Chương 468: Chapter 468: Innocence (Edited)
Buckbeak's submission surprised the people present: Wasn't this Hippogriff as fierce as they said?
The elderly wizard leading the committee looked at Hagrid and said, "Can you ensure that this is the Hippogriff that attacked the person that day?"
"Of course," Hagrid responded proudly as he observed Buckbeak, with a satisfied expression in his eyes. "Buckbeak is the most special even among Hippogriffs."
Elderly Wizard: ...
What's so special to be this proud?
"You've given a name to this Hippogriff, have you also named the others?" the elderly wizard asked curiously.
"Of course, these beautiful and charming little creatures, I've given names to all of them," Hagrid nodded.
The elderly wizard looked at Buckbeak; indeed, it was beautiful, but adorable... what was that phrase? "I see you adorable, you see me delicious." Only someone like Hagrid could find it adorable, right?
"Actually, it's fine; even Muggle animal caretakers give names to their animals," a colleague of the elderly wizard explained, trying to ease the situation.
Lucius snorted. "You still haven't changed that attitude; it seems your experiences in your student days haven't taught you anything."
In his student days, Hagrid got involved in a murder case due to breeding Acromantulas, which eventually led to his unfair expulsion. However, his love for those dangerous and magical creatures didn't waver in the slightest.
Hagrid, as if he hadn't heard Lucius's words, encouraged Tom, saying, "You can try to pet him, touch his beak, or even feed him."
Hagrid pulled a dead ferret out of his jacket and tossed it into Tom's hands as the others watched in astonishment.
Tom fed the ferret to Buckbeak, who swallowed it in one gulp. That gesture reminded Tom of penguins eating fish, both swallowing them in one gulp, only the Hippogriff was much more efficient at swallowing than penguins.
"I believe most animals can peacefully coexist with wizards if we offer them our affection. If you don't believe me, you can ask Professor Scamander," Tom said as he petted Buckbeak and redirected the conversation toward Newt, who stood on the side with a joyful expression.
For Newt, there was nothing more satisfying than witnessing the harmony between people and magical creatures. Seeing Tom steer the conversation in that direction, he began to speak endlessly about his experiences in magical creature conservation.
Buckbeak swallowed the ferret and closed his eyes in contentment, looking extremely comfortable. Just as Newt was promoting his ideas, Buckbeak opened his eyes, flapped his wings, and extended one of them toward Tom.
"Haha! Tom, he's inviting you; it wasn't in vain to give him the ferret," Hagrid said excitedly as he saw Buckbeak extending his wing toward Tom. In the world of Hippogriffs, that represented acceptance and meant that Buckbeak allowed Tom to ride him.
"Come, climb on his wing... try not to pull his feathers, that would make him cranky," Hagrid hurried, with an envious look in his eyes. He wanted to ride Buckbeak too.
It was one of Hagrid's life ambitions... but it would never happen because Hagrid was too large, just like it was unrealistic for an adult to ride their own alpaca down the lane.
Tom put one foot on Buckbeak's wing, and when he made an effort to lift it, Tom was thrown onto Buckbeak's back.
Then, Tom encountered a problem: Buckbeak's neck was covered in soft feathers, and there didn't seem to be a place to hold on.
Hagrid shouldn't have taken off Buckbeak's harness so soon!
But Buckbeak didn't care if his rider found a "grip" or not; he spread his twelve-foot wings suddenly and, after attracting everyone's attention, shot up into the sky.
Tom tightly pressed his legs against Buckbeak's body, struggling to maintain balance in the air. He could feel Buckbeak's wings flapping on either side, sometimes smacking into him as they flapped.
The feeling of riding a Hippogriff wasn't as good; it felt like riding a wild horse without a saddle.
The young wizards and Ministry officials became black dots on the ground; now he was at least fifteen meters high. But there was nothing to worry about; if he fell, Dumbledore would be there to catch him. And if he couldn't catch him, then he'd be doing a trick.
Tom didn't know that ever since he had taken flight on a Hippogriff, the young wizards on the ground were thrilled.
Buckbeak flew around the enclosure once and then dove down with a muffled bang, landing on the ground.
The students lined up, and everyone applauded and cheered, even the Ministry of Magic officials had smiles on their faces. When Tom saw Hermione's familiar face in the crowd, his mind wandered, and he patted Buckbeak on the neck, pushing him in the direction of the young wizards.
Buckbeak seemed to understand what Tom wanted and approached the young wizards slowly.
"Bow quickly!" Newt exclaimed to the students.
The young wizards hurriedly bowed to Buckbeak as he stood erect, carrying Tom toward them. Tom signaled Buckbeak to walk calmly until he reached Hermione, at which point he had Buckbeak stop.
"Come," Tom said, leaning to one side and extending a hand to Hermione.
"What?" Hermione didn't have time to react before Tom grabbed her arm and led her to Buckbeak's side. Tom's other hand also extended, passing under Hermione's arm, and with an effort, he lifted her over the Hippogriff's body.
"Ouch! It tickles!" The sudden contact in the sensitive armpit made Hermione shudder, and her body involuntarily trembled. Fortunately, Tom's action was swift enough to prevent any other reaction from Hermione, and he placed her on Buckbeak's back.
"Fly us again, and I'll buy you a ferret!" Tom drew a large round cake for Buckbeak.
Buckbeak seemed to understand his words and let out a squawk, then took two strides for momentum and soared back into the sky.
"Ah!" The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Hermione scream, and Buckbeak's movements made her very uncomfortable. She frantically searched for something to hold onto, but there was nothing like an armrest on the Hippogriff's body. Instinctively, she clung to Buckbeak's neck.
"I don't like this feeling... Tom, you're an idiot!" Hermione muttered quietly, a little frightened.
"Don't worry," Tom's voice came from behind her, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her tightly.
It was Tom.
After being embraced by Tom, Hermione felt much safer, and the fear in her heart seemed to fade away. Tom's embrace provided her with a sense of security, so she released Buckbeak's neck and nestled in Tom's embrace. Tom's embrace allowed Hermione to have the mental space to take in what was happening outside.
Indeed, once she relaxed, everything became different. The feeling of weightlessness during the ascent had completely disappeared, leaving only the wind blowing on her face and a sense of freedom in the sky.
This was Hermione's first time flying on a Hippogriff, and she couldn't help but close her eyes and enjoy the whisper of the wind.
The humid air, the sensation of vibration. So, this was what it felt like to fly on a Hippogriff! At the same time, she could feel the warm contact behind her, Tom's head resting on her shoulder.
"If you want, we can fly a bit more."
"If you like, we can fly a bit more," Tom whispered softly, and Hermione nodded gently as she settled more into Tom's arms. Tom also hugged her more tightly, and the wind tousled her hair, brushing against her face and leaving a fragrant scent. Hermione's body also emitted a soft and elegant aroma, which the wind carried to his chest.
The girl in his arms was completely relaxed, and her body was soft. Tom could even feel her heartbeat.
Thus, Buckbeak took the two of them for a spin around the enclosure and then flew over the Black Lake, skimming its surface. The mirrored surface of the lake shattered as the claws collided with it, and water splashed onto the hem of their robes.
After crossing the Black Lake, Buckbeak flew toward the cliffs and arrived outside Hogwarts Castle. At that moment, most of the students were inside the castle attending their classes and had no idea that two young wizards were flying on a Hippogriff outside the castle.
...
"Very well, Miss Spinnet, your transformation is excellent. I bet if you perform the same way in your OWL exams, you'll get an 'Outstanding' grade." Professor McGonagall was making her rounds in the classroom, reviewing the students' transformation results.
She was very pleased with Alicia Spinnet's transformation, so Professor McGonagall praised her greatly.
At that moment, a shadow passed by the window and caught the attention of a red-haired student. He took his eyes off his mouse; he had just transformed it into a snuffbox, which, unfortunately, still had some mouse whiskers in its mouth. So he changed the snuffbox back into a mouse and prepared to do it again.
But a shadow on the other side of the window stopped him in his tracks, and he looked out.
Then he saw a Hippogriff flying with two people aboard.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake..." the red-haired student whispered in amazement.
"Fred Weasley! If you keep getting distracted like that, your Transfiguration results won't be promising at all," Professor McGonagall said as she approached Fred. She saw him gazing distractedly out the window instead of completing the transformation.
A fire of anger ignited inside Professor McGonagall, and she reprimanded Fred severely to get him to refocus.
"Huh?! Professor! Look outside... Someone is flying on a Hippogriff!" Fred was startled by Professor McGonagall's reprimand and spoke instinctively.
After hearing those words, the class erupted into commotion. The young wizards by the window hurried to peer outside, while those not near the window crowded to try to figure out what was happening.
"Where? Where?"
"Look, they're spinning!"
"Did anyone recognize the person on the Hippogriff's back?"
"Silence!" Professor McGonagall yielded and shouted, "Twenty points deducted from Gryffindor! Everyone back to your seats!"
Professor McGonagall's anger was not something ordinary students could bear, so they quickly dispersed and returned to their seats.
But their minds were already flying out of the window.
Not only the young wizards in Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class but also the students in Professor Flitwick's class, Professor Lupin's class, Professor Binns' class... Anyone who caught a glimpse of the fleeting figure outside the window was captivated and distracted.
Tom had no idea that he had caused a small stir inside Hogwarts Castle. At that moment, his mind was completely focused on Hermione. He could feel that as Buckbeak accelerated, Hermione clung even tighter to him. He took the opportunity to hold her even tighter, wishing that the two of them could merge into one.
As they rode the Hippogriff through the sky, embracing his favorite girl in his arms, that was what Tom wished for as his happiness.
Finally, there was a familiar rumble and a tremor as Buckbeak landed on the ground.
The applause of the young wizards resonated around them, accompanied by whistles. Tom even seemed to hear the sound of a camera shutter.
"Let go; it's not appropriate to be hugging all the time..." Hermione also snapped out of the excitement of the flight and quickly gestured for Tom to release her.
"Alright!" Tom used a bit of force in his arms and lowered Hermione from the Hippogriff's back, thus avoiding future problems and awkward questions like "Why didn't you let Hermione down first?".
After dismounting from Buckbeak, Tom gently patted his back and signaled that he could go back. Buckbeak raised his head and let out a hoot before happily running back to Hagrid.
When he arrived by Hagrid's side, Hagrid took out the ferret he had prepared and threw it to Buckbeak. Buckbeak wasted no time and gobbled it up.
Meanwhile, Tom and Hermione were surrounded by young wizards, all eager to ask them how it felt to ride a Hippogriff.
At that moment, a small figure pushed through the crowd and approached Tom, speaking loudly, "I took several photos; I'll develop them and send you a copy."
Before he could finish speaking, the other young wizards shoved him, and he disappeared. However, Tom recognized the boy. It was Colin Creevey, Harry's superfan, who always carried a magical camera and loved taking pictures of everything.
"Look, this Hippogriff is very docile... as long as you follow the rules," Dumbledore said with a smile as he looked at Buckbeak, who was devouring his meal.
"Good observation." The old wizard nodded, looking at his fellow wizards. "Now, let's begin the vote. All those who consider Buckbeak, the Hippogriff, innocent, please raise your hand."
A large number of wrinkled, slender hands went up.
"I don't think it's necessary to continue voting," the old wizard said as he glanced over the votes. "I hereby announce that, according to the decision of the Committee for the Care and Control of Dangerous Magical Creatures, Buckbeak is declared innocent and is free to go."
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