I was jerked out of my reverie by a shout.

“RUN!”

It was Sirius…that meant that Pettigrew was coming soon.

Holly had fallen asleep again, so I shook her shoulder and she looked around wildly. “What? Where? Wh –”

“Shush,” I told her. “He’ll be here soon.”

She nodded and turned to face the Whomping Willow.

Kaya, meanwhile, was muttering spells under her breath, waving her wand.

“Lumos. Incendio. Wingardium Leviosa. Flipend –”

“Kaya!” I shout-whispered.

She looked up quickly and, like Holly, faced the Willow with an expression of determination on her face.

I thought, in the dim light, I could faintly make out a shortish man growing smaller and smaller until he wasgone –

“He’s coming!” I hissed.

They straightened up. Holly glanced over at me nervously. “What exactly are we meant to do?”

“Catch him,” I answered grimly.

The truth was, I didn’t know.

“How?” she asked.

“No idea.”

She raised her eyebrows, looking confused.

I heard a rustling in the grass and, as carefully as I could, I dived onto the ground.

I thought I touched it at one point, but it was gone straightaway.

“Umm, Jade…” Kaya began, looking over at me. “You can just turn into an owl, can’t you?”

That was actually a really good idea, I thought, as I shut my eyes and transformed.

I wasted no time, jumping up off the ground and spreading my wings.

I couldn’t help but enjoy the way the wind rustled through my feathers…

But no, I had a job to do.

Using my amazing hearing, I pinpointed Peter Pettigrew’s exact location.

I plummeted to the ground.

A moment later, I landed, victorious, with the rat in my talons.

I turned human again.

Pettigrew the rat squeaked in terror.

Holly and Kaya stood up again and dusted themselves down.

I looked at my watch. “Right, we can go back to the castle now. If we explain what happened, Sirius will get off. He’ll be safe. Pettigrew can go to Azkaban, or whatever his punishment is. The Dementors will leave…”

Kaya trembled. “Speaking of Dementors…”

She pointed towards the lake. There were at least a hundred Dementors flying swiftly towards it.

They’re going to attack someone, I realised.

“We have to go help.”

Kaya stared at me. “Are you mad?”

Holly nodded. “Jade’s right, Kaya. Who knows what they’ll do to the poor person or people over there?”

We sprinted towards the lake, me still holding a squeaking rat.

The Dementors were leaning over three people lying on the ground – Sirius Black, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.

I didn’t know what they were about to do, but it would be horrible, whatever it was.

“Patronus. Quick,” I muttered.

“Um, Jade –” Holly began.

“Think happy thoughts. You can do it,” I cut her off. “They’re not that near to us anyway.”

I held out my wand, trying to avoid my eyes straying to the three motionless bodies on the shore.

They’re dead.

No. They’re not dead. I’ve just caught Peter Pettigrew, a criminal.

‘Your mother is dead. I’m so sorry, Jade…’

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” I yelled, before my vision could go blurry.

An owl emerged slowly from the end of my wand. It began flying towards Sirius, Hermione and Harry, but long before it got there, it had evaporated.

I tried again, this time shutting my eyes. “EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!!”

The owl was stronger this time.

I focused, but couldn’t help but glance to my side. Holly’s eyes were filled with tears. “No…” she whispered.

Kaya had covered her face with her hands and was mumbling under her breath.

“Focus! You can do it!” I exclaimed.

Holly and Kaya appeared to have just woken up. When she saw my Patronus, Holly gained confidence.

“Expecto Patronum…Expecto…” She was losing strength, and fast.

I yelled at her, “Shout it! It works better…”

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!!”

A dolphin joined my owl, quickly followed by an eagle.

“Focus,” I encouraged them, and their Patronuses were even stronger.

The pushed aside quite a few Dementors, actually reaching Hermione, who was closest to us.

But they were nothing compared with a Patronus that suddenly appeared from the other side of the lake. It was in the shape of a stag…that was a familiar shape.

That was Harry’s Patronus.

But that couldn’t have been Harry. Harry was lying on the ground, unconscious.

Ah…we weren’t the only time travellers here, though; Hermione was somewhere around here too. Which meant that Harry might also be here.

The Dementors scattered and left Hermione, Sirius and Harry lying unconscious on the ground.

Peter began struggling even more than he had been before.

“Oh, no, we’ll have to run,” I told them, so we began to sprint up towards the castle.

We had just gotten past the lake when we were intercepted by the most unlikely person.

“Stop.”

It was Father.

“Father, this is Peter Pettigrew! He’s a murderer –” I began explaining.

He held up a hand, his face a mask of anger. I suddenly realised he had Summoned three stretchers that were carrying the three victims of the Dementors.

“My own daughter…who would have thought that you, too, would fall victims to the ridiculous tales of Sirius Black?!”

I shook my head. “No, Father, you don’t understand –”

He glanced at Kaya and Holly. “And you have dragged two other students into this! Come here, Jade.”

He took me aside. I held the rat tightly. “Jade, I know fully that Black is innocent, but the Dark Lord will see that as betraying him. I cannot do that.”

I frowned. Voldemort was gone, wasn’t he? “But Father, isn’t Voldemort dead?”

He sighed. “I’ll tell you later. Anyway, the point is, you have to release the rat!”

I held it as far from Father as I could. “No way!”

“I’m sorry, Jade.”

“Wha –”

Before I could finish my question, he stepped forward and grabbed Pettigrew.

I simply gaped as he dropped the rat on the ground, where it ran away and was gone in a matter of seconds.

I turned around. Kaya and Holly were staring at Father.

“What was that for?” I demanded, my voice shaking.

Peter Pettigrew had essentially killed my mother, and Father was about to let him off without question?

He shook his head. “Things are in motion that you are far from understanding. It is best that you forget tonight. I do not know why you are even here and I do not think I really want to know.

‘I will let you three –” He looked at the two Ravenclaw girls “– off without punishment. But I hope you do not break so many rules in future. If you do, I will not be so forgiving.”

Kaya and Holly nodded quickly.

I had heard that most Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were afraid of Father.

I understood why, but in a sympathetic way, not an empathetic way.

“Okay, Father. But can’t you release Sirius?” I pleaded.

He glared at me coldly. “No. I have no interest in learning why you are on first name terms with Black, but he is a murderer. A murderer,” he repeated.

I shook my head. “Are you mad? Sirius is innocent! He killed nobody, and you’re just going to send him back to Azkaban, just because you two didn’t get on well in school?”

I instantly knew I had gone too far. Kaya and Holly were looking terrified.

Father stepped right up to me. “How dare you speak to me like that? I am your father and you will treat me with the respect you owe me, both as your father and your teacher. If you are ever that rude to me again…let it suffice to say that you will very much regret it. Is that clear?”

I gulped. Myunderstanding had just become empathetic. “Yes, Father.”

He stepped back. “You should go back to your dormitories.”

He started walking back up to the castle.

Holly turned to me and shuddered. “Wow…your dad is scary.”

I nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.

Kaya sighed. “We’d better head back to the castle, now, then.”

So we began the long, slow walk back to our respective Common Rooms.

“I wonder how many rules we broke today…” Kaya wondered, a smile appearing on her face.

Holly grinned. “I think the question is how many rules we didn’t break today.”