"It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. I saw it! just here!" 

"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.

 "Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.

 There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.

 "Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

 Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid. Harry, Hermione, and Amelia tightened their grip and dug their heels into the forest floor to stop him. 

"Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the forest." 

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will.... Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy." 

"O' -- o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in...."

 Harry, Amelia, and  Hermione listened closely. They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.

 "Now what?" whispered Harry, looking around. 

"We'll have to hide in here," said Hermione, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait until it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius's window. He won't be there for