Chapter 180 The Stag And The Doe

Going back in time, in Professor Lupin's office, Harry and Hermione waited anxiously.

"We can't just stay here doing nothing, Hermione," Harry paced back and forth in the room, irritated, and said, "Peter Pettigrew is about to escape. We need to go to the Forbidden Forest and help Evan catch him."

"No, Harry!" Hermione rushed to shake him and stopped him. "We can't leave, have you forgotten? We should all be in the first-floor hall. You can't take risks, if someone finds out..."

"I know, but if we can't leave, isn't it the same for Evan?"

"He's different from us. He's an Animagus; his Animagus form is a black cat. He can leave the castle at will without being seen." Hermione also looked worried, but quickly regained her composure. "I believe in Evan, Harry, he will capture Peter Pettigrew alive."

Upon hearing her words, Harry tightened his wand in his hand and fell silent.

"Harry, there's something I don't understand... Why didn't the Dementors capture Sirius? I remember they arrived, and then I think I passed out... there were so many of them..."

Harry also sat down. He explained what he had seen; how, when the closest Dementor lowered its mouth towards Harry, two silvery things flew out of the castle, forcing the Dementors to retreat and flee.

"Silvery things?" Hermione repeated, seemingly unresponsive.

"There's only one thing they could have been to drive the Dementors away," said Harry. "Real, powerful Patronuses."

"But why were there two?" Hermione's mouth was slightly open, showing confusion. "Could it have been Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick who summoned them?"

"I don't think it was them, they should have been in the auditorium, they didn't even know what was happening outside." Harry shook his head. He tried to remember the shapes of the two Patronuses.

"Was it Dumbledore or other professors?"

"No, those two Patronuses were definitely not summoned by any professor," whispered Harry, growing increasingly certain.

"But they must have been really powerful wizards, to scare away all those Dementors... I still remember the Patronus Evan summoned at that moment, facing more than a hundred Dementors, for just a few seconds. If the Patronuses shone so brightly, couldn't you see...?"

"I didn't see who summoned them. The two Patronuses eventually split over the castle." Harry spoke slowly, "but I think, I should know who they were!"

Hermione remained silent, staring at him.

"I think..." Harry swallowed, knowing how strange it would sound, "I think it was my dad and mum."

Harry looked up at Hermione and saw that she now had her mouth wide open, watching him with a mix of alarm and compassion.

"Harry, your parents have already..." She spoke softly, "Well, you know, they are already dead!"

"I know," Harry replied quickly.

"So, do you think you saw their ghosts?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but the two Patronuses..."

Harry hadn't finished speaking when a faint sound of explosion was heard outside the castle. The distance was too far. If one didn't listen carefully, they wouldn't even have noticed.

"That was magic from Peter Pettigrew. He immediately fled to the Forbidden Forest." Harry quickly rose from the floor. "We must go out, Hermione!"

"No, we can't, we will be discovered..."

"We won't be discovered, we don't have to go to the hallway," said Harry hurriedly. "If I just go to the hallway window, I just want to see who summoned the two Patronuses."

Harry turned around and hastily left the office. Unable to understand why, he suddenly was thinking about his father and his three old friends, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot.

Tonight, Wormtail reappeared; everyone believed he had died long ago!

But he was still alive, could the same be possible for his parents? Harry couldn't be certain if the two Patronuses had anything to do with his parents.

If he had it, she had to know, she needed to see it.

She hurried towards the narrow window in the hallway, opened it, the air hummed outside, and she saw herself and Hermione sitting by the Forbidden Forest, Sirius Black and Ron lying behind them. The four of them were in the center surrounded by the Dementors.

She quickly glanced towards the castle door, and there was nothing there.

Hermione also approached, frowned, and looked in horror at what was happening outside. The two of them tried to summon their Patronuses, but it was futile. There were too many Dementors.

Near the Forbidden Forest, two small silver lights fought.

They were their own Patronuses, one of them suddenly went out, and Harry knew Hermione had fainted. He almost leaped out of the window, desperately searching around, but there was nothing, not even the other professors.

A few seconds later, the last silver light also dissipated.

Harry felt a shiver of fear throughout his body, and the two Patronuses could appear at any moment...

"Come on!" he muttered, looking around. "Where are they? Dad, mom, come on..."

But no one came, and Harry looked towards the circle of Dementors outside the Forbidden Forest, one of them was lowering its hood.

The rescuers should have been there, but this time no one came to his aid.

"We have to do something, Harry!" Hermione shouted, "It will be too late if we don't stop the Dementors."

Upon hearing Hermione's cry, Harry suddenly understood something. He raised his wand high and cried, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

And at the tip of his wand burst forth not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a dazzling and gleaming silver animal. He squinted, trying to make out what it was.

It resembled a horse, with a sharp edge on its head, one of the two Patronuses he saw at that moment. It broke away from him, crossed the black night sky and swooped down on the large group of Dementors outside the Forbidden Forest. Simultaneously, a silver-white figure dashed out from the Great Hall.

The two Patronuses intertwined and appeared so alike, so flawless. They merged and headed towards the Dementors.

Outside the Forbidden Forest, the Dementors recoiled, dispersing, retreating into the darkness... They were no longer there... Then, the two Patronuses turned around and slowly ran across the night sky towards the castle.

Harry saw it this time. The two Patronuses were not horses, nor unicorns. They shone like the moon high above. The Patronus he had conjured gazed at him with its large silver eyes. Slowly, it lowered its head adorned with antlers.

And Harry realized it was a stag.

The Patronus next to his own Stag was much smaller, lacking horns on its head. It appeared...

"A DOE!" Hermione said softly. "It's a doe, Harry!"