"Harry! Esme!"
Hermione was tugging at our sleeves, staring at her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us -- before Dumbledore locks the door --"
"Okay," Harry said, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "let's go...."
We slipped through the doorway behind us and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. As we reached the bottom of it, we heard voices. We flattened ourselves against the wall and listened. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.
"... only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape was saying. "The Kiss will be performed immediately?"
"As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last.... I daresay they'll want to interview you, Snape... and once young Harry's back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him...."
I caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed our hiding place. Their footsteps died away. Harry, Hermione and I waited a few moments to make sure they'd really gone, then started to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor -- then we heard a cackling ahead.
"Peeves!" Harry muttered, grabbing my wrist. "In here!"
We tore into a deserted classroom to our left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.
"Oh, he's horrible," Hermione whispered, her ear to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish off Sirius...." She checked her watch. "Three minutes, Esmeray, Harry!"
We waited until Peeves's gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again.
"Hermione -- what'll happen -- if we don't get back inside before Dumbledore locks the door?" I panted.
"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!"
We had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay -- I can hear Dumbledore," Hermione said tensely. "Come on, you two!"
We crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.
"I am going to lock you in," we heard him saying, "it is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."
Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, me, Harry and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache. "Well?" he said quietly.
"We did it!" Harry said breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak...."
Dumbledore beamed at us.
"Well done. I think --" He listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone too -- get inside -- I'll lock you in --"
Me, Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicked behind us, me, Harry and Hermione crept back to our own beds, Hermione tucking the Time-Turner back under her robes. A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came striding back out of her office.
"Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?"
She was in a very bad mood. Me, Harry and Hermione thought it best to accept our chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over us, making sure we ate it. But I could hardly swallow. The three of us were waiting, listening, our nerves jangling.... And then, as we both took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, we heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above us....
"What was that?" Madam Pomfrey said in alarm.
Now we could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door.
"Really -- they'll wake everybody up! What do they think they're doing?"
I was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing nearer --
"He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out --"
"HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS -- HAS -- SOMETHING -- TO -- DO -- WITH -- POTTER!"
"Severus -- be reasonable -- Harry has been locked up --"
BAM.
The door of the hospital wing burst open.
Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself.
"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked. "Control yourself!"
"See here, Snape, be reasonable," Fudge said. "This door's been locked, we just saw --"
"THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at me, Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.
"Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!"
"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" Snape shrieked. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT --"
"That will do, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"
"Of course not!" Madam Pomfrey said, bristling. "I would have heard them!"
"Well, there you have it, Severus," Dumbledore said calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."
Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.
"Fellow seems quite unbalanced," Fudge said, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore."
"Oh, he's not unbalanced," Dumbledore said quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."
"He's not the only one!" Fudge puffed. "The Daily Prophet's going to have a field day! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that Hippogriff's escape to get out, and I'll be a laughingstock! Well... I'd better go and notify the Ministry....."
"And the Dementors?" Dumbledore said. "They'll be removed from the school, I trust?"
"Oh yes, they'll have to go," Fudge said, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. "Never dreamed they'd attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy... Completely out of control... no, I'll have them packed off back to Azkaban tonight... Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance...."
"Hagrid would like that," Dumbledore said, smiling at me, Harry and Hermione. As he and Fudge left the dormitory, Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office.
There was a low moan from the other end of the ward. Ron had woken up. We could see him sitting up, rubbing his head, looking around.
"What -- what happened?" he groaned. "Harry? Why are we in here? Where's Sirius? Where's Lupin? What's going on?"
Me, Harry and Hermione looked at each other.
"You two explain," Harry said, helping himself to some more chocolate.
When me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the hospital wing at noon the next day, it was to find an almost deserted castle. The sweltering, heat and the end of the exams meant that everyone was taking full advantage of another Hogsmeade visit. Neither Ron nor Hermione felt like going, however, so the four of us wandered onto the grounds, still talking about the extraordinary events of the previous night and wondering where Sirius and Buckbeak were now. Sitting near the lake, watching the giant squid waving its tentacles lazily above the water.
A shadow fell across us and we looked up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with one of his tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs and beaming down at them.
"Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night," he said. "I mean, Black escapin' again, an, everythin' -- but guess what?"
"What?" we said, pretending to look curious.
"Beaky! He escaped! He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!"
"That's wonderful!" Hermione said, giving Ron a reproving look because he looked as though he was close to laughing.
"Yeah... can't've tied him up properly," Hagrid said, gazing happily out over the grounds. "I was worried this mornin', mind... thought he mighta met Professor Lupin on the grounds, but Lupin says he never ate anythin' las' night...."
"What?" I said quickly.
"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" Hagrid said, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. "Er -- Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'.... Thought everyone'd know by now... Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose on the grounds las' night.... He's packin' now, o' course."
"He's packing?" I said, alarmed. "Why?"
"Leavin', isn' he?" Hagrid said, looking surprised that I had to ask. "Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin again."
I scrambled to my feet.
"I'm going to see him," I said to Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"But if he's resigned --"
"-- doesn't sound like there's anything we can do --"
"I don't care. I still want to see him. I'll meet you back here."
"I'll come with you!" Harry said standing up and we hurried up to the castle.
Lupin's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The Grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was bending over something on his desk and looked up only when I knocked on the door.
"I saw you two coming," Lupin said, smiling. He pointed to the parchment he had been poring over. It was the Marauder's Map.
"We just saw Hagrid," Harry said. "And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?"
"I'm afraid it is," Lupin said. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.
"Why?" Harry said. "The Ministry of Magic don't think you were helping Sirius, do they?"
Lupin crossed to the door and closed it behind us.
"No. Professor Dumbledore managed to convince Fudge that I was trying to save your lives." He sighed. "That was the final straw for Severus. I think the loss of the Order of Merlin hit him hard. So he -- er -- accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf this morning at breakfast."
"You're not leaving just because of that!" I said.
Lupin smiled wryly.
"This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents.... They will not want a werewolf teaching their children, Esmeray. And after last night, I see their point. I could have bitten any of you.... That must never happen again."
"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" I said. "Don't go!"
Lupin shook his head and didn't speak. He carried on emptying his drawers. Then, while I was trying to think of a good argument to make him stay, Lupin said, "From what the headmaster told me this morning, you two saved a lot of lives last night. If I'm proud of anything I've done this year, it's how much you've learned.... Tell me about your Patronus, Harry."
"How d'you know about that?" Harry said, distracted.
"What else could have driven the Dementors back?"
Harry told Lupin what had happened. When he'd finished, Lupin was smiling again.
"Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed," he said. "You guessed right... that's why we called him Prongs."
Lupin threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers, and turned to look at Harry.
"Here -- I brought this from the Shrieking Shack last night," he said, handing Harry back the Invisibility Cloak. "And..." He hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map too. "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you back this as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you both, Ron, and Hermione will find uses for it."
Harry took the map and grinned.
"You told me Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school... you said they'd have thought it was funny."
"And so we would have," Lupin said, now reaching down to close his case. "I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle."
There was a knock on the door. Harry hastily stuffed the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak into his pocket.
It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Harry and I there.
"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he said.
"Thank You, Headmaster."
Lupin picked up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank.
"Well -- good-bye, Harry, Esmeray," he said, smiling. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage...."
I had the impression that Lupin wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
"Good-bye, then, Remus," Dumbledore said soberly. Lupin shifted the Grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod to Harry and I and a swift smile, Lupin left the office.
But I quickly went after him, I stopped him in his tracks with a hug.
"Professor, I'm so sorry for what I was yesterday!" I cried.
Lupin startled, put his things down and turned around to hug me. "There is no need for an apology," he said. "You believed I had betrayed you."
I stared up at him. "Thank you for saving my best friend's life, I will forever owe you," he said, ruffling my hair letting me go.
He picked up his thing again and smiled back at me. He turned to leave but stopped.
"I'm sure once Sirius finds a home, perhaps you could stay with us if your family is still giving you trouble," he said, nodding and then left.
Nobody at Hogwarts now knew the truth of what had happened the night that Sirius, Buckbeak, and Pettigrew had vanished except me, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Professor Dumbledore. As the end of term approached, I heard many different theories about what had really happened, but none of them came close to the truth.
Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the Hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. Percy Weasley, meanwhile, had much to say on the subject of Sirius's escape.
"If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about Magical Law Enforcement!" he told the only person who would listen -- his girlfriend, Penelope.
Though the weather was perfect, though the atmosphere was so cheerful, though I knew we had achieved the near impossible in helping Sirius to freedom, I had never approached the end of a school year in worse spirits.
I certainly wasn't the only one who was sorry to see Professor Lupin go. The whole of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class was miserable about his resignation.
"Wonder what they'll give us next year?" Seamus Finnigan said gloomily.
"Maybe a vampire," Dean Thomas suggested hopefully.
It wasn't only Professor Lupin's departure that was weighing on my mind. I couldn't help thinking a lot about Lupin said. Inviting me to stay with him. Would I be able to? Even though, I had know Lupin for a year now, it felt as though he would be the next best thing to having a real father. One who doesn't belittle me or make me feel like failure.
The exam results came out on the last day of term. Me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had passed every subject. Cozbi had passed her O.W.L.s so easily. And Cenry got his top-grade N.E.W.Ts as well as Percy. Fred and George had scraped a handful of O.W.L.s each. Gryffindor House, meanwhile, largely thanks to our spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House championship for the third year running. This meant that the end of term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated. Even I managed to forget about the journey back to the manor the next day as I ate, drank, talked, and laughed with the rest.
As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Hermione gave me, Harry and Ron some surprising news.
"I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."
"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!" Ron said.
"I know," Hermione sighed, "but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again."
"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about it," Ron said grumpily. "We're supposed to be your friends."
"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," Hermione said severely.
"You told Esme!" Ron exclaimed.
Hermione and I laughed. "Girls gotta stick with girls," I said, sticking my tongue out at Ron.
I looked around at Harry, who was watching Hogwarts disappear from view behind a mountain.
"Oh, cheer up, Harry!" I said sadly.
"I'm okay," Harry said quickly. "Just thinking about the holidays."
"Oooh, about your date!" Ron said. Harry and I whipped around at Ron both faces red as firetruck.
"D-date?" Harry stuttered.
"Yes! Esme told us about it. I've been meaning to ask you about it, but you know, with everything that happened, I forgot. Is it a date?"
I was ready to pounce on him but Hermione stopped me. She held me back as I flailed my legs at Rom.
Harry stared at Ron but nodded and said, "Yes, it's a date."
We all froze.
Harry turned to me smiling.
"Right?" he said.
I nodded slowly, unable to speak.
"Harry, you've got to come and stay with us," Ron said, seeing my stunned face trying to change the subject. "I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a fellytone now --"
"A telephone, Ron," Hermione said. "Honestly, you should take Muggle Studies next year...."
Ron ignored her.
"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work."
"Yeah... I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come... especially after what I did to Aunt Marge...."
Feeling considerably more cheerful, Harry joined me, Ron and Hermione in several games of Exploding Snap, and when the witch with the tea cart arrived, we all got loads of things.
But it was late in the afternoon when something showed up.
"Harry," I said suddenly, peering over his shoulder. "What's that thing outside your window?"
Harry turned to look outside. Something very small and gray was bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. We stood up for a better look and saw that it was a tiny owl, carrying a letter that was much too big for it. The owl was so small, in fact, that it kept tumbling over in the air, buffeted this way and that in the train's slipstream. Harry quickly pulled down the window, stretched out his arm, and caught it. He brought it carefully inside.
The owl dropped its letter onto Harry's seat and began zooming around our compartment, apparently very pleased with itself for accomplishing its task. Hedwig and Juniper clicked their beaks with a sort of dignified disapproval. Crookshanks sat up in his seat, following the owl with his great yellow eyes. Ron, noticing this, snatched the owl safely out of harm's way.
Harry picked up the letter. It was addressed to him. He ripped open the letter, and shouted, "It's from Sirius!"
"What?" Me, Ron and Hermione said excitedly. "Read it aloud!"
Dear Harry,
I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post.
Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.
I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted.
There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt --
"Ha!" Hermione said triumphantly. "See! I told you it was from him!"
"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" Ron said. "Ouch!" The tiny owl now hooting happily in his hand, had nibbled one of his fingers in what it seemed to think was an affectionate way.
--Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather.
I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable.
If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me.
I'll write again soon.
Sirius
Harry looked eagerly inside the envelope. There was another piece of parchment in there. He read it through quickly:
I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends.
"That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!" Harry said happily. He looked back at Sirius's letter. "Hang on, there's a PS...."
I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat.
Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly. "Keep him?" he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment; then, to mine, Harry and Hermione's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff.
"What do you reckon?" Ron asked the cat. "Definitely an owl?"
Crookshanks purred.
"That's good enough for me," Ron said happily. "He's mine."
Hermione and I laughed.
Hours later we arrived at King's Cross station. Me, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped back through the barrier of platform nine and three-quarters. I spotted my parents with Cenry and Cozbi, It seems like they were waiting for me.
"I think they're waiting for me," I said nervously.
"You can stay with Hermione or me," Ron said glancing over at them.
"No, it's alright," I said smiling. I hugged them and then hugged Harry awkwardly.
"I'll call you," I said blushing.
"You have a telephone?" Harry said.
"No, but I can get one," I said thinking about the house elves.
Harry nodded. "See you at our date then," he said blushing just as much I was.
I bid them a finally goodbye, then wheeled the trolley bearing my trunk and Juniper's cage toward my family.
"Hello, mother, hello father," I said smiling up at them.
"All set, then," father said with a blank face.
"Yes," I said.