"Shocking business…shocking…miracle none of them died…never heard the like…by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape…" Fudge's voice said.
"Thank you, Minister," Snape replied.
"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wrangle it!" Fudge said.
"Thank you very much indeed, Minister," Snape replied, sounding smug.
"Nasty cut you've got there…Black's work, I suppose?" Fudge asked.
"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Weasley, Granger, Brocklehurst, and Corner, Minister…" Snape answered.
"No!" Fudge replied, stunned.
"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behaviour. 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…" Snape explained, "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…Hailey Potter, you know…we've all got a bit of a blind spot where she's concerned," Fudge replied.
"And yet—it is good for her to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try and treat her like any other student. And any other student would be suspended—at the very lease—for leading their friends into such danger," Snape said, "Consider, Minister—against all school rules—after all the precautions put in place for her protection—out-of—bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer—and I have reason to believe she has been visiting Hogsmeade illegally too—"
"Well, well…we shall see, Snape, we shall see…the girl has undoubtedly been foolish…" Fudge replied.
Hailey lay listening with her eyes tightly shut and feeling very groggy. The words she was hearing seemed to be traveling very slowly from her ears to her brain, so that it was difficult to understand…Her limbs felt like lead; her eyelids too heavy to lift…She wanted to lie here, on this comfortable bed, forever…
"What amazes me most is the behaviour of the dementors…you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?" Fudge asked.
"No, Minister…by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances…" Snape answered.
"Extraordinary," Fudge said, "And yet Black, Hailey, the girls, and the boy—"
"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," Snape explained.
There was a pause. Hailey's brain seemed to be moving a little faster, and as it did, a gnawing sensation grew in the pit of her stomach…She opened her eyes. She was lying in the dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, she could make out Madam Pomfrey with her back to Hailey, bending over a bed. Hailey squinted and saw Ron's red hair was visible beneath Madam Pomfrey's arm.
Hailey moved her head over on the pillow. In the bed to her right lay Hermione. Moonlight was falling across her bed. Her eyes were open too. She looked petrified and when she saw that Hailey 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.
Madam Pomfrey now came walking briskly up the dark ward to Hailey's bed. She turned to look at her. She was carrying the largest block of chocolate she had ever seen in her life. It looked like a small boulder and she was sure that Dudley would've eaten all of it by himself.
"Ah, you're awake!" Madam Pomfrey said briskly. She placed the chocolate on Hailey's bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.
"How's Ron?" asked Hailey and Hermione together.
"And Michael and Mandy?" Hailey added.
"They'll live," said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "As for you two…you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're—Potter, what you think you're doing?"
Hailey was sitting up and picking up her wand. "I need to see the headmaster."
"Potter," said Madam 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?" Hailey shouted and jumped out of bed. Hermione and Michael, from the bed on the other side of Hermione's bed, had jumped up.
Cornelius Fudge and Snape had entered the ward, hearing Hailey's shout from the corridor.
"Hailey, Hailey,what's this?" said Fudge looking agitated. "You should be in bed—has she had any chocolate?" He sounded anxious.
"Minister, listen!" Hailey said, "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigreew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's—"
Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face. "Hailey, Hailey, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control…"
"You haven't!" Hailey yelled. "You've got the wrong man!"
"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said, hurrying to Hailey's side. She was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and—" Michael was nodding in agreement.
"You see, Minister?" said Snape. "Confunded, the three of them…Black's done a very good job on them…"
"We're not Confunded!" Hailey yelled, agitated.
"Minister! Professor!" said Madam Pomfrey angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and she should not be distressed!"
"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Hailey said furiously. "If they'd just listen—"
Madam Pomfrey stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Hailey's mouth. Hailey choked and Madam Pomfrey seized the opportunity to force her back onto the bed. "Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave—"
The door opened again and this time it was Dumbledore. Hailey swallowed the mouthful of chocolate with great difficulty and got up again. She said, "Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black—"
"For heaven's sake!" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist—"
"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Miss Potter, Miss Granger, and Mr Corner," 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—"
"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore, surveying Snape closely through his half-moon spectacles.
"And does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Snape. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."
"That was because you were knocked out, Professor!" said Hermione earnestly. "You didn't arrive in time to hear—"
"Miss Granger, hold your tongue!" Snape yelled at her.
"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances—"
"I would like to speak to Hailey, Hermione, and Michael alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "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. I'll go and meet them. Dunbledore, 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?" Snnpe whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.
"I wish to speak to Hailey, Hermione, and Michael alone," Dumbledore repeated.
Snape took a step toward Dumbledore, "Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen. 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 the three teens. They burst into speech at the same time.
"Professor, Black's telling the truth—we saw Pettigrew—"
"—he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf—"
"—he's a rat—"
"—Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off—"
"—Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius—"
Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations. "It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "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 eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."
Unable to stop herself, Hailey started, "Professor Lupin can tell you—"
"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything," Dumbledore interrupted. "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 mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little—and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends—"
Hailey started, "But—"
"Listen to me, Hailey. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events if far more convincing than yours," Dumbledore stated.
"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's sentence."
"But do you believe that we're telling the truth?" Michael asked.
"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic…"
"Veritaserum," Michael said. "No, wait. Never mind. That will take a while to brew and it's already too late."
Hailey stared up into the grave face and felt as though the ground beneath him were falling sharply away. She had grown used to the idea that Dumbledore could solve anything. She had expected Dumbledore to pull some amazing solution out of the air. No…their last hope was gone.
"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly and his light blue eyes moved from Hailey to Hermione, "is more time."
"But—" Hermione began and then her eyes widened. "Oh!"
"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, the three of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law—you know what is at stake… You—must—not—be—seen."
Hailey didn't have a clue 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?" Hailey repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"
Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling a very long, very fine god chain. "Hailey, Michael, come here," she said. "Quick!"
Hailey moved toward her, completely bewildered. Hermione was holding the chain out and Hailey saw a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it.
"Here," Hermione said, throwing the chair around Hailey and Michael's necks. Michael seemed to understand what was going on.
"What are we doing?" Hailey asked, completely lost.
Hermione turned the hourglass over three times.
The dark ward dissolved and Hailey had the sensation that she was flying very fast, backwards. A blur of colours and shapes rushed past her, her ears were pounding, she tried to yell but couldn't hear her own voice—she felt solid ground beneath her feet, and everything came into focus again.
She was standing in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. She looked wildly around at Hermione and Michael, to the chain of the hourglass cutting into her neck. She wasn't sure why Michael seemed to be so calm about it. "What—?"
"In here!" Hermione seized Hailey and Michael's arms, dragging them across the hall to the door of a broom closet. She opened it and pushed them inside among the buckets and mops, and then she slammed the door behind them.
Hailey was still confused, "What—how—Hermione, Michael, what happened?"
"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered, lifting the chain off of Hailey's neck in the dark. "Three hours back…"
Hailey found her leg and gave it a very hard pinch. It hurt a lot, which ruled out that she was having a bizarre dream. "But—"
"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think—I think it might be us!" Hermione said with her ear pressed against the cupboard door. "Footsteps across the hall…yes, I think it's us going to Hagrid's!"
"Are you telling me that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?" Hailey whispered.
"Yes," said Hermione, her ear still pressed to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like ore than five people…and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak—" She trailed, still listening. "We've gone down the front steps…" She sat down on an upturned bucket, looking desperately anxious.
Hailey wanted a few questions answered. "Where did you get that hourglass thing?"
"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model students, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies…I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But…Hailey, Michael, I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"
Hailey and Michael stared at her shadowy face.
"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," Hailey said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago…"
"We're in three hours ago," Michael said. "That was a odd thing to say…"
"We are walking down to Hagrid's," said Hermione. "We just heard ourselves leaving…"
Hailey frowned, although she felt like she was screwing up her brain in concentration. "Dumbledore just said—just said we could save more than one innocent life…" It hit her.
"We're going to save Buckbeak!" Hailey and Michael said together.
"But—how will that help Sirius?" Hermione asked.
"Dumbledore told us that Sirius is in Professor Flitwick's office, which is on the seventh floor and thirteenth window from the West Tower," Michael said.
"We've got to fly Buckbeak up to the window and rescue Sirius! Sirius can escape on Buckbeak—they can escape together!" Hailey said. From what she can see of Hermione's shadowy face, she looked terrified.
Hermione said, "If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"
"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Hailey. She pressed her ear against the door. "Doesn't sound like anyone's there…Come on, let's go…" She pushed the door open and saw that the entrance hall was deserted. As quietly and quickly as they could, they darted out of the closet 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 just run like hell," said Michael.
Hailey nodded and said, "Straight into the forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout—"
"Okay, but we'll go around 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!"
Hailey set off at a sprint, Hermione and Michael behind her. They ran across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouse, paused for a moment behind them, then ran off again, as fast as they could, running around the Whomping Willow, running toward the shelter of the forest…
Safe in the shadows of the trees, Hailey turned around, seconds later Hermione and Michael arrived, breathing heavily.
"Right," Hermione gasped. "We need to sneak over to Hagrid's…Keep out of sight, Hailey…"
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. Hailey was aware that Michael had chose to look out right above her. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked.
Hailey heard her own voice say, "It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."
"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered and he stood back, then shut the door quickly.
"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," said Hailey fervently.
"Let's move along a bit," Hermione whispered. "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?" Hailey whispered.
"No!" said Hermione. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"
"That's going to give us about a minute," said Hailey, thinking that it was starting to seem impossible.
There was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin.
"Okay, that's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Michael said. "Hermione will find Peter in a moment—"
In a few minutes, they heard Hermione's shriek of surprise. Hailey considered the idea of running in and grabbing Pettigrew, but if her past-self saw her, there was a very good chance that her past-self would think that she was going mad or think that's there some serious Dark Magic going on. That and there was the possibility that her past-self and her friends would attack her if she did burst in there. She looked at Michael. "Wait, why are you so calm about this?"
"He found out by accident," Hermione admitted. "He promised that he wouldn't tell, so he's been keeping it quiet all year."
"That makes a lot of sense. Mandy, Ron, and I were thinking that you two were secretly dating," Hailey admitted.
Hermione and Michael looked at her.
"Gross," Michael said and looked at Hermione, "No offense."
Hermione pointed towards the castle. Hailey and Michael looked at the distant front doors. Dumbledore, Fudge, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps.
"We're about to come out!" Hermione said.
Sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back down opened, and Hailey herself, Ron, Hermione, Mandy, and Michael walking out of it with Hagrid. It was, without a doubt, the strangest sensation of her life, standing behind the tree, and watching herself in the pumpkins.
"It's okay, Beaky, it's okay…" Hagrid said to Buckbeak, then he turned to Hailey, Ron, Hermione, Mandy, and Michael. "Go on. Get goin'."
"Hagrid, we can't—"
"We'll tell them what really happened—"
"Malfoy's a—"
"They can't kill him—"
"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"
Hailey watched the Hermione in the pumpkin patch throw the Invisibility Cloak around her past self and her friends.
"Go quick. Don' listen…"
There was a knock on Hagrid's front door. The execution party had arrived and Hagrid turned around and headed back into his cabin, leaving the back door ajar. Hailey watched the grass flatten in patch all around the cabin and heard five pairs of feet retreating. Their past selves had gone…but the Hailey, Hermione, and Michael, still hiding in the trees could hear what was happening inside the cabin through the back door.
"Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair.
"Out—outside," Hagrid croaked.
Hailey pulled her head out of sight as Macnair's face appeared at Hagrid's window.
"We—er—have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, you're supposed to listen too, that's procedure—" Fudge said.
Hailey looked and saw that Macnair's face vanished from the window. She knew it was now or never. "Let's go." As Fudge started talking again, Hailey, Michael, and Hermione ran out from behind her tree and climbed over the fence into the pumpkin patch. Hailey approached Buckbeak.
"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall be executed on the sixth of June at sundown—"
Hailey stared up into Buckbeak's fierce orange eyes, trying not to blink, and bowed. Buckbeak sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again, as Michael and Hermione tried to untangle the knot of rope that tied Buckbeak to the fence.
"…sentenced o execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair…"
"Come on, Buckbeak," Hailey murmured, "come on, we're going to help you. Quietly…quietly…"
"…as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here…"
Hailey, Michael, and Hermione tugged the rope, but Buckbeak had dug in his front feet.
"Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stay inside—"
"No, I—I wan' ter be with him…I don' wan' him ter be alone—" Hagrid interrupted.
Footsteps echoed from within the cabin. Michael dropped the rope and found a bucket.
"Buckbeak, move!" Haily ordered.
Michael dangled a dead pheasant in front of Buckbeak, and the hippogriff began to walk, rustling its wings irritably. They started to lead to the hippogriff to the forest, slowly. They were ten feet from the forest, in plain view of Hagrid's back door.
"One, moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too." The footsteps stopped, Hermione and Hailey heaved on the rope. Buckbeak snapped his beak and started walking a little faster.
Michael found a bucket of dead pheasants and dangled one out, trying to lure Buckbeak to the forest with food. They could hear Dumbledore still talking from within the cabin. Hailey gave the rope a tug and Buckbeak started to break out into a grudging trot. They finally reached the trees and Michael gave Buckbeak the dead pheasants. Hailey looked over her shoulder to see that they were now blocked from sight, since they couldn't see Hagrid's garden now.
Hailey whispered, "Stop, they might hear us—"
The door opened with a bang and they stood quite still, even Buckbeak seemed to be listening intently.
There was a silence.
"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"
"It was tied here!" said Macnair furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"
"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore with a note of amusement in his voice.
"Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.
There was a swishing noise and the thud of an axe. The executioner must have swung it right into the fence out of anger. Hagrid started howling, but Hailey could hear 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 ropes, trying to get back to Hagrid. Hailey and Hermione tightened their hold on the rope, digging 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 stole, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, 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…"
The three listened closely to the footsteps, the soft cursing from Macnair, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.
"I guess we have to wait and hide in here," Michael said.
"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's window. He won't be there for another couple of hours…Oh; this is going to be difficult…" She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the forest. The sun was beginning to set, once again.
Michael said, "More difficult than us having to steal a hippogriff in one minute? The hardest part is waiting for a few hours."
"We're going to have to move. We've got to able to see the Whomping Willow or we won't know what's going on," Hailey said, thinking very hard.
"Okay, but we've got to keep out of sight, Hailey, remember…" Hermione said, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope.
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!" Hailey said.
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—"
They saw four more figures appear out of nowhere. Hailey watched her past-self, Hermione, Mandy, and Michael chase after Ron. She saw Ron dive, "Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat—"
"There's Sirius," said Hailey. The great shape of the dog had bounded out from the roots of the Willow and they saw him bowl Hailey over, rolled over, charged again, but Michael grabbed Hailey's arm, but the dog seized his arm. Mandy threw a rock at the dog, which caused it to release Michael's arm, then seized Ron.
"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" asked Hailey, watching the dog pull Ron into the roots. She saw a branch of the Willow hit her past self in the face, "Ouch—look. I just got hit in the face by the tree— and so did you two." She saw a branch hit Mandy in the left shoulder and a branch hit Michael in the stomach. "This is so weird."
The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches and they could see themselves running around, trying to reach the trunk and then the tree froze.
"There was Crookshanks pressing the knot," said Hermione.
"There we go," Michael said.
The moment they disappeared, the tree began to move again. They heard footsteps close by. Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge, and the old Committee member were making their way up to the castle.
"Right after we'd gone down into the passage!" said Hermione. "If only Dumbledore had come with us…"
"The others would've come too," said Michael. "I'm pretty sure Fudge would've told Macnair to murder Sirius as soon as they saw him…"
They watch as the four men climbed the castle steps and disappear from view. For a few minutes, everything was deserted and they saw another figure sprinting down the stone steps and headed straight to the Willow. Hailey looked up at the sky to see clouds blocking the moon from view. They watched Lupin grab a broken branch from the ground and prod the knot on the trunk. The tree stopped fighting and Lupin too disappeared into the gap in its roots.
"If he'd only grabbed the cloak, it's just lying there…" Hailey said. "If I just ran out now and grab it, Snape would never be able to get it and—"
"No, we can't be seen!" Michael said, grabbing Hailey's arm, just in case Hailey ran out and grabbed the cloak.
They heard Hagrid singing at the top of his voice and swaying slightly as he walked. A large bottle was swinging from his hands.
"See? See what would have happened? We've got to keep out of sight!" Hermione whispered. The hippogriff started making frantic attempts to get to Hagrid, "No Buckbeak!" She grabbed the rope and strained to hold Buckbeak back. Hailey and Michael grabbed the rope. They watched as Hagrid tipsily made his was up to the castle.
"I said, 'If'. I wasn't actually going to do it," Hailey said, straining to hold Buckbeak back.
"Yeah, but knowing you, you probably would have done it," Michael said, straining as well.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hailey asked, affronted.
Hagrid was gone and Buckbeak stopped fighting and his head drooped sadly. Michael patted the hippogriff trying to comfort him and said, "You constantly run into danger without—"
"Stop flirting, here comes Snape," Hermione interrupted, causing Hailey to blush. She ducked her head so Michael wouldn't see.
Snape came charging out of the castle doors, towards the Willow. They watched Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the cloak and held it up.
"Don't touch that. Get your hands off of it," Hailey muttered under her breath.
"Shh," Michael said.
Hailey looked at him, ready to tell him not shush her, but she couldn't. Snape grabbed 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. She sat down on the dry ground, arms around her knees. "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…"
She sat down too and explained what she had seen; how, as the nearest dementor had lowered its mouth to Hailey's, a silver thing had come galloping across the lake and forced the dementors to retreat. Hermione's mouth was slightly open by the time Hailey had finished. "But what was it?"
"There's only one thing it could have been, to make the dementors go," said Hailey. "A real Patronus. A powerful one."
"Who conjured it, then?" Michael asked.
Hailey didn't say anything. She was thinking back to the person she'd seen on the other bank of the lake. She knew who she thought it had been…but how could it have been?"
"Did you see what they looked like?" Michael asked.
"Was it one of the teachers?" Hermione asked.
"No, they weren't a teacher," said Hailey.
"But they 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 themr," said Hailey. "But…maybe I imagined it…I wasn't thinking straight…I passed our right afterward…"
"Who do you think it was?" Hermione asked.
"I think—" Hailey said, knowing how strange it was going to sound. "I think it was my parents." She looked at the ground, not wanting to see their expressions.
"Hailey, your parents's—well—dead—" Hermione said quietly.
"I know that," said Hailey quickly.
"Maybe you saw their ghosts," said Michael.
"I don't know…no…they looked solid…" Hailey replied.
"So—" Michael stated.
"Maybe I was seeing things," said Hailey. "But…from what I could…it looked like them…I've got photos of them…" She didn't need to look up to see that they were looking at her like she was losing her mind. "I know it sounds crazy," she said flatly. She turned to look at Buckbeak, but she almost smacked her face into Michael's. Why he was sitting so close to her, she didn't know. She looked at Buckbeak, who had his face in the ground, looking for worms or something.
She was thinking about her parents' three friends. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs…maybe they had all been on the grounds tonight. Wormtail had reappeared this evening when everyone thought he was dead…Was it so impossible that her parents had done that same? Had she been seeing things across the lake? The figures had been too far away to see distinctly anyway.
The leaves overhead rustled faintly in the breeze. The moon drifted in and out of sight behind the shifting clouds. Hermione was sitting there, her face turned toward the Willow, waiting.
At least, after over an hour, and many games of noughts and crosses with Michael, Hailey looked up when Hermione whispered, "Here we come!"
They got to their feet and Buckbeak raised his head. They saw Lupin, Ron, and Pettigrew climbing awkwardly out of the hole in the roots, then Hermione and Mandy…the unconscious Snape, drifting weirdly upwards. Next was Hailey and Black, and then lastly Michael. They all began to walk to the castle.
Hailey's heard was starting to beat very fast and she looked up at the sky. Any moment, the cloud was going to move aside and show the moon…
"Hailey," Michael said. "We've got to stay put. We can't be seen…"
"I know that!" Hailey snapped, agitated. "I'm just preparing myself for Lupin to change." She looked up at the sky and, waiting for the cloud to move…It did and they saw the tiny figures across the grounds stop. They saw movement.
"There goes Lupin," Hermione whispered. "He's transforming—"
"We should get out of here," Michael said.
Hermione agitated, said, "We mustn't be seen, you—"
"Lupin's going to run right into the forest, right at us!" Hailey said, untying Buckbeak.
Hermione gasped. "Quick! Quick! Where are we going to go? Where are we going to hide? The dementors will be coming any moment—"
"Hagrid's! It's empty!" Michael said.
"Come on!" Hailey said. They ran as fast as they could, Buckbeak cantering along behind them. They could hear the werewolf howling behind them…
The cabin was in sight. Hailey stopped at the door, wrenched it open, and the others flashed past her. Hailey ran in after them and bolted the door. Fang the board barked loudly at the intrusion.
"Fang, be quiet. It's us!" Michael said, hurrying over to pat Fang to keep him quiet.
"That was really close!" Hermione said.
"Yeah…" Hailey agreed, looking out the window. It was much harder to see what was happening from there. Buckbeak seemed 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.
"Do you think Dumbledore knew how to distract the Committee from executing Buckbeak?" Michael asked. "He told Macnair to sign the paper, which seemed to give us enough time to get to the forest, and it seems like he knew that Hagrid had to get drunk enough for him to leave his house, so we can hide in here…"
Hailey nodded, distracted by her thoughts of seeing her parents again. She said, "I think I'd better go outside again, you know. I can't see what's going on—we won't know when it's time—"
Hermione and Michael looked at her suspiciously.
"I'm not going to try and interfere," said Hailey quickly. "But if we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"
Hermione said, "Well…okay, then…we'll wait here with Buckbeak…but Hailey, be careful—there's a werewolf out there—and the dementors—"
Hailey stepped outside again and edged around the cabin. She could hear yelping in the distance. That meant the dementors were closing in on Sirius…She, Hermione, Michael, and Mandy would be running to him at any moment…
For stood in front of Hagrid's door. She knew that she couldn't be seen, but she wanted to know. She had to know what she had seen. There were the dementors, emerging out of the darkness from every direction, gliding around the edges of the lake…They were moving away from where Hailey stood, to the opposite bank. She wouldn't have to get near them…
Hailey began to run, thinking about her parents…if it really was them…she had to know, had to find out…
The lake was coming nearer and nearer, but there was no sign of anybody…On the opposite bank, she could see tiny glimmers of silver—her own attempts at a Patronus—
Someone grabbed her arm and she turned to see Michael. "I knew it," he said.
"Shh," Hailey said and saw a bush at the very edge of the water. She dragged Michael to it and ducked down, peering desperately through the leaves. On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished. A terrified excitement shot through her—any moment now—
"Where are they?" Michael whispered.
"Any minute now," Hailey whispered back. No one came. Hailey raised her head to look at the circle of dementors across the lake. One of them was lowering its hood. It was time for the rescuer to appear—but no one was coming to help—
"Of course," Hailey whispered, realization dawning on her. She stepped out from behind the bush. She pulled out her wand.
Michael started, "What are—?"
"Expecto Patrnoum!" Hailey shouted.
A blinding, dazzling, silver animal came bursting out at the end of her wand. She squinted, trying to see what it looked like.
Michael had stood up to look. "Is that—?"
It was galloping silently away from them, across the black surface of the lake. They saw it lower its head and charge at the swarming dementors…Now it was galloping around the black shapes on the ground, and the dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness…They were gone.
The Patronus turned and cantered back towards them across the still surface of the water. It was a doe and it was shining brightly as the moon above…it was coming back to them.
It stopped on the bank. Its hooves made no mark on the soft ground as it stared at Hailey and Michael with its large, silver eyes. Slowly it bowed its head and they reached out to touch its head, but it vanished. They heard hooves behind and they turned around, to see Hermione running towards them, dragging Buckbeak behind her. "What did you two do?" she asked fiercely. "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!" She looked at Michael, "And you said that you were going to keep her from doing something stupid!"
"I just saved all our lives…" Hailey said. "Get behind here—behind this bush—I'll explain."
Hermione listened to what just happened with her mouth open. "Did anyone see you two?"
"Yes, haven't you been listening? I saw us, but I thought it was my parents. It's okay!"
"Hailey, I can't believe it…you conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those dementors! That's very, very advanced magic…"
"I knew I could do it this time," said Hailey, "because I'd already done it…Does that make sense?"
"I don't know—Look at Snape!" Hermione said.
They peered around the bush at the other bank. Snape had regained consciousness. He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Hailey, Hermione, Mandy, Michael, and Black onto them. A sixth stretched, no doubt bearing Ron, was already floating at his side. Wand held out in front of him, the moved them away toward 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 realizes we're missing…"
They waited, Hermione watching the moving clouds reflected in the lake, while Michael and Hailey picked up a game of noughts and crosses again. Buckbeak was bored and ferreting for worms again.
"D' you reckon he's up there yet?" asked Hailey, as Michael drew a line in the mud connecting his crosses on the board.
"Look!" Hermione whispered, "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"
Hailey and Michael looked. The man was hurrying across the grounds, toward one of the entrances. Something shiny was glinting off his belt.
"That's Macnair!" Michael said.
Hailey said, "He's going to get the dementors! This is it, you two—"
Hermione put her hands on Buckbeak's back and Michael gave her a leg up, then helped Hailey up too, right in front of Hermione. She pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it the other side of his collar like reins as Michael got on behind Hermione.
"Ready?" Hailey asked. "Hold on tight—" She nudged Buckbeak's side with her heels and the hippogriff soared straight into the dark air. Hailey gripped Buckbeak's flanks with her knees, feeling the great wings rising powerfully beneath them. Hermione held onto Hailey's very tight around the waist.
"Oh, no—I don't like this—oh, I really don't like this—" Hermione was muttering.
"This is a weird feeling," Michael was saying.
Hailey urged Buckbeak forward. They were gliding quietly toward the upper floors of the castle…Hailey pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned. Hailey was trying to count the windows flashing past.
"Thirteenth window from the right on the West Tower!" Michael shouted.
"I know!" Hailey shouted back and Buckbeak slowed down, "Whoa!" She pulled backward as hard as she could, without knocking Michael off the back of Buckbeak. They found themselves at a stop, Buckbeak beating his wings to remain airborne. "He's there!" Hailey said, spotting Sirius as they rose up beside the window. She reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings, she was able to tap sharply on the glass.
Black looked up and Hailey saw his jaw drop. Sirius leapt up from chair, hurried to the window and tried to open it, but it was locked.
"Stand back!" Hermione called to him and she took out her wand. Still holding onto the back of Hailey's robes with her left hand, said, "Alohomora!"
The window sprang open.
"How—how—?" Sirius said weakly, staring at the hippogriff in disbelief.
"Get on—there's not much time," said Hailey, holding onto Buckbeak on either side of sleek neck, to hold him steady. "You've got to get out of here—the dementors are coming—Macnair's gone to get them."
Black placed a hand on either side of the window frame and heaved his head and shoulders out of it. It was a good thing that he was so thin. In seconds, he had managed to fling one leg over Buckbeak's back and pull himself onto the hippogriff behind Michael.
"Is this very safe?" Michael asked.
"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" said Hailey, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower—come on!"
The hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they soaring upward again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and the three teens slid off of him at once.
"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Hailey said. "They'll reach Professor Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."
Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head.
"What happened to the other two? Ron and Mandy?" croaked Sirius.
"They're going to be okay. They're still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make them better. Quick—go—"
Black, however, stayed where he was and stared down at Hailey. "How can I ever thank—"
"Go!" Hailey, Hermione, and Michael shouted at the same time.
Black wheeled Buckback around, facing the open sky. "We'll see each other again. You are—truly your father's daughter, Hailey…" He squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels. The three jumped back as the enormous wings rose once more…The hippogriff took off into the air…He and his rider became small and smaller as Hailey gazed after them…then a cloud drifted across the moon…They were gone.
"Hailey!" Hermione tugged at Hailey's sleeve, staring at her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us—before Dumbledore locks the door—"
"Okay," said Hailey, taking her gaze from the sky, "Let's go…"
They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. When they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.
"…only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape was aying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"
"As soon as Macnair returns with the dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last…I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape…and once young Hailey's back in her right mind, I expect she'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved her…"
Hailey gritted her teeth. She caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed Hailey, Michael, and Hermione's hiding place. Their footsteps died away. The three teens waited for a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direct. They went down two staircases, along a new corridor—then they heard a cackling ahead.
"Peeves!" Hailey muttered, grabbing Hermione's wrist and Michael's arm. "In here!" They ran inside a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.
"Oh, he's horrible," whispered Hermione, her ear to the door.
"And annoying," Michael whispered, putting his ear to the door.
"I bet he's all excited because the dementors are going to finish off Sirius…" Hermione said and checked her watch. "Three minutes, you two."
They waited until Peeves's gloating voice had faded into the distance, then excited the room and broke into a run again.
"Hermione—what'll happen—if we don't get back inside—before Dumbledore locks the door?" Hailey asked.
"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"
They reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entranced.
"I can hear Dumbledore talking," Michael said. "Come on!"
They crept along the corridor and 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, they ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache. "Well?"
"We did it!" answered Hailey, breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak."
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 slipped back inside the wing. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed, and Mandy, who sat up. She was confused and pointed, "How did you—" She put her hand to her forehead, "Of course. You have explaining to do."
The lock clicked behind them, Hermione tucked the Time-Turner back under her robes.
Madam Pomfrey came 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. Hailey though it best to accept their chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it. Hailey could hardly swallow, listening, nervous. As they took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them…
"What was that?" said Madam Pomfrey in alarm. Mandy was staring at the ceiling, eyes wide.
They could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door. "Really—they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"
Hailey was trying to hear what the voices were saying and noticed that Michael looked like he was trying hard not to smile. They were drawing nearer—
"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out—"
"He didn't Disapparate!" Snape roared, now very close to the door. "You can't Apparate or Disapparate inside this castle! This—has—something—to—with—Potter!"
Fudge said, "Severus—be reasonable—Hailey has been locked up—"
The door of the hospital wing burst open.
Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore looked calm and looked as though he quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry, but Snape was beside himself.
"Out with it Potter!" Snape bellowed. "What did you do?"
"Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "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 Hailey, Hermione, Mandy, and Michael. 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. "She did it, I know she 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 Pomfreyy, have these students left their beds?"
"Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!"
"Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Hailey, Hermione, Michael, and Mandy are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in trouble them further."
"I'm confused. What am I in trouble for? I just woke up a few minutes ago," Mandy said, confused.
Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behaviour, to Dumbledore, who eyes were twinkling behind his glass. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind them, 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.l "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 got 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 girl…Completely out of control…no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight…Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance…"
"Hagrid would like that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Hailey, Hermione, and Michael. As he and Fudge left the wing, Madam Pomfrey hurried to door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office.
"So what happened?" Mandy asked eagerly.
There was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. They could see him sitting, rubbing his head, and looking around. "What—what happened?" he groaned. "Hailey? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?"
Hailey, Hermione, and Michael looked at each other.
"You two can explain to them," said Hailey, helping herself to some more chocolate.