"I get it now—quick, come closer. No time to explain!" Hermione said urgently.
She pulled out the Time-Turner, slipped it over Harry's neck, then motioned for Lockhart to lean in as well.
"No—not in this room! You might see yourself. Outside!"
The three of them shuffled out the door, faces practically pressed together. Hermione turned the Time-Turner.
Lockhart felt himself lift off the ground—
then everything spun backward at terrifying speed.
Moments later, his feet hit solid ground again.
"Hermione, what is going on?" Lockhart asked.
(Subtext: f—k you, Hermione. Couldn't you just follow the plot yourself? Why drag me into this?)
"We have to get back in time," Hermione whispered. "We've gone back three hours."
Harry pinched his leg hard, as if testing whether he was dreaming.
"Where did you get that thing?" he asked.
"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione explained. "Professor McGonagall gave it to me at the start of term. I had to promise I'd only use it for studying. The Ministry required all sorts of guarantees—she had to vouch that I'm a model student and wouldn't misuse it…"
She paused, then added:
"That's how I've been attending multiple classes at once."
Then she frowned.
"But… Harry, I don't understand. Why did Dumbledore tell us to go back three hours? How does this help Sirius?"
"Seven-thirty… where were we then?" Hermione muttered.
"Probably on the way to Hagrid's."
"Right. Then let's go."
They crept through the trees until they reached the edge of the forest.
From behind a thick oak, they peered toward Hagrid's hut.
A knock sounded.
Hagrid opened the door, pale and trembling.
Then—
Harry heard his own voice.
"It's us—we're under the Invisibility Cloak!"
Hagrid stepped aside hurriedly and let them in.
"You shouldn't have come!" he whispered, shutting the door behind them.
"This is the strangest thing I've ever done," Lockhart muttered, his expression odd.
(Two Hermiones… interesting. With a Time-Turner, could you—)
(Alright, stop. Focus.)
"Let's move closer," Hermione whispered. "We need to get Buckbeak."
They crept through the trees until they spotted the Hippogriff, chained near the pumpkin patch.
"Now?" Harry asked.
"No," Hermione said firmly. "If we free him now, they'll think Hagrid did it. We wait until they bring him out."
"We'll only have about sixty seconds," Harry said.
"That's enough," Lockhart replied calmly. "I helped Hagrid raise him. He'll follow me."
Hermione glanced at him, impressed.
"Professor… honestly, I can't think of anything you can't do. If only Ron were half as capable…"
"Now!" Hermione hissed.
"Harry—untie him!"
Lockhart approached Buckbeak.
The Hippogriff perked up excitedly, trying to nuzzle him.
Lockhart gestured for silence.
"Professor, hurry!" Harry urged.
The rope was secured, and Buckbeak followed obediently as Lockhart led them into the forest.
Along the way, Hermione explained everything—
Sirius was innocent.
Pettigrew was the real traitor.
(Yeah, yeah, I know, Lockhart thought.)
"What now?" Harry asked quietly.
"We hide," Hermione said nervously. "Wait until everything plays out… then we send Professor Lockhart to capture Pettigrew."
Harry blinked.
"So… Professor Lockhart showing up earlier wasn't coincidence? You planned it?"
Lockhart rolled his eyes.
Hermione peered anxiously into the darkening forest.
The sun was setting.
"We're about to begin," Harry said. "We should be able to see the Whomping Willow soon…"
"Right," Hermione said, gripping Buckbeak's rope. "And remember—we must not be seen."
"Wait," Lockhart cut in. "If we can't be seen, why am I the one going to catch Pettigrew?"
Hermione explained:
"Time travelers can't be seen because there have been cases where wizards killed their past selves—or were killed by them—creating paradoxes."
She pointed at him.
"But you said you spent the whole evening in your office. So there's no risk of you encountering yourself."
"…Fair enough," Lockhart nodded.
"That's Ron!" Harry suddenly said.
They watched as a large black dog dragged Ron into the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow.
"Lupin's coming!" Harry whispered.
A figure sprinted toward the tree.
Clouds still covered the moon.
Lockhart suddenly understood.
"No wonder Lupin and Snape both rushed off earlier."
Moments later, Snape appeared as well.
He paused, scanned the area, then slipped into the tunnel.
"That's it," Harry said. "We all went in… now we just wait until we come back out."
Hermione nodded, tied Buckbeak securely to a tree, and sat down, hugging her knees.
She was trembling.
Lockhart sat beside her.
She instinctively leaned closer.
As a professor, he naturally—
put an arm around her to comfort her.
"I still don't understand," Harry muttered. "Who drove away all those Dementors?"
He paused.
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait—it must've been Professor Lockhart! I thought I saw my dad!"
Lockhart broke into a cold sweat.
"Unfortunately, I'm not very good at the Patronus Charm," he admitted. "That was probably you."
(Patronus requires pure, positive emotion… not exactly my specialty.)
"Harry," he added, "do you remember the incantation?"
"Yeah…" Harry hesitated.
"Don't worry," Lockhart said. "It'll work this time. You've already been saved once—this is just repeating it. And if anything goes wrong, I'll step in."
Harry took a deep breath.
Then nodded.
"…Alright."
"This time—I'll succeed."