He- he sent me this," Hermione said, holding out theletter.Harry took it. The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read. 

Dear Hermione, 

We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts.Execution date to be fixed.Beaky has enjoyed London.I won't forget all the help you and Emma gave us gave us, thank her too.

 Hagrid

"They can't do this," said Harry. "They can't. Buckbeak isn'tdangerous."

"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it," said Hermione, wiping her eyes. "Sorry Emma, but You know what he's like. They're a bunchof doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal,though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope. . . . Nothing willhave changed."

 "Yeah, it will," said Ron fiercely. "You won't have to do all thework alone this time, Hermione. I'll help." 

"Oh, Ron!"

 Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke downcompletely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardlyon the top of the head, blushing hard. Finally, Hermione drew away. 

"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers . . . ," she sobbed.

 "Oh — well — he was old," said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved that she had let go of him. "And he was a bit useless. Younever know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now."

As I made way to my  Common Room I nudged Ron. "As red as your hair there weasly." I smirked. He scowled.

The safety measures imposed on the students since Black's secondbreak-in made it impossible for Me,Harry, Ron, and Hermione to goand visit Hagrid in the evenings. Our only chance of talking tohim was during Care of Magical Creatures lessons.He seemed numb with shock at the verdict. 

"S'all my fault. Got all tongue-tied. They was all sittin' there inblack robes an' I kep' droppin' me notes and forgettin' all themdates yeh looked up fer me, Hermione an' Emma. An' then Lucius Malfoystood up an' said his bit, and the Committee jus' did exac'ly whathe told 'em. . . ." 

"There's still the appeal!" said Ron fiercely. "Don't give up yet,we're working on it!"

We were walking back up to the castle with the rest of theclass. By we I meant me, Zoe and Hermione. Ahead we could see Draco, who was walking with Crabbeand Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively.

 "S'no good, Ron," said Hagrid sadly as we reached the castlesteps. "That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonnamake sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. Iowe him that. . . ." 

Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, hisface buried in his handkerchief. 

"I may not have wanted this to happen! Look at him blubber!" Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside thecastle doors, listening.

 "Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Draco."And he's supposed to be our teacher!"Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward him, butHermione got there first — 

SMACK! 

She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength shecould muster. Draco staggered. Me, Zoe, Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goylestood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again.  

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul — you evil —" 

"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand asshe swung it back. 

"Get off, Ron!"Hermione pulled out her wand.

Dracp stepped backward.Crabbe and Goyle looked at him for instructions, thoroughly bewildered."C'mon," Draco muttered, and in a moment, all three of themhad disappeared into the passageway to the dungeons. 

I followed. "What on Earth was that?" I snarled at him "someone--or thing, or whatever--is going to die because of your father. He's really got those committee wrapped around his little finger hasn't he?"

Draco sighed, as he said "Salazar." to the door. 

"Don't tell me you didn't find it amusing." he said as we made our way into the common room.

"I didn't!" I said fiercely.

"You said it yourself Emma! Hippogriffes for third years are dangerous."

"Well, yes but if you had just listened--"

"Chances were I'd still get hurt."

"But--"

"But nothing, Emma. We have transfiguration next you coming or not?"

--

The Easter holidays were not exactly relaxing. The third years hadnever had so much homework. Astoria Tallow seemed closeto a nervous collapse, and she wasn't the only one. 

 "Call this a holiday!" Draco roared at the commonroom one afternoon. "The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?"But nobody had as much to do as Hermione. Even without Divination, she was taking more subjects than anybody else in our year. 

From what I'd heard, She wasusually last to leave the common room at night, first to arrive at thelibrary the next morning; she had shadows like Lupin's under hereyes, and seemed constantly close to tears. 

Ron had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. Whenhe wasn't doing his own work, he was poring over enormouslythick volumes with names like The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology and Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality. He was soabsorbed, he even forgot to be horrible to Crookshanks. 

Harry, meanwhile, had to fit in his homework around Quidditch practice every day, not to mention endless discussions of tactics with Wood. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take placeon the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. 

Never, in anyone's memory, had a match approached in such ahighly charged atmosphere. By the time the holidays were over,tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. 

A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors,culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth yearand a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leekssprouting out of their ears. 

Harry was having a particularly bad time of it. He couldn't walkto class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to triphim up; Crabbe and Goyle kept popping up wherever he went, andslouching away looking disappointed when they saw him surrounded by people. Wood had given instructions that Harryshould be accompanied everywhere he went, in case the Slytherinstried to put him out of action.

I scowled as Seamus told me to maintain my distance. "Do I need to wear a T-shirt which says 'I don't care about Quidditch." I asked. "Move out of the way and let me talk to my brother, Finnigan or you won't have any legs to walk with."

On the night before the match, Draco had to sleep but I was up at the tower.

The grounds were still and quiet. No breath of wind disturbedthe treetops in the Forbidden Forest; the Whomping Willow wasmotionless and innocent-looking. It looked as though the conditions for the match would be perfect.

 something caught my eye. An animal of some kind wasprowling across the silvery lawn. I squinted

It couldn't be theGrim — not now — not right before the match — I peered out at the grounds again and, after a minute's franticsearching, spotted it. It was skirting the edge of the forest now. . . .It wasn't the Grim at all . . . it was a cat. . . . 

I clutched the  ledge in relief as I recognized the bottlebrush tail. It wasonly Crookshanks. . . .Or was it only Crookshanks? 

I squinted. Crookshanks seemed to have come to a halt.Harry was sure he could see something else moving in the shadowof the trees too. 

And just then, it emerged — a gigantic, shaggy black dog, moving stealthily across the lawn, Crookshanks trotting at its side. I stared. What did this mean? If Crookshanks could see thedog as well, how could it be an omen of Harry's death?

Or mine?

The next day, atmosphere was tense. 

Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hallthe next day to enormous applause. Harry couldn't help grinningbroadly as I saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tableswere applauding them too. 

I rolled my eyes. I didnt want my brother to die, but I didn't want him to win either. If this made me selfish, so be it.

"And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet,Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the bestteam Hogwarts has seen in a good few years —"

 Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of "boos" from theSlytherin end. 

"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He'smade some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for sizerather than skill —"More boos from the Slytherin crowd.

Freaking prejudices.

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch.

 Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other'shand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break theother's fingers.

 "Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three . . . two . . .one . . ."The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd asfourteen brooms rose into the air. I saw Draco on harry's tail, as he sped off in search of the Snitch. 

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindorwith the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts,looking good, Alicia! Argh, no — Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing up the field — WHAM! —nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops theQuaffle, it's caught by — Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession,come on, Angelina — nice swerve around Montague — duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger! — SHE SCORES! TEN–ZERO TOGRYFFINDOR!" 

Angelina punched the air as she soared around the end of thefield; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight —"OUCH!"Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flintwent smashing into her.

 "Sorry!" said Flint as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't seeher!" 

A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at theback of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of hisbroom and began to bleed

."That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming betweenthem. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack ontheir Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage totheir Chaser!"

 "Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew herwhistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty.

 "Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER!TWENTY–ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!" 

Harry turned the Firebolt sharply to watch Flint, still bleedingfreely, fly forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Wood was hoveringin front of the Gryffindor goal posts, his jaw clenched." 'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowdas Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficultto pass — very difficult indeed — YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!HE'S SAVED IT!" 

I groaned.

"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession — no! —Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell forGryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field — THATWAS DELIBERATE!" 

Montague, a Slytherin Chaser, had swerved in front of Katie, and instead of seizing the Quaffle had grabbed her head. Katie cartwheeled in the air, managed to stay on her broom, but dropped theQuaffle.

 Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again as she soared over toMontague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie hadput another penalty past the Slytherin Seeker.

 "THIRTY–ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING —" 

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way — !" 

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!" 

Harry and Draco were speeding towards the Slytherin end.

 One of the Bludgers came streaking past Harry's right ear, hit bythe gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick. Then again —WHOOSH.The second Bludger grazed Harry's elbow. The other Beater,Bole, was closing in.Harry had a fleeting glimpse of Bole and Derrick zoomingtoward him, clubs raised —He turned the Firebolt upward at the last second, and Bole andDerrick collided with a sickening crunch.

I winced.

"This is rubbish" groaned Nicholas

 "Ha haaa!" yelled Lee Jordan as the Slytherin Beaters lurchedaway from each other, clutching their heads. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle — Flintalongside her — poke him in the eye, Angelina! — it was a joke,Professor, it was a joke — oh no — Flint in possession, Flint flyingtoward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save — !"

 But Flint had scored; there was an eruption of cheers from theSlytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagalltried to tug the magical megaphone away from him.

"Finally" said Zoe.

 "Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor inthe lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession —"

. Enraged that Gryffindor had taken such an early lead, theSlytherins were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle.Bole hit Alicia with his club and tried to say he'd thought she wasa Bludger. George Weasley elbowed Bole in the face in retaliation. 

Madam Hooch awarded both teams penalties, and Woodpulled off another spectacular save, making the score forty-ten toGryffindor. Draco was still keeping closeto Harry as he soared over the match, looking around for it —once Gryffindor was fifty points ahead —Katie scored. Fifty-ten. Fred and George Weasley were swooping around her, clubs raised, in case any of the Slytherins werethinking of revenge. Bole and Derrick took advantage of Fred's andGeorge's absence to aim both Bludgers at Wood; they caught himin the stomach, one after the other, and he rolled over in the air,clutching his broom, completely winded.Madam Hooch was beside herself. 

"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" she shrieked atBole and Derrick. "Gryffindor penalty!"And Angelina scored. Sixty-ten. Moments later, Fred Weasleypelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of hishands; Alicia seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal —seventy-ten. 

The Gryffindor crowd below was screaming itself hoarse —Gryffindor was sixty points in the lead, and if Harry caught theSnitch now, the Cup was theirs. 

Harry put on a huge burst of speed soaring upwards; the wind must be roaring in hisears; he stretched out his hand, but suddenly, the Firebolt was slowing down —Horrified, he looked around. Draco had thrown himself forward, grabbed hold of the Firebolt's tail, and was pulling it back. 

"You —"

 Harry looked angry enough to hit Draco but couldn't reach —Draco was panting with the effort of holding onto the Firebolt,but his eyes were sparkling maliciously. He had achieved what he'dwanted to do — the Snitch had disappeared again. 

"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!"Madam Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One.

 "YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordan was howling into themegaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. "YOUFILTHY, CHEATING B —"

Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off. She wasactually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction, her hat had fallenoff, and she too was shouting furiously. 

Alicia took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missedby several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration andthe Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on Harry, were beingspurred on to greater heights. 

"Was that really the way?" I asked Nicholas, he nodded excietedly.

Well, we scoring.

"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal —Montague scores —" Lee groaned. "Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor. . . ." 

Harry was now marking Draco so closely their knees kept hitting each other. Harry wasn't going to let Malfoy anywhere near theSnitch. . . . neither was Draco"Get out of it, Potter!"Draco yelled in frustration as he tried toturn and found Harry blocking him. 

He did the same to harry and Harry groaned "get lost Malfoy!"

This was the dirtiest game I had ever watched, 

"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on,Angelina, COME ON!"Harry looked around. Every single Slytherin player apart fromMalfoy was streaking up the pitch toward Angelina, including theSlytherin Keeper — they were all going to block her —Harry wheeled the Firebolt around, bent so low he was lying flatalong the handle, and kicked it forward. Like a bullet, he shottoward the Slytherins."

AAAAAAARRRGH!" 

They scattered as the Firebolt zoomed toward them; Angelina'sway was clear. 

"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eightypoints to twenty!"Harry, who had almost pelted headlong into the stands, skidded to a halt in midair, reversed, and zoomed back into the middle ofthe field. Draco dived, Harry followed.

Harry knocked Malfoy's arm out of the way and —"YES!"He pulled out of his dive, his hand in the air, and the stadiumexploded. Harry soared above the crowd, an odd ringing in hisears. The tiny golden ball was held tight in his fist, beating its wingshopelessly against his fingers.

 Then Wood was speeding toward him, half-blinded by tears; heseized Harry around the neck and sobbed unrestrainedly into hisshoulder. Harry felt two large thumps as Fred and George hitthem; then Angelina's, Alicia's, and Katie's voices, "We've won theCup! We've won the Cup!" Tangled together in a many-armed hug,the Gryffindor team sank, yelling hoarsely, back to earth.

Nicholas threw his scarf to the ground. Zoe scowled. I hexed a Gryffindor second year sticking his tongue out to me. His tongue was twisted in a knot

Congrats to my brother, but I really hoped we had won.