When Rosalind awoke she was dimly aware of the hospital bed she was lying in. Distant, arguing voices were echoing throughout the hall as she sat up groggily, putting a hand on her pounding head. Across from her, she could see Madame Pomfrey bent over an incredibly pale Ron, coaxing some kind of potion down his throat. Hermione was in the bed next to him. Looking terrified as she stared towards the entrance to the hospital wing. The door was slightly ajar, and Rosalind could make out the all too familiar shapes of Cornelius Fudge, and her very own mother.
A rustling came from beside her, and Rosalind turned to find Harry Potter in the bed beside hers. He stared at her for a moment, a million unreadable emotions going through his green eyes as Madame Pomfrey walked over to the two of them.
"Ah, you're awake!" she said briskly. She placed an enormous clump of chocolate on the bedside table between Rosalind and Harry and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.
"How's Ron?" said Harry and Hermione together.
'He'll live,' said Madame 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. "I need to see the Headmaster."
"Potter," said Madame Pomfrey soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The Dementors will be performing the Kiss any moment now –"
"What?!" Harry and Rosalind both shouted and leapt out of their beds, Hermione mimicking them from the other side of the room.
Their shout must have been heard in the corridor outside; next second, Cornelius Fudge, Primrose Black, and Severus Snape had entered the ward.
"Harry, Harry, what's this?" said Fudge, looking agitated. "You should be in bed – has he had any chocolate?"
"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the Dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's –"
Cornelius Fudge shook his head sadly. "Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control …"
"You haven't!" Rosalind yelled, looking at her mother pleadingly. "You've got the wrong man! My uncle would never-"
She suddenly broke out into a severe coughing fit as Primrose Black glared over at her daughter, clutching her wand tightly in her hand.
"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said; she had hurried to Harry's side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him, too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and –"
"You see, Minister?" said Primrose, staring soullessly at her daughter. "Severus was telling the truth…"
Severus Snape sniffed, looking disappointedly down at Rosalind. "Confunded, all of them… Black's truly done a very good job on them…"
"We're not confunded!" Harry roared, glaring at Fudge.
"Gentleman, and lady!' said Madame Pomfrey angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"
"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen –"
But Madame Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry's mouth, seizing the opportunity to force him back onto the bed.
"Rosalind Black," Cornelius Fudge looked at her with a sigh of relief. "You've got a sensible head on that neck of yours. Tell me what happened."
Primrose was seething as she glared at Rosalind, her anger more than apparent.
"They're telling the truth, Minister," Rosalind said cooly, staring levely back at her mother.
Cornelius fudge gave a tsk and turned towards her mother, shaking his head. "Primrose, dear, I would have thought your daughter would be less susceptible to these stories."
"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave –" Madame Pomfrey insisted.
Primrose bowed her head to the Minister as he turned away, then turned to give Rosalind a scathing glare.
"We will discuss this when you return home," Primrose told her, before briskly turning on her heel to follow the Minister out of the room.
The door opened again. It was Dumbledore.
Harry jumped back out of his bed, pushing past Rosalind. "Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black –"
"For heaven's sake!" said Madame Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist –"
"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr Potter, Miss Black, and Miss Granger,' said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black –"
"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind?" spat Snape. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive–"
Rosalind seized the opportunity to run after her mother and grab her by the hand. "Mom, please. You can't let them hurt him, he's family."
"He is no family of ours. He's done terrible things, Rosalind."
"But–"
"No buts!" Primrose turned on Rosalind so fast that Rosalind stumbled backwards to avoid being hit by her hair. "Rosalind Arcturus Black, I am thoroughly disappointed in you. That man is a monster–"
"So was the rest of our family!" Rosalind hissed, bristling as she took a step towards her mother. "I don't see you so eager to murder them!"
"A dementor doesn't murder anyone–"
"Um, it sucks out their soul? I don't know what else you would call murd–"
"Mimblewimble."
Rosalind choked, losing control of her tongue as her mother cast the spell. Glaring at her mother, she put her hand over her mouth and sat down quietly on the end of her hospital bed.
"You've gravely disappointed me," Primrose spat, walking out of the room after a retreating Cornelius Fudge and Severus Snape, pausing only to remove the tongue tying curse from Rosalind before slamming the door shut behind her.
Babble from Harry and Hermione came from behind her, causing Rosalind to turn around, eyes brimming with tears as she looked up at Professor Dumbledore. He held up his hand to silence them and looked over at Rosalind, beckoning her closer to their group.
"You knew all this, didn't you, Miss Black?"
Rosalind gave a quiet nod, wrapping her arms around herself.
"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly, turning to Harry and Hermione. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word – and the word of three thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eye-witnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."
"Professor Lupin can tell you –" Harry spoke up, getting silenced by a quick glance from Dumbledore.
"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the Forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so distrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little – and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends –"
"But –"
"Listen to me, Harry. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."
"He hates Sirius," Hermione said desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him –"
"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady – entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife – without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius' sentence."
"... But, you believe us?" Rosalind said quietly, looking desperately up at the Headmaster.
"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister for Magic …"
Rosalind looked up at Hermione, her own fear reflected in her friends eyes as Dumbledore went silent for a moment, pondering.
"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light-blue eyes moved to Hermione, "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."
Rosalind had no idea what was going on. 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."
"Good luck?" Harry repeated, as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns?"
"What's he talking about, Hermione?" Rosalind queried as she stood up to join the two of them. "What are we supposed to do?"
Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from beneath them a very long, very fine gold chain.
"Harry, Rosa, come here," she said urgently. "Quick!"
Rosalind and Harry moved uncomfortably close to Hermione, doing their best not to touch each other as she draped the chain around all of their necks. A tiny, sparkling hourglass was hanging from it.
"Hermione? That's not a-"
Hermione cut Rosalind off with a meaningful look as she grabbed hold of the hourglass.
Harry looked from one girl to the other, visibly confused. "Not a what?"
Hermione turned the hourglass over three times.
The dark ward dissolved. There was a sensation akin to flying, very fast, backwards. A blur of colours and shapes rushed past them; Rosalind's ears were pounding. And then she felt solid ground beneath her feet, and everything came into focus again.
The three of them were standing in the deserted Hospital Wing and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors.
Harry looked wildly around, the chain of the hourglass cutting into everyone's necks. "Hermione, what –?"
"Hush!" Hermione hissed, grabbing each of them by the arm and pulling them out into the entrance hall. They dutifully followed her down the steps, coming to a stop in front of the open doors to the castle.
"In here!" Hermione gasped as she dragged them across the hall to the door of a broom cupboard; she opened it, pushed them inside amongst the buckets and mops, followed them in, then slammed the door behind them as Rosalind and Harry edged away from each other.
Harry pushed up his glasses in the half light, squinting around the closet. "What – how – Hermione, what happened?"
"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered, lifting up the chain in the half light to display the hourglass charm. "Three hours back …"
"But –"
"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think – I think it might be us!"
"What were you guys doing?" Rosalind whispered as she leaned against the door with Hermione, ear to the wood.
"Visiting Buckbeak before he—" Hermione cut herself off and looked up at Rosalind. "Hey, remember what Dumbledore said?"
"Which thing?"
"More than one innocent life could be save… Harry, do you know what that means?"
Harry gave a delighted grin, grabbing Hermione by the shoulders. "Hermione, we're going to save Buckbeak!"
"But – how will that help Sirius?" Rosalind queried, leaning towards the two of them.
Harry nodded excitedly. "Dumbledore said – he just told us where the window is – the window of Flitwick's office! Where they've got Sirius locked up! We've got to fly Buckbeak up to the window and rescue Sirius! Sirius can escape on Buckbeak!"
"They can escape together!" Rosalind gasped, grinning at Harry. "Ingenious!"
Harry held up his hand for a high five, and Rosalind gave him one, grinning. A split moment passed before they remembered that they were mad at each other, and the smiles slowly dropped from their faces as the two of them quickly looked away.
Hermione cleared her throat from beside the door to the broom cupboard. "If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"
"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry.
He stood up and pressed his own ear against the door. "Doesn't sound like anyone's there … come on, let's go …"
The Entrance Hall was deserted. As quietly and quickly as they could, they darted out of the cupboard and down the stone steps. The shadows were already lengthening, the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest gilded once more with gold.
"If anyone's looking out of the window –" Hermione squeaked, looking up at the castle behind them.
"We'll run for it," said Harry determinedly. "Straight into the Forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout –"
"OK, but we'll go round by the greenhouses!" said Hermione breathlessly. "We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or we'll see us! We must be nearly at Hagrid's by now! You alright, Rosa?"
"I'm just glad to be included," Rosalind huffed from behind them, giving a laugh. "Wow, is it bad that this feels normal?"
Harry and Hermione gave breathy chuckles as they tore across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouses, paused for a moment behind them, then set off again, fast as they could, skirting around the Whomping Willow, tearing towards the shelter of the Forest …
"Right," Hermione gasped as they reached the safety of the shadowy forest, "we need to sneak over to Hagrid's. Keep out of sight, Harry …"
They made their way silently through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the Forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's house, they heard a knock upon his door. They moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk and peered out from either side. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked.
Rosalind and Hermione glanced at Harry as his voice echoed back to them from the entrance to the hut.
"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."
"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered. He stood back, then shut the door quickly.
"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Harry said fervently.
"Let's move along a bit," Rosalind whispered, creeping closer to the other side of the hut. "We need to get nearer to Buckbeak!"
They crept through the trees until they saw the nervous Hippogriff, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch.
"Now?" Harry whispered.
"No!" said Hermione, grabbing Harry by the arm.
"Why not?" Harry glanced up, frowning at the innocent Hippogriff.
Hermione looked over at Harry. "If we steal him now, those Committee people that came to kill him will think Hagrid set him free."
Rosalind nodded, leaning forward to glance through a window into the hut. "We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"
"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," Harry's face dropped as he spoke, realizing how crazy of an idea this was.
At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin.
"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment –"
Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard Hermione let out a shriek of surprise.
"Hermione," said Harry suddenly, "what if we – we just run in there, and grab Pettigrew –"
'No!' said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen –"
'We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!'
Rosalind put her hand on Hermione's arm and turned to look at Harry. "Harry, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?"
"I'd – I'd think I'd gone mad," said Harry, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on –"
"Exactly! You wouldn't understand, you might even attack yourself!"
"Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time," Hermione added, throwing Rosalind a grateful look, "… loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!'
"Ok!" Harry conceded, visibly upset. "It was just an idea, I just thought –"
"Shut up!" Rosalind hissed as she jumped in front of them and pointed towards the castle.
Dumbledore, Fudge, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps.
"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed, turning towards the back entrance to the hut. They sat silently as Ron, Hermione, and Harry came out of the cabin, pulling on the invisibility cloak and vanishing from sight.
"And you're sure you didn't look back at the castle?" Rosalind whispered to Hermione, giving her a worried look.
"Positive," Hermione whispered, watching as the delegation entered the hut.
"Wait here," Harry whispered to the two of them, creeping out of the safety of the forest. "I'll do it."
Neither one of them objected as Harry approached the Hippogriff and bowed deeply.
"Will this work?" Rosalind whispered fervently to Hermione, not taking her eyes off Harry.
"It better work," Hermione muttered darkly, watching as Buckbeak sunk his head to his knees in return to Harry, and resumed gnawing on a pumpkin.
"Let's help," Rosalind hissed, approaching Buckbeak from the front as Harry worked on untying his rope. She bowed deeply to the creature, not taking her eyes off of his pale, yellow gaze.
Buckbeak gave a small chirp and bowed back.
"Help me!" Harry hissed at Rosalind. He was tugging on the rope, but Buckbeak still wouldn't budge.
Dumbledore's voice rumbled from somewhere inside the cabin as Rosalind grabbed hold of the rope alongside Harry and began to heave. Buckbeak gave them dirty look and stood up, but refused to move forward. Instead, he dug his heels down and pulled back.
"Quick! Quick!" Hermione gasped, running up from behind the trees and grabbing the very end of the rope. With all of their combined efforts they finally managed to get the hippogriff to budge. They moved as fast as they dared, slinking back into the forest till they were out of sight of Hagrid's garden. The sound of twigs snapping under their feet echoing back towards the hut as they heard the slam of the door opening, and all four of them, even Buckbeak, froze to listen in.
Silence… then –
"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"
"It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"
"How extraordinary" said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.
"Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.
There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger.
And then came the howling, they could barely hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.
"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"
Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid. The three of them tightened their grip and dug their heels into the Forest floor to stop him.
"Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the Forest –"
"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will … Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."
"O' – o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in …"
Rosalind listened closely. They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.
"Now what?" whispered Harry, looking around.
Buckbeak seemed to echo the thought, as he cocked his head towards Hermione and gave a questioning rumble.
"We'll have to hide in here," said Hermione, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait until it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius' window. He won't be there for another couple of hours , this is going to be difficult …"
She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the Forest. The sun was setting now, casting long shadows throughout the forest as the temperature began to dropped.
"We're going to have to move," said Rosalind, turning away from the cabin. "We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."
"OK," said Hermione, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. "But we've got to keep out of sight, remember …"
"Don't worry," Rosalind said with a small smile. "I have a lot of practice sneaking out to the Whomping Willow."
"Yeah, and when exactly are we going to talk about that?" Harry piped up, irritation clear in his voice.
"Shush!" Hermione cast him a glare, giving Buckbeak's rope a tug and following Rosa through the woods.
They moved around the edge of the Forest, darkness falling thickly around them, until they were hidden behind a clump of trees through which they could make out the Willow.
"There's Ron!" said Harry suddenly.
A dark figure was sprinting across the lawn and its shout echoed through the still night air. "Get away from him – get away – Scabbers, come here –"
And then they saw two more figures materialise out of nowhere. The silhouettes of Harry and Hermione chased after Ron as he dove to the ground, grabbing at Scabbers.
"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat –"
"There's Sirius!" gasped Rosalind, pointing up the slope. The great shape of the dog had bounded out from the roots of the Willow. They saw him bowl Harry over, then seize Ron …
"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" said Harry, watching the dog pulling Ron into the roots. "Ouch – look, I just got walloped by the tree – and so did you – this is weird –"
The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches; they could see Harry and Hermione darting here and there, trying to reach the trunk. And then the tree froze.
"That was Crookshanks pressing the knot," said Hermione.
"And there we go …" Harry muttered. "We're in."
Heaving one, great, unified sigh, the three of them sank down onto the ground and looked up at each other, breaking out into nervous laughter.
In the distance, fading voices signified Dumbledore and the executioners heading back up to the castle. They sat in relative silence as Professor Lupin came rushing down the hill, easily freezing the Whomping Willow and slipping in through the tunnel.
"Snape should be coming soon…" Harry said quietly, frowning at the tree. "If I could just run out and grab the invisibility cloak-"
"No!" Hermione grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him back down. "Harry, you musn't!"
Up the rise, the castle doors flew open and Snape had come charging out of them, running towards the Willow. Harry's fists clenched as they watched Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the Cloak and held it up.
"Get your filthy hands off it," Harry snarled under his breath.
"Shh!" Rosalind put her hand over his mouth with an irritated glance.
Snape seized the branch Lupin had used to freeze the tree, prodded the knot, and vanished from view as he put on the Cloak.
"So that's it," said Hermione quietly. "We're all down there … and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again …" She took the end of Buckbeak's rope and tied it securely around the nearest tree, then sat down on the dry ground, arms around her knees.
"My legs are falling asleep," Rosalind sighed, standing up and stretching towards the sky. "I'm going to go on a quick walk."
"On your own?" Harry snorted, standing up quickly. "When you know a werewolf is going to be out in less than an hour?"
"You're welcome to come along, Potter," Rosalind looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "If you think I need a man to defend me."
"No, no I—"
"Then why are you worried?" Rosalind turned away and headed further down the slope, weaving through the thick trees.
"Wait up!" Harry's shout followed her through the trees, followed by the thuds of heavy footsteps.
"You're just going to leave us here?!" Hermione's indignant shout echoed after them as Harry caught up to Rosalind, followed by a squawk from Buckbeak.
Rosalind giggled, jumping over a root as they skirted the cliff below the Whomping Willow. The forest was lit with a golden glow from the setting sun. In the late evening there wasn't any birdsong coming down from the trees, but insects were beginning to stir. Cricket chirps were echoing from the marshes by the black lake, and lightning bugs were beginning to flash through the air, and throughout the noise of the heavy silence between Harry and Rosalind cut the thumping of their footsteps on the forest floor.
"Can we talk?" Harry finally spoke up after a few minutes, glancing over at Rosalind.
"About?"
"Do you really need to ask?"
Rosalind stopped walking and turned to Harry, putting her hands on her hips. "Ok, yes, I knew he was there. I've known since the attack on the Fat Lady."
"Since Halloween?!"
"I guess…"
Harry gave an exasperated sigh and put his hands over his eyes. "Merlin, and you didn't say anything?"
"Would you have listened?" Rosalind snapped, clenching her fists. "I wanted to tell you, I did, but after you snuck out to Hogsmeade and overheard the Professors gossip, you were determined to hate him!"
"So you were protecting a wanted criminal for the entire school year?"
"He's my uncle…" Rosalind swallowed and looked down at her shoes. "Harry, he's the only member of my extended family who understands me. We're both the Gryffindors, the lions in the serpents den."
"Okay, okay," Harry sighed putting his hands in the air in defeat. "I get it."
Rosalind gave a snort, turning away from Harry and beginning to walk back towards Hermione. "Sure."
"Hey, wait!"
A hand grabbed ahold of Rosalind's and she froze, heart pace quickenning.
"What else do you need from me, Harry?"
"Your forgiveness?"
Rosalind turned back to Harry, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What?"
Harry looked at her, desperation reflecting in his green eyes.
"Harry, honey," Rosalind reached up to run her hand through his hair. "In order to seek forgiveness, one first needs to hear an apology."
Harry gave a sigh as he took her other hand in his, gripping them tightly as he looked down. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry we made you feel like you didn't belong in Gryffindor. I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell us what was going on with you. I'm sorry, for everything."
"Cool," Rosalind smirked and drew her hands away from Harry, giving him a solid pat on the head. "Well then, I accept you apology, and absolve you of your sins."
"You're insufferable," Harry scoffed, but he was smiling as they began walking back through the woods.
"You wouldn't like me if I wasn't."
Hermione and Buckbeak looked up as Rosalind and Harry came back into the clearing. "Hey! I need to talk to you guys."
"Did something happen?" Rosalind asked worriedly, sitting down on the ground next to Hermione.
"Maybe, I don't know. There's just, there's something I don't understand … why didn't the Dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out … there were so many of them …"
Harry sat down, too. "I-I'm not sure exactly either. All I know is what I saw. The nearest Dementor had lowered its mouth to mine, and then a large silver something had come galloping across the lake and forced the Dementors to retreat."
Hermione's mouth was slightly open as she stared at Harry. "But what was it?"
"There's only one thing it could have been, to make the Dementors go,' said Harry. 'A real Patronus. A powerful one."
"I've been trying to conjure one all year," Rosalind said with a huff, crossing her arms. "I've had classes with Professor Lupin, but I can't figure it out."
"But who conjured this one?" Hermione stared at Harry with wide eyes.
Harry didn't say anything.
"Didn't you see what they looked like?"said Hermione eagerly. "Was it one of the teachers?"
"No," said Harry. "He wasn't a teacher."
"But it must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those Dementors away … If the Patronus was shining so brightly, didn't it light him up? Couldn't you see –?"
"Yeah, I saw him," said Harry slowly. "But … maybe I imagined it … I wasn't thinking straight … I passed out right afterwards …"
"Who did you think it was?"
"I think –" Harry swallowed, looking over at Hermione nervously. "I think it was my dad."
"Harry, your dad's – well – dead," she said quietly.
"I know that," said Harry quickly.
Rosalind looked over at him, tilting her head thoughtfully. "You think you saw his ghost?"
"I don't know … no … he looked solid …"
"But then –"
"Maybe I was seeing things," said Harry. "But … from what I could see … it looked like him … I've got photos of him …"
Rosalind and Hermione exchanged dubious glances as Harry fell silent, staring at Buckbeak apprehensively. The Hippogriff didn't notice, and pawed casually at the ground as the three of them sat in silence as the temperature began to drop.
"Look!" Rosalind jerked up as a figure approached from the school. "Is that… me?"
Hermione looked up, peering around the tree. "It is! That means there's not much left to go!"
"Is that really what my hair looks like?" Rosalind frowned, leaning further out from behind the tree.
"You look like Sirius," Harry said quietly from behind them, and Rosalind cast him a bemused glance.
They watched in silence as the other Rosalind froze the Whomping Willow and descended into the tunnel, and waited.
"Here we come!" Hermione whispered.
She and Harry got to their feet. Buckbeak raised his head.
They saw Lupin, Ron and Pettigrew clambering awkwardly out of the hole in the roots. Then came Rosalind guiding out the unconscious Snape and pulling him away from the tree. Next came Sirius, tailed by Harry and Hermione.
They all began to walk towards the castle.
Rosalind's heart was starting to beat faster and she glanced up at the sky. Any moment now, that cloud was going to move aside and show the moon.
Harry gave a nervous swallow behind them, taking a wary step forward. "We could-"
"Harry," Hermione muttered, as though she knew exactly what he was thinking, "we've got to stay put. We mustn't be seen. There's nothing we can do …"
"So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again …" said Harry quietly.
"How do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" snapped Hermione.
Rosalind flushed. "Actually, I cast-"
"That doesn't help me prove my point," Hermione said with a quick frown at Rosalind. "There's nothing we can do! We came back to help Sirius. We're not supposed to be doing anything else!"
"All right!" Harry growled, and the three of them turned back to the scene.
The moon slid out from behind its cloud. They saw the tiny figures across the grounds stop. Then they saw movement –
"There goes Lupin," Hermione whispered. "He's transforming –"
"Guys!" said Harry suddenly. "We've got to move!"
"We mustn't, I keep telling you –"
"Not to interfere! But Lupin's going to run into the Forest, right at us!"
Hermione gasped.
"Quick!" she moaned, dashing to untie Buckbeak. "Quick! Where are we going to go? Where are we going to hide?"
Rosalind took hold of Buckbeak's rope, helping pull the Hippogriff alond. "The Dementors will be coming any moment –"
"Back to Hagrid's!" Harry said. "It's empty now – come on!"
They ran, fast as they could, Buckbeak cantering along behind them. They could hear the werewolf howling behind them …
The cabin was in sight. Harry skidded to the door, wrenched it open and Hermione, Rosalind, and Buckbeak flashed past him; Harry threw himself in after them and bolted the door. Fang the boarhound barked loudly.
"Shh, Fang, it's us!" said Hermione, hurrying over and scratching his ears to quieten him.
"That was really close!" Rosalind gasped to Harry.
"Yeah …" Harry was looking out of the window. It was much harder to see what was going on from here.
Buckbeak seemed very happy to find himself back inside Hagrid's house. He lay down in front of the fire, folded his wings contentedly and seemed ready for a good nap.
"I think I'd better go outside again, you know," said Harry slowly. "I can't see what's going on – we won't know when it's time –"
"You're not going out there alone," Rosalind snapped, gripping her wand.
"By all means, come with me," Harry sighed, creaking the door open.
Hermione looked up. Her expression was suspicious.
"I'm not going to try and interfere," said Harry quickly. "But if we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"
"Well … OK, then … I'll wait here with Buckbeak … but Harry, be careful – there's a werewolf out there – and the Dementors –"
"I'll keep him in check," Rosalind said with a wink at Hermione, slipping out of the cabin and into the night.
Harry looked up at Rosalind, making brief eye contact before quickly glancing away. Rosalind swallowed nervously as the door shut behind her, unsure of what to say, or if she ought to say anything at all. Instead she turned to focus on the darkened forest, knowing that somewhere in the woods her uncle was running for his life.
A yelp echoed through the silence. Rosalind exchanged a nervous glance with Harry and the two of them took off running towards the sound. That was where the dementors were closing in on Sirius.
From where they were running they could see the Dementors, raggedy shadows closing in on the opposite bank of the lake.
"The person who cast the charm was over here!" Harry called out, running towards an open spot on the lakeshore.
Rosalind swallowed nervously, pulling the bottle of Euphoria Inducing potion out of her pocket and gripping it in one hand, wand drawn in the other. "Harry, you don't think-"
"It could be!" Harry snapped, coming to a stop at the lakeshore, behind a row of bushes on the very edge of the water. There was no sign of anybody.
On the opposite bank, sparks of silver light were shooting their reflections across the water– Harry's own attempts at a Patronus – the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished.
"Come on!" he muttered, staring about. "Where are you? Dad, come on–"
Rosalind looked up nervously. Some of the dementors seemed to be straying from the ground, as if they could sense Rosalind on the other end of the lake. "Harry, I really think–"
"He'll be here!" Harry snapped, looking back at her. "Wait, is that a potion?"
Rosalind gave a nervous swallow. "It might help."
A chill caused them both to turn back to the lakeshore. Two dementors were heading straight for them. Their freezing auras drained Rosalind of her energy and she crumbled onto the ground, the bottle rolling to Harry's feet.
"Rosa!" Harry's shout echoed through the cold as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She watched, shivering as understanding dawned on Harry. He picked up the potion, downing it in a few gulps and turning to face the oncoming dementors, jumping out from behind the bush with his wand drawn.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
Out of the end of Harry's wand burst not a wisp of silver, but an enormous animal. It galloped towards the dementors, radiating waves of pure energy and driving them off. It lowered its head and charge at the swarming Dementors, galloping around and around the black shapes on the ground, and the Dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness … they were gone.
The Patronus turned. It was cantering back towards Harry across the still surface of the water. It wasn't a horse. It wasn't a unicorn, either. It was a stag. It was shining brightly as the moon above as it stopped on the bank.
Rosalind struggled to sit up, watching in awe as the creature bowed its head to Harry. He reached his hand up towards it, but it dissolved into a silver mist, and was gone.
"Harry?"
Harry turned around quickly, shaking his head as he ran over to Rosa and helped her up off the ground. "I've never been able to do that before… what was in that potion?"
Rosalind gave a nervous swallow. "It was euphoria inducing. I can't seem to find a happy thought, so I was never able to cast the charm. It seemed like a safe alternative…"
Harry gave her a nod, his eyes distant.
"Are you okay?" Rosalind ventured, reaching up to brush his hair away from his face.
"I–"
"Harry Potter! Rosalind Black!"
Rosalind and Harry jumped, turning around at the sound of hooves. Hermione was coming over the ridge, Buckbeak in tow. Her eyes were fiery as she glared at the two of them.
"What did you two do?" she said fiercely. "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"
"I just saved all our lives …" said Harry indignantly, pulling Hermione over to the row of bushes. "Get behind here – behind this bush – I'll explain."
Hermione listened to what had just happened with her mouth gaping open. "Did anyone see you?"
"Yes, haven't you been listening? I saw me but I thought I was my dad! It's OK!"
"Harry, I can't believe it – you conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those Dementors! That's very, very advanced magic …"
Rosalind jumped up, cutting the two of them off from their bickering. "Look at Snape!'
Together they peered around the bush at the other bank. Snape had regained consciousness. He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Harry, Hermione, Rosalind, and Sirius onto them. A fifth stretcher, no doubt bearing Ron, was already floating at his side. Then, wand held out in front of him, he moved them away towards the castle.
"Right, it's nearly time," said Hermione tensely, looking at her watch. "We've got about forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks the door to the hospital wing. We've got to rescue Sirius and get back into the ward before anybody realises we're missing …"
They waited, watching the moving clouds reflected in the lake, while the bush next to them whispered in the breeze. Buckbeak, bored, was ferreting for worms.
"Reckon he's up there yet?" Harry said with a frown, looking up at the castle with furrowed eyebrows.
"Look!" Hermione whispered. "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"
A man was hurrying across the grounds, towards one of the entrances. Something shiny glinted in his belt.
"Macnair!" said Harry. "The executioner! He's gone to get the Dementors! This is it!"
Rosalind waited for Hermione to climb onto Buckbeak before clambering on behind her. Harry tied the Hippogriffs rope to the other side of his collar to form reigns before climbing on in front of Hermione.
"You'd better hold on to me," he called back with a devious tone to his voice.
Rosalind barely had time to grab ahold of Harry's waist, squishing Hermione between the two of them as Harry gave Buckbeak a quick kick in the side.
Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Rosalind gripped his flanks with her knees, feeling the great wings rising powerfully beneath them. Hermione had gone stiff as a board; she could hear her muttering, "Oh, no – I don't like this – oh, I really don't like this –"
Harry urged Buckbeak forwards. They were gliding quietly towards the upper floors of the castle, the wind blowing Rosalind's hair away from her face as she tried to count the windows flashing past them.
"Whoa!" Harry called out, pulling backwards.
Buckbeak slowed down and they found themselves at a stop, unless you counted the fact that they kept rising up and down several feet as he beat his wings to remain airborne.
"He's there!" Rosalind cried out, spotting Sirius as they rose up beside the window.
Harry reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings fell, was able to tap sharply on the glass.
Sirius looked up, and his jaw dropped. He leapt from his chair, hurried to the window and tried to open it, but it was locked.
"Hermione?!" Harry called back to her, but she gave a shake of her head.
"I can't reach my wand! Rosa's in the way!"
"I got this! Stand back!" Rosalind called tout, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Hermione's robes with her left hand. 'Alohomora!
The window sprang open.
"How – how –?" said Sirius weakly, staring at the Hippogriff.
"Get on – there's not much time," said Harry, gripping Buckbeak firmly to hold him steady. "You've got to get out of here – the Dementors are coming. Macnair's gone to get them."
Sirius placed a hand on either side of the window-frame and heaved his head and shoulders out of it. It was very lucky he was so thin. In seconds, he had managed to fling one leg over Buckbeak's back, and pull himself onto the Hippogriff behind Rosalind.
"OK, Buckbeak, up!" said Harry, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower – come on!"
The Hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upwards again, high as the top of the West Tower.
Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements and Rosalind, Harry. and Hermione slid off him at once.
"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Rosalind panted, reaching up to give him an awkward parting hug. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you've gone."
Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head.
"What happened to the other boy? Ron?" said Sirius urgently.
Harry gave a small smile. "He's going to be OK – he's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick – go!"
Sirius was staring down at them, eyes brimming with emotion. "How can I ever thank –"
"Go!" The three of them shouted together.
Sirius gave a small laugh, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of Rosalind's head before wheeling Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.
"We'll see each other again, little one," he said with a smile before turning back to Harry. "You are truly your father's son, Harry."
He squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels.
Harry and Hermione jumped back as the enormous wings rose once more. The Hippogriff took off into the air, he and his rider became smaller and smaller as Rosalind gazed after them, a heavy lump growing in her throat as she watched the truest family she'd ever known vanish into the night. Then a cloud drifted across the moon, and they were gone.
"Rosa!"
A warm hand on her own brought Rosalind back to the present. She looked up at Harry and let out a deep breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. As it left her body she became painfully aware of how fatigued her body was; there was a throbbing pain in her left knee that radiated throughout her entire leg.
"Come on," Harry said quietly, not letting go of her hand as he pulled her along. "We've only got ten minutes to get back to the hospital wing."
"Right…"
Rosalind followed Hermione and Harry in a daze, the only thing keeping her from falling asleep on her feet was Harry.
"Hermione – what'll happen – if we don't get back inside – before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry panted as they rounded the top of the grand staircase.
"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"
They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital-wing entrance.
"OK – I can hear Dumbledore," said Hermione tensely. "Come on, Harry!"
They crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.
"I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."
Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door and took out his wand to magically lock it.
Panicking, Harry and Hermione ran forwards, towing Rosalind along behind them.
Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver moustache.
"Well?" he said quietly.
"We've done it," Hermione gasped, a small smile growing on her face as she looked up at the Headmaster.
Dumbledore beamed at them.
"Well done. I think –" he listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone, too. Get inside – I'll lock you in –"
The three of them slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicked behind them, they crept back to their own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes.
Next moment, Madam Pomfrey had come striding back out of her office. "Did I hear the Headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"
She was in a very bad mood.
Rosalind thought it best to accept her chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it.
"Madame Pomfrey?" Rosalind whispered as the nurse offered her a second piece of chocolate.
"What is it, dear?"
"Would, would it be too much to ask for a sleeping potion? One that guarantees no bad dreams?"
Madame Pomfrey gave a sigh, smiling sympathetically as she summoned over a vial of potion. "Here you are, dear."
Rosalind took the potion in a few, quick, gulps, drowsiness overtaking her body as she collapsed back into the hospital bed. As Madame Pomfrey tucked her blankets in around her, she could just barely make out a whisper from Harry coming from the bed next to her.
"Sweet dreams, Rosa."
The four of them were discharged from the hospital wing the following morning. The sweltering heat and the end of the exams meant that everyone who could was taking full advantage of another Hogsmeade visit. Harry, Hermione, and Ron invited Rosalind to come spend the day with them on the lakeshore, but she refused. There were some people she needed to talk to first.
Ginny, Estelle, and Colin were playing gobstones in the Clockwork Courtyard when Rosalind finally found them. Ginny and Estelle looked at her warily as she approached them, but Colin greeted her with his usual grin.
"Heya, Rosa!" He said with a grin. "Say, did you hear about what happened last night?"
"Yeah," Rosalind gave him a small smile as she came to a stop next to them. "Can, can we talk?"
Ginny crossed her arms, giving Rosalind a hard look. "Only if you're going to be doing some explaining."
Rosalind gave a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of her neck. "Yeah, yeah I suppose you all deserve to know."
Colin looked up curiously as Rosalind took a seat next to him, stretching in the warm summer sun. "Deserve to know what?"
"Everything, really."
They sat in silence as Rosalind explained everything that had been going on with her that past year, starting all the way back from the halloween feast. The three of them listened intently as she talked about finding Sirius, the animagi process, and the events of last night. Colins facial expressions and reactions spoke louder than any apology ever could, whilst Estelle's expression of awe shifted along with the story. Ginny, however, remained passive and immovable. Only at the very end, when Rosalind had nothing else to say, did she finally look up at her friend.
"So… you've been helping a wanted convict all year, and you got mad at us for associating you with said murder convict?"
"That's generalizing it and you know it," Estelle hissed, elbowing Ginny in the side.
"We could apologize too," Colin said, putting an arm around Rosalind's shoulders. "After all, we didn't exactly do anything to stop all those rumors about you."
"I accept your apology," Rosalind laughed, smiling gratefully at Colin before looking over at Ginny. "Do you accept mine?"
Estelle and Colin seemed to sense that the question was more directed to the redhead rather than them, and they turned to look at her questioningly. Ginny stood there for a moment, eyes focusing intently on her shoes, arms crossed.
Rosalind stood up hesitantly and took a cautious step forward, gingerly putting her hand on her friends shoulder. "Gin?"
There was a moment of heavy silence, and then a loud sniffle. Rosalind gingerly drew her hand away and watched in awe as Ginny wiped tears away from her eyes.
"Is… is that a yes?"
Ginny turned and threw her arms around Rosalind while Colin and Estelle cheered.
"You're not allowed to stop talking to me ever again," she hissed into Rosalind's ear before leaning back, blinking tears out of her eyes. "Got that?"
"Got it," Rosalind laughed, drawing her in for another hug. The two of them laughed as Estelle joined in, smiling so wide it seemed her face might break.
"Group hug!" Colin cheered, throwing his arms around the girls and squeezing them tightly. They all laughed and hugged him back, reunited in the warm June sun.
All too soon, it was time to pack their trunks and pile onto the Hogwarts Express. The train ride back to London was loaded with gossip; Professor Snape had exposed Professor Lupin as a werewolf, and their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had retired before any backlash could be thrown at Professor Dumbledore from disappointed parents. No one seemed to know the full story of what happened to bring Sirius Black to Hogwarts that fateful night, so the general student body was making all kinds of rumors. At one point Rosalind saw a Ravenclaw pull out a detailed diagram explaining how Sirius Black was a vampire and could therefore turn into a bat.
Everyone received their exam results at the end of term. Rosalind had passed every subject with flying colors, much to her delight. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had as well. Harry kept telling her how sure he had been that he would fail Potions, due to Snape's personal vendetta against him, but Rosalind had done her best to assure him her godfather wouldn't be that vengeful.
Percy had got his top-grade NEWTs; Fred and George had scraped a handful of OWLs each. Gryffindor house, meanwhile, largely thanks to their winning of the Quidditch Cup, had won the House Championship for the third year running. This meant that the end-of-term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table had been the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated.
"Rosa!"
Rosalind looked up with a small smile, dropping her trunk on the concrete floor of platform 9 3/4. "Hey, Harry. Come to say goodbye?"
"Something like that," Harry said with a smirk, pulling out a scroll from his raggedy pants pocket. "And, to give you this."
Rosalind took the scroll, smiling as she saw the black paw print signature on the front. "How did he…?"
"Sent an owl," Harry smirked and jerked his head towards where the Weasley's were clamoring over a corner of the platform. "Ron's keeping it as a pet, actually. Compensation for destroying Scabbers."
"He has such a big heart," Rosalind sighed dramatically, pretending to wipe a tear from her eye. "You could learn a thing or two."
"Hah, hah," Harry bumped her in side. "Will you write this summer?"
"You might hear from me now and then," Rosalind said coyly, running a hand through her hair. "Don't expect to hear anything from me during the Quidditch World Cup."
"Right," Harry said with a longing look in his eyes. "Ron and his family are going to take me with them."
"Well then, Mister Potter," Rosalind pinched the end of his nose. "I'll be seeing you come August."
"Stop it, you," Harry snorted, drawing her in for a tight hug.
Rosalind hugged back, grinning shamelessly as Colin walked past her giving two thumbs up.
"Rosalind Black!"
Rosalind groaned and drew away from Harry at the sound of her mother's voice, giving him a pained smile. "See you later, then."
"See you soon," Harry promised, giving Rosalind a sad smile before turning to run over to the Weasley's.
Rosalind watched him go, doing her best to shove aside the longing she felt threatening to overwhelm her as she turned to face her mother.
Primrose Black was watching Rosalind from a few feet away, a disappointed and judgemental expression painted onto her face. "If you're quite done gossiping…"
"Yes, Mother," Rosalind muttered mutinously, glaring down at her shoes.
"Don't think I haven't forgotten about that night," Primrose snapped as Stygian came over to join them. "You can expect to be grounded for the first month of break, after pulling a stunt like that in front of the Minister."
Their ride back to their family apartment was a quiet one. Stygian filled in the cold silence between Rosalind and their mother with chatter about the school year and his high ranking, pureblood friends. Pulling the scroll from Sirius out of her pocket, she read the letter to herself with a small smile.
Dearest Rosalind, Stygian,
I hope Harry finds a way to get this to you two before you all split ways at the end of term.
Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this falls into the wrong hands. One can never be too careful these days, as these are troubling times.
I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted for the next school year.
I wanted to thank the two of you. You were truly the highlight of this past year. You couldn't begin to understand the joy I felt learning that more members of our family were, for lack of better terms, like me. Don't ever change. I could never be more proud of my Gryffindor niece, and my illegal animagus nephew.
Know that if either of you are ever in need of anything, you can write to me. Send word, and your owl will find me.
With Love,
Your Uncle Sirius