Chapter 54:

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, Skylar was staring at the clouds, dreading the bright orb that hovered behind them.

And then, at last, after over an hour…

"Here we come!" Hermione whispered.

She, Skylar and Harry got to their feet. Buckbeak raised his head. They saw Remus, Pettigrew, and Ron clambering awkwardly out of the hole in the roots… followed by Nathaniel, the unconscious Snape, drifting weirdly upward. Next came Harry, Hermione, Skylar, and Sirius. They all began to walk toward the castle.

Skylar was frowning as they waited, any moment now, that cloud was going to move aside and show the moon.

"Harry," Hermione muttered, "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.

"If we want to save Sirius, we're going to have to." Skylar frowned. "You've got to pick one Harry," Harry looked irritated as he turned away from the two girls.

"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 —"

"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!"

"And my dad with him!" Skylar gapped.

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 —"

"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 Skylar, 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.

"I'm not going to try and interfere," said Harry quickly. "But if we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"

"Well… okay, then… You two go, I'll wait here with Buckbeak… but Sky, Harry, be careful — there's a werewolf out there — and the dementors —"

"I can handle Remus," Skylar believed. "And someone's going to show up and do something to the dementors, we should be alright." Harry nodded before he opened the door, they gave Hermione a look before stepping outside.

Harry went first, edging around the cabin. In the distance they could hear yelping. That meant the dementors were closing in on Sirius… Harry, Skylar and Hermione would be running to him any moment…

"Come on." Skylar whispered and she began to move across the edge of the lake, crouched low to the ground. Harry glanced back at Hagrid's cabin where Hermione was before he followed.

"Hermione said we can't interfere and we can't be seen."

"I know." She returned. "But I have a feeling and I want to double check it."

"What feeling?"

"I'll tell you later."

They continued to creep around the lake before the dementors were appearing. They were emerging out of the darkness from every direction, gliding around the edges of the lake… They were moving away from where Skylar and Harry stood, to the opposite bank…

Harry turned to Skylar and she turned to him too. She knew what he wanted, he wanted to see if he was right, he wanted to know what he'd seen. He wanted to see his dad.

There was a moment before Skylar took Harry's hand and she pulled him with her. Harry was momentarily surprised before he ran with her. They both began to run towards the lake's edge, but there was no one there yet. On the opposite bank, they could see tiny glimmers of silver — Skylar and Harry's own attempts at a Patronus —

There was a bush at the very edge of the water. Harry pulled on Skylar's arm and they dived behind it, peering desperately through the leaves. On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished.

"Sky… what if it is him?"

"What would you say?" She wondered.

Harry was silent as they watched, no one was coming. Harry didn't know what he'd say, he didn't even know if it was possible.

"Sky, what if I didn't see him?"

"What else could it be?" He looked at her and noticed a look of amusement in her face as she was smiling at him, His forehead furrowed slightly at the look, it wasn't what he'd been expecting. He thought she'd be sympathetic, or show pity like Hermione, but then, Skylar had always acted how he needed her too, she always acted differently from Ron and Hermione. A bonus that came from her gift, knowing what he was thinking and feeling.

"What do you think I saw?" He wondered, worried as 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 —

"I think you saw yourself." Skylar confessed.

Harry looked at her surprised and she turned to smile at him. Harry paused for a moment before he suddenly flung himself out from behind the bush and pulled his wand out. Skylar stood up as Harry bellowed.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

And out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. It looked like a horse, but the large antlers on top told Skylar it was not. It was galloping silently away from them, across the black surface of the lake. It lowered its head and charge at the swarming dementors… Now it was galloping around and around the black shapes on the ground, and the dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness… They were gone.

Skylar moved towards Harry as the Patronus turned. It was cantering back toward Harry across the still surface of the water. It was easier to make out now and it was a stag. It was shining brightly as the moon above… it was coming back to him…

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. He looked at Skylar and she smiled, looking proud with her eyes alight. Harry's trembling fingertips stretched toward the creature, just as it vanished.

Harry stood there, hand still outstretched. He turned to Skylar and she gave him a side hug. "Well done."

Suddenly, they turned as they heard hooves behind them. Hermione was dashing toward them, dragging Buckbeak behind her.

"What did you do?" she said fiercely. "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"

"He was incredible!" Skylar grinned.

"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!"

"Harry, I can't believe it… You conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those dementors! That's very, very advanced magic…"

"It's so impressive!" Skylar grinned.

"I knew I could do it this time," said Harry, "because I'd already done it… Does that make sense?"

"I don't know — 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, Skylar, 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.

"Does anyone know how long we were unconscious for?" Skylar wondered.

"Not long." Hermione assured. "It'll nearly time," she looked at her watch tensely. "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…"

"Well someone's got to collect the Dementors to go to Sirius so," Skylar believed.

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 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!"

Harry and Skylar peered 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 —"

"Oh… we have to fly on Buckbeak don't we…" Skylar realised unsurely. Hermione looked unsure.

"It's alright." Harry shrugged.

"Right." Skylar grumbled, knowing he was lying.

Neither of them confessed this to Hermione as Harry gave her a leg up onto Buckbeak's back. He did the same with Skylar, who sat behind Hermione. Then he placed his foot on one of the lower branches of the bush and climbed up in front of Hermione. Harry pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of his collar like reins.

"Ready?" he whispered to Hermione. "You'd better hold on to me —" Hermione gripped Harry and Skylar griped Hermione, both girls slightly nervous. Unlike Harry, they'd never sat on a hippogriff's back before.

He nudged Buckbeak's sides with his heels.

Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Skylar's body tensed up, gripping with her knees, it wasn't like flying a broom at all, the wings beating on either side of them made it feel like there were being thrown upwards only to fall down again. Hermione buried her head into Harry's back as she gripped him tightly.

"Oh, no — I don't like this — oh, I really don't like this —" she was muttering to herself.

Harry urged Buckbeak forward. They were gliding quietly toward the upper floors of the castle… Harry pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned. Skylar was looking at the windows, trying to count so that they got the right one.

"It's that one!" She pointed.

"Whoa!" Harry said, pulling backward as hard as he could on the reins.

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.

Black looked up and his jaw dropped. He leapt from his 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 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.

"Long story." Skylar admitted, glancing into the room and at the locked door.

"Get on — there's not much time," said Harry, gripping Buckbeak firmly on either side of his 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 very lucky he was so thin. Skylar held a hand out to help Sirius towards them and in seconds, he had managed to fling one leg over Buckbeak's back and pull himself onto the hippogriff behind Skylar.

"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" said Harry, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower — come on!"

The hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upward again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and Harry, Skylar and Hermione slid off him at once.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry panted. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

"We might not be able to save you a second time." Skylar confessed.

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. Quick — go —"

But Black was still staring down at Harry.

"How can I ever thank —"

"GO!" Harry, Skylar and Hermione shouted together.

"My father will kill me if I fail and you get caught!" Skylar snapped at him.

Black wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.

"We'll see each other again," he said. "You are — truly your father's son, Harry…"

He squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels. Skylar, 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.