" . . . NEVER HEARD THE like . . . by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape . . ."

"Thank you, Minister."

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wrangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."

"Nasty cut you've got there . . . Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Weasley, Peirce and Granger, Minister . . ."

"No!"

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behaviour. They seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent. They weren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape . . . They obviously thought they were going to catch Black single handed. They've got away with a great deal before now . . . I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves . . . and of course Potter has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the Headmaster -"

"Ah, well, Snape . . . Harry Potter, you know . . . we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."

"And yet - is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try to treat him like any other student. And any other student would be suspended - at the very least - for leading his friends into danger. Consider, Minister - against all school rules - after all the precautions put in place for his protection - out-of-bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer - and I have reason to believe he has been visiting Hogsmeade illegally, too -"

"Well, well . . . we shall see, Snape, we shall see . . . The boy has undoubtedly been foolish . . . What amazes me most is the behavior of the Dementors . . you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister . . . by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances . . ."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the two girls -"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

There was a pause and for the first time, Ashlynn became aware of herself. She felt as if she had been beaten by one of the security trolls who patrolled the corridor outside the Gryffindor Tower. All her thoughts ran as thickly and slowly as honey and the words that were being spoken out loud were going twice as slow as that, making it very hard to understand.

There was a pause in the speech and Ashlynn tried to remember what had happened, what she was doing, laying down with her eyes shut, listening to a whispered conversation. There was an odd sensation in her chest, as if her heart where trying to jerk from her ribs.

Ashlynn's eyelids felt as if they had been sewed shut. She imagined she could feel the skin tearing as she peeled the slowly open and blinked.

She was lying in the dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, she could make out Madam Pomfrey with her back to him, bending over a bed. Blinking wildly, Ashlynn tried to force her eyes to focus and managed to make out Ron's flame red hair beneath Madam Pomfrey's arm.

Ashlynn heard something shuffling to her right and turned to find Harry lying in the bed next to her. Beyond him, she could make out Hermione's wildly curling hair. They both had thier eyes open as well and, like her, they both looked petrified. When Hermione finally noticed that Harry and Ashlynn were both awake she pressed a finger to her lips, then pointed to the hospital wing door. It was ajar, and the voices of Cornelius Fudge and Professor Snape were coming through it from the corridor outside.

Madam Pomfrey came walking briskly up the dark ward to Harry's bed, carrying the largest block of chocolate Ashlynn had ever seen in her life. It looked like a small boulder and Harry turned to looked at her blankly.

"Ah, you're all three awake, I see!" She said briskly. She placed the chocolate on Harry's bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.

"How's Ron?" Ashlynn, Harry, and Hermione asked as one.

"He'll live." Madam Pomfrey said grimly. "As for you two . . . you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're - Potter, what do you think you're doing?"

Harry was sitting up, putting his glasses back on, and picking up his wand.

"I need to see the Headmaster." He said quickly, swaying on the bed as if he might topple onto the floor at any moment.

"Potter," Madam Pomfrey said soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The Dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now -"

"WHAT?"

Harry jumped out of the bed; Ashlynn and Hermione had done the same. But Harry's shout had been heard in the corridor outside; next second, Cornelius Fudge and Snape had entered the ward.

"Harry? Harry, what is this?" Fudge said, looking agitated. "You should be in bed - has he had any chocolate?" He asked Madam Pomfrey anxiously.

"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the Dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's innocent -"

But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been though a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control . . ."

"YOU HAVEN"T!" Harry yelled. "YOU"VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please." Hermione said; she had hurried to Harry's side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, an -"

"You see, Minister?" Snape said. "Confunded, both of them, although I'm surprised that Miss. Peirce is not trying to defend Black's honor as well . . . He's done a very good job on these two, at the very least . . ."

Ashlynn opened her mouth to protest, but the sickly feeling that had been churning through her stomach since she had stood up suddenly became full blown nausea, and Ashlynn streaked towards the small bathroom just off the hospital wing doors, hand clamped over her mouth. She felt so horrible that she didn't even notice that Madam Pomfrey was hovering over her while she was violently sick into the toilet.

"Shhh, that's it, just let it out." Madam Pomfrey soothed, smoothing Ashlynn's bangs from her face. "That's it, shhhh."

Ashlynn wanted to tell her to stop speaking, that her head was throbbing, but she couldn't verbalize anything past the sick in her throat yet. Madam Pomfrey held Ashlynn's shoulders anxiously, keeping her hair out of her face, waiting until she could breath again.

"They're telling the truth." Ashlynn moaned the moment her throat and mouth were clear, tears streaming down her face.

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry was yelling from the hospital wing.

"Minister! Professor!" Madam Pomfrey said angrily as she edge Ashlynn to her feet and back through the bathroom doors. "I must insist that you both leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen -"

But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry's mouth and settled Ashlynn into her bed in the same movement; Harry choked, and she seized the opportunity to force Harry onto his bed as well.

"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave -" Madam Pomfrey tried to force a piece of chocolate into Ashlynn's mouth as well, but she merely gagged and turned her head away, dry heaving over the edge of her bed.

The door opened again and at the bed beside hers, Harry struggled to his feet.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black -"

"For heaven's sake!" Madam Pomfrey said rather hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist -"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter, Miss. Granger, and Miss. Peirce." Dumbledore said calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black -"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tail he's planted in Potter's mind?" Snape spat. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive -"

"That, indeed, is Black's story." Dumbledore nodded, surveying Snape closely through his half-moon spectacles.

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" Snape snarled. "Peter Pettigrew was no in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"That's because you were knocked out!" Ashlynn hissed, her face tinged green. "You only heard what you wanted to hear and -"

"Miss. Peirce, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"Now, Snape," Fudge said, startled, "the young lady is clearly disturbed by the whole ordeal, we must make allowances -"

"I AM NOT DISTURBED!" Ashlynn roared, and a moment later she began to dry heave over the side of her bed once again, her whole body shaking painfully as she tried to breath past the unbearable feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I would like to speak to Harry, Hermione and Ashlynn alone." Dumbledore said abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy - please leave us."

"Headmaster!" Madam Pomfrey sputtered. "They need treatment, Miss. Peirce especially! They need rest -"

"This cannot wait." Dumbledore said calmly. "I must insist."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The Dementors should have arrived by now." He said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door an held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.

"You surely don't believe a world of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Harry, Hermione and Ashlynn alone." Dumbledore repeated.

Snape took a step toward Dumbledore.

"Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen." He breathed. "You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus." Dumbledore said quietly.

Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to Harry and Hermione. They both burst into speech at the same time.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth - we saw Pettigrew -" Ashlynn said, still gagging.

" - he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf -" That was Hermione.

" - he's a rat -" Harry said quickly.

" - Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off -" Ashlynn tried again.

" - Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius -" Hermione said, glancing at Ron at the end of the hospital wing.

But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time." He said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word - and the word of four thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street full of eyewitnesses swore they saw Sirius murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Sirius had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper."

"Professor Lupin can tell you -" Harry started.

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little - and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends -"

"But -" Ashlynn shook her head.

"Listen to me. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."

"He hates Sirius." Hermione said desperately. "All become of some stupid trick Sirius played on him."

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady - entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife - without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

"But you believe us." It was not a question.

"Yes, I do." Dumbledore said quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic . . . What we need," Dumbledore continued slowly, and his light blue eyes moved to Hermione, "is more time."

"But -" Hermione began. And then her eyes became very round. "Oh. OH!"

"Now, pay attention." Dumbledore said, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, the three of you: you must not be seen. Miss. Granger, you know the law - you know what is at stake . . . You - must - not - be - seen."

Ashlynn turned to stare at Hermione, and then Dumbledore had turned on his heel, looking back as he reached the door.

"I'm going to lock you in. It is -" He consulted his watch. " - five minutes to midnight. Miss. Granger, four turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Four turns? What is he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

But Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from beneath them the very long, very fine gold chain on which her Time-Turner rested.

"Harry, Ashlynn, come here." She said urgently. "Quick!"

Harry moved toward her, clearly bewildered, and Ashlynn stumbled to her feet, ducking so that Hermione could throw the chain around her and Harry's necks.

"Ready?" She asked breathlessly.

"What are we doing?" Harry asked.

Hermione turned the Time-Turner four times.

The dark ward dissolved. Ashlynn had the sensation that she was falling backward very fast. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past her, her blood was pounding, her ears popped -

And then she felt solid ground beneath her feet, and everything came into focus again -

They were standing in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. Harry was looking wildly around at Hermione, the chain of the necklace cutting into his and Ashlynn's necks with every movement.

"Hermione, what -?"

"In here!" Hermione seized Harry and Ashlynn's arms and dragged them across the hall to the door of a broom closet; she opened it, pushed them inside among the buckets and mops, then slammed the door behind them.

"What - how - Hermione, what happened?"

"We've gone back in time." Hermione whispered, lifting the chain off Harry and Ashlynn's neck in the darkness. "Four hours back . . ."

Ashlynn pushed her hair back from her face, gagging slightly.

"But -"

"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think - I think it might be us!"

Hermione had her ear pressed against the cupboard door.

"Footsteps across the hall . . . yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"

"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"

"Yes." Hermione said, her ear still glued to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like more that four people . . . and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak -"

She broke off, still listening intently.

"We've gone own the front steps . . ."

Hermione said down on an upturned bucket, looking desperately anxious.

"Where did you get that hourglass thing?" Harry asked, looking shocked.

"It's called a Time-Turner." Ashlynn said softly.

"Yes." Hermione whispered. "And I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything other than my studies . . . I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But . . .

"Harry, I don't understand why Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back four hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

"Wait, if you weren't supposed to tell anyone, why does Ashlynn know what it is?" Harry said, his attention lagging a bit.

"I figured it out ages ago." Ashlynn shrugged her shoulders, rubbing her stomach, which still ached unpleasantly. "I saw it one day, and since I read occasionally, I knew what it was."

"Never mind that!" Hermione snapped. "What are we supposed to do?"

Ashlynn stared at Hermione's shadowy face and frowned.

"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change." Harry said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's four hours ago . . ."

"This is four hours ago, and we are walking down to Hagrid's." Hermione said. "We just heard ourselves leaving . . ."

Harry frowned, and Ashlynn didn't blame him. Her head was beginning to ache just like her stomach.

"Dumbledore said - he said we could save more than one innocent life . . . Hermione, we're going to save Buckbeak!"

"But - how will that help Sirius?"

"Dumbledore told us where the window is." Ashlynn said, meeting Harry's eyes. "He told us exactly where it was. Where they've got Sirius locked up. We're going to have to fly Buckbeak up to the window and rescue Sirius."

"And Sirius can escape on Buckbeak - they can escape together!" Harry nodded his head wildly.

But when Ashlynn looked down at Hermione, she looked terrified.

"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"

"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" Harry said. He stood up and pressed his ear against the door.

"Doesn't sound like anyone's there . . . Come on, let's go . . ."

Harry pushed open the closet door. The entrance hall was deserted. As quietly and quickly as they could, they darted out of the cupboard and down the stone steps. The shadows were already lengthening, the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest gilded once more with gold.

"If anyone's looking out of the window -" Hermione squeaked, looking up at the castle behind them.

"We'll run for it." Harry said determinedly. "Straight into the forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout -"

"Okay, but we'll go around by the greenhouses!" Hermione said breathlessly. "We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or we'll see us! We must be nearly at Hagrid's by now!"

Together they set off at a sprint, tearing across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouses, paused for a moment behind them, then set of again, fast as they could, skirting around the Whomping Willow, hurrying toward the shelter of the forest.

Safe in the shadows of the trees, Ashlynn, Harry, and Hermione clutched thier sides, trying to catch thier breath.

"Right." Hermione gasped. "e need to sneak over to Hagrid's . . . Keep out of sight, Harry . . ."

They made their way silently through the trees, keeping close to the very edge of the forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's