Author's Notes: Time for some lulzy time-traveling! Sorry about that. I saw so many errors I had to take it down temporarily.
"I ran as many tests as I could to see what I missed…"
"And…?" The headmaster's voice drifted into the room.
"Nothing. There was absolutely nothing subpar with the batch I made him. Either he developed a tolerance to Woflsbane—very unlikely—or the fool ate something laced with sugar right before or after imbibing the potion," Snape murmured some distance away.
Harry's eyes popped open. He was in the infirmary.
"I am more disturbed that Sirius Black managed to Confund three witnesses."
"Again, Black had help: Lupin. They must have bewitched the children together to keep their stories straight. If I hadn't caught Granger after Potter's childish antics…"
"You did prevent a greater tragedy from developing. You should be proud of this accomplishment, Severus."
"Death would be easier for him," Snape said coldly. "Regardless, you still will not change your mind…" Both wizards stood in silence for several moments. "Is it so good to continue to indulge Potter's juvenile adventures given the end result?"
"You were once a child, not so long ago," Professor Dumbledore murmured. "Children should be allowed to make mistakes."
There was a scoffing noise. "Potter's continued presence will lead to greater tragedy if you don't place him in Augusta's mentorship immediately. Prolonging the inevitable—," Professor Snape's emboldened voice grew muffled when the infirmary doors were shut.
Harry felt very groggy, lying on his back. His limbs were like lead, but he didn't exactly want to move just yet. He could hear that their conversation continued, but couldn't pick out any words. Memories of the dementor swarm over the lake chilled him. He could still feel the touch of clammy, rotted hands—Harry shuddered forcing his thoughts to his current environment.
The bed felt like heaven after the hard gravel shoreline where he and Black had been attacked, but he couldn't stay prone. If he remained there, he would fixate on the memories and Harry wasn't interested in revisiting the latest attack by dementors. Forcing himself up, he shakily reached for his glasses. A bright memory with his mother and father floated forward. Harry had been saved by his father's Patronus, a stag just like his own except larger and corporeal. "I saw my dad," he mumbled in awe.
"Harry?" It was Hermione's voice. What was she doing here? "What is it?"
Even with his glasses on, he squinted at her. "My dad sent the dementors away. I saw him across the lake."
Hermione gave him a concerned look. "But your father's…"
"Supposed to be dead. I know. But I know what I saw." The thought filled Harry with hope. Maybe if the living arrangement didn't work out with Black then he could live with his father...?
"…Listen," Hermione said, "They've captured Black. Any moment they're going to have the dementors Kiss him."
"But Sirius is innocent," he was pushing himself to the edge of the bed now. He was dizzy by the motion.
"Madam Pomfrey said you had stay in bed and eat chocolate." Hermione provided the bittersweet confection.
Harry mechanically chewed, hardly tasting it. "I can't let them have Sirius Kissed."
She glanced behind her nervously and took a large breath. "Look, before Neville was treated and sent out, he told me everything. No one can verify either of your accounts because Peter Pettigrew wasn't caught."
Pushing himself to stand, the world tilted for a moment. Hermione touched his shoulder to help him remain upright. "They could look at our memories," he said hotly.
"Not in cases where a type of Memory Charm is suspected to have been used."
"We were never Confunded!" Harry yelled heatedly.
Many footsteps bustled nearer to them. "Miss Granger! He is to remain lying down," Madam Pomfrey said sharply. Harry obediently plopped onto the bed and lay down once more.
"What is the matter, Poppy?" Snape's voice wafted in.
"Nothing, you git!" Harry couldn't believe the Potions Master had gotten his way where Harry's godfather was concerned.
The greasy-haired bastard drawled, "If Potter is being too obstinate, I can drug him into a heavy sleep."
Madam Pomfrey scoffed. "You are not to meddle in the matters of my Healing Art, unless invited."
Harry's godfather was about to die, and the two nearest adults were bantering like nothing awful was about to happen. His hope of staying with Sirius Black was shattering into so many pieces. Harry couldn't very well live with his father if the adult had pretended to be dead all this time, could he? "Please. I need to speak to the headmaster."
"You can tell me." The Healer came forward, cupping his face and checking his glands. "Thank goodness your fever has dropped…"
"No. I need to talk to him. He can stop it, stop the Dementor's Kiss."
With a quiet sigh, Madam Pomfrey pulled away. "Albus?" She turned towards the other occupant in the room.
Movement out the corner of his eyes brought Professor Dumbledore into focus.
"Sir, Sirius Black is innocent. You've got the wrong man. Ron's rat, Scabbers, is an Animagus. It's Peter Pettigrew. I mean, twelve years is a long time for a common garden rat to live, isn't it? The rat was missing a digit on its right front paw, the same that would be a thumb on a person. Scabbers was made to turn back into a wizard: Peter Pettigrew."
"You see? Black's done a very good job on him," Snape said.
Harry swiveled his head. "I am NOT Confunded!"
The Potions Master curled his lip. "I beg to differ."
"You—!"
"Severus, you are distressing my patient," Madam Pomfrey rebuked. The greasy-haired bastard thinned his lips instead of speaking.
Harry looked at her. "I'm not distressed! He's—" She pressed a block of chocolate into his mouth.
Unable to speak further, Harry chewed vigorously on it.
"My apologies, Poppy, Severus," the headmaster said gravely, "but I must ask to speak to Hermione and Harry alone."
"Headmaster, he needs treatment and rest."
"This cannot wait, Poppy. Rest assured it will only take a few minutes of their time."
Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away, shutting the door to her office.
Snape, however, hadn't moved. Professor Dumbledore didn't say anything as he looked at the Potions Master curiously.
"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape's eyes were fixed on the headmaster's face. The Potions Master took a step forward. "Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed out, "You haven't forgotten that, headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"
Sirius had? Harry frowned.
"My memory is as good as it ever was," Dumbledore said simply. He had a very grave expression.
With a barely contained look of fury, Snape turned on his heel and marched through the double doors. He directed a furious look at Harry before his reddened sallow face disappeared behind the wooden doors he pulled shut.
Once they were alone, Hermione burst into explanation using Neville's testimonial, Harry adding in details when she faltered in her retelling.
Not a minute in, Professor Dumbledore held up a hand to stall their accounts. "It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time. There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word—and the word of thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been set to become the Potters' Secret-Keeper."
"Professor Lupin can—" Harry began as he sat up.
"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. I might add that a werewolf's support in the magical community will count for very little, and the fact that they are both old friends."
"But—"
"You must see that Professor Snape's version is far more convincing."
"He hates Sirius."
"Harry," the headmaster looked very sad. "Sirius Black has not acted like an innocent man. You recall the attack on the Fat Lady and his armed trespass into Gryffindor Tower...?"
"But you believe me—"
"And Neville—" Hermione added.
"And Neville, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. But without Peter Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius Black's execution. However, there is a way." The headmaster reached into a pouch hanging in the front of his robes and pulled a familiar cloak from it.
Harry gasped, eagerly taking it back. "My cloak! Where did you—"
Professor Dumbledore turned away from him abruptly and then walked towards the exit. "Mysterious thing, time…" He said slowly, "Powerful and when meddled with, dangerous." He paused with his back to them. "Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the Dark Tower. He cannot escape without help."
The headmaster's message was like a riddle almost, one that seemed just outside Harry's grasp.
The old wizard turned around with a very determined look on his face. "You know the laws, Miss Granger. You must not be seen. If you do not return before the chimes to midnight have completed, the consequences will be too ghastly to discuss. If you succeed tonight, more than two innocent lives will be spared."
Harry frowned at that. The only person they needed to save was Sirius Black…
"Four turns should do it," the headmaster said with a jolly wink and a twist of his fingers. Then he opened the doors and left, closing them slowly behind him.
"Is this about that thing you can't talk about?" Harry looked at Hermione. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she looked at Harry.
"Oh!" Professor Dumbledore stuck his head in between the doors. "By the way, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin." He retracted his head and shut the doors.
Hermione took out a very long, very fine gold chain from the neck of her robes.
"What's that?"
She leaned forward and put the chain about his shoulders so they were both under the chain. Still lying in bed, Harry reached up to the hourglass full of sand, but she slapped it away.
"Are we going back in time?" Harry whispered excitedly.
Without a word, Hermione turned the hourglass exactly four times, and then the hourglass began to spin wildly inside the ring it was suspended in. Around them, people moved around, Madam Pomfrey stepped through Hermione a couple of times in a blur of colors and shapes, treating numerous students. The sun seemed to rise in the wrong direction inside the dark ward and light and shadow angled through the windows. Harry had never seen sunlight move so fast, it was as if the world was moving around them as they stood still.
When the sun stopped at a summer slant, Hermione took the chain off his shoulders and tucked the hourglass beneath her robes.
"How much time is a turn?" A rejuvenated Harry pushed off the bed. He didn't feel dizzy at all.
"Where were we at seven-thirty? We were at Hagrid's having a tea party, weren't we?"
"Um, I wasn't—"
Hermione took off sprinting down the hall. "We can't be seen! Hurry!"
She was faster than she looked. Four turns and they had to be back before midnight; so it was—had been close to midnight then? Did that mean that each turn was an hour if it was currently seven-thirty? Harry had no idea. He caught up with her, and they both ducked behind a statue when some students were passing down the hall. They ran towards the covered pedestrian bridge, which spanned the valley leading to Hagrid's house.
They continued to run at a blistering pace until they reached the stone archway at the very end of the bridge. Harry stopped and looked past Hermione's shoulder. Farther down the hill by the giant irregular stone blocks, he saw Hermione and Neville, but… Hermione was standing right next to Harry. He blinked several times.
"You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" She screamed farther down the hill at Draco. Normally Harry would be concerned about whether Draco was bullying Hermione, but…
"That's you. And you're here…" Harry said breathlessly. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were smirking at the Hermione who was down-the-hill and not beside him. They had actually done it. They'd gone back in time!
"Hermione, he's not worth it," Neville said nervously from a distance.
"I feel like I need to intervene," Harry said to himself, compulsively stepping forward, but the Hermione-beside-him grabbed and pushed him against the wall. Surprised by her forwardness, he stared at her warm brown eyes as she held pinned him by the shoulder. "Hermione. I didn't know you felt that way."
"Boys." Snorting derisively, she pulled out the strange necklace. "This is a Time-Turner, Harry. Professor McGonagall gave it to me first term. This is how I've been taking every elective class this year. You asked how Sally-Anne and I could be in both Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures, right? We received special permission to use this to take them concurrently."
Harry's head felt like it was about to explode. No wonder she'd been so busy if she was taking all of the electives. "But why four hours? Each turn is an hour, right?"
"Professor Dumbledore obviously wanted us to return to this moment." Hermione peeked around the corner of the stone archway. "Clearly, something happened that he wants us to change."
The other Hermione had her wand against Draco's throat.
"What'd he do?"
"He's told us that you're the new Dark Lord and if we don't willingly join your cause he will ruin our families' livelihood."
Harry groaned, head leaning against the cold stone wall. And if Harry confronted him, it was no guarantee that he would stop being a prat. He heard Draco shout and jerked his head up to see what was amiss. Draco was holding his face gingerly.
"Run!" Goyle cried out.
The Hermione-beside-him backed up, pushing him towards the ledge of the opening next to them. "Malfoy's coming." They hopped out of it, landing on the grass beside the stone foundation.
"Not a word about this to anyone, understood?" Draco barked out.
"Okay!" Crabbe said.
"Muggle-raised and Muggle-borns. Filthy savages, the lot of them," came the snarl as Draco passed by them. "I'll get that jumped-up Mudblood. Mark my words. She'll regret laying a hand on me."
"Prat," Harry muttered. He could hear the other Hermione say how it felt good and Neville respond that she'd been brilliant. "I'll talk to him—"
"I doubt that'll change his behavior," she whispered, peering past him.
"Then be careful."
"Don't worry about me. I can hold my own."
After the two Gryffindors down the hill decided to head to Hagrid's cabin, Harry spent a moment gazing at the way the clouds glowed and the branches of the Forbidden Forest alighted in the golden-orange sunlight as the shadows began to stretch around them.
"Now we sneak down there…" Hermione said. She raised her wand, squinting at him, and then tapped her wand against his forehead. The egg-like sensation Harry felt meant that she had just cast a Disillusionment Charm. She on the other hand stood up and whipped her wand about her like she was twirling a stick with a piece of ribbon on the end of it, and then she seemed to disappear.
"You've got to teach me that," Harry said.
"When we have a moment. Can't waste any time. We should wait by the edge of the forest by Hagrid's cabin."
They made their way down the hill and huddled behind giant pumpkins in the half-giant's garden. There were voices and laughter coming from the cabin.
With a frown, Hermione picked up an oblong river stone with an unusual spiral design on it.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"I think I've seen this before..." She continued to stare at the stone.
"So, why can't we talk about time-traveling magic?"
Crouched like Harry, she leaned against the giant pumpkin. "Awful things have happened to wizards that have messed with time. It's why we can't be seen." Hermione frowned again. "You aren't here yet…"
"I told you I couldn't come. I never went."
"Oh!" Hermione hissed and held her head. "Why didn't I think of that?!" Casting a quick Cancelling spell on him, Harry was suddenly quite visible again. She frowned at him for a moment and then pointed her wand at Harry's shirt beneath his chin and cast, "Scourgify!"
Harry was trying to see what she cleaned off, when she said, "Tell me, did anything unusual happen to make you and Nott come across the bridge?"
"Er. Someone grabbed me as I was turning from the stairwell after dinner, and then there was this bobbing light and I followed it—"
"Okay." Hermione gestured for him to stand. "Go knock on Hagrid's door. You'll surprise us."
Harry looked down at himself still befuddled. "But I thought—"
"Just, whatever you do, don't try to snatch Peter Pettigrew. We'll think you've gone mad. Promise me you won't."
His parents' murderer was in there? Right this moment?
"Harry, promise."
"Alright." Harry jumped to his feet and nearly ran towards Hagrid's cabin. Once he'd reach the door, he knocked, bouncing in place.
Hagrid opened it and stepped aside so Harry could come inside. "Yeh shouldn've come 'Arry!"
Neville and Hermione gasped in delight. "Harry!?"
He grinned impishly at them. The both of them looked too stunned to speak.
The half-giant shut the door and looked out the window.
"Why not?" Harry asked Hagrid. Harry unobtrusively looked around for any sign of the rat as he brushed his fingers over the tips of the hanging dried herbs and worn quilts.
"Snape is goin' ter have me 'ead," Hagrid said with a slightly weary tone. "Wan' some tea an' cakes?"
"Yes! Come have some tea!" Hermione said as Neville scooted his chair to the side to leave a spot for him.
"Yes, please." Harry joined the excited Gryffindors at the table, once Hagrid had brought a stool from an adjacent 'room' that was separated from the main room by a stitched curtain made of large seed bags. Hagrid added another teacup and saucer, making the tea just as Harry liked. Harry thanked him as soon as he had finished.
Hermione brought him to speed about the current wild theories of how Black was entering the school. She leaned in close. "Personally, I think he's an illegal Animagus. It's the only thing that makes sense. I've done a lot of research on Dementors and they have difficulty discerning the person they seek if they've transformed themselves into an animal. And, it's standard practice to place spells on an Animagus to prevent their transformation and to heavily ward their cell once they've been admitted to Azkaban."
"Nonsense," Hagrid said. "Sirius Black, an Animagus? Professor McGonagall said he was troddin' awful at Transfigurations… Can't be an Animagus."
Neville sent a nervous glance at Harry. The Slytherin smiled in what he hoped was an understanding way, and Neville seemed to relax a little.
"But others have seen a large black dog running into the Forbidden Forest or towards the Whomping Willow. Trelawney told everyone it was a Grim, but that's a load of rubbish. The sightings started not long after school began, and no one's died yet if the superstition is to be believed."
"Could be a stray. We get 'em time to time when th' gates're opened fer students," Hagrid said.
"What do you think, Harry?" Hermione gave him a shrewd look.
"It makes sense… but where's the proof?"
She blinked and sat up straighter. "Well, I-I don't have any."
With a quiet 'hm', Harry took a long sip of his tea. "Get some and then the teachers will believe you. Right, Hagrid?"
"Righ'—No. No, yeh aren't ter try an' catch Black on yer own." The half-giant gave the Gryffindors a stern look.
Both of them grew flustered. "We won't," Hermione promised. "We'll fetch a teacher if we see him."
"Good," Hagrid said gruffly. "Don' need any more accidents this year."
"Oh," Neville merrily began as Harry gnawed on a rock cake, "You're supposed to get post tomorrow morning."
"About what?" Harry said around the hard teacake.
"About our traveling arrangements after term's over. You know, since we're brothers now."
Harry very nearly choked on the gritty crumbs. So, that's why Neville had expected him to know about the adoption in the passageway beneath the Whomping Willow. When Neville looked at him expectantly, Harry wracked his brain for a passably normal response. "We're, erm, brothers?"
Neville nodded with a nervous expression. "Gran's won custody of you. It'll take a couple more days before she gets the full rights of Guardianship—"
"Brothers? You never told me anything," Hermione said looking between them. Harry was a bit thrown off since he was receiving details about information he wouldn't know until the future…
"I forgot." Neville hung his head, blushing. "Sorry. It was supposed to be a secret, so other families didn't try to stop the adoption."
"My congrats ter yeh, Neville an' 'Arry," Hagrid said with a cheerful, booming voice. "Would've loved me ter have a brother."
"How's Buckbeak?" At any moment the rat was going to be revealed, and then Harry was going to catch him and prove to them all that Scabbers had been an Animagus all along... The wait was killing him.
Hagrid waved his meaty hand around. "Good, good. Doesn't want ter stay in the shelter I made fer 'im. Always find 'im wanderin' 'round th' edge of th' forest." Hagrid seemed to remember something at that. "Oh… Have a little surprise for yeh, Hermione." He opened a cookie jar and grabbed something that squealed unhappily.
"Scabbers!" Neville cried. "Ron thought he was dead!"
Remembering Hermione's warning about grabbing the rat in front of them, Harry glanced at her. "Again?"
She gave him an exasperated look and crossed her arms. "Neville, you take him. Ron and I are not on speaking terms."
"Okay, 'Mione." Neville grabbed the wriggling rat and shoved him in his pocket. Harry itched to Stun the rat and take him now. "Where'd you find him, Hagrid?"
"Saved 'im from Buckbeak. Good ole Buckbeak was about ter make a meal of 'im, he was. Distracted him with a treat."
Why, Hagrid? Harry inwardly bemoaned. Nature could have taken its course. And then— And then Black would have never had a chance to reveal the veracity of his claims to Harry in a way that made his version undeniably true.
Harry couldn't take Pettigrew now, and yet the thought of having to leave the Animagus in Neville's pocket made Harry sick.
A jar broke behind them, startling them all.
"Blimey," Hagrid said, "What was that?"
When Hermione picked up a peculiar-looking stone with a spiral design on it, Harry turned towards the window knowing that the Hermione-behind-the-pumpkin had thrown it for a purpose. Harry caught movement up the sloped land and refocused his attention to see two professors making their way out of the covered walkway abutting the castle. In front was the headmaster, whose silver-grey beard gleamed red in the setting sun, and next to him in billowing black robes was Severus Snape with a very sour expression. Harry ducked. "It's Professor Dumbledore and Snape," he hissed at the other two.
"Oh, crikey," Hagrid walked forward, looking out the window. "If they catch yeh 'ere, 'Arry…" He turned and looked at the Gryffindors. "It's nearly dark. None of yeh should be here. Yeh better go before they catch yeh."
Unable to cast the Disillusionment Charm and knowing that Hermione didn't have time to cast it on the three of them convincingly, Harry slipped on his magic cloak to the gasps of the others. "It's an Invisibility Cloak. Get under this. Squeeze together; we should all fit." He lifted it in what he hoped was an inviting manner.
Obediently, Hermione and Neville crouched beside Harry, and he dropped the veil-like material over them.
"This way," came Hagrid's gruff voice. Grabbing the broken jar, Hagrid opened the back side door for them and tossed out the dirtied seed that had been in the jar. The half-giant made a movement as if he'd just caught sight of the professors and waved. He shut the door behind the trio, and they could hear Hagrid trudge to the front door. Meanwhile, Harry silently urged the two beside him to stay crouched so none of their shoes would show as they creeped around the pumpkin patch. Harry had truly missed using his magic cloak. It felt surprisingly good to share it with others.
A moment later they heard a door creak open. "Professors Dumbledore and Snape. Come in!"
The professors stepped inside Hagrid's hut, and the door shut. The three students moved all the way to the other side of the pumpkins. Harry stopped them before they tried to go up the steps set into the steepest part of the hill. "Snape's expecting us to bolt; that's why he's looking out the window," he whispered. Neville looked as white as sour milk, while Hermione took the information with a nod.
"What brings yeh down from th' castle?" Hagrid asked.
"You are not harboring any students past curfew, are you, Hagrid? Professor Snape believes one of his students snuck out of the castle."
"Oh, blimey. Not 'Arry again iz'it?"
"I'm afraid so," Snape said with a nasally serious tone, turning towards Hagrid. He paused. "You have the table set for four teacups. I hope we were not… interrupting your social hour…"
Wanting to derail Snape, Harry picked up a stone and chunked it at the window. It hit Snape on the back of the head, who immediately peered furiously out of the window. Neville and Hermione both gasped in horror at what Harry had done, but neither of them dared to utter another sound.
"What's the matter, Severus?"
"A rock struck me, just now, headmaster," the Potions Master growled, stalking towards Hagrid's back door. "I believe Potter is playing his usual arrogant tricks."
"HEY!" A voice yelled from farther down the hillside. Harry frowned. That sounded like Hermione—
Hagrid's door slammed open. Snape jumped to the ground, wand drawn.
"Severus, aren't you overreacting…?" Professor Dumbledore asked lightly.
"If you expect me to stand here and let a few brats make a fool of me, you are sadly mistaken!" Snape said with a snarl as he disappeared into the undergrowth.
"Oh, dear… It's been years since Severus has been so lively," the headmaster mused gazing out the window, not in the direction Snape had gone, but straight at the three of them. The Gryffindors on either side of Harry shivered.
"Let's move," Harry hissed. Hermione had been gazing distantly in the direction of the yell with a mildly curious expression on her face.
"Yeah, must be tough havin' ter keep after 'Arry," Hagrid's voice said loudly behind them.
The trio started up the sloping lawn toward the castle. The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the west there was still a ruby-red glow. Just as they neared the archway to the castle, Neville shushed his pocket, and Harry saw that the lump was twisting and flailing madly. Pettigrew was making quite a commotion. "Hush up I say, Scabbers!"
Neville let out a piercing cry, tumbling out from under the magic cloak. Hermione took off after him. "Wait, Neville!" Hermione yelled. "NEVILLE!"
Harry stared, blinking furiously after them. And then he had a disturbing feeling of déjà vu as he saw himself and Theodore jump down from the covered bridge to run after them. Harry's heart was pounding in his chest as he heard himself and others shout various spells at the black blur streaking across the dimly lit slope.
What should he do? As he wracked his brain as to where to interfere, Hermione's voice whispered, "Harry? Are you there?"
He whirled around and could see her silvery outline in the moonlight if he sort of tilted his head and squinted. "Yes."
"Go down the hill from Hagrid's cabin where you think the yell came from. Buckbeak's foraging. Lead him to the edge of the lake and wait there."
Harry was puzzled, but agreed to do so. "Hermione, whatever you're doing, be careful."
"I will. Trust me. If you do what I say, I'll make sure Black's pardoned." He could hear her footsteps as she breezed by him.
The sky was fading into deep twilight as the breeze lazily stirred his hair. In the distance he saw a shadow running towards him.
Looking absolutely frantic, the Hermione-from-the-past was running full speed probably to get Lupin's help.
A heavier breeze and footsteps clomped by silently, causing the Bewitched watch to flare with cold momentarily. Harry frowned, seeing an adult's shoe print appear on a patch of half-dried mud. No, that was Lupin… Then who—
"Granger!" Snape roared behind Harry. The Slytherin spun around to watch the scene.
Past-Hermione flinched. "Sir, a black dog grabbed Neville by the ankle and—"
"Twenty points from Gryffindor for being outside after curfew has been enforced. Another ten for being accomplice to Potter's pranks." Hermione gaped at him. "I have a crate of fresh newt's needing to be de-eyed."
"But—"
"Do not try my patience, Granger. You—" The Death Eater fell silent when he had apparently taken a good look into her eyes. "The headmaster must be informed at once. He should still be gossiping with the Gamekeeper in his cabin. If not, fetch Professor McGonagall. Go. Now." Snape's black robes flowed out behind him as he loped towards the Whomping Willow. She ran down the slope.
Remembering Hermione's commands, a jolt of adrenaline flushed through Harry's body. He traveled down the slope, passing her since he was much more sure-footed on the uneven terrain. He passed Hagrid's cabin where the sound of flute was playing, pausing before he went into the dense foliage below. Buckbeak wouldn't follow him without incentive, so he quickly grabbed about six of the dead polecats hanging on the fence next to him before he went into the dense foliage below.
It wasn't long at all before the underbrush moved in a menacing way before him. There was a trumpety bellow, and Harry stopped where he was, removing his magic cloak.
"Hello, Buckbeak," he said to the stormy grey creature.
The hippogriff turned a bright orange eye on him. Unafraid despite the scar he bore on his back, Harry bowed low.
The beast bowed back and then approached him, butting his large eagle beak against Harry's arm.
"Good boy," Harry whispered, patting him on his head. "I need you to follow me."
Buckbeak snapped his beak onto one of the polecats hanging off of Harry and chowed it down eagerly.
Holding out another polecat, Harry walked forward and looked back expectantly. With a stroke of luck, the hippogriff shuffled towards him, croaking. Elated, Harry continued his trek. He threw the polecat towards Buckbeak when he saw the glistening of the lake. At the water's edge, Harry sat down. "Lay down and you'll get another one," Harry said, holding up the polecat.
The eagle head twisted and turned, squawking testily, before the four legs folded beneath the beast. Harry tossed another to him. "Hagrid's spoiled you rotten, hasn't he?"
A sudden idea took hold of Harry. Wormtail had escaped justice by diving into the underbrush as a rat… If the only proof needed was that Wormtail hadn't been murdered…
"Stay," Harry said, offering the beast another dead polecat. Buckbeak stayed put, scratching the ground with his beak.
Night was quickly falling now. Harry didn't dare light his wand. He neared the opposite side of the brush, away from where his Stunning Spells would fly out in the future, just out of reach of the Whomping Willow, and slipped his magic cloak on.
Soon, darkness fell and moonlight streamed through trees whenever the clouds passed out of the way of the full moon. Harry sat there and thought about a lot of things. Mainly, what he would do once Black was granted amnesty. It was a wonderful thought. Having a home of his own without worrying that Black would one day hand him over to Voldemort or keep him trapped inside a castle surrounded by a veritable moat of flora and fauna. Maybe his dad could visit...?
Finally, Harry saw the faint outlines of the party filter out of the passageway… and he waited on bated breath for the moment when the moonlight shone down on everyone and then…
Shouting, spellwork, chaos… Harry gripped his wand tightly ready to pounce the first moment he saw or heard the rat—then, Buckbeak scared him right out of his skin by snapping something by its tail with his beak. Harry grabbed the screaming rat and thrust another dead polecat towards Buckbeak, who happily accepted the trade.
The noise was covered by his past-self's scream to run and Snape's yelled order.
"Stupefy Duo!" Harry hissed, and the squealing rat fell silent in his palm.
He shoved Wormtail into his pocket and took off his magic cloak so it wouldn't be damaged by the branches in his hurry to return to the lake's edge. He hoped that he wouldn't miss the spectacular save by his dad…