AN: I'm going with movie!cannon at the moment, so Ron sees them using the time turner.

But that was a mistake on my part, one I'm not going to correct. However my aim is to stick with book!cannon.

Please do review.

Chapter 2

For Ron, the next few moments seemed to blur, the horror sinking into his mind like a struggling creature in a bog. Madam Pomfrey rushed out of the office, attuned to the hospital wing and all the suffering in it. He tore his eyes away from the Matron's face that was rapidly draining of colour and he looked at Harry who looked almost as bad as Ron felt. But Harry didn't know- Harry was too new to the wizarding world to get the significance of what had just happened, how their lives had changed. Three years was nothing at all. Ron had grown up hearing stories- stories of nightmares and darkness and monsters.

Harry was helping Madam Pomfrey steer Hermione to an unoccupied bed. Madam Pomfrey and talking to Hermione in what he supposed was a soothing manner, Harry was talking to Hermione, calling her name, trying to get her to focus to snap out of it. Ron could hear her insisting that it was just a scratch and that she was fine, everything was fine, she just needed to rest, just needed to sleep. She kept talking, kept insisting even though her voice kept getting weaker and weaker.

Their eyes met and Ron didn't know what she saw in them but the fight seemed to leave her. Madam Pomfrey got her in bed in a thrice and shooed Harry out as she pulled the curtains around Hermione's bed. She met his eyes till the blue fabric cut her off.

Harry was frozen- staring at the curtains, it didn't deem like he could move. From what Ron could see of him, he was very pale. He made a ghastly picture - his clothes were stained with Hermione's blood and he had more on his hands.

Before Ron could say anything (he didn't know what) Harry folded in on himself soundlessly- his bloodied hands clenched in his hair. That mobilized Ron and he awkwardly climbed out of bed, mindful of his broken leg and hobbled over to where Harry was slumped on the floor.

"Come on" he grunted- pulling Harry up by his shirt and leading him over to an unoccupied bed. Harry didn't resist but nor did he help so Ron was panting by the time he'd made him sit on the duvet and then collapsed next to him.

As he tried to get his breathing to slow (Harry was really skinny but he wasn't a cornish pixie either) he shifted so his stiff leg didn't hang off the bed awkwardly.

Harry was clenching and unclenching his fists. Ron settled down and waited for the inevitable explosion and Harry didn't disappoint.

"It's my fault", he said in a low monotone - mindful of the curtained area two beds away. "Sirius was my Godfather- I should have found a way to rescue him without involving Hermione"

"Come of it" groaned Ron. "When have you ever 'involved' us in anything? We've always been there- every-freaking-time, you git."

Harry looked up at him, his eyes shadowed. "Our first year- with the stone- you got bludgeoned and she nearly drank poison-"

"We wanted You-know-who to come back as much as you did, mate. Don't be stupid"

"That's not all I got you into, remember? Hermione, Hagrid, Neville and Malfoy almost met Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest-"

"-yeah well, the forest is forbidden for a reason, this school is barking mad. And don't say his name-"

"-and you got bitten by Nobert-"

"-that one's on Hagrid- you weren't even there at that time-"

"-And the Chamber with Ginny-"

"It was that tosser Malfoy's tosser father, and you never told Gin to write in an evil book-"

"- And tonight-"

"-and tonight you didn't even know about that bloody time turner until Hermione pulled it out."

Harry wasn't meeting his eyes, he was looking somewhere in the vicinity of Ron's shoulder.

Ron sighed, " Pettigrew was my pet rat. I've been feeding and housing a man who killed your parents and imprisoned your Godfather. Hermione worked on Buckbeak's case with Hagrid way more than we did. It was our battle too"

Harry felt silent and Ron counted it as a victory, he'd take whatever he could get tonight.

He did not know how much time had passed before he became aware of shouting just beyond the hospital wing's doors. He recognized Snape's voice an instant before the man himself strode in with the minister of Magic at his heels and Dumbledore bringing up the rear. Next to him, Harry stiffened.

Snape was livid.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey, emerging from behind he curtain. She cast a silencing spell on them and turned to the wrathful professor but he gave her no mind. "Control yourself!"

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked,

we just saw -"

"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry

And Ron. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.

"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE

DID IT-"

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"No! Professor, the door's been locked all this time and I was here just minutes after you left!" Ron could make out the moment the anomaly struck her. Hermione hadn't been sick when Madam Pomfrey had left them and now she was -

Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth to voice her doubts but before she could Snape pounced.

"Where's the Granger girl?", he asked, his eyes glittering in triumph. "Where's your tag-a-long girlfriend, Potter?"

Ron's hands curled into fists. He wanted to hex Snape.

"She's resting", Harry lied, his voice hard with animosity. 'It's been a hard day for us, Professor. If you could let her and us rest?"

This time he turned to Fudge and Ron didn't blame Fudge for looking as taken aback as he was. Harry was scary when he was this intense.

Snape opened his mouth to probably deliver a scathing retort with another accusation but Madam Pomfrey intervened. Snape's offensive had put her on the defensive.

"Ms. Granger is resting behind the curtain, Professor. I was tending to her myself before you barged in and destroyed the sanctity of this hospital wing. Headmaster, I must insist the immediate removal of your persons from here!"

"Yes, Poppy. Certainly. Severus, come let us leave and we shall discuss this in my office."

Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly

shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, who seemed to have understood that something was terribly wrong. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.

"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."

"Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered

a severe disappointment."

"He's not the only one!" puffed Fudge. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock! Well... I'd better go and notify the Ministry..."

"And the dementors?" said Dumbledore. "They'll be removed from the

school, I trust?"

"Oh yes, they'll have to go," said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy…"

"I shall walk you out", he said, leading the minister to the door.

"Poppy, I'll be back to check on your patients.", a heavy glance passed between them.

Dumbledore returned a couple of hours later, surprisingly with Snape in toe. The man looked murderous and Ron was very glad for the Headmaster's presence.

He and Harry had been unable to sleep. Exhaustion weighed him down but his mind swirled with thoughts. He felt like crying. He felt like screaming. And in his worse moments he wished that they had left Black to his fate.

This was followed by a rush of remorse because Black had suffered enough and he'd glance at Harry, wondering what he was thinking.

Madam Pomfrey had emerged from behind the curtain twice, to rush to and back from her office. She resisted their questions with the skill of someone who'd been dealing with restless and worried students for decades.

"What is it now, Albus? Will I finally hear the truth?" sneered Snape.

"You shall have your truth, Severus. I need you to help Ms. Granger."

"The girl was fine when I brought her in", Snape's expression was triumphant. "This proves it." He strode forward and even though Snape was shorter, they seemed nose to nose.

"Trust me Severus" Dumbledore said quietly and Ron didn't know how but he knew that this was a request. "They did not set free James Potter and Lily Evans' killer"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, bewildered by the way Dumbledore spoke of Harry's parents.

Snape's face twisted. "Black proved himself capable of murder a long time ago, Headmaster"

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said, "But he is not a murderer. And he is certainly not the murderer you seek."

The silence in the room crackled and stretched, even Madam Pomfrey did not seem inclined to break it.

Then abruptly Snape turned. "What is wrong with Miss Granger"?

And for the first time Ron spoke, "She was bitten by a werewolf. Sir."