Lily woke when she heard voices. Someone screamed, "You've got the wrong man!" Brief silence, then, "We're not confunded!" It was Harry, then. It had to be. He sounded like James. She opened her eyes to find herself in the hospital wing. "What's happened? What's going on?"

Minister Cornelius Fudge, Dumbledore, and Snape were standing in the middle of the wing, arguing with Harry and Hermione.

"Snape hasn't confunded us!" Harry shouted. "You've got the wrong man, Sirius Black is innocent! It was Peter Pettigrew!" He turned to Lily. "They've got Sirius in a cell upstairs! And Snape keeps saying he's saved us!"

"Harry, Harry." Minister Fudge sighed. "Sirius Black was in league with the dark lord, murdered thirteen muggles, and abducted you and your friends tonight and likely confunded you. I know you're confused, but Black is a convicted murderer. Barring any outstanding evidence, he will be receiving the dementor's kiss within the hour."

"Minister Fudge." Lily rose from the bed. "I believe I can provide outstanding evidence related to James' and my deaths. I'll testify before the wizengamot and everything."

Fudge's eyes widened. "Dumbledore was right, then. You really are alive. But we can't prove that your memory can be trusted."

Lily folded her arms. "I think you may want to seek the opinion of Healer Smythe, leading memory restoration expert in Britain, before you go making any rash decisions about what I can and can't remember."

Fudge pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, fine. We can hear your testimony. We'll hold off on performing the dementor's kiss until we can verify you have your wits about you. Albus, Severus, please. Let's go and speak with Mrs. Potter, and would someone please floo-call Healer Smythe."

"If you will give me just one minute, minister." As Fudge retreated Dumbledore turned to the children. "Listen closely, Harry, Hermione, Christina. I've spoken with Sirius and I believe his story, but there's not a shred of evidence to back it up save your mother's testimony. But we can't be sure how accurate her memory is. It's up to you three. With more time, you might be able to save more than one life tonight. Three turns should do it, Miss Granger. Good luck."

"What is he—" Harry muttered as Dumbledore disappeared through the door after Fudge.

"Shh!" Hermione was pulling a gold chain out of her pocket. "Be quiet, you two, and get under the chain." She had started fiddling with a tiny gold hourglass attached to the chain.

"Hermione what—"

"I said shh!" She turned the hourglass three times and the hospital wing melted away, leaving them in the forbidden forest. The sun was still out, hanging low near the horizon.

"What's happened?" Harry craned his neck to look at the sky. "Why's the sun still out?"

"Get back!" Hermione grabbed Harry and Christina and dragged them behind a tree. "I'll explain. This little thing is a time turner. You can turn it to go back in time. Professor McGonagall gave it to me at the beginning of the year; that's how I've been getting to all my classes. Professor Dumbledore told us we can save two lives tonight and I think he wants us to save Buckbeak too." They hid in the trees and watched their past selves go into Hagrid's hut. A few minutes later came Hermione's shriek.

"I'll go now." Harry made to run. "I'll go in right now and grab Scabbers."

"Harry, no." Hermione grabbed his arm. "You can't. Imagine if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house. You'd think you'd gone mad."

Harry nodded begrudgingly.

"Don't you understand? We can't be seen!"

"How are we going to get to Buckbeak then?" Christina asked.

"Wait until they go in." Hermione was watching the executioners as they drew up to Hagrid's door. "They went in. We went out, under the cloak, but we weren't looking that way as we left. Let's go, quickly, before they come out." Hermione ran forward and grabbed Buckbeak's rope. "Buckbeak. Shh. Shh."

"Buckbeak!" Christina reached down and picked up a burlap sack full of dead ferrets. "Buckbeak! Snack! Yummy!" Forcing down the vomit that rose in her throat, she dangled one of the ferrets in front of Buckbeak's face. "Come on!" She lured him deeper into the forest.

"Go in deeper." Hermione muttered. "The further away we get Buckbeak the better." They hid behind a large tree and stopped to catch their breath.

"What now?" Harry muttered. "I suppose we have to wait for our past selves to finished up the business in the shrieking shack."

"I think we'll be waiting for a while." Hermione sat down uneasily on a tree stump. "We were in the shack for a long time."

"You're telling me." Christina muttered. "I sat on that bed needing to pee for what felt like hours while Professor Lupin went on and on about how he was a werewolf."

"And don't even think about going down there and trying to grab Pettigrew." Hermione added to Harry.

"I'm not going down." Harry grumbled. "I'll grab him when we come out."

"So we wait here." Christina muttered. "And then what? We have to get to Sirius before they give him the dementor's kiss."

Hermione nodded. "Well, Dumbledore said they'll hold off with the dementor's kiss until they can straighten out your mum's testimony. But I still don't trust Fudge not to do it. I think Snape might try to convince him. Anyway, we all went down into the tunnel, then what? We came back out and there were all these dementors. You were trying to cast a patronus, Harry, and then we all blacked out and woke up in the hospital wing."

"Someone saved us with a patronus." Christina interjected. "It was a big animal, with horns. But I didn't see who cast it."

"It was Dad." said Harry. "The patronus was a stag, remember? It was Dad who cast it."

"Harry . . ." Hermione looked at him with a mixture of alarm and pity. "Your dad's, well, dead."

"It was him!" Harry insisted. "I saw him. He was standing at the edge of the lake, and he cast a huge patronus. It was a stag, and his animagus form is a stag! You saw him too, right Christina? And while we're on that subject, if my mum and sister can still be secretly alive, why can't he?"

Christina shook her head. "Dad's not alive, I don't think. Mum remembers everything now and she said Dad was dead. It was really dark out and it could've been anyone by the lake."

"Christina—"

"Harry, I'm with Hermione. I just don't think it's possible." She sighed and sat down on a tree stump. "How much longer until our other selves come out?"

"I'm going to keep on watch on the lake when the dementors come." said Harry. "You'll see." He slumped next to her on the stump, shivering in the cold night air.

A twig snapped in the distance and they all jumped. "How much longer do we have to stay here?" Christina squeaked in fright.

"We can't be seen." Hermione insisted. "Look." Through the trees they saw their past selves emerging from the tunnel and heading toward the castle. They watched as Professor Lupin's body began to shudder in the moonlight.

Christina's eyes widened in fear. "We have to run. I ran into the forest, and so did Sirius. Professor Lupin ran into the forest! Run!" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed the rope around Buckbeak's neck and ran through the trees, aiming for the lake.

"We can't be seen! Hermione panted.

"That doesn't matter! We can't be eaten by a werewolf either!" Christina and Buckbeak pelted out of the forest down to the shore of the lake and hid in the bushes, even Buckbeak kneeling down to hide. "You're a good boy, Buckbeak." Christina gingerly patted his beak.

"We could have been seen." Hermione hissed as she squeezed into the bushes, her tangled and full of twigs.

"We were all a little preoccupied when Professor Lupin transformed." Christina whispered back. "We're safe out here by the lake. Well, mostly safe." The cold feeling was already sinking into her bones. "They're here."

"It's ok." said Harry, teeth chattering. "Any minute now, Dad's gonna jump out and conjure his patronus. Come on, Dad. Where are you?"

They all craned their necks and watched the dementors circling the group. Past Harry was desperately trying to cast a patronus, but his energy was fading.

Christina frowned, trying to remember what the mysterious patronus caster had looked like. He had been right here, by the lake, with short hair and glasses and—"Harry, it wasn't Dad." It couldn't be. "It was—"

"Me." Harry stepped out of the bushes and raised his wand. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A great white beast leapt from the tip of his wand and cantered in a wide circle, chasing the dementors away. As it circled back to them its form became clearer, a majestic creature with a large set of antlers.

Christina gasped. "Is that—"

"Prongs." Harry reached out to touch the creature, but as he did so it vanished. The siblings stood transfixed, staring at the spot it had vanished, until Hermione grabbed Buckbeak's rope.

"Harry. We've got to get moving. We have to get to Sirius before Fudge does. Look." She gestured across the grounds to where Snape was levitating their unconscious forms back to the castle.

"Where are they keeping him?" Harry asked.

"A cell on the astronomy tower. I overheard Snape say so. Harry, would you bow to Buckbeak so he'll let you ride him?"

"There's no guarantee he'll let me ride him again." Harry said, but as he bowed Buckbeak knelt low so they could climb on his back. Buckbeak pushed off the ground and took a wide, soaring loop over the castle as Hermione and Christina screamed and Harry whooped with glee. He touched down on the observation deck of the astronomy tower before a barred cell.

"Sirius, stand back!" Hermione slid off Buckbeak's back and blasted the cell door open.

"Harry—Hermione—what the—"

"Long story." Harry jumped off the hippogriff. "Did you know Hermione's been getting to all her classes with a time turner this year? That's how we did it. Come on, you've got to go. Take the hippogriff."

"Harry—"

"You have to go. My mum's gonna testify, but we don't trust Fudge not to give you the dementor's kiss. Go!"

"Harry, when your mum testifies—well, she's the smartest woman I've ever met. When all is said and done I'll be your proper godfather. You'll see." He looked and saw Christina, still sitting on Buckbeak's back. She was trying to smile, but her stomach felt weird. Was she . . . jealous? Well, why did Harry get a godfather? She'd never had anyone except her mother.

Sirius laughed a little as he looked at her. "Christina, in the all the craziness of tonight I don't think your mum got a chance to mention it. Professor Lupin's your godfather, you've got one too. Come here." He took her under the arms and lifted her off Buckbeak's back. "He'll be ok, come tomorrow. He always is." He climbed onto Buckbeak's back.

"You've got to go, Sirius." Hermione said. "You and Buckbeak have got to get to safety."

"It's lucky your parents didn't have twins." Sirius chuckled. "Otherwise they would've made Peter someone's godfather as well, and that would've sucked for everyone involved. Harry, Christina, I'll see you after your mum testifies. That's a promise." He took Buckbeak's neck and they soared away.

"Come on." Hermione grabbed the Potters and started to run. "We've got to get back to the hospital wing in time before Dumbledore locks the door." They sprinted down several flights of stairs and down a long corridor back to the hospital wing, where they jumped into their beds and trying to control their breathing. Neither Fudge nor Snape noticed anything, but Dumbledore winked as he shut the door behind him.