Harry Potter and the Stitch in Time

Chapter 1 - A Storm in a teacup

Chapter 1 - a storm in a teacup

"Did anyone here order a Hippogriff for Mr. Black?" Harry quipped as he tried to get Buckbeak to fly steadily outside the escape route he had just made. Hermione was clinging to his back, and Harry tried not to be aware of her chest pressed against him. The thin tops they had both decided to wear earlier that day (as the summer was quickly coming to the Scottish castle) were not doing much to help. In the room, Sirius just sat on the floor and stared at the hole in the wall that replaced the window of the office they were using as his cell while they waited for the executioner.

"Sirius, please get a move on, we don't have all night," Harry said. That seemed to get through to the half-starved man and he got up and came over to the window. It took a few moments but Harry was able to see hope rekindle in the man and relight the fire in his eyes.

Hermione gripped Harry tighter but turned her head so she could talk to Sirius. "Can you please hurry up and get on, Mr. Black? We are on a very tight schedule. Things will be bad if we aren't back in the hospital wing in..." Hermione checked her watch. "Fourteen minutes. Like, Harry and I ending up in your old cell bad."

That seemed to spur on Sirius, and he leapt out of the window and landed on the back of the Hippogriff. Harry could feel Buckbeak struggling with three people on his back, so he directed the noble steed up to an open air walkway that was originally made as access to the castle's "merlons and machicolations" (at least that is what Hermione said were the proper names for them) as close as possible to the hospital wing. Harry and Hermione dismounted, and Harry turned to his godfather. "Just go for now, we will be fine. Find somewhere safe to hide out and send me a message in a few weeks, we can work out what to do then."

"Harry, I don't know how to thank you." Sirius said seriously.

"Not getting yourself and Buckbeak caught will be a great start, so go now." Harry grabbed hold of Hermione's hand and pulled her through a door and down a set of spiral stairs, making their way to the hospital wing. They had managed to get about halfway there when Harry heard someone coming up the corridor they needed to go down. He suddenly realized two things: first, it was probably a prefect doing their evening patrols, and second, the most direct route to the hospital wing from here was also the way that they would go if they were going to Gryffindor Tower. Harry put these two things together and came up with a spur of the moment plan. He pulled Hermione into one of the window alcoves and pushed her against the wall. "Hermione, sorry about this, but I need you to trust me and just follow my lead, OK?"

Hermione nodded, a confused look on her face that Harry saw a turn into surprise as he pressed his lips against hers and started kissing her. It was almost thirty seconds of Hermione just standing there, like a rabbit caught in the headlights. However, she then started to kiss him back and Harry was a little surprised that she seemed to be getting into it. He was actually enjoying himself so much that he almost forgot why he was doing this, but the sound of a cough behind him was enough to bring him crashing back down to reality from where had been walking on the clouds.

Harry didn't have to fake his embarrassment when he turned to find fellow seeker and Hufflepuff prefect Cedric Diggory standing there. "The two of you are out after curfew," Cedric said, trying to sound stern but just sounding exasperated, as though Harry and Hermione were probably the third or fourth couple he had caught snogging in a corner this evening.

"Uh sorry, we lost track of the time," Harry offered.

"That will be five points from Gryffindor each and you better hurry back to your common room," and with that he left to continue his rounds.

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and they started running down the corridor to the hospital wing. As they ran, Hermione told Harry between pants, "About that kiss, we will be talking about that later."