Harri walked towards the lake with baited breath.
She could sense the Dementors approaching as they converged on Sirius Black. To think earlier that day Harri wanting the man to suffer, and had now travelled back in time to try and save him.
Harri knew she shouldn't be seen but the thought of what was happening at the lake and who she may miss was too overpowering, and Harri soon found herself running as fast as she could. She quickly made it to the lake edge and could see Sirius lying there across the water, with the Dementors' unrelenting attacks. Sure enough her past self and Hermione could be seen running towards him trying to save him, but to no avail.
It was okay though, Harri reminded herself, because at any moment now her father was going to appear in front of her and would summon a Patronus. As she lay on the bank about to pass out, she had seen him come to her rescue and she knew he was coming.
Harri told Hermione she had gone just to see when to save Sirius, but really Harri had come to see her father.
From behind her bush she could see her former self attempt a Patronus but the thin whispery silver barely had any effect on the swarming hooded creatures.
"Come on Dad..." Harri found herself whispering, "where are you?"
She looked around desperately but there was no sign of her rescuer. Across the lake she could see past Harri was on the ground, Hermione and Sirius looked like they had passed out. A Dementor started to approach her, its hood began to lower-
"Of course," Harri whispered as she finally realised exactly who she had seen save them. She ran to the end of the lake with her wand outstretched, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
From out of her wand leapt a large silver animal which galloped across the lake. She squinted her eyes to work out the animal's form but it was too far away to tell. She could see it lower its head as it charged 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.
The Patronus turned and made its way back to her. It came to a halt a few steps away and Harri realised she had produced a magnificent Stag, shining brightly in the darkness of the night. It hit her then why her Patronus was a Stag of all creatures.
"Hi Prongs," She said, a single tear falling down her cheek. Harri reached out a hand to touch it but her hands met thin air as the Patronus vanished.
Harri's hand was still outstretched. Then, with a great leap of her heart, she heard hooves behind her – she whirled around and saw Hermione dashing towards her, dragging Buckbeak behind her.
"What did you do?" Hermione asked fiercely, "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"
"I can explain, just quickly behind the bush," Harri waved her hand towards the bush she had been hiding behind a few moments ago and the pair quickly ducked behind it. "You're not going to believe me."
"Harri are past selves are currently on the other side of this lake with a man we thought was a mass murdering a couple of hours ago, I'm sure whatever you have to say won't be the strangest thing I've heard today," Hermione told her with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, well I just saved our lives," Harri admitted, "The Dementors were swarming us and one was lowering its hood about to give me a kiss, when I managed to produce a Patronus….Hermione my Patronus is a stag, my dad's Animagus."
Her friend thought over what she said, unsure how to respond.
"Harri, did anyone see you? The consequences-"
"I was seen...by me," At Harri's words, Hermione looked like she was about to have a heart attack but Harri quickly continued to avoid her meltdown. "But I didn't realise it was me, I thought it was my dad. Do you not remember me telling you that earlier?"
Hermione nodded, relaxing as she remembered their previous conversation. A smile then over took her lips as the realisation over Harri's achievement finally sunk in.
"Harri I can't believe you managed a fully formed Patronus that drove all those Dementors away, that's really, really advanced magic," Hermione said.
"I think I could only do it because I know I could, because I had seen myself do it earlier…if that makes sense?" Harri had a smile of her own, proud she had achieved such a feat.
"I don't know – Harri look at Snape!"
Together they watched as Snape appeared and conjured stretches for the three unconscious bodies on the other side of the lake. They joined a fourth which Harri assumed was carrying Ron. The floating stretchers followed the direction of where Snape's wand pointed as he took them back to the castle.
Hermione and Harri knew they only had 45 minutes left until Dumbledore locked the hospital wing. If they didn't make it back in time Harri dread to think what the repercussions would be. They waited until they were sure Sirius had been taken to the West tower, the executioner McNair heading to fetch the Dementors had been their sign.
Using Buckbeak, the pair flew high into the sky with Hermione gripping on to Harri's robes as tightly as she could. Harri managed to steer the Hippogriff with the rope around his head, and hover outside the window to the room Sirius was being kept. With a sharp tap on the glass, her godfather looked up to see her and Hermione outside his window. Sirius's jaw dropped. He leapt up and tried to open the window, but it was locked.
"Stand back!" Hermione called to him, and she took out her wand, while still gripping the back of Harri'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 Harri, 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. McNair's gone to get them."
Sirius managed to heave himself out of the window and sit behind Hermione on the back of Buckbeak.
"Ok, come on Buckbeak, up to the tower," said Harri shaking the rope.
The Hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upwards again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements and Harri and Hermione slid off him at once.
"Sirius, you better go, quick," Harri panted. "They're gonna reach Flitwick's office any moment and know that you've escaped."
Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head.
"What happened to your other friend, Ron?" Sirius asked urgently.
"He'll be fine, nothing Madame Pomfrey can't fix. You on the other hand, need to go, quick!"
But Sirius was still staring down at Harri.
"How can I ever thank-"
"GO!" Harri and Hermione shouted together.
Black wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.
"We'll see each other again," he told her.
"I know," Harri smiled back at him.
"You are, truly, your father's daughter Harri."
The smile on Harri's faced increased tenfold. She and Hermione watched as Buckbeak launched him and Sirius into the sky, their figures becoming smaller and smaller as they flew off into the distance.
Snape had not been happy when it was revealed Sirius had managed to escape, Harri though, thought his meltdown in front of Fudge made everything that much better. She shouldn't have been surprised though when she heard he had blabbed to Slytherin Lupin was a werewolf. He claimed it had been a slip of the tongue but Harri knew it was petty revenge.
When Harri heard her favourite Professor had resigned, she knew there wasn't much she could say to get him to stay but she still wanted to try. He wasn't just her Professor, he was also a connection back to her parents, and Harri wasn't sure she could face losing that after having to say to goodbye to Sirius.
Harri approached Lupin's door and found it to be open. He had packed most of his things already. The Grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was bending over something on his desk, and only looked up when Harri knocked on the door.
"I saw you coming," said Lupin smiling. He pointed to the parchment he had been pouring over. It was the Marauder's map.
"I still can't believe you and dad help make that," Harri said with a smile before it dropped remembering why she had come to the office. "I just saw Hagrid, he says you've resigned."
"I'm afraid so Harri," Lupin gave her a sad smile.
"The Ministry don't think you were helping Sirius do they?"
Lupin crossed to the door and closed it behind Harri.
"No, Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives," he sighed. "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he – er- accidentally, let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."
"That slimey git," Harri found herself saying before she could have time to think. She paused and looked to Lupin to see if she was in trouble, instead he had a soft amused smile on his face.
"This time tomorrow the owls will start arriving from parents – they will not want a werewolf teaching their children Harri. And after last night. I see their point. I could have bitten any of you...that must never happen."
"But sir, you're the best Defence against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had. In fact I would say you're one of the best teachers here," Harri pleaded with him. "Please don't go."
Lupin shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his drawers. Then, while Harri was trying to think of a good argument to make him stay, Lupin said, "From what the Headmaster told me this morning, you saved a lot of lives last night, Harri. If I'm proud of anything, it's how much you've learned. Tell me about your Patronus."
Harri paused wondering how he had known but then again, he always seemed to know what was going on with her.
"I'm not entirely sure I can explain to you how I did it, but I managed to make a fully formed Patronus," Harri started to explain. "At first I wasn't sure what animal it was but then when it got closer I realised it was a stag." At that she could see Lupin still, a smile beginning to form on his lips. "I'm guessing that was my dad's Animagus. He was Prongs."
"You're right, he was always a stag when he transformed," Lupin said, before he turned to throw the last few books in his case. "Here – I brought this from the Shrieking Shak last night," he handed Harri back her invisibility cloak. "And…" he hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map, too. "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving this back as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you, Ron and Hermione will find uses for it."
Harri took the map and grinned.
"There is actually one last thing I want to give you," Lupin continued. He reached into his desk and opened the top draw to take out a book. "It's something I've wanted to give to you all year, especially after you asked about things to do with your parents. But I wasn't exactly sure how to give it to you without having to explain everything." Harri gave him a confused looked, not sure what he was saying. "You'll understand what I mean when you read it."
He handed the journal to her, and Harri was quick to open the book. She was surprised to find though the pages were empty, and she looked back to Lupin with an even more confused expression. Her Professor gave a small laugh.
"I'm sure you'll figure out how to read its contents," Lupin gave a knowing smirk. Before Harri could ask more, a knock came at the door. Harri quickly hid the cloak, map and book behind her back but she didn't need to as it was Professor Dumbledore.
"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he said.
"Thank you Headmaster." Lupin picked up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank.
"Well- goodbye Harri," Lupin said smiling at her. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel we'll meet again some time. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage…"
"Goodbye then Remus," Dumbledore said soberly. Lupin shifted the tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod to Harri, and a swift smile, Lupin left the office.
Harri watched him leave with a sad expression, upset he had to go. She took a seat in his vacated chair, staring glumly at the floor. She heard the door close and looked up to see Dumbledore still there.
"Why so miserable, Harri?" he said quietly. "You should be very proud of yourself after last night."
"Hardly," Harri muttered. "Sirius is still on the run and Lupin had to leave. Feels the only person who got what they wanted was Pettigrew. I can't believe he got away."
"Hardly?" Dumbledore repeated quietly. "Harri you helped to uncover the truth. You saved an innocent man from a terrible fate. That's not something I would call hardly anything."
Harri decided to talk to her Headmaster about Professor Trewlaney's predictions yesterday in her Divination exam. Dumbledore had looked mildly impressed, commenting it seemed to be one of only two true predictions Trelawney had ever made, even remarking she deserved a pay rise.
His quip caused Harri to smile a little before the thought of Pettigrew out there, free while Sirius was in hiding, turned her mood sour again. She voiced her regret at not letting Black and Lupin kill him. But Dumbledore told her, her father would have done the same, and there was no shame in letting Pettigrew live. In fact, Dumbledore said there would be a time in the future where she will be very glad she had saved Pettigrew's life.
Harri doubted it but didn't voice her disagreement.
She then thought about what to say next, hesitant he would laugh at her. She then realised Dumbledore would never do that.
"Last night…before I passed out from the Dementors, the first time I was at the lake. I thought it was my dad who conjured the Patronus. I thought I was seeing him."
"An easy mistake to make," said Dumbledore softly. "I expect you're tired of hearing it, but you do look extraordinarily like James, as if he were born a girl. Except your eyes of course, you have your mother's eyes."
Harri shook her head, "I was stupid. How could I ever believe it was him," she muttered. "I know he's dead and he's never coming back. Neither of them are."
"You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father and mother are still alive in you Harri, and both show themselves most plainly when you need them. How else could you produce that particular Patronus? Prongs rode again last night."
It took Harri a moment to realise what Dumbledore had said.
"Sirius told me all about how they became Animagi last night," said Dumbledore smiling. "An extraordinary achievement – not least, keeping it quiet from me. And then I remembered the most unusual form your Patronus took, when it charged Mr Malfoy down at the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. So, you did see your father last night, Harri…you found him inside yourself."
And with that Dumbledore left the office, leaving Harri to her thoughts.
A smile came to her lips when she thought about what Dumbledore said, and she realised he was right. Your loved ones never truly leave you.
Suddenly she remembered the blank book Lupin had given her, and she quickly put it on the desk in front of her. Harri thought about what he said when an idea came to her…but surely it couldn't be that easy?
She pulled out her wand and tapped the book saying, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
Sure enough, words began to explode on to the page, as page after page was filled with writing and diagrams. Harri flicked to the front cover to see on the once black leather, now had a title in gold writing:
Property of Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers
Harri began to flick through and quickly realised what exactly she had been given. It was the journal the Marauders had used to come up with their ideas. On one page, she found new spell ideas, where on others it was ideas for potion recipes to be used in pranks. There was a large section in the middle about the design of the Marauder's map, and the magic behind it. On each page where several different types of handwriting, as each of them seemed to contribute different ideas.
Most of the handwriting belonged to Lupin, Harri could tell, recognising it from the past year of reading it on the blackboard in class. On one page, something scribbled at the side suddenly caught Harri's attention. The page was about how to lower the potency of a love potion.
Dear Prongs, maybe this is how you finally get a date with a certain red-head you've been pining after – much love, Padfoot
Dear Padfoot, please do us a favour and kindly sod off – much love, Prongs
Harri found herself laughing over the exchange, her finger tracing over the writing which had come from her father.
Hermione, Ron and Harri sat in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express as they travelled back home for the summer. In one hand Harri had the letter Sirius had sent her while she was on the train. The other was the journal Lupin gave her, something she had been devouring each night since she got it.
When she showed it to Ron and Hermione, both her friends were happy for her. Ron had asked to read it to see if he could finally prank the twins with some of the information in the book. Hermione admitted the magic was rather impressive and wouldn't mind being able to read the book herself. Both had managed to read its contents over the last remaining weeks at school before they headed home for the summer.
Ron was currently preoccupied with his new owl Sirius had sent him while Hermione was gently stroking Crookshanks. Harri herself was smiling over the fact Ron had just invited her to stay for the summer with the potential prospect of going to see the Quidditch world cup. She looked out the window to see they were nearly at King's Cross. She quietly excused herself to head to the bathroom, knowing the Dursely's wouldn't stop on the way back to Privet Drive for her, even if she was about to wet herself.
On the way back to her carriage she heard her name being called and she turned to see the twins eagerly waving her into their compartment. She gave them a smile as she stood in the doorway. They were sat with Lee Jordan, who was currently stuffing his face with a chocolate frog.
"Everything okay?" Harri asked, looking between the trio.
"Yeah, we're just having bets here about what really happened that night you three ended up in the hospital wing," Fred explained. "I think you guys snuck out to take down one of those security trolls like you did in first year and Lee thinks you were wrong place, wrong time."
"What about you George?" Harri asked, an amused smile on her face.
"I think you three broke out Sirius Black using that Hippogriff Malfoy wanted dead," George joked, believing it was an impossible theory. Harri did her best to keep the smile on her face as she faked laughed at the idea.
"All more exciting than what actually happened, believe me." Harri lied, she started to make her way back to her own carriage.
"Harri wait," She turned to see George had joined her in the corridor. "I told Fred about your prank sweets idea and he agrees it's a good one. Mind if we run with it, we've got a few ways we could go."
"I'm sure you could do a much better job with it then I could," Harri admitted, a little butterfly flitted in her stomach at the compliment he gave her.
"Well if you think of any more good ideas, Fred and I would love to hear them, just send an owl," George gave her a smile which Harri find herself automatically copying.
"Yeah, I will."
"Ron tell you about the Quidditch world cup?" George asked with excitement in his eyes.
"Yeah, he said you were hoping to get tickets and that maybe I could come with you."
"You would be more than welcome too. And remember to bring your Firebolt with you, wouldn't mind flying around on that in the summer seeing as I have open access to it." George gave her a wiggle of his eyebrows, reminding her about the bet with the every flavour beans.
"Only if I'm not using it," Harri pointed out.
"I don't remember that being part of the deal, pretty sure I can use it whenever I want, even if you want to," George argued with a mischievous grin.
"I would like to see you try take it off me," Harri challenged with a grin of her own. Harri could feel the train slowing and realised she should probably get back to Ron and Hermione. "I'll see you in a few weeks."
"Try not to blow up any aunts this time," George teased before heading back to his carriage with Fred and Lee. Harri found herself smiling and thought nothing more of the feeling of butterflies in her stomach when he smiled at her.
Ron and Hermione didn't ask any questions about why she had been gone so long, and instead the trio started to say their goodbyes. Harri wasn't looking forward to going back to the Durselys, even more so now she knew she had a Godfather out there that cared for her but she couldn't see.
When they got off the train, Harri was met with a large hug from Mrs Weasley and Ron reminding her he would write about the world cup. Harri pushed her trolley with Hedwig in her cage, sat on top of her case. The Durselys greeted her with their usual tone of disgust.
"What's that?" Uncle Vernon snarled, staring at the envelope Harri was still clutching in her hand. Her book she had already put in her case, hidden away so the Dursleys couldn't take it from her. "If it's another form for me to sign, you've got another-"
"It's not," said Harri cheerfully. "It's a letter from my godfather."
"Godfather?" Spluttered her uncle. "You haven't got a godfather!"
"Yes I have!" said Harri brightly. "He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murder, but he's broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me though…keeping up with my news…check I'm happy…"
And grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon's face, Harri set off towards the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of her, for what looked like a much better summer than the last.
And there we have book 3!
I hope you like the added plot with the journal - it will come up again in future chapters I promise.
Thank you to everyone who has been so kind to review, favourite and follow!
sunflowerqueen - thank you very much for your review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story and like the pairing. I can promise lots more Harri and George moments, especially now they're older and we reach the second half of the series :)
Weirdhead - I remember reading the books and being so shocked Sirius turning out to be innocent. See what you mean about him being a good villain though if it had all been true
Until next week
Vex