kly, hurrying over and starting 
to clean up the mess. 

"There's another one in the cupboard," Hagrid said, sitting down and 
wiping his forehead on his sleeve. Harry glanced at Ron, who looked back 
hopelessly. 

"Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid?" Harry asked fiercely, 
sitting down next to him. "Dumbledore --" 

"He's tried," said Hagrid. "He's got no power ter overrule the 
Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared.... Yeh 

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know what Lucius Malfoy's like... threatened 'em, I expect... an' the 
executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's... but it'll be quick 
an' clean... an' I'll be beside him.... " 

Hagrid swallowed. His eyes were darting all over the cabin as though 
looking for some shred of hope or comfort. 

"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it -- while it happens. Wrote me 
this mornin'. Said he wants ter -- ter be with me. Great man, 
Dumbledore...." 

Hermione, who had been rummaging in Hagrid's cupboard for another milk 
jug, let out a small, quickly stifled sob. She straightened up with the 
new jug in her hands, fighting back tears. 

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," she began, but Hagrid shook his 
shaggy head. 

"Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh 
watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway... If Fudge an' 
Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, Harry, yeh'll be in big 
trouble." 

Silent tears were now streaming down Hermione's face, but she hid them 
from Hagrid, bustling around making tea. Then, as she picked up the milk 
bottle to pour some into the jug, she let out a shriek. 

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

Ron gaped at her. 

"What are you talking about?" 

Hermione carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside 
down. With a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, 
Scabbers the rat came sliding out onto the table. 

"Scabbers!" said Ron blankly. "Scabbers, what are you doing here?" 

He grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light. Scabbers 

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looked dreadful. He was thinner than ever, large tufts of hair had 
fallen out leaving wide bald patches, and he writhed in Ron's hands as 
though desperate to free himself 

"It's okay, Scabbers!" said Ron. "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt 
you!" 

Hagrid suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the window. His normally 
ruddy face had gone the color of parchment. 

"They're comin'...." 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione whipped around. A group of men was walking down 
the distant castle steps. In front was Albus Dumbledore, his silver 
beard gleaming in the dying sun. Next to him trotted Cornelius Fudge. 
Behind them came the feeble old Committee member and the executioner, 
Macnair. 

"Yeh gotta go," said Hagrid. Every inch of him was trembling. "They 
mustn' find yeh here.... Go now..." 

Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket and Hermione picked up the cloak. 
"I'll let yeh out the back way," said Hagrid. 

They followed him to the door into his back garden. Harry felt strangely 
unreal, and even more so when he saw Buckbeak a few yards away, tethered 
to a tree behind Hagrid's Pumpkin patch. Buckbeak seemed to know 
something was happening. He turned his sharp head from side to side and 
pawed the ground nervously. 

"It's okay, Beaky," said Hagrid softly. "It's okay..." He turned to 
Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Go on," he said. "Get goin'." 

But they didn't move. 

"Hagrid, we can't --" 

"We'll tell them what really happened --" 

"They can't kill him --" 

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"Go!" said Hagrid fiercely. "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble 


an' all!" 
They had no choice. As Hermione threw the cloak over Harry and Ron, they 
heard voices at the front of the cabin. Hagrid looked at the place where 
they had just vanished from sight. 


"Go quick," he said hoarsely. "Don' listen...." 
And he strode back into his cabin as someone knocked at the front door. 
Slowly, in a kind of horrified trance, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off 


silently around Hagrid's house. As they reached the other side, the 


front door closed with a sharp snap. 
"Please, let's hurry," Hermione whispered. "I can't stand it, I can't 
bear it...." 


They started up the sloping lawn toward the castle. The sun was sinking 
fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the 
west there was a ruby-red glow. 

Ron stopped dead. 
"Oh, please, Ron," Hermione began. 
"It's Scabbers -- he won't -- stay put --" 
Ron was bent over, trying to keep Scabbers in his pocket, but the rat 


was going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to 
sink his teeth into Ron's hand. 
"Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron," Ron hissed. 
They heard a door open behind them and men's voices. 
"Oh, Ron, please let's move, they're going to do it!" Hermione breathed. 
"Okay -- Scabbers, stay put --" 


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They walked forward; Harry, like Hermione, was trying not to listen to 
the rumble of voices behind them. Ron stopped again. 

"I can't hold him -- Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us --" 
The rat was squealing wildly, but not loudly enough to cover up the 
sounds drifting from Hagrid's garden. There was a jumble of indistinct 
male voices, a silence, and then, without warning, the unmistakable 
swish and thud of an axe. 

Hermione swayed on the spot. 

"They did it!" she whispered to Harry. "I d -- don't believe it -- they 
did it!" 
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN 
CAT, RAT, AND DOG 
Harry's mind had gone blank with shock. The three of them stood 

transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays 
of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long- shadowed 
grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling. 

"Hagrid," Harry muttered. Without thinking about what he was doing, he 

made to turn back, but both Ron and Hermione seized his arms. 
"We can't," said Ron, who was paper-white. "He'll be in worse trouble if 
they know we've been to see him...." 

Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven. 
"How -- could -- they?" she choked. "How could they?" 
"Come on," said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering. 
They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves 


hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now. 


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By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell 
around them. 


"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. 
The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force 
Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, You stupid 
rat? Stay still -- OUCH! He bit me!" 


"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a 
minute --" 


"He won't -- stay -- put --" 


Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, 
trying to break free of Ron's grip. 


"What's the matter with him?" 


But Harry had just seen -- stinking toward them, his body low to the 
ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darkness -- Crookshanks. 
Whether he could see them or was following the sound of Scabbers's 
squeaks, Harry couldn't tell. 


"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!" 


But the cat was getting nearer -


"Scabbers -- NO!" 


Too late -- the rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the 
ground, and scampered away. In one bound, Crookshanks sprang after him, 
and before Harry or Hermione could stop him, Ron had thrown the 
Invisibility Cloak off himself and pelted away into the darkness. 


"Ron!" Hermione moaned. 


She and Harry looked at each other, then followed at a sprint; it ""as 
impossible to run full out under the cloak; they pulled it off and it 
streamed behind them like a banner as they hurtled after Ron; they could 
hear his feet thundering along ahead and his shouts at Crookshanks. 


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"Get away from him -- get away -- Scabbers, come here --" 

There was a loud thud. 

"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat --" 

Harry and Hermione almost fell over Ron; they skidded to a stop right in 
front of him. He was sprawled on the ground, but Scabbers was back in 
his pocket; he had both hands held tight over the quivering lump. 


"Ron -- come on back under the cloak --" Hermione panted. "Dumbledore 
the Minister -- they'll be coming back out in a minute --" 


But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even 
catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws.... 
Something was bounding toward them, quiet as a shadow -- an enormous, 
pale-eyed, jet-black dog. 


Harry reached for his wand, but too late -- the dog had made an enormous 
leap and the front paws hit him on the chest; he keeled over backward in 
a whirl of hair; he felt its hot breath, saw inch- long teeth 


But the force of its leap had carried it too far; it rolled off him. 
Dazed, feeling as though his ribs were broken, Harry tried to stand up; 
he could hear it growling as it skidded around for a new attack. 


Ron was on his feet. As the dog sprang back toward them he pushed Harry 
aside; the dog's jaws fastened instead around Ron's outstretched arm. 
Harry lunged forward, he seized a handful of the brute's hair, but it 
was dragging Ron away as easily as though he were a rag doll -


Then, out of nowhere, something hit Harry so hard across the face he was 
knocked off his feet again. He heard Hermione shriek with pain and fall 
too. 


Harry groped for his wand, blinking blood out of his eyes 


"Lumos!"he whispered. 


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The wandlight showed him the trunk of a thick tree; they had chased 
Scabbers into the shadow of the Whomping Willow and its branches were 
creak