I reunited with Brutus as we left the shack. He'd been nestled in Crookshanks' fur, and was now lying comfortably around my neck. Ron, Lupin, and Pettigrew were in front of us, Hermione and I bringing up the rear. I looked up front to Harry and Sirius, who were both smiling as they walked together. Sirius seemed rather embarrassed about how he'd behaved, but was now talking to Harry about James' cloak, which we'd retrieved from where Snape left it.

"You think Harry's going to move in with Sirius?" I asked Hermione. "You know, once his name is cleared?"

"Definitely," said Hermione. "I'd hate it if Harry had to spend any more time with the Dursley's."

"I'm sure he would too," I nodded. "Imagine how frightened the Dursley's will be when they find out Sirius is his godfather."

"Terrified, I'm sure," Hermione agreed. After a few moments, she cleared her throat. "You were right, you know — about Sirius. We wouldn't have believed you if Pettigrew weren't right there. But the next time you find out you're related to a dark wizard, you can tell us."

I shook my head. "Dumbledore warned me against it. The Ministry isn't exactly tolerant of any sort of relationship with Voldemort."

"Dumbledore said the same thing to Lupin, but his friends literally became unregistered Animagi to support him." Hermione squeezed my shoulder. "We're here for you, no matter what. You've been proving your goodness for years, now. It doesn't matter who is or isn't in your bloodline."

I squeezed Hermione's shoulder back. "Thank you for standing up to me. I really am so lucky I met you."

She smiled in return. "Me too."

The grounds were dark now. The moonlight was shadowed by a cloud, for now.

"We should hurry," I called ahead, looking warily up at the sky.

"She's right," said Hermione, catching on. "Professor Lupin—"

The cloud suddenly shifted, and our group was bathed in moonlight. Professor Lupin froze — he began to shake.

"Run," Sirius whispered. "Run. Now."

"But Ron—" Harry tried.

"Leave it to me — RUN!"

As Lupin's head began to lengthen into a snout, and his shoulders began to hunch, Sirius transformed into the dog. He jumped at Lupin, pushing him away from the rest of us. Hermione had grabbed both of us by the hand and pulled, but Harry and I were frozen.

"Look!" I hissed. "Pettigrew!"

The man had dove for Lupin's wand, knocking Ron off of his unsteady leg. There was a bang, and Ron became motionless on the ground.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled. Lupin's wand flew out of Pettigrew's hand. He began to quickly shrink, grinning hideously.

"Immobulus!" I cried, but he had become too small. My spell had missed, and he went dashing off into the forest.

There was a sudden howl from across the woods, and Lupin dashed away towards it. Sirius was on the ground, bleeding.

"Sirius, he's gone! Pettigrew transformed!" Harry yelled.

Black, still in dog form, seemed to nod and then pounded away toward where Pettigrew had gone. I shook my head, staring off after him.

"He's never going to find him," I frowned.

"Don't give up hope," Harry said, almost desperately.

"He's a tiny rat in an enormous forest," I shook my head. "We should have killed him when we had the chance."

"There's no point worrying about it now," said Hermione grimly, kneeling beside Ron. "What did he do to him?"

I peered down at Ron, bending down to check his pulse. He could see us, and he was breathing, but he didn't seem to recognize us.

"Stunned him, probably," I muttered. "He'll be alright, but we should get him to the hospital wing."

"Let's get to the castle then," said Harry, seeming dizzy with trying to absorb all of what had just happened. "Come on—"

There was a sudden yelp of pain — a dog's yelp.

"Sirius," Harry murmured. After a moments hesitation, he dashed off towards the source. Seeing as there was nothing we could do for Ron, Hermione and I followed him. The growing coldness was eerily familiar, and I realized what it was that we were running towards. In my head I was recalling as many memories as I could for the Patronus Charm.

We'd reached the Black Lake. Hundreds of Dementors were pouring in on Sirius, who had turned back into a man with his hands over his head on all fours.

"Nooo," he cried. "No . . . Please . . ."

"Quick! Think of something happy!" Harry yelled, raising his wand and running towards the Dementors. "Expecto Patronum!"

"Expecto Patronum!" I repeated, thinking of my first day at Hogwarts. There was more now, the light was brighter. The memories flashing before my eyes seemed to be stifling the happy feelings. My mum's casket being lowered into the ground, Lily and James Potter screaming, baby Harry crying in his crib, my father and I in the hospital.

And then I recalled, from just now, Hermione standing up for me. How she'd never once doubted me, knowing who I was. How she'd been my friend all along and how nothing had changed.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM," I yelled, and there it was — an enormous serpent with wings and the head of an eagle. I recognized it from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was an occamy. It twisted and twirled in the air, fending off Dementors left and right. Their horrible screams pierced the air as the flew away.

Still, it wasn't enough.

Harry and Hermione had fallen beside me, and I was the only one standing. The Dementors were advancing on them, advancing on me. A Dementor had come close enough to Harry and had reached its hands around his neck.

"NO!" I cried. Suddenly, through the cloud, I saw a flash of silver begin to draw nearer and nearer. It was another Patronus.

The Dementors noticed and parted down the center leaving me a clear view of it. A large, silvery stag was running across the lake towards me. The light was blinding, so I couldn't see who had conjured it. Once arriving, the stag encircled me, staring at me quizzically. Carefully, I reached up to touch its head.

"Prongs," I whispered. "But how?"

The stag almost seemed to shake its head, and it ran back where it had come from across the lake before I could touch it. I wished to pursue it, but my legs had given out from under me.

"Who are you?!" I cried, to no response and only an echo.

"I say."

"Minister Fudge!" I couldn't confund him, because Snape was just there off his shoulder.

"What on earth happened here?" Fudge looked around in dismay. "I saw the dementors — and what a lovely Patronus you have. A stag, is it?"

"It isn't mine." I shook my head. "Minister, you have to listen to me. Sirius Black—"

"I know, I see him." He nodded to his motionless form. "It's quite alright, we'll take him into the castle. The kiss can be performed there."

"No!" I cried. "You can't do that! He's innocent! It was Peter Pettigrew! He's an Animagus, a rat, and he faked his death and framed Sirius! He's been the Secret Keeper all along!"

"Black has Confunded you terribly." Fudge only looked deeply concerned. "Please, Miss, you must get some rest. I suppose you deserve an award too, for being able to capture him."

"No! No, no, no!" I protested fervently. "Pettigrew's still out there, in the woods! He's going to bring Voldemort back! Please, you have to believe me!"

I rounded on Professor Snape. "Listen, I have proof, my visions— use your Legilimency! You'll see it, please!"

"Confunding can mess with memories." Snape told me with a cruel sort of smile. Did he remember, or was he just too pleased that Sirius would be punished? "It isn't trustworthy."

"But I haven't been Confunded!" My voice broke with the effort.

"Lila, I think this all has become too much for you," he said. My surprise at his use of my first name didn't last long. I watched impatiently as he began wordlessly drawing up stretchers for Harry, Hermione, and Sirius. "You've been seriously Confunded, and we need to get you and your friends to the Hospital Wing right away."

"Pettigrew is alive!" I cried weakly.

"Hold off your protests until we get back up to the castle — I'd hate for you to waste your energy trying to convince me."

"Ron is out here too," I said instead. "Over this way, through the woods."

After retrieving Rom, we trekked back up to the castle, where I did in fact continue to waste my breath. About halfway there he'd drawn up a stretcher for me too — I talked until I knew I would pass out. But I couldn't, not yet. . .

After I woke up in the Hospital Wing, I wasn't convinced I was truly awake. After yelling at every adult we encountered for about twenty minutes, somehow Harry, Hermione, and I ended up in a broom closet.

Three hours ago.

"Hermione what happened?" Harry asked. Everything had just gone by in a blur, and both of us finally seemed to register what was happening.

"Shush! We'll hear us! We've gone back in time," Hermione lifted the chain off of our necks and placed it back in her robes. "Three hours back."

"Lila, pinch me," Harry muttered quietly. I did and he winced, his head rattling one of the buckets behind him on impact. I quickly reached out and steadied it, silencing the contents inside.

"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think — I think it might be us!" Hermione whispered. "Footsteps across the hall . . . yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!"

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

"Yes," said Hermione. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like more than three people . . . and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak—"

"What is that, and where'd you get it?" I asked, still trying to register the fact that we'd gone back in time.

"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. 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 I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

"Dumbledore said we were going to save more than one innocent life," I mused. "And you're on the way to Hagrid's right?" They both nodded. "Well, good news that I didn't quite get to. I rescued Buckbeak. I left him tied to a tree after I saw you lot run into Sirius. We'll have to fly him up to Sirius' window so they can get away together!"

"So they didn't kill him?" Hermione seemed overjoyed. "I just— the axe—"

"It was a pumpkin." I told her gleefully. "Macnair couldn't hold his temper." Thinking back to the present, I continued. "We'll have to wait in the woods until after I leave, then go collect him from where I left him. It's not far — we'll be able to do it."

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

"We've got to try," said Harry determinedly, pressing his ear to the door. "Doesn't sound like anyone's there now . . . Come on, let's go!"

"If anyone's looking out of the window —" Hermione said nervously.

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

"Okay, but we'll go around by the greenhouses!" Hermione agreed. "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! Lila, what were you doing at this time?"

"Probably talking to Draco," I thought carefully, "we were watching the grounds, but that must have been after you got there. He'll be Confunding the Minister right about now, meaning Fudge'll come running—"

Hurried footsteps passed the broom closet and went up the stairs. I nodded. "That was him. Now let's go!"

"I'm going to need you to repeat all of that to me later," Hermione said dizzily as we sprinted out of the closet and toward the greenhouses. "For now, just keep out of sight."

We shifted over close to Hagrid's Hut and into the pumpkin patch where Buckbeak was tethered to the fence. We hid behind a large tree near the opening.

"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Harry said, rubbing his temples. He looked out at Buckbeak from behind the tree. There was a sudden crash of breaking china from inside.

"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment —"

"Hermione," Harry said suddenly, "what if we — we just run in there and grab Pettigrew —"

"No!" Hermione hissed. "We're already breaking one of the most important laws in Wizarding History! Nobody's allowed to change time, and you heard Dumbledore; we can't be seen!"

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!" Harry argued.

"Harry, imagine what you'd think of your saw yourself barge into Hagrid's house," I added, beginning to wave my hands mockingly. " 'Hello us, we're from the future here to take a seriously evil wizard off your hands. Oh, by the way, it's your pet rat, Scabbers.' " I dropped my hands. "Don't you remember how hard it was to convince him the first time? Imagine having to do it again!"

"Okay!" said Harry defensively. "It was just an idea, I just thought—"

"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed, interrupting him and pointing at the castle. The Ministry officials were on their way down. I watched Hagrid open the back door for the three of them, then proceeded to watch myself creep around the side of the cabin. This was definitely the weirdest thing I'd ever done.

There was a knock on Hagrid's front door, and because the back door had been left ajar we could hear what was going on inside.

We pulled out of sight as Macnair looked out the window at Buckbeak. I watched myself do the same behind the barrel. When Macnair turned back around, I watched myself slip out from behind the house and perform the hastiest Hippogriff greeting ritual I'd ever seen. It had felt so much slower in the moment.

As Fudge began to read the official note of execution, Past-Lila had rushed over and severed Buckbeak from the fence. Once the rope had slipped free, I watched myself struggle to pull Buckbeak away.

I breathed a sigh of relief in time with myself as Past-Lila pulled Buckbeak into the woods seconds before Hagrid's back door had opened. All of us stood very still.

"Where is it?" said one of the Committee member's voice. "Where's the beast?"

"It was tied here!" Macnair declared with fury. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore, seeming amused by this. Macnair axed a pumpkin in rage.

After a few more words, Hagrid let Dumbledore inside, and we heard footsteps marching away. Cautiously, I peered around the tree and saw nobody was there, and that the back door had been closed. Some shuffling in the woods followed, and we waited about two minutes.

"I'm gone," I said with certainty. "Let's go. Also, Lupin might be looking at the map any second now."

We proceeded into the woods. I led them in the path I'd walked just a few hours ago. Lo and behold, Buckbeak was tied to a tree, stamping impatiently.

"Sorry I left you here," I bowed, untethering him as soon as Buckbeak bowed back. "Let's get you out."

We crept along the edge of the forest, only backing up when the Whomping Willow was in sight. We hid behind a large clump of trees.

"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" Harry grimaced. "Ouch — look, I just got walloped by the tree — and so did you, Hermione. This is weird . . ."

I watched myself come running out of the forest not too far away. Crookshanks followed soon after, pressing the knot.

"We're in," Harry muttered as the figures disappeared and the passageway closed. Only seconds later, Dumbledore was on his way back up to the castle.

Hardly two minutes later, the doors opened once more and Professor Lupin came barging out of them. He retrieved a stick from the ground and prodded the knot with it. Unfortunately, he left it behind, and Snape used it to enter as well.

After he had disappeared, Hermione tied the end of Buckbeak's rope to the tree and sat on the ground. Harry and I followed suit.

"So that's it," said Hermione quietly. "We're all down there . . . and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again . . .".

"There's something I don't understand . . ." Hermione looked between the two of us. "Why didn't the Dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out . . .there were so many of them . . ."

"There was a Patronus. I cast mine, but the other one was much stronger. It was a very powerful one — a great, silver stag." I looked to Harry. "I couldn't see who conjured it, but—"

"I think —" Harry swallowed nervously. "I think it was my dad."

I looked to Hermione, whose mouth hung fully open.

"Harry," she started gently.

"I know," Harry said quickly. "Maybe I was seeing things . . . But from what I could see . . . it looked like him. I've got photos of him . . ."

Hermione was looking at me for help, and I patted Harry on the shoulder.

"It was a stag, Harry," I said. " 'Prongs.' It makes sense but at the same time, it doesn't. Maybe we'll see when we get there."

Harry looked at me gratefully. After about an hour since we'd sat down, the passageway opened once more.

"Here we come!" Hermione whispered. We stood and watched ourselves climb out of the passageway.

"That cloud's going to shift any minute now," I muttered. "Which means—"

"So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again?" Harry frowned.

"How do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" Hermione snapped. "We came to save Buckbeak and Sirius and nothing else—!"

"What I meant was we have to move!" I hissed. "Lupin is going to transform and come charging in this direction any moment!"

Hermione's eyes widened in the moonlight. "Quick! Back to Hagrid's!"

We untied Buckbeak from the tree and ran as quickly as we could. We could hear howling behind us. Once the cabin was in sight, we picked up speed and Harry wrenched the door open for us. Fang, Hagrid's boarhound, barked loudly at us, and Hermione shushed him. Buckbeak laid beside the fireplace.

"That was close," Hermione panted.

"The Dementors will be at the lake any second now," I said meaningfully to Harry, who was still standing by the door. "Maybe you should go outside so we can see what's going on."

Hermione was looking between us suspiciously.

"I won't try to interfere!" Harry said quickly. "But Lila's right — if we don't see what's going on, how will we know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"

"Well, okay then," Hermione gave in. "But Lila, you should go with him. There's a werewolf and Dementors out there. You need to be careful. I'll wait here with Buckbeak."

I nodded, and Harry and I crept outside. We stood at Hagrid's front door, staring off towards the lake. Simultaneously, we turned our heads to look at each other and reached an understanding. Quickly and quietly, we sprinted off towards the opposite bank of the lake, where the Patronus had come from. The Dementors were all flying towards the same direction, where I could see several tiny figures standing together — it was us.

Once reaching the opposite end, we crouched behind a bush and waited. Harry and I watched as the Dementors suddenly halted. A great, silver occamy began to soar in the