Sirius Black is trying to fly away with Buckbeak to escape the dementors. What happens next is quite ironical…
As Black rose higher and higher into the air, sitting on the magnificent flying creature, with its gloriously large wings and majestic gleaming eyes, he saw Harry and Hermione rush towards the castle. When Harry reached the front door, he looked at Sirius one last time—he probably smiled, but Sirius could not tell for sure.
And just like that, they were gone.
Sirius gazed up into the sky. “Perhaps, this can be the beginning of a new life”, he thought. Buckbeak’s large wings seemed to provide Sirius with a sense of security—something which he hadn’t felt in a long time. They were cushioned, gentle and sturdy at the same time. He swaddled his arms around Buckbeak like a baby and drifted to sleep.
It could not have been more sixty minutes when he heard Buckbeak make an odd sound. It sounded somewhere between a loud squeal and a low growl (Sirius could have sworn he had heard two different squeals in that noise). He opened his grey eyes to find Buckbeak crashing down, into the dense woods. Baffled, he clenched the creature tightly, a thousand thoughts-blowing his mind up; but the one that silently startled him? Death. He could not do much about it. But he could not let the possibility of staying with Harry blow up, either. He looked down towards the forest and saw a small patch of barren land right in the centre of the woods. He somehow managed to get Buckbeak to fly into that direction, thanks to his Animagus instinct. A few minutes and a lot of screams later, they managed to land on that piece of land. The landing was not too smooth, but Sirius was grateful to escape this near-death experience with minor injuries.
Once Sirius was back again on his feet, he looked around to see if he could identify the place. He couldn’t. So he moved towards Buckbeak to ensure he was okay. To his surprise, the ever-so-majestic Buckbeak looked fatigued. Sirius remembered Harry telling him about Buckbeak’s situation. “An execution, eh? Well, you must be tired of all the flying that you’ve done today.” Buckbeak made a neighing sound as if he had understood every word of what Sirius had said. It was riveting really, what magical creatures could do. “Don’t you worry, I will find something for you to eat. Wait right here; I will be back in some time.” Saying this, he tied Buckbeak around a nearby tree with a piece of cloth he found in his coat’s pocket and set into the unknown.
What happened with Sirius, remains a mystery. But what happened in the next few minutes with Buckbeak, remains to be an enthralling coincidence (or maybe not a coincidence after all).
A squeaky noise; Getting louder; It stops; A tickling sensation.
A mouse? A mouse.
A rather old one, though.
It scurries. Buckbeak tries to, well, use it to satisfy his hunger. It escapes.
And a whooshing sound is heard.
A man with straw-brown hair and light brown eyes appears. He notices the mouse.
“Oh well, look who we ran into”, he exclaims. The mouse stops. It looks afraid.
The man tries to step over the mouse.
This mouse is fast.
The man picks it up in his hands with much ease and stares at it with his ugly, brown eyes. After looking at it for a few minutes, he finally speaks, “I may just know who this is.” The mouse makes a silent, repressed squeak. “Imperio”
“Reveal yourself.”
We see a blue light, and subsequently, a short man with light-coloured hair and a creepy smile.
The first man laughs. “Peter Pettigrew,” he says.
The man, Peter, chooses to remain silent. He is looking down towards the ground and seems to be searching for something. He looks timid and not too trust-worthy at the same time.
“You do not know me, I believe.”
Peter gives a slight shake of his head. He is still looking down.
“Well, I’ve got something for you.”
Peter looks up.
“I believe you are looking for the Dark Lord.”
“Y-yes sir”, Peter finally says.
“Do you know where he is?”
“No, sir.”
“What if I told you if I could guide you?”
“What then?”
The man laughs. “I have got a plan.”
He starts to walk away.
“S-sir!” Peter yells. “Where are we going?”
“The Riddle House”, he replies.
Peter starts to walk with the man.
They walk in silence for a few minutes, until Peter finally asks, “Do I know you, sir?”
“Possibly. I mean, my father is quite well-known in the Ministry of Magic.”
“Who, may I ask?”
“Bartemius Crouch Senior. And I am Barty Crouch Junior. No more questions, now. The Dark Lord expects us. He has a plan. Good thing I found you.”
“Well, it’s all Harry Potter’s effort, sir. He has got good relations with magical creatures. Couldn’t have been here without this stupid flying horse”, Peter replies with a smirk.
It’s The Boy Who Lived who is responsible for the Dark Lord’s rise.
– Mira Sehgal, Amity International School, Noida
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