Penny staggered slightly as her feet hit solid ground. Ducking out of the chain she peered around at the sunlit Entrance Hall. Next to her Hermione grabbed Harry by his arm and dragged him to a broom cupboard and despite his stuttered protests shoved him inside. After a curious glance around Penny joined them and Hermione slammed the door behind them. In the tight space Hermione pressed her ear against the door as Harry continued to speak in odd words.
'What…how…what is going on?' He managed to get out.
'We've gone back in time. Three hours back.' She whispered as she pressed her ear even tighter against the door. Penny was bemused by her causal tone and curious about what exactly it was she was listening for. Harry pinched his leg and gave an audible gasp.
'Shh!' Penny and Hermione said together. 'Somebody's coming!' Hermione went on 'I think it's us, well Harry Ron and I' She corrected herself glancing at Penny. After a few minutes of explanation to Harry they turned to what Dumbledore had meant by his words.
'We have to save Buckbeak!' Harry exclaimed and then how to rescue Sirius. Hermione's face echoed Penny's thoughts.
'So you are telling me' Penny began rubbing her temples 'I can't use that damn thing to stop Voldemort, and yet because Saint Dumby gives us permission, three underage kids can interfere with a Ministry approved execution of an alleged dangerous creature, and help a prison escapee charged with multiple murder to run away on said dangerous creature and also expects us to do this without being see and thus breaking even more laws and potentially getting killed in the process? All because he believes some insane version of events in which a dead man is now a rat whom Black would succeed in escaping the world's best guarded prison to kill?' She finished looking from Hermione's anxious face to Harry's dumbstruck face. Hermione opened and shut her mouth a few times, looking a little like a goldfish. Penny shook her head, sighing at the old man's casual disregard for their chances of success. 'Sounds fun, let go' Penny said sarcastically, pushing the cupboard door open and quietly walking out into the grounds. In the tree line of the forest the three of them watched as Hagrid opened his door and ushered the three inside.
'That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug, I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment' Hermione breathed after a loud crash.
'Hermione, what if we just run in there and grab Pettigrew?' Harry said suddenly.
'Pettigrew?' Penny said confused for a moment.
'Scabbers. Scabbers is Pettrigrew.' Harry said, Hermione grabbed his robe as he went to lunge forward.
'Oh yer' Penny said, frowning as she reminded herself of who was who and what was what.
'No Harry, you can't, you'll think you've gone mad if you see yourself.' Hermione said clearly struggling to hold Harry down.
'Why can't Penny go?' Harry said fiercely, Hermione seemed to consider this, but quickly pulled Penny back, shrieking as she pointed up the hill. Fudge, Macnair, Dumbledore and the other committee member were heading down the steps.
'See! We have to be careful!' Hermione said. The next few minutes reminded Penny of the pantomime she had seen which the other orphans. Those inside the cabin and those outside moved with uncanny synchronisation, so Harry was able to get Buckbeak away in between the executioner glancing out the window and the party coming outside to see he had vanished. Harry, Hermione and Penny held their breath as the party shouted and cried, all three of them digging their heels in to prevent Buckbeak returning to Hagrid.
Upon going around the forest to see the Whomping Willow, Penny groaned as she watched the scene unfold.
'Ouch, no wonder Weasel's leg was in such a state' She grimaced as she heard the crack of his leg breaking. A few minutes later they saw Lupin follow them into the trunk.
'So that goes to the Shrieking Shack?' Penny asked and Hermione nodded. Harry however was looking at his cloak.
'If I rush out and grab it…' He began.
'No need' Penny said raising her wand 'Accio cloak' She frowned as nothing happened. She repeated the charm but it still didn't work. Why did the cloak not respond to her summons?
'I'm going to grab it' Harry said as he went to dash out. Both Penny and Hermione grabbed his robes as a drunken Hagrid swayed past. A few moment later Snape put the cloak on and disappeared beneath the tree. As they waited Harry and Hermione discussed the Patronus, who could have cast it, how they had survived.
'How do you even make a Patronus?' Penny asked, somewhat peeved to show any ignorance.
'Expecto patronum is the incantation. But that bit's easy. You have to force yourself to relive a happy memory whilst the dementors are trying to force you to relive your worst.' Harry said shuddering slightly. Penny watched him curiously. Casting her mind around she searched her mind for a happy memory. She saw herself and Ginny sat on the log in the cornfields, she smiled as she raised her wand.
'Expecto Patronum!' She shouted as an indistinct silvery mist burst out of her wand and quickly vanished as she was distracted by its appearance. 'I thought it was meant to be an animal?' She asked Harry puzzled.
'Apparently it is, when it's a true patronus.' Harry shrugged 'The one that came across the lake was, so whoever cast it must have been very powerful.' Penny considered this. She wondered if it had been her, after all she was easily the most powerful of them. Though Harry had said he thought he had seen his Dad. Hardly likely, she scoffed, it must have been her, she thought arrogantly. She didn't share this thought with the other two though, she knew Hermione wouldn't approve even if she did save their lives, she thought rolling her eyes. They had dodged around the werewolf and hidden in Hagrid's hut until Harry had made an excuse to go outside. Penny had gone with him. As they heard a yelp, Harry looked around at her, a silent plea to which she nodded, the two of them breaking into a run. Harry reached the opposite bank first, Penny a few seconds behind. She shivered, even from this distance the chill of the Dementors could be felt. Confident she rose from behind the bush, ignoring Harry's protests. Focusing her mind on the cornfields she raised her wand.
'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' She yelled, the mist of silver bursting from her wand. It drifted across the lake, fading into nothing before even touching the ring of Dementors. However one of them seemed to sense it. It turned to face her, as fear spiked through her as it moved towards her. Pointing her wand she tried again.
'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' She roared. As nothing happened she realised she had forgotten to think of her happy memory. 'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' She yelled infuriated it wasn't working. Why wasn't it working. It was a happy memory wasn't it? Because you don't deserve to be happy.The unwelcome thought entered her head as she stared at the Dementor. You cause nothing but destruction. She staggered as she backed away, wanting to run from the fog engulfing her senses. You don't deserve happiness, not after what you did to your Nana….
'NO!' She screamed dropping to her knees, covering her ears, trying to block out the voices invading her thoughts. She cast a hex at the Dementor which bounced off. She was vaguely aware of Harry jumping to her side, she heard him yell.
'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' Even with her eyes clamped shut she saw a bright light burst forward. She felt the coldness evaporate, as she raised her head to see an enormous creature driving the Dementors away. As the creature returned, she staggered to her feet.
'Prongs' Harry gasped as he put his hand out and the stag Patronus vanished. He looked round at Penny with a shocked expression. Penny stared at him intensely at him, as if for the first time. They stayed like this for a couple of seconds before they were brought out of it by the sound of hooves and running steps.
'What did you two do?' Hermione shrieked when she saw them. 'Penny, you drove the Dementors away?' She asked, her mouth open. As Penny begrudgingly shook her head, she looked at Harry. Hermione's jaw dropped even further. 'Harry? How…were you seen?' She stuttered as the three of them retreated to the tree line, Penny somewhat unsteady on her feet. If only she had brought chocolate with her. They watched as Snape came down and put them all on stretchers.
'We can't all go up' Harry said as they walked to hide behind the greenhouses 'Buckbeak can't carry four of us.'
'I'll wait here' Penny volunteered quickly. She couldn't imagine flying on Buckbeak would be any better than on a broom. 'There is that executioner' Penny pointed as the man disappeared into the darkness. Hermione and Harry rode up to get Sirius and quickly descended back to the greenhouses. On seeing Penny, Sirius grabbed her by the throat pinning her against the wall.
'Sirius no!' Harry and Hermione yelled, as Penny fumbled for her wand. A strip of moonlight fell across her face as Sirius stared at her bright eyes. He looked puzzled as he released her. She took in his ragged appearance, but examining his face she could see herself in the curve of his cheekbones, and the shape of his eyes.
'Who are you?' He asked huskily as she massaged her throat.
'P..Per..' She gasped
'Persephone Black. She helped us to get you out' Harry said, taking a slight step in between them. Sirius continued to stare for a moment.
'I am sorry Persephone, for a moment I thought…' He trailed off. He still looked confused, as if trying to work something out.
'You..thought I was my mother?' Penny said bitterly, wondering if she could get away with giving him a kick in the nuts for his assault. Sirius blinked a couple of time before nodding.
'Indeed. I am sorry. I of all people know we cannot choose our family.' He glanced down to the lake, seeing black figures in the distance. He quickly jumped back onto Buckbeak and leant down to speak. 'Thank you, all of you.' Looking Penny in the eyes he said 'We'll meet see each other again.' And with that he disappeared into the sky.
The three of them managed to sneak up the Hospital Wing, with the help of a couple of secret passageways Harry and Penny knew from the Marauder's Map. Dumbledore locked them in, who to Penny's great annoyance seemed completely unsurprised they had succeeded. As if what he had asked them to accomplish was child's play.
'Are you ok Penny?' Madam Pomfrey had asked, before Penny realised she was still pale from the Dementors. She nodded, glancing wistfully at the chocolate the matron was giving the other two, knowing she'd never be able to nick some under the watchful eye of the matron. After a few minutes they heard a roar of fury as Snape practically took the Hospital Wing doors off its hinges, furious that Sirius had gotten away. However he could not explain how it had happened, which surprised Penny, did Snape not know about the Time Turner? After they had all left Ron came to, and Hermione explained to him what had happened. He shot a stony look at Penny, clearly peeved she had been involved and not him. She resisted the urge to intentionally lean on his leg, and got dismissed by the matron to get to bed, as really she had stayed up far past curfew with all the events of the evening.
The following morning Snape let slip to the Slytherins that Lupin was a werewolf. Penny scowled at him, knowing full well he was still fuming about Sirius, and his sour look at her was enough to tell her he had his suspicions about her involvement.
'They have had a werewolf teaching us?' Heather Greengrass shrieked 'He could have bitten any of us in class!' She continued hysterically. 'You can't become a werewolf by breathing the same air can you?' She went on. Penny just stared at her, momentarily wondering if there was anything but sawdust between her ears. Heather however was no alone in this ignorant knee jerk reaction and Penny soon became too exasperated to even correct people. Draco, whilst furious about Buckbeak and Black's escape, seemed cheered by the thought of Lupin leaving. Draco had awkwardly sidled up to Penny a couple of evening before the end of term. Penny raised her eyebrow at him as she noticed him hovering. He eventually cleared his throat loudly.
'So…Penny….about…what you said' He began uncomfortably. Penny reached out with her mind as she looked at him, and her lip thinned as she saw Ginny's image at the forefront of his mind. Draco seemed to sense her mental touch and blinked a couple times as she withdrew.
'You have no chance with her' Penny snarled, mentally cursing herself for allowing a jealous note to enter her voice. Draco frowned slightly, but didn't challenge her. He didn't however seem finished. 'What?' Penny said eventually, sensing he had something on the tip of his tongue.
'You aren't going to tell Mother are you?' He finally spat out, speaking so fast Penny barely caught it. She looked at him like he was insane as he suddenly seemed unable to meet her eyes, and instead watched her sideways. After a few seconds Penny began to laugh, startling Draco, who had never heard her laugh. After a minute he scowled and repeated 'You aren't though right?' Penny took a couple of breaths to steady herself before answering.
'No Draco, I will not tell your mother' She said, a Cheshire cat grin on her face as she looked at him. He looked both relieved and somewhat irritated by her amusement, but despite himself smiled slightly as he continued 'So are you going to stay at the Manor this summer?' He asked a hopeful note in his voice. Penny was always surprised by this, as far as she was concerned she did little but insult and hex him. He looked disappointed when she shook her head and walked off without another word.
On the train home Penny spent most of the journey with Ginny, avoiding talking about Sirius' great escape and Ginny's theories, as she felt uncomfortable lying to her.
'Dad's getting tickets to the Quidditch World Cup!' Ginny exclaimed excitedly 'Wanna come?' She asked as Penny just looked sceptically at her.
'Gin, I don't watch the matches at Hogwarts, why would I want to watch an even bigger match at an even greater height?' She asked exasperated.
'But Penny, it's the Quidditch. World. Cup.' Ginny said slowly over emphasising every word, as if she couldn't understand why this wasn't the most exciting thing in the world. Penny rolled her eyes and smiled at the redhead's enthusiasm.
'I hope you enjoy it, and I will try and come and visit this summer, but I'll pass on the World Cup' Penny said as Ginny frowned at her. Nearer the end of the trip, Penny excused herself and went to look for Hermione. Finding the trio, she exchanged a smile from Hermione, a nod from Harry and a glare from Ron. Penny talked to Hermione about how she had given back her Time Turner before a tennis ball owl was seen drifting by the window. Ron snatched him out the air, and he dropped one envelope to Harry and one to Penny. Harry read his first and found out the Firebolt had been from Sirius and that the owl was now Ron's.
They all watched Penny as she opened her. She didn't want to read it aloud but under their gaze she complied.
'Dear Persephone,
I apologize again for the way I reacted when I saw you, your resemblance to Bellatrix rivals even that of Harry and James. I assume that she is your mother, and not Andromeda? I am aware Andy has one daughter but she is several years your Senior. Anyway, whilst I am deeply curious about how you came to be, I of all people should know it doesn't matter where you came from. How you choose to live your life is what matters. I hope to stay in contact and to see you again when the time is right. Like with Harry, we have many years to be made up for.
Write soon,
Sirius Black'
Penny blinked a couple of times, her eyes wetter than she expected. Shoving the letter out of sight she folded her arms and stared determinedly out the window. Refusing to make eye contact with the others for a few minutes, fortunately they didn't press her and resumed normal conversation without her.
Stepping through the barrier Penny hugged Ginny, Mrs Weasley and Hermione before making her own way out of the station. She raised an eyebrow at Harry as he approached a large man who looked irritably at Harry. Harry did a half shrug and the large man looked at Penny for a moment, his eyes running critically over her wild hair, which for some reason seemed to really annoy him. She smiled at him, it spreading across her face as he blinked as though clubbed over the head. Chuckling to herself she headed back out to the Muggle World and the streets she knew so well.