Secrets Uncovered
"Shocking business... shocking... miracle none of them ended up dead... however, those girls’ cuts 'll never heal over.... Why, I've never heard of the like, both unturned... fortunate, fortunate... by Merlin, it was lucky you were there, Snape..."
"Thank you, Minister."
"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say... First Class, if I can manage it!"
"Thank you so very much indeed, Minister."
"And quite the nasty cut you've got there... Black's work, I presume?"
"Indeed Minister... if I may add, I believe Black bewitched the children... they were convinced he was innocent... I wouldn't dare hold them responsible for their actions against me or Lupin... on the other hand, they may have permitted Black's escape... I'm afraid the things they've gotten away with in the past have given them a rather high perspective of themselves... and, of course, Potter has been allowed an extraordinary amount of freedom, much more than any normal student--"
"Ah.... Well, Snape, best to let bygones be bygones... we've all got a bit of a blind spot when he's involved. Can't be helped."
Harry had finally found the energy to open his eyes, but everything was blurry, and the room was dark. He could see Madam Pomfrey with her back to him, tending to someone who he presumed was Ron by the red hair just underneath her arm. Harry craned his neck to look around.
Hermione was in the bed next to him, looking to be holding her breath. She was wide awake too. When she saw that he was awake, she pressed a finger to her lips, motioning for him to stay silent.
And suddenly, there was a creaking noise that made the entire room freeze. Harry shut his eyes quickly, and someone else spoke.
"Mister Minister, if I may interrupt?"
It was Lisa.
"Er-- I--"
"Thank you,” said Lisa cheerfully, before Fudge could answer. “So, Professor Snape... I'm sorry to say you're wrong, but, like, you're to-otally wrong--"
"Miss Turpin--"
"Professor!” Lisa gasped dramatically. “It is so rude to cut off a lady when she's speaking, good grief! Anyways, Mister Minister, I think you'll find something very useful to Black's case, if you would be so kind as to check-- this rat."
"What does this... rat, have to do with Black, miss?"
"Only, like, everything. You wouldn't happen to know of... well, unregistered Animagi, would you? I have reason to believe this... stupid little rat, is none other than Peter Pettigrew--"
"Miss Turpin, you've lost far too much blood. We cannot trust if you're inclined to believe this... thing , is Peter Pettigrew. He is dead --"
"Hello? Professor Snape, sir? Still, like, super rude? And I've had about ten replenishing potions, I think I'm perfectly okay. Now, Mister Minister-- as I said, Professor, not you-- ahem-- would you be so kind as to do the-- spell- thingy that turns stupid little rat Animagi into humans? Like, now? This dude's tail is, like... disgusting."
"Miss Turpin-- I, er, agree with Snape. I think you may have lost a bit too much blood... why not lie down for a moment, and think--"
"Sir, I am fine!” said Lisa, and it sounded as though her teeth were gritted. “I have taken enough potions for my blood to be fully restored and then some! So if you would, just check - the stupid - rat! This would be over in an instant! And if, only if, this little bastard doesn't turn into Peter Pettigrew, then I'll shut up. I'll go and lay down, and- take a rest. But, when this rat turns into Pettigrew, you've got to give Sirius Black a fair trial. AH-HAH-- WITH -- Veritaserum! Do we-- ah, do we, have a deal, Mister Minister?"
The tone in Lisa's voice was confident- whenever she wasn't speaking through gritted teeth- so much so that even Fudge was hesitating. Slowly, clearing his throat, he muttered something, and she asked him lightly if he would repeat what he'd said.
"I said, Miss Turpin, you ought to take a moment and think of how you sound right now..."
Harry sat up as silently as he could manage and reached for his glasses, ducking his head when Madam Pomfrey looked his way.
"Black was found at the scene of the crime... he's broken into Hogwarts many a times... he's already been administered for the Kiss, and I can assure you, we likely won't have the time to get this... 'evidence...' to the Dementors before they do it, which may be any moment now--"
"NO!"
Harry's body was moving of its own accord-- he'd jumped up, out of bed, and he heard Hermione do the same as he passed her. But his shout was heard from the doorway, and shortly, Fudge and Snape had pushed past Lisa to enter.
"Harley, Harley, what is this?" Fudge asked, an agitated look on his face. "You should be in bed... has he had any chocolate?" he turned to Madam Pomfrey anxiously.
Whatever rage Harry had went up tenfold. "It’s HARRY! MY- NAME- IS HARRY ! And I don't need-- CHOCOLATE! Minister, just listen for one minute! Sirius Black is innocent! Pettigrew faked his death, and he's right there! You can't let the Dementors Kiss Sirius, not after--"
Fudge was shaking his head, a small smile on his face as he urged Harry back to his bed.
"You're very confused, Harley, please... you've been through quite the horrible ordeals tonight, just lie back down... we've got everything under control--"
"NO, YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled, pushing Fudge off of him, and his voice was still hoarse. He wanted to shout again- that his name wasn’t-- Harley -- but there were more important things. "YOU'RE NOT EVEN LISTENING! YOU HAVE THE WRONG MAN!"
Harry was suddenly aware of someone standing behind him-- and then brushing past him. Draco had walked up, and was going to speak to Snape-- Harry just barely heard him whisper, "Sev, we're not lying," he nodded towards Pettigrew. "that thing- is Pettigrew."
Snape said something back, that caused Draco to twitch.
"Minister-- really, if you would just listen," Hermione said. "I saw him, and so did Lisa, and Ron, and Padma-- and Malfoy! We all saw! It was Ron's rat-- that rat! He's an illegal Animagus. Really, if you would--"
"You see, Minister?" Snape asked, shaking his head and ignoring Draco's glare, "Confunded, all of them... Black's done better than I thought..."
"WE HAVEN'T BEEN CONFUNDED!" Harry roared, and he searched his pockets for his wand. "YOU--"
"MINISTER! PROFESSOR!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey angrily. "I insisted you leave. All of these children are my patients and should not be distressed!"
"Madam Pomfrey, I am FINE! I'm trying to tell them the truth!" Harry said, turning to her. "They just won't listen--"
Madam Pomfrey stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into his mouth. He choked, trying to spit it out, and she took the moment to force him to lay down.
"Please, Minister, these children need care and rest. If you would, please, leave--"
The door opened again. Dumbledore had entered-- Harry finally got the chocolate out his mouth and got up almost immediately.
"Professor Dumbledore, please--"
"For heaven's sake!" growled Madam Pomfrey. "Is this or this not a hospital wing? Headmaster, I must ask--"
"My sincerest apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with our students here... Ah. It seems Miss Patil and Mister Weasley have yet to wake up... that will not be a bother..." said Dumbledore calmly. "I have been speaking with Sirius Black, and--"
"I suppose he's told you the same tale he implanted in their minds?" Snape spat. "Something about Pettigrew being alive, and living as a rat--"
"Severus, this does not concern you. But, indeed, that was Black's story."
"Does my evidence count for nothing?" Snape snarled. "Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor was there any sign of him on school grounds--"
"Sev--" Draco started, but Lisa beat him to it.
"Because you weren't there! AND, you're not listening! He's right here! CHECK-- THIS-- RAT!" she screamed, holding up Pettigrew once again. He managed to bite her wrist, but she very simply raised her wand to him threateningly. That was when Harry noticed her face; it looked near mangled-- she had multiple, very large scars across the right side of her face, and her right eye was covered up by a small, square-shaped bandage. It seemed to not have bothered her in the slightest, however, as she watched Pettigrew, wide-eyed and blank faced.
"MISS TURPIN, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"
"OH, AS IF-- I'LL HOLD MY TONGUE WHEN YOU LISTEN, YOU--"
"Now, now," Fudge said, startled. "This poor, young lady is very disturbed, and she needs to give herself a moment to rest. They all need rest. We must make allowances--"
"I would like to speak to them all alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy-- Please, leave us."
"Headmaster!" spluttered Madam Pomfrey, "They need treatment, and rest, Miss Turpin and Mister Potter especially--"
"Miss Turpin's wounds have already closed, and they will not heal anymore than they already have, Poppy, and Harry seems perfectly fine. More treatment can wait a few minutes," insisted Dumbledore.
Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips, but she strode away into her office, slamming the door behind her. Fudge took out the large gold pocket watch hanging from his waistcoat.
"The Dementors should've arrived by now," he said lowly. "I'll go ahead and meet them... Dumbledore, I'll meet you upstairs..."
He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but he hadn't moved.
"Surely, you don't believe a word Black says?" He whispered, his eyes set on Dumbledore's face. Draco stared at him before stepping back, blinking so much it'd be shocking if he could see.
"Severus," Dumbledore said warningly. "I wish to speak to the children alone."
Snape growled, but nonetheless, he turned on his heel and marched through the door. It closed behind him and Fudge, and Dumbledore turned to Harry, Hermione, and Lisa-- Draco joined them just as they started speaking, all at once--
"Black's telling the truth--"
"He almost escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf--"
"--look at his paw! He's missing a-- a finger! Pleease!"
"We weren't bewitched, sir, really-- it would've worn off already, and--"
Dumbledore raised his hand, making them all pause. The only sound in the room was the frantic squeaking of Pettigrew.
"I know, children, I know, but for now, I must ask for you all to listen," Dumbledore said quietly. "There's not much of anything at all to support Black's story, and Fudge is rather convinced that he knows what he's doing. Sadly, the word of a group of thirteen to fourteen year-olds is not enough to convince anybody. A streetful of witnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew, and I am ashamed to say I myself gave evidence to the Ministry of the fact that Sirius was the Potters' Secret-Keeper. I know you will insist upon Professor Lupin, but, he is far too deep in the forest to be found. And werewolves are so distrusted that his support will count for nearly nothing at all-- and, not to mention the bias people will believe he will have already. But, you must understand, Severus's version of events is much more convincing than that of a child's."
"He hates Sirius," insisted Hermione. "he hates us! He doesn't care!"
"Professor, he acts like he can't hear a word we say! We-- we insisted he try to use Veritaserum, but he shut down the idea almost immediately, and it's an amazing idea!" tried Lisa.
"Severus doesn't listen," said Draco lowly, "he hears what he wants-- nothing, unless it's something he said first. He can't-- he's not a good witness. He'll lie."
"I know." said Dumbledore, still quiet. "But Sirius has not done the actions of an innocent man. Even if Severus lied, it would be believable... the attack on the Ravenclaw Eagle-- entering Ravenclaw Tower and attacking a student-- the number of break-ins alone would get him in serious trouble.... Even if we do have Peter, we have no chance of proving Sirius to be unworthy of punishment. I may believe you, but I do not have the power to make others see the truth, no matter how hard I dare try..."
With the flick of his hand, Pettigrew froze, and Lisa shivered.
"What we need," Dumbledore said slowly, and his blue eyes glimmered directly at Harry. "is more time."
"Oh," Harry felt the Time-Turner round his neck.
“Now, please, pay attention." said Dumbledore, speaking very low. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you may save more than one innocent life tonight. But, be sure to remember, you must not be seen. You all know the law. Do-- not-- be-- seen."
He turned on his heel, looking content as he reached the door.
"I will lock you in. It is currently--" he consulted his watch. "five minutes to midnight. Three turns should do it.... Good luck."
He gave them a smile and exited, closing the door behind him.
"Draco, get over here," Harry said quickly, as Hermione tried to figure out how to get it to fit around all of them.
“Give up your wrist,” she said, and she appeared to be thinking very quickly. “As long as it’s on, whether it be around our necks or our wrists... I imagine... it’s just the same...”
Hesitantly, Hermione turned the hourglass three times, and fortunately-- it worked. Harry was quick enough to close his eyes before the last three hours flew by before their eyes, though, by the sound of it, Draco had not managed the same. When he finally found the ground, Draco had tumbled over and nearly fell.
"Come on!" Hermione whispered, nearly tugging them all along by the wrists. She checked her watch-- “Two minutes.”
When they reached the Entrance Hall, she continued to drag them, running to a broom cupboard on the other side of the hall. Draco, the last to enter, slammed the door behind them. Harry was displeased with how familiar the feeling of being in a small cupboard felt, but he distracted himself, pulling the Time-Turner's chain off his wrist and clasping it back around his neck.
Hermione pulled on a string that was seemingly suspended in the air, causing a light bulb to flicker on. "Three hours. Ah-- someone's coming! I think it may be us..."
She pressed her ear against the door.
"Footsteps... one, two... three, one... yes, that's us, going down to Hagrid's... I counted the steps we took every two seconds. One, two, three, one, and then it starts again..."
She broke off, a look of extreme focus on her face.
"Two, three, one... there's the door... two... one... we're gone."
She sighed, sitting on an upturned bucket. She'd never looked so anxious.
"I want to ask where you got a Time-Turner from, but at the same time, I don't know if I want to know," Draco muttered.
"I gave Harry the Time-Turner for his birthday," Lisa blurted, scratching her scars. "it used to be my... um, dad's before he... gave it to me."
"Don't scratch." Hermione said, swatting Lisa's hand. "Me and Harry have been using it to get to our classes since, er, February?"
“You’ve been using my Time-Turner since February?”
“Well,” Hermione shrugged, her face red and ears low. “It’s complicated.”
"Is that how you've been getting into the common room? Tch- nevermind," Harry muttered, racking his brain in frustration. "Just- what was so important that happened three hours ago? We were walking to Hagrid's three hours ago, weren't we?"
"Yeah-- that was just us leaving," Hermione nodded.
"How are we supposed to help Black, though?" wondered Draco.
Harry frowned, blocking out all the noise he could. And then, it hit him. "Oh! Dumbledore, he-- he said we could save more than one innocent life! We can save Buckbeak! Dumbledore told us where Sirius was being held, and if we can free Buckbeak, we can get him up to the window and save Sirius!"
The others were silent for a moment. Lisa was the first to speak up.
"You literally sound, like, so crazy.... Shit, I'll do it if you do it."
Hermione turned to her, a terrified look on her face.
"You're kidding,"
"Am not! We're always doing dumb things, like, all the time!" Lisa shrugged. "And anyways, it's better to be caught than to not have tried, right?"
"It'll be a bloody miracle if we can even manage it." Draco said.
Harry pressed his ear to the door. Nobody was there, by the sounds of it.
"Come on," he said, pushing the cupboard door open. The Entrance Hall was deserted; As quietly and quickly as possible, they darted out the hall and down the front steps. Their shadows had already begun to lengthen, and the treetops of the Forbidden Forest were once more gilded in the golden light of the sun.
Creeping along carefully, looking over their shoulders, they set off for the shadows of the forest to stand as their coverage. They went along the way to the greenhouses to avoid being caught, slipping just past the Whomping Willow, and straight for the shadows at the edge of the forest. Just as they got close enough to see the front of Hagrid's house, there was a knock upon the door. Harry heard his own voice just moments later.
"It's us, Hagrid. We're under the Invisibility Cloak. Would you let us in?"
"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered, but he stood back and let them in. He shut the door quickly.
"Oh my gosh, I see myself in the window," Lisa said quietly. "This feels weird to do again."
They crept along the shadows until Buckbeak came into view, looking rather nervous, tethered to the fence around the pumpkin patch. Lisa looked back at the others, moving forward slightly.
"Now?"
"No!" denied Hermione, Harry, and Draco simultaneously.
"If we take him now, then the committee people will think Hagrid's freed him! They've got to see him tied up!" Hermione explained briefly, pulling Lisa back underneath the shade.
"So we've got atleast a minute or two to get him out of sight after they see him," Draco said.
"Okay, sorry for asking," said Lisa, shrugging, "nerds."
Suddenly, the sound of Hagrid dropping the milk jug came from within the cabin; The four of them paused at once, listening the best they could. Only a few minutes passed before they heard Hermione's shriek, no doubt her discovery of Pettigrew hiding.
Harry tried his hardest to not run straight for the window and cast a spell to cut Pettigrew straight down the middle; He'd had no memory of that happening at all. He knew better than to alter time.... And then, he saw, just exiting the faraway front doors of the castle-- Dumbledore, Fudge, the elderly committee member, and Macnair were coming down the front steps. Shortly, Hagrid's back door opened.
Harry saw himself, being dragged by Draco, Hermione right behind them, Padma forcing Lisa to move, and Ron, burying Pettigrew-- or, here, Scabbers -- into his front pocket.
Harry was used to the effect Time-Turners had on him-- mild nausea sometimes, maybe a bit of some sort of derealisation for a moment or two, but he'd long grown used to seeing himself at a distance. Yet, in this moment, the nausea was stronger than ever, and seeing himself, so close to being able to do something he currently wished to do so bad that the Harry he was watching wouldn't even think of trying; It almost made him sick to his stomach.
"Go on, yeh lot!" Hagrid said, breaking Harry from his train of thought. "Get goin'!"
"Hagrid, we--"
"We'll tell them what actually happened--"
"They don't know everything that happened!"
"I'll tell them, it's not worth all this--"
"Go! It's bad enough, you lot don't need'ta be in trouble an' all!"
Harry watched as Hagrid threw the Invisibility Cloak over the heads of their past selves.
"Go. Don' listen..."
Just when Hagrid turned back towards the cabin, there was a knock upon the door. They'd arrived. Harry could hear Lisa's not-all-that-quiet thrashing, but it faded after a short while, the grass flattening in patches. Now 'past' Harry and his friends were gone. But, in current time, he, Hermione, Lisa, and Draco could now know just what was happening in the cabin.
"Where is the beast?" asked a cold voice, no doubt Macnair's.
"Ou-- Ou'side." Hagrid croaked out.
Harry casted the Disillusionment charm as fast as he could when Macnair appeared at Hagrid's window, staring at Buckbeak. Then came the voice of Fudge.
"We, er-- have to read you the... official notice of the, um, execution... Hagrid.. I'll make it quick... then you and Macnair have to sign it. And, Macnair, you've got to listen too, that's procedure--"
Macnair's face backed into the cabin, out of sight. It was either now or never.
"You all wait here," Harry whispered. "He likes me the most."
Waiting for Fudge to speak, Harry darted out of the shadows, jumping over the fence, his foot just barely missing a pumpkin, and approached Buckbeak.
"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the Hippogriff known as-- er-- Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall, um, be, executed on the twenty-third of June at sundown--"
Straining his eyes to not blink as he and Buckbeak locked eyes, Harry bowed. Buckbeak fell to his knees and then rose again. Harry fumbled with the rope holding Buckbeak, his hands sweatier than he anticipated.
"--sentenced to execution by beheading, to be- um- carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner... Walden Macnair..."
"Buckbeak," Harry tried quietly. "Come on, we're going to help you... come on..."
"...as witnessed below, Hagrid... you sign right... here.."
Harry tried his hardest to urge Buckbeak, putting all his weight on the rope, but Buckbeak had suddenly dug his front feet into the ground.
"Well, let's get this done with," said the voice of the old committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, it may be better if you stayed inside--"
"No! Sorry, I-- I wanna be with him... I don' wan' him to be alone.."
Footsteps echoed from within the cabin.
"Buckbeak! " Harry hissed-- literally. He could tell by his tongue hit his teeth. "Get-- a goddamn-- move on! "
Very slowly, Buckbeak began to walk, rustling his wings irritably. They were still atleast ten feet away from the forest, very visible from Hagrid's back door.
"One moment, Macnair," said Dumbledore lowly. "You need to sign too."
The footsteps stopped. Harry hissed again, tugging on the rope, and by the way Buckbeak started walking faster, it seemed to have worked.
"Do you need any help?" whispered Hermione, sticking her head out from behind a tree, but her voice went past Harry's ears like a breeze; He was more focused on the sounds coming from the cabin, hoping he wouldn't be caught-- Dumbledore was still speaking, and whatever he was saying had them quite distracted.
With one last hiss, Buckbeak broke into a trot-- they'd reached the trees....
"Here, here, Hippogriff, that's a good Hippogriff," Lisa eased, holding up a petrified Pettigrew by the tail. "If you're really, really good, you can have him as a snack after they check him. Well, something to hold you over for a minute or two."
Fortunately, it worked; Buckbeak was practically running at her, and very, very quickly, they were out of sight completely.
"Wait!" Draco whispered, pulling out his wand and making Pettigrew levitate just above Buckbeak's head. "I hate to admit it, but we need him. I doubt you can beat a Hippogriff in a fight over food."
"Yeah, maybe not, but it was totally working," Lisa shrugged. "We're not gonna be seen, now, are we--"
Hagrid's back door opened with a bang. They all stood very still, and even Buckbeak seemed to be listening.
Silence, for a few moments, and then--
"Where is it?" asked the old committee member. "Where is the beast?"
"I-- it was tied here!" growled Macnair. "I saw it! Just-- here!"
"How extraordinary," hummed Dumbledore, sounding amused.
"Beaky!" called Hagrid.
There was a swish, and the thud of an axe. Harry could see just through a few branches that Macnair had swung it at one of the larger pieces of the fence in rage. And then, came the wild howl. Only, now, they could make out just what Hagrid was saying.
"Gone! He's gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Must'a pulled himself free! Beaky, me clever boy!"
Buckbeak pulled at the rope, but Draco moved Pettigrew down just a bit so that he floated just infront of the Hippogriff's face; Added with Harry and Hermione holding the rope, digging their feet into the ground, pulling him back-- he'd quieted down just enough for them to hear the rest.
"Someone must've untied him!" snarled Macnair. "We need to search the grounds, the forest--!"
"My, but, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, you really think the thief would've led him away on foot?" Dumbledore asked, and the amusement in his voice was much more evident now. "Search the skies, if you must! Truly, is this all necessary over a Hippogriff? He's not got enemies he has to chase after. Now, Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea, if you'd humour an old man like me. Or a large brandy."
"'Course, Professor," Hagrid said, and it sounded as though he were smiling, weak with joy. "Come in, come in..."
Footsteps lowered, and with the cursing of the executioner and the snap of the door, it was silent once more.
A soft hissing caught Harry off-guard.
"Snake?"
Hydrus was hanging out of a tree just before them. Harry got an idea.
"'Lo, Hydrus. Hey, you want to help Sirius, right? You know about Peter? Well he's alive -- and somewhere over there ,--" he pointed at a space between Hagrid's and the castle steps. " -- Ron's got him. Do you wanna go get him? He's all yours. And if you hear me telling you to stop-- don’t. And-- as soon as Sirius gets Pettigrew down the Whomping Willow, head up to the castle."
Hydrus hissed in excitement, calling for Crookshanks. Soon, they'd both disappeared.
Harry looked up through the trees. The sun was setting.
"We get to see the Whomping Willow, atleast," he said, thinking, but he made sure to keep a tight hold on Buckbeak's rope. "we need to know when we should expect to have to do anything."
"Er, yeah." Lisa agreed. She decided to lead the way, holding her wand out the entire way as if it were telling her where to go. They went along the edge of the forest, watching as it got darker, and got harder to see, until they were able to see the Willow through a clump of trees that they were able to hide behind.
"There goes Weasley, who presumably has a death wish," muttered Draco. Harry elbowed his side.
A dark figure, who was Ron for sure, was running across the lawn, and his shouts echoed in the air; "Get away from him-- get away-- Scabbers, come here--"
Then atleast five more people appeared, seemingly out of thin air, chasing after him. And then, Ron dived--
"Gotcha! Gerroff, you stupid cat-- er- wait- AHHH!"
"And there's Sirius," whispered Hermione. The great shape of a dog bounded out the roots of the Willow. He flew at Harry, and then Padma went at him-- she got her leg bit, but she didn't fall... and then bright, colourful flashes followed, all aimed for Sirius--
"Wow, this does not look good from a distance," Lisa murmured. "And I get snatched up by the tree... then you all nearly get beat to death... and there I go. Eh- ouch. And there goes Ron... double ouch. There's Padma, then Harry..."
The Willow was creaking and thrashing in so many directions; They could all see themselves running to here and there. And then the tree froze. Harry now knew who had done it-- Hydrus had pressed his head to the tree trunk.
"There we go, we're in..." Hermione said.
The moment they were gone, Hydrus retreated, slithering his way to the castle. And the tree began to move again once Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge and the committee member were making their way up to the castle.
"What perfect timing," muttered Draco.
"Imagine if we'd taken even, like, five seconds longer!" Lisa said. "Maybe one of them would've followed us down. Or, um, they all would've..."
They watched the four men climb the castle steps and disappear from view. For a short, few minutes, not even a breeze of wind graced the lawn. But then--
"It's Lupin!" Harry gasped, as another figure came sprinting down the steps and right for the Willow. Clouds obscured the moon completely, and in a singular motion, Lupin grabbed a broken branch and prodded the knot on the trunk. The tree stopped moving seemingly before it had even started, and Lupin swiftly disappeared into the gap.
"I wish he grabbed the cloak," Harry admitted. "Instead of just leaving it there, I mean..."
"Hey--" Lisa stammered. "I need a little help here--"
Before they could even turn around, a loud song broke the silence. It was Hagrid, going up to the castle, singing at the top of his lungs, wavering slightly as he walked. A large bottle hung idly from his hands. Buckbeak was making frantic attempts to get to Hagrid-- Lisa was just barely holding him back, her hands red from how tightly she held the rope. Hermione, Harry, and Draco all seized the rope, working to keep Buckbeak back.
When Hagrid wandered tipsily into the castle, going through the doors, Buckbeak stopped fighting. His head drooped sadly.
"Sorry, Buckbeak, but not yet," Harry whispered, petting Buckbeak's wings. "You'll get to go back though, I promise."
Lisa tied the rope around a nearby tree.
Not even two minutes after Lupin, the castle doors flew open, and Snape came storming out, running for the Willow.
Harry had to bite his tongue to keep him from doing anything while Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the Invisibility Cloak and held it up. He seized the branch Lupin used, prodded the knot, and vanished from sight.
"And now, we wait," said Hermione quietly. "Harry, I-- why didn't the dementors get Sirius? Get you? I remember them coming, and I passed out, I'm sure of it... there were so many..."
Harry sat down on a tree stump; Draco had looked at him too, and he almost would've thought Lisa was looking at him, though she was staring out at the tree. Forcing himself to remember, Harry told the entirety of the story; How he almost ended up getting the Kiss, and how he saw something flying across the lake, forcing the dementors away.
Lisa swore under her breath, jumping excitedly. "Wicked! Who was it? I- er, well, it was a Patronus, obviously, but did you see who it was? Was it a teacher?"
"No," Harry denied. He couldn't quite remember who it was, but he knew for certain it wasn't a teacher. "I couldn't see them completely. I was... half-conscious. I passed out right after."
He would've thought, if he was desperate enough, that it was his mother. He remembered glimmering, different coloured eyes, staring at him. That, was something he could remember very easily. But he didn't want to believe it. She would've... or, he wanted to believe she would've done something... anything to atleast tell Harry that she had gotten better. But he could be hopeful. Hopeful that she very simply planned to surprise him, or something of the sort, and that it very simply turned out to be the wrong day. Yet there were so many reasons on why that couldn't be the case, but he could believe... no, it was probably... just his imagination. It must've been himself, even... or maybe Hermione had managed to do her own Patronus...
"What if I cut him in half?" Lisa said airily. "Like, with the... uh... what'sit... Diffindo! What if I did that? He'd turn back into a human when he died!"
"NO!" Hermione denied, pulling Pettigrew away from Lisa. He was still petrified. "You can't! Not yet!"
"With Diffindo, of all spells? You have so many better options, and you choose possibly the worst one?" Draco asked, looking at Lisa ridiculously.
"Okay, listen here, asshole!” Lisa snapped. “I am perfectly capable of cutting open a rat! You know what? The only reason any of us put up with you was because of the fact Harry likes you! And do not even get me started on the fact you're his boyfriend or something, because--"
"LISA!"
"WHAT?"
She turned to look at Harry, who was the one that shouted. His face was very red. A sort of realisation hit her, and she immediately threw her hands over her mouth.
"Ohh! Oo- oops... I- I'm so sorry, I don't-- I don't know what happened right there..."
She stared at Buckbeak, a poor attempt to ignore the growing tension.
"It's that scar," Hermione spoke up quietly. "It’s because of the moon. I think it's a sort of... instinct. Something must’ve happened when we went to find Sirius, and, I’m guessing... er, that, Lupin gave you and Padma those scars. It’s a sort of... well, I came across it when doing the werewolf essay. It's... a list, kind of. A strong urge to hunt... a loss of sensibility and logic.... With full werewolves, it's much more drastic, as, er... as we saw... With you, I think.. I think it's a sort of inbetween?"
"Well, I didn’t get bitten,"
“Right,” Hermione nodded. She began to speak again, but it appeared to die before she could say it.
“Right,” Lisa bit her lip. “Um, sorry, Malfoy. That was... a, er, it was... disrespectful to you and Harry’s... uh, privacy.”
They were all silent for a moment before Hermione spoke up.
"If it makes any difference, I already knew."
Before Harry even realised it, he had burst out laughing. Either they were that obvious, or she’d assumed... and Harry figured, as not much had changed, that she’d really just guessed. And there was so much going on in the moment that it was just funny.
"Sorry, sorry- it- if I'm being honest, we weren't even trying to hide it," He admitted through bouts of laughter.
Then Draco went laughing, and Lisa made it very clear she found his laughter funny; Pointing at him, with tears threatening to run down her face. Even Hermione started giggling.
And when they all calmed down, they talked. And talked, and talked, and Harry couldn't even remember all of what they spoke about, because before he knew it, Hermione was pointing at the Willow, saying, "There we go! We're coming!"
All four of them went to their feet; Buckbeak perked up.
They saw Lupin, Ron, and Pettigrew stagger out the hole. Then Padma pulled out Lisa by the arm. After that, Snape floated up; And then Draco first, then Harry, Hermione, and Black. They walked up towards the castle.
Harry glanced up at the sky; The grounds had already begun to get lighter from the moonlight. Any second now, that cloud would move, and the moon would show... he wouldn't move, because he knew better. Twelve years with the Dursleys taught him that there were times he were much better off sitting in silence, out of the way, and using a Time-Turner, he had well learnt that it was not a good feeling to see yourself. He closed his eyes, and after a minute, all he could hear was distant, semi-quiet screams from afar.
"We need to move," he heard, and before he could open his eyes and ask why, someone was pulling him away. When he was able to see again, he saw it was Lisa, leading him to Hagrid's. He turned around; Draco was just behind them, Hermione running side-by-side with Buckbeak. Of course, Harry realised-- Lupin would've found them if they didn't move.
Lisa forced the door open, nearly hitting herself in the face when it flew open. Buckbeak flashed past her, and she let the others go in before slamming the door behind her. Fang the boarhound barked loudly.
"Fang! It's us!" Hermione whispered, rushing over to scratch his ears to quiet him. "We can't get caught now, we can't."
Lisa and Harry were staring out the window; It was much harder to see what was going on from this distance. Buckbeak, meanwhile, was rather happy to find himself in Hagrid's house. He laid down before the fire, folding his wings, seemingly ready for a nice, long nap. Draco was keeping his distance.
"I think I should go back outside," Harry said slowly. "We won't know when it's time to save Sirius if we're in here and-- and we can't see. I won't interfere with anything."
"I'll go with you," Draco suggested immediately.
"Ugh, you are so smitten. Whatever. I'll wait here with Hermione and Buckbeak." shrugged Lisa, staring at Padma trying to pull her unconscious body off the ground. "Good luck."
"Be careful," Hermione said, as Harry and Draco stepped out the door and walked along the sides of the cabin. They could hear the yelps of Sirius, even from here; The dementors were closing in.
Harry stared out at the lake, and it felt like he was losing his grasp on his breath with every passing second. He couldn't... he couldn't be seen, but.. No, he knew better than to run over there... Or, well, he wanted to believe he knew better. And he didn't, because here he was, running down the tiny hill between Hagrid's cabin and the lake.
When the lake came into view, he could see flickers of silver fading on the other side of the lake-- his failed attempts at a Patronus. Harry didn't even bother trying to find a spot to hide-- he couldn't help but freeze on the spot where he currently was. The air was chilling, and watching himself fail to protect Sirius-- to protect himself, and Hermione and Draco-- it left a very deep pit in his chest, and for a moment, it felt as though his feet weren't on the ground. He heard a shrill scream behind him, and a long howl, and for a moment, he got a painful headache.
Suddenly, the truth finally rung through his mind; It didn't take time-travelling to know that it was himself he saw casting a Patronus. It was now or never, and this time, he wouldn't fall and let someone else fix the problem for him. For a bare moment, he didn't even realise his wand was in his hands, but it was, and he was suddenly screaming--
"EXPECTOPATRONUM!"
For a second, all he could think of were moments in his life where he'd never been happier-- the first time he'd gotten real Christmas presents, and seeing his parents for the first time-- seeing his friends after summer break, and knowing they were real-- the first time he kissed Draco-- winning the Quidditch Cup-- and even more moments he couldn't pinpoint to perfection, for none of them stood out in the same way those memories did--
And it wasn't a shapeless, misty cloud that floated on the spot, nor was it a mere gust of wind-- it was a blinding, silver creature that flew out his wand, gliding silently across the dark surface of the lake, to the opposite side of the bank. It flew upwards, before diving and charging at the dementors-- it was spinning circles around the swarm, and the dementors scattered, retreating into the dark night sky.... And very quickly, only Harry's Patronus remained.
The Patronus then flew to Sirius, Harry, Hermione, and Draco; It looked like it had breathed fire, but it wasn't, because what breezed over the four wasn't fire, but light. And then, finally, the Patronus turned back to the Harry that casted it, and flew across the lake. Large wings retracted, and the silver creature levitated just above the surface of the water. It wasn't some kind of magical bird, as he originally suspected-- it was a dragon.
"Draco," He whispered to no one in particular. Or maybe it wasn't the dragon in Draco's constellation, and he was just being hopeful, but at this moment Harry supposed he deserved to be hopeful. He reached out a trembling hand to touch the dragon's muzzle, but the moment he got close, it vanished into a puff of smoke, wisps escaping through the gaps between his fingers.
"Huh," he gasped. Suddenly, someone had shouted out from behind him. And shortly, he was pulled underneath the shadows of a tree.
"Harry!"
It was Draco, pulling him out of view from the scene at the lake. Harry's mind was racing and his heart was beating out of his chest.
"I was the one who casted the Patronus! I--"
The adrenaline of the moment was beginning to wear off, and as excited as Harry was, he was suddenly very hungry.
"How did you do that? Did anyone see you?"
"No-- well, yeah, I saw myself, but I- I thought it was my mom, for some reason, but--"
The sharp noise of hooves made Harry jump. Lisa and Hermione were dashing towards him and Draco, Buckbeak being dragged along by the rope. Lisa was the first to reach Harry, and she threw herself at him, nearly knocking Draco into a tree.
"Harry!" Hermione gasped, a large grin on her face. But then, it contorted to a face of shock. Pointing behind the trees covering them, she whispered, "Snape!"
Peering over branches and other things in the way, they spotted Snape, now conscious. He was busy conjuring stretchers, lifting the limp bodies of Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Sirius onto them. Three more stretchers, holding Ron, and Lisa, and Padma, both coated in a worrying amount of blood, floated at his side. Then, with his wand ahead of him, Snape moved them up to the castle.
"It's almost time," Harry said, checking his watch.
"We've got about forty-five minutes before the doors to the Hospital wing are locked." Hermione said, peeking over his shoulder. "We can't be seen by anyone from now 'till then, except for Sirius, and nobody can realise we aren't where we're supposed to be."
They waited, watching the clouds reflect on the lake, and there was a slight breeze that made them shiver. Lisa was pacing back and forth, whistling quietly.
"Do you know what kind of dragon my-- my Patronus was?" Harry asked Draco, and maybe the question was a bit stupid, assuming Draco would know about dragons just because he was named after a constellation that just so happened to be a dragon, but he did know, fortunately.
"A Hebridean Black. History books say an old Defence teacher had the skeleton of one in her classroom."
"And nobody broke it?"
"No. not as far as the books say. She just took it with her when she left."
"Wicked. Do you know a lot about dragons?"
Draco's head lolled to the side, his eyes set on Harry, "Loads."
"Ugh!" Lisa groaned. She stopped pacing, her shoulders sagging. "Five minutes, and it’s right back to this! I don't want to listen to you two flirt! God knows I'd rather be deaf! Like, it's cute and all that, whatever, but I don't wanna hear it! Just don't kiss or anything! Ew-ew-eeew!"
"Shhh!" Hermione shushed. "Someone's coming out the castle!"
Harry stood up, staring out into the darkness. A man was hurrying across the grounds, towards one of the entrances; Harry adjusted his glasses just as the moon reflected upon something large and shiny in the man's belt--
"Macnair!" He said. "He's gone to get the dementors! Now's our chance!"
Hermione had no problems getting on Buckbeak's back, although Draco had his reserves, and Lisa insisted she'd fly on her own. It took a bit of convincing for Draco, but when he finally gave in, Harry pulled Buckbeak's rope around to tie it up like reins. Then he got on, just a bit off the neck, and Hermione quickly wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Just go! We don't have time to waste!"
Harry nudged Buckbeak's side with his heel, and they were off, into the night sky-- the only light came from the castle windows. They were flying rather quietly, despite how large Buckbeak's wings were. Hermione had buried her face in Harry's hair, muttering, "I shouldn't've agreed to this-- oh, I hate this-- I hate this so, so much--"
Harry pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned abruptly-- Draco made a retching noise, and Hermione was still muttering-- Harry was too busy trying to count the windows as they went past in a blur--
"Buckbeak!Wait!" He hissed, pulling the rope back as hard as he could.
Buckbeak stopped almost immediately, and they wavered up and down several feet as he beat his wings to stay airborne.
"There!" Harry said, spotting Sirius while they rose up beside the window. He was just barely able to reach out and tap the glass.
Sirius looked up, and his jaw dropped. He leapt from his chair, hurrying to the window to try and open it, but it was locked.
"Alohamora!" Hermione said sharply, her left arm still holding onto Harry as if she'd fall if she let go. The window sprang open.
"How did-- how--?" whispered Sirius, staring at Buckbeak.
"We don't have the time! Just get on!" Draco said, moving forward slightly so there would be room.
Sirius placed a hand on either sides of the window frame, heaving his head and shoulders out the window-- it was a good thing he was so thin-- in seconds, he'd managed to fling one leg over Buckbeak's back and pull himself up. Lisa flew over and pushed the window shut with a nudge.
"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" Harry breathed, shaking the rope, and he hissed, "To the tower!"
Buckbeak gave one swoop of his wings and they were soaring again, all the way to the top of the West Tower. He landed with a clatter upon the battlements and Harry, Hermione, and Draco got off at once.
"Sirius, go!" Harry said. "They'll be at Flitwick's office any moment now, and they'll know you escaped!"
"What about the other two? Are they okay?" asked Sirius urgently.
"Yes, they'll be okay-- they're still out of it," Hermione answered. "but Madam Pomfrey's taking care of them. Go!"
But instead of moving, Sirius looked down at both of them.
"How could I ever--?"
"You can thank us by not being caught!" Hermione and Harry shouted together.
Sirius wheeled Buckbeak around, now facing the sky.
"We'll see eachother again," he promised. "I'll get you at the Station. Trust me."
He squeezed Buckbeak's sides, and the enormous wings rose once more-- they were floating upwards, slowly gaining speed-- and then, they were growing smaller and smaller, eventually just tiny dots along the clouds-- they disappeared, a cloud obscuring them from view... they were gone.
"So we're not gonna talk about that to, like, anyone, ever, right?" Lisa asked airily.
"Ever," the other three agreed.