Harry Potter 03 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

hairy brown suit and a very horrible yellow and orange tie hanging from the top of Hagrid’s wardrobe door.
    ‘What are they for, Hagrid?’ said Harry.
    ‘Buckbeak’s case against the Committee fer the Disposal o’ Dangerous Creatures,’ said Hagrid. ‘This Friday. Him an’ me’ll be goin’ down ter London together. I’ve booked two beds on the Knight Bus …’
    Harry felt a nasty pang of guilt. He had completely forgotten that Buckbeak’s trial was so near, and judging by the uneasy look on Ron’s face, he had, too. They had also forgotten their promise about helping him prepare Buckbeak’s defence; the arrival of the Firebolt had driven it clean out of their minds.
    Hagrid poured them tea and offered them a plate of Bath buns, but they knew better than to accept; they had had too much experience of Hagrid’s cooking.
    ‘I got somethin’ ter discuss with you two,’ said Hagrid, sitting himself between them and looking uncharacteristically serious.
    ‘What?’ said Harry.
    ‘Hermione,’ said Hagrid.
    ‘What about her?’ said Ron.
    ‘She’s in a righ’ state, that’s what. She’s bin comin’ down ter visit me a lot since Chris’mas. Bin feelin’ lonely. Firs’ yeh weren’ talking to her because o’ the Firebolt, now yer not talkin’ to her because her cat –’
    ‘– ate Scabbers!’ Ron interjected angrily.
    ‘Because her cat acted like all cats do,’ Hagrid continued doggedly. ‘She’s cried a fair few times, yeh know. Goin’ through a rough time at the moment. Bitten off more’n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all the work she’s tryin’ ter do. Still found time ter help me with Buckbeak’s case, mind … she’s found some really good stuff fer me … reckon he’ll stand a good chance now …’
    ‘Hagrid, we should’ve helped as well – sorry –’ Harry began awkwardly.
    ‘I’m not blamin’ yeh!’ said Hagrid, waving Harry’s apology aside. ‘Gawd knows yeh’ve had enough ter be gettin’ on with, I’ve seen yeh practisin’ Quidditch ev’ry hour o’ the day an’ night – but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you two’d value yer friend more’n broomsticks or rats. Tha’s all.’
    Harry and Ron exchanged uncomfortable looks.
    ‘Really upset, she was, when Black nearly stabbed yeh, Ron. She’s got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an’ you two not talkin’ to her –’
    ‘If she’d just get rid of that cat, I’d speak to her again!’ Ron said angrily. ‘But she’s still sticking up for it! It’s a maniac, and she won’t hear a word against it!’
    ‘Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou’ their pets,’ said Hagrid wisely. Behind him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid’s pillow.
    They spent the rest of their visit discussing Gryffindor’s improved chances for the Quidditch Cup. At nine o’clock, Hagrid walked them back up to the castle.
    A large group of people was bunched around the noticeboard when they returned to the common room.
    ‘Hogsmeade, next weekend!’ said Ron, craning over the heads to read the new notice. ‘What d’you reckon?’ he added quietly to Harry, as they went to sit down.
    ‘Well, Filch hasn’t done anything about the passage into Honeydukes …’ Harry said, even more quietly.
    ‘Harry!’ said a voice in his right ear. Harry started and looked around at Hermione, who was sitting at the table right behind them and clearing a space in the wall of books that had been hiding her.
    ‘Harry, if you go into Hogsmeade again … I’ll tell Professor McGonagall about that map!’ said Hermione.
    ‘Can you hear someone talking, Harry?’ growled Ron, not looking at Hermione.
    ‘Ron, how can you let him go with you? After what Sirius Black nearly did to you ! I mean it, I’ll tell –’
    ‘So now you’re trying to get Harry expelled!’ said Ron furiously. ‘Haven’t you done enough damage this year?’
    Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but with a soft hiss, Crookshanks leapt onto her lap. Hermione took one frightened look at the expression on Ron’s face, gathered Crookshanks up and hurried away towards the girls’ dormitories.
    ‘So how about it?’ Ron said to Harry, as though there had been no interruption. ‘Come on, last time we went you didn’t see anything. You haven’t even been inside Zonko’s yet!’
    Harry looked around to check that Hermione was well out of earshot.
    ‘OK,’ he said. ‘But I’m taking the Invisibility Cloak this time.’
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