It was a calm morning in the Great Hall when an enormous envelope, sealed with a familiar wax imprint of a paw print, landed right in Roy's porridge.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake…" Roy muttered, plucking oatmeal off the letter.
Hermione leaned over curiously.
"That's Hagrid's handwriting, isn't it?""You could recognize it from space," Roy sighed with a smile, breaking the seal.
Inside, the parchment was smudged with muddy fingerprints and written in Hagrid's enormous, uneven scrawl:
Dear Roy,Why didn't yeh take me class on Magical Beasts? I was lookin' forward to showin' yeh some proper creatures!Anyway, I'd still like yer advice on trainin' the new ones. There's a Hippogriff what's real majestic — name o' Buckbeak.Hope yeh drop by soon!—Hagrid
Roy chuckled softly.
"He's really trying his best as a teacher."Hermione smiled warmly. "You should go. He respects you, you know."
Roy nodded. "I will."
Later that Day — At Hagrid's Hut
When Roy arrived at the hut, Hagrid was pacing, covered in feathers and a few suspicious scratches.
"Roy! Blimey, it's good to see yeh!""You too, Hagrid," Roy said, smiling as he eyed a large creature grazing outside. "That must be Buckbeak."
The Hippogriff bowed its proud, silver-feathered head, and Roy — without hesitation — bowed back. Buckbeak responded with a dignified screech.
Hagrid's eyes went wide.
"He likes yeh! Hardly any o' the students get that kinda response!"
Roy reached out, stroking Buckbeak's beak gently.
"Respect first, always," Roy said softly. "You taught him well. Maybe make sure you warn the students never to insult a Hippogriff's pride. Especially… certain Malfoys."
Hagrid barked a laugh. "Aye, that's good advice."
Days Later — The Incident
Rumors spread fast.By breakfast the next morning, every table was buzzing about it.
"Draco Malfoy attacked by a Hippogriff!""He's saying it broke his arm clean in two!""He says it nearly tore him apart!"
At the Slytherin table, Draco sat with his arm in a sling, surrounded by sympathetic girls — and basking in every second of attention.
"It was dreadful!" Draco whined dramatically. "The beast lunged right at me — viciously! I barely escaped with my life!"
Roy watched him from the Hufflepuff table, one eyebrow twitching.Cedric whispered, "He's laying it on a bit thick, isn't he?"Roy smirked. "Thick enough to build a castle."
He took a sip of pumpkin juice, eyes narrowing slightly.
A Subtle Correction
Moments later, a faint shimmer of mana pulsed under the table — invisible to anyone but Roy.Across the hall, Draco stood up dramatically, trying to demonstrate how "injured" he was.
"And when it attacked, I—AH!"
His foot slipped — the floor subtly shifting beneath him — and he fell backward, instinctively reaching out with his supposedly broken arm to steady himself.
There was a sharp thud — and then silence.
Every head turned.
Pansy gasped. "Draco! Your arm—!"
He froze mid-whimper, realizing that he had just caught himself perfectly… using the arm he claimed was fractured.
The silence lasted only a moment before Seamus Finnigan burst out laughing.
"Blimey, didn't look broken to me!"
The laughter spread like wildfire. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables roared. Even Ravenclaw students were chuckling behind their books.
Snape narrowed his eyes at Draco, suspicion flickering in them. "Mr. Malfoy… care to explain this miraculous recovery?"
Draco stammered. "I—I—It must've healed overnight!"
McGonagall sighed deeply. "A medical miracle, no doubt."
At the staff table, Dumbledore's beard twitched.
"Indeed, Minerva. Magic truly works in mysterious ways."
By evening, the story had turned completely against Draco. His "heroic survival" was now the biggest joke in Hogwarts.Even the portraits whispered as he walked by.
"The boy who healed himself by lying!" one painting snickered.
Roy leaned back in the Hufflepuff common room later that night, a cup of cocoa in hand, watching Cedric laugh uncontrollably.
"I can't believe it. You cursed him into exposing himself, didn't you?""I prefer the term truth adjustment," Roy said calmly.
Hermione, who'd just walked in, sighed but smiled.
"You really can't help it, can you?""Hagrid deserves better than humiliation," Roy replied. "And besides… justice should always have a sense of humor."
Within the week, the Ministry investigation into Buckbeak's "attack" quietly ended. The case was dismissed — no fault of Hagrid or the Hippogriff.
Buckbeak remained safe, and Hagrid could hardly stop thanking Roy.
"Yeh saved me, Roy — and Buckbeak too!""I just made sure the truth stood up on its own," Roy replied, smirking faintly. "And fell down when needed."