___ ___ ___

Two

___ ___ ___

Time seemed to stop as Harry felt his heart seize up in his chest. With no way of getting back to the hospital wing, they might as well just hand themselves in to the Ministry. And, as quickly as that thought arose in his jumbled mind, the answer came. They would not be handing themselves in to anyone, let alone the bloody Ministry of Magic. If Fudge had listened to them even just the slightest earlier in the evening, Sirius might well be free now and making arrangements for he, Harry, to come and live with him. Instead, in helping an innocent man to escape, they had inadvertently gotten themselves in to considerably more trouble, unless---

No sooner had the desperate plan begun to form in his mind than his paralysis broke.

"Hermione," he spoke in an urgent whisper. "We have to go, now!"

Yet Hermione did not respond. Harry glanced at her quickly and in the dim light that was provided by the distant candles in each direction, he caught sight of her pale, terrified face.

"Hermione," he called again, grasping her shoulders and shaking her roughly once. "Come on. It's not safe for us to stay here."

"But where," she spoke in a high breathy voice that was very unlike her normal prim tones.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry quickly pulled his friend in to a hug, patting her awkwardly on the back.

"Come on, Hermione, it will be all right, I promise. But only if we go, now."

And finally, she began to move.

"Okay, we obviously can't go back to the hospital ward. Dumbledore might believe we were up to no mischief, but Snape and Fudge will have us bound and on our way to the Ministry before we can say "Padfoot"," Harry whispered urgently as he pulled Hermione along.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, but we are going to have to leave Hogwarts for a while. I don't know where we'll go, yet, but it must be done. Maybe Dumbledore can work something out for us, but for now, we have to go."

It was a credit to the shock she was in that Hermione did not at once begin protesting this mad scheme. Instead, she only followed Harry more closely, clutching his arm for support as well as reassurance.

In their desperation, neither remembered the curious hour-glass shape of the Time-Turner that dangled from the chain around Hermione's neck. And, not knowing what trials lay ahead, they began to run.

___ ___ ___

The Defense Against the Dark Arts office was unlocked, Harry was grateful to discover. He doubted if the basic Unlocking Charm would be enough to handle any complicated locks that Professor Lupin might have put on his door. Pushing it open cautiously, he felt a heavy load slide partially off his shoulders as he saw what he'd come for lying on the professor's desk just as described by both Snape and Lupin. It was only a matter of seconds to stride across the small office and reclaim the Marauder's Map which was still active and showing the school and all of its inhabitants and secret passages. Harry peered closely at the map, feeling his chest tighten as he realized that the dots labeled "Cornelius Fudge", "Severus Snape", and "Albus Dumbledore" were all clustered together in the hospital wing. That would mean that they would realize something was wrong, and it would only be a matter of time before a search of the school was started.

Quickly, he returned to the doorway and grasped Hermione's sweaty hand again as he began to pull her along after him.

"Come on, Hermione, it is time to prove we are Gryffindors."

___ ___ ___

"POTTER IS BEHIND THIS WHOLE MESS," Snape Howled as he lurched drunkenly through the swinging doors and in to the hospital wing, closely followed by a slightly less irate Cornelius Fudge. "HE HELPED BLACK ESCAPE! HE AND GRANGER SHOULD BOTH B---"

He stopped short, a snarl still curling his lip, staring at the beds in the ward. Only one was still occupied. Ron Weasley's vivid red hair lay motionless against the pillow of his bed, and he was snoring lightly. Snape doubted if the other boy would be asleep for much longer.

"Look, Minister, they are both gone," Snape spoke again, but this time in a deadly whisper. "They have helped him escape, and who knows what else he has convinced them to do while they are Confunded."

"Use your head, Snape," Fudge spoke up for the first time, puffing out his chest with the important air of one who is burdened with having to make tough decisions, for was he not Minister of Magic? "It is obvious what happened to them. Black broke out of his prison room, broke in the hospital ward, and snatched Potter and the girl. Weasley was left here as he was still out of it from whatever curse Black hit him with earlier."

"Perhaps we should discuss this with Madam Pomfrey," a quiet voice said from behind them. They had forgotten that Albus Dumbledore was with them.

"Black probably Confunded her, too," Snape spat again, voice rising once more to dangerous tones.

"What is going on in here, are you trying to wake the dead," the affore-mentioned lady asked, stepping from her office. "Am I allowed to treat my patients now?"

"It appears you only have one patient left," Snape said in a highly sarcastic tone.

"Impossible," Pomfrey snapped irritably, walking further in to the room. "No one has left this ward since the had me---"

Her tirade ceased as quickly as it began, her mouth opening in a surprised "oh" of shock.

"Exactly, Madam Pomfrey," Fudge spoke again, absently readjusting his ridiculous bowler hat atop his pudgy head. "It is obvious that Black has somehow used dark magic to break in here and kidnap the kids."

Snape was glaring at Fudge as he continued to ramble on; Fudge stared back at Snape as though looking for answers; Madam Pomfrey was staring in puzzlement and growing alarm between the two. Thus, no one noticed that the usual twinkle in the headmaster's eyes had dimmed and been replaced by a look of growing worry.

___ ___ ___

As was the usual case with the end-of-year exams out of the way, the Gryffindor common room was a place of light and warmth, punctured frequently by laughter and the sounds of small explosions as games of Exploding Snap were played, and sounds of swearing as chess pieces were lost in the intense matches that were constantly going on. In another corner of the common room, Fred and George Weasley were huddled with their friend, Lee Jordan, constantly seeking new pranks and other forms of torture that they could inflict on the Slytherins. It was in to this comfortable atmosphere that Harry and Hermione emerged as the Fat Lady opened to allow them entrance after Harry had given the password. Luckily, no one took notice of the nervousness that seemed to permeate the air around the two of them.

Spotting Fred and George, he moved quickly in their direction, pulling a still shocked Hermione behind him.

"Harry, young sir, how may we help you this evening," Fred greeted him.

"What mischief is our young friend in to tonight," George wanted to know.

"And how," Fred went on.

"May we assist you in your endeavors," George finished importantly.

"Hey guys," Harry said in as normal a voice as he could muster. "I am planning a trick on Malfoy and some of his other Slytherin buddies, and need to know how to perform a Shrinking Charm in order to pull it off?"

"That's easy," Lee Jordan told him. "Point your wand at what needs shrinking and say "Shrinkulus" followed by the name of whatever you want to shrink."

"Excellent," Harry said, forcing a sly grin on to his face. "The goons won't know what hit them."

"Make us proud, little mischief monster," Fred commanded, dropping to one knee and kissing Harry's hand with a resounding smack.

"Make the miserable snakes squirm," George added, kissing Harry's other hand in mock reverence.

"Okay, okay," Harry said, laughing honestly this time.

He turned away, leading Hermione with him.

"Did you hear them," he muttered next to her ear.

"Yes," she said in a small voice, beginning to slowly come back to herself.

"Go upstairs as naturally as you can, put whatever you need in your trunk, and come back down quickly," he continued. "I don't know how long we have."

Mutely, she nodded, then headed upstairs to do just that.

___ ___ ___

In the hospital wing, the situation was growing more tense by the minute. No one had spoken since Fudge's last outburst, and no one seemed to have any idea how to proceed. Finally, it was Dumbledore, always calm and reasonable, who took charge of the situation.

"Right, then, Cornelius," he said as if coming out of a deep trance. "I am going to have the faculty search the castle for Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger. I suggest you alert the Ministry and have them begin a search as well. You also need to alert them of Sirius Black's escape"

"Yes, Dumbledore, you are right as usual," Fudge said, glaring at the others in the room, as if somehow what had happened was their fault. Then, with a last scathing look at Dumbledore, he bustled from the room.

Sighing deeply, Dumbledore looked at the Potions master.

"Severus, I do not believe that Sirius Black has kidnapped Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger. I want you to get Professors McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick to start a search of the school, beginning with the common rooms of the students. I will get Mr. Filch and the ghosts to assist me with searching the corridors and shall alert Madam Pince to search the library. It is unfortunate that Remus is in no condition to help us tonight."

"Of course, Remus, the map," Snape interrupted. "The map in Remus's office. That's how I knew where he went this evening. It shows the whole castle and everyone in it. I shall fetch it at once, after I alert the other professors."

Whirling around with his black robes billowing behind him, Snape's last thought as he swept from the hospital wing was that Ron Weasley was one deep sleeper.

___ ___ ___

To Harry, it seemed to take forever to pack up all of his clothes and robes in his trunk. Finally, he swept one more critical eye over the contents of his trunk, at last satisfied that everything was in order. Making sure that the key was tucked securely in his pocket, he closed the trunk, and, pointing his wand at it and praying that this would work, he said firmly "Shrinkulus trunk."

At once, the trunk began to shrink, not stopping until it was the size of a wallet. Taking a deep breath, Harry picked it up and was pleased to find that it was no heavier than a sheet of paper. He tucked it carefully in to another pocket of his robes, then, with a last fleeting look, seized his Firebolt and headed back down to the common room.

He sighed with relief as he noticed Hermione coming down the stairs that led to the girls' dormitory at the same time.

"All ready," he asked her in a hushed voice.

"We ... We aren't flying," she asked, casting a nervous glance at the broom in Harry's hand.

"Yes. It's the only way."

"Harry, you know how much I hate flying," Hermione said in a high, slightly panicky voice.

"Hermione, do you trust me?"

For a moment, only a moment, deep green clashed with chocolate brown as they gazed at each other. And although Harry had no experience with girls at his age, he felt something inside him give a pleasant jolt. Then, lips pressed tightly together, she nodded.

___ ___ ___

All it took was one glance around Lupin's office for Snape to realize the map was gone.

"Potter," he breathed in a deadly whisper. "When I find you, brat, suspension will be the least of your worries if you've done what I think you have."

With these dark mutterings, Snape sped away to locate the headmaster with his report and suspicions, not knowing that Dumbledore had already formed his own opinions.

___ ___ ___

Harry and Hermione had reached the window with surprising ease. None of the other students gave them more than a curious glance as they moved, assuming that Harry was going to give one of his best friends a ride on the Firebolt. And that, Harry thought ironically, was exactly what he planned to do.

The ironic smile on his face froze as the portrait of the Fat Lady opened and someone came in to the common room. He didn't have to wonder for long who it was.

"Potter!" Professor McGonagall's screech cut through the chatter and laughter in the common room like a knife. "Potter! Granger! What are you doing?"