THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Because they were just having a bit of fun at Ron's expense. After saving Sirius and Buckbeak and going through a rather harrowing ordeal, they can now relax and enjoy themselves. The levity provides an "end point" to the main story, indicating to the audience that it has reached its conclusion.

raywest

Answer: Hagrid tended to collect magical animals that were illegal to own. In Philosopher's Stone, he kept a baby dragon, which was illegal. The creature he was hiding was probably a banned animal.

raywest

Answer: I wouldn't say they were surprised, exactly. They hadn't seen Harry all summer and their reunion was a bit awkward because Ron and Hermione were squabbling with each other. They didn't expect to see Harry at that moment.

raywest

Answer: Because they had some small hope that something would happen that prevented it, they stayed to see if a miracle would happen basically. They didn't want to see it of course, but they felt it too terrible to just not know if there was any hope it wouldn't happen and then miss it.

lionhead

But how could they tell from the top of that hill? They were so far away they couldn't hear a thing.

They could see the executioner from where they were standing, just not very well or entirely. They saw him swinging the ax, but not what he was hitting. They just assumed it was Buckbeak.

raywest

Answer: They didn't actually see Buckbeak being executed because he never was. They were far enough away that they only partially saw the executioner wield the axe, but he was actually chopping a pumpkin out of frustration because Buckbeak had disappeared. If they had been closer, they most likely would not have looked at all, not wanting to witness such a gruesome scene.

raywest

Thank you but I was meaning to ask why they stayed on that hill to watch instead of returning to the common room?

It's pointless to speculate what their reasoning for watching was because it really comes down to it being a plot device. The audience has to think that Buckbeak has been killed in order to propel the story forward. That is achieved by having HR&H stop atop the hill and watch what they think is the execution. It also is to convey their sense of grief and hopelessness.

raywest

Question: Why did Ripper bite Vernon's leg? Did he think he was inflating Marge, or was Harry using his magic to control the dog into doing it?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Ripper is just a mean dog and badly raised by Marge (who is a dog breeder).

lionhead

Answer: That, and he was also instinctively protecting his awful mistress.

Plus some dogs are just nasty and bite for the sake of it.

Ssiscool

Answer: His leg was not healed enough to go with them and would have slowed them down. He was still laid up in bed when Harry and Hermione went back in time. Hermione even says, "Sorry, Ron, but seeing as you can't walk..."

raywest

Answer: Hermione heard a twig snap behind her. It was the time-traveling Hermione, who was hiding in the trees with the "other" Harry. They are waiting to steal Buckbeak in order to save him from execution. When Hermione heard the sound, she started to say, "I thought I just saw..." then abruptly stopped. She must have realised that it was her alternate self, and not wanting Harry or Ron to know, then dismissed it as being nothing.

raywest

But when they go back in time you don't see Hermione snap a twig at all.

We never see her feet so she either stood on one by accident or when she held the branch, a twig snapped. Also who says Harry didn't step on one either.

Question: When Hermione says "I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will fix it in a heartbeat" was she trying to be comforting or was she annoyed that Ron was over reacting about his leg?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Ron was overreacting but Hermione's response was typical of what anyone would say to a person who's been injured, doing what they can to calm and comfort them. Ron always had a somewhat excitable personality.

raywest

Answer: She wasn't sad. They'd all just been through a rather harrowing and scary experience inside the Shrieking Shack, and she has been emotionally affected by it all. She's also worried about Ron, whose leg was injured.

raywest

Answer: Hermione was telling Harry to go over to Sirius, who had gone a little further ahead. Harry was torn between tending to Ron, who'd injured his leg, and wanting to talk to Sirius. Hermione thought it more important for Harry and Sirius to talk while she stayed with Ron. Harry had only found out moments before that Sirius was not responsible for murdering his parents, and he had much to discuss with his godfather.

raywest

Answer: Ron's leg had been injured and he couldn't walk any further. They needed to tend to him before going on. If Lupin had not transformed into a werewolf and Pettigrew not escaped, one of the others probably would have gone on to get help transporting Ron back to the castle.

raywest

Question: I've only ever guessed this but am I right in thinking that the reason Harry wasn't expelled from Hogwarts because they thought he'd be safe from Black only there? Is that also why they wouldn't overlook Harry's Hogsmeade form not being signed?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Answer: Harry's protection from Black was always the first priority, but the reason Harry was wasn't expelled from Hogwarts was because he never did anything that warranted permanent dismissal. The incident with Aunt Marge was provoked by Harry's family and Dumbledore never would have held him fully accountable. Any other school rule-breaking on his part was never anything more than what other students had engaged in and resulted in being punished in an appropriate way. The school would never have overlooked Harry's unsigned form. If a parent or guardian did not sign it, then the school would not allow a student to participate in any activity that needed parental permission. That was the rule.

raywest

Answer: The moments are brief but important to those who ship Ron and Hermione. Basically, it's just a few moments where Hermione gets scared and instinctively grabs Ron's arm. That's literally all it is. It happens twice but Ron only reacts the first time. And one more, in the original timeline, when Buckbeak supposedly dies, Hermione shields her eyes behind Ron's shoulder and wraps her arms around his neck while crying.

Answer: Because he'd been knocked out by Harry's spell. Either he'd wake up on his own, or someone from Hogwarts would have been sent to fetch him. Ron was the one who needed immediate help because of his leg. Also, Snape would still be trying to apprehend Sirius if he was brought with them.

raywest

Answer: She's heard of him, she is just surprised to hear his name when asking what Sirius Black is doing here.

lionhead

Answer: I don't recall either Harry or Hermione acting confused and Dumbledore never lied to them about knowing they rescued Sirius. He would never directly acknowledge it to them, however, because he could more truthfully tell investigators that he knew nothing about Sirius' escape. It's called "plausible deniability." The less detail he knows about how they accomplished their goal, the less he can be questioned about it.

raywest

Chosen answer: She could have been looking at Remus and Pettigrew, who exited from the tunnel behind her, Ron, Harry, and Sirius. She probably also heard Snape making his way through the tunnel shortly after that. He was the last to exit from the Shrieking Shack after being knocked out by Harry's spell.

raywest

Question: Even though Pettigrew valued his own life over his friends, why not just lie and tell him they went to Ireland to keep them safe?

THE GAMER NEXT DOOR

Chosen answer: Wizards have access to veritaserum, the truth potion, and there are others who can use legilimacy to read minds. Any lies Pettigrew told would be exposed eventually.

raywest

Chosen answer: He was just pulling her out of the way to what he thought was a safer spot and out of the line of fire from Snape's wand.

raywest

Harry is actually taking Hermione's wand, Ron was moving Hermione's arm so Harry could do so.

Chosen answer: Because it was at that moment she understood what Dumbledore had meant when he said earlier that more than one life could be spared - meaning that both Buckbeak and Sirius Black could be saved.

raywest

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