CHAPTER TWELVE:

Third Person P.O.V.:

Charlie laid still with his eyes tight shut. He felt very groggy. His limbs felt like lead; his eyelids too heavy to lift, his ribs aching in pain. He wanted to lie here, on this comfortable bed, forever...

"What amazes me most is the behavior of the Dementors... you've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister... by the time I had come 'round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances..."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, my son, Harry, and the girl -"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

There was a pause. Charlie's brain seemed to be moving a little slow, as the words he was hearing seemed to be processing slowly, making them difficult to understand.

In an instance, he opened his eyes.

Everything was slightly blurred. He was lying in the dark hospital wing. At the very end of the ward, he could make out Madame Pomfrey with her back to him, bending over a bed. Charlie squinted. Ron's red hair was visible beneath Madame Pomfrey's arm.

Charlie moved his head over on the pillow. To his left lay Harry, wide awake, and in the bed to his right lay Hermione. Moonlight was falling across her bed. Her eyes were open too. She looked petrified giving the boy déjà vu of the time where she was actually petrified - oh god, that haunted image.

When Hermione saw that Charlie was awake, she pressed a finger to her lips, then pointed to the hospital wing door. It was ajar, and the voices of his father and Snape were coming through it from the corridor outside.

Madame Pomfrey now came walking briskly up the dark ward to Charlie's bed. The three Gryffindors turned to took at her. She was carrying the largest block of chocolate they had ever seen in their lives.

"Ah, you're awake!" she said briskly. She placed the chocolate on Charlie's bedside table and began breaking it apart with a small hammer.

"How's Ron's leg?"

"He'll live," said Madame Pomfrey grimly. "As for you, you'll be staying here until those fractured ribs of yours heal properly - Hawthorne, what do you think you're doing?"

Charlie sat up, threw the covers off of himself, and picked up his wand before heading for the door.

"I need to see my grandfather," he said.

"Hawthorne," said Madame Pomfrey soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The Dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now -"

"WHAT?"

Harry had now jumped up out of bed; Hermione had done the same. Harry's shout had been heard in the corridor outside; next second, Fenwick and Snape had entered the ward.

"Charles, what's this?" said Fenwick, looking agitated. "You should be in bed - has he had any chocolate?" he asked Madame Pomfrey anxiously.

"Father, listen!" Charlie pleaded. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the Dementors do that to Sirius, he's -"

But the Minister was shaking his head with a small, yet twisted smile on his face.

"Charles, my dear boy, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control..."

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled from behind Charlie as he moved to his side. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said; she had hurried next to her friends and was gazing imploringly into Fenwick's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and -"

"You see, Minister?" said Snape. "Confunded, the three of them... Black's done a very good job on them...."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry roared.

"Minister! Professor!" said Madame Pomfrey angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen -"

But Madame Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry"s mouth; he choked, and she seized the opportunity to force him back onto the bed.

"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave."

The door opened again. It was Dumbledore. Charlie wasted no time before rushing to his grandfather to plead his case.

"Grandfather, Sirius Black -"

"For heaven's sake!" said Madame Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist -"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with my grandson, Mr. Potter and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black -"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in these children's minds?" spat Snape. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive -"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore, surveying Snape closely through his half-moon spectacles.

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Snape. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"That was because you were knocked out, Professor!" said Hermione earnestly. "You didn't arrive in time to hear."

"Miss Granger, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"Now, Snape," said Fenwick, amused, "the young muggle-born is clearly disturbed in her mind, we mustn't hold her accountable -"

"I would like to speak to Charlie, Harry and Hermione alone," said Dumbledore abruptly. "Fenwick, Severus, Poppy - please leave us."

"I'm sorry?" Fenwick was taken aback. "This is my son your talking about."

"I'm well aware of that, Fenwick." Albus said simply. "However, there are things I'd like to discuss with my grandson and his friends alone. I don't see any reason as to why that should be a problem?"

Charlie smiled softly, "I see no problem at all."

"Brilliant," Dumbledore said cheerfully as he shared a victorious glance with his grandson.

"Headmaster!" sputtered Madame Pomfrey. "They need treatment, they need rest -"

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door behind her. Fenwick gave Dumbledore a small glare before consulting the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The Dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Albus, I better see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door and held it open for Snape, but Snape hadn't moved.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Snape whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Charlie, Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

Snape turned on his heel and marched through the door Fenwick was still holding. It closed behind them, and Dumbledore turned to Charlie, Harry and Hermione. The three of them burst into speech at the same time, even Ron had chimed in from his hospital bed.

"Grandad, please! Black's telling the truth - we saw Pettigrew - he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf -"

"- he's a rat -"

"- Pettigrew faked his death -"

"- Sirius was framed -"

But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me, because there is very little time," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word - and the word of four thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A child's voice, however honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen."

"Professor Lupin can tell you -" Harry said, unable to stop himself.

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late, Sirius will be worse than dead. I might add that werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little and the fact that he and Sirius are old friends -"

Charlie tried to reason, "But -"

"Listen to me, Charles. It is too late, you understand me? You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours."

"He hates Sirius," Hermione said desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him when they were kids -"

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady - entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife - without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

Charlie raised a brow, "But you believe us?"

"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore quietly. "But I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule your father..."

The four Gryffindor's faces had fallen. They had grown used to the idea that Dumbledore could solve anything. They had expected Dumbledore to pull some amazing solution out of the air.

But no... their last hope was gone.

"What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes shifted from Charlie to Hermione, "is more time."

"But -" Hermione began, and then her eyes became very round. "OH!"

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, you must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law - you know what is at stake...You - must - not - be - seen."

Neither Charlie or Harry had a clue as to what was going on. Dumbledore had turned on his heel and looked back as he reached the door.

"I am going to lock you in. It is -" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron questioned from his hospital bed.

"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore.

Charlie shrugged as he looked to Hermione for answers, "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

But Hermione was fumbling with the collar of her sweater, pulling from beneath it a very long, very fine gold chain.

"Sorry, Ron, but seeing as you can't walk," she said urgently before turning to Charlie and Harry, "Quickly! Come on!"

The two boys moved towards her, completely bewildered. She was holding the chain out. Charlie saw a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it.

"Here -"

She had thrown the chain around Charlie's neck, gently before wrapping it around Harry's as well.

"Ready?" she said breathlessly.

Harry's brow furrowed, "Wait, what?"

"What are we doing?" Charlie said, completely lost.

Hermione turned the hourglass over three times.

Suddenly, Charlie had the sensation that he was flying very fast, backward. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past him, his ears were pounding. As if a tape was being rewinded, every moment that occurred in the hospital wing during the day had had flickered in a dizzying speed. All while, from outside the window, darkness gave way to dusk and sun 'un-set' itself, returning to its place on the low horizon.

And then Charlie felt solid ground beneath his feet, and everything came into focus again -

He was standing next to Hermione and Harry in the now, deserted hospital wing and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the windows. He looked wildly around at Hermione, the chain of the hourglass cutting into his neck.

"'Mione, what - ?"

"What just happened?" Harry inquired, completely dazed. "Where'd Ron go?"

Hermione ignored both of the boys and looked to the clock on the wall, "Seven thirty. Where we at seven thirty?"

"Huh?" Charlie furrowed his brows before glancing at Harry who stood there confused, "I dunno, going to Hagrid's?"

"Come on!" Hermione said instantly, grabbing hold of Charlie's arm and pulling him forward, "We can't be seen."

The brown eyed boy let Hermione guide him through castle, while Harry followed closely behind them. Soon enough, they had reached the exit that would lead them to Hagrid's Hut.

However, as Charlie and Harry went to continue forward, Hermione put an arm out in front of them to hold them back.

"Hermione, will you please tell us what's going on? What is it that we're supposed to do?" Charlie whispered.

But the girl simply shushed him as she held up a hand, peering out from behind the wall. Slightly taken aback, Charlie followed her gaze, as did Harry, and the two of them blinked in disbelief.

Across the grounds, Charlie saw himself, along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, about to confront Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini.

"But that..." Harry trailed off, completely dumbfounded. "That's... us. This is not... normal."

Charlie looked to Hermione instantly, looking for answers - this situation was completely insane.

As if she could read his mind, Hermione held up the tiny, gold hour-glass necklace once again.

"You see this?" she asked. "This is a Time-Turner. McGonagall gave it to me first term. This is how I've been getting to all of my lessons all year."

Charlie's eyes had widened, "You mean we've gone back in time?"

"This is completely insane!" Harry chimed in.

"Dumbledore wanted us to return to this moment," Hermione explained. "Clearly something happened that he wants us to change."

Then, a soft smack was heard in the distance, causing the three of them to peer down the hill once again. Malfoy had just been hit, and was now holding his face as he landed flat on his backside.

Charlie had an amused smile plastered on his face as he whispered to Hermione, "Great punch, by the way. It was even better the second time."

Hermione giggled slightly before pulling her two friends out of sight as Malfoy and his goons ran past them.

Seconds later, the three of them emerged from their hiding spot. Charlie looked down the hill, still marvelled at the sight of himself, Hermione, Harry and Ron heading down the slope to Hagrid's Hut.

His brown eyes shifted to the pumpkin patch, and he smiled, pointing out what he saw to his friends, "Look! Buckbeak's still alive!"

"Of course!" Hermione said with a smile as she finally understood. "Remember what Dumbledore said. If we succeed, more than one innocent life could be spared!"

"Buckbeak?" Harry inquired, "But how's Buckbeak going to help us save Sirius?"

Suddenly, Charlie put the pieces together, "Isn't it obvious? My grandfather just told us where the window is - the window of Flitwick's office! Where they've got Sirius locked up! We've got to fly Buckbeak up to the window and rescue Sirius! Sirius can escape on Buckbeak - they can escape together!"

From what Charlie could see of Hermione's face, she looked terrified.

"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"

"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry, who was overjoyed at the possibility of this working.

The three of them moved down towards the Hut. As Buckbeak feasted on a ferret, Charlie, Harry, and Hermione ducked behind a pile of pumpkins.

"Now?" Charlie whispered, referring to releasing the Hippogriff - he was eager to save the fascinating beast.

"No!" said Hermione quickly. "Your dad has to see Buckbeak before we rescue him! Otherwise they'll think Hagrid set him free!"

"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," said Harry, gulping slightly - this was starting to seem impossible.

At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin.

"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment -"

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard Hermione's shriek of surprise.

"Wait," said Harry suddenly, "what if we - we just run in there and grab Pettigrew -"

"No!" said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody! You heard Dumbledore, if we're seen -"

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!"

Charlie shook his head, "Harry, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?"

"I'd - I'd think I'd gone mad," said Harry as he lowered his head, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on -"

"Exactly!" Hermione continued. "You wouldn't understand - you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time... Loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"

"Okay!" said Harry. "It was just an idea, I just thought -"

But before he could finish, Charlie nudged him and pointed towards the castle. Both, Harry and Hermione moved their heads a few inches to get a clear view; Dumbledore, Minister Hawthorne, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the hill.

"They're coming and..." Hermione trailed off as she looked back to the Hut. "We're not leaving... why aren't we leaving?"

Just then, on the ground beside her, Hermione noticed the same jagged-looking stone from earlier. Instantly, she grabbed it in her hand, stood up a little, and hurled it through the open window.

SMASH!

The sound of the glass jar breaking was heard within the Hut.

Harry looked at the girl is disbelief, "Are you mad?!"

Hermione ignored him, however, swiftly whistling another rock through the window and - CONK! - it bounced right off the back of Charlie's head.

The brown eyed boy could practically feel the pain all over again, and instantly caressed the back of his head, "That hurt, you know?"

Hermione's eyes had widened, "Oh my - I'm so sorry!"

Charlie shrugged it off with a small laugh as his father and his colleagues had arrived at Hagrid's door.

"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed.

And sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and Charlie saw himself, Ron, Harry, and Hermione walking out of it with Hagrid. It was, without a doubt, the strangest sensation of his life, seeing his past self like that

"It's okay, Beaky, it's okay..." said Charlie's past self.

Just like before Hagrid shrugged them off as he went back inside to open the door. As the past versions of themselves headed for their hiding spot, Charlie, Hermione, and Harry had dashed into the trees directly behind them.

The three of them watched their past selves from behind the trunks of the tree, but Hermione had gone a step further as she pulled down a branch slightly and said, "Is that really what my hair looks like from the back?"

"Shhhh!" Charlie whispered as he pulled her back, placing a hand over her mouth while Harry stood at a tree next to them, his eyes wide.

The past Hermione snapped her head back, the branches dancing oddly, just as expected.

Hermione could hear Charlie's heart beating due to the proximity of their bodies. She even looked up at him in admiration, paying no mind to their past self's voices exchanging in conversation before they all darted up the hill.

When the coast was clear, Charlie removed his hand, and gave Hermione a quick glance that said, "Phew! That was close."

Harry peered his head out first, making sure that their past selves were indeed, out of sight. After him, Charlie and Hermione slipped out of the trees and headed towards Buckbeak.

Charlie could hear his father's voice as he approached, "It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the Hippogriff, Buckbeak, shall be executed tonight at sundown -"

The boy reached the Hippogriff in a record-breaking time. Careful not to blink, Charlie stared up into Buckbeak's fierce orange eyes once more and bowed. Buckbeak sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again. Quickly, Charlie began to untie Buckbeak from the post as Harry and Hermione kept lookout.

"... sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair..."

"Come on, Buckbeak," Charlie murmured, "come on, we're going to help you. Quickly... quietly..."

"... as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here..."

When untied, Charlie began to pull the Hippogriff forward, but Buckbeak failed to move.

"Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stay inside -"

"No, I - I wan' ter be with him... I don' wan' him ter be alone -"

Footsteps echoed from within the cabin.

"Buckbeak, move!" Charlie hissed.

The boy tugged harder on the rope around Buckbeak's neck. The Hippogriff began to walk, rustling its wings irritably. They were still ten feet away from the forest, in plain view of Hagrid's back door.

"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too."

The footsteps stopped. Charlie heaved on the rope. Buckbeak snapped his beak and walked a little faster.

Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree as Harry looked cautiously at the cabin.

"Charlie, hurry!" Hermione mouthed.

He could still hear his grandfather's voice talking from within the cabin. He gave the rope another wrench. Buckbeak broke into a grudging trot. They had reached the trees...

"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moaned, darting out from behind her tree, seizing the rope too and adding her weight to make Buckbeak move faster.

Harry looked over his shoulder before following his friends and the beast back into the forest; they were now blocked from sight; they couldn't see Hagrid's garden at all.

"Stop!" Harry whispered. "They might hear us."

Hagrid's back door had opened with a bang. Harry, Charlie, Hermione, and Buckbeak stood quite still; even the Hippogriff seemed to be listening intently.

"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.

"Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.

There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it in anger. Then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid. Charlie, Harry and Hermione had all grabbed hold of the rope, tightened their grip and dug their heels into the forest floor to stop him.

"Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the forest."

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will... Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea - or a large brandy."

"O' - o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in..."

The three Gryffindor's listened closely. They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.

"Now what?" whispered Charlie, huffing slightly as he pulled on Buckbeak's rope.

"We'll have to hide in here," said Hermione, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then we wait until it's safe to fly Buckbeak up to Sirius's cell. He won't be there for another couple of hours..."

She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the forest. The sun was setting now.

"We're going to have to move," said Harry, thinking hard. "We've got to be able to see the Whomping Willow, or we won't know what's going on."

"Okay," said Hermione, getting a firmer grip on Buckbeak's rope. "But we've got to keep out of sight, remember..."

They moved around the edge of the forest, darkness falling thickly around them, until they were hidden behind a clump of trees through which they could make out the Willow.

"There's Lupin!" said Harry suddenly.

As the Whomping Willow began to thrash, its violence oddly muted at this distance, Lupin takes a stick, pokes a knot at the base of the tree, and instantly the Willow calmed.

Charlie watched in awe, "Wait until Fred and George hear about that one!"

A couple moments had passed since Lupin had descended into the roots of the tree, then Hermione's voice alerted the boy's focus back to the tree.

"Look! It's Snape!"

As Snape made his way down as well, Charlie turned to his friends, "And now we wait."

"Now we wait."

The three of them sat in the lengthening shadows as they waited for their past selves to reconvene on the surface.

"Guys..." Harry spoke breaking the silence and causing Hermione and Charlie to look at him curiously.

"Yeah?"

"Before," he began, "down by the lake... when we were with Sirius... I saw someone... that made the Dementors go away, with a very powerful Patronus..."

"Yeah, I saw them, too," said Charlie slowly. "But... I thought I maybe imagined it... I wasn't thinking straight... I passed out right afterward..."

"Who do you think it was?" Hermione questioned.

"Dunno," said Charlie with a shrug. "But it must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those Dementors away..."

"I think -" Harry swallowed, knowing how strange this was going to sound. "I think it was my dad."

Charlie immediately glanced up at Hermione and saw that her mouth was fully open now. She was gazing at him with a mixture of alarm and pity. He reciprocated the same gaze - neither of them knew what to say.

"Harry, your dad's -" Hermione said quietly.

"I know," Harry said sadly. "I'm just telling you what I saw."

Charlie and Hermione nodded, not wanting to pressure their friend further. The brown eyed boy shifted his gaze beyond the trees, back towards the Whomping Willow.

"Here we come," he said, rising to his feet.

Hermione and Harry got to their feet. Buckbeak raised his head. They saw Ron and Charlie walk out first clambering out of the hole in the roots. Then came Hermione with Harry and the unconscious Snape. Next came Lupin and Black, pointing their wands aggressively towards Pettigrew as they shoved him out onto the ground.

Harry studied his past self as he engaged in conversation with his godfather. The present Harry was grinning ear to ear.

"You see Sirius talking to me?" he asked causing Charlie and Hermione to nod, "He's asking me to come live with him."

"Really?" Hermione asked with a smile.

Charlie moved to put a supportive hand on Harry's shoulder, "That's amazing, mate."

Harry nodded, his voice was wishful, "When we free him, I'll never have to go back to the Dursley's. I'm going to tell him I'd like to live someplace in the country. I think he'd like that after all those years in Azkaban. It's just going to be me and him when all of this is over..."

Charlie listened to his friend's wishes intently, disregarding the fact that his heart was starting to beat very fast. He glanced up at the sky. Any moment now, that cloud was going to move aside and show the moon...

Harry and Charlie shared a glanced after they watched Peter Pettigrew intently with a glare from the trees - almost agreeing on what they should do.

"Guys," Hermione muttered as though she knew exactly what they were thinking, "we've got to stay put. We mustn't be seen. There's nothing we can do..."

"So we're just going to let Pettigrew escape all over again..." said Harry quietly.

"How do you expect to find a rat in the dark?" snapped Hermione. "There's nothing we can do! We came back to help Sirius; we're not supposed to be doing anything else!"

Charlie sighed, "All right!"

The moon slid out from behind its cloud. They saw the tiny figures across the grounds stop. Then they saw movement -

"There goes Lupin," Hermione whispered. "He's transforming."

A fierce growl was heard as twin silhouettes - the dog and the werewolf - bound into the tall grass. Charlie watched as the past versions of him, Hermione, and Harry had chased after Sirius.

The brown eyed boy quickly turned to Harry, "You go down to the lake, and see who's casting the Patronus. Hermione and I will get Buckbeak ready for Sirius's escape."

Harry began to run. He had no thought in his head except his father... If it was him... if it really was him... he had to know...

Then, in what felt like slow motion, Charlie watched himself get confronted by Lupin in his werewolf form. The boy gulped - this didn't look good, even from this angle.

"OWWWWWWWW!"

Charlie wheeled around, and spotted Hermione, hands cupping her mouth, making a loud howl.

He instantly covered her mouth once again, "What are you doing?"

The girl shrugged him off, "Saving your life!"

Charlie looked back to the tall grass, Lupin was frozen still in his werewolf form. As expected, he began to approach Charlie's past self once again.

"OWWWWWWWW!"

This time the boy didn't stop her.

"Thanks." he said gratefully, "But we have to move."

"Why? We're supposed to -"

"Hermione, look!"

The girl snapped her head in the direction he was pointing; the werewolf had started charging towards them at full speed.

"Right, didn't think about that," Hermione said, slightly startled, "RUN!"

Charlie and Hermione dashed for their lives, leaving Buckbeak behind, as they ran deeper into the forest before ducking behind a large tree.

They could hear the loud growls and thudding footsteps of the werewolf around them. As it approached the tree, the two of them silently sidestepped in the opposite direction, until the werewolf... disappears.

"Buckbeak," Hermione whispered, "We've got to find him..."

Then, the sound of a branch snapping had startled both of the young Gryffindors. There Lupin was, fifteen feet away, waiting patiently. Unaware, Charlie and Hermione stepped out, but froze instantly.

The werewolf poised itself, preparing to pounce. Hermione shrieked in fear as Charlie wrapped his arms around her, both of them hunching over, terrified, thinking this was the end -

SKREEEEK!

The trees around them began to shake with fury of a hurricane, as Buckbeak charged into the clearing, screening Charlie and Hermione. The werewolf snarled angrily, and began to charge. But with lightning fast reflexes, Buckbeak's claws slashed in the air, only inches away from Lupin's face.

The werewolf stopped, eyes glittering with rage, and then howled loudly before turning and dashing into the forest.

Charlie and Hermione looked up to see Buckbeak flapping his wings proudly, as he watched the werewolf disappear. Then, without having time to realize what was happening, Hermione had wrapped her arms around Charlie's neck and buried her face into his chest.

"That was so scary," she breathed out, he voice shaking slightly.

The boy instantly comforted her by caressing her back and trying to lighten the mood by joking, "Professor Lupin is having a really tough night."

Hermione giggled slightly, pulling back, but not letting go. She peered into the boy's eyes. His normally dark eyes were illuminated in the moonlight. The bushy haired girl blushed slightly - they had yet to address their near-kiss in the roots of the Whomping Willow.

"Charlie..."

The boy gulped. He was going to go for it - screw this whole friends thing. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to share an intimate moment with her after nearly facing death because honestly, life was to short to lie to himself about what he truly wanted.

Almost as if she read his mind, Hermione gave the boy a small nod, giving him a sign that she wanted to kiss him as much as wanted to kiss her.

Slowly, the boy leaned down, shrugging off the realization of what was to happen, as that was only going to make him think twice about what he was doing.

Then, when there lips were about to touch -

A high-pitched whistle and the aggressive flap of Buckbeak's wings had caused them to jump apart from one another.

God dammit, you stupid Hippogriff -

Charlie let out a muffled, annoyed groan as he looked in the direction of Buckbeak. The beast was staring up to the sky. Both, Charlie and Hermione followed its gaze, and spotted hundreds of Dementors moving towards the lake.

Right - almost forgot - Harry needed their help, Sirius still needed to be rescued -

Hermione sighed, sadly, "Let's go."

The two of them took off towards the lake with Buckbeak following behind them. The lake was coming nearer and nearer, but there was no sign of anybody. On the opposite bank, Charlie could see tiny glimmers of silver - his own attempts at a Patronus -

Then, they spotted a bush at the very edge of the water. Charlie saw Harry peering desperately through the leaves behind it. Him and Hermione crouched down next to Harry, the glimmers of silver were suddenly extinguished.

A terrified excitement shot through Harry - any moment now -

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

But no one came.

Harry raised his head to look at the circle of Dementors across the lake.

One of them was lowering its hood. It was time for the rescuer to appear - but no one was coming to help this time...

Then it hit him - he understood.

"Charlie!" Harry said, rising to his feet and flinging himself from the bush, "I need your help."

The brown eyed boy nodded. He didn't even have to think twice about getting up from behind the bush and helping his friend. Hermione stayed put, holding Buckbeak back as Charlie stood beside Harry, with his wand in hand.

The two shared a glance, and nodded. Quickly, the brown eyed boy thought of the happiest moment, he could think of:

"Why are you talking to me?"

"Should I not be talking to you?"

"No, it's just - after our first encounter yesterday -"

"I already told you not to be sorry for what happened. I'm not one to get my wand in a knot over a simple misunderstanding."

She smiled up at him - God, that damned smile. It was in this moment, they had found their common ground.

"Come on then. I'll walk you to Transfiguration."

From that moment forward, they were friends.

From that moment forward, Charlie's life was changed forever.

As from that moment forward, he had yet to realize, was the beginning of Charlie Hawthorne falling for Hermione Granger...

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist like before, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. He screwed up his eyes, trying to see what it was. It looked like a bird of some kind. It was flying overhead of Harry's horse-like Patronus, across the black surface of the lake.

Charlie saw it lower its head and dive at the swarming Dementors... It flew around and around the black shapes on the ground, and the Dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness... They were gone.

The two Patronuses turned. They headed back towards their makers across the still surface of the water. Harry's Patronus wasn't a horse... it was a stag, just like his father's. Charlie's Patronus wasn't just any ordinary bird, either... it was falcon.

--------------

"I can't believe it... You conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those Dementors! That's very, very advanced magic." Hermione spoke in awe as her two friends had retreated back to her and Buckbeak.

"I knew we could do it this time," said Harry, "because we'd already done it... Does that make sense?"

Charlie nodded, "Felt the same way, mate."

Hermione put her hands on Buckbeak's back and Charlie gave her a leg up. Then he placed his foot on one of the lower branches of the bush and climbed up in front of her. Harry had taken the back, as Charlie pulled Buckbeak's rope back over his neck and tied it to the other side of his collar like reins - he was finally going to ride Buckbeak.

"Ready?" he whispered to Hermione. "You'd better hold on to me -"

He swore he could feel the small smile on Hermione's face against his back as he nudged Buckbeak's sides with his heels.

Buckbeak soared straight into the dark air. Charlie gripped his flanks with his knees, feeling the great wings rising powerfully beneath them.

Hermione was holding him very tight around the waist; he could hear her muttering, "Oh, no - I don't like this oh, I really don't like this -"

Charlie urged Buckbeak forward. They were gliding quietly toward the upper floors of the castle... He pulled hard on the left-hand side of the rope, and Buckbeak turned.

Harry was trying to count the windows flashing past -

"Whoa!" he said, as Buckbeak began to slow down, and they found themselves come to a stop.

"He's there!" Harry said, spotting Sirius as they rose up beside the window. He reached out, and as Buckbeak's wings fell, was able to tap sharply on the glass.

Black looked up. Harry saw his jaw drop. He leapt from his chair, hurried to the window and tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Stand back!" Hermione called to him, and she took out her wand, still gripping the back of Charlie's shirt with her left hand.

"Bombarda!"

The window sprang open.

"How - how - ?" said Black weakly, staring at the Hippogriff.

"Get on - there's not much time," said Charlie, gripping Buckbeak firmly on either side of his sleek neck to hold him steady.

Black placed a hand on either side of the window frame and heaved his head and shoulders out of it. In seconds, he had managed to fling one leg over Buckbeak's back and pull himself onto the Hippogriff behind Harry.

"Okay, Buckbeak, up!" said Charlie, shaking the rope. "Up to the tower - come on."

The Hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upward again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and Harry, Charlie and Hermione slid off him at once.

Black stared down at the three Gryffindor's in awe, "I'll be forever grateful for this. To the three of you."

Sirius turned to Hermione with a smile, "You truly are the brightest witch of your age."

Then he shifted his gaze to Charlie, "Your mother would be so proud of the young man you're becoming. Look after Harry for me while I'm gone, will you?"

The brown eyed boy had a wide smile on his face as he turned to look at Harry, "Of course."

That's when Sirius looked towards his godson.

"We'll see each other again," he said, softly.

He squeezed Buckbeak's sides with his heels. Harry, Charlie and Hermione jumped back as the enormous wings rose once more, the Hippogriff took off into the air. He and his rider became smaller and smaller as they moved further and further away. Then a cloud drifted across the moon.... They were gone.

---------------

"Harry! Charlie!"

Hermione was tugging at their sleeves, staring at her watch. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us - before Dumbledore locks the door -"

"Okay," said Harry, wrenching his gaze from the sky, "let's go..."

The three of them slipped through the doorway behind them and down a tightly spiraling stone staircase, towards the infirmary. They ran as fast as they could before eventually reaching the hospital wing entrance.

The door opened and Dumbledore's back appeared.

"I am going to lock you in," they heard him saying. "it is five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

Dumbledore backed out of the room, closed the door, and took out his wand to magically lock it. Panicking, Harry, Charlie and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache.

"Well?" he said quietly.

"We did it!" said Charlie breathlessly. "Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak...."

Dumbledore beamed at them, but quickly furrowed his brows, "Did what?"

Charlie, Hermione, and Harry looked at one another curiously as Albus gave them one last mischievous smile before he began to walk down the corridor, "Goodnight!"

Charlie shook his head with a laugh, "What a strange old man."

Harry and Hermione laughed along with him as they slipped back inside the hospital wing. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed.

"How did you get there?!" he said, utterly confused. "I was talking to you there!"

Hermione laughed, "What's he talking about guys?"

"Dunno," Charlie said amused.

"Honestly, Ron," Harry contributed to the joke. "How could anyone be in two places at once?"

---------------

The next few days around Hogwarts were a whirlwind.

Hagrid was overjoyed by Buckbeak's miraculous escape. Charlie's father had instructed that all Dementors be removed from the grounds; there was no need for them anymore. Lupin had resigned, he believed he shouldn't be allowed near students during his transformations. And Snape was livid, curious as to how Sirius escaped once again.

But none of that mattered - the end of the year was approaching and Charlie wanted to make the most of with his friends.

On the final day of the term, Charlie sat in Dumbledore's office, reminiscing on the night where him, Harry, and Hermione had saved Sirius and Buckbeak.

In the middle of their talk, Charlie had looked down to the ring on his finger, and caressed the piece of jewelry carefully before noticing the connection between his Patronus and the symbol on the ring.

The boy instantly looked up to his grandfather, but was surprised to see Albus staring at him with a wide smile.

"You know," he began, as he sat contently behind his desk, "the Falcon is a pretty unique creature. They tend to tie themselves to troubled souls who have decided to cast away the old, evil habits that are placed upon them, in order to fly down the hard, right path. Their nature pulls them to the dark, but they've chosen to live for the light."

Charlie didn't say anything, instead he sat still, his heart beating rapidly as Dumbledore continued.

"Your father has been adamant on placing his ideologies on you since you were little, but to my amazement, you've done nothing, but refuse them. Just as I know, your mother would've done." he said with a proud smile. "You continue to live in her image, proving a theory I've had that the ones who love us, never truly leave us. Your mother is the light you've chosen to live for. I've seen that for quite a while, which is why it came as no shock to me, to find out that your Patronus has taken the form of a Falcon, as you are a true embodiment of what it stands for."

Charlie smiled slightly, but then remembered Trelawney's class, and what the Falcon had meant when they read the tea leaves.

"The Falcon is supposed to mean a deadly enemy." he breathed out. "At least, that's what Trelawney sees it as."

"Perhaps, Professor Trelawney is correct." Albus said softly. "However, we often relate an enemy to another individual, when in reality, our greatest of enemies live within us."

The brown eyed boy raised a brow, urging his grandfather to continue.

"Like I've told you before, you're too good, Charles." Albus explained. "You are someone capable of having whatever you desire at your fingertips, but your selflessness won't allow you to at the expense of the happiness of others. You are more than willing to sacrifice your own happiness for the ones you love. Which is why, you are, nothing, but your own worst enemy."

"I don't understand -"

"Well, think about it this way," Dumbledore pressed on. "Sometimes, it is hard to realize you're drowning, when you're trying so hard to be the anchor for everyone else."

The brown eyed boy gulped, taking in the information. Was his love to be his downfall?

"You'll understand as you get older," Dumbledore smiled at his grandson. "For now, be a kid. Enjoy your life, it's what you're mother would've wanted."

The boy nodded slowly, smiling up at his grandfather, without saying a word. Charlie took one last look at his ring, before heading for the door.

---------------

As the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station the next morning, Charlie was ready to say goodbye to his friends as another year had come to a close.

"So, I've been thinking about the holidays," said Ron. "Charlie and Harry, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a fellytone now -"

"A telephone, Ron," said Hermione. "Honestly, you should take Muggle Studies next year..."

Ron ignored her.

"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, guys? Come and stay, and we'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work."

"Already looking forward to it," Charlie said with a smile.

Harry nodded in agreement, "Sounds great."

Charlie bid his goodbye's to Harry and Ron as they boarded the train, but Hermione had lingered back.

She wanted to talk with him about what happened, but couldn't bring herself to admit what was happening between them out loud. She already turned him down once, but that was because of everything going on. Now, there was nothing to stop them from exploring what could come from these 'close-call' moments.

Charlie stared at her, challenging her with his eyes, trying to get her to speak first to cut the tension.

"I'm gonna miss you, you know." she said softly.

The boy smirked a little, "I bet you will."

Hermione shook her head at him before laughing slightly giving the boy the go-ahead to laugh along with her. As the two came down from their laughter, they immediately embraced one another in a tight hug.

The sound of the last call for the boarding is passengers had broke them apart. The two of them pulled away, and Charlie helped the bushy haired girl load her things into the compartment - the two bid a bittersweet farewell.

As Hermione went to take a step up on the train, she had surprised Charlie when she turned on her heel quickly and ran back towards him, placing a teasing kiss on the corner of his mouth.

She spoke in a raspy whisper as she pulled away, "I lied.... we're definitely a lot more than friends..."

But before the boy even had the chance to respond, she retreated back onto the train as it sped off towards King's Cross station.

Charlie stood there grinning broadly, a blush flushing his cheeks - he couldn't wait for the summer to begin.

-------------
Author's Note:
*this chapter was not proof read*

And we're done! Hope you enjoyed!

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Goblet of Fire is next 😈

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xo, Selena