Chapter Two: The Patronus
Lupin opened his mouth and let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a screech, drool dripping down his canine teeth and falling in heavy drops onto the forest floor below. A few feet in front of him, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger stared wide eyed in terror. Several things then happened in very quick succession.
Hermione whimpered, "Professor Lupin?"
Harry made a dive toward her, took her in his arms, and tucked her body underneath his own.
Lupin made a great lunge forward, the claws of his right paw raised high above his werewolf head.
And Buckbeak soared in from the trees behind Harry and Hermione, over them, and brought down his hoof on top of Lupin's head with a very audible thud.
Harry loosened his grip on Hermione, and lifted his head slightly. Buckbeak was raised up tall on his hind legs, wings outstretched, as he shrieked at Lupin. Buckbeak's yellow eyes were bright and piercing against the black of the night.
The werewolf looked for a moment as though he might strike back, before he growled resignedly, and took off quickly on all fours into the dark of the Forbidden Forest. Harry waited until he could no longer hear the retreating, heavy foot falls of Professor Lupin before he pulled himself off of Hermione, who was shaking badly.
"Hermione," said Harry, "It's okay. He's gone." Harry frowned, peering off into the distance where Lupin had run off. 'Sorry, Professor.'
Hermione took a moment to rise and was still shaking. Buckbeak was standing at attention, watching the gap in the trees Lupin had exited. Hermione really was shaking quite fiercely, Harry noticed. Harry raised a hand, to try to comfort her, and realized with a start that he was shaking as well.
Harry didn't realize why, however, until he felt an all too familiar chill creep it's way up his spine, and as he let out his breath, it fogged up the space between he and Hermione. Harry, however, did not feel afraid, he felt invigorated.
"Sirius." Harry said to Hermione, taking off in a sprint opposite the direction Lupin had. Hermione tried to follow.
"Harry- Harry wait!" She cried behind him. She tried her best to keep up with him, but he was quite quick considering his small size. Hermione held Harry in her view, as they dodged branches and thickets, jumping over fallen trees. She hardly realized he had stopped before she smacked into him from behind.
She went to reprimand him, but her voice fell short as she looked past him. She followed his gaze across the black waters of the lake, where three figures were huddled together. She could hear the cries of past Harry, "Expecto Patronum!"
But he wasn't strong enough. His feeble shield had begun to fade, and there was a swarm of Dementors, dozens, closing in on them. They both watched as past Harry fell to his knees. Hermione clung to Harry's arm.
Earlier, Hermione had awoken in the Hospital Wing before Harry. She had overheard Snape talking to Professor Dumbledore. He had said that the Dementors had been driven away before he got there, flocking to their posts. He didn't know who had warded them off. She had heard him say though, that whoever had driven them away, those dozens of Dementors, must have been a very powerful wizard indeed.
Hermione knew it hadn't been Snape. He'd never relinquish credit for a moment of glory such as that. But she thought maybe, that Professor Lupin had come to his senses, that he had saved Harry after all. She thought even that possibly Professor Dumbledore was playing coy with Professor Snape, and he had actually been the one to ward off all of those Dementors.
But from what she could see, there was nobody coming to save them now. There was just a very scared thirteen year old boy trying to save his godfather.
The circle of Dementors had now fully closed around the figures, blocking their view of the three. Hermione turned to look at Harry, who was staring with the same wide eyed expression he had earlier tonight.
All of a sudden the air was filled with a noise most foul, like a shrieking cat and nails on a chalkboard and screeching car tires all in one. One Dementor had risen from the pack, and was flailing wildly in the air. It's head and body jerked around roughly in the night, like a puppet whose puppeteer was pulling strings at random. Her attention was diverted when Harry said next to her-
"It got me."
Hermione looked at Harry, and was almost surprised to see how he held himself. He didn't look frightened at all.
Harry had watched, wide eyed, as the Dementors closed around their past selves. He saw himself fall to his knees, and it seemed that even though he was watching from about a quarter mile away, he could right back in that moment.
Except he wasn't. Earlier he had felt powerless, weak. He felt as though every bone in his body had turned to ice, and every drop of blood had frozen in his veins. Now, however, he felt a warmth; a power he had never felt before.
A Dementor rose away from the rest, flailing and screeching. It reacted in a way, Harry thought, that was quite like when his Aunt Marge's dog Ripper tasted a lemon, jerking backwards awkwardly at the uncomfortable sensation. Harry realized, with a start, it was reacting that way to him. Whatever that Dementor had done to him, to his scar.
"It got me." Harry said.
But he would not let it get them. He stepped forward, pulling himself from Hermione's grasp. He faintly registered her calling his name.
He would save her. He would save all of them.
He came up to the edge of the lake, planted his feet, raised his wand-
Harry felt a rush of something akin to fire burn in his chest, it worked its way down his arm, to his fingertips, and then to the tip of his wand.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry cried.
Hermione had read about patronuses. After their encounter on the Hogwarts Express at the start of this term, she had researched them thoroughly. A fully powered, corporeal patronus, took the shape of an animal that represented your soul. But the magic Harry was preforming now was like nothing she had ever read.
From his wand came forth a wave of pure white, glistening energy. It grew and grew in a dome like shape, expanding to a size so great the top of which would surely be as tall as the trees around them. It made a sound like a wave rolling into shore, as it sailed across the black lake.
It crashed into the Dementors, and they rolled through the air away from Harry, Hermione, and Sirius' bodies. The Dementors righted themselves in the air.
And another huge wave of energy came from Harry's wand, and it slammed into them with the same force as the last. Thirty Dementors- Forty- Hermione wasn't sure how many, now struggled to right themselves as they recoiled from the blow, they turned to try to take to the sky and-
Another final wave of energy surged forward from Harry. The iridescent globe of power spread quickly, sweeping the air and banishing every last dementor from them.
They were safe.
The Patronus petered out, evaporating into a thousand little wisps of white smoke, before fading entirely.
Harry stumbled backward, shoving his arm out and catching his balance on a tree. The night's sounds once again filled his ears, the soft breeze rustling the leaves overhead, as Harry panted trying to regain his breath.
"Harry..." Hermione said from his left. He looked up at her. She looked awestruck. "Harry what did you just- Ah!" she squealed.
Harry had suddenly made a lunge toward Hermione, "Shhh!" He exclaimed, grabbing her and pulling her behind a bush.
"Harry-" Hermione was cut off as Harry covered her mouth with his hand.
"Sorry," he said quietly, looking bashful, "but shush." Harry peered over the top of the bush, and across the water he could see Snape, with a stretcher floating behind him, which he assumed was for Ron. Hermione smacked at his hand. "Sorry." He muttered. She too joined him in watching as Snape conjured a stretcher for all three of them, levitating them onto them one by one. They watched in silence, and neither of them spoke until he walked off.
Harry was the one to break the silence. He seemed to be teeming with energy, whereas Hermione was still trying to get her head on straight.
"They're taking him to Flitwicks office," he said, raising himself to his feet and offering her a hand. She took it, and he pulled her up. "North tower- which window was it?"
Hermione's brain was fuzzy, "Uh, uhm. Fourth window up, second from the left."
Harry smiled widely, "Brilliant. Let's go." And he began to drag her along.
"But Harry how will we-" Hermione began, but she faltered as she saw Buckbeak's form step out from the trees.
"Clever boy!" Harry beamed, as Hermione muttered, "Oh no."
Harry had been riding a high for the past few hours. First escaping from Professor Lupin, fully transformed and trying to hunt Harry and Hermione, and then Harry conjuring a patronus that had fought about fifty dementors into submission, and finally, Harry had saved Sirius. The night moved fast up until this moment, where time seemed to slow for them.
Sirius, on the back of Buckbeak, had fixed Harry with a soft smile. "They'd be proud of you," he said, "Lily and James."
Harry smiled bashfully, like a little kid. "Sirius you need to go now, Fudge is probably-"
"I'm proud of you." said Sirius with a tone of finality. Harry couldn't think of anything to say. Sirius's words had filled him with a distinct sense of- something. Harry couldn't put his finger on it.
"Sirius really, you need to go. Now!" Harry pressed. Sirius looked forward, before turning back one last time.
"I owe a great debt. To the both of-"
"Go!" Harry and Hermione yelled together. Sirius flashed them a rougish grin. It wasn't the smile of the man who had spent twelve years locked up in the presence of Dementors, but the smile of the man that had been best friends with James and Lily Potter. Harry let out a breath, and watching Sirius take to the dark sky on the back of Buckbeak, Harry had some semblance of a feeling, that for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, he had a family of his own. And his family sailed away, Sirius' figure disappearing behind a smattering of gray clouds.
Hermione tugged in his shirt, "Harry, it's time to go."
Sneaking through the castle had been much more difficult this time; The added threat of the Minister of Magic strolling the halls keeping them quite on edge.
Harry and Hermione painstakingly reached the Hospital Wing, careful to slow their pace so not as to alert Madam Pomfrey they were not in fact in their beds, but were running amok through the halls of Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore was waiting, arms folded comfortably at his waist, by the door.
"I was beginning to worry." He said to them, Harry and Hermione coming to a stop before him. Dumbledore looked sternly at the two of them.
"How long have we been gone Professor?" Hermione asked in a hurried voice. Harry bounced anxiously on the balls of his feet.
Dumbledore smiled and said, "About twelve seconds now, Miss Granger."
Harry let out an instinctual laugh, smiled widely, and did something that surprised all three of them. He hugged Dumbledore around the middle.
Dumbledore let out a little, "Oh!" Before chuckling lightly. He put one arm around Harry's back, and the other one gently on the top of his head.
"Thank you." Harry said into Dumbledore's chest. Hermione looked positively warmed at the display. Harry stepped back a few steps, glancing up to look into the face of his smiling Headmaster.
Dumbledore however, did not smile. Dumbledore seemed worried. Dumbledore stepped forward slowly, raising his right arm as he did so.
"Sir?" Harry asked as Dumbledore's blue eyes scanned his face over the top of his half moon spectacles. Hermione followed his gaze, to Harry's face, and let out a gasp. Behind them, Madam Pomfrey turned the corner, and made her way down the corridor toward them.
"Now Albus, really!" She said.
"Harry your-" Hermione began, stopping as Dumbledore raised a finger to Harry's forehead. Harry seemed to be transfixed, tracking Dumbledore's long finger with both eyes, before wincing as it made contact with his scar. Madam Pomfrey reached the group, as Dumbledore pulled his finger back slowly.
The tip of Dumbledore's finger was glistening in the moonlight, coated in Harry's red blood.
A/N: This one is kind of a shorty