"Buckbeak—no—!"
Hagrid collapsed onto the lifeless body of the Hippogriff, tears streaming down his face like an open faucet, soaking its glossy feathers.
The creature was dead. Its breathing had ceased, its wings drooped lifelessly on either side, and its amber eyes remained open, devoid of any light.
When Dumbledore arrived at the scene with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, along with officials from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures and the executioner Walton MacNair, this was the sight that greeted them.
"What is the meaning of this?" Fudge demanded angrily. "Didn't I instruct you to secure it properly before the execution, Hagrid?"
"I tied it to the fence in the pumpkin patch," Hagrid replied, his face etched with sorrow, his eyes red and swollen, his beard glistening with tears. "I wanted it to breathe some fresh air, seeing as it was going to be executed ahead of schedule—"
"I told it, your days are numbered." He cried out in anguish, "But it was such a proud creature—it would rather die than lose its head!"
Fudge stared at him in astonishment.
What the Minister of Magic failed to notice, however, was the glance exchanged between the committee official and MacNair behind him.
The two had already received a hefty sum of Galleons from Lucius Malfoy.
MacNair tossed aside his axe, which, notably, hadn't even been sharpened.
"It wailed for two whole hours before deciding to end its own life—" Hagrid continued to vent his grief, "It died! It died! No one had the right to take its life except itself!"
Fudge furrowed his brows, avoiding Hagrid's accusatory gaze.
"So what now?" he muttered, clearly displeased, his eyes scanning Buckbeak's body with growing suspicion.
"Did the feathers on this Hippogriff look this long during the last trial? And these claws—were they this curved?"
Hagrid sniffled, his face turning a deep shade of purple as he responded, "Minister, it's still a youngling. It grows! It's been months; it grows fast!"
Seeing that his performance was beginning to falter under Fudge's scrutiny, his words starting to stammer—
The committee official tactfully stepped in, his eyes darting around before he spoke, "Cornelius, we have the creature's characteristics on record. Why don't we conduct a check?"
Fudge nodded and stepped aside, signaling for him and MacNair to proceed.
The two pretended to examine Buckbeak's eyes, observing its pupils, and even plucked a feather to compare it with the records.
"The iris color matches, and it's normal for feathers to grow longer and change color with age—"
"And the feather alignment, the beak structure... all normal, no issues."
The official stood up and addressed Fudge, "Verification complete. It's the same creature."
"Alright then." Fudge stomped his foot, clearly annoyed at having stood too long in the pumpkin patch, which had soiled his shoes. "In that case, let's proceed with the paperwork. The creature is already dead, so I suppose all we need to do is sign the documents."
"The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures hereby declares the Hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter referred to as the convicted creature..."
The official began reading the document aloud in front of the assembled group.
"... sentenced to decapitation, execution to be carried out by the committee's appointed executioner, Walton MacNair..."
"... but the convicted creature died of apparent guilt before the execution could be carried out..."
"Witness: Rubeus Hagrid..."
They came and went in a hurry, taking the deceased Hippogriff with them to close the case.
And the very next moment—
Hagrid, who had been pinching his thigh and wailing just a second ago, suddenly broke into a wide grin. He strode into his hut and enveloped Jane Yu in a bear hug.
"Jane! I don't know how to thank you!" He lifted her off the ground and spun her around before setting her down on an armchair. "You saved Buckbeak! It's like you saved my life!"
Having just climbed out of Newt's suitcase, Jane was caught off guard by the bear hug. She felt as though she might faint, her internal organs nearly being squeezed out.
Behind her, Newt, who had half-climbed out of the suitcase, quickly retreated upon witnessing the scene.
Fortunately, Hagrid didn't lose his senses entirely and attempt to spin the centenarian around as well.
"Thank you, Mr. Scamander!" Hagrid shook Newt's hand fervently. "You and Jane are my saviors—Buckbeak's saviors!"
Newt returned the handshake warmly, smiling faintly.
He thought his apprentice, Jane Yu, was nothing short of a genius!
First, she came up with such a clever plan of substitution—
Then, she managed to navigate the tricky waters of the Ministry of Magic—
She was clearly born to work alongside him in the field of magical creature conservation!
"Perhaps you could help me look after it for a while," Jane said reluctantly, having just fed Buckbeak, now safely housed in Newt's suitcase. "Once I convince Dumbledore, I'll come here to take care of them myself!"
She made a solemn promise to Newt.
In truth, she was already fantasizing about riding a majestic Hippogriff alongside Newt, traveling the world after her eventual departure from Hogwarts.
"Well..." Newt scratched his head at her words, looking a bit sheepish. "Jane, have I ever told you—"
A sudden sense of foreboding crept into Jane's heart.
Her smile froze on her face.
"I discussed it with Albus last night and decided to apply for a position in magical creature protection."
Newt smiled gently, radiating warmth and kindness.
—But his words sent Jane into an icy abyss.
"I believe interest should be nurtured from a young age, but Albus insists that foundational education is also essential. I know you miss me... so this is the compromise we reached."
"And conveniently, Mr. Hagrid here can continue assisting me as my teaching assistant..."
Jane felt like she was about to shatter.
She was utterly crestfallen, feeling as though her entire world had turned upside down.
Although she had long planned to unite external resources—
It was with the hope that they would take her out of school, not transform from external resources into internal ones!
This plan hadn't just gone off track; it had veered straight into the sewers!
Perhaps what she needed was an escape plan, not a Hogwarts improvement plan?
Could it be that Hogwarts was the true protagonist of destiny?
She sighed deeply, silently lighting a candle for her derailed plan.
But just a few days later—
Jane, still mourning her failed plan, suddenly received a piece of explosive news.
It brought her wayward plan back on track.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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