Buckbeak and Theo were playing together while we waited at the edge of the forest, near the whomping willows. I hated just sitting around and doing nothing, but there wasn't anything we could do but wait. Time seemed to drag on and on as we sat in the forest, just waiting for something to happen.
"At least someone's enjoying himself," Hermione said as Buckbeak settled down on a pile of leaves with Theo and started to eat the ferrets that she and Cedric brought for him.
"After everything he's been through, he deserves it," I said, smiling as I watched the pair start to fall asleep.
"Hermione, before. Down by the lake. I was with Sirius and Elsa. I did see someone...that someone made the dementors go away...," Harry said hesitantly.
"With a Patronus. I know, I saw it too. It's the only explanation for the giant glowing dear I saw. Well, either that or I was going crazy," I finished for him.
"I heard Snape telling Dumbledore the same thing when we were taken to the hospital. According to him, only a really powerful wizard could have conjured it," Hermione told him.
"Maybe that's what Snape thinks, but I can make a fully formed Patronus," I told her.
"Are you sure, Elsa? I mean it's one of the most difficult spells to preform," Hermione said, doubting me.
"Not if you have a happy enough memory," I snapped at her, over how much she had been doubting me over the past few hours.
"She's right, I've seen it," Harry said proudly.
"What is your Patronus?" Cedric asked me.
"A snow leopard cub. It's really cute," I said told him. "But it wasn't a snow leopard cub that we saw, it was a deer. So, who was it who saved us?"
"It was my dad," Harry said as Hermione looked at him like he had gone crazy. "It was my dad who conjured the Patronus."
"But, Harry, your dad's..." Hermione said, not able to finish her sentence.
"Dead. I know. I'm just telling you what I saw," Harry said, fighting back tears.
"No one is ever truly gone, Harry. Whether they live on in our hearts or in the halls of Valhalla, they never leave us," I told him, trying to make him feel a little bit better.
"Thank you, Elsa. That means a lot," Harry told me.
"Here we come," Hermione said, pointing to our other selves heading towards the whomping willows.
The first part of our wait was over. Now we just needed to wait for us to come back out.
"You know, I'm kinda surprised that Dumbledore allowed all of us to travel back in time," I said as I leaned against Cedric as we waited for Sirius to arrive.
"I know, especially me. It was so strange; I was sitting in the common room waiting for you to come back when Professor Sprout came in and told me that Professor Dumbledore was waiting for me at the hospital wing. I had no idea what was going on, that was until I saw you passed out in the bed. Which sacred me to death, by the way. You need to stop doing that to me," Cedric said, wrapping a protective arm around me.
"You should be used to it by now," I joked. "But I'll try not to do it again."
"So, Dumbledore pretty much threw you into the middle of all of this?" Harry asked Cedric.
"Yeah, he did," Cedric told him.
"You know, I will never understand how Dumbledore's mind works. I mean, he gets student's to do the near impossible when he could do it easily himself," I said.
"Dumbledore is a brilliant man! He would never put us in danger or make us do something if he could do it himself," Hermione said in a shrill voice.
"Look, I'm not saying he's not 'brilliant man'," I began to tell Hermione, using air quotes for how she described the headmaster. "But he hasn't had the best track record when it comes to Harry's safety. First, he decided to hide the philosophers stone and didn't realise that Voldemort was literally living on that back of our teacher's head for the entire year. Then he hired that dim-witted idiot Lockhart who removed the bones out of Harry's arm. Sat back while the chamber of secrets was opened when he was teaching in Hogwarts the first time that the chamber was opened, meaning he probably knew that Tom Riddle was behind it the whole time. Now, he's allowed the dementors to attack Harry twice and made him go back in time to save his godfather when he could have sorted out the whole situation himself. I mean, there's veritaserum! That could have cleared Sirius' name just as easily!"
I knew that I had hit a nerve when no one said a word after I finished my little rant about Dumbledore. It wasn't that I didn't like the man, it was just that he seemed to have an ulterior motive for everything that he did. It was almost like he was grooming Harry for something and it made me uncomfortable. After siting in silence for a few minutes, we saw ourselves walk back out of the whomping willows.
"You see Sirius talking to me?" Harry said, gesturing to his other self talking to Sirius. "He's asking me to come live with him."
"Really! That's amazing, Harry," I said excitedly, happy for Harry being able to get away from that horrible family of his.
"When we free him, I'll never have to go back to the Dursley's. I'm going to tell him I'd like to live someplace in the country. I think he'd like that after all those in Azkaban. We don't need a big place and I can help him..." Harry said but was cut off by Professor Lupin filled the night air.
"Is that what I think it is?" Cedric asked, looking worried.
"Unfortunately, it is," I told him, standing up so I could get in a better position to get to Sirius.
"It's happened. Lupin's transformation," Hermione said quietly.
"Which means Pettigrew is slipping safely into the night. While we just stand here," Harry said, angrily.
"Don't worry. He will get what he deserves one day," I told him.
We watched as Sirius turned in to the large black dog and start to fight Professor Lupin. With the bites and swipes Sirius got on Professor Lupin, I hated to think what he was going to look like tomorrow. Within a few minutes Harry ran down into the forest, with me following close behind. It was a weird feeling watching myself push Harry behind me and talk Professor Lupin. Most people probably would think they were crazy as they watched themselves try to talk down a werewolf, but I would do it again in a second. Behind me, Hermione cupped her hands over her mouth a howled to get Professor Lupin's attention.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked her, looking at her like she was crazy.
"Saving both your lives," Hermione told him.
"Thanks. But now we have to move," Harry told her as Cedric and I got ready to make a run for it as soon as they were ready.
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Because you just called Professor Lupin over to us," Cedric told her, not quite believing someone who was so smart could be so stupid at the same time.
"Don't just stand there looking shocked, run!" I yelled, pulling them with me as Cedric and I started running.
The four of us ran through the forest, the trees and branched snagging on our clothes just like the first time I ran through the forest trying to get away from Professor Lupin. When we get to a large tree, Harry and Hermione stop and hide behind it, completely out of breath. Thanks to my avengers training, the dash barely even fazed me. I wanted to encourage them to keep running but that would have caused more harm than good with the state they were in.
Professor Lupin paused as he sniffed the air, trying to find our scent before turning towards the tree where we were hiding. Cedric and I quickly pulled the pair aside, side stepping Professor Lupin temporarily.
"Buckbeak. We've got to find him," Hermione said, stepping out from behind the tree right in to the sight of Professor Lupin.
Just like I did with Harry, I jumped in front of Hermione with my comic staff glowing in my hands. I didn't want to hurt Professor Lupin but if it became between him or Hermione, I would protect Hermione with my life. But it thankfully it didn't come to that, Buckbeak and Theo charged through the trees and attacked Professor Lupin. Buckbeak used his sharp claws to swipe at Professor Lupin, forcing him to run in the opposite direction into the forest.
"Poor Professor Lupin is having a really tough night," Hermione said as a chill filled the night air.
"Please tell me that was you, Elsa," Cedric asked me as he shivered from the cold.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that!" I said, throwing my hands up in the air.
"So, it wasn't you," Cedric said.
"No, it wasn't me," I sighed.
"Let's go," Harry said as shadows fluttered across the night sky, telling us that the dementors had arrived.
We make our way down to the lake in time to see me applying pressure to Sirius' neck wound to stop him bleeding out at the dementors start their attack.
"There are dozens of them," Cedric said in a horrified voice as he pulled me closer to him.
"This is horrible," Hermione added as the other me started to fight blacking out.
"Don't worry. My Dad will come...Right there...you'll see...he'll come...any minute...he'll conjure the Patronus," Harry said in a hopeful voice as the pieces started to fall into on who conjured the Patronus.
"No one's coming," Hermione told him.
"HE WILL! He will come," Harry yelled at her.
"Elsa, no one is coming," Cedric whispered to me.
"That's because it's Harry who conjures it," I whispered back to him.
Cedric's grip tightened around me as he watched the past me fall unconscious as I tried desperately to keep pressure on Sirius' neck.
"No one's coming! You're all dying...and no one's coming!" Hermione yelled at him.
Harry looked back at me with a look of fear in his eye, unsure of what was happening.
"Harry, you know what to do," I told him.
Nodding his head slightly, Harry pulled out his wand and ran towards the shore of the lake. As I watched him, I knew how Dad felt when he watched me fight off Bucky to save his life. The feeling of pride and it was an amazing feeling.
"HARRY! NO!" Hermione screamed as she tried to stop him.
"HERMIONE! STOP! For the first time tonight, stop doubting everyone and have a little faith," I yelled at her.
I could tell she wanted to fight me over it but she backed down and let Harry prove me right. I walked closer to the edge of the lake to watch Harry do what everyone thought was impossible.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled pointing his wand at the dementors.
I smiled as I watched a brilliant bright light explode from the end of Harry's wand and what I could now tell was a stag form from the light. It charged across the lake and chased the dementors away. When all the dementors were gone, Harry let his arm drop back down to his side and I ran over to him to give him a hug.
"I knew you could do it! I am so proud of you, Harry!" I said, giving Harry a kiss on the check as if he was my brother.
"That was amazing Harry! I have never seen anything like it!" Cedric told him with a huge smile on his face.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I never should have doubted you or Elsa," Hermione said, sounding ashamed of herself.
"None of that matter now. What does matter is that you too take Buckbeak and fly up to the tower and get Sirius. We will meet you up there as soon as I take Theo back to Hagrid's," I told her, taking Theo's lead and heading out of the forest.
As soon as I tied Theo back up outside Hagrid's hut safely, Cedric and I flew up to the tower to help get Sirius out. We ended up landing on the tower at the same time as Harry and Hermione jumped from Buckbeak's back on to the balcony.
"Alohomora!" Hermione said pointing her wand at the lock on the door locking Sirius in the tower.
"You didn't really think that was going to work, did you?" I asked Hermione as I twirled by staff in my hands.
"Elsa, may I asked what you are going to do with that?" Sirius asked as I held my staff up.
"Getting you out," I said. "Now, stand back."
As soon as Sirius was far enough away, I blasted the door with my staff and shattered it.
"Well, that worked," Sirius laughed as he walked out of the cell.
"Quickly! Snape is coming!" Cedric called out to us.
Without a second thought, Sirius pulled Harry and Hermione on to Buckbeak's back as Cedric and I climbed on to my staff. Simultaneously, we all flew off the tower leaving a smoking cell door behind to great Snape and Fudge. I only wished I could have stayed and seen the looks on their faces when they found Sirius gone.
"You truly are your father's son, Harry!" I heard Sirius call out to Harry and I could just picture the smile on Harry's face after hearing it.
When we were close to the clock courtyard, we all headed back down to the ground to say our goodbyes.
"I'll be forever grateful for this. To all over you," Sirius said as he looked at all of us.
"It's kind of Elsa specialty, rescuing people from life and death situation," Cedric said, making Sirius laugh.
"What can I say, I'm a Rogers," I laughed. "But promises me one thing, Sirius. Promises that you will stay safe."
"I promise you, Elsa. I will. You believed in me the second you saw me; I don't know what you saw in me. But thank you," Sirius said as he hugs me.
"Let's just say, you remind me of someone," I told him, thinking of Bucky.
"I want to go with you," Harry said, sounding like a lost little boy.
"One day perhaps. For some time, life will be too... unpredictable. Besides, you're meant to be here," Sirius told him as he put his hand on his shoulder. "But promise me something, Harry."
"Anything," Harry told him.
"Trust yourself. No matter the challenges you face, and I fear they will be many, you'll be surprised how many times you can find the answers," Sirius said, placing a hand over Harry's heart. "Here."
Pulling away from Harry, Sirius climbed back on to Buckbeak as a shooting star shot across the sky.
"A shooting star. Make a wish," Sirius said with one last smile before flying off into the night.
We watched Sirius as he flew off into the night sky as the clock tower started to ring.
"Come on, we have to go," I said, turning my staff back into a bracelet.
When the clock rung out again, we ran started to run back up to the hospital wing. I knew we were pushing it when it came to the time and we only had seconds to spare. As soon as we the doors to the hospital wing, we skidded to a stop. Harry went to run into the hospital wing but I pulled him back, waiting for Dumbledore to come out. Soon enough, Dumbledore walked out of the hospital wing.
"Well?" Dumbledore asked us as soon as he saw us.
"He's free, Sirius. We... We did it," Harry told him.
"Did what?" Sirius asked with a twinkle in his eye.
Shaking my head at Dumbledore's weird way of dealing with thing, I ran into the hospital wing after Cedric, Harry and Hermione and shutting the door behind me.
"How'd you guys get over there? I was just talking to you...over there," Ron said, pointing at the empty spot that we were standing only seconds ago in him mind.
"Wow, everything's been a bit too much for you, hasn't it Ron?" I said, trying not to laugh as I sat at the foot of his bed.
"Afraid so. Always been a bit of the nervous type, Ron has," Harry said with a small smile.
Ron looked at the four of us, completely confused about what had just happened. Not being able to hide my grin any more, I turned away from Ron and looked at Cedric. As soon as I met his eyes, the two of us started laughing and soon enough Harry and Hermione joined into. This defiantly had to go down as one of the strangest ways to finish the school year ever.