Home (Harry Potter :fanfiction)

Chapter 44

There is a knock at the door to which Hagrid answer," With you in a moment." He throws the blanket over the creature," Quick. Quick!" Ron and Hermione head for the back door as Dumbledore knocks on the door again,I follow.

All three men have their backs turned, hopefully unaware that we are there. I hear Hagrid open the door and they start talking.

We race to the rear of the pumpkin patch. I hear a twig snap behind us and Hermione also turns around next to me.

"What?" Harry also looks back.

" I thought I just saw... Never mind." She shakes her head but I try to walk down towards the trees,only to have Ron pull my wrist to start running.

As we run towards the steps leading back to the castle I glance back at Buckbeak as we go.

Buckbeak lets out an uneasy bray as he watches me run back to the castle.

I turn my head to see Harry taking a last look at Buckbeak before racing after Ron and Hermione up the castle stairs.

From the hilltop we look down at Hagrid's house. Hagrid and Dumbledore are standing on the front steps of the house, Fudge is standing right in front of the steps, and the axe man faces them, standing just inches from the pumpkin patch.

Dumbledore points at the pumpkin patch but as he turns to go inside the cabin, the man raises his axe and walks toward Buckbeak, hidden from view by the trees.

Hagrid sadly takes a last look at his feathered friend, then turns to go inside his house.

I watch with mounting tension, even Scabbers seems a little skittish. Hermione closes her eyes briefly and murmurs. I hear her silent gasp as I look at the man lift his axe above his head, tilt it backwards, then bring it down with lightning speed.

I hear a chopping sound, the execution has been carried out. The crows that have been hanging around the man fly away, squawking and cawing.

Hermione leans into Ron,sobbing. I haven't noticed that tears were covering my cheeks till Harry turns me to him and removes them with the pad of his thumb. He smiles at me and I weakly return one.

"He bit me!" I hear Ron yell as he let's go of Hermione and start running.

"Scabbers!" I hear him yell.

We yell his name and for him to come back but nothing helps. He just keeps running. We come to a stand still...Ron lays on the ground with scabbers in his hands.

"Harry" I gain his attention,"You do realize what tree this is?"

"That's not good. Ron, Ron!" Hermione yells for him.

"Harry behind you, Run!
Its the Grim!" We turn around to see a black dog running towards us. It pushes right past us, heading straight towards Ron.

We scream his name as he scream all of ours. Harry and Hermione rushes towards the opening Ron was dragged into but the womping willow shoves them back,onto the ground.

Harry and Hermione run towards it again,me following close behind. As harry and Hermione are both picked up by it's branches I run towards the entrance. I make it just in time to mis a thick branch hitting me.

I slide down towards the bottom,hitting my head against the floor because of the impact.

Before I know it, I hear Harry's screams behind me. "Ouch!" I yell as he lands on top of me,"sorry" "it's fine," I reply just to have Hermione land on top of Harry,making my body hit against the ground again.

"I am sorry" she apologises.

"Don't worry" I hear his reply but I'm more concentrated on Ron's screaming at the end of the tunnel. I stood up only to look down and see a little bit of blood on the ground. I lift my hand to just above my eyebrow and look down at it.