0290 Dangerous task

Words : 1330 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

0290 Dangerous task "Professor Lupin, he's badly injured, you need to save him!" Dumbledore's response was a low murmur, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of the world within it. "Yes, it can be expected that Remus is not in a good situation right now, but Harry, there are probably more urgent matters. Ah, Miss Granger is here." The creak of the door hinge was a prelude to Hermione's entrance, her figure framed by the doorway as she rushed in, a bandage adorning her forehead like a warrior's badge of honor. Her eyes, upon seeing Harry's conscious form, became full of relief and unshed tears. "Harry!" Her voice was a mix of joy and disbelief, a symphony of emotions that resonated through the room. She rushed over like a little deer and hugged Harry tightly. Dumbledore's eyes flashed with urgency, but he didn't interrupt the heartwarming scene. "I can't believe it, Harry!" Hermione's voice was thick with emotion, her relief palpable. "Professor McGonagall told me that they saved Hagrid and Professor Snape, and no one died. We're so lucky!" Harry nodded with a heavy heart. "Now is not the time for celebrations, Miss Granger–" Dumbledore's voice cut through the moment, a gentle yet firm reminder of the gravity of their situation. "We are likely to face many troubles. As I just told you, Miss Granger, helping Sirius clear his name is not a simple matter." His tone was low, a reflection of the somber reality they faced. Harry, eager to contribute, found himself momentarily checked by Dumbledore's stern visage, a silent counsel to heed the gravity of their actions. "–The Dementors have already notified the Ministry of Magic. I believe Cornelius and his Aurors may appear at the school gates at any moment. If they see Sirius before we're prepared, the situation may become extremely disadvantageous for us." Dumbledore's words were a stark warning. "Sirius is currently still unconscious. According to Madam Pomfrey's assessment, he may need several hours to regain consciousness. This means he can't speak a word in his defense, and his weakened state also makes some of the viable methods to reveal the truth unusable, unless we want to kill him. And right now, apart from two underage wizards, everyone who saw the truth tonight is in no condition to testify." "But you believe he's innocent, don't you, Professor?" Harry couldn't help but interrupt and ask. "Yes, I believe." Dumbledore nodded quickly in the face of doubts. "To be honest, Harry, this truth is not beyond my expectations. But you must know that the Ministry of Magic may not want the public to know that they imprisoned an innocent man in Azkaban for twelve years, and right now, we lack crucial evidence." "Professor Watson!" Hermione's exclamation was a spark in the gloom, "He knows everything. He helped Sirius enter Hogwarts." When Hermione mentioned Professor Watson, Harry noticed a flash of anger or helplessness in Dumbledore's blue eyes. "Yes, Bryan knows everything." Dumbledore nodded with a complicated expression. "But he is currently missing as well. However, I'm sure Cornelius will arrive here before him. I'll be blunt—unless we can present Peter to the Ministry, Cornelius probably won't accept the failure of the Ministry." "What do you need us to do, Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione quickly caught on, taking a deep breath and pushing aside thoughts of the battlefield strewn with limbs and body parts. "It's like this–" Under the gaze of Hermione and Harry, Dumbledore took out a yellowed piece of parchment from his pocket. With equal parts haste and determination, Hermione pocketed the Marauder's Map and seized Harry's invisibility cloak from the bedside table, draping it over her arm. "Come on, Harry, we don't have much time to waste." Harry walked over in a daze, observing the shiny hourglass hanging from the gold chain, wondering what its purpose was. "Come on," Hermione urged, placing the chain around Harry's neck. "Are you ready?" "What is this for?" Harry was confused. He felt they were being foolish. Professor Lupin's life was in danger, Sirius was also in danger, Ron was still unconscious, and Hagrid was in a coma. Yet Dumbledore gave some riddles and left without any explanation, and he and Hermione were playing with a souvenir. Hermione's fingers danced upon the hourglass, setting it into motion with a series of deliberate turns. Time, it seemed, was about to take a most unexpected turn. The once brightly illuminated infirmary suddenly vanished in an instant, leaving Harry with the sensation of hurtling through space on the Knight Bus, its sudden acceleration yanking him backward. The world around him dissolved into a kaleidoscope of colors, a whirlwind of shapes and shadows that teased his vision. He strained to discern the figures lurking within the blur, but his head spun with a dizzying intensity, and his ears throbbed with an unrelenting pressure. He wanted to see clearly around him, but his dizzy head and throbbing eardrums prevented him from seeing anything. Beside him, Hermione seemed to navigate the weirdness with a seasoned grace, as if the disorienting journey was a familiar path to her. In stark contrast, Harry grappled with the sensation, his eardrums swollen, his consciousness steering on the brink of oblivion, yet the expected sound of his own voice was strangely muted. Abruptly, the turmoil ceased, and his feet found the solidity of the ground once more. Clarity returned, and they stood in the hospital wing again, now shrouded in darkness. A flicker of memory reminded Harry that the lights had been extinguished, and the once audible commotion beyond the walls had faded into silence. Harry's eyes darted around, seeking understanding in the gloom. His gaze landed on the clock, and his heart skipped a beat as he registered the time displayed by the hands—still some distance from ten o'clock. "Nine forty–" The words tumbled from his lips, a whisper in the dark. Hermione, her expression etched with concern, donned their invisibility cloaks. "Where are we at this time?" she murmured, her voice tinged with worry. "Maybe we're still in the common room celebrating–" Harry's mind grappled with the possibility, though he struggled to accept the reality of his own conjecture. "Oh, yes, that's it!" Hermione's soft exclamation broke through the uncertainty. She seized Harry's hand, urgency propelling them from the room. At this time, Madam Pomfrey had finished her rounds and was comfortably flipping through magazines in her small room, listening to the songs playing on the radio. She probably couldn't imagine the trouble she would face in a few hours. "We–what–is going on!" Harry couldn't help but ask as they climbed the stairs. "We went back in time... Ah, using this Time-Turner–" Hermione's explanation came in hurried fragments as they climbed up the stairs. When they reached the third floor, they found Percy climbing the stairs as well. He seemed to be in a good mood, humming a song by himself. It seemed that he had finished patrolling the castle and was heading back to the dormitory. Hermione stopped talking, and once Percy was out of their sight, she grabbed Harry's hand and ran down the third-floor corridor. "I got it from Professor McGonagall on the first day back at school last term. I've been using it to attend all my classes this year. Professor McGonagall made me swear not to tell anyone. She wrote many letters to the Ministry to get one for me. She had to prove to them that I was a model student and would never use it for anything outside of academics. I turn it, and then I can relive a period of time, so I can attend several classes at the same time, see?" ******************************* For More Chapters; /FicFrenzy

0290 Dangerous task

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