Alrighty guys... moving right along. The chapter after this will be the last one will be the end of year three. It's nearly done. I hope everyone is still enjoying this because I really love writing this.


Tension mounted further with the sudden disappearance of Scabbers. Ron was completely certain that Crookshanks was to blame, but Hermione insisted her cat was innocent. Their friends doubted the innocence of the half kneazle, but they also didn't see the point in shouting at Hermione for it.

Ron stopped speaking to Hermione entirely, unless it was to make some pointed comment about her vicious cat or his poor murdered rat.

"She doesn't even act like she's sorry," Ron grumbled, glaring at Hermione as she left the library in an angry huff. "She's always got to be right."

"It's not as if she ate your rat," Draco said impatiently. Harry have him a sharp nudge for being insensitive.

"No, it was just her bloody cat that she never even tried to restrain," Ron hissed angrily. "She lets that bloodthirsty beast do whatever it pleases, and Scabbers got killed."

"Being mean to her doesn't bring Scabbers back," Blaise said gently. "She's your friend."

"Not if she can't admit when she's wrong," Ron retorted, turning back to his homework.

Harry sighed heavily. It could be the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. The idea was awful and Harry didn't want to lose either of them as a friend.

One night, Harry was awake in bed. The stress of looming exams, Sirius Black, and the fight between Ron and Hermione was making it difficult for Harry to relax. On a whim, he grabbed the Marauders' Map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Harry whispered, tapping the map with his wand.

He watched the elaborate map of Hogwarts spread over the parchment. There was very little movement on the parchment since it was so late. He could see that Snape was patrolling one of the corridors. Harry's gaze drifted lazily across the map, freezing on a name that was showing on the third floor.

"Peter Pettigrew?" Harry murmured. He sat up and bit his lip, looking at Draco.

Making a quick decision, Harry tiptoed to Draco's bed and quietly shook the blond's shoulder. Draco frowned a little, his eyes fluttering open. "What's wrong?" Draco asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"I saw something strange on the map," Harry whispered. "I need to go check it out. I knew that you'd be mad if I didn't at least let you know. But you can stay in bed."

"Don't be stupid, I'm coming with you," Draco said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Harry thought he looked adorable with his hair all ruffled. "What did you see?" Draco asked.

"Peter Pettigrew," Harry responded.

Draco froze for a moment. Then he got out of bed hastily. "Get dressed," he commanded, quickly shedding his pajamas.

For a moment, Harry was distracted by Draco's pale skin, illuminated only by the soft glow coming from Harry wand. Harry shook himself and quickly changed his own clothes.

Fully dressed, they grabbed Harry's invisibility cloak and left the dorm, silent as shadows. They crowded close together and hurried through the castle, concealed by the cloak. Emboldened by their invisibility, Draco grabbed onto Harry's hand and held on, grinning when Harry squeezed his fingers lightly in response.

The arrived at the third floor and lit their wands to get a better look at the map. The hallway was deserted aside from themselves and Peter Pettigrew. But, where was he? "I don't understand," Draco murmured. "Maybe the map made a mistake?"

"Maybe," Harry said, disappointed. He thought for a moment. "I think we should tell Moony. Right now."

"Let's go then," Draco nodded. He reached for Harry's hand again and entwined their fingers. "Lead the way."

Harry allowed the warmth of Draco's hand to sooth his frayed nerves as he took them to Moony's private rooms. A glance at the map told him that Moony was still awake and pacing. So, he knocked on the door softly.

"Harry? Draco?" Remus looked between the two boys as Harry folded the cloak over one arm. "What are you doing in the hallway at this hour?"

"I saw Peter Pettigrew on the map," Harry blurted out.

Remus started, his breath catching in his throat. "That's not possible," he said unsteadily.

"It's true," Draco said. "I saw it too. But, we never saw him. We went to the corridor where Pettigrew supposedly was and didn't see anybody."

"You went looking for him?" Remus asked, horrified.

"I brought Draco with me and we used the invisibility cloak," Harry assured the werewolf. "We were really careful."

"Yes, well..." Remus shook his head. "It's not possible, and what you've done is still dangerous. Sirius Black knows this castle well. Even without the map."

"Sorry," Harry muttered. "I just wanted to help."

Remus sighed, patting Harry's shoulder. "Hello my by staying safe," he said firmly. "Don't force me to endure losing anyone else."

Harry nodded, allowing Remus to hug him tightly. When he pulled away, he noticed that Remus still looked rather pale and anxious.

"Harry, I'm going to hold on to the map for now," Remus said. "I'll need to check for flaws... You two go straight back to your dorm. No detours," he added, tapping the map pointedly.

As the two boys left, Remus went to sit on his couch. He unfolded the map with trembling fingers. Harry hadn't wiped it, so the map was still showing. Remus looked it over thoroughly, but didn't see Peter or Sirius.

Was the map malfunctioning? Because if the map was perfectly fine, that meant that Peter was alive. And that changed everything.

Remus curled up on the couch, too shaken to move to his bed. If Peter was alive, then Sirius had spent seven years in Azkaban for a murder he hadn't committed. But, that couldn't be. Peter had been killed. But, the map...

Remus wept bitterly, his mind full of painful memories. He'd tried his best over the years to avoid thinking about his friends. Sirius' betrayal had been an awful shock. It had been unbelievable. Confusing.

Sirius would have died to protect James. They'd been like brothers.

Remus heaved a shuddering breath. He needed to know for sure. If there was a chance that Peter was alive, Remus needed to know. He knew that there was a very good chance that he would have to face Sirius, one way or the other. He wasn't sure that his poor battered heart could take it.


The time came for exams and Harry felt that he was reasonably prepared. He'd studied a great deal with Draco and Blaise. Occasionally they'd studied with Ron and Hermione, but Ron had made that a bit difficult. Hermione had left several study sessions in tears.

Professor Lupin's exam was a little unusual. They had to go through an obstacle course and face several of the creatures that they'd learned about that year, the last one being a boggart. Harry completed the exam easily, grinning broadly as he stepped out of the obstacle course.

"Excellent work Harry," Remus beamed. "Full marks."

Draco did very well too. Until he got to the boggart. When he stepped out to meet Remus, he was pale and shaking. "It's alright," Remus soothed. "You panicked but you recovered quickly. Very well done." He pressed a sliver of chocolate into Draco's hand. "Go sit with Harry for a moment and calm down," he advised quietly.

Draco moved to sit down in a chair by the window. Harry sat next to him, looking over at the line of students waiting to enter the obstacle course.

"What was your boggart?" Harry asked softly, turning to Draco with a worried frown.

Draco swallowed the chocolate in his mouth. "I saw my father-" He paused, shuddering. "Killing you," he said, looking away from Harry.

"I'm so sorry," Harry whispered. "That must have been awful." He looked around to make sure they weren't being watched and then leaned close, as if to whisper in Draco's ear. Instead, Harry kissed Draco's cheek. "It's alright now. I'm safe." Draco blushed and a smile blossomed on his face.

A commotion drew there as attention and they saw Hermione in hysterics next to Remus. "What's wrong?" Remus asked, alarmed.

"It was Professor McGonagall," Hermione blurted out, her eyes wide with horror. "She said that I'd failed everything!"

Draco burst out laughing, earning a scowl from Remus and Harry. "Granger, that's just not possible," he chuckled. "Come sit down and stop shrieking."

Hermione accepted some chocolate from Remus and moved to sit next to Draco. Harry watched in amazement as Draco leaned in and began speaking so quietly that Harry couldn't hear him. Whatever the blond was saying seemed to be making Hermione feel better. After a few moments, she smiled and reached out to squeeze Draco's hand.

Blaise and Ron did rather well on the defense exam too. Vince and Greg hadn't preformed as well as the others, but they had passed and they seemed quite pleased.

Thanks to Draco's tutoring Harry managed to do well on the potions exam. Potions were certainly not Harry's best class, but he performed admirably with some hard work. Snape only gave a short nod of approval at Harry's potion, but Harry was pleased.

Draco's potion was the best, unsurprisingly. Hermione's was a close second. But even more impressive was the fact that Neville had made a passable potion without explosions, injuries or tears.

On the second day of exams, Harry received an owl from Hagrid during breakfast. Harry read the message with a heavy heart. "Buckbeak is going to be executed at sunset," he said.

"Poor Hagrid," Blaise said, stirring milk into his tea.

"Do you to go see him after exams?" Draco asked Harry.

Harry nodded, pushing his plate away. He was too anxious to eat. When breakfast was over, he hurried along, wanting to get his Arithmancy exam over with.

The exam was difficult, but Harry was delighted to find himself feeling confident in his answers. He'd worked hard and it showed. Professor Vector every gave him a little wink after she's looked over his answers.

"I told you that it would be fine," Draco said, smiling at Harry. "You're much smarter than you give yourself credit for."

"We're geniuses," Blaise announced merrily, stepping between the two and draping his arms across their shoulders. His grin fell when he saw Ron approaching, his face unusually pale.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Trelawney-" Ron blurted out, his hands shaking as a waved a hand vaguely in the direction he's just come from. "I was leaving after my exam, and...I think she made a real prophesy."

"What?" Hermione asked sharply, making the boys jump.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Blaise gasped looking bewildered. She hadn't been there a moment ago.

Hermione waved him off, looking intently at Ron. In his anxiety, Ron seemed to forget that he was angry at her. "Her voice went all funny," Ron said. "She went into a sort of trance."

"What did she say?" Draco asked.

Ron frowned, struggling to remember the details. "Something about the Dark Lord's servant being chained for twelve years. Before midnight, the servant will break free and join his master." Ron swallowed hard. "She said that the Dark Lord will rise again and be more terrible than before. Not her exact words, but the message was pretty clear."

"Sirius Black is going to get away and go back to Voldemort," Harry said quietly, ignoring the way his friends flinched at the name.

"Look, that woman is barmy," Blaise said. "That's why we dropped her class. There's no sense in getting worked up. Trelawney is always predicting doom and gloom. The other teachers never take her seriously." He handed Ron a chocolate frog. "Let's focus on completing our exams and supporting Hagrid."

Ron bit into the chocolate frog silently while Draco cocked one eyebrow at Blaise. "It's weird that you just keep pulling those things out of your pockets," Draco said. Blaise just smirked.

They finished their exams for the day and hurried to Hagrid's hut after dinner. Hagrid invited them in with tear filled eyes. Nobody spoke much, unsure of what to say. Hermione cried silently throughout their visit, though she busied herself making tea so Hagrid wouldn't see her tears.

Hermione suddenly let out a squeal when Scabbers tumbled out of Hagrid's milk jug. The rat looked dreadful. He was thin and had patches of fur missing. He struggled in Ron's grasp, but Ron held on, shocked at the sight of his rat. Clearly, he'd not been eaten by Crookshanks.

The teenagers snuck out the back door as the Minister, Dumbledore, an older gentleman that was likely from the Committee and the executioner in a black hood approached the hut. Harry led the group behind the patch of enormous pumpkins and crept ina wide circle to move back toward the school. Scabbers was still flailing and shrieking, trying escape Ron's grip.

There was the sound of a swish and heavy thud of an axe. Hermione's silent tears turned into loud wracking sobs. Draco and Harry pulled her close, hugging her between them while she cried.

Ron cried out suddenly and there was a soft thud as he dropped Scabbers. "He bit me," Ron said in disbelief.

There was a flash of orange and Scabbers bolted, Crookshanks darting after him. Ron gave chase, shouting at the cat. The others ran after them.

Ron managed to grab Scabbers and shoved the rat into his pocket. In the next moment, a huge black dog emerged from the growing shadows and leapt at Ron, seizing the red-heads leg in his jaws.

Harry, Draco and Blaise made to rush forward, but the were abruptly knocked backward. They'd run toward the Whomping Willow and it was now swinging its branches threateningly while the dog pulled Ron into a large hole in the trunk. One of the braches caught Ron's leg, breaking it easily. Ron screamed in pain evenas he disappeared from sight.

"We've got to get a teacher!" Hermione screamed hysterically.

"There's no time," Harry snapped, eyeing the swinging branches. "Sirius could kill him."

"How do we get through?" Blaise asked, sounding frantic.

Crookshanks darted beneath the branches and up to the tree trunk. He stood up on his hind legs and pressed his front paws onto a strange knot on the tree. The branches stilled.

"How did Crookshanks know?" Hermione asked, wide eyed and frightened.

"Ask him later," Harry said impatiently. "Let's go."

They hurried to slide through the opening in the tree trunk one at a time. They landed in a dark tunnel and quickly started moving forward with their wand tips lit. The tunnel was long and quite dirty. After a while, they climbed up a ladder and found themselves in a run down room with dusty wood floors.

"I think this is the Shrieking Shack," Hermione said quietly, looking around.

They heard a sound above them so the swiftly made their way up some rickety stairs. They could hear Ron's whimpers of pain now, so they followed the sound into a room. Ron was sitting on an old matress, clutching at his leg.

"No," Ron gasped. "Harry it's a trap."

Harry whirled around to see Sirius Black in his human form, holding Ron's wand. His clothes were tattered and dirty. His dark hair was matted and his body was thin and frail looking. His gray eyes were sunken and his skin waxy.

Harry was suddenly filled with rage. He lunged at Sirius, only to have his friends yank him back. Draco shoved Harry behind himself as Ron clambered off the bed and leaned against Draco's side, his face white.

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too," Ron said weakly, pain radiating up his leg and making him nauseous. Blaise and Hermione moved to step between Harry and Sirius as well.

"You should lie down," Sirius said quietly. "You'll damage your leg even more."

"Didn't you hear me?" Ron gasped, swaying slightly. "You'll have to kill all for of us to get to Harry."

"No, only one will die tonight," Sirius replied, his face contorting into a terrifying grin.

"Why?" Harry snapped. "You didn't seem bothered by it when you killed all those muggles to get to Peter."

"Harry, shut up," Draco said, a warning in his voice.

"He murdered my parents!" Harry shouted, suddenly lurching past his friends and launching himself at Sirius. He knocked Sirius to the ground and wrenching the wand from his grasp. Harry got to his feet, panting harshly as he pointed his wand at Sirius' stunned face.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione cried.

The orange cat had darted into the room and leapt onto Sirius' chest. His claws dug into the filthy clothes, showing that he had no intention of moving.

Harry's heartbeat thundered in his ears. This was the man that responsible for the death of his parents. For Peter's death. For Moony's broken spirit. Harry probably should have been unnerved by his own desire to hurt Sirius... To kill him. But Harry was to caught up in his own fury. And if Crookshanks wouldn't move- Well, that wasn't really Harry's problem.

But Harry couldn't bring himself to move. He just stood there, seething, with Sirius Black at wand point.

They heard a noise from nearby and Hermione called out. "We're in here! It's Sirius Black! Help us!"

Remus burst into the room, looking frantic. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted.

Harry stared at Remus blankly at his and Ron's wanna flew out of his hands. Draco, Hermione and Blaise were disarmed as well. Remus caught all the wands before looking at Sirius. "Where is he?" he asked quietly.

Sirius blinked and then pointed at Ron who was being lowered back onto the mattress.

Remus glanced toward Ron before refocusing on Sirius. "You switched, without telling me?" he asked, his voice tense.

Sirius nodded, his expression suddenly pained. Remus lowered his wand and pulled Sirius to his feet. In the next moment, the two men were hugging each otherly tightly.

Harry's mouth fell open in shock.

"No!" Hermione screamed suddenly.

Remus and Sirius broke apart, looking at Hermione. Draco was shaking and pulling Harry backwards and into his arms. Harry was staring at Remus fearfully.

"I trusted you," Hermione growled at Remus. "But you're his friend. You've been helping him all this time." She turned to Harry. "Harry, he can't be trusted. He's a werewolf."

Harry drew in a shuddering breath. "I know that," Harry admitted. "I've known that for years."

"But- Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked. Blaise was looking equally shocked.

"It wasn't something that you needed to know," Harry replied. "I was respecting his privacy." He looked back at Remus, his voice catching in his throat. "Please tell me this isn't what it looks like," he begged, tears spilling over.

"I would never betray you," Remus said, his tone pleading. "Will you allow me to show you?"

Harry nodded slowly, rubbing at his eyes. Remus tossed the teenagers their wands and tucked his own into a pocket. "Could I see your rat?" Remus asked Ron.

"Why?" Ron snapped. "What does Scabbers have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Remus said.

Ron pulled a wildly thrashing Scabbers out of his robes. Remus peered at him intently. "That's not a rat," Remus said, forcing his voice to sound calm.

"Are you mental-"

"It's a wizard," Remus said.

"Oh my-" Harry cut himself off, his expression horrified. "Peter Pettigrew... His animagus form was a rat."

"Exactly," Remus nodded, looking a little relieved.

"No," Ron said firmly. "Scabbers is not some dead bloke named Peter. You're mental," he snapped jabbing a finger towards Remus and Sirius.

"Explain this," Harry said, glaring at Sirius. "If that's Pettigrew, what really happened?"

"That will be an interesting story indeed," said a drawling voice. They turned to see Snape standing in the doorway with his wand pointed at Sirius. He sneered at Remus. "I told Dumbledore that you were letting an old friend into the castle. And here I have the proof."

"Professor Snape, please hear them out," Harry begged. Snape glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "Remus would never let anything happen to me. And something strange is going on."

"Please let them explain," Draco piped in. "They're completely unarmed. Please," he added softly.

Snape growled but gave Remus a jerky nod.

Remus looked at Sirius. "How did you know where to find Peter?" he asked.

Sirius pulled out a newspaper clipping that had a picture of the Weasley family from over the summer. On Ron's shoulder was Scabbers. "I'd seen Pete transform so many times," Sirius muttered. "I knew it was him straight away. And he's got a toe missing," he added, sounding oddly smug.

"He cut it off himself?" Remus questioned, getting a confirming nod from Sirius. "The biggest part of Peter that was ever found was a finger." He looked the rat over with a frown. "He looks pretty bad. I imagine he's been terrified since he found out that Sirius was out."

"No, he's just been afraid of that mad cat," Ron retorted, pointing at Crookshanks who was now winding himself around Draco and Harry's ankles and purring.

"That cat is the most intelligent animal I've ever met," Sirius said, his voice rough. "He recognized Peter for what he really was. Knew right off that I want a dog and it took a while to gain his trust. But eventually I was able to communicate what I was after and Crookshanks has been helping me."

"Crookshanks helped you?" Hermione asked faintly, looking a bit dazed.

"He tried to bring Peter to me, but couldn't," Sirius explained. "Then he brought me a list of the passwords... Took it off of a boy's dresser apparently."

Sirius sighed heavily, returning to his narrative of the past. "I persuaded James and Lily to make Peter their secret keeper at the last moment," he said, his voice breaking. "It's my fault that their dead."

For a moment, the room was silent.

"Alright, there's one way to prove what happened," Remus said finally. "Ron, hand me the rat. If he's just a rat, it won't hurt him at all."

Ron hesitated and then handed the rat over.

There was a flash of blue light from Remus' wand and Ron yelled as Scabbers hit the floor. And then Scabbers was growing and changing rapidly. After a few moments there was a short, pudgy man climbing up from the floor. His thinning hair was unkempt and he had an overall grubby appearance. He had a pointed nose and small watery eyes.

"Pettigrew," Snape murmured, his eyes wide with shock.

"Hello Peter," Remus said in a cheerful voice.


Harry was grateful when he felt an arm slide around his waist. He leaned gratefully against Draco, physically and emotionally exhausted. Hermione stood at his other side, gripping his hand. Blaise had taken a seat next to Ron, who looked ready to pass out.

The story that unfolded from the adults was confusing. Peter tried insisting the Sirius was a Dark Wizard and a spy for Voldemort. But, Remus wasn't buying it.

Sirius explained that he'd gone to check on Peter at his hiding place on that Halloween night, only to discover it empty. There'd been no sign of a struggle and Sirius had been worried. He went straight to the Potter's house, but it had been destroyed and he'd found James and Lily's bodies. He located Peter and confronted him, but Peter blew up half the street before transforming and disappearing into the sewers.

Sirius couldn't be sure how he'd remained sane in Azkaban. He guessed that it had been the knowledge of his own innocence. He transformed into a dog when the presence of the dementors became too much.

When he realized that Peter was at Hogwarts, he'd been determined to escape. When the cell door was opened, he'd slipped out as a dog and the dementors had been confused since they can't actually see. Sirius swam to the mainland and then made his way to Hogwarts.

"We had suspected a spy among our number," Remus said quietly. He looked at Sirius. "I assume that you thought it was me? Which was why didn't tell me about making Peter the secret-keeper instead of you.

Sirius bowed his head. "Forgive me for doubting you," he said softly.

Remus was silent for a moment, needing to gather his composure. "Of course," he responded, once he was sure that he could keep his voice steady. He cleared his throat before glancing between Snape and his students. "Nobody would have ever suspected Peter. Especially us."

"He'd been passing information to Voldemort for a year before James and Lily were killed," Sirius said, his eyes narrowing on Peter. "He wasn't merely afraid for his life like he will want you to believe. He's a traitor and a murderer."

"No!" Peter cried, shaking his head vigorously.

"You sold our friends to Voldemort," Remus growled.

"I didn't mean to," Peter insisted. "He's got more power than you can imagine. What would you have done Sirius?"

"I would have died!" Sirius roared. "I would have died rather than betray my friends!"

Desperate, Peter threw himself at the feet of the students, begging for mercy. Ron was horrified and did his best to edge away when Peter approached. Blaise sneered and pointed his wand directly between Peter's eyes. When Peter crawled to Hermione instead she kicked his reaching hands away and back up. Finally, Peter decided to plead with Harry.

"Don't touch me," Harry said coldly, feeling confident with Draco's hand resting against his back. "We'll take you to the castle and the dementors can have you." Peter looked terrified, but Harry felt no pity for him.

Peter was bound in rope while the five students headed back through the tunnel with Harry and Blaise helping Ron to hobble along. Remus and Sirius followed them out while Snape pulled Peter along with him.

The sun had set and the sky had grown dark. Ron was settled on the grass to rest his leg as Snape yanked Peter out of the tunnel harshly. While the took a moment to catch their breath, Sirius was at Harry in wonder. Just as Sirius opened his mouth to speak, Hermione gasped. The others turned to look at her, only to find her staring in horror at the full moon.

"No," Harry breathed, his gaze darting to Remus. Remus had gone stiff and then his limbs began to shake.

"He didn't take his potion," Hermione gasped. "He's not safe."

"Run," Sirius whispered. "You've got to get out of here."

But, Ron wouldn't be able to run. He could barely keep himself upright and his friends weren't going to leave him.

There was a snarl and they could see Remus' head and body lengthening. His shoulders were hunching and hair was sprouting everywhere. His hands were turning into paws. As the werewolf turned and snapped it's jaws, Sirius transformed into the enormous black dog and bounded forward. The dog seized the werewolf by the neck and pulled it backward, away from the teenagers.

For a moment, they were all frozen at the sight. The werewolf and dog were clawing viciously at each other, jaws snapping ferociously. Peter took advantage of their distraction to seize Remus' wand from the ground and send a few spells at his captors. He hit Snape first, knocking the potions master backwards and making him hit his head. Ron was hit by a spell as well and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, pointing his wand at Peter. Remus' wand went flying. "Stay right there!"

Peter transformed and then took off through the grass.

There was a howl and suddenly the werewolf took off into the forest.

"That was convenient," Draco panted, looking rather shaken.

"Sirius, he's gone!" Harry yelled. "Peter transformed!" Sirius was bleeding from multiple gashes on his muzzle and back. But, he jumped to his feet took off running after the rat.

Harry, Hermione and Draco hurried to Ron and Professor Snape. Blaise was already kneeling between them, looking them over with an anxious expression. "They're alive, but I'm not sure what Pettigrew hit them with," Blaise said, his voice tense.

"We need to get help," Hermione whispered, looking around fearfully.

Harry opened his mouth but he heard yelping and whining. The sound of dog in pain. "Sirius," Harry muttered, peering out into the darkness. He glanced at Ron's unconscious form and then at his other friends. Then he took off, following the sound of the dog. He could hear the pounding of feet behind him. At the very least, Draco was following.

Harry following the yelping sound down toward the lake and fear gripped him when the sound suddenly stopped. As he reached the lakeshore, he saw that Sirius had turned back into a man and was crouched on the ground with his hands over his head.

"No," Sirius moaned. "Please..."

There were at least a hundred dementors gliding around the lake toward them. Harry could feel the familiar icy cold overwhelming his senses, his vision blurring. "Think of something happy!" Harry shouted, raising his wand and trying to clear his mind of the faint screaming that had started.

"Expecto patronum!" Harry cried, his voice hoarse. Behind him, he heard Draco shout the incantation as well. They tried over and over, their voices growing weaker and their strength fading. A little wisp of silver escaped Harry's wand, but it faded uselessly.

Harry's knees hit the grass. Draco collapsed next o him. It was over. Harry didn't have the strength to go on. He couldn't conjure a patronus. He couldn't save Sirius.

The closest dementor grabbed Harry and forced his face upward. Harry couldn't even struggle. But then, he saw a light from the opposite side of the lake. It was growing brighter and brighter.

Harry fell forward onto the grass, sick and shaking. The dementor must have released him. The screaming had stopped and the cold was receding. Something was driving the dementors back.

Harry raised his head a bit and saw some sort of animal in the light. He took off across the lake and Harry squinted, but he couldn't tell what the creature was. And then he realized that there were two animals there in the light. They halted at the opposite shore and Harry could see people welcoming them back.

Harry's head hit the ground as he fainted.


"Please wake up, Harry."

Harry groaned, and struggled to open his eyes. His head was aching and he was exhausted. But, Hermione sounded rather anxious so he forces his eyes open to find her staring down at him. He was in the hospital wing, on a bed. Again.

"Thank Merlin," Hermione sighed, her eyes full of tears. "Harry they've got Sirius. Any moment now the dementors are going to perform the kiss. They'll take his soul."

Harry sat up, fighting against a wave of dizziness. "We can't let that happen." He looked around and saw that Draco was sitting on the next bed, looking even more pale than usual. Ron was on another bed, with his lower right leg wrapped securely in bandages. Blaise was sitting on the edge of Ron's bed, his face tense with worry.

The door to the infirmary burst open and the headmaster walked in, relief flooding his face when he saw that Harry was awake.

"Headmaster, they've got the wrong man," Hermione blurted out.

"Sirius Black is innocent," Harry added. "Peter Pettigrew is alive and he's been disguising himself as Ron's rat."

"You've got to believe us," Draco piped in.

"I do," Dumbledore said gravely. "But, Professor Snape is still unconscious, Remus is off in the forest and we have no evidence to prove Sirius' innocence. It is too late." He peered at Harry and then looked over at a clock on the opposite wall before turning his keen gaze on Hermione. "What we need is more time," Dumbledore said pointedly.

"Oh!" Hermione cried.

"Do we get to use the time turner?" Draco asked.

Hermione turned to look at the blond in surprise. "Please, I'm not an idiot," Draco scoffed. "Nobody can be in two places at once."

"Pay attention," Dumbledore urged, keeping his voice down. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the righ tof the West Tower. If you succeed, more than one innocent life may be spared. But remember... You must not be seen." He walked toward the door and then glanced at the clock again. "I am going to lock you in. "It's five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it." He stepped out of the infirmary and shut the door behind him.

Harry was a bit confused but Draco looked excited. "I'm right, aren't I?" Draco asked Hermione. He grinned when she pulled a long gold chain from beneath her robes. There was a tiny sparkling hourglass hanging from it.

"Come here Harry," Hermione said, holding the chain out from her body as Harry came closer. She threw the chain around his neck hastily.

"You're not going anywhere without me," Draco declared, hurrying over and pulling the chain around his neck as well. He looked back at Blaise. "Watch over Weasley. We'll be back."

Hermione turned the hourglass over three times. Suddenly, there was a blur of colors flying past them. It made Harry feel rather nauseous.

"What just happened?" Harry asked, looking around the empty infirmary nervously. Ron and Blaise were nowhere to be seen.

"It's a time turner," Draco said, taking hold of Harry's hand and leading them out of the infirmary. "We've gone back in time."

"I've been using it to get to all of my extra classes," Hermione explained. "Professor McGonagall got special permission from the Ministry of Magic for me to use one. She made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone. This is how I've been doing several lessons at once."

Harry stared at her for a moment. Her explanation was reasonable, but he'd had no idea that time travel was possible. "So, what are we doing?" he asked, deciding not to dwell on the new information for the moment.

Hermione frowned. "There's got to be a reason that Dumbledore wanted us to come here," she muttered. "There's something he wants us to change."

Draco's face lit up with a smile. "We're saving Buckbeak!" he exclaimed in an excited whisper. "We'll save the hippogriff and then Sirius can escape with it."

"We want to clear his name," Harry objected.

"And we will," Draco agreed. "But for now we have to get him away from the dementors."

"Let's go," Hermione urged. "And remember that we can't be seen. Awful things happen to wizards that meddle with time."

They made their way toward Hagrid's hut and ducked behind the large pumpkins. Buckbeak was tethered to a post next to the pumpkin patch. They could spot Ron's red hair inside the hut. "This is weird," Draco muttered.

"Alright we're in Hagrid's house now," Hermione said. "I can see Dumbledore and the Minister coming over that hill. Let's hide over there until our other selves get out of the way."

The trio scurried over to the nearby trees at the edge of the forest. They waited, watching as their past selves, along with Ron and Blaise, ducked behind the pumpkins before running back toward the castle.

Harry crept forward and bowed to Buckbeak. Draco and Hermione quickly did the same. Buckbeak bowed back. Harry hastily untied the hippogriff while Hermione lured the creature with a dead ferret. They hurried into the forest and away from the hut. They could hear the sound of the Minister's frustrated complaints as they picked their way through the trees.

They settled themselves on a hill that allowed them a decent view of the Whomping Willow. Now, they could only wait. Draco slid his hand into Harry's, not caring that Hermione could see it. Hermione smiled slightly but didn't comment.

It was so hard to just watch and wait while knowing what was about to happen. They saw Remus go into the tunnel and, a short time later, Snape did as well.

Finally, Hermione stood up. There were figures emerging from the tunnel. Draco and Harry rose as well, hardly blinking as they watched the scene before then unfold. Remus' transformation wasn't any easier to watch a second time.

Suddenly Hermione cupped her hands around her mouth and howled. "What the hell are you doing?" Draco snapped.

"Saving us," Hermione retorted. Sure enough, the werewolf had dropped the black dog and moved away from their other selves. Toward them.

"Brilliant," Draco sneered. "Run!"

They turned and ran through the trees, ducking behind a very large trunk. They panted as quietly as they could, trying to catch their breath.

Hermione gasped when they heard a snarl and the werewolf was suddenly right in front of them. Harry swiftly grabbed Draco and Hermine, doing his best to shield them with his body.

And then the snarling became a yelp. Buckbeak had galloped to the rescue and run the werewolf off. Shaking, Hermione rewarded the hippogriff with another dead ferret. Draco simply clung to Harry for a moment, to shaken to speak or move.

Harry finally stepped out of Draco's arms, giving the blond's hand a quick squeeze. "Come on," Harry said quietly. "We're not done yet."