A/N Thinking about it, I really should have split this one and the last one up, considering the last one only had about 1,000 words, whilst this one has 7,000 :/ OOPS! Sorry, so I hope this makes up for the lousy last chapter hahah! Only one more to go after this, and then it's the Fourth Book yayya! R&R!

Chapter Twenty

Turning Back Time

Amara awoke with a start. She hadn't wanted to wake up. In fact, she was intent in going back to sleep for a while longer, considering she had yet to open her eyes. She wondered what had made her wake so suddenly. The noise around her was oddly muffled, and she realised the pillow and covers did not smell or feel like the ones in her four-poster. However the bed was just as comfortable. With difficulty, she opened her eyes, rubbing them and noticing that there was no pain in her head anymore. From that thought, everything came rushing back. Sirius Black. Lupin. Pettigrew.

She looked around and saw Hermione on the bed next to her. Raising herself up a little, she saw Harry on the one after that. Opposite Harry, there was Ron. They all seemed to be still asleep.

She heard voices outside the room. They were not at all trying to keep their voices low, so Amara could decipher Snape and Fudge talking.

"Shocking business... shocking... miracle none of them died... never heard the like... by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape..." Fudge was saying.

Hermione suddenly shifted and Amara noticed her eyes wide open. Amara pressed her fingers to her lips.

"Thank you, Minister."

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."

"Nasty cut you've got there... Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Weasley, Matthews and Granger, Minister..."

"No!"

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behavior. They seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent. They weren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape... They obviously thought they were going to catch Black single-handed. They've got away with a great deal before now... I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves... and of course Potter has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the headmaster -"

"Ah, well, Snape... Harry Potter, you know... we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."

"And yet - is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try and treat him like any other student. And any other student would be suspended - at the very least - for leading his friends into such danger. Consider, Minister-against all school rules - after all the precautions put in place for his protection-out-of-bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer-and I have reason to believe he has been visiting Hogsmeade illegally too -"

"Well, well... we shall see, Snape, we shall see... The boy has undoubtedly been foolish..."

There was a moments lapse in the conversation, where Amara's senses kicked into overdrive. Why was she laying here? What happened to Sirius and Lupin? Was Pettigrew still in the forest?

"What amazes me most is the behaviour of the dementors... you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister... by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances..."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the two girls -"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

Amara saw that Madam Pomfrey had come out of her office and was tending to Ron. She moved over slightly now that the conversation had dimmed and exchanged a glance, before she turned over to look at Harry, who seemed to be awake.

But Madam Pomfrey had noticed them and was walking towards them. She went to the middle of Hermione's bed, so that she had a good view of all three of them. With her she had an enormous block of chocolate. Normally, Amara would've loved the thought of it, being the chocoholic she was, but at that moment, she had more pressing things to worry about than chocolate.

"Ah, you're awake!" she said briskly. She placed the chocolate on Harry's bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.

"How's Ron?" said Amara, Harry and Hermione together.

"He'll live, said Madam Pomfrey grimly. "As for you three you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're - Potter, what do you think you're doing?"

For Harry was sitting up, putting his glasses back on, and picking up his wand.

"I need to see the headmaster," he said. Amara began to pick up her wand too, and sit up fully.

"Potter," said Madam Pomfrey soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now -"

"WHAT?"

Amara sprung out the bed - Harry and Hermione had done the same. But Harry's shout had been heard in the corridor outside; next second, Fudge and Snape had entered the ward.

"Harry, Harry, what's this?" said Fudge, looking agitated. "You should be in bed-has he had any chocolate?" he asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously.

"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's -"

But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control..."

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled. "YOUVE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said; she had hurried to Harry's side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and -"

"You see, Minister?" said Snape. "Confunded, both of them... Black's done a very good job on them..."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roared.

"Minister! Professor!" said Madam Pomfrey angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen -"

But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry's mouth; he choked, and she seized the opportunity to force him back onto the bed.

"You've got to listen to us!" Amara said exasperatedly, but Madam Pomfrey choked her with chocolate too.

"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave –"

The door opened again. It was Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black -" Harry said, jumping back out the bed.

"For heaven's sake!" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist -"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr Potter, Miss Matthews and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black -"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind?" spat Snape. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive -"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore, surveying Snape closely through his half-moon spectacles.

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Snape. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"You were knocked out!" Amara said loudly. "Of course you wouldn't have seen him!"

"Miss Matthews, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances -"

"I would like to speak to Harry, Amara and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy - please leave us."

"Headmaster!" sputtered Madam Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest -"

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Harry, Amara and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

Snape took a step toward Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen," he breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?""My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly.

Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to Harry, Amara and Hermione. They all burst into speech at the same time.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth - we saw Pettigrew!"

"He's an Animagus!"

"- he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf –"

"- e's a rat -"

" – for twelve years! –"

"- Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off –"

"- he confessed everything! –"

"- Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius –"

But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word - and the word of three 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 the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"Professor Lupin can tell you -" Harry said, unable to stop himself

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little - and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends -"

"But -"

"Listen to me, Harry. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."

"He hates Sirius," Hermione said desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him -"

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady-entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife - without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

"But you believe us."

"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic..."

Amara gulped and nodded.

"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes moved from Harry to Hermione, "is more time."

"But -" Hermione began. And then her eyes became very round. "OH!"

Amara frowned. She thought about it and realised to. Dumbledore must've seen the realisation for his eyes twinkled before turning serious again.

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, all of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law-you know what is at stake... You-must-not-be-seen."

This was dangerous, Amara initial thought was. Going back in time to where they'd already been? It was going to be hard work.

"I am going to lock you in. It is -" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

But Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from beneath them a very long, very fine gold chain. Amara stood next to her and pulled the chain over her head as well. She held it out to a very bewildered Harry. The hourglass was hanging from it.

"Harry!" Amara said impatiently. "We don't have time for messing around!"

Harry moved toward her and Amara threw the chain around his neck.

"Ready?" Hermione said breathlessly.

"What are we doing?" Harry said.

Hermione turned the hourglass over three times.

The dark ward dissolved. Amara had the sensation that she was flying very fast, backward. A blur of colours and shapes rushed past them, her ears were pounding inside her head and she was thankful that it stopped as quickly as it came. They were in the entrance hall, sunlight streaming in from the open doors.

"Amara - Hermione, what -?"

"In here!" Hermione seized Harry's arm and dragged him across the hall to the door of a broom closet, Amara following quickly; she opened it, pushed Harry inside among the buckets and mops, and Amara slammed the door behind them.

"What – how – Amara, Hermione, what happened?"

"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered, lifting the chain off Amara's and Harry's neck in the darkness. "Three hours back..."

Amara felt a stinging on her leg.

"Ouch!" she said.

"Sorry," Harry whispered. "I thought it was mine."

Amara refrained a snort.

"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think - I think it might be us!" Hermione had her ear pressed against the cupboard door.

"Footsteps across the hall... yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"

"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"

"Yes," said Hermione, her ear still glued to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like more than four people... and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak-"

She broke off, still listening intently.

"We've gone down the front steps..."

Hermione sat down on an upturned bucket, looking desperately anxious, and Amara stood with her back against the wall.

"Where did you get that hourglass thing?" Harry asked.

"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies... I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But..."

"Wait," said Harry. "Amara – you knew about this?"

Amara looked slightly abashed. "Well, I kind of forced it out of her," she admitted. "I spied on her after Ancient Runes class and saw her use it. I wasn't allowed to tell you guys."

"Anyway," Hermione said, bringing back normal matters. "I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

Harry stared at them. Amara was thinking to herself.

"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," Harry said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago..."

Hermione replied, but Amara wasn't listening. It was hard to think in the confined space of the broom closet. Amara screwed up her mind in concentration.

"Dumbledore just said - just said we could save more than one innocent life..." And then it hit him. "Hermione, we're going to save Buckbeak!"

"Of course!" Amara said, feeling stupid. "Dumbledore told us where he's been locked up - we can fly Buckbeak up to the window and help him escape!"

"And they can escape together - Sirius on Buckbeak!" Harry finished.

Hermione looked utterly terrified.

"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"

"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry. He stood up and pressed his ear against the door. "Doesn't sound like anyone's there... Come on, let's go."

Harry pushed open the closet door. Nobody was in the entrance hall, making it eerily quiet for Amara as they walked quickly and quietly through the hall and out of the front doors. Amara let a breath out she didn't realise she was holding. It was strange, because the sun had nearly gone again, which was confusing, because it had already happened.

"If anyone's looking out of the window -" Hermione squeaked, looking up at the castle behind them.

"We'll run for it," said Harry determinedly. "Straight into the forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout -"

"Okay, but we'll go around by the greenhouses!" said Hermione breathlessly. "We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or we'll see us! We must be nearly at Hagrid's by now!"

Amara shared a bewildered and puzzled glance at Harry as they began to sprint off down to the vegetable gardens and to the greenhouses. They paused for a second - Amara breathing heavily - before running off again around the edge of the Whomping Willow and into the outskirts of the forest.

Amara arrived seconds after Harry with Hermione a step behind her. She leaned on a tree slightly, panting.

"Wow, I should get better at that," Amara panted and Harry smirked for a second before Hermione spoke.

"Right," she gasped. "We need to sneak over to Hagrid's... Keep out of sight, though..."

They made their way silently through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's house, they heard a knock upon his door. They moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk and peered out - Amara and Harry on one side, and Hermione on the other. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked. Ot freaked Amara out how she'd already seen this Hagrid before. Then they all heard Harry's voice.

"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn't've come!" Hagrid whispered. He stood back, then shut the door quickly.

"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Harry said fervently. Amara nodded in agreement.

"Let's move along a bit," Hermione whispered. "We need to get nearer to Buckbeak!"

They crept through the trees until they saw the nervous hippogriff, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

"Now?" Harry whispered.

"No!" said Hermione. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's

tied outside!"

"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," said Harry. Amara gulped. How were they supposed to do that in sixty seconds?

At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin.

"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "And Amara's going to find Scabbers in a moment -"

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard a scream from Amara.

"Wait," Harry said suddenly, "what if we - we just run in there and grab Pettigrew -"

"No!" said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen -"

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!"

"That's even weirder!" Amara said exasperatedly. "What would you think if suddenly you saw yourself running into Hagrid's house?"

"I'd - I'd think I'd gone mad," said Harry, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on -"

"Exactly!" Hermione carried on. "You wouldn't understand, you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time... Loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"

"Okay!" said Harry. "It was just an idea, I just thought -"

But Hermione nudged them and pointed toward the castle. Amara friend her gaze and saw Dumbledore, Fudge, the Committee member and Macnair the executioner walking towards Hagrid's.

"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed.

And sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and Amara saw herself, Harry, Ron and Hermione walking out of the hut with Hagrid, who was as pale as a ghost. Amara felt extremely strange as she watched herself walk into the pumpkin patch whilst behind a tree.

"It's Okay, Beaky, it's okay..." Hagrid said to Buckbeak. Then he turned to Amara, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Go on. Get goin'."

"Hagrid, we can't -"

"We'll tell them what really happened

"They can't kill him -"

"We have to stay -"

"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

They watched the Hermione in the pumpkin patch throw the Invisibility Cloak over Amara, Harry and Ron.

"Go quick. Don' listen..."

There was a knock on Hagrid's front door. The execution party had arrived. Hagrid turned, around and headed back into his cabin, leaving the back door ajar. The grass flattened in patches all around the cabin as four pairs of feet retreated back up the lawns. The quartet from the time before had gone... but the Amara, Harry and Hermione hidden in the trees could now hear what was happening inside the cabin through the back door.

"Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair.

"Out - outside," Hagrid croaked.

Amara quickly ducked out of sight when they saw Macnair in the window, taking a look at Buckbeak. Then they heard Fudge speak.

"We - er - have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, You're supposed to listen too, that's procedure -"

Macnair's face vanished from the window. It was now or never.

"Wait here," Harry whispered to Amara and Hermione. "I'll do it."

As Fudge's voice started again, Harry darted out from behind his tree, vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch, and approached Buckbeak. Amara trembled as she kept glancing at Harry, then back at the hut where voices were still speaking. She hoped against hope that Macnair did not look out the window again.

"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall he executed on the sixth of June at sundown -"

Amara watched as Buckbeak Bowes for Harry and he began to fumble with the knot of rope tying Buckbeak to the fence.

"... sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair ..."

"Come on, Harry," Amara whispered to herself as she took a glance at Hermione. She looked utterly petrified at what they were doing.

"... as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here..."

Harry had thrown all his weight onto the rope, but Buckbeak had dug in his front feet.

"Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stay inside -"

"No, I - I wan' ter be with him... I don' wan' him ter be alone -"

Footsteps echoed from within the cabin.

Amara, before Hermione could react, darted out from behind their tree and grabbed the rope too. With two people tugging hard at the rope, Buckbeak finally began to move. Amara kept on pulling, desperately, for they were in plain view if someone opened the door.

"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too."

The footsteps stopped. Harry and Amara heaved on the rope. Buckbeak snapped his beak and walked a little faster.

Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree. "Harry, Amara, hurry!" she mouthed.

They could still hear Dumbledore's voice talking from within the cabin, so they gave the rope another wrench. Buckbeak broke into a grudging trot. They had reached the trees...

"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moaned, darting out from behind her tree, seizing the rope too and adding her weight to make Buckbeak move faster. They couldn't see Hagrid's garden at all now.

"Stop!" Harry whispered to them. "They might hear us -"

Hagrid's back door had opened with a bang. Amara, Harry, Hermione, and Buckbeak stood quite still; even the hippogriff seemed to be listening intently.

Silence... then -

"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. "I saw it! just here!"

"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.

"Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.

There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to

Hagrid. Amara, Harry and Hermione tightened their grip and dug their heels into the forest floor to stop him.

"Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the forest."

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will... Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."

"O' - o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in..."

Amara, Harry and Hermione listened closely. They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.

"Now what?" whispered Harry, looking around.

"We'll have to hide in here," said Hermione, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait until

it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius's window. He won't be there for another couple of hours... Oh, this is going to be difficult..."

She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the forest. The sun was setting now.

"It'll be fine," Amara said, trying to reassure herself as well.

"We're going to have to move," said Harry. "We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."

"Okay," said Hermione, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. "But we've got to keep out of sight, remember..."

They moved around the edge of the forest, darkness falling thickly around them, until they were hidden behind a clump of trees through which they could make out the Willow.

"There's Ron!" said Harry suddenly.

A dark figure was sprinting across the lawn and its shout echoed through the still night air.

"Get away from him - get away - Scabbers, come here -"

Then they saw a smaller figure (Amara was not amused with this fact) running after him before stopping for the other two figures that had come out of nowhere to catch up. Together they ran towards the first figure of Ron dive to the ground.

"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat -"

"There's Sirius!" said Harry. The great shape of the dog had bounded out from the roots of the Willow. They saw him bowl Harry over, then seize Ron...

"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" said Harry, watching the dog pulling Ron into the roots. "Ouch - look, me and Amara just got walloped by the tree - and so did you - this is weird -"

The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches; they could see themselves darting here and there, trying to reach the trunk. And then the tree froze.

"That was Crookshanks pressing the knot," said Hermione.

"And there we go..." Harry muttered. "We're in."

The moment they disappeared, the tree began to move again. Seconds later, they heard footsteps quite close by. Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge, and the old Committee member were making their way up to the castle.

"That was close!" Amara said. "Imagine if Fudge or Macnair had followed and killed Sirius straight away!"

"We'd have Dumbledore though," Hermione pointed out.

"Yes but even he thought Sirius was a murderer, didn't he?"

They watched the four men climb the castle steps and disappear from view. For a few minutes the scene was deserted. Then -

"Here comes Lupin!" said Harry as they saw another figure sprinting down the stone steps and hurling toward the Willow.

They watched Lupin seize a broken branch from the ground and prod the knot on the trunk. The tree stopped fighting, and Lupin, too,

disappeared into the gap in its roots.

"If he'd only grabbed the cloak," said Harry. "It's just lying there..."

He turned to Amara and Hermione.

"If I just dashed out now and grabbed it, Snape'd never be able to get it and -"

"Harry, we mustn't be seen!"

"But he has a point," Amara said. "It would be much better if we did."

"How can you stand this?" Harry asked Hermione fiercely. "Just standing here and watching it happen?" He hesitated. "I'm going to grab the cloak!"

"Harry, no!" Hermione seized the back of Harry's robes not a moment too soon. Just then, they heard a burst of song. It was Hagrid, making his way up to the castle, singing at the top of his voice, and weaving slightly as he walked. A large bottle was swinging from his hands.

"See?" Hermione whispered. "See what would have happened? We've got to keep out of sight! No, Buckbeak!"

"Doubt Hagrid's in the right frame of mind to see you," Amara muttered to Harry as the hippogriff was making frantic attempts to get to Hagrid again; Amara and Harry seized his rope too, straining to hold Buckbeak back. They watched Hagrid meander tipsily up to the castle. He was gone. Buckbeak stopped fighting to get away. His head drooped sadly.

Barely two minutes later, the castle doors flew open yet again, and Snape came charging out of them, running toward the Willow.

Harry's fists clenched as they watched Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the cloak and held it up.

"Get your filthy hands off it," Harry snarled under his breath.

"Shh!"

Snape seized the branch Lupin had used to freeze the tree, prodded the knot, and vanished from view as he put on the cloak.

"So that's it," said Hermione quietly. "We're all down there... and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again..."

She took the end of Buckbeak's rope and tied it securely around the nearest tree, then sat down on the dry ground, arms around her knees.

"Amara, Harry, there's something I don't understand... Why didn't the dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out... there were so many of them..."

"I don't remember either," Amara said. "I think I'd passed out by that time too."

Harry sat down too. He explained what he'd seen: "As the Dementor was lowering his hood down to me, this - this silver thing - it was large - came galloping over to me, and it dispelled all the Dementors away."

"But what was it?" asked Hermione after he'd finished, leaving the two girls open mouthed.

"There's only one thing it could have been, to make the dementors go," said Harry. "A real Patronus. A powerful one."

"But who conjured it?" Amara said.

Harry didn't say anything.

"Didn't you see what they looked like?" said Hermione eagerly. "Was it one of the teachers?"

"No," said Harry. "He wasn't a teacher."

"But it must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those dementors away... If the Patronus was shining so brightly, didn't it light him up? Couldn't you see -?"

"Yeah, I saw him," said Harry slowly. "But... maybe I imagined it... I wasn't thinking straight... I passed out right afterward..."

"Who did you think it was?"

"I think -" Harry swallowed, knowing how strange this was going to sound. "I think it was my dad."

Harry glanced up at Amara and Hermione. Amara was very confused.

"Harry, your dad's - well - dead," she said quietly. Amara rolled her eyes at the tact.

"I know that," said Harry quickly.

"You think you saw his ghost?"

"I don't know... no... he looked solid..."

"If he was a ghost, he'd've shown himself before now," Amara pointed out. "Maybe - maybe it was something else? Like - um -"

"Maybe I was seeing things," said Harry. "But... from what I could see... it looked like him... I've got photos of him..."

Amara didn't know what to think. It sounded ridiculous, yet could it be true?

"I know it sounds crazy," said Harry flatly. He turned to took at

Buckbeak, who was digging his beak into the ground, apparently searching for worms.

"You know," Amara whispered to Hermione as Harry was thinking. "If you think about it, it's all Malfoy's fault."

"What d'you mean?" Hermione said.

"If he hasn't been a git and provoked Buckbeak, he'd never have been put for execution and we wouldn't have gone to see Hagrid ..."

"You're right," Hermione said. "But it's better that we now know that Sirius isn't a murderer and Scabbers is the traitor."

"Yeah, I know," Amara sighed. "I wonder what it's like to just not be worried about anything except exams."

"Would you prefer that?"

"Nah," Amara smiled slightly. "Not at all."

The leaves overhead rustled faintly in the breeze. The moon drifted in and out of sight behind the shifting clouds. Amara and Hermione sat with their faces turned toward the Willow, waiting for the group of seven to reappear.

And then, at last, after over an hour... "Here we come!" Hermione whispered.

Amara, Hermione and Harry got to their feet. Buckbeak raised his head. They saw Lupin, Ron, and Pettigrew clambering awkwardly out of the hole in the roots. Then came Hermione and Amara... then the unconscious Snape, drifting weirdly upward. Next came Harry and Black. They all began to walk toward the castle.

Amara clutched Harry's arm as her breath hitched. Any moment now, that cloud was going to move aside and show the moon...

"Harry," Hermione muttered as though she knew exactly what he was thinking, "we've got to stay put. We mustn't be seen. There's nothing we can do..."

"So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again..." said Harry quietly. Amara unconsciously tightened her grip on his arm.

"How do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" snapped Hermione. "There's nothing we can do! We came back to help Sirius; we're not supposed to be doing anything else!"

"All right!"

The moon slid out from behind its cloud. They saw the tiny figures across the grounds stop. Then they saw movement -

"There goes Lupin," Hermione whispered. "He's transforming." "Hermione! Amara!" said Harry suddenly. "We've got to move!"

"We mustn't, I keep telling you -"

"Not to interfere! Lupin's going to run into the forest, right at us!"

"Oh no!" breathed Amara. "What do we do? We don't know where Lupin goes!"

Hermione moaned in despair as she ran to untie Buckbeak.

"Back to Hagrid's!" Harry said. "It's empty now - come on!"

They ran as fast as they could, Buckbeak cantering along behind them. They could hear the werewolf howling behind them... Amara's heart was thudding inside her as they sprinted through the trees. What if Lupin found them? What if someone was at Hagrid's hut?

The cabin was in sight; Harry skidded to the door, wrenched it open, and Amara, Hermione and Buckbeak flashed past him; Harry threw himself in after them and bolted the door. Fang the boarhound barked loudly.

"Shh, Fang, it's us!" said Hermione, hurrying over and scratching his ears to quieten him. "That was really close!" she said to Harry and Amara.

"Too close," Amara said, wiping her forehead wearily.

"Yeah..."

Harry was looking out of the window. Amara helped make Fang quieten as he did so, he heart still beating rather hard. Buckbeak seemed very happy to find himself back inside Hagrid's house. He lay down in front of the fire, folded his wings contentedly, and seemed ready for a good nap.

"I think I'd better go outside again, you know," said Harry slowly. "I can't see what's going on - we won't know when it's time -"

Hermione looked up. Her expression was suspicious.

"I'm not going to try and interfere," said Harry quickly. "But if we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"

"I'll go with him, shall I?" Amara said. "Just to - just to make sure?"

"Well... okay, then... I'll wait here with Buckbeak... but Harry - Amara - be careful - there's a werewolf out there - and the Dementors ..."

Harry and Amara stepped outside again and edged around the cabin. They could hear yelping in the distance. That meant the dementors were closing in on Sirius... Harry, Amara and Hermione would be running to him any moment...

Amara watched Harry carefully, knowing full well what he was contemplating in his mind. She frowned, but stopped a gasp from escaping when she saw the hundreds of Dementors swarming over the lake towards their past selves. Harry suddenly began to run.

"Harry!" Amara hissed before taking off after him. What was he doing?

The lake was coming nearer and nearer and Amara realised that Harry was waiting to see the person who had sent the Patronus - the person who might be his father. As the realisation dawned on her, Amara saw the figures on te other side of the bank - the small glimmers of Harry's attempt of the Patronus. There was a bush at the very edge of the water and Amara and Harry threw themselves behind it, peering through the leaves. On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished. Amara watched, now eager to see who arrived and who saved them all from the Dementors.

"Come on!" Harry muttered desperately, staring about. "Where are you? Dad, come on -"

But no one came. Harry raised his head to look at the circle of dementors across the lake. Amara was starting to feel worried no one would come. One of them was lowering its hood. It was time for the rescuer to appear, from what Harry had said - but no one was coming to help this time -

And before Amara could react, Harry flung himself out from behind the bush. She gasped and nearly shouted out as Harry yelled:

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

And out of the end of Harry's wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. Amara gaped in awe at the amazing sight. She screwed up her eyes, trying to see what it was. It was a deer - no a stag, but she couldn't be sure, because It was galloping silently away from them, across the black surface of the lake. It lowered its head and charge at the swarming dementors... Now it was galloping around and around the black shapes on the ground, and the dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness... They were gone.

The Patronus turned. It was cantering back toward Harry across the still surface of the water. Amara had unintentionally raised herself above the bush. She was right, it was a stag - proud and magnificent, it bowed its head to Harry.

"Prongs," Harry whispered through the silence.

But as his trembling fingertips stretched toward the creature, it vanished. Harry stood there, hand still outstretched. Amara fully stood up now, her mouth still gaping and her eyes wide. Harry turned towards her and she let out a laugh and a gasp of awe at the same time. But then they heard the sound of hooves and Amara turned to see Hermione and Buckbeak running towards them.

"What did you two do?" she said fiercely. "You said you were only going to keep a lookout!"

"I just saved all our lives..." said Harry. "Get behind here - behind this bush - I'll explain." They went over to where Amara was standing.

Hermione listened to what had just happened with her mouth open yet again.

"Did anyone see you?"

"Yes, haven't you been listening? I saw me but I thought I was my dad! It's okay!"

"Harry, I can't believe it... You conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those dementors! That's very, very advanced magic..."

"It was amazing," Amara said, speaking for the first time.

"I knew I could do it this time," said Harry, "because I'd already done it ...

Does that make sense?"

"Sort of," Amara grinned.

"I don't know - Harry, Amara, look at Snape!"

Together they peered around the bush at the other bank. Snape had regained consciousness. He was conjuring stretchers and lifting the limp forms of Amara, Harry, Hermione, and Black onto them. A fifth stretcher, no doubt bearing Ron, was already floating at his side. Then, wand held out in front of him, he moved them away toward the castle.

"Right, it's nearly time," said Hermione tensely, looking at her watch. "We've got about forty-five minutes until Dumbledore locks the door to the hospital wing. We've got to rescue Sirius and get back into the ward before anybody realizes we're missing..."

They waited, watching the moving clouds reflected in the lake, while the bush next to them whispered in the breeze. Buckbeak, bored, was ferreting for worms again.

"D' you reckon he's up there yet?" said Harry, checking his watch. Amara glanced up at the castle, looking at the windows.

"Look!" Hermione whispered. "Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"

Harry stared through the darkness. The man was hurrying across the grounds, toward one of the entrances. Something shiny glinted in his belt.

"It's Macnair!" Amara said.

"The executioner! " said Harry. "He's gone to get the dementors! This is it, Hermione, Amara -"

Hermione put her hands on Buckbeak's back and Harry gave her a leg up. He did the same for Amara, who went in front of Hermione, then Harry went in front of her. He pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of his collar like reins.

"Ready?" he whispered to Amara and Hermione. "Amara, you better hold on to me, and Hermione you hold into Amara -" He nudged Buckbeak's sides with his heels.

Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Harry gripped his flanks with his knees, feeling the great wings rising powerfully beneath them. Amara was holding Harry very tight around the waist; but she actually enjoyed the ride - whilst Hermione, who's grip was rather painful, was muttering, "Oh, no - I don't like this oh, I really don't like this-"

Harry urged Buckbeak forward. They were gliding quietly toward the upper floors of the castle... Harry pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned. Amara tried to count the windows flashing past -

"Whoa!" he said, pulling backward as hard as he could.

Buckbeak slowed down and they found themselves at a stop, unless you counted the fact that they kept rising up and down several feet as the hippogriff beat his wings to remain airborne.

"He's there!" Harry said, spotting Sirius as they rose up beside the window. He reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings fell, was able to tap sharply on the glass.

Black looked up. Amara smirked slightly as his jaw nearly dropeed to the floor. He leapt from his chair, hurried to the window and tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Stand back!" Hermione called to him, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Amara's robes with her left hand.

"Alohomora!"

The window sprang open.

"How - how -?" said Black weakly, staring at the hippogriff

"Get on - there's not much time," said Harry and Amara squeezed her knees against Buckbeak's body so that she was stable. "You've got to get out of here - the dementors are coming - Macnair's gone to get them."

Black placed a hand on either side of the window frame and heaved his head and shoulders out of it. It was very lucky he was so thin. In seconds, he had managed to fling one leg over Buckbeak's back and pull himself onto the hippogriff behind Hermione.

"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" said Harry, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower - come on.

The hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upward again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and Amara, Harry and Hermione slid off him at once.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quick," Harry panted. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head, so Amara stroked him a little, which he seemed to like.

"What happened to the other boy? Ron?" croaked Sirius.

"He's going to be okay. He's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick - go -"

But Black was still staring down at Harry.

"How can I ever thank -"

"GO!" Amara, Harry and Hermione shouted together.

Black wheeled Buckbeak around, facing the open sky.

"We'll see each other again," he said. "You are - truly your father's son, Harry..."

He squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels. Amara, Harry and Hermione jumped back as the hippogriff took to the sky. Amara gazed, shoulder to shoulder with Harry and Hermione, at the fugitive and the hippogriff got smaller and smaller as they got further away. A cloud shifted itself so that it covered the moon and the two figures disappeared.