(2) Dracarys (D. Malfoy)

Chapter Sixteen

Harry leads Ron and Hermione toward Hagrid's hut, they know that today is the day that Buckbeak's fate is sealed. Hermione glances at Harry as she jogs closer to him.

"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak! It's too horrible." Hermione states. "Do you think Dani knows?"

"Yeah" Harry states as he watches Dani storm out of the castle. "I think she knows" Hermione and Ron turn to watch her as she heads towards them, but...not them specifically. Towards something behind them. The three of them turn to see Draco, along with Vis, Crabbe and Goyle, lurking within a grouping of monolithic menhirs, binoculars in hand, spying on Hagrid, who stands in the pumpkin patch, tossing dead ferrets to Buckbeak. Hagrid wipes his eyes as he walks back into the hut.

"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..." Draco looks up and sees Dani heading towards him, passing through Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Dani?" Harry asks but she ignores him, she has one target in mind. Harry, Ron, and Hermione share a look before they follow after her.

"Dani" Hermione tries. "You don't want to do this"

"Ah. Come to see the show?" Draco asks Dani.

"You... foul... loathsome...evil... little....beast..." Dani snaps, Draco stumbles back against a tree, cross-eyed with fear as Dani jabs the tip of her wand under his nose. Her eyes fierce and he swears he almost sees flames in them.

"Dani! No!" Vis scolds her, she turns, surprised he's spoken to her. He looks away from her. "He's not worth it." He adds, she lets out a breath, then nods. Lowering her wand. She looks back at Draco, then quick as lightning, lands a right hook to Draco's jaw, putting him flat on his back. Stunned, he stares up at her, her purple eyes blazing as she glares down at him. And he knows. Whatever friendship they had formed, all those moments alone, is gone. She shakes her head and then walks away. Harry follows her.

"Dani" Harry touches her arm and she turns to him. "Are you alright?" She looks back at Draco as he pushes himself to his feet and leaves with Vis, Crabbe and Goyle. Draco glances back at her but she can't hold his gaze, she looks away and shrugs in response to Harry's question. She doesn't know. She grew up around the animals. Around Buckbeak. She's a Scamander. Magical creatures are who they are. Her eyes well and she looks down.

"I'm so sorry" Hermione whispers moving closer to her friend. Dani's not even sure she's just upset about Buckbeak. She stuck her neck out being nice to Draco. Thought that there was some redeemable feature to him. That he was capable of being a decent human being. She was wrong. He played her. She walks away from the trio and heads back inside of the castle. "I'm going to go after her, ask her to come with us" Hermione states. "She shouldn't be alone...."

..........

Dani walks with Hermione, back outside of the castle, joining Ron and Harry who are waiting for them. Harry give Dani a small smile but she doesn't return it, she can't bring herself to smile back. They make their way down the slope towards Hagrid's and past Buckbeak, chewing on a ferret with idle satisfaction. Buckbeak makes a noise as he looks at Dani, his head shifting after her, wanting attention from her. Dani doesn't want to look at him, she knows if she does, she'll likely break. Hermione gives her a look and Dani sighs before she moves to the creature, her hand coming up to rest on his beak. Dani closes her eyes, her lip quivering. It's not his fault. She scratches at his face and steps closer, pressing her forehead to his, her eyes closing.

..........

Inside the hut, Hagrid stands by the window watching Buckbeak. Harry Dani, and Ron sit. Hermione makes tea.

"Look at him. Loves the smell of the trees when the wind blows..." Hagrid muses sadly.

"I say we set him free." Harry points out as he looks at Dani. Hagrid shakes his head.

"They'd know I did it...." Hagrid looks at Dani who watches Buckbeak out the window. "Or young Daenerys did" She looks at him. "And that would only get Dumbledore in trouble. Gonna come down, you know. Says he wants to be with me when it... when it happens. Great man, Dumbledore."

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid." Hermione offers.

"You will not" Hagrid quickly argues. "Think I want you seeing a think like this. No. You'll drink your tea and be off. But before you do, I want to see you and Ron shake hands, Harry" Ron and Harry exchange a glance, then look to Hagrid. "Think I haven't seen how it's been between you two? Go on now..." Reluctantly, Harry and Ron extend their hands. Shake. "Good. Now then. Ron, I want to see you give Hermione a hug."

"What!" Ron and Hermione both state, surprised, together.

"Go on! You two've been at it all year. And I'm sick of it." Hagrid argues. Uncomfortable, Hermione and Ron step forward and perform perhaps the most awkward hug Hogwarts has ever seen. "Crikey, that's just about the most pathetic hug I ever seen. But you did it, and that's what matters. There's just one other thing..."

"I'm not kissing Fang if that's what you're thinking..." Ron is quick to point out. Hearing his name, Fang, Hagrid's giant boarhound, thumps his tail happily on the floor. Hagrid turns, takes the lid from a flour tin. A tiny head, ears flecked with powder, emerges. "Scabbers! You're alive!" Dani glares at the rat, her fingers twitching towards the wand in her sleeve.

"You should keep a closer eye on your pets, Ron." Hagrid scolds.

"I think you owe someone an apology." Hermione counters.

"Right. Next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know." Ron tells her.

"I meant me." Hermione corrects him.

"Crikey. Here we go again..." Hagrid complains. A glass jar on the shelf behind them shatters. As Hermione scoops up a jagged star-shaped stone, a second stone bounces off the back of Harry's head.

"Ow!" Harry turns, looks out the window. "Hagrid..." Everyone turns. Looks. Dumbledore and Fudge approach. Behind them, in a fluttering shroud of crows, the Executioner follows, axe at his side. Hagrid begins to panic.

"You got to go! It's almost dark. Anyone sees you outside the castle it'll be trouble! Big trouble! 'Specially you, Harry...." Someone begins banging on the door, which shakes with the effort. Hagrid stiffens in fear. Harry reaches up, puts his finger to Hagrid's trembling lips, speaks softly to the others.

"C'mon." As the four of them exit through the back door, Fudge, Dumbledore and the Executioner enter through the front.

.........

A veil of crows flutters onto the roof. More drop into the patch, begin to slowly circle Buckbeak. Dani and the others duck behind the pumpkins, watch Hagrid solemnly greet the others. Fudge appears at the window. Picks his nose. Just then, a Shhh! is heard. Hermione turns. The branches of the trees behind her are dancing oddly.

"What?" Harry asks. 

"Nothing, I just thought I saw...Never mind." Hermione answers. The four of them then sneak into a stand of trees. Beyond them, Hagrid's hut glimmers desolately in the dying sun. High in the clock tower, a bell begins to toll. Dani wraps an arm around herself. Four bleak shadows file out of 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, the crows shriek excitedly and the Executioner separates from the others, disappears behind a low stand of trees. All goes very still. The wind loses its voice...Sunlight kicks off the axe as it rises over the trees, the axe hangs seemingly forever, etched against the sky, then drops from sight. A sickening chop cuts through the silence and Ron, Hermione, and Harry stare toward the trees in numb disbelief. Dani, face turned away, trembles.