Weasley Charm | Fred Weasley

Chapter 3-10: The Dog

Days stretched on into weeks, and weeks into months. Before anyone knew it, exams were over and students enjoyed their last week in the castle. Delaney enjoyed spending her days immersed in a good book or scheming a new way to mess with Ron, some of those schemes involved forming a short alliance with the twins.

But those happy, carefree days wouldn't last the entire week. Delaney and Hermione now stood in front of Ron and Harry on the couches in the common room, "Come on you two, we need to go see Hagrid."

"Why?" Ron asked, letting his head fall back in his whine.

"Today is Buckbeak's execution. We need to be there for Hagrid," Hermione reminded him.

"Oh alright," Harry said as he stood, urging Ron to do the same. "He would be there for us in his own, strange way."

"Exactly," Hermione said, shooting Ron a pointed stare when he huffed, not wanting to leave the couch.

The group of four made their way through the corridors, meeting the warm air with a grin. The sound of metal scraping against metal sounded in the distance. As they walked past the outdoor courtyard they saw the executioner sharpening his blade. Delaney grimaced at the sight of the large blade, knowing what it was going to be used for in just an hour. Delaney's grimace turned to annoyance when she heard the voice of a familiar foe before he saw him.

"He is unbelievable," Delaney rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look who's here," Crabbe said, turning to face the four of them as he inclined his head in their general direction.

"Oh, come to see the show?" Malfoy gloated, a smirk forming on his porcelain face.

"You, you foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach!" Hermione snapped, pulling her wand on Malfoy. In typical Malfoy fashion, the dramatic git began to whimper when her wand dug into his neck.

Delaney tried her best to conceal her smirk when Ron took a step towards Hermione, "Hermione no! He's not worth it."

Hermione stood still for a moment before dropping her wand, eyeing him with what Delaney was sure was a death glare before she turned, walking back towards her friends. Just as Hermione turned away Malfoy began to laugh.

"He's in trouble now," Delaney whispered, feeling nothing but amusement flood through her. She knew better than anyone that Hermione's temper was not one you wanted to test. However sweet she may seem, the menace she became when angered equaled it like a tandem, both sides innately made up Hermione.

Hermione, after hearing the laugh, turned on her heel before anyone could stop her, striking Malfoy square in the face with a closed fist. The git fell back from the force put behind Hermione's hand. The chuckle that fell from Delaney's lips ripped through her before she could even think to stop it. Malfoy ran away like a scared little boy, clutching his bleeding nose as he did.

"That felt good," Hermione admitted, rubbing the small dribble of blood on her finger on her trousers.

"Not good..." Ron said, his eyes wide in astonishment.

"Brilliant!" Delaney finished with the same astonished look on her face.

The group of friends stood for a minute, collecting themselves after the debacle with Malfoy. Once they finally gained their composure again, they hurried to Hagrid's hut, knowing they did not have much time. A chill ran through Delaney when she saw Buckbeak. She couldn't help but feel upset, knowing the future that lies ahead for the beast.

"Oh look at him. He loves the smell of the trees as the wind blows through 'em," Hagrid said, looking out of his window to Buckbeak. A sad note filled his eyes, and another twinge spread through Delaney. She knew how much Hagrid cared for his animals. It took him months to recover after his dragon was taken to Charlie in Romania.