Chapter 2: Flight of the Grim
Hermione frowned as her heart seemed to drop inside of her as Harry directed Buckbeak through a spiraling dive as they closed in on the clearing. With Harry guiding Buckbeak to land on the outcropping of trees away from where their past selves would soon have their battle with Remus. The Hippogriff landed with a hard impact steadying its fall with braced talons as it skirted to a halt.
Harry swung his leg off as he slid to the ground followed by Hermione who landed with a thud. Hermione started tying Buckbeak to one of the trees close to where they would be hiding as Harry moved through the trees in a quiet but focused manner.
"That blasted broom loving idiot!" Thought Hermione with a growl. They were both needed to get Sirius Black free, and she wasn't going to let the them get killed because of Harry's recklessness. Hermione took off after Harry as he wove his way to the edge of the trees to the right of the bluff before he sank down too a crouch behind one of the trees.
"Harry, slow down!" Hissed Hermione.
"I need to hurry." Shot back Harry as he scanned the surrounding area.
"Hurry for what? We have a time turner that will take us back an hour in time. We don't have to hurry!" Snapped Hermione.
"It's my Dad. The Patronus that saved us. It was Dad's." Explained Harry as he slowly turned his head back and forth scanning the terrain.
Hermione lost her patience. Professor Dumbledore had sent them back in time with a very specific task, and Harry was chasing fantasies. She was about to give Harry a piece of her mind when Harry stuck his hand over her mouth. She almost punched him as she heard a branch brake from down the bluff.
The party that comprised of Harry and Hers' pass selves along with the others approached from the bottom of the hill with an unconscious Pettigrew and Snape. The she watched as Remus who had been bringing up the rear began to change before their eyes. The DADA professor tried to say something as he dropped his captives as his throat changed preventing his cry of alarm.
Hermione watched as Sirius Black somehow heard the noise as Pettigrew and Snape dropped onto the hillock forgotten by Remus. The Black Heir yelled his alarm to the rest of the Party as he dove into his dog form to engage Remus Lupin. The fight progresses much as she remembered as but also with things that she hadn't noticed. The impact that knocked out Sirius as Remus got enough leverage to throw him into the hill, Ron fighting with the Werewolf after Sirius had been disabled, who was replaced by Harry who had somehow apparated down the hill way to fight the professor, and finally the Snape stunning everyone with stupefy spells before being attacked by Pettigrew. All the while dementors flew in on the battle.
Harry only paid the barest amount of attention to the conflict below him and Hermione. Instead he scanned the area looking for a figure with glasses to match his own.
"He has to be here!" Thought Harry as he even checked behind them waiting for James Potter to stride out of the trees.
"There!" At the far edge of the glen the trees and bushes shook as something pushed through with an intent of breaking through the shrubbery in his Path. The bushes opened to revealed the cold cloaked form of a dementor.
"Harry!"
"Harry!"
Hermione shook her best friend who looked petrified with tears streaming down his cheek. "Come on we have get Dumbledore!"
Harry didn't respond.
"Alright that's it!" Snapped Hermione as she snapped her hand around, slapping Harry across the back of his head. Pettigrew had just ran for up after transforming into a rat and she would be hexed if they died because Harry had froze.
Harry jerked his head back from the impact before swinging his head toward Hermione.
"What was that for!"
"Unless you want to lose your Godfather. The only family you have left who loves you You'll help get Dumbledoor so he can drive off the dementors." Yelled Hermione as she pulled out the chain on the time turner to throw it over their heads.
Instead Harry ducked out and began charging the group yelling one phrase.
"Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum. Expecto Patronum."
At first only sparks began to come out of Harry's wand. But as he remembered his memories he came to a new idea that would shape him for years to come.
He wasn't powerless and he wasn't unwanted.
The years of physical, mental and emotional abuse that he had survived from the Dursleys and even the past three years spent at Hogwarts hadn't destroyed him. Instead, he had survived to meet those who were more important to him than anyone else.
The sparks stopped spluttering from the wand to create formless mist as Harry felt pressure build across his body build as he focused his memories. He remembered the hug from Hermione and the first time that Ron had stood by him.
"Expecto Patronum."
A blast of Light as a large male deer ripped from his phoenix and Holly wand in Harry's hand chasing off the dementors that were about to give everyone in the fallen party the dementor's kiss. The stag burst up and down the hill driving off scores of the hooded figures at every charge pushing them back as Harry barreled onto the field followed by Hermione as she swung her wand trying to duplicate Harry's success.
The deer pushed past them at the bottom of the hill to drive off the dementors close to the past Harry.
"Prongs? Dad?" Asked Harry's past self before crumpling to the ground exhausted As the Patronus pranced around his body. The grass rustled around the boys hand as something moved through the grass toward the fallen wand.
"You-
"to teach-
"That spell." Said Hermione as she caught up to Harry gasping for breath.
"Well young Potter. It appears that you will pay for my life anyway. Despite my previous attempt."
Harry looked around trying to find the voice speaking to him as his wand came up again. Only for Hermione to grab him and pull him down.
Down at the bottom of the hill next to the past version of Harry stood Peter Pettigrew. The Animagus bent down picking up the holly wand near the fallen Harry. He spun it in his fingers before casting a spell with it.
"Diffindo."
The severing charm lashed into a tree making a light cut. Pettigrew frowned, before repeating the same charm a few more times. Each impact on the tree left a deeper gash with the last spell leaving a gash about six inches deep.
"Not the most compliant wand but I will bend you to will in a couple weeks." Commented Pettigrew, "Now Harry. Wingardium Leviosa."
"Petrifectus Totalus!"
Pettigrew lunged out of the way on the incoming body bind hex. The man look shocked but stepped to the side while dropping the unconscious Harry. A spell hissed by where he had been standing as put up a shield charm before launching a Reducto curse back up at the incoming teens in one smooth motion.
Harry watched as his spell bounced off of Pettigrew's shield charm. As he side stepped the incoming Reducto. He felt the heat from the spell pasting him as it smashed into the hill spraying with rubble and dirt. Hermione launched a spell at a log trying to maneuver it pass the shield to bring down Pettigrew.
"How can there be two Harrys? And how did that girl wake up so fast?" Pettigrew thought even as he countered Hermione's assault using the same technique he had just used on Harry number two. He couldn't figure it out how they were but he could beat both of these third year students, both of whom looked liked they had been dragged out of infirmary. Before launching another curse at Harry.
Harry copying the same maneuver he that had just been used on him, forcing the rat back a step as his Reducto curse blew Pettigrew's shield to smithereens while bringing up his own shield.
The Rat's patient ended as he side stepped Harry's spell before launching one of his own.
"Confringo"
Hermione recognizing the curse dove out of the way. Instead the wave from the blasting curse through her hard on the ground as she saw stars. The bushy haired teen rolled over as blood ran down into her eyes.
"Hermione!"
Harry immediately began throwing every hex and curse he could think of at Pettigrew. The rat parried a few of his spells redirecting the weaker hexes with his wand while dodging and shielding from the more powerful spells. The rat realized at that moment the boy didn't care about living only killing him at that very moment.
Pettigrew spun away as he began running not willing to face a suicidal revenged filled teenager. The Animagus jump hoping to use the momentum to propel his rat form to safety.
"Locomotor Wibbly!
Pettigrew got hit in the left shoulder as he tried to jump. He crashed into the ground the impact knocking most of the air out of his lungs as he rolled over. That spell had almost killed him. While a basic hex it was designed to stop muscle control and he had been lucky not to be hit in his sternum or the head.
He looked up to see a spell sail by his head as he saw the green eyes of Lilly Evans staring at him with the rage of James Potter leaking out of the boy less then ten feet in front of him.
It was do or die.
"Avada Kedavra." Gasped Pettigrew.
"Confringo" Yelled Harry.
The blasting curse and killing curse impacted each other. Both spells and wands trying to overcome each other as both fighters put every bit of magic into their spell. Pettigrew breathed as he struggled to bring every bit of magic he had to bare on that eyeglass wearing menace. Pleading, searching for anything that would allow him to escape the incoming doom.
Hermione sat up slowly, her head spinning as she promptly threw up in her lap. She could hear yelling and screaming close by as well as impacts and the conjuring of spells. She got to her hands and knees as she saw the fight in front of her. She had heard of the brother wand phenomena when researching about wands. The brother wands would emit a color that would be similar to the common core as both wielders struggled for dominance. She began to realize that she was concussed as the sound floated away and the bolt of light crept closer to Harry.
Harry was pushing hard with both hands on his wand as he tried to find out a way to push the spells back to Pettigrew. He was exhausted and suffering from the dementors a few minutes ago. If he lost this fight he was finished.
"What drives back magic?" He thought as he remembered everything he had been taught in Hogwarts over the past three years.
"The wand chooses the wizard."
Ollivander's words echo in Harrys memory as the first time he remembered feeling magic. As he choose his wand. The boy began trying to replicate that feeling again as he closed his eyes focusing on the magic needed for his survival.
At first Harry felt his wand his hand feeling the confused warmth that came from the holly as it struggled against itself. Then he felt a second wand down the line of spells. The wand held in the rat's hand. The wand in the rat's hand didn't like who held it and it wasn't accustom to another wands magic trying to take its place. But it wouldn't back down even if the one who held was undeserving.
Harry began trying to draw power from the second wand as he opened his eyes watching spells edge closure to him. He got hardly anything from the other wand. He could feel more wand magic off to his right as the glowing center was lest than a foot from his hand as took a step back grabbing with his left hand. He looked over to the right as he could see Hermione sitting up with her wand in his hand.
"Its not enough!" Thought the boy as he took another step back as the spells push steadily in his direction. Knowing he no more time Harry closed his eyes again looking for any magic he could.
He found it.
There was magic far closure to his wand than Hermione's wand. Their was lots of magic close by in his system and even around in the air. He closed his fist trying to pull it end as he breathed simultaneously to bring in as much as he could channel down the wand.
Pettigrew watched the boy breath as his hand clenched and open again. The spells only an inch away from Harry's wand and then they stopped.
Pettigrew pushed harder watching the spell move close to Harry's hand again when the moved spells moved back again toward Him. Harry kept breathing as he felt the magic from the air, the moonlight, the grass, and from his body flow into the wand. The drawn magic amplified by the wand slowed to a stop. Only to pick up speed as water bursting from a dam as spells sped toward Pettigrew this time with no power to stop them.
The Rat through the wand to the side before jumping into the air and transforming into his Animagus form. The blasting Curse hurling him well into the cover of the trees. The entire exchange lasting fifteen seconds.
"Harry?"
Hermione was stumbling over to Harry as he grabbed her before she fell, getting her standing. He looked after Pettigrew and wanting to chase him. Except he couldn't. Even as lucky as he had been, he wouldn't be able to catch a wizard who had evaded Dumbledore for over a decade.
"Come on, Hermione. Let's free Sirius." Said Harry as he picked the wand that Pettigrew had dropped. It was his wand with a new nick at the base from his blasting curse. He checked the wand he brought with him. There in the base was a matching nick.
Hermione grabbed Harry as he almost fell the adrenaline running out. Hermione and Harry stumbled over to the past Harry to drop the old wand wielded by Pettigrew as they moved towards the trees toward where Buckbeak was tied.
"You were hoping to see your father?" Asked Hermione.
"Yes, I didn't get my wish." Said Harry.
"I'm sorry, Harry."
"So am I."
The Hogwarts infirmary window broke open as Hermione clung to Harry's back as Buckbeak skidded on the surface of the tower trying to regain purchase. The Hippogriff's momentum breaking through the wards and window.
Sirius Black was sedated and chained to the bed as he saw his Godson climb through the window with his friend, the bossy bushy haired witch.
"What was her name again? Hermione." Thought Sirius.
"Harry, Hermione; you two should be in Bed. "Said Sirius with a grin.
"We are in bed, Mr. Black. I have a time turner that Professor Dumbledore told me to use to help you escape. Harry watch the door." Explained the witch as she moved over to the cupboards rummaging around looking for something.
Harry bolted over to the door grabbing a towel wiping his face as he listened at the door.
"Here it is, Harry I need you to hold his mouth open." Whispered Hermione as hurried over to the bed. A bezoar clutched in her fingers.
"Alohomora," whispered Harry as he grabbed his Godfathers jaw pulling it down to help open his mouth while Hermione pushed backed on his forehead. Hermione threw the bezoar in before she held his jaw shut and pinched his nose.
"We need to hurry. Fudge is on the stairwell right now." Urged Harry as he pulled the chains off of Sirius before helping him out of bed.
The heir of Black spluttered as the Bezoar made its way into his stomach cleaning away the sedative potions in him as he involuntary swallowed. His body trying to bring in fresh air while Hermione kept him from breathing. The man stumbled as Harry tried to hold his weight.
"Harry, what are you doin-"
"Helping you not get kissed by a Dementor. Get on the damned Hippogriff and fly. Come on; move it." Snapped Harry as he pushed Sirius Black onto Buckbeak .
"I'll be coming for you, Harry. Remember!" Yelled Sirius as he turned the Hippogriff toward the window.
"Yes, I'll remember. Now skat!" Snapped Harry as shot a stinging hex at the rear of the hippogriff causing to bound forward out the window with an indignant squawk.
"Harry, Over here." Whispered Hermione as she gestured close to the door the only place in the room they could hide with an easy escape. Harry pulled his invisibility cloak out. Pulling it over them. Just as Snape and Fudge walked into the room.
The two teens sped down the hallway after they ducked out past the two men. Both moving as fast as they could toward their room in the infirmary.
They had just gotten to the door as the heard Professor Dumbledore say, "Remember, Miss Granger. One Hour only."
As came around the corner only to hear the headmaster say as he saw them, "How did it go?"
"About as well as could be expected. Sirius is free." Said Harry as walked by Professor Dumbledore toward his bed tossing the towel, he had used to clean himself off to Hermione.
Dumbledore looked a little surprised before nodding as the two teens turned to hide under the blankets while he prepared to placate an angry Severus Snape.