In The Name Of Love || Hermione Granger

⋆⭒˚｡ ⋆ 𝓢𝓮𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓸𝓸𝓷 ⋆⭒˚｡ ⋆

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:
| THIS SIDE OF PARADISE by Coyote Theory |
:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:

"Amelia! Harry!"

Granger was tugging at their sleeves, staring at her watch. "We have exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anyone seeing us -- before Dumbledore locks the door --"

"Yeah," sighed Amelia, forcing herself to tear her eyes from the night sky. She wanted to believe that she was gonna see her father again, but honestly, she found it a little hard since they had lost Pettigrew, and he was the only one who could prove Sirius' innocence.

She had already pictured her life with Harry and Sirius; waking up surrounded by people who didn't detest her, being able to have breakfast together as a proper family, having late night talks about whatever came to their mind, building memories they never got the chance to make. They could have hosted Uncle Remus and have pyjama parties with Ava and Ginny... And yes, maybe even Granger could have joined them. Then, she would have gone to Cedric's to spend a week with him and visit his city before they all had to come back to Hogwarts... it would have been too good to be true.

But at least Sirius was free now, and if he had been careful he wouldn't have gone back to Azkaban.

They slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiralling 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 is not going to make difficulties," Snape was saying. "Will the Kiss be performed immediately?"

"As soon as Mcnair 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 is back in his right mind, I expect he'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved them all..."

Amelia clenched her jaw. They caught a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge passed Harry, Amelia, and Granger's hiding place. Their footsteps died away. The Gryffindors waited a few moments to make sure they'd really gone and 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 Amelia's wrist while she grabbed Granger's. "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 the ice princess, her ear on the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish off Sirius..." She checked her watch, "Three minutes!"

They waited until Peeves' gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again.

"Amy -- Hermione -- what will happen -- if we don't get back inside before Dum locks the door?" Harry panted.

"I can bet all I have --- it won't be good -- and I'm pretty sure to win," Amelia puffed, out of exercise. She wasn't particularly optimistic about them making it to the hospital wing before their time was over, and Granger's countdown wasn't helping.

"One minute!"

They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "Okay -- I can hear Dumbledore," said Granger tensely. "Come on, you two!"