Chapter 153: Live Well, Harry

Chapter 153: Live Well, Harry

In Harry and Sirius Black's eyes, the moment Sherlock touched Snape, the two of them vanished without a trace!

It was as if they had been erased from the scene by an eraser, silently and completely!

"What's happening! Where are Professor Forrest and Snape!" Harry exclaimed in shock.

Ron and Hermione couldn't answer his question because they had no idea what had just occurred.

"Forget about that! Run! Run quickly!" Sirius Black had already let go of Lupin.

Lupin knelt on the ground, the pale moonlight falling on him like a deadly poison, causing his body to undergo a violent transformation!

Sirius Black led Harry and the others, sprinting toward Hogwarts Castle!

Lupin, now fully transformed into a beast, let out a long, mournful howl in the moonlight!

As they ran, Harry couldn't help but look back.

"Peter! Peter is still there!"

Sirius Black didn't let go of him.

"Forget about him! He's as good as dead! Let's get back to Hogwarts before Lupin notices us!"

They ran without stopping, but as they reached the Whomping Willow, an indeterminate number of Dementors descended from the sky, surrounding them.

The chilling cold that emanated from the Dementors nearly froze Harry in place!

Suddenly, Sirius Black released Harry's hand. He panted, looking at the Dementors that surrounded them.

Harry, guessing what he was thinking, pleaded desperately.

"No! Sirius Black! You can't! They'll kill you! They'll kill you!"

Sirius Black's face was resolute.

"I thought about this outcome when I escaped from Azkaban, Harry. To avenge your parents has already fulfilled my greatest wish!"

He broke free from Harry's grasp and ran in the opposite direction of Hogwarts Castle.

He didn't transform into his Animagus form because Dementors have no eyes; they rely on scent and human emotions to detect their targets. If he transformed into a dog, the Dementors would focus on Harry and the others.

"Expecto Patronum!" Sirius Black cast the Patronus Charm.

A silver light shone before him, but no Patronus formed from his spell.

It was just a faint, silvery shadow, similar to the level Harry had been practicing.

This light was not enough to drive away the Dementors, which swarmed like locusts, but Sirius Black managed to push back a few of the Dementors blocking his path.

He escaped from the Dementors' encirclement, but he couldn't run far. Not only were there Dementors in front of him, but more were flying in from outside, forming a tighter circle around him!

Harry watched Sirius Black's direction, instinctively wanting to chase after him, but Hermione held him back.

"If you go, they'll suck the life out of you!"

"But I just reconciled with him. He said he would sign my permission slip to leave school and take me to his home."

Harry's eyes welled with tears, though he didn't want to cry. He had cried enough today, but his eyes still leaked tears.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry rushed into the castle gates. From the corridor window, they could see the direction Sirius Black had fled. Suddenly, a silver light illuminated half the sky.

No one knew what had happened to Sirius Black, whether he was still alive or had been captured by the Dementors.

Harry collapsed to the ground, his eyes vacant, his spirit drained.

Hermione and Ron exchanged glances. They wanted to say something to comfort Harry, but they couldn't find the words.

Just as they stood there in the corridor, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from upstairs.

Professor Mcgonagall, Minister of Magic Fudge, Filch, and two other Ministry of Magic officials descended the stairs. They had been about to leave the castle but were clearly disturbed by the Dementors' activity.

Seeing the Dementors swarming like locusts, Fudge exclaimed excitedly.

"Ah ha! Those fellows must have found something!"

Professor Mcgonagall, however, turned her attention to Harry and the others. Her face was stern, her brows furrowed.

"It's past curfew. What are you doing here? Back to the common room, now!"

Harry, ignoring her, clung to Professor Mcgonagall's legs.

"Professor! Please, help Sirius Black! He's innocent! He's been wronged! The real culprit is Peter—Peter! Please, save him! Ron and Hermione can vouch for me!"

"Yes, we can vouch for him, Professor!" Ron and Hermione quickly added.

But the adults in the room didn't believe them. Fudge looked at them in surprise, muttering to himself.

"They must have been bewitched by Black. Why would they say such things?"

"No! If you don't go over there, he's really going to die!"

But no one believed the children, and Professor Mcgonagall had Filch take them to the common room. Filch was more than happy to oblige.

Harry and the others were forcibly sent back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry didn't return to the dormitory; he just sat there, lost in thought.

The most painful thing in the world is to have hope, only for it to be cruelly shattered right before your eyes.

Ron and Hermione stayed by Harry's side, deeply worried about his state.

"We can go to Professor Dumbledore!" Harry suddenly stood up, as if he had found a lifeline.

"What can Dumbledore do for us?" Ron whispered.

But Harry didn't want to think about that. Dumbledore was his last hope, and he had to grasp it, no matter what.

He pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over himself, Hermione, and Ron. Together, they sneaked out of the common room.

They went down the stairs to the third floor, where the stone guardian stood. The three of them had no password, so they pleaded with it.

"Please, we need to see Professor Dumbledore. Let us in, please!"

The stone guardian remained silent, as if communicating with someone. Then, it moved aside, allowing them entry.

Without hesitation, Harry and the others rushed up the spiral staircase to the headmaster's office on the eighth floor. They burst through the door, breathless.

Dumbledore looked surprised at their frantic entrance.

He put down his quill and looked at them, speaking softly to calm them.

"Don't be nervous. Why are you here so late? It's past curfew, isn't it?"

Harry couldn't help but be nervous. He feared that waiting any longer would make it too late.

He quickly recounted the entire story to Dumbledore, with Hermione and Ron filling in the gaps where he fumbled due to his anxiety.

Dumbledore soon understood what had happened.

"Professor, can you stop the Dementors from killing Sirius Black?" Harry pleaded. "He's innocent. Peter is the one who betrayed my parents, not him!"

Dumbledore shook his head under Harry's desperate gaze.

"I can't command the Minister of Magic, and no one will believe your story. They'll think you've been bewitched by Black."

Harry stared at the stern face, feeling the ground beneath him crumble. He had always believed that Dumbledore could solve any problem. He had hoped that Dumbledore would somehow produce a solution out of thin air, but that last hope was now dashed.

"What we need", Dumbledore said slowly, his light blue eyes moving from Harry to Hermione, "is more time."

"But..." Hermione began, her eyes widening as if she had an idea. "Oh!"

Harry and Ron were thoroughly confused by their conversation, but Dumbledore had already risen from his seat. He pulled out a pocket watch and checked the time.

"It's 12:40 AM. We need to turn it four times." He lowered his voice. "I'll leave the room first. If everything goes well, you can save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, all three of you. You must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law. You know what is dangerous and must not be seen."

Before Harry could fully grasp what was happening, Dumbledore turned and walked to the door, pausing to look back.

"Good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry repeated, as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Turn it four times? What is he talking about? What should we do?"

Hermione, however, was excitedly fumbling at her collar, finally pulling out a delicate golden chain.

Harry and Ron were still bewildered, but Hermione had already draped the chain over all three of their heads. The chain was then fully pulled out, revealing a small, shiny gold timepiece hanging from it.

Hermione didn't explain much; she simply turned the timepiece back four times.

The softly lit headmaster's office vanished, and Harry and Ron felt themselves flying backward at incredible speed. Blurry clouds and shapes rushed past their eyes, and something pounded in their ears. They tried to speak but couldn't hear their own voices. Then, they felt solid ground beneath their feet, and everything came into focus. They were standing in the empty headmaster's office with Hermione.

"We've gone back four hours, to when we were about to go to Hagrid's hut!" Hermione grabbed Harry and Ron's hands and led them out of the headmaster's office.

Harry and Ron were still struggling to understand. Ron asked, incredulously, "That timepiece can turn back time?"

"It's called a Time-Turner", Hermione whispered. "Quick, put the Invisibility Cloak back on, Harry."

The three of them donned the Invisibility Cloak and made their way down the corridor, giving Hermione the chance to explain the Time-Turner to them.

"On our first day at school, Professor Mcgonagall gave it to me. Only model students at Hogwarts can apply for it from the Ministry of Magic, and it can only be used for academic purposes. Professor Mcgonagall made me swear not to tell you, which is why I never mentioned it. This is how I manage to attend so many classes at once!"

Harry's breathing quickened.

"But even if we can go back in time, how will that help Sirius Black?"

Hermione shook her head; she wasn't sure either.

"At this time, Buckbeak hasn't been executed yet. We might be able to save him. We can free him first, and then wait for what happens next."

With the Invisibility Cloak, they stealthily made their way to the back of Hagrid's hut and managed to free Buckbeak just before the executioner from the Ministry of Magic arrived.

They then followed their past selves from four hours ago, witnessing the moment they were cornered by Sherlock and his group.

"My expression was really foolish back then", Harry muttered under the Invisibility Cloak.

They hid at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, not daring to get too close.

When the group emerged from the forest with Peter in tow, they followed them again.

They once more witnessed Sherlock and Snape disappearing before their eyes, and Lupin transforming into a werewolf, with Sirius Black leading them to escape.

Harry and the others didn't run with their past selves right away. Instead, they saw Lupin, now a werewolf, mercilessly tearing into the unconscious Peter on the ground!

The first bite woke Peter up with unbearable pain.

He screamed and struggled to sit up, but Lupin, without hesitation, bit him again, tearing a large chunk of flesh and skin from Peter's shoulder!

A piercing scream echoed, and the next moment, Peter vanished.

Harry knew he had transformed into a rat and fled. He raised his wand, intending to stop Peter, but Hermione held him back.

"Don't go. If he's bitten by a werewolf, he'll become one too. That's worse than death for a normal wizard."

They ran forward, following Sirius Black and the others, and saw him deliberately split from the group to draw the Dementors away.

"I understand."

Harry murmured to himself, recalling the silver light that had illuminated half the sky in the corridor!

Harry left the Invisibility Cloak with Hermione and Ron and ran into the night, heading in the direction Sirius Black had taken.

"Wait for me here!"

The night wind whistled around him, and Harry's mind was filled with memories of Professor Sherlock teaching him the Patronus Charm.

"Happy! Happy!" he repeated to himself, getting closer to the outer edge of the Dementor group.

He thought about the summer travels he and Sherlock had shared; the miserable but memorable birthday that was the only one someone had remembered and celebrated for him in thirteen years; and the moment he and Sirius Black acknowledged each other, when Sirius hesitantly told him he was the guardian Harry's parents had appointed, and that he could stay with him during the holidays.

Harry looked forward to a better future.

The cold emanating from the Dementors continued to seep into him, and he heard his mother's voice in his ears.

But it was no longer a desperate plea or a wail of despair. It was as if she was whispering to him.

"Live well, Harry."

Surrounded by numerous Dementors, Harry could see Sirius Black lying on the ground, his body turning blue, unable to transform into his Animagus form.

He raised his wand, ignoring the black-robed creatures swirling around him.

His fear dissipated, and he grasped Sirius Black's cold hand, shouting the spell!

"Expecto Patronum!"

A brilliant silver light burst from his wand, not a mere mist but a dazzling silver creature!

The radiant light illuminated half the sky, and a glowing stag charged into the Dementor group, causing them to retreat, scatter, and vanish into the darkness, fleeing in disarray!

"Sirius Black! Wake up! Sirius Black!"

Harry called out, and under the silver light, Sirius Black opened his eyes, staring at Harry.

"Go now!" Harry urged, "Fudge from the Ministry of Magic is coming. You need to leave!"

Sirius Black gave Harry one last look.

"I'll write to you."

Then he transformed into a large black dog and disappeared into the night.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end