bacchusnovels Chapter 400, 2 minutes remaining
Chapter 400, 2 minutes remaining
Chapter 400, 20 minutes remaining
The night was deep, and moonlight streamed down from the layers of clouds, casting a cold, silvery glow over the surrounding scenery.
Hagrid's cabin stood quietly in the still night, a few faint lights shining through the windows, like a pair of weary eyes gazing at the empty courtyard.
Inside the room, the fireplace occasionally crackled softly, and the flickering flames cast blurry shadows on the wall.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of burning wood, mingling with the earthy aroma unique to Hagrid's cottage.
Hermione sat in a chair by the fireplace, her gaze fixed on the flames, a corner of her robe in her hand, her expression tense.
Various thoughts kept flashing through her mind, but none of them could calm her down.
Harry leaned against the bed, his face pressed against the cold glass, trying to see what was happening outside through the small window.
But outside the window, all was quiet, with only the occasional sound of wind and the faint rustling of the willow branches.
Anxiety made his breathing heavy, and he tapped lightly on the window frame with his fingertips, making a soft, rustling sound.
Ron sat at the table, hugging his knees and curling up into a ball.
His gaze was fixed on the floor, and he dared not look anyone in the eye.
Everyone is waiting for something, yet they don't know where to begin.
Sofia stood quietly in the corner, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed.
Her gaze occasionally swept over Hermione, Harry, and Ron, but she said nothing.
"Why aren't they back yet...?" Harry finally couldn't help but ask, turning to look at Hermione as if seeking some kind of confirmation.
"Wait a little longer," Hermione whispered, but her tone lacked its initial composure and confidence. "It should be soon...it should be soon..."
.
Everyone in the room was lost in their own thoughts, and time seemed to slow down and drag on.
The wind outside gradually subsided, as if even the Forbidden Forest was holding its breath, awaiting some impending outcome.
The night deepened, and the clouds, like a thick layer of velvet, concealed the stars and moonlight. Only the occasional rustling of willow branches in the distance accompanied the slight tremor of the earth.
The fire in the fireplace occasionally crackled, and a small spark briefly illuminated a trace of weariness on Sofia's face.
She stood against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, her gaze sweeping across the room and landing on the void, appearing both exceptionally focused and exceptionally detached.
Hermione glanced at her, as if to say something, but in the end she just lowered her eyes and bit her lower lip.
Harry paced back and forth, his shoes making a soft "creaking" sound as they hit the floor.
His gaze kept drifting to the window, but the pitch-black night offered him no answers... He stopped, finally turning to Hermione, and whispered, "Why aren't they back yet?"
"Wait a little longer," Hermione's voice was a few decibels lower than usual, as if she were speaking to Harry, but also as if reassuring herself, "Maybe..."
It will take a little more time.
Ron sat at the table with his head down, his fingers tracing back and forth on the wooden surface, looking preoccupied.
He suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse: "What do you say—what if we fail? What if—" He swallowed hard and didn't finish his sentence.
Hermione glared at him, looking up sharply. "We won't fail, Ron! We've come this far, we're going to succeed!" But—Ron tried to argue, only to be interrupted by Harry: "Shut up, Ron! Do you think we need to hear this now?"
The atmosphere inside the room instantly plummeted to freezing point, and the air seemed to become even more oppressive.
Suddenly, a slight commotion came from outside.
"Look!" Hermione whispered, pointing out the window. "Who's that? Someone's come out of the castle again!"
Harry immediately looked into the darkness and saw a blurry figure hurrying across the lawn toward the exit, with something gleaming coldly in the moonlight at its waist.
"McNeil!" Harry whispered, his expression instantly turning serious. "That executioner! He's gone to find the Dementors!"
Hermione, it's time—
"Alright, it's almost time." Hermione glanced at her watch. "There are about forty-five minutes left before Dumbledore locks the doors of the Colonel's Hospital. We must rescue Sirius and get back to the ward before anyone discovers we're missing."
After saying that, she took a deep breath, placed her hands on Buckbeak's back, and stepped onto it first.
Next came Sophia and Ron, who carefully followed her as they climbed onto the enormous hippogriff.
The last one is Harry.
He quickly pulled the rope around Buckbek's neck, tied it into a knot, and then carefully climbed up from the front.
"Are you all ready?" Harry asked in a low voice. "You'd better hold on tight to the person in front of you, or if you fall, no one will be able to save you."
After saying that, he gently tapped Buckbeak's stomach with his heel.
Buckbeak's wings suddenly spread out, and the group of them, linked together like a string of candied hawthorns, rose straight into the night sky with a strong gust of air.
Ha used his knees to clamp down on Buckbeak's ribs, feeling its huge wings flapping powerfully beneath their feet, with only the whistling wind and Buckbeak's low growls in his ears.
Hermione, standing in front, kept her eyes tightly shut, muttering to herself, "Oh no—I really don't like this—oh, I really don't like it."
Harry tried to adjust the direction, pulling hard on the left rope, and Buckbeak immediately turned to the left.
He held his breath, trying to count the windows that flashed by.
"Stop!" Harry suddenly whispered, pulling hard on the rope.
Buckbeak slowed down and finally stopped in front of a window on the upper floor of the castle, its huge wings flapping slowly to maintain its balance.
"He's there!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.
Inside the window, Sirius was looking up at them, his face full of shock.
He immediately ran to the window and tried to open it, but the window was locked.
"Back off!" Hermione said urgently, drawing her wand and gripping Harry's robes tightly with her left hand.
"The Arahomon Opens!"
The window opened immediately.
"W--What's going on--?" Sirius was stunned, staring at Buckbeak outside the window, his voice trembling slightly.
"Get up here—time is running out!" Harry urged. "The Dementors are coming soon—McNeil has already gone to find them!"
Sirius Black didn't hesitate any longer. He braced his hands against the window frame and squeezed his body out with great difficulty.
A few seconds later, he was already straddling Buckbeak's back, sitting behind Hermione.
"Alright, Buckbeak, get up there!" Harry yanked on the rope and shouted the order.
Buckbeak flapped its wings and took off again, flying towards the top of the West Tower.
It landed steadily on the wall, and Harry and Hermione quickly slid off its back.
"Sirius, let's go!" Harry said breathlessly. "They could find out you're missing at any moment."
Buckbeak scratched at the ground with its paws, seemingly urging Sirius on.
Sirius looked down at Harry, a complex emotion in his eyes.
"How could I—"
"Let's go!" the four shouted in unison.
Sirius took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
He squeezed Buckbeak's belly with his heel, and the hippogriff raised its huge wings and slowly rose into the air.
"Until we meet again." Sirius's voice drifted softly on the wind. "Harry—you truly are your father's son."
Harry saw him off as he disappeared into the depths of the night sky.
The clouds obscured the moon, and Buckbeak and Sirius on its back were eventually completely hidden in the darkness.
The night sky returned to tranquility, with only the lingering breeze from Buckbeak's flapping wings still gently flowing around.
Harry looked up at the sky, then turned to Hermione: "How many minutes?"
Hermione glanced down at the time, her brow furrowing slightly. "Twenty minutes left."
Harry frowned and asked, "Shouldn't we go back?"
Hermione seemed a little anxious. "You guys go first, I have something to take care of back home."
Harry immediately stopped and looked at Hermione warily. "What is it? How can you manage alone? Let's go together."
"Harry, don't worry about me," Hermione tried to keep her voice calm, but her hands gripped the edge of her robes tightly. "I have an invisibility cloak. Really, there won't be any problems."
"Hermione!" Harry was about to say something more, but Sophia interrupted him.
"Harry," Sophia's voice suddenly rang out, "I also have things to do, so I can't go back with you."
Harry turned to Sophia, his brow furrowing even deeper. "You're involved too? Now? What happened?"
"You don't need to know the details," Sophia said, pulling her robe tighter, unwilling to explain further. "Don't worry, I won't be discovered."
"But," Harry was interrupted by Hermione.
"Harry, I know you're worried about us," Hermione gently patted his shoulder, "but it's something we have to do. You and Ron go back to the ward first, get our time calculations right, and just don't get caught."
Harry looked at their expressions, and his unease grew stronger.
He wanted to say a few more words of advice, but seeing the expressions on their faces, he knew that it would be of no use.
"Alright—" Harry said helplessly, "You guys have to be careful, and come back immediately if anything happens."
Hermione nodded, and Sophia smiled slightly: "Don't worry, we're not as adventurous as you are."
Harry sighed, exchanged a glance with Ron, and then walked towards the castle, turning back every few steps.
As they watched their figures gradually disappear into the darkness, Hermione and Sophia exchanged a glance.
Everything is understood without words.
"Let's go, we don't have much time left," Hermione said in a low voice, turning and walking quickly in another direction.
Sophia stood there for a while, then pulled up her hood and disappeared into the night in a direction different from Hermione's.