Dawn Rivera

Owl Post Again

"Harry? Danny?" I say.

Hermione and I are tugging at their sleeves, staring at our watches. "We've got exactly ten minutes to get back down to the hospital wing without anybody seeing us - before Dumbledore locks the door -" Hermione says.

"OK," says Harry, he and Danny wrenching their gazes from the sky, "let's go..."

We slip through the doorway behind us and down a tightly spiralling stone staircase. As we reach the bottom of it, we hear voices. We flatten ourselves against the wall and listen. It sounds like Fudge and Snape. They are walking quickly along the corridor at the base of the staircase.

"...only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties," Snape is 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 and Danny are in their right minds, I expect they'll want to tell the Prophet exactly how you saved him..."

I see Harry and Danny clench their teeth. I catch a glimpse of Snape's smirk as he and Fudge pass Harry, Danny, Hermione and I's hiding place. Their footsteps die away. Harry, Danny, Hermione and me wait for a few moments to make sure they've really gone, then start to run in the opposite direction. Down one staircase, then another, along a new corridor - then we hear a cackling ahead.

"Peeves!" Danny mutters, grabbing my wrist as Harry grabs Hermione's. "In here!"

We tear into a deserted classroom to our left just in time. Peeves seems to be bouncing along the corridor in tearing spirit, laughing his head off.

"Oh, he's horrible," I say, Hermione and I's ears to the door. "I bet he's all excited because the Dementors are going to finish Uncle Sirius..." We check our watches. "Three minutes, Harry, Danny!"

We wait until Peeves's gloating voice has faded into the distance, then slide back out of the room and break into a run again.

"Hermione - Dawn - what'll happen - if we don't get back inside - before Dumbledore locks the door?" Harry pants.

"I don't want to think about it!" Hermione moans, both of us checking our watches again. "One minute!"

We have reached the end of the corridor with the hospital wing entrance. "OK - I can hear Dumbledore," I say tensely. "Come on, Harry, Danny!"

We creep along the corridor. The door opens. Dumbledore's back appears.

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

Dumbledore backs out of the room, closes the door and takes out his wand to lock it. Panicking, Harry, Danny, Hermione and me run forwards. Dumbledore looks up, and a wide smile appears under the long moustache. "Well?" he says quietly.

"We did it!" says Danny breathlessly. "Uncle Sirius has gone, on Buckbeak..."

Dumbledore beams at us.

"Well done. I think -" he listens intently for any sound within the hospital wing. "Yes, I think you've gone, too. Get inside - I'll lock you in -"

Harry, Danny, Hermione and me slip back inside the dormitory. It is empty except for Ron, who is still lying motionless in the end bed. As he door clicks behind us, Harry, Danny, Hermione and me creep back to our own beds, Hermione and I tucking the Time-Turners back under our robes. Next moment, Madam Pomfrey has come striding back out of her office.