Alex Weasley: Book 3

56

They managed to get out of the shrieking shack, Alex keeping her wand on Lupin and Black simultaneously and Snape keeping his on Pettigrew. The moment they reached outside, a stray moonlight lit a path before them. The clouds shifted and the moon was in full view. Lupin stopped, staggering and Snape's eyes widened, his wand pointed at Lupin immediately.

"You didn't take the potion tonight. It's how I found you." He said. Alex froze.

"Run!" Black yelled. Alex didn't move, her eyes glazing over as the memory of a werewolf coming right at her and the pain of the bite took over her.

"Alex, you have to run." Snape said, but she couldn't hear him. Temporarily lowering his wand, Pettigrew took the chance to shrink back down to a rat and get away.

"No!" Harry yelled and tried to rush forth again but Black stepped in front of him.

"Harry, you have to run!" Meanwhile Snape tried to bring Alex back.

"Alex, wake up. I need you to wake up. I know you're terrified, but if you stay still, you will not survive." She didn't respond.

"Get her to release my binds. I can keep Remus away." Black called.

"She's not going to be doing much of anything right now." Snape replied.

"I can do it. Alex taught me the spell and it's counter." Hermione raised her wand. Concentrating, she cast the Japanese counter spell, a white light spewing out of her wand. Black was quickly freed and he proceeded to shift into his dog form. Unable to get Alex's attention, Snape saw no other option but to carry her. Muttering the quietest of apologies he picked her up before running alongside his students, ushering Harry who was helping the injured Ron along with him.

Alex seemed to come back to consciousness a few minutes later. She struggled and Snape set her down. "You're safe." He said. "You had another dissociative moment."

"Lupin. He turned wolf." Snape nodded.

"We're not out of the woods yet. Do you think you can run?" She nodded, determinedly. A cold chill overtook her and she huffed. She quickly pulled out Harry and Ron's wands handing them over. "Dementors."

"Remember what we practiced."

"Compartmentalise." She said. She looked at where they were coming from and could see some attacking a figure in the distance. Black. The others were coming straight for her and those around her. She allowed herself a moment to breathe and put away her good memories save for one. She let it float to the forefront of her mind, remembering how happy she felt in that moment. She ignored Harry who was attempting a patronus, and instead centred herself. "Expecto patronum!" A large fiery dragon burst from her wand chasing the dementors away. Beside her another stream of light seemed to be helping. An incorporeal patronus. She turned and saw Snape and smiled before turning back to her dragon. She could swear she could hear her Patronus roar. It got louder and louder until she almost keeled over, grabbing her head. Another yell from beside her and the icy feeling disappeared.

When she came to, Alex woke to see Hermione in the bed beside her, Harry on her other side, and Ron on Harry's other side. Hermione looked petrified. Scared, not frozen.
"What is it?" Alex asked.

"They got Black." She said. "He's going to get the Kiss." Alex's eyes widened.

"What about Pettigrew?"

"He escaped." Snape said walking in. "There's no proof he's alive."

"Except us. We saw him. You saw him."

"I did, but we have no proof."

"Our memories-" Alex started.

"Can be faked."

"Black's an arse, but he doesn't deserve a dementor's kiss." Alex said.

"This isn't something you can or should try to fix."

"Dementor's kiss is worse than death. There has to be something we can do." He glanced at Harry and Hermione before looking at Alex.

"There is nothing we can do." He left.

Dumbledore came in a few minutes later.
"Professor, Black's telling the truth. We saw Pettigrew- he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf- he's a rat. Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius." Harry bombarded him instantly. "You have to help him. Whatever Snape said- he was lying, sir. He hates Sirius, all because of a stupid joke. Please, sir, you can't let him die."

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady, entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife. Without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence." He said. "And unfortunately I have no power to make other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic. What we need," said Dumbledore slowly, and his light blue eyes moved from Harry to Hermione and to Alex, "is more time."

The girls looked at each other and Hermione's hand fell to her neck. "Oh."

"Now, pay attention," said Dumbledore, speaking very low, and very clearly. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the seventh floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, all of you, you must not be seen. Misses Granger and Weasley, you know the law, you know what is at stake. You must not be seen." He said the last sentence slowly, enunciating every word. He turned to leave. "I am going to lock you in. It is-" he consulted his watch, "five minutes to midnight. Three turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Harry repeated as the door closed behind Dumbledore. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What are we supposed to do?"

"Harry, come here," she said urgently, pulling out the timeturner chain. "Quick!"

"Hermione, I can't come." Alex said, once the girl turned to her expectantly.

"Why not?"

"You saw me. It'll happen again and I'll be a liability. You'll be carrying dead weight."

"Are you sure?"

"That's what Snape meant. I can't fix it, but you can. I'll be fine. It'll be a blink of a second for me." Alex shrugged and Hermione nodded.