Heavenly Waters||Sirius Black

Chapter 45

"Harry! Slow down!"

He knows he should listen to Hermione, she was more often right than not. But they were behind, the time having progressed faster than he'd thought. Or maybe it was the same progression as always. It just felt different now. Time had seemed to accelerate the moment he'd lifted his head from the pensive, left with more riddles to puzzle over. 

"She knew, Mione," He finally stops, Hermione nearly slamming into her. Harry isn't sure how to feel about it. About the Veela. He swallows and shakes his head, repeating, "She knew this whole time. She knew that he wasn't going to hurt me. She knew he was innocent because she was there."

"Where?" Hermione questions, the two of them hurrying across the bridge. Harry glances at her, chewing on the inside of his cheek, "She was there when Peter Pettigrew disappeared. She was there when they took Sirius. Her memories—one was a trial. They exiled her. They kept her from me."

"From you?" Hermione's brows furrow, and Harry blurts it out, "Family. She said we were family. In her memories I mean. How can we be family? And why wouldn't she tell me?"

She blinks rapidly, looking as if she's about to answer when they hear, "You foul loathsome evil little cockroach!"

They peek around the stone circle just in time to see past Hermione punch Malfoy. Harry can't help his grin as he mutters, "Good punch."

"Thanks," She sounds rather pleased with herself until the Slytherins begin to run. She grabs Harry and quickly pulls him in between a beam of the bridge and some over grown shrubs. Peering between the branches, they watch as their past selves rush down to Hagrid's hut.

Hermione and Harry wait until the door shuts in the distance before they start running down the hill, keeping towards the far side and ducking down to hide behind the rather large pumpkins growing in Hagrid's garden.

When the sharp sound of cawing crows reaches them, Harry quickly turns his head to see Fudge, Dumbledore, and the executioner heading down the hill.

"We have to hurry," Harry says, beginning to stand. Hermione grabs his arm, pulling him back down as she explains quietly, "Fudge has to see Buckbeak first or else he'll think Hagrid set him free!"

Harry clenches his jaw, looking anxiously towards the hippogriff. He reluctantly nods, the two of them turning their eyes back to the window where they can barely see their past selves. Harry can hear Ron talking about Scabbers, can hear him saying that his rat is alive. Rage fills him. He begins to stand again, murmuring, "Pettigrew—"

"Harry! You can't!" Hermione hisses.

"Hermione, that's the man who betrayed my parents! You expect me to just sit here?!"

She nods hurriedly, "Yes and you must! Harry, you're in Hagrid's hut now. If you go bursting in you'll think you've gone made! Awful things happen to wizards who meddle with time. We can't be seen!"

She turns her head, seeing Dumbledore and Fudge drawing closer. She frowns, "Fudge is coming," Her head turns back to where they can see themselves in Hagrid's hut, "And we aren't leaving. Why aren't we leaving?"

Harry glances at her just in time to see her throwing a small rock through the window. A vase cracks, and Hermione grabs another rock, throwing it again and hitting past Harry right in the back of his head.

He frowns, rubbing the spot where the rock had hit him earlier, "That hurt you know."

"You'll live," Hermione mutters, watching closely as Fudge and Dumbledore enter the hut and their past selves begin to leave quickly, "We're coming out the back door! Go!"