A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any character thereof.

A/N: This one is a really short chapter, but I promise the next one makes up for it! So no mobbing the author! *hides*

Chapter 54

"We can't let Hagrid go through this alone," said Harry as he looked out of a window in the Gryffindor common room.

"We don't have your cloak anymore," Ron said as he looked up from his magazine, "and no teacher is going to let us out after dark - especially you."

"Where is it?" asked Hermione.

"It's in the one eyed witch statue," replied Harry.

"How do you open it?"

"Tap it once and say 'Dissendium'," said Harry suspiciously.

To his and Ron's shock she bounced out of the room. "Did she just go and get it?"

Ron was looking at the closed portrait. "First she punches Malfoy then she storms out of divination. What's become of her?" he asked with slight awe in his voice.

Harry just chuckled.

After dinner, Remus returned to his office. He had seen how fidgety Harry, Hermione, and Ron had been during the meal.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Remus spread the map out and found the trio in a side classroom. He watched them slowly move down to Hagrids hut.

"They must be under James cloak," Remus mused to the empty room.

He wasn't watching too carefully though because he was grading some of the lower years essays.

"Where's Buckbeak at Hagrid?" asked Hermione hesitantly. The last time they saw Buckbeak, he had been asleep on Hagrid's bed.

"He's - He's outside in my - my pumpkin patch. I wanted him ter see the trees an' - an' smell the fresh air while he - while he could."

While Hagrid wasn't crying this time, his hands were shaking so badly that his milk jug slipped and broke.

Hermione quickly mopped up the milk while Harry pointed his wand at the jug and said "Reparo".

"Surely Dumbledore can help," said Harry.

"He tried but he has no power ter override the committee. He's comin' down ya know. Says he wants ter be with me when - when they do it."

"Oh my!" screamed Hermione.

"What is it?"

"I don't believe it. Ron it's ... it's Scabbers!"

Ron looked at Hermione like she was crazy. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Scabbers." She extracted him from the jar he had been curled up inside of and handed him to Ron.

There was a noise at the window. Harry ran over to see what it was. "Fudge is coming."

"You three need ter go. You'll get into trouble if yer caught out after dark, 'specially you Harry."

Remus had just finished grading the last of his essays when he glanced at the map. What he saw made him drop them all in the floor.

"That's not possible!" he said out loud.

Movement on the right side of the map caught his eye. The dot labeled Sirius Black was running straight towards the 4 dots clustered near the Whomping Willow.

When it collided with them, Remus ran out of his office and towards the tree.

The giant black dog hit Harry in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. When he sat up, he felt as if his ribs were broken. While he was pretty sure that they weren't, it still hurt to breath.

Harry watched as the dog bounced off of him and landed near Ron. After he picked himself up, he and Hermione dove for the red head just as the dog started dragging him towards the tree.

As Ron disappeared below the tree, both of them heard a CRACK followed by a scream.

Ron's leg had broken.

"Harry how are we going to get in? This is the Whomping Willow!"

They both jumped out of the way of a flinging branch. "If that dog can do it, so can we. Let's go."

Just as they started to snake their way through the tree branches that were trying to hit them, Crookshanks darted forward and pressed a knot on the side of the tree which arrested it mid motion.

"Harry, how did he know to do that?" asked Hermione alarmed.

"I've seen him with that dog before. C'mon, before it eats Ron."

As they entered the tunnel Hermione asked, "Where does this go?"

Harry grimaced. "I have a pretty good idea. I just hope I'm wrong."

Severus glanced up at the clock. It was 9:45. He had been so busy grading papers that he had lost track of time.

He got up, gathered a goblet full of potion, and headed towards Lupin's office to give it to him.

"Ron! Where's the dog?" He and Hermione darted to Ron's side.

Through gritted teeth because of the pain in his broken leg, Ron said, "Not a dog ... he's an animagus."

"What?" Harry asked confused.

There was a creak behind them causing both Hermione and Harry to turn around with their wands drawn.

"Expelliarmus," croaked Black.

Both Harry and Hermione's wand flew into his waiting hand.

When Severus arrived at Lupins office, he was alarmed to see that he wasn't there. After sitting the goblet down, he saw the piece of parchment spread out over the desk.

His eyes widened when he realized that it was a map. After a minute of searching, Severus saw Lupin heading down the tunnel that was covered by the Whomping Willow.

A feral grin then appeared on his face that would have sent anyone sane running in the opposite direction.

Drawing his wand, Severus ran towards the Whomping Willow, while hoping that it was just Lupin and Black and that for once, Potter was in Gryffindor Tower safe and out of trouble.

A/N: I had intentions on combining the chapters again, especially since this one is so short, but I realized that I had a flaw in the next chapter, so I'm currently fixing that. It should be up in a couple of days. =) Remember... lynching the author is bad. ;-)