I have no words, besides, "Sorry this took so long." Hopefully more will come quickly. Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with me for this long. Hope it was worth the wait!

It wasn't hard to track Evra down. After all, the scent of teenage hormones and strong emotions tended to be hard to miss. The boy yelled and jerked away as the unexpected hand fell upon his shoulder, halting his trek through the woods. Mr. Crepsley quickly shushed him, his expression hard. Evra didn't even bother looking sheepish. It was easy to see that he was trembling, though whether it was due to the cold, the magic that permeated the air, or the threat of danger that hung over their heads with each step they took towards the castle, Crepsley didn't know.

"Do you know where you're going?" He questioned, taking a few strides forward once Evra had calmed down. After a pause, the boy hurried forward to fall into step beside the vampire, nearly jogging to keep pace.

"I'm going to the castle, to find Darren-" Here, his voice hitched in an unusual fashion and something ugly stirred in Crepsley's chest. "-and bring him back before they...they can…." He trailed off again, his breaths coming faster. Mr. Crepsley came to an abrupt halt as suspicion formed in his mind. He turned to the boy and bent so they were face to face faster than the human eye could track. Evra did not wince, though his eyes were wide and wild with an emotion that could only be described as desperation.

"Evra." His voice was quiet, sharp and commanding, but it was not enough to draw the boy's full attention to him. Perhaps he was in shock.

"Evra! What do you know? What have they done to Darren?"

"They...he's...they killed him, Mr. Crepsley. I heard them say that he was dead and I saw them taking him away. He was so pale and thin and-" he broke off with a choked noise, turning away. The vampire was quiet, still enough that one might even take him to be a victim of the basilisk, left to rot in the middle of the forbidden forest.

Then, he took one deep, shuddering breath and straightened up. He did not look at Evra as he spoke.

"Are you quite certain about this?"

The snake boy nodded, his own eyes trained on the ground. Slowly, the vampire raised his right hand to his face, placing the middle finger upon his forehead, his ring and pointer fingers upon his eyes, and spread his thumb and pinky to the side. For a split second, everything was still and silent. Then with a short, sharp jerk of his head, he turned away and began to walk once more. Evra stared after him, mouth agape, before he

followed once again.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

When Harry awoke, he was startled to find himself in the hospital wing. The moon shone brightly through the windows and the various curtains and wall hangings had been switched to black. As he sat up he heard a quiet gasp and before he knew it he had an armful of bushy haired witch.

Hermione clung to him, arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders as she murmured, "I'm so glad you're alright."

In the bed next to him, Ron repeated the sentiment, his eyes enormous and face pale. His leg was bandaged and elevated, and it was then that Harry was reminded of the events of the night. He paled, glancing wildly about as he gently disentangled himself from Hermione. She looked concerned.

"Harry, what are you-"

"Where's Sirius?" He demanded, rising from the bed and trying not to stumble with the first step he took. He felt weak and drained, and found himself wishing desperately for a piece of chocolate. As he saw the looks upon his two best friends' faces, he felt his stomach drop.

"No… That can't be right. He's innocent, and we have proof! They have to listen."

"Harry, I don't think-"

"Listen to what?" A new voice cut in. Dumbledore was standing in the wide entranceway, his hands folded neatly in front of him.

Harry felt a rush of relief. Surely this was someone who would listen to the truth of the matter, and who had the power to help. Quickly, he tried to explain the situation, Ron filling in pieces about who Scabbers really was. They were cut off as the headmaster stepped forward, gesturing for silence. He met each of their eyes with his own twinkling gaze, a thoughtful little smile curving his mouth.

"I do believe you, but there are many who will not. A child's voice, no matter how honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen." Despite the somber words, the tiny smile remained in place as he moved closer to the three children. "Time is a mysterious thing, isn't it? Powerful, but also quite dangerous when meddled with. You know the laws, Ms. Granger." The smile slipped away as he met Hermione's wide eyed gaze. "Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the dark tower, and do be careful on the grounds; It would seem we have some interesting visitors. Perhaps they could be of some assistance. If you succeed, more than one innocent life could be spared." The smile was back as he turned from them and headed towards the door. Hermione was already moving, grabbing Harry. Dumbledore paused, sparing them one last glance. "Oh, and one more thing. While I've found retracing one's steps to be immensely helpful, sometimes exploring new options works just as well. My office is particularly nice this time of year."

And with a wink and a smile, he was gone. Silence reigned for a second, before Ron muttered, "What the bloody hell was that all about?"

Pulling Harry closer, Hermione spared Ron a quick glance as she said, "Sorry, but seeing as you can't walk." before pulling a necklace from her shirt and looping the chain around Harry's neck as well as her own. She fumbled with the device with trembling fingers.

"Hermione, what are-"

"Shoosh."

As she finished twisting the piece, the world around them seemed to fall away. Harry looked around them in awe as people cycled passed them, seemingly in reverse. Then, it all stilled and they were left standing in an empty hospital wing. The sun shone merrily through the windows, though the curtains were still black. Harry gaped, trying to stutter out the many questions racing through his mind.

Hermione turned to him, breathlessly explaining. "It's a Time Turner, Harry. It's how I've been making my classes all year. Now, where were we at 7:30?"

"I-I don't know. Down at Hagrid's, I guess?"

She nodded sharply, mouth twisting as she thought. "Professor Dumbledore said that if we were successful, more than one innocent life would be spared. Do you think he might have meant Darren?"

"I don't know how." Harry replied, shaking his head slowly, eyes still wide as he tried to process the fact that they had somehow travelled back in time. "The Ministry would've already come by now."

"He said something about his office." She suggested, already making her way towards the door. Harry hurried after her after only the slightest of hesitations, almost jogging to keep up with her brisk pace. The hallways were practically deserted, and the few students or staff members they passed didn't give either of them a second glance. They came upon Dumbledore's office, and Hermione gave the password. The statue sprung aside, and the pair went up the stairs as quietly as they could. Even before the door to the headmaster's office came into sight, they could hear the sound of raised voices. Hermione gestured for her friend to be quiet, to which Harry just rolled his eyes and mouthed "I already knew that."

As they drew nearer to the door, the incoherent shouting formed itself into words.

"-another thing! If you were so desperate to keep this creature here, then you should've just said something instead of gathering an-an-an army of students to rally against us!" A man's voice was saying, angry and loud.

"He did no such thing, Cornelius." McGonagall's cold voice cut in, her tone leaving no room for argument. The man cleared his throat, but before he could continue any further, the professor spoke again. "They made the decision on their own. Frankly, I am appalled that you would allow your executioner to cast a killing curse while on school grounds, in front of the children, of all things!"

The Minister spluttered for a moment, seeming cowed by McGonagall's furious words, before he managed to say, "But it wasn't a killing curse, Minerva. We simply stunned the creature and told the students he was dead, to calm them. We shall be transporting him to the Ministry for further study as soon as the sun sets, and he shall be put down there. Humanely, of course."

Inside the room, the conversation continued, but the two students lurking outside were too stunned to pay any attention. They stared at one another with enormous, hope filled eyes as the realization of what the Minister had said sunk in. Then, together, they were moving. They exited the staircase quickly, and as soon as they were clear of the headmaster's office and the gryffin who guarded the entrance had closed once more, they both burst into breathless exclamations at the same moment.

"Did you hear what they said?"

"There's still a chance to save him! To save them both!"

Eyes bright, they both raced from the castle and onto the grounds, heading towards the spot with the best vantage point of both the whomping willow and the path that lead to the entrance to Hogwarts grounds.

"Now we wait?" Harry asked, settling onto the grass and pulling his jacket tighter around himself. Hermione nodded as she settled beside him, huddling close and leaning against his side.

"Now we wait."

The time passed slowly, but eventually scenes from the past began to play out before their eyes. Harry winced as he watched Sirius in his dog form grab hold of Ron and drag him into the base of the whomping willow. Their cries echoed eerily across the grounds. It was a wonder that no one aside from Snape had come to investigate.

"When Professor Dumbledore said that we had visitors on the grounds, he did mean Crepsley, right?"

Hermione nodded, not taking her eyes away from the empty field before them. She seemed on edge, despite knowing that it would be quite some time before anyone would emerge. Harry frowned.

"Why don't we just go in there now? We could warn them, well, warn ourselves about what's going to happen and tell Crepsley about Darren now."

At this, his friend finally turned to look at him. Her expression was deathly serious, her worry etched in the lines on her brow. "Absolutely not. Terrible things happen to those who meddle with time, Harry. If we were to go in there now, everyone would think themselves gone mad. And they likely wouldn't believe us anyway." She shook her head. "It's better if we just stay where we are for now. We can find him afterwards and tell him what we know, then."

There were no more words spoken between them for a long time. The moon rose slowly, bright and full, illuminating the school grounds when it wasn't hidden by clouds. In the forest behind them, the rustling and crunching of the animals and other creatures that inhabited the forest could be heard. If he didn't know what was happening right at that very moment, and what would happen soon after, Harry might even have called it peaceful.

"Harry, look. Here we come."

One by one, the figures below emerged from the base of the tree and the scene began to play out, just as Harry remembered it. He frowned, wishing they could do something to change things. Hermione's hand found his, though, clutching it tight enough that it hurt and reminding him of her warnings. He bit his lip and watched. When Crepsley ran off, Lupin trailing close behind, Hermione rose, pulling Harry to his feet as well.

Her voice trembled when she said, "It's time."

Together, they followed the vampire and the werewolf, anxious yet full of hope.