Chapter 244: Saving Buckbeak
Chapter 244: Saving Buckbeak (Please subscribe, vote, and recommend)
When Liam finally made his way through a series of obstacles and reached a spot where he could see Hagrid's Hut, he found it eerily quiet. Through the windows, he could only see Hagrid and Buckbeak. It seemed they had arrived too early; the Ministry of Magic personnel were likely still dining in the Great Hall. After all, one of the wizards was quite elderly, and it was only natural for him to take his time eating.
After relaying this information to the others, Wolf suggested, "Let's go save that poor creature now."
"No", Liam waved his hand. "If we barge in now, aside from how we would explain it to Hagrid, the committee members would assume Hagrid let it go. We have to wait until they confirm that the Hippogriff is tied outside before we make our move."
"How would they tie Buckbeak outside?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"Given that the trial will take place inside the house, and Hagrid's hut is quite small, five people will need to fit inside. They will definitely move Buckbeak outside", Liam explained calmly.
After waiting for about half an hour in the damp, warm forest, Fudge finally arrived with two Ministry of Magic officials. As they approached Hagrid's hut, Liam heard Fudge say, "Mcnair, tie that big fellow outside. I don't want him scratching me up."
Then, Liam heard Hagrid's stammering protests, "Buckbeak is a good boy, he would never hurt anyone."
As Mcnair was tying Buckbeak to the field, a figure approached from a distance. The long white beard that reached his chest made it clear that it was Headmaster Dumbledore. After a brief exchange with Minister Fudge, Dumbledore called Mcnair to join them inside. Mcnair, after confirming that Buckbeak was securely tied, walked toward Hagrid's Hut.
Dumbledore was the last to enter, and before closing the door, he gave Liam a friendly wink.
"Looks like I've been spotted", Liam thought. He hadn't expected his ordinary Disillusionment Charm to fool Professor Dumbledore. Given Dumbledore's over a century of experience, he could probably guess what Liam was up to, but he clearly didn't object to Liam's plan.
Liam could now hear the elderly Ministry of Magic official droning on about some regulations. He quickly ran back to their hiding spot and signaled everyone to move toward Hagrid's Hut.
Once they reached a vantage point, Liam and Little Qing disguised themselves as vines and slowly approached Buckbeak's location. Buckbeak seemed to sense something and shook his head restlessly, which caught Mcnair's attention through the window, but he saw nothing amiss.
"Charm Animal", Liam cast a nature spell, and Buckbeak immediately calmed down. Liam felt he could now command Buckbeak to do certain things.
He nodded to the unicorns, and under their leader's guidance, they galloped out of the Forbidden Forest and began playing at the other end of Hagrid's Hut. The commotion quickly drew the attention of everyone inside the house.
This was the moment. Liam gave a signal, and Little Qing immediately climbed onto the rope tying Buckbeak. He made his scales rougher and began rubbing the rope with his tail. Soon, the thick rope was worn through and broke.
After Liam's summoning, Buckbeak quietly and swiftly made his way toward the Forbidden Forest. Soon, Buckbeak was following Liam to where Hermione and Wolf were hiding.
"It worked." The three of them exchanged smiles. Wolf pulled out a thumb-sized, crystal-clear leaf from the fur on his belly and held it against Buckbeak's chest with his front paws.
"Bettie gave this to me before she left. With this, I can take Buckbeak back to the tribe." As he spoke, the sound of hooves approached, and the Unicorns trotted over, looking relaxed.
After confirming that no one was injured, Liam and Hermione bid farewell to their friends in the Forbidden Forest. They then used the Disillusionment Charm to blend in with the students celebrating the end of their exams by the lake.
More than an hour later, while Liam and Hermione were leaning against a tree and reading a book, they heard a louder commotion. The afternoon exams had ended, and the students who had finished were joining the celebration.
At that moment, Harry and Ron suddenly ran over, Harry holding a piece of paper. "Liam, Hermione, good news. Buckbeak is free."
"Oh? Did the appeal succeed this time?" Liam asked, feigning ignorance. Hermione continued to read her book, but a closer look revealed she was trying to stifle a smile.
"No, it didn't. But Buckbeak cleverly chewed through his ropes and escaped. The Ministry of Magic people tried to blame Hagrid, but Dumbledore was there. He pointed out that the Ministry had insisted Buckbeak be tied outside and that they were the ones who tied him up. Hagrid never touched Buckbeak, so how could they blame him?"
Harry handed over the note. "Hagrid didn't know you had finished your exams this afternoon, so he waited until we were done to send this letter."
Liam took the letter and noticed that the tear stains had blurred many of the words. It was clear that Buckbeak's escape had made Hagrid very happy. At the end of the letter, Hagrid invited them to his place for tea after their exams.
The four of them headed to Hagrid's hut together. As they approached, they could hear cheerful humming coming from inside.
After knocking on the door, the singing paused, and Hagrid appeared, wearing an apron. "Come in, come in! I just went into the forest and found some blueberries that ripened early, so I picked some to make a blueberry pie. You can try it."
They sat down, and Hagrid, busy by the fire pit, recounted what had happened. Liam learned that after he and Buckbeak left, the executioner Mcnair was the first to discover Buckbeak's escape. He initially tried to frame Hagrid, but Headmaster Dumbledore's objections thwarted his plan. Mcnair then claimed that someone had ambushed and stolen the Hippogriff, and the Unicorns were called to cover it up.
However, when the group went to the scene, they found that Buckbeak's ropes had been worn through, not cut, and the only footprints around were Mcnair's and Hagrid's from earlier. Dumbledore pointed out that Mcnair had tied the ropes incorrectly, leading to Buckbeak's escape, and that he was now trying to shift the blame. In the end, the two Ministry of Magic officials left in disgrace, while Minister Fudge went to the Headmaster's office to discuss matters with Dumbledore.
"Escaped! Escaped! Merlin bless it, it's gone! It must have broken free on its own! Buckbeak, you clever thing!" Hagrid said, clearly moved. Hermione and Liam exchanged a smile, knowing that saving an innocent life was a cause for joy.
(End of Chapter)
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