Thank you to the people who've been commenting! I really appreciate it!
The next chapter will be the last for Prisoner of Azkaban, then we're off to Goblet of Fire!
The beauty of the full moon was one that could be described as horrific yet enchanting, the pale rays shining on all who gazed at her beauty. But tonight, this beauty was quickly turning monstrous.
Deep breaths pushed their way out of Remus's chest, Elizabeth's hands trying to find a way to help the man who seemed to be loosing control of his limbs, teeth starting to shake as his arms scrambled to push her away.
"Remus!" Sirius ran over, pushing her out of the werewolves' arms and gripping the front of his romper tightly, demanding an answer, "Have you taken your potion?"
Pained groans started to emit from the shaking man, sounds that had Eliza feeling pain in her heart, wanting to help but not daring to pull Sirius away, assuming the man could break his old friend from this stupor. While there wasn't much she knew about werewolves, the fact that there was a full moon mixed with Remus's behavior, a cold feeling in her gut said that this wasn't going to end well.
"You know the man you truly are, Remus," Sirius begged. "This heart is where you truly live, this heart. Remus!" The man in question was slowly losing any sense of humanity; his cheeks turning gaunt as his features contorted in unimaginable pain.
Sirius grew desperate, trying anything to reason the wolf back to its dormant state—"You'll kill her, Remus!"—But it was a foolish effort to try and stop the transition from man to beast, and Sirius was catapulted away with a lengthy growl from Remus.
Harry, Hermione, Ron and Eliza huddled close as the man who had once been Remus Lupin took his true form; his human nose had become an elongated snout, the once sweet eyes now beady black orbs of hunger and desperation, the once beautiful physique of a broken man now an emaciated dog, hunched over, whimpering.
Tendrils of fear trickled as she took one precarious step in the grass closer to the hunched down werewolf, ignoring Hermione's tugging at her sweater. One step closer and his ear slightly perked up, but he didn't move from his balled up form.
"Remus…?" she shakily whispered, falling back on the dirt as he stood tall on his skinny wolf legs, head thrown back as his howl to Mother Moon echoed across the Hogwarts grounds. It was a chilling sound to hear, and only when he stopped did his eyes finally zero in on the girl still on the ground, eyes filled with something to close to fear.
Eliza scrambled to stand as the werewolf started forward, roaring angrily at the four spectators. There was no understanding in the beast's eyes, and Eliza crowded the three younger students behind her, wanting to smack Ron for whimpering out "Nice doggy."
The snarl of Snape surprised the students, the Potions Professor rounding out of the entrance to the Whomping Willow, "There you are, Potter!"
Another roar from Remus stopped Snape in his tracks, the mans agenda of scolding Harry, rapidly changed to putting himself in front of the student, covering them with his cloak. Eliza shakily gripped the back of his dark cloth, blinking as he quickly turned to shoot her a worried glance.
The attempt at protection fell flat as one large werewolf paw slashed at Snape's front, knocking him over along with Eliza and Hermione. The two girls tried to stand and help the Potions Professor up, glancing up to see a black dog—Sirius must have transformed when he'd fallen—attack Remus, the two tussling down a bed of flowers that led down to the Forbidden Forest.
"Come back here, Potter!" Harry fled after the two dogs, ignoring Snape's demand in favor of trying to save his newly found godfather. Eliza's hand just skimmed the retreating back of Hermione, finding the strength in her own legs to try to go after the young girl. Except—
A strong hand pulled Eliza back, and she wrenched around to face a fuming Snape, "We have to help them! We can't just stay here!"
"You will do no such thing," Snape righted himself and adjusted his misaligned robes, "Without the Wolfsbane, Lupin is uncontrollable."
"W-Why hasn't he taken Wolfsbane then? Does it prevent him from turning like this every full moon?"
"The Wolfsbane retains his human form and I've been brewing it for him since he arrived, but tonight he's neglected to ingest it, meaning his romp in the woods is going to get someone killed."
She grew exasperated; wanting to shake the man, "Then do something! Sirius Black is innocent and the longer we stay here the sooner we'll be finding body parts in the Forest." Snape remained silent. "Are you even listening to me?"
"We must return to the Castle and inform the Headmaster of Black's location, as well as Lupin's predicament."
Rage flooded her veins as another howl echoed through the dark school grounds, and she prepared herself to bolt to the forest, "I have to help them, Professor—"
"Stupefy."
Ron Weasley screamed as Professor Snape's spell hit the 6th year straight in the chest, her body crumbling into the soft grass.
Arguing was the first thing that registered in her sleep-addled mind; these were voices she knew, but wished they'd quiet down. Her limbs felt weak and worm, her toes numb with a light stinging, hands twitching at her bedside as a long yawn exited her mouth.
"She's awake!" The voice was close enough to Jean's, and her eyes started to blearily peel open, looking at the blurry figure at her bedside. "Help her up. C'mon, love, open those lovely eyes."
Jean's sweet coo's had her seeing clearly; catching the back of Dumbledore as he exited the Hospital Wing, Ron in a cast on the next bed over with Harry and Hermione at his side.
"Wha' happened?" Her words were slightly muddled and Jean patted her on the arm, "Last night got the best of you."
"How did I…"
"Snape carried you back here after Harry and I went after Sirius. He said you passed out after Remus transformed."
"Snape hexed you!" Ron practically yelled, scowling when Hermione hit his cast, "I was sitting right there when you said you were going to help Harry and Hermione when he did it. Told me not to move while he brought you here. I—I didn't say anything to Dumbledore, but I mean, Snape is scary!"
The memory of the night before hit her in the chest; Snape had spelled her unconscious, to stop her from going after Remus. "I remember; Snape did do it."
"That's not what he told Dumbledore just now," Hermione solemnly nodded, "As far as anyone is concerned, Snape saved you last night… and Sirius Black is guilty."
Eliza gulped, "B-But Peter Pettigrew?"
Harry sadly shrugged, "He got away as Professor Lupin was turning. Who knows where he is."
She slumped against the bed, deflated and defeated. "So even after all that, nothing mattered?"
"Not exactly," Hermione proceeded to extract an obscurely long necklace from inside her shirt, "I think this will give us a second chance."
Eliza had a bookworm phase in her second year—though not as intense as Hermione's never ending one—and she knew exactly what that necklace did, sitting up and staring at the miraculous 3rd year, "Where in the bloody hell did you get a Time Turner? Those are ancient… and I'm pretty sure illegal in some parts."
"Professor McGonagall gave it to me, it's how I've been getting to classes."
It all made sense now, "That's how you got to Snape's class last the day Remus was out." Hermione had enough sense to look slightly bashful. "No one ever notices, not even the Professors."
"Anyway," Jean but in, "How is that necklace going to help us?"
"Us?" Eliza shook her head, "What makes you think you're coming with?"
Jean smirked with teeth; "Someone has to be there to keep you out of trouble. And besides, it's not like I was doing anything else last night. As far as anyone is concerned, I was locked inside Snape's classroom nearly all night."
Hermione nodded and thought aloud, "You know, she makes a good point." To which Jean looked pleasantly surprised, "I do?"
"The most important aspect of using a Time Turner is that you can't be seen in two places at once, so seeing as Jean here was locked away all night, there's no real danger in bringing her," she paused, blowing out a breath of air, "All of us were at Hagrid's—" she patted Ron's cast, "And you can't walk so you'll have to stay behind."
"She's in a bed, too. Why does she get to go?" Rom pointed an accusatory finger at Elizabeth, but Hermione just continued, "Dumbledore said more than one innocent life can be saved."
"When did he say that?"
Jean shrugged, "You were still out," to which Eliza nodded and climbed out of the Hospital Bed, stretching away any aches, and rubbing the sore spot on her chest, presumably where Snape had spelled her. It still confounded her that the Potions Professor had literally rendered her unconscious—just so she wouldn't run after Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius—and had carried her back to the Castle.
It felt like a backwards attempt at protecting her, one that she'd rather not had.
"Alright, everyone hold on," Hermione smiled at a frumpy Ron, "We'll see you soon."
Three turns of the Time Turner was all it took; Eliza and Jean watched as the darkness outside reverted back to day, students in and out—Snape really had carried her back, frail and limp like one of those girls in the fairytale stories she'd used to love—and as soon as it started, it was done. Hermione took back the long necklace and started ahead, "Do we all know where we were at a quarter past three?"
Jean and Eliza simultaneously uttered, "The Astronomy Tower," and Jean continued, "We should be heading down right about now to Hagrid's. What about you two?"
"The Courtyard."
The gang of four students rushed outside—nearly running into Jean and Eliza's prior selves as the strolled passed the Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom—trying as quickly and quietly as they could to make it near the Whomping Willow. At least—
"Oi!" Jean tugged on Hermione's pink romper, "Willow's that way, right?"
"Remember what Dumbledore said, retrace our steps. We went to Hagrid's first, and then the Willow."
Eliza scratched her head, "When did he say that?"
No one answered and instead turned their attention the watch a scene between Draco Malfoy and Hermione play out—"Nice throw, Mione"—and watch Malfoy run away with a bruised nose and ego. Patience was necessary as the futuristic quartet watched the present trio walk somberly down the hill to Hagrid's hut, stopping to pet Buckbeak one last time.
They easily stalked down in the same fashion, hunkering under Hagrid's window and frowning at the sight of the captive Hippogriff. "I wish we could save him too—hey, hey! Hermione!"
The brunette 3rd year was braver than all of them put together, and picked up the chain that connected to the creature's neck.
"Girls bloody insane," Jean remarked, wishing she'd been like her in 3rd year.
Harry, Jean and Eliza expertly snuck over to the tall hoard of pumpkins, peeking over and glancing in through the open window, making sure no one saw Hermione try and lead the Hippogriff to the safety of the Forest. Eliza spotted them first—"There's Dumbledore and Fudge. Hermione, hide!"
"Why?" Jean asked.
"They have to see him first, or they'll think Hagrid let him go… Why aren't we leaving? We should be gone by now."
Eliza's eyes quickly looked for something to get their attention, to warn their past selves of what was coming, and saw the spiral rock from before.
"Allow me," Jean reared back her arm and watched that little rock crack the dusty pot on Hagrid's table, groaning at what was coming next. "Do the honors."
The rock to the head hurt, but it got there past selves out and moving, meaning—
"Back up, back up—Ow!" An unruly branch caught one of her frizzy locks, the single strand hanging in the air.
The four hid out behind the trees, hearing their previous selves talk. The past Jean's inquiry—"You think we can take him?"—And current Eliza gulped, hearing the leaves crack under her previous selves trainers, knowing she was staring at the strand of hair.
A beat passed before they were fleeing, giving just enough time—"Hermione! Now! Get him!"—to lead the Hippogriff into the Forbidden Forest with a trail of dead ferret skin.
"I can't believe we pulled that off," Jean yelled into the trees, swinging around the thick trunks with glee, "We weren't seen and we saved the big bird. I think that is a win in my book."
"It isn't over yet," Hermione reminded, "There are still three hours until the Full Moon, and then…"
For now, they wait.
"This is what we get for leaving our plan in the hands of a third year."
Jean and Eliza were slouched against a tree trunk, gazing up at the Full Moon. Harry and Hermione had run off as soon as Remus had let forth his own howl—and Eliza had nearly run to him in that split second—but now the two of them were stuck here with a giant Hippogriff that kept nudging them for more tender ferret flesh.
"I mean, she's been called the brightest witch of her age." Jean snorted, "And? I've been called a lot of things that aren't true."
"Well," Eliza sat up with crossed arms, "It wasn't like you had any better ideas than she did."
"Hm, I don't know, anything is better than just sitting here on our asses—wait… did you hear that?"
Eliza scoffed, returning to slouch, "There's nothing out there, Jean, you're not going to scare me."
"If I wanted you to be scared, you would be," Jean clarified, turning back to the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. "But I swear, something's out there… watching us. What if it's your Wolf man?"
Eliza giggled into the dark, "So, he's my wolf man now?"
"Shut it. Listen…"
And there it was; a soft cracking in the air, coming from no exact direction but more all around. It was like the crunch of a piece of particularly crispy kettle corn, or the fizz of a Butterbeer.
"I hear it too." The two girls pulled out their wands, leaving Buckbeak alone for just a moment to investigate the noise. Eliza took the lead, whispering a soft "Lumos", allowing the tip of her wand to give light to the dark.
There was nothing at first. Until—
A spider the size of a horse came crashing through the bushes, snarling with its wet pincers at the two girls, their terrified shrieks drowned out by the creature's growls. This spider must have run off from Aragog's hoard, and there was no Hagrid to say calming words to the creature. Drool dribbled down its terrifying spiky mouth, four sets of eyes never breaking from its soon to be meal.
"Do something!" Jean screamed, scrambling to yell "Stupefy!" but panicking more when the spider shook off the hit, this time screeching in anger. Eliza tried "Expelliarmus!" but the spider dodged, this time starting a hard run at Jean, trying to snap at her front, possibly attempting to cut off her head.
Fear and panic coiled in Eliza's veins at her friends desperate screams, "Help me! Do something! Anything!"
Every spell ran through her mind like a flip through a deck of cards, stopping and running with the one that played behind her eyes, the word leaping from her throat in a harsh scream, wand aimed the body of the beast.
"Sectumsempra!"
Terrible sounds of pain and hurt echoed as the spider fell to its back, long harsh marks appearing on its entire body as the spells effects took hold. It was horrifying to watch as mark after mark appeared on the spider, red coating its black skin. Jean watched with wide eyes as the spider stopped twitching, blood staining the forest floor. The wand in Eliza's hand fell to the dirt, choked gasps falling from her lips as she saw what she'd done.
She hadn't just killed it; she'd torn it apart.
"I'd say thanks but…" Jean could only gulp, "What the hell was that spell?"
And Eliza could only croak an honest, "I don't know."
They'd done it.
They'd actually done it.
It was still unclear as to how Harry and Hermione had saved the previous Harry and Sirius, but the four students had ridden Buckbeak up to the towers of Hogwarts, blowing open the cell door to free Sirius.
And now, here they were, hidden in the shadows of the Courtyard.
Harry and Sirius were whispering in their own corner, probably making plans for a future meet up or something of the sort, while Eliza and Jean stared up at the moon, listening to the howls echoing in the air.
"You scare me sometimes, Elizabeth." Jean commented, turning to glance at her friend, "And it takes a lot for me to be scared."
"I scare myself sometimes. Tonight…" she sighed, "I don't even have the words to say anything."
"Tell me you'll never use it again." Jean demanded, "Promise me that it'll never leave your mouth again."
"I wouldn't have if I knew it would do that. I'm—I'm not a killer, Jean. I know it wasn't a person but tonight I killed something. Even if it was attacking you, I still… killed it. I could've missed and hit you."
"And you didn't, and you saved me," Jean gave a soft smile and rubbed her friends arm, "There isn't an evil bone in your body, and you're not a murderer. But I need you to swear—"
"I swear on my life. Never again."
"Would you two ladies mind if I took Elizabeth for just a moment?" Sirius bashfully smiled as two sets of eyes turned to him, "I just want a word before I go."
Jean smiled at the former Azkaban escapee now Harry's Godfather, "Alright, then." She held out a hand, "It was great to meet you, Sirius."
They shook hands and Jean stalked away, leaving Sirius and Elizabeth staring up at the Moon.
"You look so much like your mother," he murmured.
"Everybody says that. It just makes me miss her even more." Silence encompassed them, and Eliza turned to face him, "Where do you plan to go? You're not free, not really."
And Sirius smiled, vile teeth on display, "But I am free.. Twelve years in Azkaban was more than enough for me. I can think of a few places for Buckbeak and I."
"That's good to hear."
He watched the girl, wishing he could offer a hug, "Remus loves you, more than you can know. And I know him well enough to see that he needs you."
She wanted to agree, but shook her head, "Then why do I have the feeling that after tonight, everything will change?"
"Sometimes, change is good. And frankly, Moony needs some good in his life." She furrowed a brow with a frown, "Moony?"
"Take care of him, Elizabeth, it's the only way. And please, try and write me if you can."
Sirius Black, former Azkaban Escapee turned free man, lifted himself onto Buckbeak and took off into the sky, his cries of joys echoing in the wind. And down below, in the depths of the Forbidden Forest, a werewolf howled for his mate.