When they emerged from the Tunnel, Harry took the opportunity to have a chat with Sirius, while Hermione and Cassi attended to Ron's leg.
"Seems really painful," Hermione commented, concerned.
"It hurts too much," Ron grumbled, tears in his eyes. "Might have to amputate."
Cassi chuckled at this statement. "Madame Pomfrey will take care of it in no time."
"It's too late. It's ruined. I'll have to amputate," he asserted with a brave look, while Cassiopeia rolled her eyes.
"Thank you," Hermione suddenly said, leaving them confused.
"For what?" Cassi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"For always being on our side, even when we're being bad friends," she responded sadly.
"Mione," Cassi said softly, lifting her friend's face. "Do you remember what I said in the bathroom, in our first year?" she asked gently.
Hermione sniffled. "That you would always be my friend, no matter what."
Hermione jumped onto Cassi, hugging her tightly. However, in the process, she accidentally crushed Ron's leg, causing him to cry out in pain.
Cassi chuckled softly at Hermione's flushed cheeks, while apologizing profusely to the redhead.
Suddenly, the filthy rat appeared along with Lupin, absolutely desperate.
"Ron! Wasn't I a good friend? A good pet? You won't let them take me to the dementors, will you?" the rat pleaded, his hands trembling in fear.
"Girl, sweet, intelligent! Don't..." He said, reaching out to touch Hermione.
Instantly, Ron and Cassiopeia shouted in unison, "Stay away from her!"
Lupin, with a serious expression, grabbed Peter Pettigrew and dragged him away from them. His wand was menacingly pointed at the treacherous rat. However, before Lupin could do anything, Cassi saw the moon emerging from behind the clouds.
"Oh no," she whispered, pointing at the full moon.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, drawing the attention of Sirius and Potter.
It was too late, Lupin had begun to transform into a wolf before the stunned eyes of everyone. His green eyes glowed with fierce intensity, and he struggled to free himself from the control of the animal within.
"Remus, my dear. Did you take your potion tonight?" Sirius asked with a mix of fear and hope in his voice, but he received no response. He grabbed Lupin, trying to restrain him and calm his fury.
"You know who you are, Lupin, deep in your heart. You know!" While Sirius struggled to contain Lupin, Cassi and Hermione rushed to help Ron get up, preparing for a possible escape if necessary. Peter, taking advantage of the distraction, tried to grab Lupin's fallen wand, but Harry was quicker and disarmed him with an Expelliarmus.
The filthy rat, Peter Pettigrew, simply waved goodbye with a malicious smile and quickly transformed into his animagus form.
Cassi tried to go after him, fueled by anger and the desire to capture him, but Hermione held her firmly.
"RUN, RUN!" Sirius shouted desperately as he realized that Lupin couldn't contain the transformation. Remus's wolf form threw Sirius aside and let out a terrifying howl towards the moon.
"Hermione, what are you doing?!" Cassi said in despair when she saw her friend approaching the werewolf.
"Professor?" Hermione called out, trying to establish a connection with the man trapped inside that beast. "Professor Lupin?"
However, the werewolf didn't respond. Instead, it howled and growled menacingly at Hermione, showing its sharp teeth and wild eyes. Cassi immediately pulled Hermione back and stood in front of her friends, assuming a protective stance.
Snape emerged from the secret passage and positioned himself in front of the four, shielding them with his own body.
The werewolf attacked, causing the five of them to fall to the ground, frightened. As it prepared to attack again, Sirius appeared in his animagus form and knocked Lupin down, trying to keep him away from the group.
Harry and Hermione ran to help Ron, while Cassi stood up and offered support to Snape. When they were all on their feet, Snape pushed Cassiopeia back and positioned himself in front of the four once again.
Sirius and Lupin began to fight fiercely, each fighting for their own cause. Sirius tried every possible way to keep the werewolf at bay and protect the group.
But then Harry ran after Sirius, followed by Cassi, and so on, with Snape shouting behind them, trying to keep them safe.
As they ran, Harry picked up a stone and threw it at Lupin, causing the werewolf to growl at him and Cassiopeia. However, a distant howl made the werewolf hesitate and follow the sound, temporarily moving away from the two.
Sirius looked injured, and Cassi ran to him to check his condition, with Harry right behind, extremely concerned for his godfather.
He was lying by the edge of a lake. Cassi and Harry tried to wake the man, but without success.
"I'll go get help," Cassi said breathlessly, assuming her animagus form and running quickly. She ran as fast as she could until she found Snape.
Still out of breath, she shifted back into her human form, feeling a sharp but less intense pain than in her previous transformations. She struggled to catch her breath as she approached Snape.
"Professor! Please, help us," she pleaded, her voice filled with desperation.
"You - You..." Snape seemed incredulous. "An animagus, how??!"
"PROFESSOR, WE NEED HELP!" Cassi exclaimed, exasperated.
"Take Mr. Weasley to the Castle, I'll take it from here," Snape requested, trying to regain composure after the astonishment and admiration of seeing his student transform right before his eyes.
Cassi helped Hermione bring Ron to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey immediately began tending to his injuries.
Meanwhile, the confusion continued. Minerva was furious with Cassi for the recklessness of becoming an animagus without supervision, reprimanding her vehemently for countless reasons. Madam Pomfrey was focused on treating the three of them, also admonishing them at every opportunity.
Snape, visibly concerned, carried Harry to the infirmary. Cassi felt powerless in the face of the situation and couldn't do anything to stop Sirius from being taken by the Aurors.
Hermione and Cassiopeia stood by Harry, their hands gently touching his face as they tried to wake him. Harry's eyes slowly opened, a bewildered look on his face, and he began babbling incoherent words about seeing his father and other nonsensical things.
Hermione, unable to contain her frustration, lost her patience.
"Harry! Sirius has been taken, and the Dementors are about to perform the Dementor's Kiss on him!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with urgency and concern.
Without hesitation, Harry jumped to his feet, his eyes full of desperation. "They can't kill him!" he cried out, his voice trembling.
Cassi, feeling her heart squeeze, quickly added, "No, Harry, it's worse! They're going to suck his soul out."
Before anyone could react, Hermione cut through the air. "Headmaster! You have to stop them!" she shouted, addressing Dumbledore, who had just hurriedly entered through the hospital wing door.
"They got the wrong man!" Cassi managed to say, gasping for breath as she recovered. "Sirius is innocent, Headmaster!" she continued, her tone conveying the urgency. Harry then added firmly, "It's true!"
Ron, lying in his bed, trying to rest his injured leg, interjected into the conversation. "It's Peter Pettigrew," he said, his voice filled with frustration and disbelief.
"Peter Pettigrew?" Dumbledore asked, his expression showing complete confusion.
Ron struggled to explain his statement, ending up rambling in confused and disjointed words, possibly due to the effects of the potion Madam Pomfrey had given him to ease the pain.
"The point is, we know the truth, please," Cassiopeia pleaded. "Believe us."
"I believe you, Mrs. Gaunt. But the word of four 13-year-old wizards would convince few," Dumbledore explained, walking over to Ron and patting his heavily injured and bandaged leg in a rather absent-minded way.
"The voice of a child, though honest and true, holds little sway with those who no longer know how to listen."
The clock in the background began to chime.
"Time is a mysterious thing. Powerful, and when someone interferes, it becomes dangerous," Dumbledore said mysteriously.
"Sirius Black is in the highest cell of the West Tower. You both know the laws well, don't you, Mrs. Gaunt and Miss Granger?"
Dumbledore turned abruptly. "You cannot be seen. And I believe you'll make it back before the last chime. It's not even worth discussing the consequences if you fail."
Cassiopeia blinked, finally understanding where this was going, and let out a relieved sigh with the plan.
"If everything goes well, more than one innocent life could be saved tonight." Dumbledore was about to turn, but he turned back to Cassi. "Three turns should be enough, I believe." Dumbledore winked.
Cassiopeia and Hermione exchanged glances.
"Oh, by the way!" Dumbledore opened the doors again. "When in doubt, rebuilding my steps is a good way to start over. Good luck."
"What the bloodhell was that?" Ron asked, very confused.
"I'm sorry, Ron, but you can't walk," Hermione turned to him.
"Cassi, you or me?" Hermione asked.
"Let's do it together."
"Rotate what?" Harry looked very confused.
Hermione, gripping the necklace Cassi had given her, pulled it out from inside her shirt, revealing the gleaming Time-Turner. Curious, Harry reached out to touch it, but before he could do so, Cassi quickly slapped his hand, warning him not to interfere.
Hermione wrapped the Time-Turner around her neck and the necks of the other two and began spinning it, giving it three complete turns. As she spun, everything around her began to distort and deform, as if time itself was being manipulated.
Then, in an instant, it was daylight again. With a relieved expression, Hermione took the necklace off her friends and carefully tucked it back into her shirt.
Harry, still confused about the sequence of events, looked around for answers. "What happened?" he asked, trying to make sense of the sudden change.
"Where's Ron?"
"7:30 PM," Hermione asked. "Where were we at 7:30 PM?"
"I don't know, talking to Hagrid," Harry said, very confused.
"Cassie?" Hermione asked.
"We were watching you making Draco cry," Cassi confidently replied.
"Let's go! And we can't be seen."
Hermione pulled Harry, and the three of them quickly left the hospital wing.
Cassiopeia took on the role of guide. She grabbed onto each of their arms and began running through the castle corridors.
The trio stealthily passed by students and professors, skillfully dodging groups of students and sneaking through passages.
"Hermione! Cassie! Wait," Harry called out, breathless. "Can you please tell me what we're doing?"
"That, is that us?" Harry asked, confused, seeing himself near an angry Hermione punching Draco.
"This isn't normal," Harry said, stepping out of hiding, and Cassiopeia had to pull him back by his shirt. "This is a Time-Turner, Harry," Hermione said, pulling out the object to show him. "Minerva gave it to us at the beginning of the school year. That's how I've been attending classes all year," Hermione explained.
Cassi pulled out hers, which was securely around her neck, to show it.
"That's how we've managed to study almost all the subjects without going insane," Cassi sighed.
"So, we've gone back in time?" Harry asked, connecting the dots.
"Yes!" the two said in unison. "Dumbledore must have wanted us to go back to this moment," Hermione said, returning to observe herself arguing with Draco.
"Something happened that he wants us to change," Cassi concluded.
"Nice punch," Harry said, impressed once again.
"Remind me never to annoy her," Cassi chuckled.
Hermione blushed. "Thanks."
"Draco is coming," Cassi said, pulling the two to hide.
They watched Cassiopeia say goodbye and saw themselves going to talk to Hagrid.
"I'm heading to the Shrieking Shack. I'll stay there until you come looking for Ron," Cassi explained, breathless.
With a nod, they followed the past Ron, Harry, and Hermione.
"Look! Buckbeak is still alive!" Harry pointed excitedly. Cassi and Hermione exchanged glances.
"But of course!" Mione exclaimed.
"Dumbledore said that if everything goes well, more than one innocent life will be saved," Cassi said with a broad smile. Hermione hugged her, moved, pulling Harry along.
"Let's go!" Hermione pulled them. They descended the hill and hid behind the large pumpkins that were surrounding Buckbeak.
"They're coming. I better hurry," Harry said, getting up to release the animal. Cassi pulled him from one side, and Hermione from the other.
"No!" Cassi slapped him.
"Fudge has to see Buckbeak before we steal him. Otherwise, he'll think Hagrid set him free," Hermione calmly explained.
The three of them watched the past Ron cheerfully lead the traitor rat away. "It's Pettigrew!" Harry said, getting up again. "Harry, you can't!" Hermione pulled him back firmly.
"He's the man who betrayed my parents! Don't expect me to just stand by." Harry stood up once more. Cassi pulled him back by the ear. "We wait! And you stay!" She growled at Harry.
"Harry, you're in Hagrid's cabin now. You can't see your copy. Terrible things happen to wizards who mess with time," Cassiopeia scolded him.
"We can't be seen," Hermione emphasized each word slowly to see if anything would sink in for Harry.
"Fudge is coming," Harry realized.
"And we're not leaving. Why aren't we leaving?" Hermione questioned, confused.
Cassiopeia noticed a pumpkin seed right in front of her.
"You need to look through the window," following her intuition, she picked up the seed and threw it inside Hagrid's cabin, hitting a jar dead on.
"Have you gone mad?" Harry asked.
"Shhhh," Cassi silenced him, picking up a small stone from the ground and throwing it into Harry's head through the cabin window.
"20 points to Slytherin," Cassi whispered with a mischievous smile.
"That's hurt!" Harry complained, scowling.
They watched the trio of Gryffindors exit through the back door. "Come on!" Cassi pulled them, entering the forest and hiding behind the trees.
"My hair is like that even when I'm not looking?" Hermione whispered, and Cassi simply pulled her back, covering her mouth.
"What was that, Mione?."
"I thought—never mind," the other Hermione said, confused, running away with the boys in tow.
They cautiously emerged, and Cassi went to Buckbeak, taking advantage of Dumbledore distracting the Minister with an incessant conversation.
Cassi caught Buckbeak's attention was drawn to her, and she gently bowed, waiting for the creature's approval. When Buckbeak stood up, she took the skinned ferrets that were hanging and waved them in front of the creature.
"Do you want these, handsome boy? Then you have to be good and come with me," she said softly, enticing the animal.
While Buckbeak was distracted, mesmerized by the skinned ferrets, Harry stealthily approached, pulling on the metal chain that held the creature captive, setting it free.
"Shh, buddy. Be quiet, come here," he whispered.
Cassi gently beckoned, luring the creature into the forest. The three froze as the Minister and Dumbledore emerged from the Cabin.
But apparently, Dumbledore was keeping the man distracted with talk of planting heather and blah blah blah. Cassi silently chuckled.
"Where is it? I just saw him!" the Minister exclaimed, exasperated and utterly confused.
"Well, well. That's unexpected," Dumbledore sarcastically remarked, with a suppressed laugh in his voice.
"Now, come on, Dumbledore! The Minister surely can't be suggesting that we have anything to do with this," he scoffed, hands on his hips. "We were with you the whole time."
"Well, well. We have to search the property," the Minister said stupidly.
"Search the sky if you want, Minister. Meanwhile, I'd like a nice cup of tea or a large glass of brandy," Dumbledore said, mocking him.
"Executioner, your services are no longer needed. Thank you," he added.
This seemed to irk the executioner, who raised his axe and split a pumpkin in half.
The three hurriedly escaped with Buckbeak into the forest.
"And now?" Harry asked, breathless.
"We saved Sirius," Cassi said, leaving the skinned ferrets near Buckbeak and giving the creature one last stroke.
"How?" Harry questioned.
"I have no idea," Hermione said, sounding exasperated, as she ran towards the Whomping Willow.
"Look, it's Lupin," Hermione pointed.
"And there's Snape, the sneaky snake," Cassi chuckled softly at her mentor, who was sneaking behind Professor Lupin.
"And now we wait?" Harry asked.
"Now we wait," Cassi said, sitting down next to Hermione.
"At least some of us are having fun," Harry joked, watching Buckbeak continue his festive bat feast.
Hermione, with a smile on her lips, admired Cassi's lively behavior in her fox form, gently stroking her soft fur. The fox, delighting in the caresses, rolled onto her back, sticking out her tongue.
Harry couldn't help but laugh at the scene, enjoying that brief, relaxed moment. However, his expression soon turned serious as he turned to Hermione.
"Mione, when I was alone with Sirius by the lake while Cassi went to get help. I saw someone, and that someone drove away the Dementors," Harry said.
"Like a Patronus?" Hermione questioned. "Snape mentioned something about it to Dumbledore. According to him, only a truly powerful wizard would be able to conjure one."
"It was my dad," Harry said firmly. "It was my dad who conjured the Patronus."
"Harry... Your dad is-"
"Dead! I know," Harry interrupted her. "I'm just telling you what I saw."
Cassi, with her keen ears, noticed movement coming from the Willow and quickly returned to her human form.
"We're coming," she whispered softly.
"Are you seeing Sirius and me over there?" Harry asked.
With nods from Cassi and Hermione, he continued.
"He's calling me to live with him!" Harry said excitedly.
"That's great, Harry," Cassi said, thrilled. "We'd have family vacations," she added with a wide smile.
Hermione was also smiling happily.
"When he's free, I won't have to live with the Dursleys anymore," Harry said dreamily. "I'll finally have a real home."
They watched their past versions being attacked by the werewolf Lupin.
"We have to go," Cassi called, and they ran.
Just as their past versions were about to be attacked by the werewolf, Hermione acted impulsively, imitating the sounds of a wolf.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked, alarmed.
"Saving your lives," Hermione replied.
Cassi, recalling that the werewolf had followed them after hearing a howl, widened her eyes at the imminent danger.
"Run!" she shouted, dragging them into the forest.
"Yeah, I didn't think about that," Hermione panted, as the three ran to escape the imminent danger.
Harry almost tripped, but Cassi quickly balanced him, pulling them to hide behind a tree.
The werewolf sniffed around, but Hermione picked up a branch and threw it in the opposite direction, distracting the creature. Cautiously, the trio slowly emerged from their hiding place, only to come face-to-face with the werewolf once again.
Cassi pushed her friends back and stood in front of them, embracing them protectively. But before the attack could come, Buckbeak leaped in front of them, scaring the werewolf away and making it retreat.
"That was scary," Hermione said, her voice filled with fear.
"Professor Lupin is having a really tough night," observed Harry, as he hugged Hermione.
Cassi, with gratitude, went to Buckbeak and caressed his beak. "You saved us, Buckbeak," she said, moved. "Thank you, my friend."
Looking up at the sky, the three friends saw Dementors hovering menacingly in a group.
"Sirius," Harry said breathlessly, and they ran towards the lake.
"This is awful," Hermione said, seeing Harry and Sirius being attacked by the creatures.
"Don't worry. My dad will come," Harry said confidently. "He will conjure the Patronus. Any moment now, right there," Harry pointed to the stone ahead of them.
Something clicked in Cassi's mind. "Harry, listen to me carefully. No one is coming. It was you, you conjured the Patronus."
Harry finally understood. He ran toward the edge of the lake, gripping his wand tightly in his hand. With all the strength he had left, he shouted the spell: "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
An intense blue light shone brightly, emanating from the tip of his wand. The spell was so powerful that the brightness dazzled Cassi's eyes. The light expanded, driving away the dark creatures that enveloped the lake and surrounding every Dementor present.
"Wow," Cassi gasped, wide-eyed. "That was the most fascinating thing I've witnessed."
Hermione nodded in agreement.
After the initial shock, the three friends approached Buckbeak again and mounted his back. Together, they soared determinedly, ready to rescue Sirius.
"You were right, Cassi! It wasn't my dad that I saw before, I saw myself!" Harry exclaimed with enthusiasm, feeling the adrenaline rush through his veins as the wind blew in their faces. "Do that's make any sense?!" Asked dreamily.
"No, it doesn't!" Hermione said, still afraid of being meters above the ground, almost squeezing Cassi to hold on and save her life.
Cassi laughed. "Yes, it does, Harry."
"I don't really like t- FLYYY--" Hermione screamed as Buckbeak took a sudden dive downward. Harry and Cassi screamed in joy and laughed madly.
They felt the thrill running through their bodies, the wind whipping their faces, and the freedom of flying through the sky.
Hermione, still a bit apprehensive, held on tightly but couldn't help feeling a mix of excitement and fear.
The three friends finally reached the tallest tower and saw Sirius Black sitting in his cell with a resigned expression.
"You didn't think we'd abandon you, old dog, did you?" Cassi asked, displaying a mischievous smile.
"You three are sneaky little troublemakers!" Sirius exclaimed enthusiastically, moving to the back of the cell.
Hermione, determined, raised her wand and shouted, "BOMBARDA!" The resulting explosion opened the cell gate, allowing Sirius to join them.
"Sirius!" Harry ran to hug him, feeling a wave of relief and happiness. "Family doesn't abandon each other," Harry said, looking at Cassi, who nodded in agreement.
Sirius, with tears in his eyes, looked at his niece and godson with affection. Turning to Hermione, he whispered, "Thank you."
Hermione simply smiled and led them to Buckbeak, who was patiently waiting. The hippogriff flapped its powerful wings once, and they began to fly upward. As they soared, Sirius laughed wildly, enjoying the sensation of freedom until they reached the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed on the battlements of the castle with the sound of hooves, and the three slid to the ground.
"Sirius, you better go quickly," Harry gasped. "They'll reach the cell any moment now, and they'll find out you've escaped."
"What happened to the other boy? Ron!" Sirius asked hoarsely.
"He'll be fine. He's still disoriented, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll take care of him. Hurry, go..." Cassi said, looking around.
But Black continued to look at Harry.
"How can I ever thank you..." he started to say.
"GO!" the three of them shouted at the same time.
Sirius approached the two and gave Cassi one last hug.
"Tell Noctua I hope to see her again," Sirius said with a laugh.
"She'll kill me first when she finds out I became an unregistered Animagus," Cassi said with a sigh.
"Then I'll have to bring you back from the dead," Sirius said with a laugh, getting back on Buckbeak.
"Thank you, Mrs. Granger," he smiled at Hermione one last time. "You truly are a brilliant witch," Sirius said before flying off into the sky, mounted on Buckbeak.
"Guys!" Cassi called, seeing the clock strike. "We have to go."
Cassi ran towards the castle's hospital wing, pulling the two of them along with her. They rushed up the stairs and came face to face with Dumbledore coming out of the infirmary.
"Well?" Dumbledore asked.
"He's free. We did it," Harry said breathlessly.
"What did you do?" Dumbledore said with a chuckle, descending the stairs.
"Dumblefuck," Cassi whispered, giggling softly.
As they reached the infirmary, their past versions had just left.
"How did you get there?" Ron asked, very confused. "I was talking to you three right here," he pointed.
"What is he talking about?" Hermione asked, teasingly.
"I have no idea," Harry replied.
"Honestly, Ron, how can someone be in two places at once?" Cassi finished.
The three looked at each other and laughed at Ron's nearly collapsing expression.