Inglorious Bastards [Theodore Nott]

Chapter Thirty-Four

The day was dark. The dark clouds covered the skies, the wind chilly, and the presence of the executioner sharpening the ax gave the mental image of death that was about to happen. Carina felt like it was all orchestrated to add more gloom or maybe the weather was sympathetic to what's about to happen. Carina sighed as she followed after Hermione, she has more in her mind right now, especially after her meeting with Remus. The man's random questions clouded her mind, and when she tried to ask him about it, he would simply change the topic or say he was busy at the moment.

"Any reason why Roman's not here?" Harry asked.

"Remember the last couple of times we talked about quartering, dissecting, and chopping off heads? Or your boneless arm? Carina began.

"Oh," Harry realized.

"Yeah, he thought it'd be best to come along since we might be carrying him back to the castle and to be honest, Roman's way heavier than you all think."

"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak, it's too horrible!" Hermione said.

"It just got worse," Harry sighed.

Down the hill, they saw Malfoy with Crabbe and Goyle hiding behind the huge pillar-rocks as they looked down, laughing at Hagrid and Buckbeak. Malfoy did not fail to boast and infuriate the group as he boasts the sentence his father asked for Buckbeak.

"Did you see the big, fat oaf?! Oh, this is going to be rich. Did I tell you, Father said I can keep the head –" Malfoy said. He then turned and found Harry and the others, his smirk grew. "Ah, come to see the show?"

Hermione marched down towards Malfoy with the scariest glare she had, "You foul – loathsome – evil – little cockroach!" Malfoy stumbled back against the rock, cross-eyed with fear as Hermione jabbed the tip of her wand under his nose.

"HERMIONE, NO!" Ron called after her. "It's not worth it!"

"I don't know, it kinda is," Carina whispered to Harry, "And, it just might even out Malfoy's face."

Harry chuckled beside her, "I have to say, what you did to his face is just brilliant."

"Too bad you weren't there to see me kick his bloody arse."

"Greatest regret in my life."

Hermione removed her wand from Malfoy's face and stepped back. Malfoy and his goons laughed –

SMACK!

Quick as lightning, Hermione punched Malfoy right at the jaw, putting him flat on his back. Stunned. He leaped to his feet and ran, Crabbe and Goyle huffing and puffing behind. Hermione turned back to Harry, Ron, and Carina with a smile.

"That felt good."

"Good? That was brilliant," Ron smiled.

"And that's just the beginning of it, Mione," Carina chuckled.

~*~

Hagrid stood by the window and watched Buckbeak, the man kept sniffling and wiping his tears as he looked at the hippogriff, once full of life now full of sadness as she knew of her fate. Carina and the others sat on one of the giant seats at Hagrid's hut, drinking the tea he served, but they all just poured it at the plants as it tasted bad.

"Look at 'em. Loves the smell o' the trees when the wind blows..." Hagrid sighed.

"I say we set him free," Harry said.

"It'll be easy!" Carina agreed, "We cut the rope, then we can transfigure one of those pumpkins to Buckbeak, and they'll think it's him!"

"By any chance do you know the spell to transfigure a pumpkin to a hippogriff?" Ron asked.