The Big Dipper

The Not-so-secret Secret

In the last few days of school, Ursula spent a lot of time visiting Buckbeak — and Starkfeather — and trying to say goodbye to the former. The appeal to save Buckbeak was Thursday afternoon, but the dozens of letters Ursula had sent to Lucius had fallen on deaf and rather angry ears, and Ursula wasn't feeling very hopeful.

Ursula was in the library that evening, returning all the books she had checked out to study for her OWLs with, when she received Hagrid's note. It was dry this time, no tears had splattered it, yet his hand seemed to have shaken so much as he wrote that it was hardly legible.

Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it.

Hagrid

"I don't believe this," hissed Ursula. She slammed her books down on the table, earning a glare from Madam Pince.

"What is it?" said Cassius, leaning over her shoulder to read the note.

"Hagrid lost his appeal and Buckbeak's going to be executed at sundown," she said. Vanessa gasped.

"No offense, but I thought it was already decided," said Adrian, reading the note for himself.

"It practically was, but I was holding out hope that he might win the appeal," said Ursula. "I still can't believe it's gone this far... I'm going down to see him."

"Do you want us to come with you?" said Cassius. Ursula shook her head.

"No, no," she said. "I'll be back in a bit."

Ursula stalked out of the library, down to the Entrance Hall, and out the front doors onto the front lawn. She didn't have time to knock on the door of Hagrid's hut before Hagrid threw it open with a great sob, his black eyes bloodshot.

"I thought yeh'd come," he said. "Fudge an' Macnair, the... the executioner —" Hagrid blew his nose in his handkerchief the size of a tablecloth. "— they'll be back at sundown. Dumbledore's gonna come down while it — while it happens."

"I'm sorry, Hagrid," said Ursula.

"It's not yer fault," said Hagrid. "Yeh helped as much as yeh could... even Dumbledore couldn't o' overruled the Committee. Yeh know what yer uncle's like... he scared em, I 'spect."

"I wrote to my uncle to try to talk him out of it," said Ursula. "I'm afraid he wouldn't listen to me."

"Thank yeh for tryin' anyway," said Hagrid.

"Where's Buckbeak?" said Ursula. "I thought I'd say — I thought I'd come see him."

"I — I took him outside," said Hagrid. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an' — an' smell fresh air — before —"

"That was nice of you," said Ursula. Hagrid blew his nose again and waved a massive hand towards the pumpkin patch before going back into his hut.

Ursula picked her way through the pumpkin patch, where Buckbeak was tethered to a tree just behind the patch. He watched her with his bright orange eyes and seemed restless, as if he knew something was wrong. Ursula picked up a dead ferret from the stack nearby and fed it to Buckbeak after she bowed to him.

"Good boy," she whispered, stroking his grey feathers. Buckbeak nickered. "What a beautiful, strong Hippogriff you are."

Ursula stayed with him until dinnertime, playing catch with small pumpkins and petting his soft feathers. At last she bid him one final goodbye, giving his beak a pat and trying not to cry, and hurried back up to the castle. She heard Buckbeak caw after her, and she turned around to wave, as if she'd be back the next day.