The first to return was Hermione, who as she sat down, looked relieved to finally be finished with exams. "I really think you need reevaluate your courses, Hermione," Grace told her. "This can't be healthy. You can't take this many again next year!" But her words fell on deaf ears as Hermione hauled her things upstairs to their dorm, then when she came back down a few minutes later she was changed out of her uniform too.
"Any word from Hagrid yet?" Hermione asked when she came back down, and Grace shook her head. She had momentarily forgot about Hagrid and Buckbeak, and she suddenly felt awful. "How was your...exam?" she asked, pulling a face and Grace rolled her eyes.
"It went fine."
"Did you have to see someone's death in the crystal ball?" Hermione asked, jokingly.
"No... but..." Grace fiddled with the hem of her shirt, wondering if she should tell Hermione.
"But what?"
"Look do you promise you won't judge?" Grace asked, turning to the girl. "I mean it! Don't judge, because while Divination isn't a solid area of magic, it's fun and I like it. Sopleasedon't judge?"
"Fine," Hermione sighed.
"I saw...somethingin the crystal ball," she confessed and Hermione rolled her eyes. "No judging!" she reminded and Hermione huffed. "I don't know what it was, I can't explain it... the smoke just took shapes. It could've been my imagination but...it was strange. I got a weird feeling when Professor Trelawney snapped me out of it. I asked her about it, and she said the 'Inner Eye' is mysterious or whatever but told me that...that I have a strong intuition and that I should listen to it..."
"Of course we should be listening to our intuition-"
"This was different," Grace cut her off. "Hermione, you and I think differently. You're very logical, very strategic... I'm not," she said, and for the first time... she didn't feel like she was less than Hermione. "I'm reactive, I listen to my gut not my head. I make my decisions based on what feels right-"
"It's called being impulsive, Grace," Hermione interrupted and Grace narrowed her eyes.
"Being impulsive is smacking Malfoy right cross the face!" Hermione's cheeks burned, but a smile spread on Grace's face. "Brilliant by the way," she said. "Still replay it in my mind." Hermione was about to say something when the portrait door swung open, and in came Ron.
"How did it go?" Grace asked and Ron shrugged.
"Made up a bunch of stuff, I don't think she bought any of it," he answered. "I'll be right back," he said, nodding to the boys staircase. "Any word from Hagrid?" Ron asked when he came back down and sat opposite of them. They both shook their head. Just then, there was a scuffle at the window. They all bolted up and ran to let in the owl, who held out it's leg for them. Ron took the letter.
"It's from Hagrid!" He exclaimed, then opened it. Grace held her breath as she watched Ron's eyes scan the page, and his face fell.
"No," she whispered, cover her mouth with her hands. "No!They can't have!" Hermione frowned as she took the letter from Ron's hands to read it herself and she shook her head, tears swelling in her eyes before handing it to Grace.
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.
Grace shook her head as she reread Hagrid's letter. "This is so unfair!" She exclaimed, angrily, shoving the parchment back to Ron and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Professor Trelawney, just told me-" Harry panted as he ran into the common room.
"Buckbeak lost," Ron told him weakly. "Hagrid's just sent this," he held out the letter to Harry.
"We've got to go," Harry said once he finished reading it. "He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!"
"Harry's right...we've got to," Grace whispered sadly.
"We'll leave in five minutes," Harry said and rushed upstairs to change out of his uniform.
Once Harry returned to the common room, the four of them raced out of the common room. They managed to make it outside without being stopped by a teacher, and they took that as a good sign, but they were all still reeling with the news. Hermione shook her head as they got closer to the sundial garden that overlooked Hagrid's hut.
"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak! It's too horrible! It isn't fair," Hermione shook her head, trying to not let the tears escape.
"It just got worse," Harry said, as they stepped out on the grass to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle standing by the giant stones, laughing.
"Did you see the big, fat blubbering oaf?! Oh, this is going to be rich! Did I tell you, father said I can keep the head- Ah!" Draco grinned, turning to them. "Come to see the show?" He laughed. Grace saw red at his stupid, gloating smirk on his stupid face. She pulled her wand from her back pocket as she raced to him, pointing it at him. He looked at her with fear, pressing himself back against the stone as she got closer.
"You cowardly, pathetic, loathsome,evil, COCKROACH!" She shouted, pointing her wand at his face. "Can't leave well enough alone! Won't be too cocky with a bald head now, will you?" she hissed, poking his face with the tip of her wand. Draco whimpered with fear at the thought of the scalping hex again.
"Grace! No! He's not worth it!" Ron called out to her. She glared at Malfoy, keeping her wand steady for a few more seconds before lowering it. Malfoy relaxed into the stone as she pocketed her wand and turned around. Then she heard the scoffed chuckle.
Her hand balled into a fist, and she whipped around so fast and swung her fist right into Malfoy's . Malfoy hit the stone, and brought his hand to his nose, staring at her with shock. Then he and his two friends scrambled together to leave. "Yeah run away! I'm sure your father wouldloveto hear about how you got hit bytwogirls!" She shouted as they ran away. One punch wasn't enough.
"I think you broke his nose," Hermione whispered in awe.
"Good," Grace huffed. "It felt good too. Wow..."
"Not good...brilliant," Ron said in awe. "Gracie, you're my favorite cousin."
"I'm youronlycousin, Ron," she reminded him as they made their way to Hagrid's.
When they arrived, Grace stopped and stared at Buckbeak, who was tied up to a post. He looked up at her and called out. It broke her heart. She went to take a step toward him but noticed that Ron, Harry and Hermione were already standing on Hagrid's front steps. Harry knocked on Hagrid's door, and when it opened, Hagrid narrowed his eyes and shook his finger at them. "I told yeh that you lot shouldn't come! I don' want yeh seeing tha'!"
"But Hagrid, we can'tleaveyou here to go through it alone," Grace said as she made her way up, then turned to look at Buckbeak again, who was looking at her.
"Well get in you lot," Hagrid sighed as he stepped to the side to let them in. When he closed the door, Hermione went to work on making some tea, so Hagrid didn't have to. He sighed and looked out the window at Buckbeak. "Look at 'em... loves the smell o' the trees when the wind blows..."
"I say we set him free," Harry muttered, looking out the window.
"They'd know I did it. And tha' would only get Dumbledore in trouble," Hagrid shook his head. "Gonna come down, yeh know. Says he wants ter be with me when it...when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore."
"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," Hermione told him as she placed the tea on the table.
"Yeh will do no such thing!" Hagrid shook his head. "Think I wan' yeh seein' a thing like this?! No, yeh'll drink yer tea an' be off," he nodded, firmly. "But before yeh go – I have something fer yeh Ron," he started as he stood up and went into a large flour tin and pulled out a little, furry creature.
"Scabbers! You're alive!"Ron beamed, with a big smile on his face as he stood up and took Scabbers from Hagrid. Grace looked at the rat with confusion, a weird feeling settling in her gut as she looked at Scabbers. Why was he in Hagrid's hut? How did Hagrid even find him? Scabbers has been missing formonths. But the more she looked at Scabbers, the more the uneasy feeling started growing and she thought about the Crystal ball and the rat she saw.
Smash!
Grace jumped, and turned to see one of Hagrid's glass jars broken on his table. She frowned as she picked up the rock and looked at it, Hermione looking over her shoulder and inspecting it too.
"Ow!" Harry hissed, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hagrid!" They all turned to look out the window to see Dumbledore, Fudge and the executioner approaching the hut.
"Yeh got to go! It's almost dark! Anyone sees yeh outside the castle it'll be trouble! Big trouble! 'Specially you, Harry –" Hagrid was cut off by three loud knocks at the door.
"C'mon," Grace whispered as she opened Hagrid's back door softly.
"Jus' a minute!" Hagrid called, and then turned to them to usher them out. They quickly, and quietly, exited Hagrid's hut right as Dumbledore, Fudge and the executioner entered, then raced to the other side of the giant pumpkin patch. They hid behind Hagrid's giant pumpkins and watched inside. There was a quiet snap and ashh!, making all four of them whip around to look at the forest behind them. Grace frowned when she saw the tree branches moving, and a little glimmer shine from behind the trees.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Nothing... I just thought I saw..." Hermione frowned and shook her head. "Never mind, let's go," she told them and the four of them made their way back up to the top of the Sundial Garden. The clock tower chimed; it was seven o'clock.
Grace stared at Hagrid's hut, holding her breath, and tried to hold the tears in. Then a sickeningchopechoed around them. Grace jumped and turned into Harry, hiding her face in his neck. Harry swallowed hard and wrapped an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder gently. There was a faint gasp, and Grace pulled away to look at Ron, who stared at his finger.
"He bit me...Scabbers bit me!" He hissed, and turned around to see Scabbers running. "Scabbers!" He shouted, following after the rat.
"Ron!" Grace called out, pushing away from Harry and running after Ron to help him grab Scabbers. Grace, who was a faster runner than Ron, dove to the ground and managed to capture Scabbers in her hands. "Ron, I swear if my shirt gets stained because of your stupid rat!" Grace hissed as Ron appeared next to her on the ground, and she handed him his rat.
"Scabbers," He sighed in relief. "Now behave yourself!"
"Ron! Grace!" They frowned when they heard Harry shouting at them. They turned and their eyes widened. Rons from fear, and Grace's from surprise.
"Snuffles?!" She exclaimed as she watched her friendly stray dog, growl and glare murderously toward them.
"Harry! Run! It's the Grim!" Ron shouted, as Snuffles growled and ran toward them.
"Snuffles! Stop!It's me! Stop it!" She shouted as the dog leaped and closed his teeth on Ron's ankle. Ron cried out in pain, and she stared in horror. "Snuffles stop! Bad dog!" She shouted, but Snuffles didn't listen to her as he started dragging Ron by the leg toward the tree trunk. "Ron!" She shouted as she tried to grab Ron's hand but he disappeared into the tree.
"Grace!" Harry exclaimed in warning. "Stop! It's the -" she didn't listen as she ran into the crevis that Snuffles dragged Ron through. She hissed when she felt something hard and sharp scrape her back, she rubbed it softly as she looked around her, it was a tunnel of some kind, and she followed it and frowned at the stairs.
"Ron!" she called out nervously. She gently pushed back a half-broken door and saw Ron cowering on the floor, holding Scabbers close. He looked in pain, and his face was pale in fear. "Ron!" She rushed over to him and went to see if he was okay.
"Gracie..." He whimpered, his eyes staring behind her.
"It'll be fine, Ron. I'm sorry he hurt you, I'll have words with him! He's usually very sweet," she assured him.
"Gracie," Ron whimpered again, lifting a finger and pointing.
"Snuffles! Bad do...g..." her voice faltered as she turned around. All the color drained from her face and suddenly she forgot how to breathe. Across the room was not a large, black dog... it was her father.
