A Hogwarts Legend: Changing Paths [3]

Chapter Thirty Seven

Unedited

Chapter Thirty Seven - "A very angry slimeball."

"Harry!"

Hermione is tugging at his sleeve, staring at her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us - before Dumbledore locks the door -"

"Okay," says Harry, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "lets go ..."

We slip through the doorway behind us and down a tightly spiralling stone staircase. As we reach the bottom of it, we hear voices. We flatten ourselves against the wall and listen. It sounds like Fudge and Snape. They're walking quickly along the corridor at the door of the staircase.

"... only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape is saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately."

"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last ... I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape ... and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him ..."

Harry twitches next to me. I catch a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge pass our hiding place. Their footsteps die away. Harry, Hermione and I wait a few moments to make sure they've really gone, then start to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor - then we hear a cackling ahead.

"Peeves!" I mutter, grabbing Harry and Hermione's wrists. "In here!"

We tear into a deserted classroom to our left just in time. Peeves seem to be bouncing along the corridor in tearing spirits, laughing his head off.

"Oh, he's horrible," whispers Hermione, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish Sirius ..." She checks her watch. "Three minutes!"

We wait until Peeves's gloating voice has faded into the distance, then slide back out of the room and break into a run again.

"Hermione - what'll happen - if we don't get back inside - before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry pants.

"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moans, checking her watch again. "One minute!"

We've reached the end of the corridor with the hospital-wing entrance. "Okay - I can hear Dumbledore," says Hermione tensely. "Come on!"

We creep along the corridor. The door opens. Dumbledore's back appears.

"I am going to lock you in," we hear him saying. "It is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore backs out of the room, closes the door and takes out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, Harry, Hermione and I run forwards. Dumbledore looks up, and a wide smile appears under the long silver moustache. "Well?" he says quietly.

"We did it!" I say breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak ..."

Dumbledore beams at us.

"Well done. I think -" he listens intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone, too. Get inside - I'll lock you in -"

Harry, Hermione and I slip back inside the dormitory. It's empty except for Ron, Maya and Elinor, who are still lying motionless. As the lock clicks behind us, we creep back to our own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes. Next moment, Madam Pomfrey has come striding back out of her office.