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Ch. 2: Getting Back

“Harry! We need to go! We have exactly ten minutes to get back to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us! Before Dumbledore locks that door!” Hermione said urgently.

“Okay, let’s go!” He said, running toward the staircase with her right beside him. “Hermione, do you remember that spell you used to fix my glasses? The one on the train?” Harry asked as they raced through the corridors.

“Yes, Harry! Why?” She asked, almost panting.

“I need you to repair my pajama shirt. If they see it’s torn and they see my bandages they’ll know we’ve been out!” Harry said, handing her the ruined shirt as they ran.

“But Harry, you really need to get those looked at-“ Hermione started, but Harry interrupted.

“Later, I promise! Tonight I need to be fine so we won’t be suspected!” Harry said urgently, and Hermione finally gave in. She cast the spell, and when the shirt knitted itself back together, she handed it back to them. Harry stopped for only a second and slipped it on. After that, he started running again. As they ran down a corridor, they heard voices and had to duck into an alcove, listening. It sounded like Fudge and Snape. They were walking quickly along the corridor at the foot of the staircase.

“…only hope Dumbledore’s not going to make difficulties,” Snape was saying. “The Kiss will be performed immediately?”

“As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors. This whole Black affair has been highly embarrassing. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we’ve got him at last. I daresay they’ll want to interview you, Snape, and once young Harry’s back in his right mind, I expect he’ll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him.” Fudge said, and Harry could almost hear the smile in his voice. Harry clenched his teeth. He caught a glimpse of Snape’s smirk as he and Fudge passed Harry and Hermione’s hiding place. Their footsteps died away. Harry and Hermione waited a few moments to make sure they were really gone, then they started to run again, hurrying toward the hospital wing. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor, then they heard cackling ahead.

“Peeves!” Harry hissed, grabbing Hermione’s wrist and pulling her into and abandoned classroom, and just in time, it seemed. Outside, they could hear Peeves bouncing along the corridor in boisterous good spirits, laughing his head off.

“Oh, he’s horrible,” whispered Hermione, her ear to the door. “I bet he’s all excited because the Dementors are going to finish off Sirius.” She checked her watch. “Three minutes, Harry!”

They waited until Peeve’s gloating voice had faded into the distance, then slid back out of the room and broke into a run again.

“Hermione…what’ll happen…if we don’t get back inside…before Dumbledore locks the door?” Harry panted.

“I don’t want to think about it!” Hermione moaned, checking her watch again. “One minute!”

They had reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance.

“Okay. I can hear Dumbledore,” Hermione said tensely. “Come on, Harry!”

They crept along the corridor. The door opened. 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 and Hermione ran forward. Dumbledore looked up, and a wide smile appeared under the long silver mustache.

“Well?” he asked quietly.

“We did it! Sirius has gone on Buckbeak!” Harry said breathlessly. Dumbledore beamed at them.

“Well done. I think…” He listened intently for any sound within the hospital wing. “Yes, I think you’ve gone too. Get inside, I’ll lock you in.”

Harry and Hermione slipped back inside the dormitory. It was empty except for Ron, who was still lying motionless in the end bed. As the lock clicked behind them, Harry and Hermione crept back to their own beds, Hermione tucking the time turner back under her pajama shirt. A moment later, Madam Pomfrey came striding back out of her office.

“Did I hear the headmaster leaving? Am I allowed to look after my patients now?”

She was in a very bad mood. Harry and Hermione thought it best to accept their chocolate quietly. Madam Pomfrey stood over them, making sure they ate it. But Harry could hardly swallow. He and Hermione were waiting, listening, their nerves jangling. And then, as they both took a fourth piece of chocolate from Madam Pomfrey, they heard a distant roar of fury echoing from somewhere above them.

“What was that?” Madam Pomfrey asked in alarm. Now they could hear angry voices, growing louder and louder. Madam Pomfrey was staring at the door. “Really! They’ll wake everybody up! What do they think they’re doing?”

Harry was trying to hear what the voices were saying. They were drawing nearer.

“He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out-“

“HE DIDN’T DISAPPARATE!” Snape roared, now very close at hand. “YOU CAN’T APPARATE OR DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH POTTER!”

“Severus, be reasonable! Harry has been locked up.”

BAM.

The door of the hospital wing burst open. Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry, but Snape was beside himself.

“OUT WITH IT, POTTER!” he bellowed. “WHAT DID YOU DO?”

“Professor Snape!” shrieked Madam Pomfrey. “Control yourself!”

“See here, Snape, be reasonable,” said Fudge. “This door’s been locked, we just saw-“

“THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!” Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth.

“Calm down man!” Fudge barked. “You’re talking nonsense!”

“YOU DON’T KNOW POTTER!” shrieked Snape. “HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT-“

“That will do, Severus,” said Dumbledore quietly. “Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?”

“Of course not!” Madam Pomfrey said, bristling. “I would have heard them!”

“Well, there you have it, Severus,” Dumbledore said calmly. “Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I’m afraid I don’t see any point in troubling them further.”

Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward.

“Fellow seems quite unbalanced, said Fudge, staring after him. “I’d watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore.”

“Oh, he’s not unbalanced,” said Dumbledore quietly. “He’s just suffered a severe disappointment.”

“He’s not the only one!” puffed Fudge. “The Daily Prophet’s going to have a field day with this! We had Black cornered and he slipped through our fingers yet again! All it needs now is for the story of that hippogriff’s escape to get out, and I’ll be a laughingstock! Well…I’d better go notify the Ministry.”

“And the Dementors?” asked Dumbledore. “They’ll be removed from the school, I trust?”

“Oh yes, they’ll have to go,” said Fudge, running his fingers distractedly through his hair. “I never dreamed they’d attempt to administer the Kiss on an innocent boy. They are completely out of control. I’ll have them packed off to Azkaban tonight. Perhaps we should think about dragons at the school entrance.”

“Hagrid would like that,” Dumbledore said, smiling at Harry and Hermione. As he and Fudge left the ward, Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and locked it again. Muttering angrily to herself, she headed back to her office. Harry lay back on the bed, hissing as he forgot about the slashes on his back.

“Harry, are you okay?!” Hermione asked, jumping up out of her bed.

“I’m…fine…” he grunted, gritting his teeth.

“Oh, this could get bad. I have to go tell Madam Pomfrey.” Hermione said, and Harry shook his head frantically.

“No…not yet…I’ll…tell the headmaster…once we get out of here…no one else…can know.” Harry said, his left hand clenching his right arm.

“Harry, I’ll ask her to only tell the headmaster, but you need help! Those could get infected!” Hermione said, and Harry still shook his head.

“Hermione, you don’t understand…Snape would know. They’d know we were out.” He whispered urgently.

“Harry, I can make up an excuse! I can say that Professor Snape didn’t see them or something. I don’t know, but you can’t just walk out of here like that Harry. The scratches on your back could be fatal if they were to get infected or bleed enough, and your arm…” Hermione stopped and gasped. “You…Harry! You were bitten!” Hermione said, her hand over her mouth. Harry opened his mouth to argue again, and then stopped. She was right. He was bitten. He was infected! He would be a werewolf! He looked at her stricken face and turned away.

“Go…tell her. Please. Just…tell her only the headmaster can know.” Harry said quietly, ashamed. Why hadn’t he realized it sooner? He heard Hermione rush off to Madam Pomfrey’s office, and just a minute later, he heard her shouting.

“Of all the hare brained-Why on earth would you hide injuries like that?!” Madam Pomfrey yelled, storming out of her office and toward Harry’s bed.

“We didn’t want Professor Lupin to be in more trouble! Please, Madam Pomfrey! You can only tell Professor Dumbledore! He’s the only one who can know!” Hermione pleaded, and it sounded like she was crying.

“Well of course he has to know, but the ministry has to know too, you know!” she said, and Harry sat up and looked at her. He already looked worn out and beaten down.

“Madam Pomfrey. Please…don’t tell the Ministry yet. If they have to know, let Professor Dumbledore tell them. Please…just tell him. I can’t have Professor Lupin’s career ruined like this. I can’t have my life ruined like this.” Harry said, looking at her imploringly. She shook her head and grumbled.

“Fine, Mr. Potter, as you wish. But I shall be treating your wounds before I call anyone.” She said, and with that she rushed off to her office to get supplies.

“Ha. I guess it’s a good thing Ron didn’t wake up.” Harry said quietly, and wouldn’t you know it, Ron woke up to the sound of his name.

“Someone say my name? Hey guys! What happened? Where’s Sirius? Where’s Lupin? What’s going on?” Ron asked, looking around. Harry shook his head and sighed.

“You tell him…about most of it…” Harry said with a meaningful look, and Hermione shook her head.

“Harry, he has to know. He’s your friend.” Hermione protested, and Harry shook his head again.

“The less people that know, the better. Please Hermione. I might tell him later, but please don’t tell him yet?” Harry plead, and Hermione sighed.

“Fine, it’s your secret.” She said quietly, and went over to explain most of the events that happened tonight. When Madam Pomfrey came out, she cast a silencing charm on the door to the ward so nothing could be heard outside it and went to Harry’s bed with a cart full of medical supplies.

“Madam Pomfrey…” Harry started, looking over at Ron.

“I suppose you don’t want him to know yet either, Mr. Potter?” She asked, and Harry shook his head. “Very well.” She said, and with a wave of her wand, Ron fell back asleep, and Hermione looked around to find the source of Ron’s sudden bout of sleep. When she saw Madam Pomfrey remove Harry’s shirt with a wave of her wand, she understood. Shaking her head, she lay down in another bed a little away from Harry’s so she wouldn’t disturb him and a little away from Ron’s so she wouldn’t have to listen to his snoring. After a few hours, Hermione was asleep and Madam Pomfrey sat down, exhausted.

“Well, Mr. Potter. I’ve done all I can do for you. The wounds on your back have been dealt with easily enough, but there will be scarring. As for your arm…” she started, and Harry shook his head.

“I saw. The magic wouldn’t work on it. You just cleaned it and bandaged it after you made sure everything was in place.” He said, meaning all the small, torn pieces of flesh, though he wouldn’t say that aloud. “Thanks.” He said, and he sighed. “You can go rest now, Madam Pomfrey. I promise none of us will run off.” He said, trying to smile but failing.

“Not yet, Mr. Potter. I will be flooing Albus now that I’ve done what I can for you, and he can come see for himself.” She said, and with that she got up and went to her office. He lay back down, but after a few minutes he head the office door open and Madam Pomfrey’s voice came through. “Right over there, Albus. Go see for yourself.” She said, and Harry sat up. Dumbledore strode toward him.

“Harry, Madam Pomfrey said you had something you wished to tell me?” Dumbledore asked kindly, though he looked with concern at the bandages.

“You didn’t tell him?” Harry asked the medi-witch, and she shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Potter, but this is between you and the headmaster, after all. I’ll just be in my office.” She said, and strode away, leaving the two of them essentially alone after the sound of the office door closing.

“Harry? What in the world happened to your arm?” he asked, still looking concerned. He didn’t notice Harry’s back as it was not facing him.

“I…well sir…we…we told you that Professor Lupin transformed tonight, and…” Harry said, shaking his head. Dumbledore frowned.

“And what, Harry?” Dumbledore asked, and thought Harry was pretty sure he knew what Harry meant, Harry knew he needed to say it out loud.

“I was bitten…by Professor Lupin…while he was transformed.” Harry said the last part quietly, and he couldn’t look at Professor Dumbledore anymore.

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier, Harry?” he asked, and Harry sighed.

“Because it didn’t happen before the last time we talked to you. I mean, it did, but…you know what I mean, Professor. After that, we didn’t have time.” Harry said helplessly, now looking up at Dumbledore who looked sad.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I’m sorry this had to happen to you.” Dumbledore said, and he truly looked it.

“I’m not.” Harry was surprised to hear himself say. Dumbledore looked at him curiously.

“And why is that, Harry?” he asked. Harry considered the question before he answered, and he came to a conclusion he seemed to have known when he made the bold statement.

“Because if we hadn’t gone back, we couldn’t have saved Sirius or Buckbeak, so I’m not.” Harry said firmly. Dumbledore almost smiled, but a grim look crossed his face.

“You realize, Harry, that Professor Snape will find this all very suspicious, Harry.” Dumbledore said with a frown, and Harry’s eyes widened.

“But why does he have to know, sir?” Harry asked quickly.

“Because, Harry. Someone has to make the Wolfsbane potion for you now as well. By the next full moon your arm will be healed as well as it can be and you will be able to transform.” Dumbledore said sadly, and Harry realized with a growing horror that he was right. He would have to rely on Snape just to survive! “I will inform Severus, Harry, when the time is right. After the Ministry has left, I will tell him. Until then, Harry, I suggest you sleep. Stay in the hospital wing until Poppy sees fit to release you, and if you so desire, a few more days. It is, after all, almost the end of term. I do not know your circumstances well, but I am sure you will want to be alone for a few days to sort out the matter. By the way Harry, I think it is only right to tell Remus what has transpired. Would you like to tell him, or shall I?” Dumbledore asked, and Harry felt a jolt in his heart.

“He’s…probably not back yet, Professor. When he is…will you just…let me know? I think…I think I want to tell him.” Harry said, feeling unsure. He wasn’t sure he wanted to tell Remus himself, but he knew the man needed to know, and he knew he didn’t want anyone else to tell him.

“I will do so, Harry. And do not worry about Professor Lupin. We will send out a search party when the sun is close to rising. Now, once again, Harry, I believe you should sleep. I will be on my way.” Dumbledore said, and with that he strode back toward Madam Pomfrey’s office. Harry took Dumbledore’s advice to lie down and rest, not bothering to put his pajama shirt back on and pulling the bed covers up to his chin. He took his glasses off and set them on the bedside table, falling into a deep sleep. Unfortunately, his dreams were fitful and nightmarish. He kept dreaming he had transformed and he was being chased by muggles with torches, and Peter Pettigrew was there as well, leading the mob. He tossed and turned, and he sweat profusely, despite the light blanket and cool ward. When he awoke suddenly out of a nightmare, he shot up to find himself face to face with Ron and Hermione.

“You okay mate? You look horrible.” Ron said, a concerned look on his face.

“Gee, thanks mate.” Harry answered dryly, but added, “But yeah. I’m fine mate. Just a bit of a nightmare. Last night was…rough.”

“I bet. Hermione told me what you guys did. That was brilliant!” Ron said, and Harry looked up at Ron and nodded.

“Yeah, it was, but we couldn’t have done it without Dumbledore.” Harry said with a forced grin, and Ron agreed fervently. Hermione cleared her throat.

“Harry. We…we’ve been released. Madam Pomfrey said you have to stay for a bit longer.” Hermione said nervously, and Ron looked at the bandage.

“Tough luck, mate, getting gored by a bunch of sharp rocks. You’d think Madam Pomfrey would be able to fix it right up.” Ron said with a shrug. Hermione’s cheeks turned red.

“Not if they’re magical rocks.” Hermione said defensively, and Harry fought the insane urge to laugh. Now was not the time to blow his excuse, however weak and hilarious it might be. He just could not believe Ron actually believed it. He would tell him, sooner or later, but he really preferred later. When Ron and Hermione left, he took a cloth out of a small washbowl beside his bed and wiped himself down a bit, trying to get the sweat off. Madam Pomfrey came out and saw what he was doing and decided to help, after which she changed his sweaty sheets with a flick of her wand and asked him to lie back down. He obliged, and fell asleep once more, and mercifully, he didn’t have any nightmares this time.

Ch. End