"Your turn."
Harry looked over the small tic-tac-toe game we had drawn in the dirt, studying in the board so hard I thought his eyes would jump out his head.
"It's definitely going to be a CAT game," Hannah looked over my shoulder, looking at the little game just as closely.
"No way," Harry muttered, putting his O under one of my X's. Suddenly Hermione, who was leaning against my back, stood up quickly. I turned to look, Hermione's finger pointed as we spotted Lupin and White's head to pop out the whole.
"It's us," I muttered, standing up so quick I sent Hannah tumbling to the ground, turning around in shock as I looked down at her.
"I'm so sorry," I held my hand out for her, helping her from the ground back to her feet. She grumbled at me, giving me a deadpanned look before hitting my shoulder lightly.
"You're impossible to stay mad at, it's annoying."
I smiled, turning to see Harry and Hermione watching all of us with a close eye. Hannah and I made room between the two, watching everyone branch into their own conversation in a way.
"He was telling me we could live together, even said he'd try and get Hannah to come."
I looked to Harry as he watched Sirius and himself closely, his eyes almost glassy just thinking about it. It reminded me of first year when he saw his father quidditch trophy. I reached my pinky around, locking it around his pinky as I studied him.
He looked so hurt, so broken for someone our age. We were just kids, running from the world that couldn't leave us alone.
"Pettigrew," Hannah pointed as Peter grabbed my wand out of my back pocket, turning himself back from human to rat. I looked away, still anger I even let that happen. I should have been paying more attention, I knew what he was capable of and I didn't pay attention.
"Let's go," Harry took off running around the forest, following Lupin, White, and Black past the willow. I drew myself from my thoughts, taking off after him. Hermione and Hannah were behind me. We jumped over different branches, doing our best not to get caught up in the wrong part of the forest. Harry stopped, watching the scene of Lupin looked down at White and Black.
"He'll kill them," Hannah spoke, leaning closer to Hermione. Hermione looked at Hannah, turning back to the scene while cupping her hands around her mouth. She let out a loud howl, one that rang through the air. It almost got Lupin's attention, his movement stopping for a second before he looked back to Harry.
I nodded at Hermione, cupping my own hands around my mouth. We counted in our head, at three both letting loud howls fall from our lips. Lupin looked up, almost making eye contact with us.
He jumped into the field between him and us, running closer to us by the seconds.
"Merlin," Hannah yelled, turning and running back deeper into the forest. I didn't waste time, grabbing the first jacket I felt, I think it was Hermione's and took off into the forest. I was praying to every dead wizard that Harry was running behind up and not trying to play hero for once.
My legs burned as we ran over different hills, doing our best not to run over a tree root. My ribs were starting to hurt and I realize how much running I had actually done. Why didn't they teach us this in school? You know, running from werewolves, it seemed really important right now.
I watched Hannah dive behind a tree waving us over to her. Hermione and I both picked up the pace, running as fast as we could as we ran to Hannah who had her arm open for us. Harry was close behind, running into my back when he stopped. His hands gripped my shoulders, my chest pressed against Hermione's as we all packed against one another.
"This is how we die," Hannah's voice came out horse, looking around the other side of the tree for any sight of Lupin.
"If you say that then probably," Hermione muttered, pulling my jacket as we moved around the circle of the tree. Harry kept his grip on my shoulders, keeping me close to him as we slowly moved around. The heavy breathing for the werewolf drowned out, letting myself truly think about the situation we had walked in, or more like ran in.
We kept moving around the tree, eventually, the sound of claws against wood rang behind us. The breathing was back, causing harsh shivers up my spine. We all slowly turned, looking up at the werewolf that stood full height now.
I pulled Hermione into my chest, turning around to hide her from the werewolf. Hannah's arms wrapped around my shoulder, Harry shielding my entire back.
We were going to die in a forest and Ron was stuck in the infirmary all alone. I had prepared myself from claws to rip into my back, or even to hear Harry's screamed to bounce off the trees of the forest.
But instead, I heard wings flapping against the wind, the sound of squawking followed close behind. I turned my head looking up at Buckbeak, shielding us from Lupin. He stomped his hoofs against the dirt, kicking uploads of it as it floated into Lupin's eyes.
Buckbeak did it again, causing Lupin to cry out in agony. The heavy breathing of the werewolf was gone, running back into the forest to most likely hide for the rest of the night until the normal Lupin was back.
Hermione let out a choked sob, gripping my jacket and holding herself to my chest.
"That was horrific," she mumbled into my chest, she wrapped slowly wrapping around my middle as we started to stand at full height.
"Poor Lupin, he'd not having a very good night," Harry spoke out of breath, still watching Buckbeak closely. Hannah nodded, moving to rub gentle circles on Hermione's back as she slowly regains composure after what had just happened.
"You're okay Hermione, we got you."
Suddenly I didn't feel hot, the sweat I had formed while running felt stuck to my skin as a cold breeze past us. I felt the whole forest died a little, the atmosphere slowly feeling stiff and broken. I looked to the sky, the dementors flew overhead of us.
"Sirius," Harry didn't feel the need to inform us of anything as he took off to where the dementors were heading. I shook Hermione's shoulder, breaking her from her daze as I pointed after Harry.
"It will be over soon, I promise."
Hermione nodded, letting me go as we followed Harry throughout this stupid forest for what felt like the millionth time that night. The farther we ran the colder the air around us felt, yet my body still burned against the wind. My legs hurt and my ribs felt as if they were broken almost, but I could barely focus on it as we stopped on the other side of the lake.
Sirius laid on the rocks, his body limps as the dementors flew around him like vultures around a dead animal, but I suppose to them that's exactly what he was. Harry did his best to produce a Patronus, but the little light that shot out his wand wasn't enough to hold them all back.
"He's coming, my dad," Harry smiled, hiding behind the tree as he waited for "James Potter" to appear and save the day. I felt my heartbreak because we all knew James Potter wasn't going to come down and save the day even if he wanted to.
"Any minute now."
I watched the dementors suck at Sirius's face, his skin paler as the seconds went on. Hannah covered her mouth, trying her best not to say a word but this meant as much to Hannah as it did Harry.
She just learned he was like her father and he's about to die in front of us.
And there wasn't anything for us to do.
That's what I thought until Harry grabbed at his wand, running up on the rocks and pointing it up at the sky to the dementors.
"Expecto Patronum!"
The words were confident like Harry had done this spell a million times over like it was second nature to him. The sliver light flowed from his wand, slowly morphing into a deer before us. The Patronus held his head high, running across the cold water of the lake to protect Harry and Sirius.
Suddenly the whole thing made sense, Harry saw himself not his father. But his father was there. The way the deer was fierce and prideful made me believe that James Potter's spirit had morphed himself with that Patronus.
But at the moment, I couldn't care who did it. I simply cared that everyone was going to be okay.
We'd be okay for one more year.
you can't convince me hannah, hermione, and (y/n) aren't like the marauders