"I don't understand why..." Hagrid seemed confused. "I received a letter from the Ministry of Magic this morning, stating that my case has been moved to next Friday."
Everyone present, except for Tom, frowned. Tom understood that it was Amelia's doing.
"Could it be old Lucius meddling in this?" Ron pondered, feeling that there must be a conspiracy behind this sudden change.
"Can't say," Harry shook his head, sitting beside him. "But we don't have another choice."
"We should send a letter to the Knight Bus, book two seats, that's the simplest way to do it. Transporting Buckbeak on a broom or through the Floo Network is unrealistic," Hermione suggested, thinking of strategies. She knew that in the face of the Ministry of Magic's order, Hagrid had no room for negotiation, so the first thing to figure out was how to get Buckbeak to London.
Hermione considered various options, but all the traditional ones seemed unworkable. Hagrid was too big, and Buckbeak was too. They could only rely on the most conventional method: traveling by bus.
Additionally, due to the restrictions of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, they had to go directly to the Ministry of Magic, one by one, along with the creature.
"You'll also need a defense statement, appropriate clothing, and if possible, tidy up your hair. The first impression you give to the jury is crucial," Hermione began planning.
"Yes... you're right," Hagrid said as he got up and retrieved a furry brown coat and a yellow-orange tie from his wardrobe. Once he found the clothing, he leaned over the table and began writing a letter to the Knight Bus's responsible.
Meanwhile, Hermione took out parchment and started drafting Hagrid's defense statement. He hadn't uttered a word on the matter, which was really tough for him. As for Tom and the other two, they just sat there trying not to hinder.
Harry and Ron were very ill-prepared, and Tom was not prepared at all. He hadn't read any cases related to magical creatures, but he had used his contacts to assist Hagrid.
Thus, they spent the night busy with all these tasks.
Friday arrived. Hagrid fed Buckbeak well early in the morning and then took him to the Knight Bus. The bus had been reserved solely for Hagrid since carrying such a dangerous creature as the Hippogriff posed a risk to other passengers. Buckbeak even boarded the bus through the back door to avoid the driver and conductor.
Not anyone could earn the recognition of a Hippogriff. If Buckbeak didn't accept the bow from these two individuals, Hagrid would be in trouble.
When Hagrid got off the bus, two wizards approached him. One looked so frail that he could collapse in front of Hagrid at any moment, while the other was robust and corpulent.
The elderly wizard could barely take a few steps before Hagrid signaled for him to stop, surprising the elderly man. He looked as if he had been on the brink of death.
"Please, bow to Buckbeak first so he won't attack you. Buckbeak is very friendly," Hagrid explained.
"So, if we don't bow, the beast will attack us?" the corpulent wizard said in a deep, angry voice, and his tone reflected his irritation, even Hagrid could sense it.
"Oh, well, you see..." Hagrid was at a loss for words. He couldn't deny what the man was saying, but his instinct told him that if he admitted it, the consequences would be severe.
It was the old wizard who intervened and said, "It's alright, it's alright... it's normal for magical creatures... it's their nature, no need to be alarmed... oh, I'm old and not cut out for this, now I remember these things."
He said in a broken tone, his voice so frail that one feared he might die any moment.
"So..." The elderly wizard squinted his eyes. "We'll keep our distance from you; you take the creature to the Ministry of Magic Hearing Room."
Hagrid nodded repeatedly and followed the elderly wizard's instructions, leading Buckbeak to the Ministry of Magic Hearing Room. There were more complications on the way. It was evident that Buckbeak was wary in an unfamiliar environment and showed strong resistance.
If it weren't for the help of the elderly wizard, Hagrid might have been arrested before reaching the Hearing Room. The kind elderly wizard cleared the pedestrian path ahead and reserved an exclusive elevator for Hagrid and Buckbeak, ensuring they arrived directly at the Hearing Room without any stops along the way.
These were common practices at the Ministry of Magic, and the elderly wizard was quite familiar with them.
"No need to go to such trouble." After Hagrid entered the elevator, the muscular man muttered discontentedly and took a handkerchief from his robe pocket to wipe the sweat from the elderly wizard's forehead. "In my opinion, just ignore them and let that beast go berserk in the Ministry of Magic and harm someone; that would be best..."
"McMillan!" The elderly wizard glared sternly at his subordinate. "I know you've been in charge of executions, but so far, there's been no verdict. We can't have discriminatory treatment of prisoners. Everything must be done according to the rules... cough, cough..."
He spoke rapidly and ended up coughing.
"Alright, alright, let's do it by the rules," the burly man gently patted the elderly wizard's back, verbally nodding.
"But I see the odds for that bloke are slim. Lucius Malfoy is determined this time; he's gathered a large group of pure-blood wizarding families to support him..."
Upon hearing this, the elderly wizard involuntarily sighed. He knew all too well that he couldn't refuse Malfoy's request. This time, that man called Hagrid was sure to lose the case.
I'm sorry, Arthur, but Hagrid picked a fight with the wrong people; what can you do?
Hagrid entered the hearing room and noticed it was different from the others. The hearing room resembled a bowl, with the jury members at the edge and Hagrid with Buckbeak in the back, surrounded by iron bars, as if they were in a large cage.
This was where the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures held their trials. Due to the special nature of the accused, the place had been modified and was entirely different from the other hearing rooms. The accused and the accused animal would be tried within a cage.
At this moment, the committee members were already taking their seats. After a while, the elderly man who spoke earlier also arrived, but instead of sitting in the jury's place, he headed straight for the host's position.
Next, the spectators who came to witness the trial entered: because Hagrid's case was quite common, the spectators who came here were pure-blood wizarding families invited by Lucius Malfoy to flaunt their power.
Seeing one noble wizard after another entering, the committee members began to get restless. At that moment, the balance in their minds was already tipping.