A Halliwell at Hogwarts: The Prisoner of Azkaban

XVIII - We Are Going Home

"Harry! Sephie!"

Hermione was tugging at their 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 —"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Persephone taking her eyes off the sky.

"Okay," said Harry, wrenching his gaze from the sky too, "let's go..."

They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase. As they reached the bottom of it, they heard voices. They flattened themselves 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..."

Persephone clenched her teeth and fists. Cornelius Fudge didn't care about justice nor about Harry, he only thought about himself and his stupid career.

She caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed Persephone, Harry and Hermione's hiding place. Their footsteps died away. Persephone, Harry and Hermione 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 they heard a cackling ahead.

"Peeves!" Harry muttered, grabbing Persephone's and Hermione's wrists. "In here!"

They tore into a deserted classroom to their left just in time. Peeves seemed to be bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.

"Oh, he's horrible," whispered Hermione, 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, guys!"

They 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?" Harry panted.

"They'll blame us for helping uncle Sirius escape, won't they?" Persephone suggested.

"Oh, I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. "One minute!" They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay — I can hear Dumbledore," said Hermione tensely. "Come on!"

They crept along the corridor. The door opened. Dumbledore's back appeared.

"I am going to lock you in," they 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, Persephone, Harry and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache. "Well?" he said quietly.

Persephone grinned widely and launched herself at him, taking him and the other two by surprise.

"We did it! We did it! Thank you, Dumbles!" she said excitedly.

Harry smiled and said, "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak..." Dumbledore beamed at them, patting Persephone's head, as she let go of him.

"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 —"