Riddle Revealed

They fell out of the sky next to Gohan's tailless body.

"Put Potter down," Snape said calmly, with a weary sigh.

Piccolo nodded. "I'll go find the others." He took off into the sky.

Snape pointed his wand into the boy's face, "Ennervate."

Harry's eyes shot open with a small groan. He stood, shakily rubbing the back of his neck. "Vegeta, you git! Why did you have to go and hit me?"

Vegeta smirked. "Because you make such an excellent punching bag. Now shut up and listen to your teacher."

Harry never got the opportunity to listen or retort; the night air became pierced with several cries, including Piccolo's. "Hermione! Ron!" Harry sprinted around the back of the castle.

"Potter!" Snape snarled and gave chase with a resigned albeit frustrated sigh.

A sick feeling entered the pit of Harry's stomach as he approached the area where the waterfront met the forest. Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and Piccolo's ki were slowly diminishing in a wave of several cold vortexual ki. As the group came into view, Harry stared in shock. There were hundreds of them: dementors.

Vegeta had gotten there first. He was blasting ki in every direction, snarling in frustration as the dementors kept coming back for more.

Piccolo growled. "They keep eating our ki blasts! We need to do something different, Vegeta…Vegeta?"

Thud. Vegeta hit the ground with a soft moan.

"Vegeta!"

Harry entered the circle. "Come on, guys! Think of a happy memory…use happy memories: Expecto Patronum!"

Hermione sank, murmuring feebly, "Expecto…patronum…" A feeble wisp of silver shot from her wand and vanished.

Ron shook. "Expecto Patronum!" His wand performed less than Hermione's.

Harry's Patronus was equally pathetic. "Use Gohan's wand, Ron! Expecto Patronum!"

"Expecto Patronum!" Snape's voice rang in the volley. Harry was too weak to look in his direction; he didn't see the doe prancing weakly, feebly knocking a few away before dissipating.

"Ron, happy memory!" Harry cried as he attempted again, his voice mingled with Snape's cry.

"I can't" Ron whined in an unusually high voice. He stared at Gohan's wand. It began to warm his fingertips. Ron smiled. "Expecto Patronum!" An alien-looking canine erupted from the stick, managing to protect himself, Piccolo, and Vegeta from the dementors. Ron pointed his own wand, hoping. "Expecto Patronum!" A small Jack Russell terrier shot out of it and chased other dementors from the circle.

The only ones left standing were Snape, Harry, Ron, and Piccolo. Piccolo had left Ron's protection to try to help Harry and Snape. Snape and Harry were producing Patronuses, but they were too feeble, and were swept away by the impressing dementors. Ron had produced two from the wands, but there were simply too many dementors for them to chase away completely. Snape had managed to produce one strong enough to protect himself only. Harry collapsed. Snape banished the Patronus, attempting to produce a bigger one. Piccolo fell. Harry stirred feebly.

"Come on, Potter! Get up! Try again!" Snape said desperately.

"Expecto…expecto…" Harry muttered weakly, his eyes fluttering as he crawled over to Sirius's body and covered it with his own. Snape sank to one knee; images of Lily's dead body filled his thoughts.

"Damn it all!" Snape spat as he used the last of his strength to throw himself on Harry's body and clamped his hand over Harry's mouth as a dementor had lifted Harry's face to its own.

Ron could only watch with horror from the distance as the dementors swooped in and began trying to pull the tangle of bodies apart.

"I'm not yours," Hermione murmured with a small hint of anger in her soft voice, her eyes closed. Ron's concentration waned, and his Patronuses faded from existence. The dementors swooped in on him.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A loud, familiar voice bellowed from the opposite bank. A monstrous silver form galloped across the waters with powerful grace. It charged the dementors, who fell back as they were struck, affected from even twenty meters away from the magnificent silver beast. The coldness that had previously filled the air evaporated into a warmer, crisper night air.

Snape raised his head and started from shock as the light around their rescuer began to recede. He blinked stupidly. If he didn't know any better, he'd think he was seeing ghosts. Because the man across the lake bore an unmistakable resemblance to the late James Potter.

"Dad?" Harry muttered softly before passing out.

Gohan moaned as his eyes slid open, finding himself in a warm, soft bed. He heard voices as he attempted to sit up.

"Took you long enough," a familiar rough voice sneered quietly. "I SAID I DON'T WANT IT!"

"Mmm, Vegeta?" Gohan looked across Harry's bed and was surprised to see Vegeta lying in one.

Madam Pomfrey was standing nearby, holding a goblet of draught. "Honestly, you are worse than my students. Come sir, this will help calm you—"

He sat up, completely outraged. "It's Prince Vegeta, woman! Prince Vegeta! And I will not be bullied into taking any vile concoction made by an overgrown nurse maid!"

Sighing, Madam Pomfrey turned to Piccolo, who waved her away wordlessly.

Gohan stretched and looked around. Hermione was already awake, her eyes taking everything in silently. Ron was also awake, but looking incredibly exhausted. Harry's eyes suddenly snapped open. Piccolo was sitting on his bed, folded up in his typical human, oops, Namekian pretzel routine.

"Minister," Snape's voice was saying, "As much as I hate to defend that worthless mutt concerning anything, I've seen Pettigrew with my own eyes. Perhaps it would be prudent to keep Black unkissed until Pettigrew is found?"

"Utter nonsense, Snape!" Fudge said forcefully. "He's confunded—"

"I HAVE NOT BEEN CONFUNDED!" Snape bellowed. "Ask Potter and company! They saw him, as well. I hate Black! Why would I make it up?"

"It's true, sir," Ron piped in. "I saw Pettigrew, too. Scabbers—"

Fudge sighed. "I feared something like this. I will be asking them about that giant Dark ape monster that practically destroyed the grounds worse than Cell did last year—"

Gohan gasped, automatically reaching behind him. His tail was missing. He looked over at his friends in shock, who were shaking their heads violently to silence him.

Snape said nothing. He knew the ministry would remove Gohan from school if they knew…as sure as they would soon remove Lupin.

"I've got Black locked in the tower. The dementors will be here shortly."

Harry stood up sharply and whipped around his curtain. "Sir, no! Sirius is innocent! Pettigrew—"

"So you've been confunded, as well?"

"I'VE NOT BEEN CONFUNDED!" Harry and Snape chorused loudly, and glared at one another in agitation.

Madam Pomfrey rushed forward and grabbed Harry by the arm. "Honestly, Professor…Minister! The boy's had a rough night! Must you trouble him! Come back to bed, Potter."

Vegeta shook a small brown pouch with a smirk. "Well, I'm feeling generous. Who wants a sensu?"

Gohan sat up instantly. "I do!" Hermione made an effort to sit up but clutched her side, moaning painfully.

Madam Pomfrey's eyebrows rose. "You are not giving my patients any weird food!"

"Oh, go and pester some first years, pathetic, whiny, lunatic harpy!" Vegeta said as he reached into the bag and tossed the beans to Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Snape. He gave two to Gohan with a wink, who immediately ate one.

Ron gasped suddenly. "My leg!"

"Did he hurt you, boy?" Madam Pomfrey walked briskly over to him.

"No…it's…the pain is gone…completely! It's healed!" Ron put weight on it. Vegeta snorted, rolling his eyes for the woman's benefit.

Just then, Dumbledore entered the wing. Madam Pomfrey was getting ready to explode, by the looks of her. "Really! Can't my patients get one moment's rest?"

"Old carp," Vegeta muttered under his breath.

Dumbledore nodded at the minister. "I've just spoken with Sirius Black. He had an interesting story."

"You mean the cock-and-bull story about Ron's rat?" Fudge said impatiently. "Come now, Headmaster, surely you're not buying all of this?"

"I must speak with them alone, Minister, Poppy, and Severus. My apologies," he added as Madam Pomfrey and Fudge both opened their mouths in protests.

Fudge sighed. "Very well. I didn't think you were susceptible to this kind of thing." The three exited.

"Professor…it's all true!" Hermione said immediately as the door closed. "Ronald's rat is Peter Pettigrew! He's the one that murdered the Muggles and betrayed the Potters—"

"Sir, you have to believe us!" Harry said desperately.

Dumbledore sighed. "I do believe you. It was most unfortunate that Pettigrew escaped. I doubt that your story is going to be believed by the Ministry. They are not going to take the word of a few thirteen-year-olds.

"Professor Lupin—"

"Ah, unfortunately, the fact that Remus is now a known werewolf and an old friend of Sirius Black's removes whatever credibility that he had—"

What about Sn-Professor Snape, Vegeta, Piccolo? They all know that Sirius is innocent!"

"Well, Piccolo is the ambassador to the Guardian of the Earth and the Planet Namek. And he wasn't an eye witness to the event. Neither was Vegeta, the Muggle ambassador to the Ministry. As for Professor Snape, although he is the most credible of everyone involved, he can still be easily discounted because of his past record."

"Past record?"

"The point is that the truth will only go as far as the ears that want to hear it. It is too late to do anything now." He turned to Hermione.

"But—" she began.

"What we need now, is more time."

"But—" she began again, then her eyes widened. "OH!"

Gohan gasped. "You mean—"

Dumbledore motioned the four closer and spoke in a low voice. "Listen closely, now. Sirius is locked in Flitwick's office. That's the thirteenth window from the right of West Tower. If all goes well, you may be able to save more than one innocent life. But above all, remember this: Harry, Hermione, Ron…you must not be seen! Gohan, at some point—" Dumbledore trailed off, shooting him a meaningful look and holding up what looked like a furry rope.

"Got it!" Gohan said, nodding in understanding.

"—Excellent. Miss Granger, you know the law. You-must-not-be-seen." He turned to leave. "I am going to lock you in. It's five minutes until midnight. Three turns should do it. Pleasant dreams…and good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry said, his eyebrows elevated.

"What was that about?" Vegeta said.

Gohan pulled Harry and Ron toward them. "Aw, it's no big deal. We're just going to relive the last few hours."

Vegeta stared in shock, and Piccolo spluttered, "What?"

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and pulled the time turner from under her robes. She wrapped the chain around the four of them. "Okay, Gohan, when the room comes into focus, we need to go immediately to the forbidden forest near Hagrid's hut."

"You mean Instant Transmission?"

"Right! And everyone who can, suppress your ki." Hermione turned the hourglass three times.

"Okay, could one of you please explain?" Harry said as soon as they were in the forest, behind Hagrid's house.

Hermione pointed at the device. "This is a Time-Turner. It is how Gohan and I have been getting to our classes all year. It allows us to go back in time and relive hours from our past. We've gone back three hours in the past. We've got to save Sirius…and Buckbeak."

Harry's eyes widened. "Maybe we can catch Pettigrew, too."

Hermione bit her lip. "Maybe, but our priorities are Sirius and Buckbeak."

"So now what?" Ron asked.

"We wait. Buckbeak will be the easiest to get first."

"Hermione," Harry said, while watching for themselves to show up at Hagrid's, "In the Shrieking Shack, Lupin and Sirius kept talking about that Subaru person, and Snape called you Lady Subaru…what was that about?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I suppose I can tell you that now. You remember how I told you I was Muggle-born?"

"Yeah? We've met your parents, Hermione. They were at the bookshop last year and the train station."

"Well, last year, I found out I was adopted."

"Oh. Well, that's not bad, is it? Your parents seem to really care about you. Is that why you were so upset at the start of term?"

"Not really…not entirely. Anyways, I found out who my real parents were. My mother was Selina Subaru."

"Blimey," Ron said wondrously. Harry looked at him curiously. "Your mother is the Heir of Arandia?"

"Arandia?" Harry blinked stupidly.

Gohan nodded. "Arandia is another name for the Hogwarts castle and estates."

Harry gasped. "You mean, Hermione owns Hogwarts?"

Hermione laughed. "Not really. It's only a hereditary notion…a title of honor. It does give me some authority on what happens inside the school, once I become fifteen."

"Why fifteen?"

"My kind comes of age at fifteen, unlike normal wizards."

"Your kind? So you're not completely wizard?"

"I'm not even completely human."

"Wow," Harry said as though in a daze. Ron gaped stupidly.

Hermione gasped. "Hagrid's opened the door! We must be going in!"

"So, Hermione, who's your father?" Harry said with interest.

"Oh, um, maybe we should save that for another time," she said, suddenly feeling sick. Things became quiet. A distant crash sounded from Hagrid's house.

"Gohan just broke the table," Hermione said quietly. "I'll be discovering Scabbers really shortly." A familiar, muffled squeal filled the air.

"Hermione, what if one of us went in there and got Pettigrew?"

"No, Harry! We can't be seen. Besides, what do you think the other us would think if one of us suddenly appeared and grabbed Ron's pet? The Harry in there doesn't know about Pettigrew yet, and we don't know how we would react to ourselves if we suddenly appeared."

"Huh?" Ron shook his head as if he was trying to clear it of cobwebs.

"Never mind, Ron. Just sit tight."

A silence ensued.

"Now?" Harry asked.

"No. The Committee needs to see Buckbeak chained…so they know Hagrid didn't free him."

"Great," Harry muttered darkly. "That gives us all of sixty seconds."

They watched themselves exit and whip under the Cloak. Shortly after, Fudge, Macnair, Dumbledore, and another Committee member none of them recognized approached and knocked. Hermione whirled toward Ron and Gohan. "Okay," she whispered. "This is it. When the coast is clear, Harry and Gohan will get Buckbeak. Ron and I will watch the other us from a distance, to make sure everything is running smoothly. Come on, Ron." She led Ron through the tree line toward the shadowed figures at the top of the steps.

"Hermione," Ron whispered. "You don't suppose the other us will since my ki, do you? I mean, I've never learned how to suppress it."

Hermione smiled. "Don't worry, Ron. Your ki isn't big enough to be too noticeable. Besides, I don't think the other us is expecting to be running into us out here." She said with a wry smile.

Hermione nodded at Ron. "I see them coming. They've got Buckbeak. But us, why are we turning away?" The other four were turning toward the castle, the other Hermione sobbing into the other Gohan's shoulder.

"Hermione, we've got him! The executioner was really mad! He threw his axe into the fence!" Gohan whispered excitedly. Hermione whirled. "Quick, flash your ki! And move deeper into the forest!" She said as she turned her back on them and flashed her energy.

"Okay…but why?"

"Do it! I'll answer later!" Gohan and Harry complied. Hermione sighed with relief as the other Gohan pulled the other Hermione around and began pointing in their direction. She caught up. "Okay, that's good."

Piccolo jumped, staring into the woods.

"Hey, Namek. Did you just sense two Potters, two Grangers, and two Gohans?"

"Um, yes?" Piccolo continued to stare.

"Good. For a moment there, I thought I was going insane…wait, WHAT? Are you insane, Namek? There's no way that could happen!"

Piccolo smirked. "You're the one who asked, Vegeta." Okay, Gohan, what's this about? The extra ki vanished.

"Maybe it was just an echo," Vegeta said but frowned thoughtfully. I have a bad feeling about this.

"Why did we just reveal ourselves to ourselves?" Harry said.

"Because we were turning back toward the castle. We needed to confuse us, to give Sirius time to reach us." Hermione said simply.

Harry frowned. Then, he gasped. "Now, I remember! We did sense ourselves…running in the forest!"

Hermione smiled. "Okay, we need to get to the area where Gohan and Lupin transformed. We'll wait there until the next part."

They moved a few hundred yards between the Whomping Willow and the castle, hiding in the trees.

They watched as Sirius dragged Ron into the tree, Gohan following, and Harry and Hermione followed Crookshanks.

"Hermione, why didn't you just go in after Gohan? You're pretty fast and strong, too."

"Don't be silly, Harry. I couldn't leave you behind, alone."

"I see. So, Hermione, would this be a good time to tell me who your father is? You've got me really curious."

Hermione winced. "Curiosity killed the Potter…you're not going to like it, Harry."

Harry shook his head, smiling. "What? Is Voldemort your father?" He said in a teasing tone, the name causing Ron to flinch.

Hermione didn't smile. Her vision began to swim. She stood and ran into the trees, retching into the bushes.

Harry turned to Gohan in alarm. "Is she for real?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. She's been worried sick about how you would take it."

A stone formed in the pit of Harry's stomach. "You mean, Voldemort's her father? This is a joke, right? It's a joke…ha ha?"

Ron whimpered.

"It's not a joke. She found out last year. That's why she screamed when you told her that Tom Marvolo Riddle was Voldemort. It was bad enough that Riddle was her father. I think it tore her to pieces when she found out about Voldemort."

"Stop saying the name," Ron said in a high, squeaky voice, his eyes wide with fright.

Harry frowned, his jaw working. It explained why Hermione acted strangely after being unPetrified. It explained why whenever anyone made references to Riddle or Voldemort, she would flinch angrily or defensively. It explained the night on the train with Videl Satan. It explained why Hermione had been afraid to be angry at him…or to make him angry. "Hermione," he whispered.

Hermione returned a few moments later and sat near Gohan. Ron slid away fearfully. She bit her lip as she stared at the ground, occasionally sneaking glances at Harry.

Harry glared at the Whomping Willow. "Damn it, Hermione!" He spat suddenly, causing everyone to flinch.

"I'm sorry, Harry! I'm sorry…I didn't mean to be…his daughter," she finished in a whisper.

"You think this is about being his daughter? For the love of Merlin! WHY didn't you tell me?"

She stared at him in shock. "You don't…hate me?" She said, her voice cracking.

He glared at her. "I'm sorely tempted! Why? Why didn't you trust me to handle this?"

"I…I didn't want to hurt you," she answered in a small, childish voice.

"Well, you did!" he snapped his neck away angrily. Hermione began sobbing quietly into her hands. After a moment, she felt herself being roughly pulled into an embrace.

"Stop crying, Hermione," Harry said, sighing. She looked up at him tearfully.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Harry smirked. "I guess if I had that for a father, I'd keep quiet about it, too. Hey, Gohan," He said suddenly, turning with a glint in his eye.

Gohan's worried features abruptly became innocently bewildered. "Yeah?"

"That's what you meant at the Christmas party, isn't it? You'd like to bite a Riddle," he said, grinning wickedly.

Hermione blushed. "Harry!" She said in a reproachful voice.

Ron sniggered, in spite of himself.