XXVII. Splendid
Magnificent; very impressive.
Jayla and Harry hadn't talked about their kiss in the moonlight when Snape caught them on their hunt for Peter Pettigrew, and the safety measures imposed on the students since Black's second break-in makes it impossible for Harry, Ron, Jayla and Hermione to go and visit Hagrid in the evenings. Especially Jayla usually only goes down to help him care for the Magical Creatures or spend time with Buckbeak and Hagrid when she's not got her extra lessons. Their only chance of talking to him is during Care of Magical Creatures lessons. He seems numb with shock at the verdict. "'S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there in black robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all them does yeh looked up for me, Hermione, Jayla. An' then the Ministry Lawyer stood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly what he told 'em…"
"There's still the appeal!" Ron argues fiercely. "Don't give up yet, we're working on it!" The Golden Quartet walk back up to the cast with the rest of the class ahead; they can see Malfoy, who is walking with Crabbe and Goyle, who keep looking back, laughing derisively.
"'S'no good, Ron," Hagrid tells him sadly as they reach the castle steps. "That Committee's in the Ministry's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that…" Hagrid turns around and hurries back towards his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief.
"Look at him blubber!" Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle stand just inside the castle doors, listening. "Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" Malfoy taunts the half-giant. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!" Harry and Ron make furious moves towards Malfoy, but Hermione gets there first - SMACK! She slaps Draco around the face with all the strength she can muster. Malfoy staggers. Harry, Ron, Crabbe and Goyle stand flabbergasted as Jayla laughs in shock and Hermione raises her hand again.
"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul - you evil -!" Hermione growls in anger at the blond ferret.
"Hermione!" Ron says weakly, and he tries grabbing her hand as she swings it back.
"Get off, Ron!" She snaps, pulling out her wand. Malfoy steps backwards. Crabbe and Goyle look at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered.
"C'mon," Draco mutters, and the next moment, all three of them disappear into the passageway to the dungeons.
"Hermione!" Ron says again, sounding both stunned and impressed.
"Harry, Jayla, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch Final!" Hermione demands shrilly. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin win!"
"We're due in Charms," He informs the others, still goggling at Hermione. "We'd better go."
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The four Gryffindors hurry up the marble staircase towards Professor Flitwick's classroom. "You're late, boys, Miss Darkmore!" The Professor replies reprovingly as Harry opens the door. "Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today. We've already divided into pairs…" The boys and Jayla hurry to a desk at the back and open their bags, taking out their things for class. Ron looks behind him, not seeing anyone sitting next to Jayla.
"Where's Hermione gone?" Ron asks, looking at the Darkmore Heiress, who looks around in a panic. Harry looks around, too. Hermione didn't enter the classroom, yet Harry knew she was right beside him when he opened the door.
"That's weird," Harry mutters, staring at Ron. "Maybe - maybe she went to the bathroom or something?" But Hermione doesn't turn up all lesson, making Jayla panic even further.
"She could've done with a Cheering Charm on her, too," Ron comments as they leave class for lunch, all grinning broadly - the Cheering Charms leaving them feeling great contentment.
"Leave her alone; she must have had a good reason," Jayla argues, ensuring she has some notes for Hermione.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Hermione doesn't show up for lunch either. By the time the boys and Jayla finish their food, the after-effects of the Cheering Charms wear off, and Harry and Ron join Jayla in her worry. "Hermione would never miss a class. Even if her life depended on it," Jayla mutters, trying to enjoy her food, but her worry eats away at her.
"Yeah. We'll go check on her before the next class," Harry suggests, trying to ease her anxiousness.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
"You don't think Malfoy did something to her?" Ron asks anxiously as the three Gryffindors hurry upstairs towards the Tower. They pass the security trolls, giving the Fat Lady the password, "Flibbertigibbet", and scramble through the portrait hole into the Common Room. They find Hermione sitting at a table, fast asleep, her head resting on an open Arithmancy book. The boys sit on either side of her as Jayla crouches next to her, shaking her awake.
"Wh-What?" Hermione grumbles, waking with a start and staring wildly around. "Is it time to go? W-Which lesson have we got now?"
"Divination, but it's not for another twenty minutes," Harry informs her, to her shock. "Hermione, why didn;t you come to Charms?"
"What? Oh no!" She squeaks. "I forgot to go to Charms!"
"But how could you forget?" He asks her. "You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!"
"I don't believe it!" She wails. "Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy. I was thinking about him, and I lost track of things!"
"You know what, Hermione?" Ron remarks, looking at the enormous Arithmancy book Hermione was using as a pillow. "I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much."
"No, I'm not!" The bushy-haired brunette argues, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring hopelessly around for her bag. "I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry… I'll see you in Divination!"
"Wait! Hermione!" Jayla shouts after her, but her best friend leaves out the portrait hole, running to the Charms classroom.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Hermione joins Harry and Ron at the foot of the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom twenty minutes later, looking highly harassed. "I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms! And I bet they come up in our exams. Professor Flitwick hinted they might!" Hermione exclaims as they climb the ladder into the dim, stifling tower room.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Jayla waits by the door of the Ancient Rooms classroom to see Hermione rushing towards her, not wanting to miss this class. "Finally, Professor Babbling is about to start," Jayla warns her, opening the door, and they quickly enter.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
In the Divination classroom, a crystal ball full of pearly white mist is glowing on every little table. Harry, Ron and Hermione sit together at the same rickety table. "I thought we weren't starting crystal balls until next term," Ron mutters, casting a wary eye around for Professor Trelawney in case she's lurking nearby.
"Don't complain, this means we've finished palmistry," Harry mutters back. "I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at my hands."
"Good day to you!" A familiar, misty voice declares, and Professor Trelawney makes her usual dramatic entrance out of the shadows. Parvati and Lavender quiver with excitement, their faces lit by the milky glow of their crystal ball. "I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned," Professor Trelawney announces, seating herself with her back to the fire and gazing around. "The fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice."
"Well, honestly… 'the fates have informed her'... who sets the exam?" Hermione snorts. "She does! What an amazing prediction!" She doesn't trouble herself in keeping her voice down. It is hard to tell whether Professor Trelawney heard them, as her face is hidden in shadows. She continues, however, as though she didn't.
"Crystal-gazing is a particularly refined art," She says dreamily. "I do not expect any of you to See when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practising relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes." Ron begins sniggering uncontrollably and has to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle the noise. "So as to clear the Inner Eye and the superconscious. Perhaps, if we are lucky, some of you will See before the end of the class." The students gaze into the murky smoke within the crystal balls on their tables, their faces reflecting the mist within. "Relax… Let your mind… go… Crystal-gazing requires that you clear the Inner Eye. Only then, will you… See. Oh my, what do we have here…?" Trelawney eyes Harry's crystal, and Hermione rolls her eyes at the Professor.
"Here we go again. It's the Grim! It's the Grim!" Hermione teases the woman, making Ron snicker a little.
"My dear, from the moment you first arrived in my class," Professor Trelawney narrows her eyes, "I sensed that you did not possess the proper spirit for the noble art of Divination. You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shrivelled as an old maid's, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave." Hermione feels stung and starts to reply but - remarkably - seems incapable of saying a single word. Rising gracelessly from her chair, she exits, but not before knocking the crystal ball to the floor. Harry watches curiously as the crystal ball slowly rolls out of the trapdoor, following Hermione.
"In late spring, one of our numbers will leave us forever!' You knew, Professor! You saw." Lavender exclaims, marvelling at the supposed Seer.
"On these occasions, I take no joy in my gift, Miss Brown," She sighs with dread and continues the lesson.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
As the students climb down the trapdoor, Ron and Harry walk down the tower steps with Neville not far behind them. "She's gone mental, Hermione has," Ron scoffs. "I mean, not that she wasn't always mental, but now it's out in the open for everyone to see…" He stops, glancing at Harry, then moves off, and Harry watches him go, along with the others, spotting the crystal ball lying on the landing.
"I'm gonna take this back," Harry informs the others, who look warily at him but don't stop him, and he heads back up the winding stairs.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry returns to the classroom, sets the crystal ball on the empty stand, and goes to leave when the smoke within the crystal suddenly darkens. Leaning closer, Harry watches a shape appear, unmistakable: Sirius Black. Just then, a shadow crawls across the glossy surface of the crystal, and a hand grabs Harry's shoulder, startling him. He swirls around to find his teacher. "Professor Trelawney…"
"Sorry, dear…" Professor Trelawney smiles, her eyes fog over as she looks at him. "Be careful, boy." She warns him, and Harry realises he will be late. He runs out of the classroom, jumps down the ladder, and rushes to catch up with his classmates.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The Easter holidays come quickly afterwards; Harry tells his friends what Professor Trelawney said. Jayla muses on it but doesn't say much about it, and Hermione scoffs, having an already bad day, and Ron jokes about it, trying to calm Harry's already fraying nerves. The holidays are not exactly relaxing. The third-years have never had so much homework. Neville seems close to a nervous collapse and isn't the only one. "Call this a holiday!" Seamus roars in the Common Room one afternoon. "The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?" But nobody has as much to do as Hermione. Even without Divination, she is taking more subjects than anybody else. She is usually last to leave the Common Room at night and first to arrive at the library the following day; she has shadows like Lupin's under her eyes and seems constantly close to tears.
Jayla tries to lighten the load by being with Hermione as much as possible, but with her extra lessons, she can't be with Hermione all the time, even over the holidays. Jayla doesn't go home because of the additional security measures in place with Sirius Black close to the castle and the fact her family is under investigation by the Ministry. Her parents are even suspended from work, and an Auror is watching over the Darkmore Manor.
Ron takes over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. When he isn't doing his own work, he is pouring over enormously thick volumes with names like 'The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology' and 'Fowl or Foul?' 'A Study of Hippogriff Brutality'. He is so absorbed he even forgets to be horrible to Crookshanks.
Harry, meanwhile, has to fit in his homework around Quidditch practice every day, not to mention endless discussions of tactics with Wood and Jayla. The tactic maniacs. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match will take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin is leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. This means (as Wood constantly reminds his team) that they need to win the match by more than that amount to win the Cup. It also means that the burden of winning falls largely on Harry because capturing the Snitch is worth one hundred and fifty points.
"So you must only catch it if we're more than fifty points up," Wood tells Harry constantly. "Only if we're more than fifty points up, Harry, or we win the match but lose the Cup. You've got that, haven't you? You must only catch the Snitch if we're -." Oliver keeps going, getting on Harry's last nerve.
"I KNOW, OLIVER!" Harry yells at him. The whole of Gryffindor House is obsessed with the coming match. Gryffindor hasn't won the Quidditch Cup since the legendary Charlie Weasley (Ron's second-oldest Brother) was Seeker. But Harry doubts whether any of them, even Wood, wants to win as much as he does. The enmity between Harry and Malfoy is at its highest point ever. Harry still remembers Malfoy's attempt to sabotage him in the match against Ravenclaw, but it is the matter of Buckbeak that makes him most determined to beat Draco in front of the entire school. In anyone's memory, never has a match approach in such a highly charged atmosphere.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
By the time the holidays are over, the tension between the two teams and their Houses is at breaking point. Several minor scuffles break out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth-year and a Slytherin sixth-year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears. Harry is having an awful time of it. He can't walk to class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to trip him up; Crabbe and Goyle keep popping up wherever he goes and slouching away, looking disappointed when they see him surrounded by people. Wood instructs Harry that he should be accompanied everywhere in case the Slytherins try to put him out of action. The whole of Gryffindor House takes up the challenge enthusiastically, so Harry can't get to classes on time because he is surrounded by a vast, chattering crowd. Jayla laughs at his struggle but assures Wood she'll look after Harry, which eases Oliver's worry, knowing she's very capable of handling Slytherins. Harry is more concerned for his Firebolt's safety than his own. When he isn't flying it, he locks it securely in his trunk and frequently dashes back up to Gryffindor Tower at break times to check that it is still there.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
All usual pursuits are abandoned in the Gryffindor Common Room the night before the match. Even Hermione has put down her books. "I can't work, I can't concentrate," She says nervously. There is a great deal of noise. Fred and George deal with the pressure by being louder and more exuberant than ever. Oliver is crouched over a model of a Quidditch Pitch in the corner, prodding little figures across it with his wand and muttering to himself. Angelina, Alicia and Katie are laughing at Fred and George's jokes. Harry is sitting with Ron, Hermione and Jayla, removed from the centre of things, trying not to think about the next day because every time he does, he has the horrible sensation that something very large is fighting to get out of his stomach. "You're going to be fine," Hermione assures him, though she looks positively terrified.
"You've got a Firebolt!" Ron exclaims, trying to cheer his best friend up.
"Yeah…" Harry mutters, his stomach writhing.
"Don't worry, Harry. I'm playing in this match. We've got this in the bag," Jayla jokes, trying to lighten the mood. The most relief comes when Wood suddenly stands up.
"Team! Bed!" Oliver yells, and they quickly comply, heading up to their dorms and turning in early.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry sleeps badly. Firstly, he dreams of oversleeping, and Wood yells, "Where were you? We had to use Neville instead!" Then he dreams that Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team arrive for the match riding dragons. He is flying at breakneck speed, trying to avoid a spurt of flames from Malfoy's steed's mouth, when he realises he has forgotten his Firebolt. He falls through the air and wakes with a start. It's a few seconds before Harry remembers that the match hasn't occurred yet, that he is safe in bed and that the Slytherin team definitely won't be allowed to play on dragons. He is feeling very thirsty. As quietly as he can, he gets out of his four-poster bed and pours himself some water from the silver jug beneath the window. The grounds are still and quiet. No breath of wind disturbing the treetops in the Forbidden Forest; the Whomping Willow is motionless and innocent-looking. The conditions for the match will be perfect. Harry sets down his goblet and is about to return to bed when something catches his eye. An animal of some kind of prowling across the silvery lawn. Harry dashes to his bedside table, snatches up his glasses and puts them on, then hurries back to the window. It can't be the Grim - not now - not right before the match. After a minute's frantic search, Harry peers out at the grounds again and spots it. It is skirting the edge of the Forest now… it isn't the Grim at all… it is cats… Harry clutches the window-ledge in relief as he recognises the two cats' bottle-brush tail and dark as-night fur. It is only Crookshanks and Hades…
Or is it only Crookshanks and Hades? Harry squints, pressing his nose flat against the glass. The felines seem to come to a halt. Harry is sure he can see something else moving in the shadow of the trees, too. And the next moment, it emerges: a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moving stealthily across the lawn, the cats trot at its side. Harry stares. "What does this mean?" Harry wonders. "If Crookshanks and Hades can see the dog as well, how can it be an omen of my death?" He frowns, watching the three animals. "Ron!" Harry hisses. "Ron! Wake up!"
"Huh?" Ron groans, waking up.
"I need you to tell me if you can see something!" He tells him, waking the redhead further.
"S'all dark, Harry," The youngest Weasley boy mutters thickly with sleep. "What're you on about?"
"Down here -," The raven-haired boy glances out the window. Crookshanks, Hades and the dog have vanished. Harry climbs onto the window-sill to look right down into the castle's shadows, but they aren't there. "Where have they gone?" He searches the lawn but finds nothing, and a loud snore tells him Ron has fallen asleep again.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The Gryffindor team enters the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. Harry can't help but grin broadly as he sees the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables clapping, too. The Slytherin table hisses loudly as they pass. Jayla mockingly teases her cousin, who looks even paler than usual. Wood spends the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat while touching nothing himself. Jayla almost force-feeds him, much to the team's humour, as they watch the young girl trying to make the Captain eat. Oliver sees the seriousness in the Darkmore's Heiress. He eats before hurrying them off to the Pitch before anyone else has finished so they can get an idea of the conditions. As they leave the Great Hall, everyone applauds again.
"Good luck, Harry!" Cho Chang calls, making Harry blush a little at being singled out. Jayla scoffs, rolling her eyes. She sees Cedric waving at her, and she waves back.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
"Okay… no wind to speak of… sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out of it… ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kick-off…" Wood paces to the Pitch, staring around with the team behind him. Finally, the Gryffindor team sees the castle's front doors open in the distance, and the rest of the school spills onto the lawn. "Changing rooms," He says tersely.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
None of the team members speak as they change into their scarlet robes. Harry wonders if they feel like he is like he's eaten something extremely wriggly for breakfast. In what seems like no time, Wood says, "Okay, it's time, let's go…" They walk out of the changing rooms towards the Pitch.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The Gryffindor team walk out onto the Pitch to a tidal wave of noise. Three-quarters of the crowd are wearing scarlet rosettes, waving scarlet flags with the Gryffindor lion upon them or brandishing banners with slogans such as "GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "LIONS FOR THE CUP!". Behind the Slytherin goalposts, however, two hundred people are wearing green, the silver serpent of Slytherin glittering on their flags. Professor Snape sits in the front row, wearing green like everyone else and a bleak smile.
"And here are the Gryffindors!" Lee yells, who is acting as the commentator as usual. "Potter, Darkmore, Bell, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best side Hogwarts has seen in a good few years -." Lee's comments are drowned by a tide of "boos" from the Slytherin end. "And here come the Slytherin team. Led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the line-up and seems to be going for size rather than skill -." More boos from the Slytherin crowd. Harry, however, thinks Lee has a point, and apparently, so does Jayla, as she snickers at Lee's commentary. Malfoy is easily the smallest person on the Slytherin team; the rest are enormous.
"Captain, shake hands!" Madam Hooch instructs the two Captains, who approach each other and tightly grasp each other's hands. It looks as though each is trying to break the other's fingers. "Mount your brooms!" She says, and both teams mount them. "Three… two… one…" Her whistle is lost in the crowd's roar as fourteen brooms rise into the air. Harry feels his hair fly back off his forehead; his nerves leave him in the thrill of the flight; he glances around, spots Malfoy on his tail and speeds off in search of the Snitch.
"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goalposts. Looking good, Alicia!" Lee comments, making Jayla smile as she weaves through the barrage of snakes as they come for her. "Argh, no - Quaffle intercepted by Warrington. Warrington of Slytherin tearing up the Pitch - WHAM! - nice Bludger work thereby Geroge Weasloey, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by - Darkmore, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Jayla - nice swerve round Montague - duck, Jayla, that's a Bludger! - SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!" Jayla punches the air as she soars around the end of the Pitch; the sea of scarlet below screams in delight.
"OUCH!" Jayla screams, nearly being thrown from her broom as Marcus goes smashing into her.
"Sorry!" Flint shouts as the crowd boos. "Sorry didn't see her!" The next moment, Fred checks his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Marcus' nose smashes into the handle of his broom and begins to bleed.
"That will do!" Madam Hooch shrieks, zooming between them. "Penalty to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaster! Penalty to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaster!"
"Come off it, Miss!" Fred howls, but Madam Hooch blows her whistle, and Alicia flies forward to take her penalty.
"Come on, Alicia!" Lee yells into the silence that descends on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!" Harry turns the Firebolt sharply to watch Flint, still bleeding freely, flying forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Harry looks at Jayla, who doesn't seem badly injured, though he can see her wince a little and roll her shoulder, but she continues to fly. Wood hovers in front of the Gryffindor goalposts, his jaw clenched. "Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee informs the crowd as Flint waits for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass - very difficult indeed - YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!" Relief floods everyone; Harry zooms away, gazing around for the Snitch but still ensuring he catches every word of Lee's commentary. He must hold Malfoy off the Snitch until Gryffindor is more than fifty points up… "Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession - not - Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the Pitch - THAT WAS DELIBERATE!" Montague, a Slytherin Chaser, swerves in front of Katie and, instead of seizing the Quaffle, grabs her head. Katie cartwheels in the air, staying on her broomstick but dropping the ball. Madam Hooch's whistle rings again as she soars over to Montague and begins shouting at him. A minute later, Katie puts another penalty past the Slytherin Keeper. "THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING -!"
"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way -!" Professor McGonagall shouts at him.
"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!" Lee argues. Harry feels a massive jolt of excitement. He spots the Snitch - shimmering at the foot of one of the Gryffindor goalposts - but he can't catch it yet. And if Malfoy sees it…
Faking a look of sudden concentration, Harry pulls his Firebolt around and speeds off towards the Slytherin end. It works. Draco goes haring after him, clearly thinking Harry has seen the Snitch there… WHOOSH. One of the Bludgers comes streaking past his ear, hitting the gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick. The next moment, WHOOSH. The second Bludger grazes Harry's below. The other Beater, Bole, is closing in. Harry has a fleeting glimpse of Bole and Derrick zooming towards him, clubs raised. He turns the Firebolt upwards at the last second, and Bole and Derrick collide with a sickening crunch. "Ha haaa!" Lee yells as the Slytherin Beaters lurch away from each other, clutching their heads. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle - Flint alongside her - pokes him in the eye, Jayla! - it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke - oh, no - Flint in possession, Flint flying towards the Gryffindor goalposts, come on, now, Wood, save -!" But Flint scores, there is an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swears so badly that Professor McGonagall tries to tug the magical megaphone away from him. "Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession -."
It turns into the dirtiest match Harry has ever played in. Enraged that Gryffindor has taken such an early lead, the Slytherins are rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Bole hits Alicia with his club and tries to say he thought she was a Bludger. George elbows Bole in the face in retaliation. Madam Hooch awards both teams penalties, and Wood pulls another spectacular save, scoring forty-ten to Gryffindor. The Snitch disappears again. Malfoy still keeps close to Harry as he soars over the match, looking around for it - once Gryffindor reaches fifty points ahead… Katie scores.
Fifty-ten.
Fred and George swoop around her, clubs raised, in case any Slytherins think of revenge. Bole and Derrick take advantage of the Weasley twin's absence to aim both Bludgers at Wood; they catch him in the stomach, one after the other, and he rolls over in the air, clutching his broom, completely winded. Madam Hooch is beside herself. "You do not attack the Keeper unless the Quaffle is within the scoring area!" She shrieks at Bole and Derrick. "Gryffindor penalty!" And Jayla scores.
Sixty-ten.
Moments later, Fred pelts a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Alicia seizes it and puts it through the Slytherin goal: seventy-ten. The Gryffindor crowd below are screaming themselves hoarse - Gryffindor is sixty points in the lead, and if Harry catches the Snitch now, the Cup is theirs. Harry can almost feel hundreds of eyes following him as he soars around the Pitch, high above the rest of the game, with Malfoy speeding behind him.
And then he sees it. The Snitch is sparkling twenty feet above him. Harry puts on a massive burst of speed, the wind roaring in his ears; he stretches out his hand, but suddenly, the Firebolt is slowing down. Horrified, he looks around. Malfoy has thrown himself forward, grabbing the Firebolt's tail and pulling it back. "You -," Harry snaps angrily and wants to hit Malfoy but can't reach. Draco pants with an effort to hold onto the Firebolt, but his eyes are sparkling maliciously. He achieves what he wants - the Snitch has disappeared again.
"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!" Madam Hooch screeches, shooting up where Malfoy slides back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One.
"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee howls into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B -!" Professor McGonagall doesn't even bother to tell him off. She is shaking her fist in Malfoy's direction; her hat has fallen off, and she is also shouting furiously. Alicia takes Gryffindor's penalty but is so angry she misses by several feet. The Gryffindor team is losing concentration, and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on Harry, are being spurred on to greater heights. "Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal - Montague scores -." Lee groans. "Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor…" Harry is now marking Malfoy so closely their knees keep hitting each other. Harry isn't going to let Malfoy anywhere near the Snitch…
"Get out of it, Potter!" Malfoy yells in frustration as he tries to turn and finds Harry blocking him.
"Jayla Darkmore gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Jayla, COME ON!" Harry looks around. Every Slytherin player apart from Malfoy, even the Slytherin Keeper, is streaking up the Pitch towards Jayla - they will all block her. Harry wheels the Firebolt about, bending so low he lies flat along the handle and kicks it forward. Like a bullet, he shoots towards the Slytherins.
"AAAAAAARRRGH!" They scatter as the Firebolt zooms towards them; Jayla's way is clear.
"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor lead by eighty points to twenty!" Harry, who almost pelted headlong into the stands, skidding to a halt mid-air, reversing and zooming back into the middle of the Pitch. And then he sees something to make his heart stand still. Malfoy is diving, a look of triumph on his face - a few feet above the grass below is a tiny, golden glimmer. Harry urges the Firebolt downwards, but Draco is miles ahead.
"Go! Go! Go!" Harry urges his broom. They are gaining on Malfoy… Harry flattens himself to the broom handle as Bole sends a Bludger at him… he is at Malfoy's ankles… he levels. Harry throws himself forward, taking both hands off his broom. He knocks Malfoy's arm out of the way and says, "YES!" He pulls out of his dive, his hand in the air, and the stadium explodes. Harry soars above the crowd, an odd ringing in his ears. The tiny golden ball is held tightly in his fist, beating its wings hopelessly against his fingers. Then Wood speeds towards him, half-blinded by tears; he seizes Harry around the neck and sobs unrestrainedly into his shoulder. Harry feels two hefty thumps as Fred and George hit them; then Jayla, Alicia and Katie's voices.
"We've won the Cup! We've won the Cup!" The girls cheer, tangling together in a many-armed hug; the Gryffindor team sinks, yelling hoarsely, back to earth. Wave upon wave of crimson supporters pouring over the barriers onto the Pitch. Hands raining down on their backs. Harry has a confused impression of noise and bodies pressing in on him. Then, he and the rest of the team are hoisted onto the crowd's shoulders. Thrust into the light, Harry sees Hagrid, plastered with crimson rosettes.
"Yeh beat 'em, Harry, yeh beat 'em! Wait till i tell Buckbeat!" Hagrid cheers and Percy jumps up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Professor McGonagall sobs harder than even Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag, and Ron and Hermione are there, fighting their way towards Harry and Jayla. Words fail them. They simply beam as Harry and Jayla are borne towards the stands, where Dumbledore stands waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup. If only there was a Dementor around… As a sobbing Wood passes Harry the Cup, as he lifts it into the air, Harry feels he can produce the world's best Patronus. Everyone on the team gets to hold and take a picture with the Quidditch Cup before heading back into the castle.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry and Jayla's euphoria at finally winning the Quidditch Cup lasts at least a week. Even the weather seems to be celebrating; as June approaches, the days become cloudless and sultry, and all anybody feels like doing is strolling onto the grounds and flopping down on the grass with several pints of iced pumpkin juice, or in Jayla's case bubblegum milkshakes, perhaps playing a casual game of Gobstones or watching the giant squid propel itself dreamily across the surface of the lake. But they can't. The exams are nearly upon them, and instead of lazing around outside, the students are forced to remain inside the castle, trying to bully their brains into concentrating. At the same time, enticing wafts of summer air drift in through the windows. Even Fred and George have been spotted working; they are about to take their O. (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). Percy is getting ready to sit his N.E. (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests), the highest qualification Hogwarts offers. As Percy hopes to enter the Ministry of Magic, he needs top grades. He becomes increasingly edgy and severely punishes anybody who disturbs the quiet of the Common Room in the evenings. In fact, the only person who seems more anxious than Percy is Hermione. Harry and Ron have given up asking her how she can attend several classes at once, but they can't restrain themselves when they see the exam timetable she has drawn up for herself.
The first column reads:
MONDAY
9 o'clock, Arthimancy
9 o'clock, Transfiguration
Lunch
1 o'clock, Charms
1 o'clock, Ancient Runes
Harry and Ron look at Jayla for help, but she continues reading her book on Magical Creatures, finishing her studies thanks to her Photographic Memory. "Hermione?" Ron questions cautiously because she is liable to explode when interrupted these days. "Er - are you sure you've copied down these times right?"
"What?" Hermione snaps, picking up the exam timetable and examining it. "Yes, of course I have."
"Is there any point asking how you're going to sit two exams at once?" Harry asks, looking at her. "Both of you, considering you, Jayla, have Charms and Ancient Runes at the same time."
"No," She answers shortly. "Have either of you seen my copy of Numerology and Grammatica?"
"I've got my exam a littler later that day, same as everyone else in Ancient Runes," Jayla explains, not looking up from her book.
"Oh, yeah, I borrowed it for a bit of bedtime reading," Ron answers Hermione, but very quietly. Hermione starts shifting heaps of parchment around her table, looking for the book. Just then, there is a rustle at the window, and Hegwig flutters through it, a note clutches tightly in her beak.
"It's from Hagrid," Harry announces, ripping the note open. "Buckbeak's appeal - it's set for the sixth."
"That's the day we finish our exams," Hermione announces, still looking everywhere for her Arithmancy book.
"And they're coming up here to do it," He informs them, still reading from the letter. "Someone from the Ministry of Magic and - and an executioner." Hermione and Jayla look up, startled.
"They're bringing the executioner to the appeal! But that sounds as though they've already decided!" Jayla exclaims, looking up from her book.
"Yeah, it does," The raven-haired agrees slowly.
"They can't!" Ron howls. "I've spent ages reading up stuff for him; they can't just ignore it all!" But Harry has a horrible feeling that the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures has had its mind made up for it by the Ministry's lawyer. Draco, who has been noticeably subdued since Gryffindor's triumph in the Quidditch final, seems to regain some of his old swagger over the next few days. From sneering comments, Harry overhears that Malfoy is sure Buckbeak will be killed and looks thoroughly pleased with himself for bringing it about. It is all Harry can do to stop himself imitating Hermione and hitting Malfoy in the face on these occasions. Jayla is much more help as she stops him, though she still blames herself for the horrible situation and possible death of Buckbeak. The worst thing of all is that they have no time or opportunity to go and see Hagrid because of the strict new security measures that have yet to be lifted. Harry doesn't dare retrieve his Invisibility Cloak from below the one-eyed Witch.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Exam week begins, and an unnatural hush falls over the castle. The third-years emerge from Transfiguration at lunchtime on Monday limp and ashen-faced, comparing results and bemoaning the difficulty of the tasks they had been set, which included turning a teapot into a tortoise. Hermione irritates the rest by fussing about how her tortoise looks more like a turtle, which is the least of everyone else's worries. "Mine still had a spout of a tail, what a nightmare…"
"Were the tortoises supposed to breathe steam?"
"It still had a willow-patterned shell, d'you think that'll count against me?"
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Then, after a hasty lunch, it is straight back upstairs for the Charms exam. Hermione was right; Professor Flitwick does indeed test them on Cheering Charms. Hermione is glad that Jayla went over it in their spare time. Harry slightly overdoes his out of nerves, and Ron, who partners with him, ends up in fits of hysterical laughter and has to be led away to a quiet room for an hour before he is ready to perform the Charm himself. Jayla quickly leaves with some other students taking the Ancient Runes exam and promptly meets up with them to talk.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
After dinner, the students hurry to their Common Rooms, not to relax but to start revising for Care of Magical Creatures, Potions and Astronomy. Jayla helps Ron and Harry with their studying, talking about how their latest exams went as Hermione furiously studies again and internally panics about her grades.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Hagrid presides over the Care of Magical Creatures exam the following morning with a very preoccupied air; his heart doesn't seem to be in it. He has provided a large tub of fresh Flobberworms for the class and tells them that, to pass the test, their Flobberworm must still be alive at the end of one hour. As Flobberworms flourish best if left to their own devices, it is the most straightforward exam any of them has ever sat. It also gives Harry, Ron, Jayla and Hermione plenty of opportunity to speak to Hagrid. "Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed," Hagrid tells them, bending low on the pretence of checking if Harry's Flobberworm is still alive. "Bin cooped up too long. But still… we'll know day after tomorrow - one way or the other."
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
They had Potions that afternoon, which was an unqualified disaster. Try as Harry might, he can't get his Confusing Concoction to thicken, and with Snape standing watching with an air of vindictive pleasure, he scribbles something suspiciously like a zero onto his notes before moving away.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Then comes Astronomy at midnight, up in the tallest Tower. Jayla needs some coffee to keep her awake as she takes the test with everyone else, and Harry has a hard time not looking at her, seeing her in her school uniform, though she's wearing her slippers instead of her shoes. Hermione and Ron look at each other, having noticed Harry not really hiding his feelings about Jayla.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
History of Magic on Wednesday morning, in which Harry scribbles everything Florean Fortescue has ever told him about mediaeval Witch hunts while wishing he could have had one of Fortescue's choco-nut sundaes with him in the stifling classroom.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Wednesday afternoon means Herbology in the greenhouses under a baking hot sun, then back to the Common Room once more, with the backs of their necks sunburnt, thinking longingly of this time tomorrow, when it will all be over.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Their second from Thursday morning's last exam is Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin complies with the most unusual exam any of them has ever taken: a sort of obstacle course outside in the sun, where they have to wade across a deep paddling pool containing a Grindylow, cross a series of potholes full of Red Caps, squish their way across a patch of marsh, ignoring the misleading directions from a Hinkypunk, then climb into an old trunk and battle with a new Boggart. "Excellent, Harry," Lupin mutters as Harry climbs out of the trunk, grinning. "Full marks." Flushing with success, Harry hangs around to watch Ron, Jayla, and Hermione. Ron does very well until he reaches the Hinkypunk, which successfully confuses him into sinking waist-high into the quagmire. Jayla does ideally through all the obstacles, much to everyone's surprise, but Lupin smiles, glad to see the extra lessons have paid off.
Hermione does everything perfectly until she reaches the trunk with the Boggarts in it. After about a minute inside it, she bursts out again, screaming. "Hermione!" Lupin yells, startled. "What's the matter?"
"P-P-Professor McGonagall!" Hermione gasps, pointing into the trunk. "Sh-She said I'd failed everything!" It takes a little while to calm Hermione down.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
When, at last, she has regained a grip on herself, she, Harry, Jayla and Ron go back to the castle. Ron is still slightly inclined to laugh at Hermione's Boggart, but an argument is averted by the sight that meets them on the top of the steps. Cornelius Fudge, sweating slightly in his pinstriped cloak, standing there staring at the grounds. He stares at the sight of Harry. "Hello there, Harry," He greets the boy and eyes Jayla, who frowns at the Minister, wondering how he came into power. "Just had an exam, I expect? Nearly finished?"
"Yes," Harry answers, and Hermione, Jayla and Ron are not speaking with the Minister for Magic, hovering awkwardly in the background. Jayla, not daring to say a word in case she says something that she will later regret in life, wants to move on quickly.
"Lovely day," Fudge smiles, casting an eye over the lake. "Pity… pity…" He sighs deeply and looks down at Harry. "I'm here on an unpleasant mission, Harry. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad Hippogriff. As I needed to visit Hogwarts to check on the Black situation," He glances at Jayla, who glares back at him, "I was asked to step in."
"Does that mean the appeal's already happened?" Ron interrupts, stepping forward.
"No, no, it's scheduled for this afternoon," The Minister corrects, looking curiously at Ron.
"Then you might not have to witness an execution at all!" He says stoutly. "The Hippogriff might get off!" Before Fudge can answer, two Wizards enter the castle doors behind him. One is so ancient he appears to be withering before their very eyes; the other is tall and strapping, with a thin black moustache.
Harry gathers that they are representatives of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures because the very old Wizard squints towards Hagrid's cabin and says in a feeble voice, "Dear, dear, I'm getting too old for this… two o'clock isn't it, Fudge?" The black-moustached man is fingering something in his belt; Harry looks and sees that he is running one broad thumb along the blade of a shining axe. Ron opens his mouth to say something, but Hermione and Jayla nudge him hard in the ribs and jerk their heads towards the Entrance Hall.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
"Why'd you stop me?" Ron asks angrily as they enter the Great Hall for lunch. "Did you see them? They've even got the axe ready! This isn't justice!"
"Ron, your Dad works for the Ministry. You can't go saying things like that to his boss!" Hermione warns him, but she looks distraught, too.
"As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time and argues his case properly, they can't possibly execute Buckbeak…" Jayla reasons, seeming on the verge of tears at the thought of the death of the Hippogriff. All around them, people are talking excitedly as they eat their lunch, happily anticipating the end of exams that afternoon. Still, the Golden Quartet, lost in worry about Hagrid and Buckbeak, doesn't join in.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry and Ron's last exam is Divination, Hermione's is Muggle Studies, and Jayla is free, having finished all her exams. The boys walk up the marble staircase together. Hermione leaves them on the first floor, and Harry and Ron proceed all the way up to the seventh, where many of their class are sitting on the spiral staircase to Trelawney's classroom, trying to cram in a bit of last-minute revision. "She's seeing us all separately," Neville informs them as they sit beside him. He has his copy of 'Unfogging the Future' open on his lap at the pages devoted to crystal-gazing. "Have either of you ever seen anything in a crystal ball?" He asks them unhappily.
"Nope," Ron answers in an offhand voice. He keeps checking his watch; Harry knows that he is counting down the time until Buckbeak's appeal starts. Harry stays silent, thinking of his strange encounter with the crystal ball and seeing Sirius Black's face. The queue of people outside the classroom shortens very slowly.
As each person climbs back down the silver ladder, the rest of the class hiss, "What did she ask? Was it okay?" But they all refuse to say.
"She says the crystal ball's told her that if I tell you, I'll have a horrible accident!" Neville squeaks as he clambers back down the ladder towards Harry and Ron, who have now reached the landing.
"That's convenient," Ron snorts. "You know, I'm starting to think Hermione was right about her," he jabs his thumb towards the trapdoor overhead, "she's a right old fraud."
"Yeah," Harry says, looking at his own watch. It is now two o'clock. "Wish she'd hurry up…" Parvati returns down the ladder, glowing with pride.
"She says I've got all the makings of a true Seer," Parvati informs Harry and Ron. "I saw loads of stuff… Well, good luck!" She hurries off down the spiral staircase towards Lavender.
"Ronald Weasley," A familiar, misty voice says from over their heads. Ron grimaces at Harry and climbs the silver ladder out of sight. Harry is now the only person left to be tested. He settles himself on the floor with his back against the wall, listening to a fly buzzing in the sunny window, his mind across the grounds with Hagrid. Finally, after about twenty minutes, Ron's large feet reappear on the ladder.
"How'd it go?" Harry asks him, standing up.
"Rubbish," Ron tells him. "Couldn't see a thing, so I made some stuff up. Don't think she was convinced, though…"
"Meet you in the Common Room," He mutters as Professor Trelawnet's voice calls his name.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The tower room is hotter than ever before; the curtains are closed, the fire is alight, and the usual sickly scent makes Harry cough as he stumbles through the clutter of chairs and tables to where Professor Trelawney sits waiting for him before a large crystal ball. "Good day, my dear," She says softly. "If you would kindly gaze into the Orb… take your time, now… then tell me what you see within it…" Harry bends over the crystal ball and stares, staring as hard as he can, willing it to show him something other than swirling white fog, but nothing happens. "Well?" She prompts delicately. "What do you see?" The heat is overpowering, and his nostrils are stinging with the perfumed smoke wafting from the fire beside them. He thinks of what Ron has just said and decides to pretend.
"Er -," Harry mutters, "a dark shape… um…"
"What does it resemble?" Professor Trelawney whispers. "Think, now…" Harry casts his mind around, and it lands on Buckbeak.
"A Hippogriff," He answers firmly.
"Indeed!" She whispers, scribbling keenly on the parchment perched upon her knees. "My boy, you may well be seeing the outcome of poor Hagrid's trouble with the Ministry of Magic! Look closer… does the Hippogriff appear to… have its head?"
"Yes," Harry answers firmly.
"Are you sure?" Professor Trelawney urges him. "Are you quite sure, dear? You don't see it writhing on the ground, perhaps, and a shadowy figure raising an axe behind it?"
"No!" He says, starting to feel slightly sick.
"No blood? No weeping Hagrid?"
"No!" The raven-haired says again, wanting more than ever to leave the room and the heat. "It looks fine, it's flying away…" Professor Trelawney sighs, seeming disappointed.
"Well, dear, I think we'll leave it there… a little disappointing… But I'm sure you did your best." Relieved, Harry gets up, picks up his bag and turns to go, but then a loud, harsh voice speaks behind him. "It will happen tonight." Harry wheels around. Professor Trelawney has gone rigid in her armchair, her eyes unfocused and her mouth sagging.
"S-Sorry?" Harry questions. But she doesn't seem to hear him. Her eyes start rolling. Harry stands there in a panic. She looks as though she is about to have some sort of seizure. He hesitates, thinking of running to the hospital wing - and then Professor Trelawney speaks again, in the same harsh voice, quite unlike her own. "The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight, the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever before. Tonight… before midnight.. The servant… will set out rejoin… his master…" Professor Trelawney's head falls forward onto her chest. She makes a grunting sort of noise. Then, quite suddenly, her head snaps up again. "I'm so sorry, dear boy," She apologises dreamily. "The heat of the day, you know… I drifted off for a moment…" Harry stands there, still staring. "Is there anything wrong, my dear?"
"You - you just told me that the - the Dark Lord's going to rise again… that his servant's going to go back to him…" Harry informs her, and she looks thoroughly startled.
"The Dark Lord? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? My dear boy, that's hardly something to joke about… rise again, indeed…"
"But you just said it! You said the Dark Lord -." He argues.
"I think you must have dozed off too, dear!" She argues. "I would certainly not presume to predict anything quite as far-fetched as that!"
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry climbs back down the ladder and spiral staircase, wondering… had he just heard Professor Trelawney make an accurate prediction? Or had that been her idea of an impressive end to the test? He wonders if he should talk to Jayla about her Mother, who has the gift with much more accuracy but thinks against it, not wanting it to be true.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Five minutes later, Harry dashes past the security trolls outside the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower, Professor Trelawney's words echoing inside his head. People are striding past him in the opposite direction, laughing and joking, heading for the grounds and a bit of long-awaited freedom; when he reaches the portrait hole and enters the Common Room, it is almost deserted. Over in a corner, however, sits Ron, Jayla and Hermione. "Professor Trelawney," Harry pants, "just told me -." But he stops abruptly at the sight of their faces.
"Buckbeat lost," Ron says weakly. "Hagrid's just sent this," Hagrid's note is dry this time; no tears splattered it, yet his hand seems shaken so much as he writes that it is hardly legible.
Lost appeal.
They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do.
Don't come down. I don't want you to see it.
Hagrid
"We've got to go," Harry declares at once. "He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!"
"Sunset, though," Ron agrees, who is staring out of the window in a glazed sort of way. "We'd never be allowed… specially you, Harry…" Harry sinks his head into his hands, thinking.
"If we only had the Invisibility Cloak…" He grumbles.
"Where is it?" Hermione asks. Harry tells them about leaving it in the passageway under the one-eyed Witch. "... if Snape sees me anywhere near there again, I'm in serious trouble," He finishes.
"That's true," Jayla muses, getting to her feet. "If he sees you… how do you open the Witch's hump again?"
"You - you tap it and say, 'Dissendium'," Harry tells her. "But -." Jayla doesn't wait for the rest of his sentence. She strides across the room, pushing the Fat Lady's portrait open and vanishing from sight with Hermione trailing after her.
"They haven't gone to get it?" Ron questions, staring after her. They have. Hermione and Jayla return a quarter of an hour later with the silvery Cloak folded carefully under Jayla's grey jumper. "Jayla, Hermione, I don't know what's got into you lately!" He says, astounded. "First you hit Malfoy, then you walk out on Professor Trelawney -." Hermione looks rather flattered. "And Jayla… well, you've always been a bit of a rebel."
"Why thank you," Jayla smiles, jokingly bowing. "Now, Harry, get changed, and we'll head out. We'll use the Invisibility Cloak once we reach the courtyard."
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The Golden Quartet sneak through the castle, passing the security trolls, making their way to the clocktower courtyard and placing the Invisibility Cloak over themselves, hiding themselves from any prying eyes. The teens walk through the courtyard to see the executioner sitting there, sharpening his axe as they pass him. He looks up as if seeing them but returns to sharpening his blade.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry leads the others towards Hagrid's hut, taking off the Invisibility Cloak, thinking they won't be seen. "I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeat! It's too horrible." Hermione grumbles, shaking her head.
"It just got worse," Harry announces, nodding toward the stones overlooking the hill leading to Hagrid's cabin and the Forbidden Forest. Ahead is Malfoy, along with Crabbe and Goyle, lurking with binoculars and spying on Hagrid, who stands in the pumpkin patch, tossing dead ferrets to Buckbeak. Hagrid wipes his eyes before entering the cabin.
"Did you see the big, fat blubbering oaf?! Oh, this is going to be rich. Did I tell you, Father's old friend at the Ministry said I can keep the head -." Draco boasts, looking up and spotting his cousin and her friends. "Ah! Come to see the show?"
"You…" Hermione growls, stalking towards him, "... foul… loathsome… evil… little cockroach…" She backs Draco to the stone pillar, making him stumble back, eyes crossing as she holds her wand at his throat.
"Hermione! No!" Ron warns her, and she turns around, surprised by his words, and he looks away. "He's not worth it." Hermione nods but thinks again, punching the blond ferret on the nose and smacking his head against the stone pillar. He quickly leaps to his feet, running, stunned as Grabbe and Goyle huff and puff behind.
"That felt good," She remarks, looking at her friends, who look just as shocked.
"Not good, bloody brilliant," Ron laughs.
"Ever do that again, I need a heads up for a camera," Jayla jokes and loops her arm around her friend, heading down the path.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The friends go down the slope and past a chained-up Buckbeak, who happily chews on a ferret with idle satisfaction and looks up at the Gryffindors. Jayla waves at the big bird, who seems happy to see her too, fluttering his wings a little as they come to Hagrid's hut.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Hagrid stands by the window, watching Buckbeak, not too happy to see the four Gryffindors but glad to have some company before the dreaded event. Harry and Ron sit on the couch with Jayla in the armchair as Hermione makes them all some tea. "Look at 'im. Loves the smell o' the trees when the wind blows through them…" Hagrid muses with a sigh and turns around to face the teens.
"Why don't you set him free?" Harry asks him, not wanting to see the Hippogriff or Hagrid suffer.
"They'd know I did it. And tha' would only get Dumbledore in trouble," He argues, shaking his head. "Gonna come down, yeh know. Says he wants to be with me when it… when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore."
"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," Hermione suggests, offering to stay with the friendly half-giant.
"Yeh will now!" The Groundskeeper argues. "Think I wan' yeh seein' a thing like this! No. Yeh'll drink yer tea an' be off. But before yeh do - I wan' ter see you an' Ron shake hands, Harry." The boys look at each other strangely before looking back at Hagrid as Jayla snickers behind her hand. "Thin' I haven' seen 'ow it's bin betw'n you two? Go on now…" Reluctantly, the boys extend their hands and shake. "Good. Now then. Ron, i wan' ter see you give Hermione a hug." Jayla loses it and laughs.
"What!" Hermione and Ron exclaim, looking at Hagrid in shock.
"Go on! You two've been at it all year. An' I'm sick o' it," Hagrid tells them, and Harry smiles as Jayla giggles, both of them watching how uncomfortable Hermione and Ron step towards each other, performing the most awkward hug ever seen at Hogwarts. "Crikey, tha's jus' abou' the most pathetic hug I e'ver seen. But yeh did it, an' tha's wha' matters. There's jus' one other thing…"
"I'm not hugging anyone," Jayla refuses, shaking her head.
"I'm not kissing Fang if that's what you're thinking…" Ron agrees, shaking his head. Hearing his name, Fang thumps his tail happily on the floor.
"I don't want a kiss either from you!" Fang declares.
"I know, Fang," Jayla snickers, rubbing his head. "No one wants to kiss Ron."
"Hey!" Ron exclaims when Hagrid turns, taking the lid from a flour tin; a tiny head, ears flecking with powder, emerges. "Scabbers! You're alive!" He beams, happy to see his old pet, though Jayla glares at the rat.
"Yeh should keep a closer eye on yer pets, Ron," Hagrid warns him, handing over the rat to his owner.
"I think you owe someone an apology," Hermione declares, looking at the redhead.
"Right," Ron agrees, cuddling the rat. "Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know."
"I meant me," She growls.
"Idiot…" Jayla mutters.
"Crikey. Here we go again…" Hagrid grumbles, shaking his head when a clay jar on the shelf shatters with a loud smash, attracting their attention. They look at the jar, and Hermione inspects the jar, finding a pebble with a circular pattern. A second stone bounces off the back of Harry's head, making him yelp in pain. Harry turns around, looking out the window, spotting four approaching figures.
"Hagrid…" Harry calls, and everyone turns, seeing Dumbledore and Fudge approaching slowly towards the cabin with the executioner and Committee member close behind.
"Yeh, got to go! It's almost dark. Anyone sees yeh outside the castle, it'll be trouble! Big trouble! 'Specially you, Harry -." Hagrid warns them when there's a knock on the door, making him stiffen in fear, but he snaps out of it, grabbing a blanket to cover one of his creatures, and the four teens sneak out of the back.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Harry leads his friends out of the back door as Fudge, Dumbledore, the executioner, and the Committee member enter through the front. A veil of crows flitters onto the roof, and more drop into the pumpkin patch, begging to slowly circle Buckbeak. The Golden Quartet flee to the giant pumpkins on the edge of the Forest, hiding as they watch Hagrid solemnly greet his guests, and Fudge appears at the window, picking his nose. "Disgusting," Jayla scoffs and holds her black blazer, checking on something in her pocket. The girls hear something behind them and turn as the branches dance around, but they don't see anything.
"What?" Harry asks, looking at them.
"I thought I saw… I… Never mind," Hermione shakes it off, and they sneak out from the giant pumpkins towards the hill to the sundial garden above.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The teens slip behind the stone pillars; beyond them, Hagrid's cabin glimmers desolately in the dying sun. High in the clock tower, the bell begins to toll, making them stop, fighting their tears as they watch bleak shadows fly 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 low-standing trees. Everything goes still. The wind loses its voice… Sunlight kicks off the axe as it rises over the trees, and the axe hangs seemingly forever, etching against the sky, then drops from sight with a sickening chop. Ron and Harry stare at the trees in numb disbelief. Hermione clings to Ron, hiding her face in his shoulder and crying. Jayla covers her eyes, hiding her tears, and Harry pulls her into a hug, shielding her face.
The sunset drops behind the mountains in the distance. Hermione turns, watching the frenzy spray of crows staining the bloody sky with their primal shrieking rising like a curse. Slowly, Hermione's hand falls from Ron's shoulder when Ron drops Scabbers with a jerk in shock. "He bit me!" Ron exclaims, looking in disbelief at the streaking Scabbers.
"Ron! No!" The others shout after him as he runs after his pet as they chase him.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
Ron runs across the castle grounds, reaches the summit, and disappears over the top, with Hermione, Jayla and Harry following as they get closer to the ridge's top. Jayla stops Hermione and Harry, noticing where they are. "Harry. You do realise what tree this is…" Jayla announces as Ron leaps, snatching Scabbers and cradling him in his bloody palm.
"Now behave yourself," Ron scolds his pet rat, kneeling under the Whomping Willow.
"That's not good," Harry mutters, looking at his best friend. "Ron!" He yells. "Run!" Ron looks up at his friends, seeing something behind them.
"Harry!" Ron shouts, pointing. "Run!" Harry's eyes shift, turning to see something standing behind them. An enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black… dog. Harry shields Jayla as the dog bounds towards them, and the three teens jump to the ground as it leaps clear over them towards Ron, who screams in terror. The dog's teeth snap at the rat in the redhead's hands, but miss, sinking into Ron's foot, dragging the tenn towards the trunk of the Whomping Willow like a rag doll. Instantly, Harry dashes forward, leaping out and trying to grab Ron's hand in a desperate attempt at trying to get him. Still, he misses, scudding along the ground as Ron disappears into the opening at the bottom of the tree.
"Harry!" Ron calls to his best friend with one last attempt before disappearing into the darkness of the opening.
"Ron!" Harry shouts but only gets a scream in reply. "Hold on, Ron!"
"Harry!" Jayla screams as she watches the Whomping Willow come to life, sweeping the raven-haired teen away with a flick of its branches. Harry falls on his back before the girls, and Jayla helps him to his feet.
"We need to get through that to help Ron," Jayla calmly states, and Harry discards the Invisibility Cloak, not wanting it to get damaged by the Whomping Willow. Without thinking, Harry runs towards the tree trunk as the girls call after him. "Idiot! Immobulus!" She casts the spell, stopping the branches from assaulting her friend, and the Darkmore Heiress grabs Hermione's hand and runs towards Harry, taking his wrist and dashing to the opening at the base of the trunk and sliding inside.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑶
The three friends land with a painful thud into the tunnel under the willow roots, Harry landing on the ground with Hermione and Jayla landing on top of him. "Thanks," Hermione grunts, feeling Jayla above her, getting to her feet and letting the others get up.
"Don't mention it," Jayla sighs, glancing at her wand to see if it's okay from the fall.
"Good thinking," Harry praises her, making her look at him.
"Welcome. Next time you run at the Whomping Willow, I will leave you to it," She warns him.
"Fair enough," He agrees and gets out his wand. "Lumos." The tip of his wand glows, revealing a long winding tunnel.
"Where do you suppose this goes?" Hermione wonders, following behind Jayla and Harry.
"I have a hunch. I just hope I'm wrong…" Harry replies with dread as they head further down.
