Lionheart ~ Harry Potter (Under Heavy Editing)

Chapter Thirty-Six | Time Reversal

"Good punch," commented Harry admiringly.

"Hurry! Malfoy's on his way!" Ariana hissed under her voice, pulling Harry and Hermione underneath the bridge near them.

Mere seconds later, footsteps clamoured above their heads. Ariana's sense of smell had started to develop, so she could smell the scent of each boy on the bridge.

"Not a word of this to anyone, understood!" Draco growled. "I'll get that jumped-up Mudblood one of these days. Mark my words..."

Ariana felt anger rise inside her hearing someone talk about her friend in that disgusting manner, but it wasn't as much rage as Hermione felt.

With her eyes narrowed, she reached up and send Malfoy sprawling. Before they were caught, Harry and Ariana tugged her back into hiding. All three of them ducked out of sight as Draco's confused eyes darted in their direction.

Ariana subconsciously held her breath as he looked about, then released it once he hurried off with his goons.

"Look. Buckbeak's still alive," Harry stated when they emerged from underneath the bridge.

Ariana looked down toward the pumpkin patch and, right enough, Buckbeak was contently munching on a dead ferret. Their other selves were hurrying off to Hagrid's, walking down the slope, revelling in Draco's pathetic reaction to being punched.

"Of course!" Hermione gasped. "Remember what Dumbledore said. If we succeed, more than one innocent life could be spared."

"Buckbeak? But... how will saving Buckbeak help Sirius?" Harry questioned, his eyebrows knitted together.

"We'll see," Ariana added ominously. "Come on. We're talking to Hagrid."

The trio took the opportunity to make a run for the pumpkin patch while their past selves were inside with Hagrid.

Ariana found that the pain she had previously felt had subsided quite a generous amount. She presumed that her bite had been sealed with silver powder and Dittany, and it seemed as if she had been given a potion to ease the pain.

When they reached the bottom of the hill, the three students ducked behind a pile of large pumpkins.

Ariana's nose immediately picked up on the pungent scent of the dead ferrets. "Oh my God," she gasped under her breath, holding her fingers flat against her nostrils.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, whispering.

"The smell of those ferrets is repulsive. I suppose my senses are heightening already."

Harry and Hermione nodded sadly. Ariana returned a small smile, then all three peered around the side of the pumpkins, observing themselves inside the hut, once again watching the pathetic hug.

Ariana noticed Hermione studying the scene with fascination. She shared an amused look with Harry, both of them knowing Hermione was more interested in Ron than she was prepared to admit, and vice versa.

Hermione caught sight of their amused looks. "What?"

"Nothing," her two friends said immediately.

Ariana looked up towards the slope, noticing how Fudge and his companions were striding down the slope, arriving in a cloud of cawing crows.

"Here they come. I better hurry," Harry said, about to release Buckbeak.

"No!" Ariana protested. "Fudge must see Buckbeak before we take him. Otherwise, he'll think Hagrid set him free! And that would be awful."

Harry nodded, agreeing with her logic, his eyes returning to the hut. Ariana's eyes travelled back, following Harry's lead. Ron was being given Scabbers, unbeknownst to them at the time that it was Pettigrew.

Harry started to rise, knowing exactly who that rat was. "That's Pettigrew -"

Hermione caught him before he could, speaking fiercely, "No, Harry!You can't!"

"Hermione, that's the man who betrayed my parents! You don't expect me to just sit here..." He gave Ariana a pleading look, hoping that she'd understand.

"Harry, I would burst in there if I could, but we can't. Could you imagine being inside with Hagrid and watching as we burst through the door? We would think we've gone mad!"

Of course, Ariana wished she could slam through the door and gut Pettigrew, but that wasn't possible. Anyway, if Pettigrew died, the truth died with him, thus condemning Sirius to a terrible fate.

"Awful things can happen to wizards who meddle with time. We can't be seen," Hermione added, backing Ariana up.

Ariana saw the others drawing closer, and found it odd that they hadn't left the hut yet. "Fudge is about to arrive... Why haven't we left yet?"

~~~~~

Question:
Whose motorbike did Hagrid use to deliver baby Harry to the Dursleys'?

A: Sirius Black's

B: Remus Lupin's

C: Nymphadora Tonks'

Congratulations to Blackstars36 for answering the previous question correctly.