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Chapter 1347: Public Execution
Chapter 1347: Public Execution
The news of Hagrid's impending public execution had long spread throughout the British wizarding world via newspapers and radio broadcasts, and almost every witch and wizard was quietly following the development of this event.
It had been centuries since the last public execution, and the brutality of beheading was simply too gruesome to fathom.
Those who were informed understood that this public execution was a retaliatory strike against the Order of the Phoenix and a warning to all wizards in Britain.
The reason for this extreme measure was the Order's recent successful raid on a Death Eater stronghold, where they liberated all the imprisoned wizards.
The Death Eaters could not tolerate such a loss of face, nor could they afford to let their influence over other wizards wane, hence this execution.
However, the majority of the wizarding population comprised ordinary witches and wizards.
Aside from a small number of newspapers and broadcasts that described the incident in such graphic detail that they incited deep hatred towards Hagrid for his alleged collusion with giants, most people were actually skeptical of the allegations.
Much of this was thanks to Lee Jordan of the Quibbler, who persistently provided insights and interpretations of the truth behind the newspaper reports, preventing the Ministry from completely dominating the channels of information.
As for the full story behind the incident, the Quibbler offered a plausible explanation:
A few years ago, Dumbledore had sent Hagrid to persuade the giants to remain neutral in the wizarding war. The giant who lost his head was one of those neutral giants who refused to follow Voldemort. The Death Eaters had their own giants kill this traitor to tarnish Hagrid's name and fabricate the story of his collusion.
It must be said that Lee Jordan's explanation was quite ingenious. It not only cleared Hagrid's name but also diverted attention from the fact that Hagrid and Grawp were half-brothers, and not a single lie was told in this interpretation—a truly commendable piece of reasoning.
"The Death Eaters are scared, which is why they resort to such despicable means."
Lee Jordan's impassioned voice rang out from countless radios, "But I assure you, they will not succeed. I cannot divulge the specifics, but please trust me, trust in Harry, trust in the Order of the Phoenix, and trust in all who resist He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We will not easily abandon our comrades, nor will we let the enemy's schemes succeed."
Lee Jordan's fervent words tugged at the heartstrings of Harry's supporters. On one hand, they worried about Harry's safety, and on the other, they did not want Hagrid to become a sacrificial lamb.
They wanted to do something, but they dared not take any action, nor even speak about it openly, for fear of inviting trouble upon themselves.
In the end, they could only stare wide-eyed, silently following the developments, and praying in their hearts for Hagrid's rescue.
Of course, there were always those who loved to spectate and stir up trouble.
It was said that Ludo Bagman had opened a book at the Hog's Head pub, taking bets on whether there would be an outright battle between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters, whether Hagrid would die, whether Harry Potter would show up, and how many would perish as a result.
However, Ludo Bagman's reputation in this regard was so terrible that no one was willing to place bets with him, for fear that he would renege on his promises and run off without paying up.
Nevertheless, there were always those willing to act as bookies. According to the owner of the Hog's Head, due to a certain Death Eater leaking the information that the Dark Lord would be present at the execution, the black-robed witches and wizards unanimously believed that Hagrid, the big guy, would undoubtedly perish. This caused the bookies to lower the odds drastically, and there were even rumors that the bookies were preparing to flee in the night.
As a result, the crowd at the Hog's Head had detained the bookies, intending to wait until the day of the execution to make a killing.
On the day of the execution, the Head of the Auror Office, Walton McNeil, personally led a group of Death Eaters to Azkaban to escort the prisoner, wanting to demonstrate the importance he attached to this matter.
Upon arriving at the heavily guarded Azkaban prison, McNeil confronted the large prisoner, Hagrid, who was being held there.
"Well, big guy, are you ready to die?"
Walton McNeil kicked the iron grate a few times. As Hagrid slowly lifted his head to look at him, he tossed a newspaper through the bars, letting it fall in front of Hagrid.
The latter glanced at the people outside the room and then lowered his head again, refusing to speak.
"What's the matter? Don't you appreciate the gift I brought you?"
Walton McNeil smirked at Hagrid's indifference, "You're going to be publicly executed today."
Hagrid reached for the newspaper, his eyes falling on the photo in the headline, "No, this can't be... It's not true."
As Hagrid picked up the newspaper and saw the headline, his entire body froze, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Apparently not satisfied with Hagrid's reaction, McNeil deliberately ordered someone to throw the well-preserved giant's head in front of Hagrid.
"Grawp, no, no..."
Hagrid trembled as he picked up Grawp's head, tears streaming down his face.
McNeil and the Death Eaters burst into unrestrained laughter at this sight, and one of the Death Eaters even took out a camera and started snapping photos of the distraught Hagrid.
"You murderers! You should all die, every one of you!"
Hagrid, his mind clouded with rage, suddenly lunged forward, snapping the chains that bound him to the wall. He charged at the Death Eaters outside the cell, intending to tear them to shreds.
A loud "bang" reverberated as the solid grate was deformed by the immense force, but Hagrid was ultimately unable to fulfill his desire to rip the Death Eaters apart.
McNeil, well-prepared for such an attempt, easily subdued the raging Hagrid with the help of a Dementor.
"Come on, take another picture."
McNeil, wand in hand, stepped on Hagrid's head, posing for the camera held by one of the Death Eaters. He wanted to show everyone that they had once again thwarted the big guy's attempt to escape.
"Why don't we have the Dementor suck out his soul first, just in case something unexpected happens?" suggested one of the more cautious Death Eaters.
"No, no, that would be too easy for this big guy," McNeil refused flatly, "He should be executed in full view of the public, and before that, he should fully experience the hatred and fear that come with death. I believe his expression at the moment of death will show everyone what happens to those who defy the Dark Lord."
The Death Eaters had no objections. While allowing the Dementor to suck out Hagrid's soul would indeed reduce a lot of trouble, McNeil's words excited them even more. They preferred to see Hagrid die in despair.
With the help of the Dementors in restraining Hagrid, Walton McNeil personally shackled Hagrid and posed for several photos with the camera. He planned to have someone take these photos to the newspapers later, to further tarnish Hagrid's reputation.
"Alright, I hope you don't let your guard down because of this. Harry Potter and the bunch from the Order of the Phoenix could show up at any time to try and rescue him. And that Mudblood is always unpredictable. If they do succeed, I'm sure you don't want to feel the wrath of the Dark Lord."
After admonishing his subordinates, McNeil set off with the Death Eaters, escorting the furious Hagrid towards the execution ground.
Instead of using the Floo Network, they traveled by sea from Azkaban, and then the Death Eaters used Disapparition to transport Hagrid to the execution site.
"How's it going?" McNeil asked the Death Eaters and Dementors who had come to meet them.
"The Dark Lord has arrived," replied the Death Eater who had recently joined the Auror Office. "The patrolling Dementors have not detected any signs of the enemy. I suspect the members of the Order of Phoenix realized this was a trap and have given up on the big guy."
"Do not let your guard down," McNeil warned again.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Hagrid was finally pushed onto the execution platform that had been set up beforehand, and a Death Eater forcefully pushed him down onto the chopping block.
The whispers from below grew louder, and countless camera flashes suddenly lit up the area as journalists frantically snapped photos, undeterred by the surrounding Dementors.
"Do you think the Order has given up?"
Listening to Yaxley's report, Voldemort frowned slightly. They had expected the members of the Order to attempt a prison break for Hagrid, but it now seemed likely that they had completely abandoned the large man from the start.
"Yes, Master," Yaxley replied respectfully. "The probability of Harry Potter rushing to his death, knowing full well that it's a trap, is low."
In fact, only someone who wasn't in their right mind would do such a thing.
Voldemort fell silent for a moment. Based on his understanding of Potter, that young man wouldn't give up so easily.
But Potter hadn't taken any action, as if he had truly abandoned the half-giant.
Perhaps he didn't know Potter as well as he thought.
"Since the Order has completely given up on him, there's no need to wait any longer. Announce his crimes and execute him!"
Voldemort had sentenced Hagrid to death.
Nevertheless, Voldemort did not leave immediately. His intuition told him that Potter wouldn't give up so easily, especially with that troublesome Mudblood in the mix.
On the execution platform, Umbridge looked on with glee as Hagrid was pelted with objects from the crowd, a smile of satisfaction playing on her lips. She had wanted to do this ever since her time at Hogwarts, and now the opportunity had finally presented itself.
She stepped onto the platform and, with the help of the Aurors' wands, recited the charges she had fabricated against Hagrid: "...Colluding with giants and plotting to harm the students of Hogwarts."
Before Umbridge could finish her sentence, a bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the sky, followed by a loud thunderous boom. A thick lightning bolt lit up the surroundings, as if even the heavens above disapproved of Umbridge's lies, unleashing their fury.
That bolt of lightning seemed to have triggered something.
One of the Death Eaters tasked with keeping watch suddenly raised his wand and cast the Cruciatus Curse at Umbridge, who was in the middle of her speech, causing her words to turn into screams of agony.
The unexpected turn of events left the onlookers stunned.
"Seize him!"
McNeil pointed at the Death Eater who had cast the curse on Umbridge.
As soon as he spoke, a strong gust of wind blew through the area, and heavy rain began to pour from the sky.
The winter rain was icy cold, and chaos ensued among the crowd below the platform.
Voldemort, hidden in the shadows, also sensed that something was amiss. Just as he raised his wand to protect himself from Albert, a thick fog rolled in like a tidal wave from the distance, engulfing the entire execution platform and leaving only a blanket of white.
Yaxley had not anticipated their arrival, but he had made preparations nonetheless. Anyone attempting to rescue the half-giant under the cover of the mist would not escape the pursuit of the Dementors—such fog was of no use against them.
"Keep an eye on the big guy and don't let him escape," Yaxley instructed as he led the remaining Death Eaters toward the platform.
"This is truly foolish. Do you really think you can save him right under my nose?"
Voldemort didn't care much about Hagrid's life or death; he found their methods laughable and could only attribute such naivety to Harry Potter.
"He dies here today!"
Voldemort waved his wand, summoning a gust of wind amidst the pouring rain.
However, as he dispersed the fog, the crowd witnessed something unexpected—Hagrid, who had been pinned down on the platform, had... vanished into thin air.
The former head of the Auror Office had taken advantage of the chaos and swung his scythe, injuring several of his colleagues.
Even Umbridge lay in a pool of blood, and this sudden turn of events left everyone present utterly bewildered.
So... had members of the Order infiltrated the Death Eaters? Was Walton McNeil, the head of the Auror Office, actually a member of the Order of the Phoenix?
No one knew what had just transpired, how Hagrid had escaped, or what was happening now.
All they knew was that Hagrid had escaped, or perhaps been rescued, right under Voldemort's nose, under the watch of the Death Eaters and Dementors, and in full view of the crowd.
It was as if someone had slapped Voldemort and the Death Eaters across the face.
Voldemort looked on coldly at the chaos on the execution platform, his eyes burning with anger. He realized he had been played, and he understood how Hagrid had been rescued.
He seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up, his eyes narrowing at the beam of light that streaked across the top of the slope.
A phoenix symbol appeared above them, silently proclaiming responsibility for the chaos.
"Albert Anderson!"
Voldemort gritted his teeth and forced the name out through clenched teeth. He couldn't believe that Harry Potter had such abilities; the only possible explanation was that the Mudblood was involved.
"Let's go, he's coming," Albert said to the house-elf, Dobby.
"Yes, sir," Dobby replied, his whole body trembling.
It wasn't out of fear but excitement—the excitement of having the chance to face Voldemort alongside Albert and make a fool of him.
Dobby reached for Albert's hand, and they disapparated.
Not long after they left, Voldemort stormed toward them, his killing intent palpable.
However, he soon realized that his target was gone, and that cowardly rat had fled.
This was something he would never tolerate.
"Don't think you can get away," Voldemort snarled as he detected the traces Albert had left behind after disapparating. All he had to do was follow those traces.
Voldemort stumbled, almost losing his balance. He was bewildered to find himself still in the same spot, unable to follow the traces Albert had left or even disapparate successfully.
The Death Eaters who had been following Voldemort and witnessed this scene felt a moment of panic, but they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their fellow Death Eaters nearby.
(End of Chapter)
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