 wide open. 

A hatred such as he had never known before was coursing through Harry 
like poison. He could see Black laughing at him through the darkness, as 
though somebody had pasted the picture from the album over his eyes. He 
watched, as though somebody was playing him a piece of film, Sirius 
Black blasting Peter Pettigrew (who resembled Neville Longbottom) into a 
thousand pieces. He could hear (though having no idea what Black's voice 
might sound like) a low, excited mutter. "It has happened, My Lord... 

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the Potters have made me their Secret-Keeper and then came another 
voice, laughing shrilly, the same laugh that Harry heard inside his head 
whenever the dementors drew near.... 

"Harry, you -- you look terrible." 

Harry hadn't gotten to sleep until daybreak. He had awoken to find the 
dormitory deserted, dressed, and gone down the spiral staircase to a 
common room that was completely empty except for Ron, who was eating a 
Peppermint Toad and massaging his stomach, and Hermione, who had spread 
her homework over three tables. 

"Where is everyone?" said Harry. 

"Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?" said Ron, watching 
Harry closely. "It's nearly lunchtime; I was going to come and wake you 
up in a minute." 

Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire. Snow was still falling 
outside the windows. Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire 
like a large, ginger rug. 

"You really don' look well, you know," Hermione said, peering anxiously 
into his face. 

"I'm fine," said Harry. 

"Harry, listen," said Hermione, exchanging a look with Ron, you must be 
really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you 
mustn't go doing anything stupid." 

"Like what?" said Harry. 

"Like trying to go after Black," said Ron sharply. 

Harry could tell they had rehearsed this conversation while he had been 
asleep. He didn't say anything. 

"You won't, will you, Harry?" said Hermione. 

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"Because Black's not worth dying for," said Ron. 

Harry looked at them. They didn't seem to understand at all. 

"D'you know what I see and hear every time a dementor gets too near me?" 
Ron and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive. "I can hear my 
mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum 
screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in 
a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of 
hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her --" 

"There's nothing you can do!" said Hermione, looking stricken. "The 
dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and -- and serve 
him right!" 

"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal 
people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others." 

"So what are you saying?" said Ron, looking very tense. "You want to -to 
kill Black or something?" 

"Don't be silly," said Herinione in a panicky voice. "Harry doesn't want 
to kill anyone, do you, Harry?" 

Again, Harry didn't answer. He didn't know what he wanted to do. All he 
knew was that the idea of doing nothing, while Black was at liberty, was 
almost more than he could stand. 

Malfoy knows," he said abruptly. "Remember what he said to me in 
Potions? 'If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself... I'd want revenge. 

"You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?" said Ron 
furiously. "Listen... you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after 
Black had finished with him? Dad told me -- the Order of Merlin, First 
Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him 
they could find. Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous --" 

"Malfoy's dad must have told him," said Harry, ignoring Ron. "He was 
right in Voldemort's inner circle --" 

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"Say You-Know-Who, will you?" interjected Ron angrily. 

"-- so obviously, the Malfoys knew Black was working for Voldemort --" 

"-- and Malfoy'd love to see you blown into about a million pieces, like 
Pettigrew! Get a grip. Malfoy's just hoping you'll get Yourself killed 
before he has to play you at Quidditch." 

"Harry, please," said Hermione, her eyes now shining with tears, "Please 
be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don't Put 
Yourself in danger, it's what Black wants.... Oh, Harry, you'd be 
Playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum 
and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you 
to go looking for Black!" 

"I'll never know what they'd have wanted, because thanks to Black, I've 
never spoken to them," said Harry shortly. 

There was a silence in which Crookshanks stretched luxuriously flexing 
his claws. Ron's pocket quivered. 

"Look," said Ron, obviously casting around for a change of subject, 
"it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's -- let's go down and 
see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!" 

"No!" said Hermione quickly. "Harry isn't supposed to leave the castle, 
Ron --" 

"Yeah, let's go," said Harry, sitting up, "and I can ask him how come he 
never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!" 

Further discussion of Sirius Black plainly wasn't what Ron had had in 
mind. 

"Or we could have a game of chess, he said hastily, "or Gobstones. Percy 
left a set --" 

"No, let's visit Hagrid," said Harry firmly. 

So they got their cloaks from their dormitories and set off through the 

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portrait hole ("Stand and fight, you yellow-bellied mongrels!"), down 
through the empty castle and out through the oak front doors. 

They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the 
glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks 
soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been 
enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked 
like an iced cake. 

Ron knocked, but there was no answer. 

"He's not out, is he?" said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak. 

Ron had his ear to the door. 

"There's a weird noise," he said. "Listen -- is that Fang?" 

Harry and Hermione put their ears to the door too. From inside the cabin 
came a series of low, throbbing moans. 

"Think we'd better go and get someone?" said Ron nervously. 

"Hagrid!" called Harry, thumping the door. "Hagrid, are you in there. 

There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid 
stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the 
front of his leather vest. 

"YWve heard?" he bellowed, and he flung himself onto Harry's neck. 

Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no 
laughing matter. Harry, about to collapse under Hagrid's weight, was 
rescued by Ron and Hermione, who each seized Hagrid under an arm and 
heaved him back into the cabin. Hagrid allowed himself to be steered 
into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his 
face glazed with tears that dripped down into his tangled beard. 

"Hagrid, what is it?" said Hermione, aghast. 

Harry spotted an official-looking letter lying open on the table. 

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"What's this, Hagrid?" 

Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Harry, who 
Picked it up and read aloud: 

Dear Mr. Hagrid, 

Further to our inquiry into the attack by a hippogriff on a student in 
your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that 
you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident. 

"Well, that's okay then, Hagrid!" said Ron, clapping Hagrid oil the 
shoulder. But Hagrid continued to sob, and waved one of his gigantic 
hands, inviting Harry to read on. 

However, we must register our concern about the hippogriff in question. 
We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 
and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the 
Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 
20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your hippogriff at the 
Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the 
hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated. Yours in fellowship... 

There followed a list of the school governors. 

"Oh," said Ron. "But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad hippogriff, Hagrid. I 
bet he'll get off 

"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' 
Dangerous Creatures!" choked Hagrid, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. 
"They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!" 

A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid's cabin made Harry, Ron, and 
Hermione whip around. Buckbeak the hippogriff was lying in the corner, 
chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor. 

"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!" choked Hagrid. "All 
on his own! At Christmas." 

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Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another. They had never seen eye 
to eye with Hagrid about what he called "interesting creatures" and 
other people called "terrifying monsters." Or' the other hand, there 
didn't seem to be any particular harm in Buckbeak. In fact, by Hagrid's 
usual standards, he was positively cute. 

"You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid," said Hermione, 
sitting down and laying a hand on Hagrid's massive forearm. "I'm sure 
you can prove Buckbeak is safe." 

"Won't make no diff'rence!" sobbed Hagrid. "Them Disposal devils, 
they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! Ad if I lose the 
case, Buckbeak --" 

Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat, then gave a great wail 
and lurched forward, his face in his arms. 

"What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?" said Harry. 

"He's done more'n enough fer me already," groaned Hagrid. "Got enough on 
his plate what with keepin' them dementors outta the ca