164: The fire transformed into a dragon

Now that he was here, John was going to check on Sirius.

That guy had his uses, so John needed to confirm whether he was alive or not.

The weather today was quite nice, and the evening would likely follow suit.

Upon reaching the spider lair where Sirius was being held, John immediately sensed that something was off.

Quiet.

Too quiet!

Normally, Sirius would at least howl a bit to vent his frustration, even when there was nothing to do. Now, however, there was complete silence.

Feeling uneasy, John quickly approached the door and opened it. Inside, the room was empty, and in one corner, a pile of dirt was heaped up.

Stepping closer, John's face darkened.

"How is he so skilled at digging tunnels?" he muttered angrily.

At the spot where the dirt was piled, there was a tunnel leading straight outside.

Using a detection charm, John determined that the tunnel had been dug through nearly ten meters of solid ground.

Sirius had escaped.

John's expression grew grim. Although Sirius had already spilled plenty of information under the influence of Veritaserum, this was crucial leverage in his dealings with the Ministry of Magic.

Without hesitation, John left the spider lair to track down Sirius.

…

Harry's perspective with the Time-Turner.

"Where is it?" the committee member shrieked, his voice sharp and grating. "Where is that beast?!"

It was of no use. Buckbeak had already been whisked away by Harry ahead of time.

Hagrid was overcome with joy, tears streaming down his face as though a miracle had just occurred.

Dumbledore wore a knowing smile, ushering Rufus Scrimgeour to join him for tea.

Meanwhile, after leading Buckbeak away, Harry and Hermione dashed to a thicket near the Whomping Willow, where they waited.

Before long…

"Get away… get away… Scabbers, come here!"

Harry spotted his best friend, Ron, chasing after Scabbers—or rather, Peter Pettigrew.

Harry's eyes burned with hatred as he locked onto the rat, his fury bubbling over. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to end him right then and there.

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm, stopping him. "Don't do anything rash," she whispered.

This scene unfolded after the trio had left Hagrid's hut. Crookshanks had appeared, scaring Scabbers off.

Harry begrudgingly admitted that he had disliked Crookshanks for quite some time.

But now, all he could think was why the cat couldn't run faster.

Ron, in his chase, ended up outside the range of the Invisibility Cloak. From Harry's perspective, Ron suddenly appeared out of thin air, followed shortly by himself and Hermione as they stepped into view.

Because Ron tackled Scabbers, Harry and Hermione almost fell onto him.

At that exact moment, the big black dog—or rather, Sirius Black, his godfather—appeared.

With his paws lightly tapping the ground, Sirius moved so quickly he seemed like a shadow darting over. He slammed into Harry, knocking him aside.

From an observer's perspective, Sirius's eyes never left Scabbers for even a second.

His massive jaws clamped down on Ron's right leg, and the sharp sound of bones cracking echoed clearly.

Harry, one of the trio, rushed forward to rescue Ron, landing a kick squarely on Sirius's left flank, causing him to let out a muffled groan.

But this didn't stop Sirius at all. He dragged Ron, along with Scabbers, into the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow. On his way in, one of the Willow's branches struck Harry hard.

That hit hurt—a lot. Even now, Harry shuddered at the memory.

The trio eventually entered the tunnel after Crookshanks pressed the knot that froze the Whomping Willow.

As they waited for events to unfold, they noticed Snape rushing over. He picked up the Invisibility Cloak and, clearly aware of the Willow's weakness, easily entered the tunnel.

Harry couldn't help but pout. "Hermione, is the helper you mentioned supposed to be John?"

There was still some time left, and Harry wasn't about to sit idle. He blinked his "brilliantly wise" eyes and asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded and said, "John doesn't know about what we're doing. He's an outsider, which makes him our final key."

"But… how do we find him? I mean, he already left," Harry hesitated before voicing his concern.

Hermione didn't know the answer either, so she asked Harry what had happened at the end.

"I'm not sure," Harry replied hesitantly, "but… I think I saw my father."

Recalling the events involving the Dementors, Harry's face showed a mix of fear and longing as he continued:

"There were at least a hundred Dementors. When one of them leaned in close to me, this big silver thing came rushing from across the lake and drove them away."

Harry paused before adding, "It was a Patronus—a real, powerful Patronus."

"Who cast it?" Hermione wondered aloud, falling into deep thought. "Could it have been John? From what I know, only he and Professor Lupin can use a Patronus."

Hermione immediately thought of John. She had seen him repel and capture Dementors at the Quidditch pitch with her own eyes.

She had previously suspected that John might have been helping Sirius Black.

However, during their confrontation in the Shrieking Shack, Sirius, despite his swollen face, had firmly denied it. He even claimed that John had captured him and locked him up.

Hermione felt a pang of guilt for ever doubting her friend.

The two continued discussing the matter while Hagrid, beaming with joy, stepped outside with an empty tankard. He was clearly over the moon.

Harry remained convinced that it was his father who had intervened.

Hermione decided not to challenge him for now since they were about to leave.

Meanwhile, Buckbeak grew restless. He pecked Harry's hand, causing him to let go with a yelp, and then trotted off into the forest.

Harry wanted to chase after Buckbeak, but Hermione held him back.

Inside the tunnel leading to the Whomping Willow, Lupin was the first to climb out. He brought along Peter Pettigrew, now back in human form, and Ron, followed by Sirius, Harry, and Hermione.

Seeing this scene, Harry almost rushed out but was stopped in time.

"Are we just going to watch Pettigrew escape again?" Harry said bitterly, his voice full of frustration.

Hermione knew that trying to catch a rat in the dark was nearly impossible. The priority now was to ensure everyone's safety.

Harry reluctantly agreed, leaving them no choice but to watch what unfolded next.

The moon emerged from behind the clouds.

Lupin glanced at the bright full moon and froze in realization.

But it was too late. Tonight was a full moon.

His limbs stiffened, and he began transforming into a werewolf.

Underneath the Whomping Willow, a chorus of panicked screams erupted. Harry instinctively wanted to intervene again, only for Hermione to grab hold of him.

Without Hermione, this group would probably fall apart entirely.

Hermione took a deep breath, resisting the urge to punch her impulsive "son."

Sirius, his swollen face now turning into his Animagus dog form, leaped forward to fight the werewolf Lupin, buying time for the others to escape.

However, amidst the chaos, no one noticed Peter Pettigrew picking up Lupin's fallen wand.

By the time they realized, it was too late. Ron had been struck by a spell from Peter Pettigrew, who then transformed into a rat and escaped.

From afar, Harry and Hermione anxiously watched as the werewolf Lupin and Sirius disappeared from sight.

Howls and barks echoed in the distance, only for the barking to eventually turn into a mournful cry.

The werewolf Lupin began heading back toward the Whomping Willow. Harry grew even more worried—why hadn't the wolf's howl that was supposed to lure Lupin away happened?

Hermione, however, had a sudden idea and mimicked a wolf's howl from their hiding spot.

The werewolf heard it, turned his head toward the woods where they were hiding, and seemed puzzled.

Werewolf Lupin: Whose cub is this, howling with such terrible grammar?

Determined to correct this wolf cub's atrocious howling skills, werewolf Lupin abandoned the three near the Whomping Willow and headed toward the woods.

Seeing Lupin heading their way, Harry and Hermione panicked and ran off as quickly as they could.

But then, an even worse scene unfolded.

Through the gaps in the trees, they saw a swarm of Dementors filling the sky, blocking out the moonlight.

After much scrambling, they eventually found Buckbeak in the woods. Buckbeak, unimpressed by Lupin's refusal to bow, launched himself at the werewolf, swiping at him with his claws and successfully driving him away.

"Quick, we have to go!" Hermione, barely catching her breath, urged.

Harry, however, was filled with excitement. He grabbed Hermione's hand and started running.

They rushed to the lakeside. From a distance, they saw the countless Dementors obscuring the moonlight.

"This is where my dad appeared," Harry said, his eyes wide with determination, unwilling to miss the moment his father showed up.

However, he was disappointed—his father never appeared.

On the other side, his past self was struggling desperately but ultimately collapsed under the pressure.

If they kept waiting, both he and his godfather would die.

Harry stepped forward, raising his wand high on the lakeshore. "Expecto Patronum!"

A silver stag materialized, galloping into the swarm of Dementors, driving them away from his godfather and his past self.

The scene was identical to what Harry had seen before passing out earlier. His emotions were complicated—after all, it wasn't his father who had saved him.

Hermione screamed, "Harry!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry noticed the overwhelming number of Dementors. While the Patronus was powerful, it couldn't fend off so many at once.

Panic overtook them as they watched the Dementors close in on Sirius, ready to suck out his soul.

Some of the Dementors also turned their attention toward the two of them. Harry struggled to maintain control of the Patronus, barely holding them back.

In her desperation, Hermione came up with an idea. Gritting her teeth, she raised her wand and flung it upward with all her strength.

"Lumos Maxima!"

A glowing orb of light erupted from the tip of her wand, soaring high into the sky before bursting into a blinding brilliance.

"Hermione, what are you doing? The Patronus Charm is the only thing that works against Dementors!" Harry shouted, thinking she didn't know.

But Hermione kept her gaze fixed on the sky, muttering a silent prayer. "John, you have to see this."

More Dementors gathered, blotting out the sky and far exceeding a hundred in number.

Just as the silver stag Patronus began to falter, a streak of silver light appeared in the sky.

Moments later, a swift albatross flew into the swarm of Dementors, carving a path through their ranks.

"John!" Hermione exclaimed in delight.

The albatross tore through the Dementors, clearing a route. Down that pathway, another radiant light descended at incredible speed, crashing into the center of the lake.

Boom!

A wave of force rippled outward from the impact, sending water surging onto the shore. From the lake's surface emerged a sword.

In the next instant, the hilt of the sword was grasped by a hand—long fingers, distinct knuckles, with silver and black rings adorning the middle and ring fingers.

A voice, low and enigmatic, resonated in a strange language that seemed part ancient script, part dragon tongue.

||"Ego Sum Draco."||

The silver sword ignited with flames, its violet crystal emitting a continuous stream of magical energy. As the blade swung, flames erupted.

The fire transformed into a dragon, spreading its wings and soaring, melting the frozen lake as it passed.

The Dementors fled in fear, unable to resist the fiery onslaught.

Harry and Hermione stared in awe at the figure's dramatic arrival.

He descended beneath the stars and moon, walking atop the lake's surface, flames coiling around him like a dragon.

With a single swing of his sword, he ignited the battlefield.

And burned everything to ash....

So.. Cool...!

__________

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