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chapter sixteen / a hippogriff meets his end
After being assured by her friends persistently that it was nothing more than a hoax and checking at least fourteen times that Cedric was still well and alive, Cassie still didn't fully believe it. But her mind had been ripped to other things – other, more important things, such as Hagrid losing the appeal.
"Ow! Hey, keep up, Ron!" Harry hissed under the Invisibility Cloak. It was quite difficult, truthfully, to fit all four of them under at once, so Cassie was forced to walk alongside them to Hagrid's hut under a disillusionment charm. The spell was done by Hermione, and, even if she was the best witch in their year, had a few flaws. Such as, whenever Cassie spoke, a ripple would flow throughout her whole body and completely ruined the point of the charm itself.
"Bloody hell – Hermione!" Ron whisper-shouted, and Cassie heard a stumble before the Cloak slipped off Harry's head and she saw him rolling down the hill. She let out a small laugh of shock before running after them, giggling the whole way down.
"Blimey, are you alright?" she asked with an airy laugh once they'd been situated and standing again. All three of them glared in different directions. Harry knocked on the door.
It burst open and Hagrid stood in the doorway, pale-faced and trembling.
"It's us. We're wearing the Cloak," Harry said to Hagrid, who visibly calmed. "Let us in."
"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid told them, but stepped to the side and allowed entry nonetheless.
Hagrid was not crying, nor did he throw himself upon Harry's neck in agony. He looked like a man who didn't know where he was or what to do.
"Wan' some tea?" he asked, his hands shaking as he reached for a boiling kettle of tea.
"I– I took him outside. He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an' – an' smell fresh air– before–"
Hagrid's hand trembled so violently that the milk jug slipped from his grasp and shattered all over the floor.
"Don't worry, Hagrid," Hermione muttered quickly, hurrying over to clean up the mess.
"There's another in the cupboard," he said, sitting down. Harry glanced at Ron, who shrugged hopelessly.
"Isn't there anything we can do, Hagrid?" Harry asked fiercely, sitting down next to him. "Dumbledore–"
"He's tried. Got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's alright, but they're scared.. Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like... threatened 'em... be quick an' clean... an' I'll be beside him–"
