The Teacher's Son

Chapter 31

Harry crouched, his back pressed to the large tree he was leaning up against. He was breathing hard, but he tried to be as silent as possible. Hermione, sitting next to him, had her hand over her mouth to keep herself silent.

She peeked around one side of the tree, then nodded to Harry. They began to tiptoe the other way, and came face to face with Remus Lupin. Except Remus Lupin wasn't looking like himself.

Hermione screamed as the werewolf snarled at them. She grabbed Harry's arm and began to drag him backwards.

He knew it was futile. Their teacher would outrun them in this form and rip them apart.

A screech echoed through the forest as a feathered leg lashed out, the hawklike talons on the end ripping at the werewolf's face.

"Buckbeak!" Hermione yelled as the hippogriff stood in front of them protectively, his wings out and his front legs beating the air.

The werewolf snarled, but ran off into the forest.

"I hope he's okay." Hermione muttered.

"He's a werewolf. Anyone who messes with him has to be mad." Harry pointed out quietly.

"True." The girl sighed. Suddenly she shivered and Harry felt the cold that he knew all too well. Whirling, he realized how close they were to the lake.

"Sirius!" He scrambled towards the glow of a half-powered patronus.

"Harry, come back!" Hermione whisper-yelled after him. Harry ignored her.

"Harry, I'm serious!" She followed him, gently pulling Buckbeak along by the chain around his neck.

Harry watched, his eyes fixated on the spot where he had seen his father appear. "Come on, Dad." He whispered. 

"Harry, no one's coming." Hermione told him. She was crying, probably assuming that they would die out there (which was ridiculous as they were past that point already), but Harry shook his head.

"He's coming, just another moment." Glancing at the other side of the lake, he noticed that Sirius had collapsed. His other self seemed moments from doing the same, and he realized that it was almost this moment that he had seen his father.

That line that almost everyone he met who knew his parents said ran through his head suddenly.

'You look just like your father.'

Harry's eyes widened. Of course.

Pushing through the bush, he focused on the memory of Sirius asking him to move in. 

"Expecto Patronum!"

"Harry!" Hermione hissed, she was too late to stop what he had done.

The silvery stag galloped across the water, knocking dementors aside left and right. It ran rings around Sirius and the other Harry, protecting them and lashing at any dementor that got in it's way. It circled the others, who were nearby, and galloped back. Harry smiled up at it as it reached him, and softly placed his hand on it's muzzle.

The creature looked back at him with serene, intelligent eyes. 

"So you did show up in your own way, didn't you Dad?" Harry asked it with a smile. The stag nudged his hand aside and nuzzled his face lightly, then disappeared. Immediately a hand attached to the back of his shirt and Harry yelped as he was dragged backward.

"Are you insane?" Hermione hissed. She'd tied Buckbeak to a nearby tree and he seemed none to happy about it, but she didn't seem to care as she slapped Harry across the face. "What did I tell you about wizards that meddle with time, Harry?"

"Hermione, I saved their lives. I saved my life!" Harry explained. "When I was about to pass out, I saw a stag fight off the dementors, then go to the other side of the lake and meet up with a man. It looked like me and I thought it was my dad, but it was me! Does that make sense?"

His friend raised an eyebrow at him. "Not really." She looked over his shoulder and pointed. "There's Snape."

Harry turned and they watched as he carefully levitated the three unconscious students on the ground, then the older man. Harry growled as he watched ropes wrap around his godfather. 

"Let go of him you twat." He muttered. Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go get ready to help Sirius. We have to let Fudge see him first, so he knows that Sirius was there, otherwise something could happen."

"How do we know when that happens?" Harry asked.

Hermione checked her watch. "I'll know when it comes. Let's go to the Astronomy tower, we can wait there until it's time." 

They untied Buckbeak and walked for a little while. Hermione seemed to be watching for Professor Lupin, but Harry knew the werewolf wasn't going to attack them while the protective hippogriff stood in it's way. Werewolves weren't stupid.

"Ready to get on?" He asked Hermione once they were closer to the castle. She nodded apprehensively and Harry turned to Buckbeak, bowing deeply and waiting for the creature's reaction. When Buckbeak bowed back, he moved forward and stroked the feathers on his neck, nodding for Hermione to do what he had just done.

Once Buckbeak had bowed to Hermione, Harry mounted the creature and Hermione untied the chain around it's neck before climbing up behind her friend. Buckbeak shook out the feathers of his wings and shot into the sky.

"Oh, I don't like this!" Hermione buried her face into Harry's shoulder as he guided the giant bird-horse towards the tallest tower of the castle.

[A/N I didn't think I'd done much Harry lately, so I decided to. Hope you enjoyed!]