Brighter Than the Sun

Chapter Twenty-Four

Harry pinched himself very hard and winced, causing me to snicker.

"Well, it appears you're not dreaming," I laughed.

"But --"

"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think -- I think it might be us!" Hermione had her ear pressed against the cupboard door.

"I think it's us going down to Hagrid's," I said. "This is so cool. Weird, but cool."

"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"

"Yes," said Hermione, her ear still pressed against the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like more than four people. . . and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak -- " She trails off, still listening intently.

"We've gone down the front steps," I remarked. Hermione sat down on an upturned bucket, looking anxious.

"Where did you get that hourglass thing?" Harry asked. I sat down next to Hermione. I decided not to say anything.

"I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back," Hermione says. "I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies. . . I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But Harry, I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," I said slowly.

"What happened?" Harry asked. "We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago. . . . "

"This is three hours ago, and we are walking down to Hagrid's," Hermione corrected. "We just heard ourselves leaving. . . . "

Harry frowned. "Dumbledore just said -- just said we could save more than one innocent life. . ." He looked at me and I can tell we were thinking the same thing.

"Hermione, we're going to save Buckbeak!" I exclaimed, relieved that Buckbeak is technically still alive.

"But -- how will that help Sirius?"

"Dumbledore said -- he just told us where the window is -- "

"The window of Flitwick's office!" I grinned. "Where they've got Sirius locked up!"

"We've got to fly Buckbeak up to the window and rescue Sirius!" Harry agreed. "Sirius can escape on Buckbeak -- they can escape together!"

We both grin at Hermione. Hermione, however, didn't grin. She looked terrified. "If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"

"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry. He stood up and pressed his ear against the door. "Doesn't sound like anyone's there. . . Come on, let's go."

"Now that's a leader," I muttered to Hermione, who laughed nervously as we moved to stand behind Harry.

Harry pushed open the closet door. Luckily, the entrance hall was deserted. As quietly and quickly as we could, we darted out of the closet and down the stone steps.

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

"We'll run for it," I decided. "Straight into the forest. We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout --"