Fear of a Name

Chapter Seventy-Five: Watching and Waiting

We moved around the edge of the forest, darkness falling thickly around us, until we were hidden behind a clump of trees through which I could make out the Willow.
"There's Ron!" said Harry suddenly.

A dark figure was sprinting across the lawn, and its shout echoed through the still night air.
"Get away from him — get away — Scabbers, come here—"
And then I saw two more figures materialize out of nowhere. I watched Harry and Hermione chasing after Ron. Then I saw Ron dive.
"Gotcha! Get off, you stinking cat—"
I saw Crookshanks trying to get to Pettigrew, and I frowned. He hadn't been in the Shrieking Shack...

"There's Sirius!" said Harry. The great shape of the dog had bounded out from the roots of the Willow. I saw him bowl Harry over, then seize Ron...
"Looks even worse from here, doesn't it?" said Harry, watching the dog pulling Ron into the roots. "Ouch — look, I just got walloped by the tree — and so did you, Hermione — this is weird—"

The Whomping Willow was creaking and lashing out with its lower branches; I could see Harry and Hermione darting here and there, trying to reach the trunk. And then the tree froze.
"That was Crookshanks pressing the knot," said Hermione. "And now he's run off."
"And there we go..." Harry muttered. "We're in."

The moment they disappeared, the tree began to move again. Seconds later, I heard footsteps quite close by. Dumbledore, Macnair, Fudge, and the old Committee member were making their way up to the castle.
"Right after we'd gone down into the passage!" said Hermione. "If only Dumbledore had come with us..."
"Macnair and Fudge would've gone too," I said bitterly. "I bet you anything Fudge would've told Macnair to murder Sirius on the spot... and probably me when I showed up as well, now that I think about it."

I watched the four men climb the castle steps and disappear from view. For a few minutes the scene was deserted. Then—
"Look, there's me and Lupin!" I said, as I saw another two figures sprinting down the stone steps and starting toward the Willow. I looked up at the sky. Clouds were obscuring the moon completely.
I watched as we slowed down suddenly, and me from three hours ago put my hands behind my neck, then took them down again, with something now dangling from my hand.
"What're you doing?" Hermione asked, sounding perplexed.
"Showing Lupin my necklace," I said. "It's a bit complicated, I'd rather not try to explain it."
Lupin said something, then I put the necklace back on, and we started running to the Willow again.

Lupin immobilised it as soon as we got there; it stopped fighting, and then we, too, disappeared into the gap in its roots.
"If one of you had only grabbed the cloak," said Harry. "It's just lying there..."
"I didn't see it," I muttered. I wish I had..."

Harry turned to Hermione.
"If I just dashed out now and grabbed it, Snape'd never be able to get it and—"
"Harry, we mustn't be seen!"
"How can you stand this?" he asked us both fiercely. "Just standing here and watching it happen?" He hesitated. "I'm going to grab the cloak!"
"Harry, no!"

I seized the back of Harry's robes not a moment too soon. Just then, I heard a burst of song. It was Hagrid, making his way up to the castle, singing at the top of his voice, and weaving slightly as he walked. A large bottle was swinging from his hands.
"See?" Hermione whispered. "See what would have happened? We've got to keep out of sight! No, Buckbeak!"
The Hippogriff was making frantic attempts to get to Hagrid again; Harry and I seized his rope too, straining to hold Buckbeak back. I watched Hagrid meander tipsily up to the castle. He was gone. Buckbeak stopped fighting to get away. His head drooped sadly.

Barely two minutes later, the castle doors flew open yet again, and Snape came charging out of them, running toward the Willow.
My fists clenched as I watched Snape skid to a halt next to the tree, looking around. He grabbed the cloak and held it up.
"Get your filthy hands off it," Harry snarled under his breath.
"Shh!"
Snape immobilised the tree, then vanished from view as he put on the cloak.
"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..."

She took the end of Buckbeak's rope and tied it securely around the nearest tree, then sat down on the dry ground, arms around her knees.
"There's something I don't understand..." she said, "why didn't the Dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out... there were so many of them..."
Harry and I sat down too. We explained what we'd seen; how, as the nearest two Dementors had lowered their mouths to Harry's and mine, a large silver something had come galloping across the lake and forced the Dementors to retreat.

Hermione's mouth was slightly open by the time we had finished.
"But what was it?"
"There's only one thing it could have been, to make the Dementors go," I said. "A corporeal Patronus — that is, one that has the form of an animal rather than just a wisp of silvery mist... and a powerful one, too."

"But who conjured it?"
I shrugged.
"I don't know, I fainted before I could see them."
Harry didn't say anything.
"Didn't you see what they looked like?" Hermione asked him eagerly. "Was it one of the teachers?"
"No," said Harry. "He wasn't a teacher."

"But it must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those Dementors away... if the Patronus was shining so brightly, didn't it light them up? Couldn't you see—"
"Yeah, I saw him," said Harry slowly. "But... maybe I imagined it... I wasn't thinking straight... I passed out right afterward..."
"Who did you think it was?" I asked.
"I think — I think it was my dad."

Hermione's mouth was fully open now. She was gazing at Harry with a mixture of alarm and pity. Me, on the other hand... I was just intrigued.
"Harry, your dad's — well- dead," Hermione said quietly.
"I know that," said Harry quickly.
"You think you saw his ghost?" I asked interestedly.
"I don't know... no... he looked solid..."

"But then—"
"Maybe I was seeing things," said Harry. "But... from what I could see... it looked like him... I've got photos of him..."
Hermione was still looking at him as though worried about his sanity.
"I know it sounds crazy," said Harry flatly.

The leaves overhead rustled faintly in the breeze. The moon drifted in and out of sight behind the shifting clouds. Harry was looking at Buckbeak. Hermione and I were sat with our faces turned toward the Whomping Willow.

Watching.

Waiting.