A breeze drifted through the trees, rustling the leaves overhead. The moon slipped in and out of the clouds as the three of them sat together, waiting…
Finally—after more than an hour—
They all stood up.
Buckbeak lifted his head.
They watched as Lupin, Ron, and Pettigrew clumsily crawled out of the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow.
Then came Hermione…
Followed by Snape, floating unconscious in a most undignified manner.
Then Sirius and Harry emerged.
They began heading back toward the castle.
Harry's heart pounded violently.
He glanced at the sky.
Soon, the clouds would clear. The moon would appear.
And Lockhart—
was supposed to make his move.
"Professor," Hermione whispered, "it's up to you. You have to catch Pettigrew—we're counting on you."
"He mustn't escape!" Harry added fiercely.
The moon broke free from the clouds.
They saw a small figure on the grounds suddenly stop moving.
They watched closely—
"That's Lupin," Hermione whispered. "He's about to transform—"
"Hermione, Harry," Lockhart said suddenly, "I'm going ahead. You two go save Sirius. Harry—you can do this."
"Be careful, Professor," Hermione said, nodding as she pulled Harry and Buckbeak into the forest.
Out on the grounds, Sirius—in dog form—was already locked in a brutal fight with the werewolf.
Lockhart took a deep breath and rushed forward.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The fleeing Pettigrew froze instantly.
"Professor Lockhart—you're here, thank goodness—!" the past Hermione cried in relief.
A low growl echoed.
Lockhart saw the black dog get hurled through the air by the werewolf before sprinting into the forest.
He scooped up the rat and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Go! I'll handle the werewolf—I specialize in this!"
His wand flicked.
A Heat Charm struck the werewolf—not damaging, but intensely painful.
The creature roared and turned on him.
Perfect.
Hermione and Harry seized the chance and ran toward the forest after Sirius.
"Impedimenta! Impedimenta! Impedimenta—!"
"Heat Charm! Impedimenta—!"
Lockhart cast relentlessly.
With the Magic Amplification Potion now working through his body, minor spells felt almost effortless—his magic seemed inexhaustible.
But the werewolf's resistance to magic made things difficult.
Each slowing spell only hindered it slightly.
So he increased the output—
Kiting it step by step.
Whenever it grew impatient—
another Pain or Heat Charm drew its attention back.
Step by step—
he lured it deep into the Forbidden Forest.
Finally—
"Vine Bind!"
Thick vines erupted and wrapped tightly around Lupin, restraining him.
No hesitation—
"Flight!"
Lockhart shot into the air as a streak of white light.
No broom. No external aid.
Pure magical flight.
It was far more difficult than Apparition—
but far safer.
And at Hogwarts—
Apparition was impossible anyway.
By the time he neared the castle, even with his enhanced magic, the drain was undeniable.
He descended, landing near the entrance.
Waiting there—
were Minister Cornelius Fudge and Professor Snape.
Snape looked… pleased.
As if justice—long delayed—was finally within reach.
Fudge, meanwhile, greeted him:
"Good evening, Mr. Lockhart."
"Not a good one, Minister," Lockhart replied flatly.
He pulled the rat from his pocket.
"I believe Sirius Black's case requires a retrial."
He tossed the rat to Fudge.
"This is an unregistered Animagus—Peter Pettigrew. I assume you recognize him. It seems… the truth differs from what we've been told."
"That's impossible—he's been dead for years!" Fudge exclaimed.
Snape's expression darkened dramatically.
"There's no such thing as impossible."
Lockhart raised his wand and tapped the rat.
It began to expand.
Fudge yelped and threw it away.
Moments later—
a balding, rat-like man lay sprawled on the ground.
Still unconscious.
Ignoring their reactions, Lockhart turned and headed back toward his office.
It was only 10 PM.
At this moment—
another version of himself was still inside, pretending to read.
Harry and Hermione hadn't yet returned from the hospital wing.
So he waited.
Hidden in the shadows outside his own office.
Half an hour later—
Harry and Hermione came running.
They burst through the door—
"Professor, we're so glad you're okay!"
Then—
Lockhart watched something surreal.
Harry, Hermione—and another version of himself—
walked out of the office, faces close together, turning the Time-Turner—
and vanishing into thin air.
Lockhart let out a long breath.
Then stepped out of the shadows and entered his office.
Good.
Timeline restored.
One Lockhart.
One Harry.
One Hermione.
He had barely sat down—when hurried footsteps sounded outside again.
The door burst open.
Hermione rushed in—and threw herself into his arms.
"Professor, I'm so glad you're okay!"
This time—both Lockhart and Harry (standing behind her) wore strange expressions.
"…Pettigrew's already been handed over to the Ministry," Lockhart said. "Sirius should be cleared any moment."
"…Ah—but we already rescued Sirius!" Hermione said.
"…Then let him hide for a couple more days," Lockhart shrugged. "Soon he'll be able to walk freely anyway."
The next day—
despite Lockhart offering to privately hire Professor Lupin as a Defense Against the Dark Arts assistant—
Lupin still chose to resign and leave Hogwarts.
Which left Lockhart with an unfortunate reality:
He had to personally set the final exam—
for a class he hadn't even taught.
In the end—
he threw together a very simple test.
Just enough—
to make sure everyone passed.