Erin opened her eyes to feel herself bandaged just about everywhere. She sat up with difficulty. "Hermione?" She asked seeing the pink sweatshirt. "Oh, what happened?" She looked around. "Wait, I'm not dead..."
"No, thank goodness. How do you feel?" Hermione asked, taking her friends hand.
Erin grinned. "Harry said he loved me."
Hermione smiled, happy for that, but just happy her friends were both alive, but they weren't out of the woods yet so to speak...She heard a groan from the bed beside them. "Harry." Hermione left Erin to look over at the person beside her. "I saw my dad..." He muttered. Hermione glanced at Erin. "What?" she asked.
"Harry, what are you talking about?" Erin asked getting up and regretting it. She sat down heavily on Harry's bed knowing she must look a real sight.
Harry began to really open his eyes at the sound of Erin's voice. "He sent the Dementor's away..." He claimed. "I saw him across the lake."
Hermione glanced at him strangely before shaking her head. "Listen, Erin...Harry, they've captured Sirius. Any minute now the Dementor's are going to perform the Kiss." She said urgently, bringing them back to reality.
"What? No!" Erin said. "They can't! He's innocent! No!"
"You mean they're gonna kill him?" Harry asked, sitting up a little too fast.
Hermione shook her head negatively. "No, it's worse. Much worse. They're going to suck out his soul." She looked up as Dumbledore came into the hospital wing. "Headmaster, you've got to stop them. They've got the wrong man."
Harry looked to him as well. "It's true, Sir. Sirius is innocent."
"It's Scabbers who did it." Ron said.
"Scabbers?" Dumbledore asked.
"He's my rat." Ron said. "He's not really a rat, he was a rat. He was my brother Percy's rat. But then they gave him an owl-"
"The point is we know the truth. Please, believe us." Hermione pleaded.
"I do, Miss Granger. But I'm sorry to say the word of four 13-year-old wizards…well two 14-year-old wizards and two 13-year-old wizards will convince few others."
Erin groaned. "Sir, it doesn't matter if Ron and Hermione are older than me and Harry."
Dumbledore chose not to listen to her. "A child's voice, however honest and true is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen." He patted Ron's injured leg and Ron made a face whimpering out in pain as the bell tower starting chiming. "Mysterious thing, time. Powerful and when meddled with, dangerous." He looked at Harry, Erin and Hermione. "Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the Dark Tower. You know the law, Miss Granger, Miss Black." Erin was slightly surprised he used her real last name. "You must not be seen. And you would do well, I feel, to return before this last chime. If not, the consequences are too ghastly to discuss. If you succeed tonight more than one innocent life may be spared." He closed the door to the hospital wing. "Three turns should do it, I think. Oh, and by the way. When in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin. Good luck." He closed the door the rest of the way.
"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron asked.
Hermione stood up, taking Harry and Erin with her to the center of the room. "Sorry, Ron, but seeing as you can't walk…" She threw the long chain of her time turner around their necks and held it up, turning it three times precisely. Harry reached out to touch it but she slapped his hand away. She held it up and stared at it as this began to go quickly in reverse around them. Harry couldn't be more confused.
Eventually things slowed down and when they stopped again, Hermione pulled the chain off over their heads and hid it back under her sweatshirt. "What just happened? Where's Ron?" Harry asked bewildered.
"7:30. Where were we at 7:30?" Hermione asked them both.
Erin looked at Harry. "Where were we at 7:30? This day is a bit of a blur to me."
"I don't know." Harry said, looking between them "Going to Hagrid's?" He offered.
Hermione nodded. "Come on. And we can't be seen." She said, grabbing Erin's hand before she began running. Harry hurried to keep up. "Hermione? Erin? Hermione! Hermione! Wait! Erin! Will one of you please tell me what it is we're doing?" He called after them.
They ran through the courtyard and across the bridge. Hermione drew them back before they got out of the bridge. They saw themselves fighting with Malfoy. "Ok," Erin said. "Do you want to explain or should I?" She asked glancing at Harry.
"You explain. I'll keep watch." Hermione said.
"Ah, come to see the show?" They heard Malfoy say.
And Hermione, another Hermione charged towards him. "You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" She shouted, pointing her wand.
Harry was so lost by now. "Hey, that's us."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Explain, please..." She whispered, watching the clearing.
"This is not normal." Harry grimaced.
Erin pushed Harry back against the side of the bridge taking out her own Time Turner. "Ok, Harry, this is a Time Turner. McGonagall gave both Hermione and I one first term. This is how we've been getting to our lessons all year. Fortunately, I caught on a little better than Hermione."
Hermione turned and stuck out her tongue at Erin before going back to watching. Harry glanced from her to Erin. "You mean we've gone back in time?" He asked.
"Yes." Erin said. "Obviously we were meant to come back to this moment. Obviously, Dumbledore wants us to change something."
Harry nodded, uncertainly but he'd go along with it. They rejoined Hermione. WAM! The other Hermione punched Malfoy right in the nose. Hermione smiled. "Good punch." Harry said over her shoulder.
She grinned. "Thanks... quick... Malfoy's coming!" She said pushing all three of them back behind the wall as the Slytherin trio ran up the hill.
"Run!" Draco sneered.
"Wait for me!"
Draco was so beyond mortified. "Not a word to anyone, understand?"
"OK." The others agreed. He ran passed the hiding time-jumpers.
"I'm gonna get that jumped up, Mudblood! Mark my words." He sneered as they disappeared.
"That felt good." The other Hermione said.
"Oh, I loved that!" The other Erin cried.
"Not good, brilliant." Ron said. The four ran down the hill, when they were far enough away the other three ran out to the same spot.
"Look, Buckbeak's still alive." Harry said, looking down to Hagrid's.
"Of course!" Hermione said, looking to Erin. "Remember what Dumbledore said? If we succeed more than one innocent life may be spared. Let's go."
"Right behind ya." Erin said then looked at Harry. "By the way if I trip you can break my fall."
Harry chuckled. "Oh, you two!" Hermione called as they ran down the hill and snuck out behind the Pumpkin Patch to have a better view of everything.
"How long were we in there, anyway?" Erin asked trying to peer over the pumpkins and still not be seen.
"I'm not sure." Hermione said. Harry glanced up in time to see Fudge, Dumbledore, and the executioner coming.
"Here they come." He whispered, putting one hand on Erin's shoulder. "I'd better hurry." He said, ready to go and steal Buckbeak away.
"No, Harry!" Erin said grabbing his arm and pulling him back down. "They have to see Buckbeak, first, otherwise they will think Hagrid set him free."
Harry nodded and settled back down waiting. "Scabbers, you're alive!" Ron cried happily from Hagrid's.
"Keep a closer eye on your pet, Ron." Hagrid said.
"That's Pettigrew." Harry said flatly, ready to charge out once again.
"Harry, you can't!" Hermione insisted.
"Hermione, that's the man who betrayed my parents. You don't expect me to just sit here."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, and you must! "Harry, you're in Hagrid's hut now. If you just go bursting in, you'll think you've gone mad. Awful things happen to wizards who meddle with time, Harry. We can't be seen."
"Fudge is coming." Erin said ignoring their little argument. "And we aren't leaving...Why aren't we leaving?"
Hermione picked up a stone she happened to notice and took a lucky throw through the window hearing the pot smash. "Are you mad?" Harry exclaimed.
Erin picked up another stone seeing that they weren't looking in the right direction. She threw it and winced as it hit the other Harry in the back of the head.
"OW!" Harry said. "OW!" The Harry next to them said, rubbing the back of his head. "That hurt." He said looking at Erin.
"Sorry." Erin said kissing his cheek. "You always hurt the ones you love..."
Harry smiled at her. Hermione began pushing them up towards the trees. "Come on! We're coming out the back door! Go! Go!" She whispered, running after them, hiding behind a tree.
Erin pulled back a branch. "Is that really what my butt looks like?"
"Did you see my hair?" Hermione whispered over at her.
"Quiet, you two!" Harry said just as Hermione snapped a twig. They all hid as fast as possible. The other Hermione whirled around, peering into the trees.
"What?" The other Harry asked.
"I thought I saw-Nevermind." She said.
"Let's go!" Ron said. The four of them hurried back up the hill.
"OK!" Erin whispered. "Go, Harry!"
Harry hurried over towards the chain as Buckbeak glanced up at him. Crows pecked at his hands preventing him from freeing Buckbeak's chain. "Get Away! Get Off!" He shooed them away, allowing him to pull Buckbeak's chain loose. Harry looked towards the window.
"Minister, I really think I should sign as well." Dumbledore said.
"Yes, very well. Perhaps it would be-" Fudge was saying.
"Ok, Buckbeak.
"Come quickly. Come with us now. Come on." Harry urged, tugging on the chain a little. The hippogriff mostly ignored him.
Erin looked around. "Hermione! The ferrets!"
"Keep trying." Hermione said to Harry as she went about getting the ferrets down.
"Buckbeak. Ok? Quickly. Hurry up. Ok?" Harry tugged on his chain insistently. The hippogriff ruffled his feathers, and squawked a little at them.
"Your name only." Fudge was saying.
"It's such a very long name-" Dumbledore was claiming as he wrote.
Harry tugged at Buckbeak more insistently. Hermione came to the rescue. "Come. Come on, Buckbeak. Come and get the nice dead ferret." Hermione said waving the ferret and tossing one to the hippogriff. It caught it and munched happily. "Come on. It's here. Come, Beaky." She urged, luring Buckbeak away to the woods.
Erin followed them quickly hiding behind on the trees watching as Dumbledore, Fudge, Hagrid and the executioner came out. She couldn't hear what they were saying but they had their backs to them for a time and then they turned to see Buckbeak was gone. Erin however did hear that Dumbledore wanted a large glass of brandy and heard what Hagrid said when they were inside the hut. "What now, there was an open bottle of brandy in here at Christmas when you last visited! What could have happened to it?" Erin grinned guiltily as the executioner raised his axe and chopped a pumpkin in half. Erin looked at Hermione and Harry.
Hermione rolled her eyes at the memory. "Come on." Hermione whispered. Harry took one of Erin's hands, and led Buckbeak with the other.