Chapter 12: Hospital Wing and More Time.
Harry found himself slowly waking up. He still felt fuzzy and unsure when he cracked his eyes open and saw two familiar brown eyes looking down into his own.
"Hermione?" Harry asked groggily.
"You gotta get up," Hermione whispered.
"Why?" Harry whispered as he slowly stretched and sat up. Hermione handed him his glasses.
"Peter escaped - don't ask me how he did it, but he escaped. So the Ministry is bringing in a Dementor to give Sirius the kiss tonight," Hermione told him softly as she flicked a look over to the doors.
"What about Ron and Mia?" Harry asked, as he looked over to the other two.
"Ron has a broken leg; it's set in a cast. Mia is in a deep sleep at the moment. The Dementors took a lot out of her, plus Madam Pomfrey says her exhaustion levels are high due to all the stress she's been through this year worrying about her father," Hermione explained.
"Great," Harry muttered as he stood up from the bed. McGonagall came into the room and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Harry and Hermione were awake.
"Oh good, you're awake," she told them.
"Professor, Sirius is innocent - we saw Peter!" Hermione whispered to her teacher but McGonagall held up her hands, stopping them.
"I know that, but the Ministry won't believe the word of two 13 year-olds - you will need evidence before they take your word," she told them and Harry let out a frustrated grunt. He raked his hand through his hair when McGonagall turned and pinned Hermione with a look that Harry couldn't interpret. "What we need is more time." Hermione nodded in understanding. "Three turns should do it, Miss Granger." With that, she left the hospital wing and Harry turned to Hermione.
"What the hell was that about?" Harry asked but Hermione shook her head as she grabbed the necklace from under her shirt and looped it around both their necks. Then she twisted the funny circle at the end of the necklace.
Everything started rushing backward - Harry looked around and saw that time was reversing itself with Harry and Hermione standing still in the middle of the whole thing. The motion backwards finally stopped and Hermione yanked the chain off of Harry's neck and tucked it back into her jumper.
"Hermione…" Harry trailed off, confused about what the hell was happening.
"We don't have time," Hermione started but Harry grabbed her elbow and spun her around to meet him, not allowing her to brush him off. Hermione couldn't help the stab of desire as Harry did this before she looked up into his green eyes.
"You are going to tell me what the hell is going on and you're going to tell me now," Harry ground out. Hermione gulped slightly before she held her head high.
"I've been using a time turner to get to my classes," she told him and Harry's eyes widened in shock and anger.
"You what?" Harry demanded. "You've been using a time turner all year? No wonder you have been exhausted!"
"Harry, I had to go to all my classes," Hermione told him and Harry just glared back.
"You didn't need to take muggle studies - you are already a muggle-born and you don't need it at all. You dropped Divination. Please, tell me that you will be giving up the time turner after this," Harry told her.
"Harry," Hermione started but Harry shook his head.
"No Hermione, tell me you are giving up the time turner when school is finished - Mia, Draco and I have been through a time turner. It's very dangerous and you are exhausting yourself in the process. Haven't you ever wondered why we always seem to act older than we are?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded. "The time turner did that. By going back in time, we ended up aging. That's why we are more emotionally mature than we're supposed to be."
"Oh," Hermione uttered, shocked.
"Please, just give up the time turner when school is finished - I couldn't bear to see you going through the same exhausting year all over again. You were stressed and exhausted and you are still are," Harry told her and Hermione sighed.
"Okay, I'll give up the time turner when the term is finished," Hermione promised him and Harry let out a sigh a relief. He let Hermione's elbow go before he revisited the subject about why they had gone back in time.
"Did anyone say how Peter escaped?" Harry asked and Hermione shook her head.
"No, I was in the hospital wing when I found out," Hermione explained. He didn't get back up after Mia hit him on the head with the rock so I'm guessing that something else must have happened."
"Great, okay - so we'll try and figure out some way to save everyone - including Buckbeak. This gives us the chance to save more than two lives," Harry told her and she nodded. "Did they give an estimation of when Peter escaped?"
"Ron was mumbling something about him changing again just before the Ministry came to get us from Snape," Hermione told him and Harry cursed.
"He must have somehow changed back and slipped away, the rat!" Harry muttered before he held up his hands and shook his head.
"Okay, we'll get Buckbeak first but we're gonna have to do it quickly because the only window we have to save him is when the Ministry goes inside Hagrid's hut."
"That's like in 1 minute!" Hermione told him and Harry nodded.
"I know - we'll hide him out in the woods. Straight after that, we'll need to hide somewhere until it gets dark and try to figure out who the hell saved my life with the Dementors and how we can get to Peter before he changes," Harry finished off.
"What do you mean, saved your life?" Hermione asked.
"I didn't cast the Patronus - someone else did. Someone who looks like me. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was my dad," Harry told her and Hermione nodded before she held up her hands.
"Let's just get down to Hagrid's place now," Harry told her. They quickly rushed down only to stop short when they saw the four of them standing at the stone circle with Pansy and her two friends. "Great punch by the way," Harry praised and Hermione smiled briefly before it faded.
"Oh, she's coming this way," Hermione told him. They both rushed over to the gap between the structures and jumped down, hiding under the stone. Pansy and her friends ran by them.
They watched as their other selves hurried down to Hagrid's hut while the two of them slipped through the pumpkin patch, trying to stay low and hide behind the largest pumpkins along the way.
"This is too weird," Harry muttered to himself and Hermione smiled at him.
"Tell me about it," she told him before she eyed him curiously. "This didn't happen to you when you used the time turner before?"
"No, we always were in a different area each time," Harry explained. Hermione nodded as she turned back and saw the group inching their way over to the backdoor as the Ministry started to make their way down the path.
"Okay, now we're coming out the back," Hermione told Harry. They both rushed down the small path that led them to the forest and hid behind the trees while they watched their other selves hurry over to the pumpkins and hide behind them.
Soon, their other selves hurried away from the pumpkin patch, running up the hill, allowing Harry and Hermione to rush forward towards Buckbeak. Harry grabbed the chain that was tied to the post and slipped it off before he bowed in front of Buckbeak. Buckbeak watched him for a second before he bowed back.
"Come on Buckbeak," Harry pleaded as he tugged on the chain to no avail. Hermione came over with a couple of dead ferrets from the pen nearby and threw one to Buckbeak, who caught it in his mouth. She dangled another ferret in front of Buckbeak as incentive.
"Here boy, come and get the nice dead ferret," she tempted quietly. Buckbeak stood up and followed the prize away from the hut and into the forest just before the Ministry stepped out. Harry and Hermione hurried around the trees and watched as they noticed that Buckbeak was gone.
"Where's the hippogriff?" Fudge demanded as he looked around.
"My, it looks like he must have escaped," Dumbledore told them.
"He's freed himself! Good for you, Beaky," Hagrid praised the missing Hippogriff.
"I'd better call out some men to have them search the grounds," Fudge was saying but Dumbledore stopped him short.
"Search the skies, you mean," Dumbledore reminded and Fudge nodded. Dumbledore turned to Macnair. "Executioner, it looks like we won't be needing your services today." He continued on to Hagrid. "I wouldn't mind a spot of tea."
"I have brandy in the cupboard professor," Hagrid told him and Dumbledore glowed.
"Excellent, that'll do," Dumbledore told him as Hagrid led him back into hut while Macnair lost his temper and brought the axe down onto a nearby innocent pumpkin.
Harry and Hermione turned to face each other with a look of relief as the tugged on Buckbeak's leash and they headed further into the woods away from everyone.
"Now we have to wait until night time," Hermione told him and Harry agreed. They moved over to a small patch where they could watch the Whomping Willow and their previous attempts to make their way into the entrance.
"So, why did you accept the time turner?" Harry asked. He was curious to what had possessed Hermione into taking up the deal. Harry couldn't help the anger that was building up inside of him. He really liked Hermione but she had confused him too much - last year, she was all hot and cold and this year she had lied to him. He couldn't start a relationship with her unless they started being completely honest with each other.
"Harry…" Hermione started but Harry shook his head as he pinned Hermione with a dark look.
"No Hermione, we have time to kill and I want to know what the hell possessed you into taking up the time turner - I'm sick of this!" Harry burst out. Hermione looked at him, startled. "Last year, you were all hot and cold on me. You had a good excuse, true, and I understand that. But you lied to me Hermione - I asked you what it was and you lied. Then I asked you to come to me if it was dangerous. You promised you would but you lied again."
Hermione looked down at her hands as Harry's anger and words ran over her like cold water. She couldn't believe how things had changed so quickly and she wondered if she had destroyed Harry's trust in her. As she was looking down she saw a larger hand cover hers.
Startled, Hermione looked up and saw Harry looking at her, this time not out of anger but worry. "Hermione, I thought we were best friends."
"We are!" Hermione hurried out as she placed her other hand on top of Harry's, sincerely wanting him to believe that he was her best friend. "I'm sorry. I'm just used to doing this on my own."
"Hermione," Harry lifted her chin so they could look at each other. "I don't know what to tell you. We've told you over and over again that we won't abandon you, but you just won't let us in. You pile everything onto your shoulders and leave us in the cold - leave me in the cold."
"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered but Harry shook his head.
"I'm sorry too, but sorry isn't going to cut it anymore. I can't do this anymore - I can't live my life in a limbo waiting for you to come around and finally let me in - we trust each other but you obviously don't trust me enough," Harry told her. Hermione couldn't help the tears that filled her eyes.
"I do!" she burst out. "I trust you too much, that's my problem. I'm scared that if I let you in completely then I'll be dependent on you - I wouldn't be able to cope when you finally realise that I'm not worth it!"
Harry couldn't help his eyes widening as he looked at Hermione, shocked at what she had just revealed. "I was scared of my feelings for you last year because it was getting too tense too fast - Merlin, Harry, we were only twelve and it's not getting easier this year - my feelings are going all over the place. My heart is telling me to let you in, to let you see me but my head is telling me to protect my heart from getting hurt. If something was to happen to you, I just know that I wouldn't be able to deal with it," Hermione explained before shaking her head. "I took the time turner to get away from my feelings and forget everything."
"Hermione…" Harry whispered as he reached out and drew her into a hug. Hermione clung to him like she was drowning at sea.
"I need you so much that it scares me," Hermione whispered into his robes before she pulled away and looked up at Harry, her dark eyes glittering in the moonlight. "The fact that I depend on you so much makes me wonder just how will I get on if I were to lose you."
Harry closed his eyes as he rested his forehead on hers, inhaling the scent that was Hermione.
"I feel the same," Harry whispered before he opened his eyes and locked them with Hermione. "I depend on you to be there for me when I need it. I felt so lost without you this year and I never want to feel that way again." Hermione gave a small sniffle as Harry moved his face down. Their lips met in a soft brush when screaming filled the air, startling the two of them.
They broke away from each other and stood up. Looking around they saw that Lupin was changing into a werewolf. Harry spoke to Hermione with hard glint in his eyes.
"Okay, when did the Ministry come by?" Harry asked.
"About two minutes after you left," Hermione told him and Harry calculated in his head.
"Okay, that's more than enough time because it took about ten minutes before I found Mia and Uncle Sirius," Harry told her and she looked at him, puzzled.
"What the hell are you planning?" Hermione demanded but Harry covered her mouth before pointing in a direction.
"See the gap over there," he pointed to where there was a small gap in the woods, near when he almost ran into the werewolf. Hermione nodded. "Meet me there. I will have Peter with me - I'll have to go because you're already there. Because you lot are busy, though, you won't notice me."
"Okay, just watch out," Hermione pleaded and Harry nodded as they both ran in opposite directions.
Harry snuck up behind the original group as he watched them with a close eye. Once he was settled he shifted his eyes to focus on Peter. He nodded to himself when he saw that Peter was slowly transforming himself into a rat and slipping out of his bonds. He quickly shot a spell at the rat to knock it unconscious before he mumbled something under his breath.
He held out his hand and the rat zoomed over and came to rest in it. Harry cast another spell, this time an enchantment. It would prevent Peter from waking up. Mission accomplished, he hurried off to meet up with Hermione.
He found the bushy haired girl in the gap where he had asked her to wait for him. Hermione's head snapped around to meet him and she gave him a sigh of relief before resuming her lookout.
"Did you get him?" Hermione asked and Harry nodded. He handed her Scabbers and Hermione tucked him into a box she had conjured up. After shrinking it she placed it into her pocket.
The time to act once again was getting closer as the werewolf was moving closer to the 'original' Harry while Mia hurried past him. Hermione looked around for something to help her save Harry when something came to her mind about werewolves.
Hermione covered her mouth and howled, causing Harry to reach over and cover her mouth as the werewolf looked in their direction.
"What are you doing?" Harry hissed.
"Saving your life," Hermione shot back before she howled once more, this time drawing the werewolf away from his original target.
"Thanks," Harry told her while a nagging feeling started up in the back of his mind. He grabbed Hermione's hand when he realised that the werewolf was heading for them. "Now he's heading for us!"
"Yeah, didn't think about that one," she replied before Harry tugged on her hand, yanking her backward as they ran off deeper into the forbidding forest.
They reached the largest tree they could find before hiding themselves behind it. The werewolf sniffed the air as he walked about. Harry and Hermione tried to keep the tree between them and the predator, hoping that the werewolf would just go past them without looking back. But apparently like fate weren't on their side.
Harry peered round the tree and noticed that the other side of the area was clear. He pulled Hermione behind him while keeping his eye on the werewolf. Hermione clung on to the back of his robes as she too eyed the werewolf over Harry's shoulder.
Lupin was about to jump towards them when Buckbeak came out and started flapping his wings like mad and lifting himself up on his hind legs, squawking loudly. The werewolf let out a whine in the back of his throat and ran off.
Hermione just rested her head on Harry's chest, sighing in relief.
"Poor Professor Lupin, he's not having a good night," Harry told her but Hermione shook her head.
"That was horrible," she whispered. Harry just rubbed her back for a moment until they felt the air get noticeably colder around them and the leaves on the forest floor blowing toward them. Harry's head snapped up toward the gaps in the trees and he saw the Dementors flying closer to their clearing.
"Uncle Sirius," Harry told Hermione and they both ran off in the direction of the lake to where they saw Sirius lying on the ground with Mia. The original timeline's Harry was shaking him as the Dementors started to surround them. "No one is coming," Harry whispered as he looked around when it hit him.
"You have no idea how much you look like your father these days - the only thing that gives it away that you're not James is your eyes," Sirius had once told Harry back when he was younger. Harry's green eyes lit up with understanding before he ran out. Whipping out his wand he pointed it towards the Dementors.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted as the memory of him and Hermione relaxing together flashed into his mind. A bright light shot out of Harry's wand before it coalesced into a stag. It sprang off towards the Dementors almost before it was fully formed and started to hit them with its antlers.
The Dementors let out screeches of agony; unable to deal with the pure happiness that was attacking them. First one and then increasing numbers flew off to get away from the stag.
Harry watched as the stag came back over to him and stood in front of him. Harry reached out gingerly. "Prongs," he whispered and the stag bowed its head before it disappeared.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as she hurried over to him. "You just performed the charm!"
"I know!" Harry exclaimed. "I remember how everyone kept saying how much I look like my dad - that the only way to tell the difference is that I have a scar and green eyes - and I realised that I could have seen myself from a distance and thought it was him."
"We have to get back to the castle and give them the box with Scabbers! It's the only way to clear Sirius!" Hermione exclaimed and Harry nodded as they ran over to Buckbeak.
Hermione slipped the chain off his neck before standing in front of him. "Stay here Buckbeak, we'll come back for you." Buckbeak let out a squawk before he pawed the ground. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and they both ran up to the castle as quickly as they could.
They saw McGonagall coming out of the hospital wing; she nearly shut the door behind her when she saw the two of them.
"I'll be back with the Ministry and Snape. I presume you have Peter on you?" she asked and Hermione nodded.
"Yes, get them back very soon," Hermione pleaded and their teacher nodded her assurance as she left. Harry and Hermione rushed into the hospital wing just in time to see their other selves leave. Hermione closed the door behind her then led Harry over to the bed to sit down just as Madam Pomfrey came out.
"Am I allowed to take care of my patients now?" Madam Pomfrey asked huffily as she moved over to Hermione and Harry and gave them their potions. Hermione pulled the box out of her pocket and handed it to the nurse.
"Could you hold onto to this until the Ministry comes?" Hermione asked. "I don't trust them to believe me." The nurse looked puzzled but took the box just as the doors burst open startling everyone inside.
"What's the matter?" Ron mumbled as he looked around groggily while Mia was holding her wand, pointing it at the door.
"What is this all about Potter?" Snape demanded as everyone looked toward the door. "Why did you request our audience?"
"Really, Professor Snape, must I remind you that this is a hospital wing and the people in here are my patients?" Madam Pomfrey demanded as she moved over to the potion teacher and poked him in the chest, emphasising each of her words. "And that means you are to come in here quietly and with some respect!" With that she stalked off towards Mia to make sure that she was continuing her recovery. She checked Ron over quickly before walking back over to Harry and Hermione as Fudge and McGonagall walked in.
"We have proof that Sirius is innocent," Hermione spoke up, causing Snape to throw his hands into the air.
"Oh this is getting ridiculous. I don't know what spell that man has cast over you, but this is a serious matter that irresponsible people need not concern themselves with," Snape sneered at the young witch, causing Harry to shoot to his feet.
"Watch your mouth," Harry snapped. "I'm sick and tired of you bad-mouthing Hermione! You hate me, I get it... but you will treat Hermione with respect."
"Or what?" Snape baited.
"Professor Snape!" McGonagall snapped, causing Snape to look at her in shock. "I have told you before to stop rising to their bait and start acting like an adult for once!" Fudge just looked at the woman before turning to Hermione.
"What proof do you have?" Fudge asked.
"Madam Pomfrey, the box please?" Hermione asked and the nurse walked over and handed her the box. Hermione opened it and pulled out the rat before placing it on the floor. "Could one of you cast the spell to check for an Animagus, please?"
McGonagall pulled out her wand and cast the spell. The blue light hit its target and just as before caused the rat to grow until finally Peter Pettigrew was revealed - the same man who 'supposedly' had died twelve years ago.
"Told you he was innocent," Harry shot at Snape, who was staring at Peter with a shocked look.
"Oh Merlin," Fudge exclaimed.
"Are we supposed to believe that that's Peter? I mean, how do we know that it's not someone with Polyjuice potion?" Snape asked scathingly as Dumbledore walked in and was shocked to see Peter lying on the floor.
"Well, the potion works for an hour - let's sit around for an hour or so and see if it's true," Harry informed him as he and Hermione sat down.
"I'm afraid that it looks like Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Miss Black and Mr. Weasley were right all along. Sirius Black is innocent," Dumbledore spoke up, defending the teenagers from Snape. Dumbledore turned to Fudge. "It looks like we need to sort out everything - shall we leave so the children can rest from their ordeal?"
"Yes, do!" Madam Pomfrey demanded as she made shooing motions with her hands, trying to clear everyone out of the hospital wing. "And you can take that rat with you!"
Snape and Fudge moved over to Peter and picked him up before they dragged him out in the hallway. Madam Pomfrey followed them to the door and closed it before facing her patients once more. "I'll say," she huffed out before she came back to the bed and started to examine them again to make sure she hadn't missed out on any injuries.
"I'm heading back to sleep," Ron mumbled and closed his eyes and immediately fell fast asleep on his pillow. Mia just shook her head.
"And I thought the Hospital wing was suppose to be a calm place," she muttered before she too turned on her side and fell back to sleep.
Harry and Hermione faced each other from where they were lying on their beds and shared a smile.
Now things could go back to normal.
TBC
One last chapter guys!
I hope the above helped people understand what was going on with Hermione and I hope it's satisfactory that the two of them finally hashed it out.
Little Note for the end: To those who have read 'Lost Love' and waiting for it's sequel, I wanted to let you all know that the story now has chapter plans and I'll be working on it as soon as I can. Thank you for you patience on it.