Emma Potter

83: End of Year 3

"Harry! Emma"

Hermione was tugging at my sleeve, staring at herwatch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us — before Dumbledore locksthe door —" 

"Okay," said Harry, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "let's go. . . ."

We slipped through the doorway behind us and down atightly spiraling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it,they heard voices. They flattened themselves against the wall andlistened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walkingquickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.

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

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

Harry clenched his teeth. I caught a glimpse of Snape's smirkas he and Fudge passed Mine, Harry and Hermione's hiding place. Theirfootsteps died away. Me, Harry and Hermione waited a few momentsto make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the oppositedirection. Down one staircase, then another, along a newcorridor — then we heard a cackling ahead. 

"Peeves!" Harry muttered, grabbing my wrist. "In here!" we tore into a deserted classroom to their left just in time.Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterousgood spirits, laughing his head off. 

"Oh, he's horrible," whispered Hermione, her ear to the door. "Ibet he's all excited because the dementors are going to finish offSirius. . . ."

 She checked her watch.

 "Three minutes!" 

We waited until Peeves's gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again. 

"Hermione — what'll happen — if we don't get back inside —before Dumbledore locks the door?" I panted.

 "I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checkingher watch again. "One minute!"They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wingentrance. 

"Okay — I can hear Dumbledore," said Hermionetensely. "Come on, Harry, Emma!" We crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore'sback appeared.

"I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "It is fiveminutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Goodluck."Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and tookout his wand to magically lock it.

 Panicking,Me, Harry and Hermioneran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appearedunder the long silver mustache.

 "Well?" he said quietly."We did it!" I said breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak. . . ." 

Dumbledore beamed at us."Well done. I think —" He listened intently for any soundwithin the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone too — get inside — I'll lock you in —" 

Me, Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory. It wasempty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the endbed. As the lock clicked behind them,Me, Harry and Hermione creptback to our own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner backunder her robes. 

A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came stridingback out of her office."Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look aftermy patients now?"