Chapter Twenty Five
Harry felt the world move around him and the classroom blur. Harry blinked and leant against a desk to steady himself.
"We're now five hours back in the past, at just past eight." Hermione told them.
"About when we headed out into the forest." Harry said, he pulled out the Marauders map.
Pansy helped him spread it out on the desk and Harry activated it.
"Look see that's us, and Bellatrix." Harry pointed to the group of dots that were hovering in the corridor near the dungeons, "And there's Dad, with Lupin."
He sighed, didn't seem to matter how much he tried he couldn't stop himself when something went wrong, he had to do something.
"So what's the plan?" Hermione asked.
Harry gathered up the map, "Dumbledore first, we have to get a warning out."
"Harry I know you and Professor Snape aren't getting on brilliantly right now but he was so worried about you he would help. Wouldn't it be better to start there?" Pansy suggested.
Hermione shook her head forcefully, "No. Professor Snape went into the forest so that's what he has to do now. He won't go if we mix things up now."
Pansy and Harry nodded in agreement.
They huddled together under the cloak and moved towards the door. The corridors were fairly busy with students and ghosts wondering around and Hermione wasn't as used to sneaking around.
"Ok, coast is clear." Pansy said, pulling the cloak off them and folding it neatly.
"How do we get up there?" Hermione asked, staring at the ugly stone gargoyle.
Harry wasn't sure, "Last time I went up the password was Parma violets." the gargoyle didn't move.
"Was something meant to happen?" Hermione asked.
Harry nodded, "The gargoyle moves, that's how you get in."
"Well I wouldn't know, I've never had to go to the headmaster's office before." Hermione told him, rubbing her forehead, "And what sort of stupid password is parma violets?"
"He likes muggle sweets." Harry told her, "Maybe we should try some more."
They listed off every muggle sweet they could think of, Pansy feeling rather out of her depth, but the stone gargoyle still refused to move.
"Sherbet Saucers." Harry said.
"Shh." Pansy hissed, "Someone's coming."
She grabbed their arms and pulled them behind a statue nearby. Professor McGonagall walked briskly down the hall and stopped before the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
Pansy, Harry and Hermione barely dared to breath; Pansy reached to try and get the invisibility cloak out of her robe pockets without being seen or pushing one of the others out from their very small hiding spot.
"Strawberry flyers." McGonagall said to the statue, "I said strawberry flyers!"
She looked at the statue rather irate, and crossed her arms over her chest; glaring at it.
"He must be busy." She sighed before walking off back down the hall.
Harry, Pansy and Hermione waited until her footsteps had long gone before creeping out.
"That was close, too close." Hermione said.
"Well if she can't get in, we certainly wont be able to." Pansy sighed, "It must be sealed."
Harry got the map back out, "He's in his office, look you can see him pacing. Why wont he let anyone in?"
"Maybe he already knows and is trying to get hold of the Ministry?" Hermione suggested.
"Well we can hope." Harry said.
"We have to hope." Pansy sighed, "It's too late to warn Professor Snape."
Harry looked at his watch and shook his head, he slammed his fist against the wall.
"Harry that's not helping! And we can't have anyone hear us!" Hermione hissed.
Harry took several deep breaths to calm himself, "I know. Sorry, I just don't know how to fix this."
"Leave a note." Hermione shrugged, "Sure there is every chance he wont find it in time, but he might and we can't just stand around here for hours."
Harry nodded and quickly scribbled a note for Professor Dumbledore on a bit of parchment Hermione had on her, saying that he needed to contact Azkaban as soon as possible and tell them to put extra guards on Peter Pettigrew as there was going to be an escape. He tucked it safely in the gargoyle's wing and stepped back.
"So what now?" he asked.
"Well first things first." Pansy said, "We have to find somewhere to hide, we have hours left until we need to be back in the hospital wing and we can't stay here."
"We should head out to the forest." Hermione suggested, "Maybe if we follow them we can find a way to drop the note or something so they can find it."
Pansy nodded. They pulled the cloak back on and made their way back through the castle. Pansy stopped them suddenly, "Wait, this way."
She guided them through the corridors to Professor Lupin's office and pushed the door open. Everything was exactly how he left it, including the goblet of potion he hadn't had time to drink.
She quickly pulled an empty bottle off the shelf and filled it, putting it into her pocket.
"I know it's a long shot, but it's worth a try if we can possibly get him to drink it." Pansy told them.
Harry nodded but knew that it would be nearly impossible to force feed a werewolf a potion without getting bitten and it might not even work after he has turned but if they did get attacked it was worth a try.
It wasn't long before Harry felt the wind outside flutter through the cloak. The grounds were empty now, Snape and Lupin must already be in the forest.
"Where did you go?" Harry whispered to Pansy.
"We were going to head back out but Professor McGonagall found us and forced us back to the common room. We weren't allowed back out until you were back in the castle, even then we had to sneak out to be able to come and see you." Pansy told him, "Draco and I, we did try to help."
Harry smiled at her, "Don't worry about it. I know you wanted to help."
"Which way?" Hermione said, pulling the cloak off, "We're not going to be able to wear this so we're going to have to be careful."
Harry and Pansy nodded.
"We ended up by the lake, we went that way." he pointed into the trees.
"We'll circle round, shouldn't be difficult to keep our distance." Pansy told them.
They each drew their wands and headed into the forest. It was eerily dark and Harry could feel the Dementors looming over head.
"They attacked you?" Hermione whispered.
Harry nodded, "Yeah, all of them. Something drove them away just before it was to late."
Harry shuddered at the memory of seeing a Dementor's face, it's scaly mouth moving closer and closer to him. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought, he needed to stay focused. He knew he survived the attack and needed to make sure he survived now.
Thankfully the Dementors didn't seem very interested in the three children. The air was suddenly filled with the sound of a nearby howl.
The three children jumped at the noise and looked around.
"Where did it come from?" Pansy asked.
Hermione pointed from behind them, "It sounded close."
"Run." Harry said.
They took off into the forest, trying not to trip over the branches and uneven ground. Harry felt the air leave his lungs as his foot caught on a branch and he fell smack onto the ground. His glasses fell from his nose and he struggled to take a breath.
"Harry!" Pansy and Hermione shouted.
They turned round and went to help him.
"I need my glasses." Harry said, his hands moving around the leaf litter, "Just go I'll be OK."
The air was filled with another howl that made them jump.
"We're not going to leave you." Pansy said, ignoring Harry, "Here." She found his glasses and brushed the muck off them before handing them back.
"Thank you." Harry said, shoving them back on his nose, "Now go, I'll be fine, I'm right behind you." the Dementors being so close were making him clumsy.
Pansy and Hermione linked hands and started running again towards where they hoped the lake would be. Harry stood up, struggling to get his glasses to stay on, and followed them. He tripped again and caught himself on a tree trunk. He looked up and Hermione and Pansy where gone in the gloom. The tree canopy was too thick and his wand wasn't casting enough light to see them.
He could hear their footsteps though, so followed them as well as he could.
He reached the clearing, the other side of the lake from where the Dementors were swarming. He moved back slightly so he could hide behind a tree nearby and watch. He could still hear footsteps he assumed were Hermione and Pansy's somewhere nearby, they'd find him in a moment.
He watched himself, hours earlier, trying to fight an impossible battle. The Dementors moved closer and closer to his and Daphne's figures on the lake side.
Harry could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest. Daphne had said she'd seen his father; James would be here any minute. He didn't dare let himself believe that it was possible, it wasn't possible and yet…
He waited in the darkness, the Dementors were getting scarily close to Harry and Daphne now and there was still no sign of his father. Harry looked around and then down at his wand. He didn't know what came over him when he jumped from behind the tree and pointed his wand across the lake.
"Expecto Patronum!" He shouted, his head filled with every happy moment in his life.
A large white shape burst from the end of his wand and galloped across the lake; chasing the Dementors away. He couldn't see the whole shape, it looked a bit like a horse, until the Dementors were gone. At which point it moved back across the lake over to him.
Harry reached his hand up to stroke it's antlers.
"A stag." Harry smiled, slightly sadly, at his Patronus, "Hi Dad."
He felt tight fingers dig into his arm and pull him backwards hard. The glowing stag vanished from in front of him as Harry was pulled back.
"What do you think you're doing?" Pansy snapped at him, "What is so difficult about not interfering?"
Harry shook his head, "It's OK. It's what happened before."
"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked.
"That's what saved me and Daphne before, it wasn't my father like she thought, it was it was me. I don't know how but when the time came I just knew it." Harry told them.
"Harry..." Pansy didn't know what to say.
"It's OK. It..."
There was a rustle in the leaves nearby that stopped Harry from talking. They stayed painfully still but there was no more sounds.
"We need to get somewhere safe." Hermione said, "I think this is a good time to call it and say there is nothing more we can do. I'm glad we did come back though, you had to save yourself, I can't imagine what would of happened if you hadn't been here."
Pansy nodded, "Let's just wait until Professor Snape arrives to save them, make sure the Dementors don't come back. He shouldn't be long."
It was only a couple of minutes before Snape came crashing through the trees on the other side of the lake. He dropped to his knees beside Harry and grabbed hold of him, pulling the unconscious Harry to his chest.
"He looks really upset." Harry whispered.
"Of course he does." Pansy said, "He really cares about you, always has."
Harry nodded in the darkness.
"Come on, he's here now, lets go." Hermione whispered to them.
They set off through the forest at a slower pace this time. They had no idea where they were heading but walked slowly listening out for any noise that wasn't their own breathing or quiet footsteps.
"I don't know about you two but I don't want to spend hours in the woods." Harry said after a while and he was sure that Severus would be far away, "Besides, Remus is still out here somewhere and I don't want to run into him."
Hermione and Pansy nodded in agreement.
"Where do you suggest we go?" Hermione asked.
"Back to the castle?" Pansy said, "Stay out of view?"
Hermione shook her head, "No it's too dangerous that someone might see us."
"Hagrid's hut." Harry suggested, "He's away, not due back until tomorrow at the earliest and, if we have to, he wasn't at the castle, he wont know what's happened. We'll just say we were talking over exams or something and got kicked out the great hall."
"Well your excuses need work but it's a good idea." Pansy smiled.
Hermione nodded and they walked back out the forest. They were all more relieved than words when they saw the edge of the trees and the moonlight shining brightly. They checked there was no one about several times before walking carefully from the cover of the forest.