Heavenly Waters||Sirius Black

Chapter 43

"I saw my dad."

His eyes aren't even open yet, mind still struggling to wake. But even when lulled my exhaustion, Harry knows this one thing must be said. He knows it's true.

His vision is blurry as he slowly blinks open his eyes. Hermione is leaning over him, but he can only tell from the brown blob he knows to be her unruly hair. That and her irritated sounding voice when she asks, "What?!"

Harry blinks rapidly, explaining, "He sent the dementors away. I saw him across the lake, Hermione."

"Harry, listen," Her voice isn't irritated he realizes now. It's panicked. "They've captured Sirius. Any minute the Dementors are going to perform the kiss."

Harry lurches upright, nearly smacking into his friend, "You mean they're going to kill him?!"

"No," Her voice wobbles and he frantically pats the side table for his glasses. He nearly breaks them when he knocks into them, hurriedly pushing them on and watching as Hermione's face clears up. She looks as exhausted as he feels, fear glinting in her gaze, "It's worse...they're going to suck out his soul."

His eyes widen, his chest grows tight. He opens his mouth to ask what they can do when the infirmary doors suddenly open.

Dumbledore walks through, brows raised expectantly as Hermione immediately blurts out, "Headmaster, you've got to stop them! They've got the wrong man!"

"It's true, sir," Harry jumps to his feet, hurrying over to Dumbledore. "Sirius is innocent!"

"It's scabbers who did it!"

They all turn to where Ron has woken with his bandaged leg propped high on pillows. Ron looks disheveled, as if he'd been sleeping rather hard. His voice is still wrought with sleep, the undercurrent of urgency almost coming out dreamy.

Dumbledore blinks, brows furrowing, "Scabbers?"

"He's my rat, sir—well I suppose he's not really a rat," Ron pauses, opening and closing his mouth before starting again, "Well he was a rat, he was my brother Percy's rat—"

"The point is we know the truth. Please believe us," Hermione interjects, turning back around to face the Headmaster.

He smiles slightly, nodding his head, "I do, Miss Granger. But I'm sorry to say the word of three thirteen year old wizards will convince few others."

Harry chews anxiously on the inside of his cheek as Dumbledore walks past him and Hermione to Ron's bed. The Headmaster drops a hand on Ron's leg, forcing a grimace from the red head as the older wizard says, "A child's voice, however honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen."

He pauses, dropping a hand onto Ron's leg again before walking away from the whimpering boy and towards the doors. Harry is on the brink of begging for help when Dumbledore turns and says quietly, "A mysterious thing, time. Powerful. But when melded with...dangerous."

Harry slaps a hand over his forehead, feeling as if he's hearing more riddles from Gwen. Dumbledore lowers his voice further, his eyes peering over half moon glasses at Hermione as he says, "Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the dark tower. You know the laws Miss Granger. You must not be seen—and you would do well to return before this last chime."

Harry quirks a confused brow at Hermione, looking back and forth between her and the headmaster.

Dumbledore shakes his head slightly, "If not the consequences are too ghastly to discuss. If you succeed tonight, more than one innocent life may be spared. Three turns should do it—"

He pauses, glancing at Harry's hand. He studies the ring on the boy's finger, lips twitching slightly as he looks back to Hermione and twists his fingers, "Make that four turns, Miss Granger. I believe Harry was asked to make time earlier in the day."