Chapter 780: The Actors
Chapter 780: The Actors
"It's over?"
In the library, Harry, who was distractedly working on his holiday homework, sneaked a glance at the live map hidden in his book. When he noticed that everyone had left the Headmaster's office, he immediately became alert. He jumped to his feet, accidentally knocking over his chair, creating a loud noise that drew the attention of the other students studying in the library.
Ron and Hermione, who had been diligently working on their holiday assignments, simultaneously turned their heads towards Harry, who was gathering his books. They seemed to sense something and also began to pack up their things.
While Ron was curious about the outcome of the appeal, Hermione was concerned that the two of them might cause unnecessary trouble at a critical moment.
It wasn't that Hermione didn't trust Harry and Ron, but the fact was that neither of them tended to think things through. Who knew what they might do if they got carried away? They could even end up ruining Albert's plan.
Albert, too, seemed to be wary of such a possibility, which was why he had specifically asked the three of them to stay out of it.
As soon as they stepped out of the library, Ron asked, "What's up, Harry?"
"Malfoy and the others have left the Headmaster's office," Harry said in a lowered voice. "I think Buckbeak's appeal must be over."
"Harry, I know what you're thinking, but we mustn't interfere," Hermione quickly caught up with them and admonished in a stern voice. "We promised. If you go there now, things might get even worse."
"Hermione, we just want to know how Buckbeak's appeal turned out," Ron said softly, trying to reassure her.
"Harry, we're at a critical juncture now," Hermione said, grabbing Harry's arm seriously. "We don't have a better option, so let's not cause them any more trouble. Okay? We can visit Hagrid after this is all over."
"Hermione, we just want to know the result, not cause any trouble," Harry replied.
Hermione's lack of trust was starting to irritate Harry.
"You messed things up a few days ago, and others had to clean up your mess," Hermione said angrily. "Will you only be satisfied if you see Hagrid crying and drag everyone else down with you?"
Harry was left speechless by Hermione's rebuke.
Indeed, a few days ago, he had almost ruined things for both Albert and Hagrid.
"Hermione, Harry didn't mean to. It was just an accident," Ron frowned.
"What if Buckbeak loses his head because of you? Will you then go and tell Hagrid it was just an accident?" Hermione glared at Ron. "We couldn't help, so let's not make things worse. Just wait quietly for the outcome. You should trust..."
Hermione suddenly stopped talking as she noticed a group of people approaching from the corner of the corridor—Malfoy and his gang.
Everyone's faces were grim.
Seeing their gloomy expressions, Harry couldn't help but feel delighted. The reason was obvious—something unpleasant must have happened to them.
For instance, Hagrid might have won the appeal for Buckbeak.
After the group passed by, Ron nudged Harry with his elbow, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Harry, did you notice Malfoy's face just now? I bet Hagrid won the case. Otherwise, Malfoy wouldn't have missed the chance to mock us."
"Yeah, I knew Hagrid would win," Harry said, unable to hide his smile. He knew Malfoy's character too well. If Hagrid had lost the case, Malfoy would have definitely stopped to gloat instead of walking by with a stricken expression.
Initially, Hermione had thought the same, but she soon recalled Albert's words and shook her head. "No, Hagrid lost."
"Are you hoping for Hagrid to lose?" Ron glared at Hermione, displeased. "And from Malfoy's suspicious expression, it's clear that Hagrid must have won."
"No, you don't understand. This isn't about the appeal anymore. Albert told me about this," Hermione insisted.
Rather than relying on assumptions, Hermione chose to believe Albert's judgment, as he had explained to her why Hagrid couldn't win.
"We don't understand?" Ron's expression grew even more puzzled. "Albert may be a genius, but he can still make mistakes."
"Let's go ask Hagrid ourselves," Harry interrupted, preventing the argument from escalating. He put away the live map and hurried towards Hagrid's location.
Soon enough, the trio encountered Hagrid in the corridor on the third floor.
However, upon seeing Hagrid, both Harry and Ron felt their hearts tighten. There was no hint of victory or joy on Hagrid's face.
"Hagrid, we just saw Malfoy, and he didn't look too happy. Did you win the case?" Harry asked eagerly as he rushed forward.
"No, I lost," Hagrid said, looking at the three of them expressionlessly. "The officials from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures were all bribed by Malfoy. You know what Lucius Malfoy is like. He coerced and enticed them. Even the legal advisor I hired was taken away by Malfoy with a bag of Galleons. And that executioner, Macnair, is an old crony of Malfoy's."
Ron stared at Harry, dumbfounded, and Harry returned his gaze with silence. Just as Hermione had predicted, Hagrid had lost Buckbeak's appeal.
"What about Anderson? Didn't he have a plan?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.
"Albert did his best. He gave me a bunch of cards to play," Hagrid said, pulling out a stack of cards and a bottle of potion from his pocket. "I followed his advice and drank the calming potion. With the points he prepared, I managed to leave Malfoy's group speechless. But in the end, it turned out just as Albert said—Lucius Malfoy had bribed the Committee, and they forcefully declared Buckbeak guilty and sentenced him to death."
"What about Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked, his anger rising. "How could he let this happen?"
"Dumbledore tried his best," Hagrid said, taking a sip from the bottle of calming potion. "He doesn't have the power to control the Committee, and he was asked to be a witness... But I'm still grateful to him. Dumbledore delayed the execution until after sunset, so I still have time to say goodbye to Buckbeak."
"How could this happen?"
Harry's eyes widened in shock as he finally understood why Hermione had said Hagrid would lose. From the very beginning, Hagrid had never stood a chance of winning the appeal.
And Albert had known this from the start.
"Don't be too upset, Harry. It's not as bad as you think," Hagrid said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few paper cups. He poured some of the calming potion into each cup and offered them to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Here, have a drink."
"What is this?" Harry asked, looking at the potion in his hand.
"It's a calming draught," Hagrid replied without hesitation. "Drink it, and then let's not discuss this matter anymore. Let things take their course."
Unaware of the outcome of Buckbeak's appeal, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way back to the library to continue their holiday homework.
"It is what it is," Hagrid said, patting Harry's shoulder. "Albert's always saying that anger doesn't solve problems, and I reckon he's right."
Harry stared dumbfounded at Hagrid's departing back and then at the cup of calming potion in his hand, falling into a brief silence.
"Drink up, and let's head back to the library to finish our work," Hermione said, ready to return.
"What's with Hagrid comforting us now? Has he gone and drunk himself silly with that stuff?" Ron asked, equally bewildered.
"He hasn't gone silly; you two have," Hermione retorted, understanding Hagrid's implication. "Let's go. We'll visit Hagrid again tomorrow after we finish our holiday homework."
...
The members of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures did not linger by Hagrid's hut to keep an eye on Buckbeak.
After all, they had just quarreled with Hagrid, and no one wanted to hang around in the sun. Besides, Professor Dumbledore had given his word.
Hagrid spent the entire afternoon staring at Buckbeak in the pumpkin patch, deep in thought.
Buckbeak seemed to sense that something unpleasant was about to happen and appeared rather listless. Hagrid, however, did not dare to go and comfort the creature, as Albert had instructed him not to after bringing Buckbeak to the patch.
After tossing all the cards into the fireplace to burn, Hagrid took out another piece of parchment and began to read.
It contained instructions on what to do if he lost the appeal.
Alright then! Albert planned to let Buckbeak escape on his own.
As for how to accomplish this, Albert had not elaborated.
Although Hagrid felt that this plan was far-fetched, he trusted that Albert had a foolproof strategy in mind since he had proposed it.
After memorizing the contents of the parchment, Hagrid rehearsed the steps in his mind over and over until the sun began to set. He then threw the parchment into the fireplace, watching it turn into ashes.
The non-appearance of Harry, Ron, and Hermione came as a relief to Hagrid, as he feared that their impulsive actions might derail Albert's plan.
Just then, Fang started barking wildly at the door.
"Fang, quiet down," Hagrid said.
As he approached the door, he saw Professor Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy, the elderly wizard from the committee, and the executioner McNair descending the stone steps and heading toward his hut.
"Where's the beast?" McNair asked coldly.
"In the pumpkin patch," Hagrid replied, glaring at Lucius Malfoy.
McNair strode past the hut and spotted Buckbeak pecking at a mouse. A cruel smile spread across his face.
Just as he was about to approach the Hippogriff with his axe, Professor Dumbledore spoke up. "If I'm not mistaken, we must first read out the official notice of execution and have it signed by all present. McNair, you should listen, too, Mr. Malfoy. Since you're here, you'll need to sign it as well. It's Ministry procedure."
"Yes, that's right," the elderly wizard agreed.
Everyone crowded into Hagrid's hut, with McNair peering through the window at the Hippogriff in the pumpkin patch, contemplating where to strike with his axe.
"...The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures has decided that the Hippogriff Buckbeak shall be executed at sunset on April 20th...by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee-appointed executioner, Walton McNair..." The elderly wizard read from the parchment, his voice steady despite Hagrid's hostile gaze.
"...The following shall serve as witnesses. Hagrid, your signature is required here!"
"I'll need a copy of this," Hagrid said shakily, taking the quill pen from the wizard.
"That's perfectly reasonable," Dumbledore added.
"Fine, but we must do it after we're done here," the elderly wizard reluctantly agreed.
"Your turn, McNair," Dumbledore said after signing the parchment. He turned to the others and added, "Mr. Malfoy, you'll need to sign as well."
The two men stepped up to the table, their expressions disdainful as they took the quill and signed their names on the parchment.
"Alright, McNair, it's all yours now," the elderly wizard said, rolling up the parchment and placing it in his robe pocket, with no intention of giving Hagrid a copy.
"Hagrid, you might want to stay here. It'll be easier this way..." Dumbledore said gently.
"No, I want to see it through to the end," Hagrid replied. Just then, a scream rang out from outside: "Where's that beast?"
"It was tied up right here," McNair roared. "I saw it with my own eyes just now!"
"How peculiar," Dumbledore said with feigned curiosity. "We all saw it here just now."
Lucius Malfoy felt his heart clench, his breath coming in angry gasps as he glared at Hagrid, who had just stepped out of the hut.
"Oh, God bless, it's gone! It must have broken free on its own," Hagrid exclaimed, ignoring Lucius' murderous gaze and shedding tears of joy.
"Someone must have untied it," McNair roared. "We should search the castle grounds and that forest!"
"It's Potter! It has to be Harry Potter who took the beast and hid it somewhere!"
Lucius Malfoy recalled encountering Harry Potter in the corridor earlier and flew into a rage. "I'm certain it was him! I bet he's the one who took the beast!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said calmly. "Dementors are patrolling the perimeter of Hogwarts, and they wouldn't allow any other creatures to enter or exit the school grounds. But if you wish, you may search the skies and that forest. However, I must remind you that I will not permit Dementors to enter Hogwarts."
"Very well, Hagrid. I could use a cup of tea, or perhaps some brandy."
"Of course, Professor," Hagrid replied, his voice shaking with excitement. "I have an unopened bottle of brandy here—a Christmas gift from Albert."
"You..."
Lucius Malfoy was seething with rage, convinced that Hagrid had found a way to secretly transport Buckbeak to safety. He was certain that Dumbledore had a hand in this, and he would not rest until he got to the bottom of it.
"I'm sure they used a Disillusionment Charm to hide the beast somewhere in the castle. We should search the entire Hogwarts castle!"
Damn it! From the start, they had no intention of going through with the trial.
Lucius Malfoy was livid, unable to contain his fury at being played by a gamekeeper.
(End of Chapter)
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