Astra

XXXVII - The Time Turner

"If anyone's looking out of the window --" Hermione squeaked, looking up at the castle behind them.

"We'll run for it," said Astra determinedly. "Straight into the forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout --"

"We should probably go around the greenhouses," said Luna, back to her dreamy voice and Hermione nodded her agreement.

"We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or we'll see us! We must be nearly at Hagrid's by now!" she said breathlessly.

They set off at a sprint, Astra in front, then Harry, and Hermione, and Luna behind them.

They tore across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouses, paused for a moment behind them, then set off again, fast as they could, skirting around the Whomping Willow, tearing toward the shelter of the forest....

"Right," Hermione gasped once they all were in the safety of the trees. "We need to sneak over to Hagrid's.... Keep out of sight...."

They made their way silently through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's house, they heard a knock upon his door. They moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk and peered out from either side. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked.

"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off," came Harry's voice from the past.

"Yeh shouldn't have come!" Hagrid whispered. He stood back, then shut the door quickly.

"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Harry said fervently.

"Do you do things like this often," Luna wondered.

"That's their job. Doing crazy stuff every year," Astra told her and Hermione and Harry looked at her in confusion.

"Let's move along a bit," Astra whispered, back to the plan. "We need to get nearer to Buckbeak!"

They crept through the trees until they saw the nervous Hippogriff, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

"Now?" Harry whispered.

"No!" said Hermione. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"

"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," said Harry. 

At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin.

"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "Luna's going to find Pettigrew in a moment --"

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard Luna ask Astra about the rat, and heard something knocking over as Ron and Astra fought for the it.

"Hermione," said Harry suddenly, "what if we -- we just run in there and grab Pettigrew --"

"No!" said Hermione and Astra at the same time in a terrified whisper. 

"Believe me, I'd like to, but it wouldn't work," Astra said sadly.

"Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen --" Hermione continued more logically.

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!"

"Harry, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?" said Hermione.