CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── "You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!"
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─── Y/N POV ───
The sky was swarming with hundreds black crows, their cawing filling the air with a haunting sound. But worse than their noise, was the harsh, metallic sound of an axe being sharpened at the end of the courtyard. At the front of the group, Hermione led the way, Ron walking closely beside her, while Harry and I trailed behind.
We kept our heads low as we passed the man by the edge of the path, who's eyes followed our every move. I backed up instinctively into Harry, gripping his arm without thinking. His warmth grounded me, and I held on tightly for a moment longer than I needed to.
"It's okay, y/n," Harry whispered lowly.
Once we'd passed him, I let go, muttering under my breath, "Strange."
We crossed the creaky wooden bridge in silence. When we finally stepped off the bridge, Hermione was the first to break the silence.
"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak. It's just too horrible," she said.
"I know," I replied.
Ron suddenly stopped short, his face darkening. "It just got worse."
I followed his gaze and saw Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle huddled behind a set of rocks, peering down at Hagrid's hut through a pair of binoculars. At the front of the group, Draco had a twisted smirk on his face, his voice cutting through the air.
"What did I say? Father said I can keep the Hippogriff's head. I think I'll donate it to the Gryffindor's common room." Draco said and chuckled.
"Wicked!" Crabbe said.
"This is going to be rich." Draco said.
Hermione's footsteps suddenly quickened, her anger radiating off of her. I could see her fists clenching by her sides, and without a word, the rest of us hurried to keep up with her. She was pissed — and I couldn't deny I was eager to see where this would lead.
"Look who's here!" Crabbe said, nudging Draco.
"Ah! Come to see the show?" Draco said and smirked.
"You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" Hermione said, furiously taking her wand and putting it up to Draco's neck.
Draco's smirk disappeared instantly, replaced by wide-eyed fear. He flinched back, looking utterly terrified.
"Hermione, no! He's not worth it!" Ron urged, stepping closer.
I knew I should've said something, maybe stood up for Draco Malfoy, but truthfully, I was more interested in seeing how far the girl would go. Hermione kept her wand pressed against his neck for a moment longer, her face set in stone. Then, slowly, she lowered it, but the anger in her eyes didn't fade.
