Together [HP]

Harry and the others went down to dinner with the others, but they didn't return to Gryffindor Tower after dinner.Harry hid the Invisibility Cloak under the front of his robes; he had to keep his arms folded to hide the bulge under his robes.They sneaked into an empty room near the vestibule and listened for a while until it was clear that no one was around them.They heard the last two hurrying away across the hall, and heard a door close and Hermione poke her head out to look.

"It's all right," she whispered, "there's no one there, put on the cloak."

The three walked close together so as not to be noticed.Under the cloak of invisibility they tiptoed across the hall and down the stone steps in front of the gate.Come to the door.The sun had already set behind the Forbidden Forest, and the afterglow was shining on the treetops.

They walked to Hagrid's cabin and knocked on the door.It took him a minute to open the door. After he opened the door, no visitors could be found anywhere. He felt pale and trembled.

"It's us," whispered Harry. "We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in, and we'll take it off."

"You shouldn't have come!" whispered Hagrid, but he stepped back and they walked in.Hagrid closed the door quickly, and Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak.

Hagrid didn't cry, didn't throw himself on top of them and throw his arms around their necks.He looked like a man who didn't know where he was or what he was supposed to do.Seeing this helpless situation is worse than seeing tears.

"Tea?" he said, reaching for the teapot, his large hands trembling.

"Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"I, I took it outside just now," said Hagrid, splashing the milk all over the table as he poured it into the jug. "Wrapped in my pumpkin patch. Guess it should look at the trees and, get some fresh air. In it..."

Hagrid's hand shook so badly that the milk jug fell from his grasp to the floor, shattering into pieces.

"I'll do it, Hagrid," said Hermione hastily, and hurried over to clear up the mess.

"There's still a pot in the cupboard," said Hagrid, sitting down and wiping his forehead with his sleeve.

Harry looked at Ron, and Ron looked at Harry resignedly. "Can anyone figure out what to do, Hagrid," Harry asked furiously, sitting next to him. "Dumbledore..."

"He tried," said Hagrid, "and he didn't have the power to control the Council. He told them Buckbeak wasn't dangerous, but they were afraid. You know what Lucius Malfoy was like, threatening them, I suppose. . . and the executioner, McNeil, is Malfoy's old companion. But the execution will be quick, clean, and I'll be at his side."

Hagrid swallowed.His eyes wandered about the cabin, as if searching for a ray of hope or comfort.

"Well, when that happened, Dumbledore was sure to be here. Wrote me this morning and said he would, would be with me. Good man, Dumbledore..."

Hermione, who had been looking for another milk jug in Hagrid's cupboard, let out a low sob that was immediately suppressed.She straightened up with the new jar, fighting back tears.

"We're with you too, Hagrid," she began, but Hagrid shook his shaggy head. "If, you can..."

"You should go back to the castle. Tell you. I don't want you to watch the execution. And anyway, you shouldn't be here. If Fudge and Dumbledore catch you leaving the castle without permission, Harry, you're in big trouble." Greg cut her off loudly.

Hermione was weeping silently now, but she was busily preparing tea so that Hagrid wouldn't see.Then, just as she was picking up the milk bottle to pour some milk into the pitcher, she let out a scream.

"Ron! I, I don't believe it. That's Scabbers!"

Ron stared at her dumbfounded.

"what are you talking about?"

Hermione took the milk jug to the table and turned it upside down.Scabbers screamed in panic.Struggling to get back into the milk jug, she slipped onto the table.

"Scabbers!" Ron yelled blankly, "Scatterers, what are you doing here?" He grabbed the struggling mouse and held it up into the light.Ban Ban looked embarrassed, even thinner than before, and a lot of fur fell off, leaving patches of bald skin.It writhed in Ron's hand, as if desperately trying to be free.

"It's all right, Scabbers!" said Ron. "No cats! Nothing here will hurt you!"

At this time, a girl's voice came from outside, a bit like Hermione.Ron looked out. In the distance, a group of men were walking down the stone steps of the castle.In the lead was Dumbledore, his silver beard gleaming in the afterglow of the setting sun.Beside him was Cornelius Fudge, and behind him the frail old councilor and executioner McNeil.

"They're coming..." Ron's face turned the color of parchment.Both Harry and Hermione turned quickly.

"You have to go," said Hagrid, shaking from head to toe. "They must not find you here. Come on, now." Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket, and Hermione picked up the An invisibility cloak. "I'll show you the back," said Hagrid.

They followed him to the door leading into the back garden, and Harry felt as if he were in a dream.This feeling was intensified when he saw Buckbeak a few yards away.Buckbeak chained behind a tree in Hagrid's pumpkin patch.Buckbeak seemed to know that something was going to happen. He turned his head from side to side and scratched the ground anxiously with his paws.

"It's all right, Piccolo," said Hagrid softly. "It's all right." He turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Come on," he said, "go on."

But they don't move. "Hagrid, we can't."

"We're going to tell them what's really going on."

"They can't kill it!"

"Go!" said Hagrid furiously. "If you're in trouble, it'll be worse!"

They have no choice.

"Take a good look at the document, maybe there is something wrong with it!"

Hermione yelled at Hagrid, and then quickly put the Invisibility Cloak over Harry and Ron's heads, when they heard voices outside the cabin door.Hagrid looked where they had just disappeared.

"Come on," he said hoarsely, "don't listen." He walked slowly back to the cabin, and someone was already knocking on his door.In a frightening trance, Harry, Ron, and Hermione began walking slowly and silently around Hagrid's cabin.As they got to the side of the cabin, the front door slammed shut.

"Let's wait," said Hermione, "I, I want to see, they can't really..." They stepped onto the sloping lawn.Go to the castle.The sun was sinking fast now, the sky was clear, purple in the gray, but there was still a tinge of red in the west.

"We have to go," said Harry firmly. "Hagrid doesn't want us here."

Ron stood still, motionless.

"Ron, what's wrong?" Hermione asked him.

"It's Scabbers. He won't, stay still." Ron bent down, trying to keep Scabbers still in his pocket, but the rat went berserk, screaming, writhing and kicking wildly. , wanted to bite Ron's hand.

"Banban, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron." Ron whispered.Behind them they heard a door open and a man's voice.

"Ron, keep quiet, they're coming! We might find us," said Hermione.

"Okay. Scabbers stay still." They walked forward.Like Hermione, Harry tried not to hear the voices behind him.

Ron stopped again. "I can't catch it. Scabbers, shut up, people will hear us."

The rat was screaming frantically, but not loud enough to drown out the sounds coming from Hagrid's garden.There were a few messy male voices, and there was a moment of silence.Then, without warning, the sound of the ax swinging and a dull bang.Hermione swayed in place.

"They've already done it? This, this is impossible, this shouldn't be." She whispered to Harry as if lost. "I don't believe it. They've done it already?"

Harry's mind went blank with shock.Wrapped in the cloak of invisibility, the three of them were transfixed with fright.The last afterglow of the setting sun cast a touch of blood red on the field covered with long shadows.Then, they heard a wild howl behind them.

"Hagrid," Harry muttered.Without thinking, he turned to go back, but both Ron and Hermione grabbed his arms and wouldn't let him go.

"We can't," said Ron, his face as smug as paper. "He'd be in more trouble if they knew we'd been to see him."

Hermione's breathing was rapid and ragged.

"They, how, can" she choked up, "how is it possible"

"Come on," said Ron, chattering his teeth.

They turned and walked towards the castle, walking slowly so that all three could be hidden under the cloak.Now the light fades quickly.By the time they reached the clearing, darkness had descended like a spell around them.

"Spotters, don't move," Ron whispered, his hand on his chest.The rat was struggling frantically.Ron stopped abruptly, trying to force Scabbers into a deeper pocket.

"You stupid mouse, what's the matter with you? Hold on. Ouch! It bit me!"

"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispered hastily. "Fudge will be here soon."

"He won't. Stay, don't move."

Scabbers was clearly terrified, struggling with all his might to break free from Ron's grasp.

"What's wrong with it?" But Harry had just seen Crookshanks stalking towards them, lying low on the ground, his yellow eyes glowing strangely in the dark.Either he could see them, or he heard Scabbers' screams following them, Harry couldn't tell which.

"Crookshanks!" wailed Hermione. "No, I don't believe it. Don't, don't come, don't come, go away. Crookshanks! Go away!" But the cat came closer.

"Scabbers, don't!" Too late, the mouse slipped out of Ron's fingers, fell to the ground and ran away.Crookshanks jumped and gave chase, and before Harry and Hermione could stop him, Ron had left the Invisibility Cloak aside and ran into the darkness.

"Don't follow it!" Hermione wailed, but Harry was already running after Ron.Hermione sighed sadly, and then also ran away.They couldn't run fast with the cloak on, so they pulled it off, and the cloak waved behind them like a banner.They went after Ron, and they could hear him pounding forward, and they could hear him yelling at Crookshanks.

"Let go of it, let go, Banban, come here." There was a blunt sound.

"I've got you! Let go, you stinky cat!" Harry and Hermione almost fell on top of Ron; they slipped and stopped right in front of Ron.He fell on his back, and Scabbers was back in his pocket; he clutched the trembling mass with both hands.

"Ron, come on. Get under the Invisibility Cloak..." Hermione gasped. "Dumbledore, the Chief...they're coming out soon!"

But before they could hide themselves, or even take a breath, they heard the sound of huge paws stepping on the ground lightly, and something was coming towards them from the darkness. —a large dog with pale eyes and jet-black fur.

Harry reached for his wand, but it was too late, and the dog jumped, its front paws already on his chest.Rolling back quickly, he felt its hot breath and saw the inch-long teeth.But the dog threw itself too hard and rolled over him.Dazzled, Harry felt as if his ribs were broken, and he tried to stand; he could hear the dog whirling and whirling in circles, ready to attack again.Ron stood up.The dog sprang at them again, Ron pushed Harry aside, and the dog bit Ron's outstretched arm.Harry lunged forward and grabbed a handful of the dog's fur, but the dog dragged Ron along effortlessly, as if Ron were a rag doll.

Then something came out of nowhere and hit Harry in the face so hard that Harry fell again.

He heard Hermione scream in pain, and fell to the ground too.Harry fumbled for his wand, blinking the blood out of his eyes. "Lumos!" he whispered.

The light from the wand showed him a thick trunk, and they had chased Scabbers well into the shadow of the Whomping Willow.The branches of the tree were shaking, as if in a high wind, and the branches swayed back and forth, preventing them from going any further.

There, right by the root of the tree, was the dog, dragging Ron back into a big opening in the root of the tree.Ron was fighting furiously, but his head and torso were out of sight

"Ron!" Harry yelled, trying to follow, but a big branch came crashing down and Harry was forced back again.

Now all they could see was Ron's legs, which were holding on to a tree root, trying to stop the dog from dragging him further into the ground.Then there was a terrible bang, like a gunshot, and Ron's leg snapped; in the blink of an eye, his feet were gone.