𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 | 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

45 || Mare as in Mare

"I know it sounds crazy," I said when I saw Hermione's expression. "But there's no other explanation."

She looked unconvinced, but let it drop as we waited in silence. Harry and I began to play rock-paper-scissors while Hermione kept watch, when suddenly, she cried out.

"There we are!" she pointed outside of the thicket, where a few shapes could be made out coming out of the Whomping Willow.

"So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again," Harry muttered darkly.

"There's nothing we can do, Harry, how do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" Hermione snapped. "Besides-"

"All right, all right!"
"There's Professor Lupin," I murmured. "He's about to transform-"

"We need to move!" cried Harry, standing up and brushing dirt off of his jeans.

"I told you, we mustn't meddle-" Hermione interjected.

"Not to interfere-Lupin's going to run into the forest, straight at us-"

"Crap!" I hissed, beginning to untie Buckbeak. Hermione began to flutter her hands and babble in fear.

"Where should we go?" she asked.

"Hagrid's should be safe, I think the committee people will be gone by now," I replied. "Harry, let's go!"

We ran as quickly as we could, Buckbeak trailing behind us. In the distance, coming closer and then fading away again, I heard a werewolf's howl. The cabin was in sight now, and we dashed inside, Buckbeak being tugged in after me. Harry bolted the door shut and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

"That was close," gasped Hermione, scratching Fang's ears to keep him quiet.

"Yeah..."

Harry peered out of the window, into the darkness. I tried to read his expression, but I couldn't figure out what was going on in his brain. Buckbeak settled in a corner by the fire, seeming content to be back in Hagrid's house once more.

"I think we'd better go outside..." Harry said slowly. "So we know when it's time to rescue Sirius."

He looked at me pointedly then, and I realized what he'd been thinking about--he wanted to get closer to the dementors in order to catch a glimpse of our parents.

"I agree," I said to Hermione. "I'll go with Harry and make sure he doesn't interfere, and you can stay here with Buckbeak."

"Alright," replied Hermione. "But be careful, you two..."

"Am I ever not careful?" I joked weakly, slowly opening the door and ushering Harry outside. Yelping could be heard in the distance, and I knew that that meant the dementors were closing in.

"Come on," I said to Harry. "We've got to see-"

"Right-"

Without a second thought, we sprinted into the forest, ignoring the branches jutting from every tree, only one goal in our minds.

The lake was coming nearer and nearer into view, but I couldn't see anyone- there was a faint light, which must have been mine and Harry's feeble attempts at Patronuses. The dementors swirled nearer and nearer to the bank, and congealing mass of darkness and light--

"Where are they?" Harry whispered.

"Mom," I said, but no one appeared, and across the lake the dementors were still taking turns dipping lower and lower, gobbling up our souls like greedy children--

Harry was looking around in vain, and I grabbed his hand, realization dawning on me with full force--my locket buzzed once more and my glow returned--

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

With the force of a bullet, a gigantic Mare burst out of the tip of my wand, and a smaller stag burst out of Harry's, together, the Patronuses chased away the dementors, engulfing the lake in a bright white light. I shielded my eyes from the blinding flash until it died down, and stared at my glowing skin in bewilderment. Was it just me, or was my magic more powerful than usual?

Hermione's footsteps echoed behind us, and Harry and I dove into a bush.

"What did you two do?" she said fiercely. "And Ash, why are you glowing again?"

"We just saved all our lives," I said, finding my voice. "Get back here."

Hermione listened as Harry and I explained what had just happened, her mouth hanging open like a fish.

"Did anyone see you?"

"Yeah, haven't you been listening?" Harry said excitedly. "Ash and I saw ourselves, but we thought we were our parents!"

I nodded to confirm this.

"I can't believe it...that's such advanced magic!" Hermione said, her eyes shining.

"Ash's was huge," Harry said, lifting his hands in the air for effect. "It was about three times the size of mine."

"I don't think it's normal..." I mumbled. "Maybe it had something to do with my glow--"

"That's--" Hermione started, but then smacked me on the shoulder. "--look at Snape!"
Snape, across the lake, was conjuring stretchers and levitating our limp bodies onto them. "Do you think dad's up there yet?"

"Wait--there's Macnair," Harry said. "The executioner! He's probably gone to get the dementors!"

"Okay, climb on!" I whispered hurriedly, already on top of Buckbeak. I helped Harry give Hermione a leg up. I looped the rope securing Buckbeak around his neck again and held the two sides like reins.

"Hold on!" I said, urging Buckbeak to fly with my calves on his flank, and as we took to the sky, I could hear Hermione muttering as she latched her hands tightly around my waist.

Buckbeak glided quietly past the windows, and I counted them as we passed. "Woah!" I said, tightening the reins in front of the one where my dad was stuck in.

Harry tapped sharply on the glass.

"I'm going!" I said, launching myself from Buckbeak's back and crashing through the window, the shattered glass making a tinkling sound a little louder than I'd intended. I hadn't accounted for the fact that the glass would cut me, and Hermione let out a soft shriek, but it appeared that my glow had repelled all the shards.

"Useful," I commented. "Come on, dad."

"What-what--" he stammered, looking from the hippogriff to me with a bewildered expression.

"You've got to get out," I said seriously. "Macnair's gone to get the dementors and they'll be up any second now."

Sirius closed his mouth, closing his mouth to hold in what appeared to be a chuckle. He swung a leg over Buckbeak and I followed suit, though it was a little tight with four people.

I snapped the reins again, guiding Buckbeak to the top of the West Tower, where we all dismounted.

"Go," said Harry at once, wanting to avoid a goodbye.

"But-"

I wrapped my arms around him for one final hug, successfully avoiding tears as my glow died back down to nothing.

"I love you, dad," I said, my voice muffled by his chest.

"I love you, Ash," he said, kissing the top of my head. "And you remind me so much of your mother. "She'd be proud of you."

"Voldemort killed her," I said, but it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Yes," Sirius said wearily, sadly.

"Mr. Black, I hate to interrupt, but you have to go," Hermione wrung her hands. "The dementors-"

"Right," he said, reluctantly breaking his grasp on my shoulders. "Thank you. All of you. Take care, Harry-"

"GO!" we shouted in unison. He set his face and nodded, and he and Buckbeak flew until they were nothing but a gray speck in the paling sky.