It Could Have Gone That Way; A Harmione Fanfiction

Chapter 38: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Sitting down on the hard mud next to Hermione, Harry said,"Down at the lake - after you'd passed out - I saw some...well...I think they were Patronuses. Proper ones. One was a stag - y'know, a male deer - and the other one looked like a doe."

"Did you see who cast them?" Hermione looked fascinated.

"I...I think so. I know it's not possible, but I definitely saw my dad. I think the other person must have been my mum. I couldn't see her properly. I'm certain it was a woman, and her hair looked sort of red in the dark."

"But...but, Harry, your parents are..." Hermione was trying so hard not to hurt him that she had no idea what to say.

"Dead, I know." Harry breathed,"It's just what I saw."

The pair sat in silence for a few more minutes before a thought struck Harry. "Hermione, that Stupid-fy thing you were doing earlier...what does it do?"

"Stupefy." Hermione corrected him gently,"It knocks out whoever it hits. I read it in an old spell book in February. I discovered tonight that it is as useful as the book told me it would be. I'll teach you it one day."

"Thanks." Harry smiled at her.

Hermione slid her hand into his and asked,"Are you going to go and stay with Sirius soon?"

"As soon as he asks me properly again, when he's ready. We can live in the countryside. Somewhere you can see the stars. That'll make a nice change from all those years in Azkaban."

"Brilliant." Hermione breathed,"He'd love that. And so would you."

***********

"Ah-wooooo!" Hermione cupped her hands to her mouth and howled,"Ah-wooooo!"

Harry put his hands on top of hers and clapped them together,"What are you doing?"

"Saving your life." She wrestled free from his grip,"Ah-woo-"

"Great. Now he's after us." Harry moaned,"Run!"

Sprinting without Buckbeak in pursuit was easy. They had left the Hippogriff on the far side of the Forest, where they had been sitting for hours. Harry and Hermione were running fast, but no one could outrun a werewolf.

Stopping to prevent them both from crashing into a large tree, Harry spun around. Hermione was about ten paces away from him, but Lupin was only five from her. Lunging forwards and grabbing Hermione's hand, Harry pulled her behind him so that she was almost against the tree. He lay his stomach over her back as she trembled and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, shielding her and preparing to take the full impact of a werewolf attack himself. Hermione let out a very loud sob and tried to turn him around, but he was stronger. Feeling Lupin's breath down their necks, Hermione wailed,"NO!" and gave one final vain attempt at turning Harry around before she gave in to the seemingly inevitable.

The impact never came. Buckbeak launched himself at Lupin to protect his saviours as they raced back into the thicker trees to save Sirius.

Harry and Hermione reached the opposite side of the lake to which they had been on before. Nobody was on the other side.

"Why would you do that?" Tears were streaming down Hermione's face as she shoved Harry hard in the chest, causing him to fall backwards.

"Because!" Harry stood up irritably.

This answer apparently didn't suffice for Hermione. "What were you thinking?"