"I've got to go back, haven't I?"

"That is up to you."

"I've got a choice?"

"Oh yes." Dumbledore smiled at him. "We are in King's Cross, you say? I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to, let's say, board a train."

"And where would it take me?"

"On," said Dumbledore simply.

Silence again

"Or you can go back further"

"What?" Harry asked.

"Right now your soul is separate from your body it can go right back in as your body is empty, however this is not the first time your body has been empty. Your soul has been separated before, remember?"

"No." Harry's face scrunched up in confusion

"ln your third year," Dumbledore informed him.

"Oh," then it dawned on him, "the dementors!"

"Yes" Dumbledore said, "I believe you can go back to that time."

Harry's eyes lit up in excitement

"I could do this over save lives, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Fred, Cedric, everyone."

"Yes!" Dumbledore exclaimed

"How do I do it?" Harry asked.

"You will have to imagine the moment, pull yourself into the memory of it," Dumbledore explained. "Picture the dementors, feel the depression and cold. Good luck, Harry."

Harry took a deep breath and tried to recall the moment he felt his soul leave his body back in third year. He remembered the dementor holding his head up and the head of the dementor drawing closer its mouth inches from his face. They were forcing his face upward. He could feel its breath. He could feel its putrid breath. His mother was screaming in his ears. She was going to be the last thing he ever heard, and then, through the fog that was drowning him, he thought he saw a silvery light growing brighter and brighter. He felt himself fall forward onto the grass. Facedown, too weak to move, sick and shaking, Harry opened his eyes. The dementor must have released him. The blinding light was illuminating the grass around him. The screaming had stopped, the cold was ebbing away.

Something was driving the dementors back. It was circling around him, Sirius and Hermione. They were leaving. The air was warm again. With every ounce of strength, he could muster, Harry raised his head a few inches and saw an animal amid the light, galloping away across the lake. Eyes blurred with sweat, Harry tried to make out what it was. It was as bright as a unicorn. Fighting to stay conscious, Harry watched it canter to a halt as it reached the opposite shore. For a moment, Harry saw, by its brightness, somebody welcoming it back raising his hand to pat it, someone who looked strangely familiar, was that him?

Harry didn't understand. He couldn't think anymore. He felt the last of his strength leave him, and his head hit the ground as he fainted.

"Shocking business, shocking, miracle none of them died, never heard the like, by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape"

"Thank you, Minister."

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."

"Nasty cut you've got there. Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Weasley, and Granger, Minister."

"No!"

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behavior. They seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent. They weren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape. They obviously thought they were going to catch Black single-handed. They've got away with a great deal before now. I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves and of course Potter has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the headmaster —"

"Ah, well, Snape, Harry Potter, you know we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."

"And yet — is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try and treat him like any other student. And any other student would be suspended — at the very least — for leading his friends into such danger. Consider, Minister — against all school rules — after all the precautions put in place for his protection — out-of-bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer — and I have reason to believe he has been visiting Hogsmeade illegally too —"

"Well, well, we shall see, Snape, we shall see. The boy has undoubtedly been foolish."

Harry lay listening with his eyes tight shut. He had a feeling he had heard all of this before.

"What amazes me most is the behavior of the dementors you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the girl —"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

There was a pause. Harry's brain seemed to be moving a little faster, and as it did, a gnawing sensation grew in the pit of his stomach.

He opened his eyes. Everything was slightly blurred. Somebody had removed his glasses. He was lying in the dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, he could make out Madam Pomfrey with her back to him, bending over a bed. Harry squinted. Ron's red hair was visible beneath Madam Pomfrey's arm. Harry moved his head over on the pillow. In the bed to his right lay Hermione. Moonlight was falling across her bed. Her eyes were open too. She looked petrified, and when she saw that Harry was awake, pressed a finger to her lips, then pointed to the hospital wing door. It was ajar, and the voices of Cornelius Fudge and Snape were coming through it from the corridor outside.

Harry was sure he had heard all of this before. He gave Hermione a confused look but she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah, you're awake!" Madam Pomfrey said briskly. She placed the chocolate on Harry's bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.

"How's Ron?" said Hermione.

"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "As for you two, you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're — Potter, what do you think you're doing?"

Harry was sitting up, putting his glasses back on, and picking up his wand.

"What's going on?" he asked Madam Pomfrey.

"You were attacked by Sirius Black and some dementors, do you not remember?" she asked slightly worried.

"What?" Harry was completely confused. "No, I-"

"Ah, they are awake," Cornelius Fudge walked into the room with Snape on his heels. "How are you feeling Harry?"

"Confused." Harry said honestly. "What's going on?"

Before he could get an answer Dumbledore walked in.

"Really, my patients need rest" Madam Pomfrey said, giving Harry a worried look.

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black and he told me the most interesting tale."

"I wouldn't believe anything he says Headmaster," said Snape.

"Yes, well I need to talk to Harry and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy — please leave us."

"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey "They need treatment, they need rest —"

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

Snape took a step toward Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.

Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to Harry and Hermione.

"What happened, tonight?" he asked.

Hermione looked at Harry, but he still hadn't figured out what was happening he was sure he had been fighting Voldemort not Sirius, so he shrugged his shoulders and gestured for Hermione to talk.

"Sir, Sirius is innocent. Peter Petigrew was the one to betray Harry's parents not Sirius. He has been hiding as Ron's rat for twelve years, he's an animagus," Hermione explained.

"Yes, that is what he told me as well," then he turned to Harry. "Do you remember the same thing?"

"Er, yes?" Harry said. "I know Sirius is innocent, we've known for a while haven't we?"

"No, Harry," said Hermione slightly confused, "how could've we known that?"

"No wait, we discovered this in our third year, remember?" Harry said his brain functioning slightly more now.

"You are in your third year, Harry." Dumbledore told him his eyes slightly worried.

"What?" Now Harry was really confused.

Both Hermione and Dumbledore gave him worried looks.

"Perhaps, I should call Madam Pomfrey back in here," said Dumbledore.

"No, I'm fine." Harry said hurriedly. "What are we going to do about Sirius?"

Dumbledore gave him another look but nodded and turned to Hermione.

"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes stared into Hermione's, "is more time."

"But —" Hermione began. And then her eyes became very round. "OH!"

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "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 will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, both of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law — you know what is at stake. You — must — not — be — seen."

Dumbledore had turned on his heel and looked back as he reached the door.

"I am going to lock you in. It is —" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."