The Girls at Hogwarts... Are All So Fierce!

When William received Hagrid's letter, the Easter holiday was almost over.

The letter appeared to have been soaked in water; it was damp, and teardrops blurred the ink, making some parts difficult to decipher.

Dear William:

We lost.

They allowed me to take it back to Hogwarts, and the date for its execution is yet to be determined.

Buckbeak liked London, especially its thick fog; it probably found it quite mysterious.

To make Buckbeak happy, I take it with me every morning to enjoy the fog.

But I was probably too heartbroken; after going a few times, I became so heartbroken that I couldn't breathe.

Buckbeak must be very happy; it's gaining weight very quickly.

I will never forget all the help you little ones gave us.

Hagrid

William folded the letter, his brow furrowed. It was the first time he'd ever heard someone so happy breathing in smog.

He handed the letter to Hermione, who only glanced at it briefly before passing it on to Cho and Cedric.

The two huddled together and read it carefully. After Qiu finished reading, she seemed particularly angry.

She was furious, of course. They had spent so much time frantically searching for cases in the library.

She had thought that even if Buckbeak couldn't be absolved of his responsibility, he would at most be imprisoned for a few years. But she never expected it to be the death penalty.

William, however, remained quite indifferent.

He received Fudge's letter long before the hearings even began.

Therefore, no matter how well Hagrid performs, he will not impress the members of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.

When they left the castle and arrived at Hagrid's Hut, Harry and Ron were already there, to their surprise.

Hagrid sat in the doorway, soaking wet, as if he had just stuck his head in a water tank.

"They can't do that," Harry said. "They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous at all."

"That's right, we can find some files," Ron chimed in. "Hagrid, we can definitely save it..."

Hagrid had given up hope, and he sat down on the muddy ground.

"It's all my fault, I was speechless and couldn't speak."

They were all sitting there dressed in black robes. I kept dropping notes and was so nervous that I forgot all the dates William and the others had found.

Although I can appeal, I see no hope... nothing will change...

"No! Things will change!" Ron roared. "This time we'll help you. We'll prepare your defense and launch a second appeal."

"Is it, Harry?"

"That's right, the library definitely has plenty of cases," Harry shouted. "We'll succeed, we'll save Buckbeak!"

Seeing William and the others approaching, Ron quickly said, "You already know, right? Buckbeak has been sentenced to death."

Everyone can help. With so many of us, we can help Hagrid appeal again; we're sure to win.

Is it Hermione?

Cedric shook his head. "Ron, it's no use doing this."

"How is it useless?" Harry retorted before Ron could say anything.

He suddenly raised his voice and said forcefully, "How do you know it's useless if you don't try?"

Cedric was completely bewildered, not knowing what he had done to offend Harry or why he was suddenly so angry.

Autumn raised an eyebrow and said coldly, "Harry, how do you know Cedric didn't do it?"

"The letter from the Ministry of Magic came before Christmas," she said angrily. "You two knew about it back then."

We also told you to go to the library to collect cases and help Hagrid write his defense.

After you came twice, where did you go next?!

William glanced sideways; it was the first time he had ever seen Qiu so angry.

But he didn't stop Qiu, because what she said... was the truth.

Harry and Ron probably only had a short-lived enthusiasm; they said they would come to help, but after coming a few times, they never showed up at the library again.

It seems they've forgotten about Buckbeak and Hagrid.

Fortunately, they had a large group of people, and they searched for books in the library together, so it wasn't too tiring.

Faced with Cho's accusations, Harry wanted to defend himself, but he was speechless.

A wave of uncomfortable guilt washed over him, because he had completely forgotten about it at the time.

They forgot their promise to help prepare Buckbeak's defense statement.

The arrival of the Firebolt, Black's status as Animagus, William's belief that Peter was still alive... all these things made him completely forget about Hagrid.

Ron Silencio.

"The hearing is over, and you're still saying such nonsensical things!" Qiu's tone was cold, as if venting her dissatisfaction.

"Don't be so naive, okay? Do you think this is some kind of school game, and Professor McGonagall will stand up for you?"

"That's the Ministry of Magic! If your impotent rage were useful, could it overturn the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures?"

"Now you're still checking those files... We've already worn them out! We don't expect you to help, so please don't make things worse!"

Harry stared blankly, watching Cedric pull Cho's arm, telling her to keep quiet.

Hermione's lips moved, as if she wanted to speak, or perhaps she wanted to shake her head.

William finally said, "Hagrid, don't worry. Buckbeak will be fine. I've already spoken with Dumbledore."

He will ensure Buckbeak's safety.

William did not mention Fudge, which was a tacit agreement between him and the minister, and therefore illegal.

Hagrid has a big mouth and is hard to keep secrets. William doesn't want things to become public knowledge.

Hearing him say that, Hagrid's eyes, which had lost their moisture, regained a glimmer of life.

After comforting Hagrid, the group left together and returned to the castle.

Because of autumn, no one spoke, and the atmosphere became quite awkward.

As they approached the castle, they encountered Malfoy.

He walked with Crabbe and Goyle, loudly boasting:

"My dad said that Buckbeak has been sentenced to death."

"You weren't at the hearing, so you don't know what that big oaf looks like."

He held the thick parchment, but he could only stumble and struggle to read it coherently.

She wept bitterly, offering to give anything in return, begging my father to spare that beast...

Malfoy imitated Hagrid's voice, and the group burst into laughter.

"That fool is our teacher, you say?" Malfoy said smugly. "That's it? That's it?"

They all glared angrily at Malfoy.

Hermione was quicker; she walked straight over and raised her arm.

Snap!

She slapped Malfoy with all her might. Malfoy staggered back a couple of steps, somewhat dazed from the blow.

Everyone stared in disbelief, while Cho was excited and seemed eager to join Hermione in kicking him.

Cedric quickly pulled her back, preventing her from causing further trouble.

At that moment, Hermione raised her hand again.

"Dare you say another word about Hagrid? You wretched... despicable bastard..."

She was furious and braced herself to hit Malfoy again.

Goyle and Crabbe roared.

Hermione immediately drew her wand.

"Come on, I want to see what you three are capable of!"

The two didn't dare go up; they remembered the conflict at the Quidditch Pitch last year.

Hermione single-handedly defeated the entire Slytherin team.

Moreover, Stark stood not far away, coldly watching them. If they dared to make a move, they would surely suffer a terrible death.

"You dare hit me..." Malfoy covered his face, stammering incoherently.

This is the second time he's been slapped; the first time was by Anne Stark!

"I didn't hit you, I just slapped you across the face. That was to teach you a lesson, not to hit you!" Hermione's voice was cold.

"You... you... mud..."

Malfoy ultimately didn't dare utter the Mudblood. He was so angry that his lips turned ashen, but his legs began to weaken, and his voice trembled slightly.

He recalled William's warning from the previous school year.

Hermione said impatiently, "Remember, if you want to fight, then do it now."

Stop acting like a sissy, all fuss and whining here!

Malfoy stepped back.

Crabbe and Goyle looked at Malfoy, awaiting his instructions. The two were completely at a loss.

"Let's go... ignore these lunatics..." Malfoy muttered.

The three of them immediately disappeared into the passageway leading to the main building of the castle.

Cho whistled and clapped for Hermione.

William and Cedric exchanged a glance.

The girls at Hogwarts... are all so fierce!

(Please vote for this post, everyone!)