visiting Hagrid for the hippogriff's execution. And then I realized… The lightning's sight she was talking about… she was talking about you, Harry. About your scar. There was no storm or thunder expected for tonight, so it seemed to be the only reasonable interpretation."

Harry was stunned at first, but after reflecting on this for a moment, he had to admit that Parvati's theory made sense. Yesterday's events happened at sunset, when Buckbeak was executed. The sun had not disappeared entirely when Pettigrew attacked them, then was killed afterwards. And yesterday had been a full moon too. Harry was keeping an eye on those days for he knew Remus would change in those nights. These events really took place before the full moon was high in the sky.

Death had stricken too. Buckbeak and Pettigrew were dead. Looking at the words, he saw quickly how wood, silver and steel caused death that night. Wood was Pettigrew's wand, silver was the shield Snape used to deflect Pettigrew's death spell back to him, and steel… was the axe the executioner used to kill Buckbeak.

"Well, everything seems accurate. You're right. Trelawney seems to have foreseen what would happen," he confessed, as unbelieving it may sound.

Although these were only words. Harry wasn't sure about some sections of the prophecy. The Chase was definitely over, that was clear. The Chase of Pettigrew was no more since Pettigrew was now dead. There was no problem with the blood either, but he didn't understand how the traitor had what he wanted the most, and how Voldemort could be closer than ever to his greatest desire. After all, the Dark Lord could only mean Voldemort. Pettigrew was dead. Voldemort may have lost his only remaining servant. How could Voldemort be closer to what he wanted? Harry knew what he wanted, and it was to have a body again, but how could he be closer to that goal? And who was that traitor, and what did he want the most?

He remembered Pettigrew, his look of elation as he cut through Harry's arm and collected his blood. This man was a traitor. He betrayed his parents, Dumbledore, and everyone else. Did this mean that, for a moment, Pettigrew had what he wanted the most? And why was it Harry's blood?

"Yes. Though I wonder who else died." Parvati's words took Harry out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean? Who else died?" he asked her.

"Well, three people were supposed to die. There is the hippogriff, and there is Pettigrew, but… Who else?"

For a moment, Harry was confused, but he quickly understood by reading the second line of the prophecy again. "Oh, wait. This is not saying that three people were going to die."

"Yes, it is," Parvati protested. "It says that blood will be shed thrice. Three times. And only two people died."

"Yes, but blood was shed thrice all the same." Parvati frowned at what he said. Harry showed her his right arm, where no sign of the healed wound was visible anymore. "Last night, Pettigrew attacked us, and he cut me there with a knife."

"WHAT?!" She looked horrified, but Harry continued.

"Then Snape showed up, and he threw him a spell that made cuts appear everywhere on his face. Really, blood was pouring from Pettigrew's face from everywhere. And Buckbeak…" He had difficulty to say that. "… was decapitated. That's the blood that was shed."

Parvati seemed to think about it for a moment. Then she clearly understood. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Why didn't I think about it? Of course. Shedding blood doesn't mean that people will die. It only means… that blood will be poured. Why couldn't I see it?"

"It seems that prophecies are tricky to interpret."

He gave her back her notebook, not without kindness. Parvati often got on Harry's nerves, but right now, as they were trying to understand the same thing, he sympathized with her. Parvati looked at the words she wrote yesterday and closed the small book to put it back into a pocket of her robes.

"I should have known all this," she said.

"Don't be too harsh on yourself. I didn't even believe it could be true," he said, trying to be kind. She had tried to help him, after all. She stared back at her, obviously discontent from remembering that he didn't listen to her. "We only wanted to be there for Hagrid. We had taken precautions. You've seen how my cloak is working. How could I know that Pettigrew was outside?" he tried to justify.

Parvati seemed about to lash at him and blame him again for not listening to her, but instead she looked away, and although her voice contained some anger when she spoke, it was not that of someone who was entirely angry at him.

"How did it go? The execution?"

He was at the same time glad and sad that she asked him about this, but he answered all the same, if only to escape her admonitions. "They killed Buckbeak. Like that. Only because Lucius Malfoy asked for it." From the way she pursed her lips, Harry was ready to believe that she felt disdain towards Draco Malfoy's father as much as Harry and any other Gryffindor did. "You were there when it happened on our first lesson. You know it wasn't right."

"Of course. I know. But… I care about you much more than about a hippogriff, Harry." He wasn't really sure what to think about this. "Well, I'm glad that you're fine. The… The cut he made to your arm? Is it entirely healed?"

"Yes. No problem, like you can see." He showed her his arm as proof of it. It seemed the time for anger was over. "Anyway, Pettigrew is dead. At least, there is that good thing that came out of last night."

"Yeah. You must be happy. If someone in my family was killed, I would like that the murderer die for what he did." This wasn't really how Harry felt right now, but he nodded all the same. Parvati then smiled to him, probably for the first time since they crossed path a few minutes ago. "I'm glad you're fine, Harry."

To his great surprise, she kissed him on the cheek. She then giggled at his reaction.

"What? Don't tell me this is the first time a girl kisses you on the cheek."

He laughed nervously. No, it was definitely not the first time it happened to him, but it was the first time it happened when he didn't expect it at all.

"Okay. Well, I'll be going. I'm going to see Hagrid."

Harry made to walk away, but before he could put aside the tapestry, Parvati's voice rose behind him. "Hey, Harry. Can I come with you?" Harry was surprised and he turned to looked at her. "I… I think I could offer my condolences… If the hippogriff… Buckbeak, that's his name? If he meant so much to Hagrid, I could offer my condolences."

This was unexpected, to say the least. "Yes, you can come."

As they headed towards Hagrid's hut, Harry began to wonder if it was a good idea to bring Parvati with him to see Hagrid. After all, Parvati was not known for being the most sensitive person and could easily launch a topic that was inappropriate for the situation. On the other side, he could hardly tell her no when she asked if she could come, and Harry thought that maybe it would cheer up Hagrid if someone else came to support him. Once in the Entrance Hall though, Harry regretted that he didn't go back to the Gryffindor Tower to bring Ron and Hermione with him. It was one of the reasons why he wanted to see them so early. Well, it was a little too late, so it was with Parvati that he crossed the park towards Hagrid's home.

"It's there that it happened?"

Parvati asked him the question right as Harry was thinking about yesterday's events. They were only a few feet from the place in the park where Pettigrew stunned them and died barely a minute later.

"Yes," he replied shortly.

He didn't really want to talk further about it. He already discussed more than enough with Parvati about what happened last night, both before and after the events. Harry was more than displeased with Parvati back then for her threat to denounce him, Ron and Hermione to McGonagall only because they wanted to visit Hagrid and support him at this difficult moment. Despite the danger, he did not hesitate an instant. They had to be with Hagrid that evening. After he left the classroom where Parvati had forcefully dragged him, Harry had quickly gone to Ron and Hermione, and explained to them that Parvati knew about their plan and was threatening to denounce them to the teachers. Hermione had been particularly afraid, while Ron was extremely angry. Harry quickly told them about his plan, that they would go back to the common room, then slip under the Invisibility Cloak the moment that Parvati wasn't looking at them. On their way though, Hermione had perfected their plan. It would have been harder for her to slip under the cloak unnoticed. Ron and Harry only had to climb into their dormitory, where Parvati couldn't go, to hide under the cloak, but for Hermione, it would have been much more difficult. So she instead told them on their way to the common room that she was going to the library, making sure that Parvati heard her, when in fact she made a detour to go back to the Entrance Hall where she waited for them. So, once in the common room, Harry went first into the dormitory. He and Ron didn't go together to not raise Parvati's suspicions. Ron joined him after Parvati left for the girls' dormitory, and they both went through the common room under the Invisibility Cloak and reunited with Hermione in the Entrance Hall. They then had gone to Hagrid's home. He was devastated, and they tried to comfort him as much as they could, though he forced them to leave when the Ministry's people arrived. Then Buckbeak was executed, Harry's mother showed up out of nowhere, and Pettigrew attacked them, resulting in his death, ironically by a spell he cast himself.

"Oh my god? That's horrible!"

Harry stopped as Parvati put her hands over her mouth, horror plain on her face. He quickly discovered the cause of her reaction. In Hagrid's garden, Buckbeak's body was lying there, his head chopped. It had rolled several feet from the body of the beast, leaving a large pool of blood in its wake.

Harry stared at the lifeless, soiled corpse. They hadn't even buried it. Harry was almost as horrified as Parvati. If Malfoy had been present right now, Harry would have done far worse than breaking his nose. He now wished he had managed to injure Malfoy on a permanent basis at their Quidditch game.

"How could they…?"

Parvati's voice trailed off. It was strangled. Harry himself had his throat tied. Her had not really witnessed the execution last night. They had walked away too far after Fudge and the others arrived. They had seen Macnair raising his axe, but Buckbeak was out of their field of vision. It was the first time that Harry saw the remains of this proud animal.

He looked at Hagrid's hut. How was he feeling right now? Last night, they didn't have time to talk about Buckbeak. Hagrid was with Dumbledore and Fudge when they ran to Harry after Pettigrew attacked. He had come to visit Harry and his friends at the hospital wing. He refused to discuss Buckbeak, only caring about them and what Pettigrew did, lamenting that they should never have come to see him, that he should never have allowed them to stay, that he should have led them back to the castle immediately. Not once were he, Ron or Hermione able to place a word about the hippogriff. But Harry knew that Hagrid was certainly utterly annihilated today. He couldn't avoid thinking of Buckbeak forever. And when the half-giant would come out of his house and see the body, he wouldn't be able to deny or ignore what happened.

The door of the hut opened, and the large figure of Hagrid came out of it. When he saw Harry, a large smile appeared on his face, although Harry found it strained.

"Harry! I'm so glad you're fine."

He patted Harry on the shoulder, which almost caused his feet to dig in the ground.

"I knew you would be alright. Ah! This Pettigrew. He should have thought better than to try and get to you. What was he thinking? That Dumbledore would kindly allow him to approach anywhere near you? Ah! Good riddance! Good riddance!"

Harry could tell that Hagrid forced himself to look happy for tonight's events. It was kind of Hagrid, but Harry would not have blamed him for crumbling under grief, especially as they were only a few feet from Buckbeak remains. It sounded unkind to Harry to think of Buckbeak as remains when he was very much alive only a few hours ago.

"Parvati?" Hagrid had turned to Parvati, who seemed to jump out of a trance when he addressed her. She had been staring at Buckbeak the whole time. "It's kind of you to come. I must admit that I expected Ron and Hermione. Where are they? Are they alright?"

Again, Hagrid seemed to be forcefully thinking about anything but Buckbeak. Harry regretted again that he came here without his two best friends.

"Yes, they are fine. They are just…"

How could he explain this?

"Hagrid," Parvati said with a timid voice. Hagrid looked at her. Harry thought that he never saw Parvati looking so small. As far as he could tell, though, he never really gave much attention to Parvati's height. She was about the same height as Harry was, but she looked significantly smaller right now as she spoke to Hagrid under his stare. "I just wanted to…"

Her voice trailed off, and her eyes also trailed off towards the garden. Harry saw that Hagrid resisted to look in that direction, and tried to come up with something to say, but he failed. Hagrid's expression started to sour, and then huge tears started to fall. He finally gave in and looked towards what remained of Buckbeak. He then slowly walked towards him. Simultaneously, as if they were of a same mind, Harry and Parvati followed him, although they remained at some distance when Hagrid stopped next to Buckbeak and knelt on the ground.

"I couldn't bury him last night. Not with everything else that happened," Hagrid began, his voice strangled by sobs. "I should have buried him after I came back but…"

His voice vanished under the heavy tears that dropped from his eyes. Parvati walked forward and came to stand next to Hagrid. Harry followed her.

"I don't get it," she said. "Why? It was all Malfoy's fault. You told us to not insult a hippogriff, and he did it all the same. Why?"

"The people at the Ministry… They didn't care about it…" Hagrid lamented. "They were afraid of Lucius Malfoy. They did what he asked them to do."

For a long time, they remained, the three of them, Harry and Parvati standing, staring at the lifeless body of an innocent creature, while Hagrid kept sobbing next to them.

"I'm so sorry, Hagrid," Parvati said. "My mother… She's sitting on the Board of Governors… Last year… she was threatened by Lucius Malfoy too… to expel Dumbledore… She didn't want to do it… but she was afraid for me and my sister… I'm sorry."

Hagrid raised a large hand to pat Parvati on the shoulder, probably his way to thank her, but with such an involuntary force that she almost tumbled forward in Buckbeak. It was only by grabbing Harry's hand that she avoided that embarrassing moment.

"I'm… I'm going to bury him…" Hagrid stammered. "Give him a proper grave… this morning."

"Hagrid," Harry offered, "Ron, Hermione and I, we would like to be there."

"It's very kind of you all," Hagrid said.

"I'll come too," Parvati said.

Harry had never felt so grateful towards Parvati since the day he met her. This probably explained why, when they finally left Hagrid's side and headed back towards the castle, Harry realized that he had not let go Parvati's hand after she grabbed it to not fall. He carefully removed it from hers as they approached the heavy doors giving on the Great Hall.

"He truly loves magical creatures, doesn't he?" Parvati asked him on the way.

"Yes, he does," Harry replied.

"I think I better understand now why you wanted to visit him so badly." He felt a new wave of gratefulness towards the Indian girl. "Even though I'm really relieved that nothing happened to you."

When they arrived in the Entrance Hall, it was full of students hanging out or heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. They walked into the Great Hall and went separate ways as Parvati joined Lavender and Harry went towards Ron and Hermione when he spotted them.

"Ah. There you are!" Ron said. "Madam Pomfrey kept you late."

"She probably had to make sure that Harry was fine. How are you by the way?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"I'm fine. In fact, she let me out early. I went to see Hagrid."

"How is he?" Ron then asked, suddenly sounding concerned as well.

"Not well. Buckbeak's corpse is still in his garden. He's going to bury him today. I told him we would be there. It doesn't bother you?" Harry asked.

"Not at all. We will be there, of course," Hermione assured.

"Count on us," Ron asked. "We have no exam to take our time anymore now, either way. And with the Dementors gone…"

"They're gone?!" Harry was surprised.

"Yes, they are. Dumbledore sent them away last night. Pettigrew is dead, so they have nothing to protect us from. Not that they seemed capable of protecting us anyway. They let him on the grounds, again."

Harry was so much relieved. Ron and Hermione had no idea how happy he was that Dementors were gone. After visiting Hagrid, he might go fly a little on the Quidditch pitch and allow Ron to try his Firebolt again.

"Is your mother alright, Harry?" Hermione asked. He was about to answer that, as far as he knew, she was fine at the time she went to see them late last night, but before he could reply, Dean Thomas appeared out of nowhere behind Ron.

"Hey, Harry! You knew about this?"

Harry was confused. "Know about what?"

"Professor Lupin. Did you know he was a werewolf?"

It was as if a huge stone had dropped into Harry's stomach. Ron exploded. He exploded in laughter.

"What? Lupin, a werewolf? Where have you found this idea, Dean?"

"Well, everybody is talking about it," he said, then looked back again to Harry. "Did you know that, Harry?"

Harry couldn't answer, but Ron wouldn't let him time to anyway. "Come on, Dean. Lupin cannot be a werewolf. If he was one, Harry would know, and he would have told me. Right, Harry?"

Harry was at a loss of words again. Ron looked at him, first all smile, but as time went on and he saw Harry's reaction, his expression turned more uncertain.

"Harry?" Ron asked.

But he wouldn't reply to Ron. Instead, he listened around, and indeed, he had the distinct impression to hear talking about werewolves and Remus from all corners of the Great Hall.

"I… I've got to go."

He barely touched his breakfast, but he didn't care. He needed to see Remus, and now. Harry ran up to his office. He was closing on it when he heard someone scream.

"BUT YOU CAN'T GO, PROFESSOR! THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT!"

Harry recognized this voice, although it was the first time in his life that he heard Susan Bones screaming.

"I know this is not my fault, Susan. And I appreciate that you told me what happened, but this is not your fault either. But tomorrow, owls will start arriving from parents. They will not want a werewolf teaching their children. And I see their point. Who wouldn't?"

Harry was struck by how resigned Remus sounded.

"But… I thought precautions…"

"Even the best precautions cannot entirely guarantee your safety. We've seen it this year with Pettigrew. Even with the Dementors and all the safety measures that were put into place, he managed to get inside. He only targeted Harry, but he could have targeted you too, Susan, and many others. And if one night I forgot to take my potion, or if protection spells failed, the irreparable might happen. And that is not a risk I'm willing to take. Harry, you can come. No need to stay outside."

Harry was surprised. He was standing in the corridor, a few feet from the door, behind the wall. How did Remus know he was there? Anyway, he walked in, to find Remus packing his things. His briefcase was ready on the desk, and the office almost empty. Susan was standing in the middle of the room, on the other side of his desk, and she seemed afraid when Harry walked in.

"You're leaving?" Harry asked Remus.

"Yes, Harry. I'm leaving. I think the reasons for my departure are very clear," his father's old friend said.

"But… You're the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!"

"He's right," Susan said. "You shouldn't go. It's not fair."

Harry had never seen Susan so sure of herself. Normally, she was always timid, reserved, ready to listen to the others and to question her own opinion, not the kind to stand her ground.

"Maybe it's not fair," Remus conceded. "But this is the right thing to do." He had about finished emptying his office. "But if I'm proud of anything this year, it's how much you've learned, all of you." He was about to take his briefcase when he hesitated. He instead took his wand and muttered something Harry didn't understand, pointing on the table behind the briefcase. He only understood what it was when Remus took the old piece of parchment and gave it to Harry on his way out. "Harry, your mother left this for me before she left last night. I think it will be more useful to you than to me. We'll see each other soon."

And just like that, he walked away in the corridor. Harry remained unmoving for a while, stunned by how sudden and quick Remus left, like a thief in the night. We'll see each other soon. His last words remained stuck in Harry's head. True, they would see each other soon. Harry saw him on a regular basis. But it wouldn't be the same thing any longer. Harry had liked to have Remus, a man he knew from his birth, as their professor. And all students had liked him as well. What would the course of Defence Against the Dark Arts, the favourite course of everybody this year, be without Remus?

"That's my fault."

The soft, quivering, weak voice from behind Harry took him out of his thoughts. Susan had sat down in the chair in front of Remus' office. Well, at least, what had been Remus' office until very recently.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked her.

"Two weeks ago… I was studying werewolves for the exams, and I… I think I muttered to myself something about Professor Lupin… A few days later, Hannah asked me about this. I tried to convince her that she misheard but… This morning she asked him about that in the Entrance Hall. And when Professor Lupin didn't deny it, she shouted that he was a werewolf."

Harry swore inwardly. "She asked me about this yesterday, after dinner," he said between his teeth. "I told her it wasn't true."

That was why Hannah had wanted to speak with him in private yesterday in the evening. She led him to an empty classroom, before Parvati did as well, to ask him about whether Remus was a werewolf, saying she heard strange things about him. Harry did everything to convince her that it was a lie. Now he knew where Hannah heard something that made her think that Remus was a werewolf. She had heard it from her best friend, who sat in front of Harry as he thought about it.

"The worst part is that… Hannah didn't believe it anymore," she continued. "She only asked a question to Professor Lupin without realizing it, and he didn't even try to deny it. If he had only said it was untrue, she would never have shouted in surprise that he was a werewolf in the Entrance Hall for everyone to hear."

So, that was how the truth had come out. Harry felt a wave of anger towards Hannah. Why did she have to share all rumors that came to her ears? Remus lost his job because of her. In comparison, the girl who was looking at her feet right now was blameless.

"For how long have you known?" he asked Susan.

"Since the beginning of the year."

"That's why you asked me if Remus was dangerous back in September?"

"Yes. My aunt… During Peter Pettigrew's trial, you remember when everyone was sent out of the courtroom except the Wizengamot?" Harry nodded. "It was said during this part of the trial that Professor Lupin was a werewolf. A member of the Wizengamot told my aunt, and when she found out that he was going to teach us, she told me about it, and she said to be careful around him. I wasn't sure what to think of him, so I wanted to ask you but… You didn't seem to know about it."

"No, I didn't. I only discovered it later this year."

"I told no one, for the entire year," she complained. "Why did it have to come out now?"

"Secrets are always very difficult to keep." Both Harry and Susan were surprised. Harry turned on himself to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway, while Susan stood up immediately. But as usual, Dumbledore had a kind smile on his face. "It is obvious that many students will regret Professor Lupin."

"Professor, I…" Susan began, and Harry knew what she was going to do, and that she would confess that she was responsible for Remus leaving, although to Harry, it was Hannah who was responsible first. Harry wanted to stop her, but it proved useless.

"There's no need to apologize, Miss Bones. The truth was going to come out, sooner or later. We can consider this is already an exploit that only three students learned about it over the whole year before it spread through the whole castle. Well, I'll need to find you another professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts for next year, as I must do every summer. But I suggest you go and enjoy the few days you have left before the summer holidays. I know Professor Lupin more than enough to be sure that he wouldn't want any student standing in his empty office and regretting his departure."

Susan nodded timidly, then she left. Harry, on the other hand, stayed. He realized he still had the Marauder's Map that Remus gave him when he left it in his hand. He put it back into his pocket. Dumbledore looked amused by this, as if Harry attempted to hide it from him. But truth be told, Harry knew it was futile. Dumbledore already knew about the existence of his map. However, it wasn't about this that Dumbledore questioned Harry?

"How do you feel, Harry?" He had a soft and concerned expression on his face.

"Not very good," he finally admitted. How could he? "Buckbeak's dead, Hagrid is…" He couldn't find the right word to describe his state. "And Remus is gone."

"And Pettigrew is dead," Dumbledore added. Though in fact, Harry felt like he finished.

"Yes," he recognized.

"Seeing someone die is never easy. Even less at such a young age."

"He had my father killed. He had so many people killed." He thought about Susan, who just left, who lost a large of her family because of this man. "I shouldn't be affected by his death."

"But you are. And this is a good thing, Harry."

"A good thing?" Harry didn't understand.

"Last year, Harry, you asked me if your place was in Slytherin because the Sorting Hat wanted to send you there. And you were afraid that because Voldemort accidentally transferred you some of his powers, then your place was in Slytherin. And you remember what I told you?"

"That our choices make us who we are."

"Yes, Harry. In essence. But I wasn't entirely right. Oh, I was right, but not completely. There is something else that truly shows who we are. It is our feelings, our emotions. What we feel in such circumstances. Do you really think that Salazar Slytherin would have wanted you to feel compassion, sadness, perhaps even guilt, at seeing a traitor like Pettigrew die? Or that Voldemort, even right now, feels any remorse for sending one of his last servants to his death?"

Harry didn't need to reply. He and Dumbledore both knew the answer to these questions. It made Harry feel slightly better, although it didn't change what happened yesterday.

"Professor… Why was Pettigrew trying to take some of my blood?"

That was one of the things that kept running through Harry's mind. "Oh, that, Harry, is a very interesting question. And I wish I had an answer to provide. The truth is, I don't know what Pettigrew, and Voldemort, if he was acting on his orders, and I do believe he was following his orders, wanted with this. This is another mystery that remains to be solved."

Indeed, mysteries. There seemed to be a lot of them in Harry's life. That brought him to another one, which was linked to the one they shortly discussed.

"Professor… There's something you should know, I think. It's about Professor Trelawney."

"The Divination teacher?" he asked, as if he didn't know who Trelawney.

"Yes. Yesterday, she… Well, she didn't say it to me, but…"

Harry summarized to Dumbledore what Trelawney told Parvati, without saying that it was Parvati who actually heard this prophecy. He told him every detail he knew about the prophecy, and how it proved to be accurate. When Harry was done, Dumbledore looked impressed.

"Who would have thought it? That brings her total of real predictions up to two. I should offer her a pay rise," he said with another smile.

"But… that doesn't make any sense, Professor. Pettigrew is dead. Whatever Voldemort wanted… How can he be now closer than ever to his greatest desire? He doesn't have anyone to help him now." This sentence from the prophecy that Parvati showed him remained ingrained in his mind, because it clearly concerned Voldemort. And Harry felt that this greatest desire had something to do with his blood.

"We must be careful to not draw early conclusions, Harry. Yes, Voldemort lost one of his few remaining servants last night. But I'm afraid he has probably other servants, out there. They are few, but they exist. Who knows, Professor Snape might have delayed his return, but as I told you two years ago, I'm afraid he will find a way to come back, sooner or later."

"So, Snape, you really trust him?"

"Professor Snape, Harry. And yes, I do trust him. He may have saved your lives, not only yours, but that of your friends and even your mother last night. I do not blame you for leaving the castle to comfort Hagrid. You all had good intentions. Ironically, if your mother had not come out, Pettigrew might never have noticed your presence outside these walls. But again, we wouldn't have stopped him if you hadn't gone outside. Even though I wish we had captured him and not killed him. But still, I hope you will at least consider the possibility of granting Professor Snape with the benefit of the doubt now."

That was another thing that made Harry sad today. His mother would never have gone out if he hadn't been there. She had quickly explained to him last night that Aurors, including herself, were stationed at Hogwarts in all circumstances to catch Pettigrew if he showed up at Hogwarts again. They had used the Marauder's Map to detect him, and that was this same map, which was now in Harry's pocket, that informed his mother that he had left the Gryffindor Tower and brought her to look for him. Again, Harry felt guilty for endangering her.

"But, as we say, each day has enough trouble of its own," Dumbledore continued. "I know you've already been through a lot today and yesterday, Harry, but I think you still have one thing to do for a friend." Harry remembered immediately what it was. He had to go see Hagrid. "So go through today's sorrow, Harry. And tomorrow, enjoy life, for all those who can't enjoy it anymore."

About an hour later, Harry was standing with Ron and Hermione next to Hagrid's garden, as the gamekeeper dug a hole in the ground, Buckbeak's remains next to it waiting to be buried. They had offered to help Hagrid digging it, but he refused. He told them he wanted to do it himself, his tears dropping into the grave as it widened. When Harry had gone back to the Entrance Hall, Ron had complained that both he and Hermione knew that Remus was a werewolf but didn't tell him anything. He calmed down though as they went to support Hagrid while he buried Buckbeak.

They stood there, the three of them, shoulder to shoulder, watching the half-giant work. Hermione had tears coming out of her eyes from time to time. At one moment, Harry thought he saw Ron wiping one from his face, although he claimed he had dust in the eye. Ron even grabbed Hermione by the shoulder to comfort her, like he did last night.

"Am I late?" a voice said from behind. Harry then remembered someone else was supposed to attend the burial.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked Parvati.

"It's alright, Ron. She's there for the same reason than we are," Harry explained.

Ron did a movement between a shrug and a nod and brought back his attention to Hagrid working. Parvati went to take place at Harry's right. Hermione was on his left, between him and Ron.

"Sorry to be late," Parvati whispered. "I wasn't sure when…"

"It's alright. Thank you for being here," Harry told her.

For a long time, they all remained silent.

"I thought about bringing Lavender, but…" Parvati didn't look certain about what to say next, as if she was trying to apologize.

"It's fine," Harry whispered in return.

Silence settled again, only broken by the noises of the shovel hitting rock and earth, and the rare attempts at Parvati to say something sensible. Harry would have preferred that she remained silent, but at least she was there, and she tried to say kind things when she spoke, which was way better than her usual behavior.

Soon, Hagrid disappeared in the hole he was digging. They only saw his shovel when it was raised in the air. Then the sounds of the shovel and its movements stopped, and they saw two enormous hands gripping the grass on the border of the hole. Hagrid climbed over it, covered in mud and dirt, and stuck his shovel in the ground not far away. He inhaled and exhaled hardly, with difficulty, for several seconds before he raised his head towards them.

"It's deep enough." His voice was hoarse. "It's time."

Slowly, he walked to the body of Buckbeak. This proved to be a very difficult part of the ceremony, if you could call it that way. When Hagrid lifted the winged body, his face was covered with so many tears that they partially washed away the mud. He slowly brought the body, carrying it on his back, to the grave, and Harry didn't think it was the weight of it that made Hagrid bend his legs. When he finally reached the hole, which seemed to take an eternity, it also took an eternity for him to finally let the hippogriff slip from his back and fall into the hole. Hermione muffled a cry at this moment.

But it wasn't the most difficult part of the ceremony. The worst was when Hagrid slowly walked, head down, towards what remained of Buckbeak that was still in the garden. He walked even more slowly, and when he arrived, he dropped on his knees in front of the hippogriff's head and cried very loudly. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. No one knew how long Hagrid remained like this, but when he finally gathered enough force and courage to stand up with Buckbeak's head in his arms, he needed an eternity only to turn around, and even more time to walk the short distance leading to the grave. And there, he waited even longer. Slowly, he knelt, then lowered his arms and brought them as deep as he could into the hole, without falling himself. Harry thought he was trying to lay the head at the bottom, but from the thumping sound that eventually came out of it, Harry guessed even Hagrid's massive arms couldn't reach the bottom of the grave.

Harry felt something squeeze his right hand, when he realized that Parvati had seized it. Looking at her, he saw the trace of a tear on her left cheek, and her watering eyes. Hagrid began to fill the grave with the earth and stone he just removed. They all stayed there, watching him as he took huge shovelfuls. Strangely enough, Harry had the impression that it took far less time to fill the grave than to dig it. When Hagrid was done, he threw his shovel away and walked away from them without a look.

"I've got work to do," he muttered, loud enough for all of them to hear. He headed towards the Forbidden Forest without looking behind.

"Perhaps we should…" Hermione began, her voice strangled by emotion.

"Let him have some time alone," Ron interrupted. "We'll come and see him tomorrow."

And on that, he brought Hermione with him back towards the castle. Harry remained behind, looking at the giant shape of Hagrid slowly disappearing in the forest. He was so focused on this, with the impression that nothing else existed in this world, that he was surprised when Parvati, who had not left, spoke up.

"When Lavender lost her rabbit, she told me that she placed a gravestone when she went back home for the winter holidays." She looked uncertainly to Harry. "Perhaps we can do the same," she offered.

Harry nodded after a moment. He and Parvati found a large stone that they levitated over the place where Buckbeak was buried. Harry then carved, the best he could, the words he thought would fit best.

Buckbeak, the pride of hippogriffs.

Harry and Parvati remained for maybe another minute, standing in front of the grave, before they headed back to the castle. The sun was high in the sky, and this promised to be a beautiful day, but it would take more than the weather today to make Harry feel better. And although he thought she had good intentions, Parvati's offer for him to come and swim in the lake with her, Lavender and their other friends, didn't make Harry feel better.

I know, not the most joyful chapter there is.

Please review.

Next chapter: Ron