Chapter 303: Conversation Inside Hagrid's Hut

Chapter 303: Conversation Inside Hagrid's Hut

"Trapped on the causeway"

"Pettigrew's coming to get Harry, and another Death Eater!"

"Sirius is injured!"

Hermione explained in a fluster until Felix's hand rested on her shoulder. "Calm down, Granger. I have only one question," his eyes bore into her, earnestly asking, "Do we still have time?"

Hermione blinked. "Oh" she stammered, "Of course, that's why I came back. We have... about an hour, I suppose."

"Right, you used a Time-Turner," Felix said calmly. "Let's walk and talk. Where do you think we should go now?"

"Hagrid's hut!"

Hermione answered without hesitation. Felix nodded, tapping Hermione's shoulder with his wand. She felt herself blend into the surroundings, just like the professor. She realized it was the effect of the Disillusionment Charm.

"If we're to do something, we must first conceal ourselves," Felix said.

They hurried toward Hagrid's hut. Felix asked the question he cared about most:

"Did you see the outcome? I mean, did you witness the dire consequences firsthand, like... deaths?"

"No, I only saw them trapped on the causeway, surrounded by Dementors attacking them. The Ministry also sent a group of Aurors, and some students"

"Ministry's Aurors? How did they arrive?"

"The woman in the pink robes, Umbridge! She summoned the Dementors and alerted the Ministry!" Hermione exclaimed sharply.

In the pumpkin patch behind Hagrid's hut, a Thestral with an eagle's head and wings snorted, lifting its head alertly, sniffing the air.

"Buckbeak, easy now, we've met before," a gentle voice said.

"Oh, it's me, Hermione, I've fed you" a slightly trembling female voice said.

Buckbeak stared into the air, recognizing the owner of the voice but unable to see them, which made him impatiently stomp the ground.

The window of Hagrid's hut swung open suddenly, and a voice asked, "Who's out there?" Soon, a furry head poked out, it was Hagrid.

He glanced outside warily, and Felix and Hermione were hiding behind a large pumpkin. Combined with the Disillusionment Charm, Hagrid could only see Buckbeak's restless behavior. He shouted in the direction of the Thestral, "Don't let strangers come close, Buckbeak!"

Hagrid pulled his head back in, and his roaring voice came from inside the hut, "Explain yourself, Pettigrew! Why did you hide at Ron's for so many years and then attack Harry!"

A trembling voice replied, "No, it's not what you think. I'm worried about Harry, he's in danger... I had to get him out of the school!"

Lupin's calm voice added, "It's strange. If I'm not mistaken, your fugitive friend is wearing a Death Eater's hood."

The frightened voice stumbled, "It's, it's a disguise..."

Outside Hagrid's hut, behind a large pumpkin, Felix asked Hermione, "Now, can you tell me what happened?"

"Yeah, he caught me. Remember that time I tried to give you the Polyjuice Potion and got caught?" Sirius awkwardly explained his less-than-pleasant escape.

In the pumpkin patch, Felix thought for a moment and said, "He asked for my help when I should have been in a safe house, cut off from the outside world."

"Was it the same kind Harry's parents used? The one requiring the Fidelius Charm?" Hermione asked softly.

"That's right."

Inside Hagrid's hut, Sirius continued, "...That's how it went. I was imprisoned in the Black family house, couldn't go anywhere. This afternoon, when I couldn't get in touch with anyone, I realized something was amiss. I used Apparition to get near the Forbidden Forest and, using that lousy map, looked for a few minutes until I finally found you guys. Pettigrew had collapsed on the ground. I really wanted to give him an Avada Kedavra on the spot, to end his wretched life..."

The room echoed with Pettigrew's attempts at justification. With a sobbing voice, he said, "I wanted to be brave like you all, but he caught me, kept pressuring me"

Sirius roared angrily, "So you chose betrayal!" The room erupted into chaos. Accompanied by a bang, Pettigrew let out a painful groan, as if he'd been hit hard. He sobbed softly.

Lupin's soothing voice advised, "Calm down, Padfoot. We need to let Harry uncover the truth."

"Listen to him," Sirius gasped, "I'll continueI intended to kill Pettigrew, but the danger was greater with Harry involved, so I joined the fight. You know what happened next."

Lupin explained why he had come, "I didn't have a replica of that map, but Professor Harp gave me a Galleon linked to the Marauder's Map. If Pettigrew appeared, it would respond. Luckily, I was with Severus at the time."

"How did you end up together?" Harry asked.

"I came to deliver potions to Lupin..." Snape's distinctively cold voice said, "Do you want to know what kind of potions, Potter?"

"I'll explain, Severus. There's no need to keep hiding. It's Wolfsbane Potion, Harry. I'm a werewolf," Lupin said.

"What? Professor, you're..." Harry asked in astonishment.

"That's right, I'm a werewolf. Dumbledore gave me a chance to study and see a wider world. Last year, he invited me to come to Hogwarts and promised to provide the Wolfsbane Potion for freeit helps me endure the full moon a bit better. It's hard to come by outside. I have to thank Severus..."

Felix and Hermione waited quietly for over ten minutes. The door of Hagrid's hut swung open.

Hermione provided commentary on what followed, "Next, we split into two groups. Hagrid took Ron to the hospital wing; the wound on his leg had started to fester. I went with them. The rest of us took Pettigrew to the Great Hall in the castle, ready to hand him over to the Ministry's stationed Aurors."

"Isn't that good? Why did things go wrong?"

"It was Umbridge! She secretly set up a lot of detectors in the school, monitoring every move. She admitted it herself, all to gain favor in front of Fudge..."

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