The Fight to Save Buckbeak

It was indeed a pleasant day spent at Hogsmeade, but the good mood didn't last until the end of the day. Upon returning to Gryffindor Tower and setting down their packages, Hermione received a letter from Hagrid.

"Hagrid's letter? Ah, I remember now. Today is the day his Buckbeak is being tried in London. This must be the result of the trial," Hermione said as she unfolded the letter and placed it on the coffee table for Ryan to read.

The parchment was damp, and large tear stains blurred the ink, making it difficult to read in some places.

Dear Hermione,

We lost. Please allow me to bring him back to Hogwarts. The execution date is yet to be determined. Buckbeak likes London. I won't forget all the help you've given us.

"Hagrid bringing a Hippogriff into a third-year class was not appropriate, but this teaching mishap isn't entirely his fault. Especially since Malfoy intentionally broke the rules after Hagrid's explanation, he should be the main one at fault. How can they put all the blame on Buckbeak? So, Buckbeak shouldn't be executed," Hermione said after quickly reading the letter.

"Malfoy's father practically controls the committee; they'll do whatever he wants," Ryan replied. "You know how influential he is in the wizarding world. The committee members are a bunch of marginalized folks within the Ministry of Magic. How could they defy him over a Hippogriff? Although there's still an appeal process, I think resolving this through legal means is pretty much impossible."

"So what should we do?" Hermione sounded a bit helpless. After all, it was a terrible thing to watch an innocent life be taken away without being able to do anything about it.

"I think we might have to resort to some less-than-legal methods," Ryan said in a hushed voice. "As far as I know, the final appeal after the Ministry process comes straight to the school. Hagrid's place is close to the Forbidden Forest, so we can ask Wolfer to help us find some friends. Once the final verdict is out, we can have his friends free Buckbeak."

"Wouldn't that put Wolfer in danger?" Hermione started off hopeful but quickly became concerned. "We shouldn't involve our friends in our troubles."

"Well, I can ask him about that," Ryan reassured her with a pat on her back. "If it's possible, we can ask for his help; if not, we'll think of something else."

That evening, after arranging a meeting time with Wolfer in the Emerald Dream, Hermione and Ryan met him the next day during lunch break near the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Thanks for the beef-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans you brought," Wolfer said, munching on the gift Ryan had bought him. "So, what brings you two here?"

"Well, there's a Hippogriff named Buckbeak who might be wrongfully executed, and we were wondering if you could help us find some allies to save it," Hermione quickly asked.

"Where are they planning to execute the poor creature? If it's too far away, we might not be able to help," Wolfer replied, looking concerned about the matter.

"It's right near the Forbidden Forest, at Hagrid's hut," Ryan answered.

"In that case, it shouldn't be a problem. I have some friends among the Centaurs. When the time comes, we can mobilize them," Wolfer said confidently.

"Wouldn't this put you in danger?" Hermione asked, still worried.

"No, don't worry. Those humans won't dare harm the Unicorns. Ryan helped a Unicorn a lot last time, and this time, it's about saving an innocent life. I believe the Unicorns would be willing to help," Wolfer nodded.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Hermione and Ryan exclaimed excitedly, knowing that Unicorns were very shy, and the fact that they were willing to help in this situation exceeded their expectations.

"Let's wait for more details after the final verdict is out and then plan accordingly," Wolfer concluded.

With this good news, Hermione and Ryan went to Hagrid's hut after dinner to inquire about the specifics of the trial. Given Hagrid's emotional nature, they decided to keep their plans secret for now.

After knocking on the door of the hut and waiting for a while, Hagrid finally opened it with a sad expression. "Oh, it's you two. Come in and have a seat."

After serving tea and snacks to the two of them, Hagrid sank into the sofa, looking dejected. "This time it's all my fault. I couldn't speak properly. They were all sitting there in their dark robes. I left out some things from the case, Hermione. At the beginning, some of them nodded slightly. But then Lucius Malfoy stood up and spoke, and the committee did everything exactly as he asked..."

Hagrid buried his face in his handkerchief and began sobbing. Ryan quickly moved forward to pat his arm and comfort him. "Isn't there another chance for appeal? We still have a chance, right?"

"No, there isn't. Truly, there isn't," Hagrid said after loudly sniffing. "I knew it during the trial today. The committee is completely under the command of Lucius Malfoy. So now, all I can do is ensure that Buckbeak has the happiest days of his life before he dies. After all, it's what I owe him..."

"It seems the situation is dire now, and we'll have to resort to means outside of the legal process to save Buckbeak," Hermione said to Ryan after they left Hagrid's place.

"I remember you used to be the strictest about following rules. How come you're willing to use, well, unconventional methods now?" Ryan asked playfully.

"The problem is, Malfoy isn't planning to follow the rules. In a situation like this, to save an innocent life, I think using some unconventional methods is justified," Hermione said earnestly.

It seemed that after going through so much, everyone was changing. After returning to the tower, they had originally planned to tell Harry and the others about the trial, especially since Harry and Ryan were the first to offer help to Hagrid when they were in Brazil.

But after searching the tower and not finding Harry, they could only bring their books and materials to the library to study.

It wasn't until the next morning, during breakfast, after reading the Daily Prophet delivered by an owl, that Ryan learned. Sirius had appeared on the streets of Hogsmeade yesterday afternoon, barely holding onto his strength as he was escorted to St. Mungo's Hospital, demanding that the villagers inform the school so he could see his godson Harry Potter.

In the end, he passed out from exhaustion, and Harry went to visit his godfather with Professor McGonagall accompanying him.

At least this was much better than the previous developments in the story, Ryan thought to himself after reading the newspaper's contents.

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