adored by him | *under editing*

third year × 44

An unconscious Harry was bought in minutes later. Nadia rushed to his side whilst Hermione was speaking to Dumbledore. He woke almost instantly. "Harry..."

"I saw my dad."

Nadia furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"He sent the dementors away. I saw him. Across the lake..." A huge smile lit up his face but Nadia looked sympathetic as she saw Hermione approach with a worried face.

"Listen. They've captured Sirius. Any minute the dementors are going to perform the kiss." Nadia's eyes widened but Harry was befuddled.

"The kiss?"

"It's what dementors do to those that they want to destroy." She explained. "They clamp their jaws over their victim's mouth and...suck out their soul."

Harry bolted upright. "You mean, they're going to kill Sirius?"

"No. It's worse. Much worse." Nadia warned with a sad look in her eyes. "You go on living but you have no memory. No sense of self. You're just a shell. An empty shell..." Harry didn't have time to react when Dumbledore appeared.

Nadia jumped up. "Headmaster! You have to stop them! They've got the wrong man!"

"It's true, sir! Sirius is innocent!" Harry added, joining her side.

"It's Scabbers who did it." Ron stated.

Dumbledore looked confused. "Scabbers...?"

"My rat, sir. Only he's not really a rat. He was a rat. You see, he was my brother Percy's rat." He rambled until Hermione snapped him out of it.

"The point is...we know the truth. Please believe us, sir." She begged.

"I do, Miss Granger. But I'm sorry to say the word of four thirteen-year-old wizards will convince few others. A child's voice, however honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten to listen." Dumbledore then gained a mischievous twinkle in his eye as the midnight bell began to strike.

"Mysterious thing, time. Powerful. And when meddled with, dangerous. Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the Dark Tower." He then turned to Hermione. "You know the laws, Miss Granger. You must not be seen. And you would, I feel, do well to return before the last chime. If not...well, the consequences are really too ghastly to discuss. Three turns should do it, I think. If you succeed, more than one innocent life may be spared." He turned to exit before calling over his shoulder. "By the way, when in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin... Good luck." With a wink, he was gone.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Ron exclaimed. Hermione didn't repspond, instead looping the chain of her time turner round Harry and Nadia's necks.

"Sorry, Ron. But being as you can't walk." Harry tried to touch the pendant but Hermione slapped his hand away. Nadia snorted only to be met with a stern look. She immediately pursed her lips.

Suddenly, just as the last chime sounded, time reversed in a dizzying backward blur. Students went in and out of the hospital wing at a sickening speed whilst the sun 'un-set', returning dusk to daylight. Then, their surroundings slowed revealing an empty hospital wing.

Hermione unlooped the necklace whilst Harry glanced around in confusion. "What just happened? Where's Ron?"

"This is brilliant!" Nadia admired. Hermione ignored his questions and her praises, eyeing the clock on the wall.

"Seven-thirty. Where were we at seven-thirty?"

"Going to Hagrid's." Nadia answered still beaming at what just took place.