Hagrid stood before the courtroom like a mountain of nerves, his shoulders hunched and his massive hands wringing themselves. The oak panels of the hearing chamber echoed with the scratching of quills and the quiet murmurs of Ministry officials.
Cornelius Fudge cleared his throat, tapping the head of his cane once against the floor. "We will now begin the questioning regarding the incident involving the hippogriff known as Buckbeak."
Lucius Malfoy sat with one leg crossed over the other, his cane resting delicately in his lap. He didn't look at Hagrid directly — he didn't have to. His smug expression and the whispering glances of the pureblood committee members spoke volumes.
A thin witch with a long nose and severe robes rose first. "Rubeus Hagrid," she began in a dry voice, "are you or are you not aware that hippogriffs are classified as Class XXX beasts under Ministry guidelines — dangerous and unpredictable even under controlled environments?"
Hagrid nodded. "I am, ma'am, but—"
She cut him off. "And did you still believe it was appropriate to allow untrained schoolchildren to approach such creatures without supervision from another staff member?"
"There was supervision!" Hagrid protested, his voice trembling slightly. "I was there every second! And I gave clear instructions—"
"Instructions," Lucius Malfoy drawled, finally speaking. "To children. Instructions that clearly failed to prevent the grievous injury of a student."
Hagrid flushed. "It wasn't grievous! It was a scratch! Malfoy—er, Draco—he insulted the beast. I told him not to—"
"Are you blaming the student now?" asked another committee member, his voice heavy with offense.
"No! I—I just mean Buckbeak was provoked. Hippogriffs don't attack unless they feel threatened—"
"I see," interrupted the long-nosed witch again. "So in your professional opinion, a creature that responds with claws when it 'feels threatened' is safe for educational purposes?"
There were several quiet chuckles from the benches. A few members exchanged knowing looks.
Cael sat with Arthur Weasley, his jaw clenched tightly, watching as the hearing unfolded exactly as he had feared — stacked, slanted, and swayed by Malfoy's influence.
Hagrid's voice broke slightly. "I've raised creatures all me life. Buckbeak's never hurt no one before. He's proud, but he ain't vicious—"
"Do you have any formal magical training in the care of dangerous creatures?" someone interrupted again. "Any certifications? Apprenticeships?"
"No, but Dumbledore—he trusts me—"
"Dumbledore's judgment," Malfoy said silkily, "has been called into question quite a lot recently."
That drew a louder murmur. Hagrid looked like someone had struck him across the face.
Each time he tried to defend himself, a new interruption would shut him down. No one was listening — not truly. They weren't here for the truth. They were here to appease Lucius Malfoy, to discredit Hagrid, and, if possible, to score another blow against Dumbledore's authority.
Cael's hands tightened in his lap.
A balding wizard in gold-trimmed robes leaned forward. "In summary, Mr. Hagrid, you admit to placing students in direct contact with a magical creature you acknowledge is capable of maiming them if insulted. Do you also admit that you did not ensure the students fully understood the risk?"
"I did my best!" Hagrid said, his voice breaking. "I taught 'em how to bow, how to be respectful. I even—"
"We'll take that as a yes," the wizard cut in.
At that, Cael rose to his feet.
Arthur Weasley turned to him sharply. "Cael, what are you—?"
But Cael was already moving.
The room hushed.
His steps echoed across the chamber floor as he made his way toward the podium. Hagrid looked over at him in confusion, and even Malfoy leaned forward slightly in curiosity.
Fudge frowned. "Mr. Vale, this is highly irregular—"
Cael didn't falter. He stepped beside Hagrid, looked up at the judges, and spoke clearly:
"Members of the committee," he said, his voice ringing across the room, "with all due respect, I would like to officially request the right to represent Rubeus Hagrid for the remainder of this hearing."
Gasps and mutters swept the chamber like a wave.
Fudge blinked. "Mr. Vale, you are a student."
"I'm also a legal heir to an ancient magical line," Cael replied without hesitation. "And I've studied enough law under private instruction to understand when a hearing has become a farce."
He turned slightly toward Hagrid. "My friend deserves better than this circus."
Lucius Malfoy's eyes narrowed.
The long-nosed witch straightened her back. "This is not how Ministry procedure works—"
Cael raised his wand hand slowly. "Then by Ministry law, I invoke the clause of Representation by Willing Magical Proxy. I'll cite Article Thirty-Two, Section Five, Sub-clause Three: 'In the absence of formal legal defense, any magical adult or recognized heir may offer to represent the accused, provided the request is made in open session and not rejected by a majority vote.'"
Silence.
Fudge looked rattled. "Er… well… we would need a vote of the council to approve such an… unusual request."
Cael turned to the panel of judges and folded his hands behind his back, standing tall. "Then vote. But understand that denying Hagrid the chance to defend himself — properly — will be noted. By me. And by others."
Malfoy stared daggers at him.
Across the chamber, Arthur Weasley smiled behind his hand.