Lumos (Book One)

Chapter Nineteen ~ A Temporary Goodbye

Hermione gasped. "Quick!" she moaned, both of us dashing to untie Buckbeak. "Quick! Where are we going to go? Where are we going to hide? The dementors will be coming any moment --"

"Back to Hagrid's!" I said. "It's empty now--come on!"

We ran as fast as we could, Buckbeak cantering along behind us. We could hear the werewolf howling behind us... The cabin was in sight; Harry skidded to the door, wrenched it open, and Hermione and me and Buckbeak flashed past him; Harry threw himself in after us and bolted the door. Fang the boarhound barked loudly.

"Shh, Fang, it's us!" said Hermione, hurrying over and scratching his ears to quieten him. "That was really close!" she said to Harry. "Yeah... " Harry was looking out of the window. It was much harder to see what was going on from here. Buckbeak seemed very happy to find himself back inside Hagrid's house. He lay down in front of the fire, folded his wings contentedly, and seemed ready for a good nap.

"I think I'd better go outside again, you know, " said Harry slowly. "I can't see what's going on--we won't know when it's time --" Hermione looked up. Her expression was suspicious. "I'm not going to try and interfere, " said Harry quickly. "But if we don't see what's going on, how're we going to know when it's time to rescue Sirius?"

"Well... Okay, then... I'll wait here with Buckbeak... But Harry, be careful--there's a werewolf out there--and the dementors. Avery you go with him."

We stepped outside again and edged around the cabin. We could hear yelping in the distance. That meant the dementors were closing in on Sirius... The three of us would be running to him any moment... I stared out toward the lake, my heart doing a kind of drumroll in my chest... Whoever had sent that Patronus would be appearing at any moment...

There were the dementors. They were emerging out of the darkness from every direction, gliding around the edges of the lake... They were moving away from where we stood, to the opposite bank... I wouldn't have to get near them... Harry and I began to run. I had no thought in my head except our parents... If it was them... If it really was them... I had to know, had to find out...

The lake was coming nearer and nearer, but there was no sign of anybody. On the opposite bank, I could see tiny glimmers of silver--Harry's attempts at a Patronus.

There was a bush at the very edge of the water. We threw ourselves behind it, peering desperately through the leaves. On the opposite bank, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished. A terrified excitement shot through me--any moment now.

"Come on!" Hary muttered, staring about. "Where are you? Mum, Dad, come on --"

But no one came. I raised my head to look at the circle of dementors across the lake. One of them was lowering its hood. It was time for the rescuers to appear--but no one was coming to help this time.

And then it hit me.

"Harry! Harry we were wrong! We weren't seeing Mum and Dad!"

"We were seeing ourselves!" we exclaimed together. We jumped out from behind the bush, aiming our wands at the dementors.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" we yelled. And out of the end of my wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal.

The dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness... They were gone. The Patronuses turned. They were cantering back toward us across the still surface of the water. A large, shoulder-height doe and a large stag, shining brightly as the moon above.

They stopped on the bank and disappeared, bowing.

Hermione appeared behind us, dragging Buckbeak behind her.