Eyes squinting thorough the blinding light, Harry saw someone across the lake with an outstretched wand. The glowing stag that walked across the water forced the dementor swarm back, radiating comfort and peace and, dare he say, love as it approached. The figure in the shadows behind the Patronus, though Harry really couldn't make them out, looked like him in a way. They- it couldn't be. As far as he knew there were no magical methods of replicating yourself, nor had he undergone such a process even if it was possible. So it couldn't be him- but they sure looked an awful lot like him! As he fought to keep his wits about him, Harry realized that there was no way. No one matched the way he looked. No one at Hogwarts, no one in Little Whining, no one!

Well, it could be one person.

Harry had never seen him in person, but he knew of him. He wasn't sure there was a magical person who hadn't. Everyone he met always said the same thing. They all told him: 'You look like your father, but you've got your mothers eyes.' So, since Harry was reasonably sure his body was still here, and not over there, that left only one thing…

"Dad?" Harry moans to the rapidly fleeing dementor swarm, eyes fluttering closed as he lost the battle to stay conscious.

Watching his younger self collapse, Harry turns back to Hermione. "Well," he starts before running out of words, unsure of what to say after all that. "Let's um, let's grab Buckbeak and go find Sirius."

Hermione nods mutely, brain still in shock at the absurd level of magic she had just been witness to. "You really are one heck of a powerful wizard, Harry." She mutters, turning to follow him into the dark woods.

"Buckbeak!" Harry calls into some bushes. "Beaky!" he shouts again only for Hermione to swat his arm.

"Harry, there's a werewolf here. Do not go shouting into the woods. I'd rather not be killed or bitten. My parents would be horrified."

"Right. Sorry. Here Bucky!" He whispers, voice substantially lower. When the creature fails to appear, they kept descending the slope and calling out softly for him.

"Hey, here's a track from the Weasleys' Angelina." Harry says offhandedly, stepping over a dried rut of tire tracks in the mud. Hermione stops in place, sincerely dumbfounded.

"What?!" she says, the absurdity shocking her out of her quiet precautions.

"Er, right you weren't there. Um, so you know Ron and I missed the train last year, right?" At her nod he continues. "When Dobby blocked up the portal to the train, we sort of borrowed the Weasleys' car."

"You drove all the way to Hogwarts?" she asks.

"Ron did. Well, kind of. He forgot to turn it invisible for a while."

"Invisible?"

"Yeah, reckon the obliviators had a hell of a job explaining that to the muggles." Harry jokes.

"Underage driving isn't that uncommon, Harry."

"Yeah, but it was flying."

"FLYING?!"Hermione yells.

"Bloody hell Hermione, what happened to being quiet?" Harry snaps in a whisper, looking around to see if her shriek had drawn unwanted attention of the extremely fury and even more hungry kind.

"You let Ronald Weasley fly you to Hogwarts in what I assume was a home enchanted car?" She hisses.

"Wasn't my best idea, but I didn't have a whole lot to work with now did I? They pulled me out of the Dursleys not a week before. Stole the bars right off the window."

"Harry, we have a lot to discuss when this is all over, but it has to wait until after." Hermione whispers firmly as a howl echoes through the forest.

"Okay." Harry agrees, shelving the topic. The two walk in quiet for a while before Hermione cracks.

"So you let Ron drive it to Hogwarts."

"Yeah, and then he crashed us into the Whomping Willow. It wasn't too happy with us and beat the snot out of the car before tossing us away. The Angelina ejected everything before driving off into the forest."

"You're lucky you weren't killed."

"Or expelled. Snape was the one to greet us." Harry adds. "So, later when Ron and I are searching for Aragog-"

"Aragog?" Hermione interrupts. "When I asked what all I missed being petrified last year, you told me not much. This sounds like a bit more than much, already."

"Is that part of why you were given the time turner, to help catch up?"

"That's probably what McGonagall told the ministry." She says before shaking her head, "Stop changing the subject!"

"Okay. Anyway, Aragog is Hagrid's acromantula got him expelled when Tom Riddle blamed Myrtle's death on him.

"Moaning Myrtle?" Hermione wonders, but stays quiet, lest Harry go off on another tangent.

Harry continues, "We went searching for him to find answers on what was petrifying the students. He wasn't what Hagrid told us he was, and he sort of sicced his brood on us. Said that he had them spare Hagrid due to their friendship, but all others were fair game. So we were running from the spiders-"

"Running? Aren't they just spiders? You could've stepped on them. Or if there were too many, incendio. Believe you me, I will remember that spell for the rest of my life after 1st year." Hermione says.

"You do know how big acromantulas are, don't you?" Harry asks quietly, almost regretfully.

"No, how big?"

"Well, Aragog was about the size of a lorry, and his brood ranged from regular to pony sized."

Hermione gasps, smacking his arm "And you went looking for these things?!"

"Hagrid said we should!" Harry yelps, rubbing his arm. "We didn't think they would attack! Hagrid hasn't tried to kill me yet-" Harry stops to think for a moment before continuing, "at least not intentionally. Looking back, Ron and I should have been more cautious- I mean Fluffy and Norbert weren't exactly safe."

"Aragog, as you called him, would be the third class-five dangerous creature he's called friend." Hermione adds.

"Anyway," Harry continues, "we ran and the car found us. It took us back to Hagrid's hut and threw us out again. Ron and I owe it our lives." He finished.

"That's crazy. And then you went into the Chamber shortly after? I thought first year was dangerous, but sweet Merlin, Harry! You need to think before acting." Hermione admonishes.

"In my defense I did get a professor for the Chamber."

"Yeah, Flophart." Hermione snarks.

"And all this coming from the girl prancing about in the forbidden forest with a werewolf on the loose, looking for a 'bloodthirsty and murderous' hippogriff." Harry shoots back with a grin.

"Touché. But, a bloodthirsty and murderous hippogriff we just found. Come on Harry, let's go save Sirius!" She says gleefully, pointing to a half-eaten ferret on the forest floor. They eagerly rush forward, only to slam to a halt. From the distance, the shape looked to be feathery, but as they got closer, the 'feathers' resolved into matted fur. The beast in question stands up from under the tree it was lounging under. A pair of yellow eyes gleam out of the darkness as a low growl that the pair feels reverberating in their sternums rumbles through the clearing. Professor Lupin prowls into the light of the moon, removing any lingering doubts they may have had to his identity. His flank is scratched, and small bites mar his front. But rather than make him wary, the wounds seem to have only irritated him more. His eyes lock onto Harry's as a strand of saliva droops from his fangs.

"Hermione, get behind me and close your eyes." Harry orders, drawing his wand. He knows it's futile, but there's little other hope. Maybe an overpowered stinging hex or a supersized incendio could drive it off. Or, perhaps he could pull a Ron and levitate it out of the way. Hermione scrambles behind him, becoming painfully aware that she is actually larger than he is and can still see Professor Lupin over his head if she stands on her tiptoes. She files this away for later, deciding that now is not the time to discuss his home life. If they survive however, she vows to bring it up.

Harry determinedly takes a step forward. "Lumos!" He shouts, the tip of his wand lighting up brighter than his Patronus had been. The clearing is thrown into stark relief, the shadows bending away from the light, trees bleached; all color seemingly cast out of existence. Lupin howls in pain, rearing up and away from the light, his sensitive eyes streaming. He claws blindly at the light as he falls back. Harry, arm outstretched, screams as the claws rake his arm. His wand goes flying, arm and jacket shredded, blood quickly dripping down on the leaves with wet splats. The werewolf turns once the light is gone and sniffs, zeroing in on the smell of prey. Warm prey, and fear.

"Harry!" Hermione screams, pulling her own wand and tugging harry back by his jacket. She steps forward and trues to come up with a spell, with something. Unlike Harry, she knows she isn't that strong. She's done the reading and knows how outclassed she is. But she can't stand by and let Lupin savage them. But, as he rears up to swipe at them again, she can't think of a spell. Her mind blanks and she can only watch as the claws descend-

Only for something to barrel into the side of the wolf, throwing it away from them. Buckbeak lashes out with its talons, catching the professor in the muzzle and nose, a devastating blow. The werewolf circles around, but Buckbeak matches his pacing, sheltering the pair of humans. With a snarl, the wolf runs off.

Buckbeak turns back to the two-legs that he liked and the one who fed him. While normally he wouldn't interfere with another's hunt, he liked these two. They gave him ferrets and respect. They were his; no beast was going to take them. He sniffs at the one who fed him earlier hopefully, nosing to ask if they have more of the small morsels to chomp on.

Hermione crouches next to Harry, inspecting his arm.

"Hermione, am I going to change now? When will the first be? Oh god, what will the Dursleys do? Uncle Vernon will kill me when he hears!" Harry says.

"Harry, did you sleep through every one of Snape's lectures? Only werewolf saliva can infect. You'll be fine, other than some scars, thank god. Now, what was I just saying about being careful?" She cuffs the back of his head before hugging him. "That's for saving me and risking your life. And not in that order!" Hermione feels Buckbeak's beak prodding her back, and rises, raising her hands to show the hippogriff that she doesn't have any food for it.

"Harry, I feel bad, he saved us and we should thank him."

"Help me find my wand; I think I can find one of Hagrid's traps. Wait, I got it." Harry climbs to his feet only to stumble to a tree and fall as his leg gives out.

"Harry!" Hermione shouts.

"I'm fine Hermione, just stood up too fast." He replies, picking up his wand and climbing back to his feet. She sighs and walks over, tearing off the ripped sleeve of his jacket.

"Reparo, Scourgify." She casts, making the sleeve whole and cleaning it of debris. She wraps it around his scratches, tying it in a knot over the wound. "That'll do until we're back at Pomphrey's. And it's no surprise about your condition. Magical exhaustion AND blood loss. If it were anyone else, you wouldn't be walking."

"Well, the chores've got to be done, no matter how I'm feeling." Harry says drily. "Thank you Buckbeak." He calls, bowing to the birdhorse. "Or is it a horsebird? Semantics." He muses.

"I see a trap over there, Hermione." He calls, pulling his wand and focusing with a muttered, "Lumos." The light comes out narrower, thin as a laser beam pointing at a line hanging from a branch.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asks as she retrieves the dead rodent.

"I've been practicing magic with Professor Lupin during my breaks. He's taught me some tricks with intent." Harry replies.

Once she's back by him, Hermione tugs on his wand and Harry lets her pull it out of his hand, the tip going dark as it disconnects.

"Magical Exhaustion," she admonishes, passing it back to him before feeding the ferret to Buckbeak.

"So, how exactly did you fly on him last time?" she asks.

"Bow, then er… Figure it out." At her dirty look he continues. "Hagrid just kinda plopped me on him last time. I'm not sure how to mount. Come to think, Hagrid probably doesn't either with his size and all." Harry protests.

"Boys." Hermione huffs, bowing to Buckbeak. When he bows back she approaches him, stroking his beak. "You're a wonderful hippogriff. So handsome and smart. I bet you know the mounting procedure, don't you?" Buckbeak snorts and bends even lower, to where she can brace off a nearby tree and sling a leg over him. "Come on Harry, it's not hard." She says triumphantly.

With much more care, Harry repeats the process, shuffling onto Buckbeak's back.

"Now to the north tower. "Hermione says. Harry nods and, prods the hippogriffs sides with his worn trainers. They canter twice before Buckbeak snaps his wings open and they lift off. Hermione still hates the feeling of flying, of air rushing past her, and not being able to see the ground, but her focus is on Harry, who she knows could be seconds away from passing out and plummeting to his death without warning.

Their arrival at the north tower happens without notice, as well as bursting Sirius' cell door. Hermione's subtle Alohomora attracts as much notice as it did first year, rather than the loud blast that Harry's planned Bombarda would have caused. However, buried in the shadows of the cell, Sirius doesn't react at all.

"Sirius? We've come to rescue you! Sirius?" Harry's chipper call swiftly descends to worry as he doesn't react.

Hermione's hands climb to cover her mouth, trying to muffle the "No…"

"Siri?" Harry is on his knees by Sirius body now, clumsily feeling for a pulse or something. "Hermione, Hermione, he's- he's cold. There's no heartbeat. Hermione he's, he's, he's dead. He was going to let me stay with him instead of the Dursleys and he's dead. He's dead. Hermione, he's dead!" Harry is in full hysteria, tears sliding on his cheeks, nose running; it falls to her to keep them safe.

"Harry." She calls softly, gently. "Harry there's nothing we can do."

"But- but I made sure they didn't kiss him. I watched the dementors flee. They didn't get his soul. Hermione, he was fine! They- they didn't get him." He protests.

"Harry, the dementors kiss doesn't kill a person, it only takes their soul. If he had been kissed, the body would still be alive." She says gently, feeling her eyes start to water.

"So you're saying that he- that someone?"

"Maybe. We don't know. We didn't see them take him in. We don't know Harry. We don't." The ominous sound of tolling bells suddenly boomed.

"Harry, quick- we've got to be in the infirmary before the bells are over." Hermione cries out. "Buckbeak, you're free now. You can go wherever you want to, but you can't stay here. Go. Be free, and be safe." She pleads, pushing on his side. The hippogriff noses her shoulder. "No, you can't stay! Forgive me." She slaps his flank roughly. He whinnies in shock, turning and launching from the tower. "I'm so sorry." She sobs, turning back.

"C'mon Harry. We have to be at the infirmary."

The final bell tolls as she drags a shell-shocked Harry through the doors. Ron is thankfully asleep and Dumbledore is nowhere to be seen.

"Harry, you have to lie down on your cot." She guides him to his cot and gently pushes him down.

"Miss Granger?" Madame Pomphrey's tone is sharp, and comforting.

"Harry was thrashing about. I- I woke him up, but he turned to this. I think it may be that the adrenaline is wearing off. Also, his arm is torn open. I just noticed it now. Lupin had bound it before…" She trailed off.

"Oh, my poor dear. Rest. I'll handle this." Madame Pomphrey guides her to her own cot and gently pushes her down. "A calming draught?"

"Yes please." "Anything to end this night."

"How is he?" the whisper is quiet and gruff, voice hoarse and tired.

"Good considering what happened. He's magically exhausted, but that should heal itself within a day or two. I did my best on the scratches he got, but they're going to scar. I have no clue how he melted his fingertips off, but they'll grow back before long."

"And the others?"

"Ron is fine. I had to vanish the bone, but he's halfway through regrowing it. Hermione is the best off; with just a little bit of superficial damage- some scrapes and cuts. She'll be right as rain when she wakes up."

"Good."

"And you? Last night could not have been pleasant."

"It was a trial. I had forgotten how painful the transformation is. I'm glad they're okay."

"There is good news though, they found the traitors body!"

"They what?"

"Sirius Black. They found his corpse. Harry is safe now."

Remus Lupin, exhausted and in pain from the night before, felt a shiver of dread go down his misshapen spine.

Harry Potter, Lily's boy, is most definitely not safe.