Lionheart ~ Harry Potter (Under Heavy Editing)

Chapter Forty | Freedom

The wind ruffled Ariana's loose hair as she soared through the sky. The castle below them was in darkness, all except for the candlelight pouring from some windows.

After dealing with the Dementors, the trio had mounted Buckbeak and set off towards the Dark Tower to free the innocent man who was condemned.

Hermione had been terrified to fly, but Harry and Ariana had reassured her. She was sandwiched in between the light and dark-haired students, clinging onto Harry's waist.

"It wasn't my dad I saw earlier. It was... me. I saw myself conjuring the Patronus before. I knew I could do it this time, because... because I'd already done it," Harry laughed gleefully, holding onto the chain around Buckbeak's nec. "Does that make sense?"

"Possibly," Ariana replied, contemplating Harry's statement.

"No," said Hermione after thinking for a moment. "But I don't like fly-IINNGG!"

Hermione screamed as Buckbeak dove down towards the castle, wind roaring in their ears. The Hippogriff landed outside the cell with a clip clop, retracting his wings.

Ariana slipped down first, then Hermione and Harry dismounted. They jogged over to the cell in which Sirius sat, his body darkened by the shadows. He immediately rose to his feet upon seeing the three students, shocked that they were there.

Hermione drew her wand, raising it at the door. "Alohomora!" Sirius tested the door, but it refused to move, the enchantment placed upon it was strong. "Didn't really expect that to work." Wand flashing, Hermione tired spell after spell. "Dunamis! Liberare!Annihilare! Emancipare!"

Sirius spoke up from inside his cell. "You might try -"

"Quiet! I'm trying to think," hissed Hermione, pacing back and forth.

Ariana pulled her own wand out, using her head to signal that Sirius stand back. "BOMBARDA!"

That worked. The door flew off of its hinges, rocketing into the air as the explosion knocked it off. Debris and dust flew about, then settled around them.

"That'll do," Sirius commented, nodding his head in approval.

All four headed towards Buckbeak, but there was an issue: not all of them could fit in the Hippogriff's back.

Ariana pursed her lips in thought, then leaned over the edge of the Tower. It was extremely tall, but she could make it down.

"Ariana, what are you doing?" Hermione enquired, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I suppose I'll see you all down at the bottom," she responded nonchalantly.

"What?" Harry questioned, looking worried.

Ariana smirked. She ran at the small wall that bordered the tower and jumped off, plummeting towards the concrete ground with gathering momentum. She clutched the ebony wand in her hand. "ARESTO MOMENTUM!"

Her descent began to slow, the howling wind in her ear beginning to quieten down. By the time she reached the courtyard below, the witch landed softly on her feet. She released her breath loudly, thankful that her spell had worked to the desired effect.

Seconds later, Buckbeak landed swiftly beside her. Harry and Sirius dismounted, then the older of the two swung Hermione off.

The girl stormed up to her daring friend. "Why the hell did you feel the need to do that?! One day all that courage is going to get you killed! Either that, or you will kill us worrying about you!" As her breathing calmed down, Hermione flung herself at Ariana, hugging her with a bruising grip.

Ariana felt a pang of guilt and reciprocated the hug. "I'm sorry."

Hermione pulled away and nodded, then gave a small, amused smile.

Sirius nodded. "I'll be forever grateful for this. To all of you."

"I want to go with you," Harry said, a pleading look twinkling in his eyes.

Sensing that this was going to be a private moment between Godfather and Godson, Ariana and Hermione walked off your accompany Buckbeak.

Ariana stood by his head, smiling as he nuzzled in to her side. She stroked her hand down his feathered neck. "This is how saving Buckbeak will help Sirius; he's a getaway vehicle. A lovely one."

"A very lovely one," Hermione agreed, running her fingers down Buckbeak's back.

Sirius and Harry soon rejoined them, so the two girls naturally stood by their friend's side. With an impressive leap, Sirius mounted Buckbeak's back.

"You really are the smartest, most courageous, witches of your age," he smiled, paying a compliment full of gratitude to the two female Gryffindors.

Ariana returned his smile, nodding her head once. With a soft kick to the sides, Buckbeak galloped along the courtyard. His giant wings unfolded and lifted him up into the air, giving the Prisoner of Azkaban the freedom he so deserved.

The trio of students watched as the Hippogriff and his rider became a small dot in the sky, unable to tell the difference between them and the stars that twinkled around them.

DING!

The clock tower began to toll, marking the hour of midnight again. Ariana stared at the clock, knowing how urgent it was that they made it back in time.

"We have to go," Hermione stressed, sprinting towards the castle.

Her two friends followed suit, running at full speed back to the Hospital . They made it there before the final chime, and Dumbledore was just leaving the Infirmary.

"By the way, when in doubt, I always find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin... Good luck."

As Dumbledore closed the doors, the three students frantically stumbled in. Just as they were about to make it inside, Dumbledore looked up at them.

"Well?" the wise man questioned, peering at the students.

"He's free - Sirius. We... we did it," Harry answered, catching his breath.

"Did what?" With a twinkle of mirth in his eye, Dumbledore swung the doors open and let them into the Infirmary, closing it behind them.

The three Gryffindors caught a time glimpse of their past selves evaporating in to thin air.

Ron blinked, turned in his bed and frowned. "How'd you three get over there? I was just talking to you... over there."

"What d'you think, Harry, Ariana? Too much for him - everything that's happened tonight?" Hermione asked, glancing at her friends with a mischievous look.

"Afraid so. Always been a bit of the nervous type, Ron has," Harry replied.

Slowly, all three grinned. Ariana chuckled heartily, her laughs forming a melody with Harry and Hermione's.

They had freed Buckbeak and Sirius, therefore saving to innocent lives from a sticky end. It was over... For now.

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Question:
What is the one word Ludo Bagman can say in Gobbledegook?

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A/N: Hello. Thank you all for reading this book, I appreciate all of the reads! Please comment, I love to get feedback.

Prepare yourselves for some sweet moments between Ariana and Lupin in the next chapter!

Congratulations to CaraTQ for answering the previous question correctly.