Chapter 21:
She hated the first thing she heard.
"Shocking business… shocking… miracle none of them died… never heard the like … by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape…"
"Thank you, Minister."
"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"
"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."
"Nasty cut you've got there… Black's work, I suppose?"
"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Evens, Weasley, and Granger, Minister…"
"No!"
"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."
Alicia's brain beginning to race as suddenly everything came rushing back; Sirius, Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, the dememntors, the patronus'. Snape's lies rang through her ears and she wanted to hit him again with a curse. Sirius was innocent!
"On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape… They obviously thought they were going to catch Black single-handed. They've got away with a great deal before now… I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves… and of course Evans and Potter have always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the headmaster —"
"Ah, well, Snape… Harry Potter, you know… we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."
"And yet — is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try and treat him like any other student. And any other student would be suspended — at the very least — for leading his friends into such danger. Consider, Minister — against all school rules — after all the precautions put in place for his protection — out-of-bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer — and I have reason to believe he has been visiting Hogsmeade illegally too —"
"Well, well… we shall see, Snape, we shall see… The boy has undoubtedly been foolish…"
Alicia lay anger seeping into her groggy body and waking it faster. She didn't want to move though, her eyelids were heavy and her arms even more so.
"What amazes me most is the behaviour of the dementors… you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"
"No, Minister… by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances…"
"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and Alicia, and the girl —"
"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."
"Some else sent them away…" Alicia muttered.
"Miss Evans!" Madam Pomfrey's voice filled her ears and someone came in through the door to the hospital wing.
There was a sudden silence
"There were two people…" Alicia continued
Alicia opened her eyes and looked at the celling.
"Alicia!" the Minister, very blurry, was leaning over her suddenly, Madam Pomfrey was in the corner of her eye. "What was that?"
"Someone sent the dements away, just before they performed the kiss on Harry." she muttered, her eyes coming into focus as she blinked
"On Harry!?" he asked astounded
"Yes." Alicia muttered as she closed her eyes "Minister… he's innocent…"
"Who…?"
"Sirius." she muttered "It wasn't him. He was framed."
"My dear girl, you're confused…"
"You think I'd protect the man if he killed my family?" she wondered, her eyes were in focus, her brain was working. She turned to the Minister who looked worried "It wasn't him."
Alicia began to sit up and the minister moved from her bed. She turned to see Harry next to her and Hermione next to him. After looking around she saw Snape looking irritated by the door and Ron in a bed on the opposite side of the wing.
"Ah, you're awake!" Alicia turned to see Harry and Hermione were awake also. Madam Pomfrey placed a boulder of chocolate on Harry's bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.
"How's Ron?" said Harry and Hermione together.
"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "As for you three… 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.
Alicia was already on her feet, making sure she could walk without toppling over.
"I need to see the headmaster," he said.
"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?"
Harry jumped up out of bed; Hermione had done the same Alicia was looking at the nurse shocked.
"Harry, it's alright…" Minister began as he turned from Alicia's bed to Harry
"Clearly they still aren't themselves." Snape said
"We're fine you lying moron!" Alicia snapped at him angrily, causing Snape's lip to curl and the minister to look surprised.
"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 —"
But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.
"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!" Harry and Alicia yelled.
"YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"
"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 Snape. "Confunded, all of them… Black's done a very good job on them…"
"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roared.
"You lying piece of shit! You were lying on the floor unconscious all night and here you are trying to claim an Order of Merlin! Just because you hate Sirius from a child rivalry!" Alicia said as she walked towards the man "You have no bloody say in this matter! All you did was cause harm, disruption and summon some stretchers!"
"Minister! Professor!" said Madam Pomfrey angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Evans and Potter are my patients, and they 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 Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry's mouth; he choked, and she seized the opportunity to force him back onto the bed.
Alicia however was raging.
"Bloody Adults who think they know everything when they don't know nothing! I bet you didn't even ask Sirius about what happened! Cowardly idiots can't even face the truth! You're about to kill the only family member Harry and I have left!"
Madam Pomfry grabbed Alicia and forced her to sit down as she trembled with anger.
"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave —"
The door opened again. It was Dumbledore. Harry swallowed his mouthful of chocolate with great difficulty and got up again.
"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 Mr. Potter, Miss Evans 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 —"
"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."
"You were unconscious." Alicia hissed again
"That was because you were knocked out, Professor!" said Hermione earnestly. "You didn't arrive in time to hear —"
"Miss Granger, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"
"Stop talking to her like that!" Alicia shouted at him.
"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances —"
"I would like to speak to Alicia, Harry and Hermione 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," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."
He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.
"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.
"I wish to speak to Alicia, Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.
Snape took a step toward Dumbledore.
"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"
"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.
Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to Alicia, Harry and Hermione. Harry and Hermione both burst into speech at the same time.
While Alicia was pacing in anger. She'd never been filled with such rage, and yet worry was seeping through at every thought.
"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 —"
But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.
"Alicia if you'd please come here and listen." he said. Alicia stopped pacing and took a deep breath before turning to stand beside Hermione.
"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."
"Professor Lupin can tell you —" Harry said, unable to stop himself.
"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 mistrusted 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's sentence."
"But you believe us."
"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…
Alicia felt her heart ache, the floor leave from below her as she was falling through darkness. This was awful…
"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes moved from Harry to Alicia and Hermione, "is more time." Alicia's eyes widened at the offer.
"But —" Hermione began. Alicia nudged her and put a hand where her necklace hung
"OH!"
"What do you suggest Professor?" Alicia asked
"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, all of you: you must not be seen. Miss Evans, Miss Granger, you know the law — you know what is at stake… You — must — not — be — seen."
Dumbledore had turned on his heel and looked back as he reached the door.
"I am going to lock you in. It is —" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Evans, 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? What are we supposed to do?"
Alicia and Hermione weren't listening.
"Yours or mine?" Alicia asked
"Yours." Hermione said and Alicia pulled on the gold chain around her neck "Harry, come here," Hermione said urgently. "Quick!"
Harry moved toward the two girls, completely bewildered.
"Here." Alicia threw her long thin chain around both Hermione and Harry's necks as well as it being around her own.
Alicia grabbed the hour glass between her fingers and looked at Hermione and Harry, Hermione looking expectant and Harry confused
"Ready?" she said
"What are we doing?" Harry said, completely lost.
Alicia turned the hourglass over three times as no one answered him.
The dark ward dissolved. The now familiar sensation of flying very fast, backwards occurred. A blur of colours and shapes rushed past them
And then their feet hit solid ground and everything came into focus again.
The three of them were standing in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. Harry looked wildly around at Hermione. Alicia removed the chain from around them all and put it back into her robes.
"Hermione, what — Alicia — ?"
"In here!" Hermione seized Harry's arm as Alicia moved across the hall to the door of a broom closet; she opened it, and Hermione pushed Harry inside among the buckets and mops, then slammed the door behind the three of them.
"What — how — Hermione, what happened?"
"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered "Three hours back…"
"It's sunset again." Alicia whispered
"But —"
"Shh!" the girls whispered
"Listen! Someone's coming! I think — I think it might be us!"
Hermione had her ear pressed against the cupboard door and Alicia watched her expectantly.
"Yeah, remember how we heard a door slam before we left?" Alicia said in such a low whisper Harry missed half of it. Hermione nodded as she listened closely against the door.
"Footsteps across the hall… yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"
"And we're under the cloak so we have to be extra careful." Alicia muttered
"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"
"Yes," said Hermione, her ear still glued to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like more than four people… and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak —"
She broke off, still listening intently.
"We've gone down the front steps…"
Hermione sat down on an upturned bucket, looking desperately anxious.
"Hermione calm down, we'll be fine." Alicia said noting her expression. She looked at Harry for back up but he looked like he was about to explode with questions… no surprise there really.
"Where did you get that hourglass thing?" Harry asked Alicia
"We've both got one." Alicia admitted and Hermione pulled the chain out from her neck robes as proof.
"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and we got them from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. Alicia and I have been using it all year to get to all our lessons. Professor McGonagall made us swear not to tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so we could have one."
"We were surprised when she gave us two actually." Alicia admitted
"She had to tell them that we were model students, and that neither of us would ever use it for anything except our studies… we've been turning it back so we could do hours over again, that's how Alicia and I been doing several lessons at once, see?"
"I've been using it for study periods too." Alicia admitted "That's why Hermione kept saying I was cheating. We've been given the Time-Turners for more time and that's what I needed."
"But…" Hermione sighed "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?"
"Well apparently going back only one hour or two wasn't enough," Alicia muttered
"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," Harry said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago…"
"This is three hours ago, and we are walking down to Hagrid's," said Hermione. "We just heard ourselves leaving…"
"Hermione, don't confuse him too much." Alicia muttered, but too late Harry was frowning.
"Dumbledore just said — just said we could save more than one innocent life…" And then it hit him. "Hermione, we're going to save Buckbeak!"
"But — how will that help Sirius?"
"Well how else is Sirius going to get out of the grounds and past the dementors?" Alicia wondered
"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! They can escape together!"
Hermione looked terrified.
"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"
"We've been doing it all year Hermione, we'll be fine." Alicia assured her. "And that's in a school full of people, this is in the empty grounds."
"But…"
"We've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry. He stood up and pressed his ear against the door.
"Doesn't sound like anyone's there… Come on, let's go…"
Harry pushed open the closet door. 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 be fine." Alicia muttered.
"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 —"
"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!"
"Never thought you'd say that did you." Alicia muttered.
They tore off at a sprint, 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 toward the shelter of the forest…
Safe in the shadows of the trees, Alicia turned as Harry was next to her and Hermione arrived beside them, panting.
"Right," she gasped. "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. Harry and Hermione moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk and peered out from either side while Alicia ducked behind a tree next to them. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked. And they heard Harry's voice.
"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.
"So far." Alicia added "Knowing us it'll get worse."
"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?" Harry whispered.
"No!" said Alicia and 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!" Hermione explained
"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," said Harry.
"Too bad." Alicia hissed.
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's shriek of surprise.
"Hermione," said Harry suddenly, "what if we — we just run in there and grab Pettigrew —"
"Are you mad!?" Alicia whisper shouted.
"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!"
"Only!?" Alicia demanded
"Harry, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?" said Hermione.
"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! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me and Alicia what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time… Loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"
"And if you kill you past self, you're just gone. Both of you would die." Alicia hissed
"Okay!" said Harry. "It was just an idea, I just thought —"
"Unfortunately Harry, I don't think we can do anything about Pettigrew." Alicia muttered. Her dream of living with Harry and Sirius was lost.
Hermione nudged both twins and pointed toward the castle. Alicia turned and saw Dumbledore, Fudge, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps.
"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed.
And sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and they saw themselves and Ron walking out of it with Hagrid.
"It's okay, Beaky, it's okay…" Hagrid said to Buckbeak. Then he turned to Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione. "Go on. Get goin'."
"Hagrid, we can't —"
"We'll tell them what really happened —"
"They can't kill him —"
"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"
The Hermione in the pumpkin patch threw the Invisibility Cloak over herself, Alicia. Harry and Ron.
"Go quick. Don' listen…"
There was a knock on Hagrid's front door. The execution party had arrived. Hagrid turned around and headed back into his cabin, leaving the back door ajar. Alicia watched the grass flatten in patches all around the cabin and heard four pairs of feet retreating. She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gone.
"Can you imagine how difficult this would be if we hadn't been too scared to turn around while under the cloak." Alicia muttered. Harry nodded in agreement before Alicia suddenly thought of something else.
"Hang on, what if the Mauraders Map shows us twice? Lupin would know." she muttered. Hermione looked at her terrified but didn't get to comment as the three of them were distracted by the voices seeping from inside the cabin through the back door.
"Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair.
"Out — outside," Hagrid croaked.
Alicia moved and pulled her head out of sight as Macnair's face appeared at Hagrid's window, staring out at Buckbeak. Then they heard Fudge.
"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 —" Macnair's face vanished from the window. It was now or never.
"Harry," Alicia muttered to him. He nodded
"Wait here," Harry whispered to Hermione.
As Fudge's voice started again Alicia and Harry darted out from behind the trees, vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch, and approached Buckbeak.
Alicia went straight to Buckbeak and patted his beak as the hippogriff trusted her as much as Hagrid.
"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 —"
Careful not to blink, Harry stared up into Buckbeak's fierce orange eyes once more and bowed. Buckbeak sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again. Harry began to fumble with the knot of rope tying Buckbeak to the fence as Alicia glanced at the hut, keeping Buckbeak entertained and more importantly quiet.
"…sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair…"
"Come on, Buckbeak," Harry murmured, "come on, we're going to help you. Quietly… quietly…"
"Hurry up and let's just move." Alicia muttered.
"… as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here…"
Harry threw all his weight onto 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 —"
Footsteps echoed from within the cabin.
"Buckbeak, move!" Harry hissed.
Alicia began to panic and grabbed Buckeaks collar, pulling on it fiercely to help Harry.
Harry tugged harder on the rope around Buckbeak's neck. The hippogriff began to walk, rustling its wings irritably. They were still ten feet away 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. Harry heaved on the rope and Alicia on the collar. Buckbeak snapped his beak and walked a little faster. Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree.
"Alicia! Harry, hurry!" she mouthed.
Harry could still hear Dumbledore's voice talking from within the cabin. Alicia and Harry shared a look and nodded, they both counted to three, mouthing the words and gave the rope another wrench. Buckbeak broke into a grudging trot. They had reached the trees…
"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moaned, darting out from behind her tree, seizing the rope too and adding her weight to make Buckbeak move faster. Harry looked over his shoulder; they were now blocked from sight; they couldn't see Hagrid's garden at all.
"Bloody hell Beaky." Alicia muttered as she patted his beak and stroked his feathers
"Stop!" Harry whispered to girls. "They might hear us —"
Hagrid's back door had opened with a bang. Harry, Alicia, Hermione, and Buckbeak stood quite still; even the hippogriff seemed to be listening intently.
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 and Alicia had a strange feeling he knew they'd already saved him…
"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, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.
"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"
"To think we started crying over nothing." Alicia said to Hermione who looked a lot happier.
Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid. Harry and Hermione 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…"
Harry and Hermione 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.
"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's window. He won't be there for another couple of hours… Oh, this is going to be difficult…"
"The mind is a positive thing, Hermione. Think positive." Alicia said with a heavy sigh.
She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the forest. The sun was setting now.
"We're going to have to move," said Harry, thinking hard. "We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."
"Okay," said Hermione, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. "But we've got to keep out of sight, Harry, remember…"
"Calm down Hermione, we know."
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… and you…!" said Harry suddenly as he looked at Alicia.
The two figures sprinted across the lawn and Ron's 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. Harry watched himself and Hermione chasing after Alicia and Ron. Then they saw Ron dive.
"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat —"
"There's Sirius!" said Harry. 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 two — this is weird —"
The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches; they could see themselves 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."
"And now we wait." Alicia muttered
The moment they disappeared, the tree began to move again.
Seconds later, they heard footsteps quite 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…"
"We'd have a lot of explaining to do." Alicia muttered
"Macnair and Fudge would've come too," said Harry bitterly. "I bet you anything Fudge would've told Macnair to murder Sirius on the spot…"
They watched the four men climb the castle steps and disappear from view. For a few minutes the scene was deserted. Then —
"Here comes Lupin!" said Harry as they saw another figure sprinting down the stone steps and haring toward the Willow. Harry looked up at the sky. Clouds were obscuring the moon completely.
They watched Lupin seize 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," said Harry. "It's just lying there…"
He turned to Hermione.
"If I just dashed out now and grabbed it, Snape'd never be able to get it and —"
"Harry, we mustn't be seen!"
"If you'd grabbed the cloak now, Snape never would have used it when we were in the shack." Alicia admitted "Everything we do now, had an influence earlier too. We heard the axe swing and Hagrid cry but never saw that Buckbeak had already gone as we wouldn't turn around. If you grabbed the clock now, then when we were in the shrieking shack, Snape wouldn't have used it at all."
Harry let out a sigh.
"It's complicated but you can't change that."
"How can you stand this?" he asked Alicia and Hermione fiercely. "Just standing here and watching it happen?" He hesitated. "I'm going to grab the cloak!"
"Harry, no!"
Hermione seized the back of Harry's robes not a moment too soon. Just then, they heard a burst of song. It was Hagrid, making his way up to the castle, singing at the top of his voice, and weaving slightly as he walked. A large bottle was swinging from his hands.
"See?" Hermione whispered. "See what would have happened? We've got to keep out of sight! No, Buckbeak!"
The hippogriff was making frantic attempts to get to Hagrid again; Alicia and Harry seized the rope too, straining to hold Buckbeak back. They watched Hagrid meander tipsily up to the castle. He was gone. Buckbeak stopped fighting to get away. His head drooped sadly.
Barely two minutes later, the castle doors flew open yet again, and Snape came charging out of them, running toward 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.
Alicia hit him.
"Shh!"
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.
"Harry, 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…"
Alicia and Harry shared a look before sitting down on either side of Hermione.
Both of them explained what they'd seen; how, as the nearest dementor had lowered its mouth to Harry's, two large silver somethings had come, one galloping across the lake, the other flying over head and forced the dementors to retreat.
Hermione's mouth was slightly open by the time Harry had finished.
"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."
"It takes the shape of something. Apparently they're all different for everyone, kind of reflects you from within." Alicia muttered
"Alicia's is an owl." Harry pointed and Hermione looked at her surprised. The girl shrugged.
"Smart, wise and graceful." she grinned
"But who conjured them?"
Neither of them said anything. Alicia didn't know what Harry saw then, but she knew what she saw, and now, it made sense. Now that they were sitting here, watching themselves… those green eyes were flashing through her mind.
"Didn't you see what they looked like?" said Hermione eagerly. "Was it one of the teachers?"
"No," said Harry and Alicia
"He wasn't a teacher."
"But it must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those dementors away… If the Patronus' were shining so brightly, didn't it light him up? Couldn't you see — ?"
"Yeah, I saw them," said Harry slowly. "But… maybe I imagined it… I wasn't thinking straight… I passed out right afterward…"
He looked at Alicia but she was staring at the Whomping Willow.
"Who did you think it was?"
"I think —" Harry swallowed, knowing how strange this was going to sound. "I think it was my mom and dad."
Alicia turned to him surprised before she turned away. She smiled slightly.
Harry glanced up at Hermione and saw that her mouth was fully open now. She was gazing at him with a mixture of alarm and pity.
"Harry, your dad's — well — dead," she said quietly.
"I know that," said Harry quickly.
"You think you saw their ghosts?"
"I don't know… no… they 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…" Hermione was still looking at him as though worried about his sanity.
"I know it sounds crazy," said Harry flatly.
"What do you think Alicia?" Hermione asked, she turned to the two and Harry looked hopeful.
"I don't think it was our parents." Alicia admitted "But two people, similar…"
"Who?" Harry asked
"What's your brain telling you Alicia?" Hermione wondered
"Well, it was someone watching us obviously, standing there saving us, and no one else was on the ground but us, Sirius, Lupin, Snape, Ron and Wormtail." Alicia said with a sigh "That's what I first thought."
"First?" Harry asked
"Well there are three more people on the grounds at the moment aren't there?" Alicia said "We already interfered and saved Buckbeak, we're planning on saving Sirius. Who's to say Harry, that we weren't the ones who conjured the patronus'?" Alicia wondered and they both looked at her.
"One of the things I worked out was that dad was nicknamed Prongs. Prongs are antlers on a stag." she confessed "And one of those patronus' did look something like a deer. You're just like him Harry, everyone says so, who's to say your patronus wont be the same as dad? A bit of him that came through you?" Harry turned away as though thinking "We both know my Patronus is an owl and there was one of them flying over the top of us."
Alicia sighed and turned away from him.
"It's just a theory anyway."
The leaves overhead rustled faintly in the breeze. The moon drifted in and out of sight behind the shifting clouds. Hermione sat with her face turned toward the Willow, waiting.
And then, at last, after over an hour…
"Here we come!" Hermione whispered.
She and Harry got to their feet. Buckbeak raised his head. They saw Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron clambering awkwardly out of the hole in the roots… followed by the unconscious Snape, drifting weirdly upward. Next came Alicia, Harry, Hermione, and Black. They all began to walk toward the castle.
Harry's heart was starting to beat very fast. He glanced up at the sky. Any moment now, that cloud was going to move aside and show the moon…
"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. "There's nothing we can do! We came back to help Sirius; we're not supposed to be doing anything else!"
"All right!"
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 —"
Alicia's eyes widened and she looked around at where they were.
"Harry…" she said urgently, but he already understood.
"Hermione!" said Harry suddenly. "We've got to move!"
"We mustn't, I keep telling you —"
"Not to interfere! Lupin's going to run into the forest, right at us!"
"You want a face to face with a werewolf?" Alicia hissed
Hermione gasped.
"Quick!" she moaned, dashing to untie Buckbeak. "Quick! Where are we going to go? Where are we going to hide? The dementors will be coming any moment —"
"Crap…" Alicia whined
"Back to Hagrid's!" Harry said. "It's empty now — come on!"
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; Harry skidded to the door, wrenched it open, and Alicia, Hermione 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!" she said 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 —"
Hermione looked up. Her expression was suspicious.
"Hermione!" Alicia snapped at her "Harry I'll come, keep someone happy." she pointed to Hermione.
"I'm not going to try and interfere," Harry assured her. "But if we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"
"Well… okay, then… I'll wait here with Buckbeak… but Harry, Alicia, be careful — there's a werewolf out there — and the dementors —"
"We'll be fine." Alicia assured her.
She looked at Harry and then, the two stepped outside again and edged around the cabin. Alicia could hear yelping in the distance. That meant the dementors were closing in on Sirius.… She, Harry and Hermione would running after him any moment…
Alicia hated being so far away.
"Come on." she said
"But… Hermione…" Harry began
"We're not going to be seen." Alicia rolled her eyes
"…We're going to do the seeing…" Harry muttered to which Alicia grinned and nodded.
The dementors were emerging out of the darkness from every direction, gliding around the edges of the lake… They were moving away from where Alicia and Harry stood, to the opposite bank…
Alicia grabbed Harry's arm and began to run. He didn't bother resisting. She knew what he was thinking and hoped he wouldn't get too upset when their dad didn't turn up. She knows she saw herself, the owl and the green eyes were proof of that, add someone who looked like her dad, or as Alicia thought, like Harry, and it had to be the two of them. Plus, here they were now running along the edge of the forest right to the spot.
The lake was coming nearer and nearer, but there was no sign of anybody. On the opposite bank, Alicia could see her feeble attempt at a patronus thanks to the screaming in her ears and the fog over her eyes, Harry's tiny glimmers of silver joining it.
There was a bush at the very edge of the water. Harry threw himself behind it and pulled Alicia down with him. He peered desperately through the leaves.
On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished. A terrified excitement shot through Harry
"Come on!" he muttered, staring about. "Where are you? Dad, come on —"
"Harry, it wasn't dad." Alicia said.
One of the dementors was lowering its hood. It was time for the rescuer to appear — but no one was coming to help this time. Alicia watched Harry before she ground her teeth and stood up, walking to the edge of the lake. She held out her wand.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" but her voice isn't the only one that sounded. She turned and saw Harry next to her, his wand out.
Alicia grinned as, out of the end of both their wands burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but blinding, dazzling, silver animals.
Alicia smiled as the owl soured over head and Harry's stag, just like she'd thought, galloped silently away from them, across the black surface of the lake. They saw the stag lower its head and charge at the swarming dementors, the owl swooping down on them all… They both circled the black shapes, the stag on the ground, the owl in the air, and the dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness… They were gone.
The Patronus' turned.
Alicia's landed on her shoulder and she stroked it. It looked a lot like Noel but white, or Hedwig. The stag was cantering back toward Harry across the still surface of the water.
It stopped on the bank. Its hooves made no mark on the soft ground as it stared at Harry with its large, silver eyes. Slowly, it bowed its antlered head.
"Prongs," he whispered.
"Told you." Alicia smiled.
And then, the two silver animals vanished.
Harry stood there, hand still outstretched. Then, with a great leap of his heart, he heard hooves behind him — he whirled around and saw Hermione dashing toward him, dragging Buckbeak behind her.
"What did you do?" she said fiercely. "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"
Alicia laughed.
"Since when do we actually just watch?" she asked
"Alicia and I just saved all our lives…" said Harry. "Get behind here — behind this bush — I'll explain."
Hermione listened to what had just happened with her mouth open yet again.
"Did anyone see you?"
"Yes, haven't you been listening? I saw me but I thought I was my dad! It's okay!"
"I saw us both but I knew about the Time-Turner so it's fine." Alicia shrugged "Plus my eyes were fogged over so…"
"Harry, I can't believe it… You both conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those dementors! That's very, very advanced magic…"
"I know!" Alicia said giddily.
"I knew I could do it this time," said Harry, "because I'd already done it… Does that make sense?"
"I don't know — Alicia, Harry, 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, Alicia, Hermione, and Black 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 toward the castle.
Alicia looked at her watch.
"Wow, we weren't out for very long." she admitted surprised.
"Right, it's nearly time," said Hermione tensely, looking at her own 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…"
"Piece of cake." Alicia grinned.
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 again.
"D'you reckon he's up there yet?" said Harry, checking his watch. He looked up at the castle and Alicia watched as his lips moved, he'd began counting the windows to the right of the West Tower.
"Look!" Hermione whispered. "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"
They stared through the darkness. The man was hurrying across the grounds, toward 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, Hermione —"
"Now or never." Alicia muttered. She stood up and moved over to Beaky. She patted him and made him comfortable before she jumped and hoisted herself onto Buckbeak's back first.
"Who wants to sit in front?" Alicia grinned
"You can…" Harry muttered, remembering the last time.
Alicia held out her forearm and Hermione clung to her elbow before Harry gave her a leg up and Alicia pulled. Alicia then did the same with Harry who put his foot on one of the lower branches of the bush and climbed up in front of Hermione but behind Alicia.
Alicia pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of his collar like reins.
"Ready?" Alicia asked. Harry wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You'd better hold on to me —" he said to Hermione.
"If your scared of slipping clutch with your knees." Alicia said "But not too tightly or it'll make him go faster." she smirked.
"Ready Beaky," And Alicia nudged Buckbeak's sides with her heels.
Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Alicia gripped his flanks with her knees, feeling the great wings rising powerfully beneath them. Harry was holding very tightly to Alicia and she assumed Hermione was doing the same to Harry as she could hear her muttering;
"Oh, no — I don't like this — oh, I really don't like this —"
"Never putting you on a broom are we." Alicia huffed. "Harry, which window?" she asked as she urged Buckbeak forward. They were gliding quietly toward the upper floors of the castle… Alicia pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned.
"Uh…" he said as he counted the windows as they went by. "Stop!"
"Whoa!" Alicia pulling backward as hard as she could.
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 the hippogriff beat his wings to remain airborne.
"He's there!" Harry said, spotting Sirius as they rose up beside the window. He reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings fell, was able to tap sharply on the glass.
Sirius looked up and Alicia grinned with a wave. She couldn't help but chuckle slightly as Sirius' jaw dropped. He leapt from his chair, hurried to the window and tried to open it, but it was locked.
"Hermione," Alicia said
"Stand back!" Hermione called to him, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Harry's robes with her left hand.
"Alohomora!"
The window sprang open.
"How — how — ?" said Black weakly, staring at the hippogriff.
"Get on — there's not much time," said Harry,
"I wonder will we all fit?" Alicia wondered suddenly, looking concerned.
"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 Hermione.
"Are we all on and okay?" Alicia asked
"I might fall off." Sirius admitted
"Well, I promise not to let go if no one else does." Alicia smirked. "Where now?"
"The tower." Harry pointed.
"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" she hugged again with her heels. "Up to the tower — come on!"
The hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upward again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and Harry and Hermione slid off him at once. Alicia however turned around and hugged Sirius, who seemed very surprised by the action. She then released him and jumped down, patting the hippogriff.
"You be good now." she said softly "You brave boy."
"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry panted. "They'll reach 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 boy? Ron?" croaked Sirius.
"He's going to be okay. He's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better."
"He wont hold it against you." Alicia assured
"Quick — go —"
But Black was still staring down at Harry.
"How can I ever thank —"
"GO!" Alicia, Harry and Hermione shouted together.
Black wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.
"We'll see each other again," he said. "You are — truly your your parents children, Alicia, Harry…"
Alicia grinned as Sirius squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels and she, 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 they gazed after them… then a cloud drifted across the moon… They were gone.