This flight was better than the first. Hermione was squeezing Megan a little too hard, but it was thrilling to think Buckbeak would be free, and Sirius would be too. The view was incredible. The grounds and castle glowed a silvery blue, and the lake glistened in the distance. Megan's hair flew about her. Buckbeak did feel very different from a broom, but it was far from a bad thing. He seemed as excited as she felt.

"Oh, I don't like this... I really don't... Hermione whimpered.

"Hermione, relax, we're almost there." Megan said. "I can see the tower."

Sure enough, a couple of miles away, they could see the tower Dumbledore had indicated.

"Is that a cell...?" Hermione asked as they came closer.

"I suppose it's logical. You wouldn't leave a supposed mass murderer free of movement in a school," Cedric said.

Megan glanced at her watch.

"We've not got much time, we'd better hurry. Come on, Buckbeak!"

She led him down towards the tower. In its centre, as they had thought, was a small stone cell. They jumped off Buckbeak and ran to the cell

"Sirius! You okay?"

He jumped and stared at them wide-eyed.

"Yes, but... how..."

"No time to explain," Cedric said. "Girls, Sirius, stand back!"

Cedric then pulled out his wand and shouted:

"Bombarda!"

The door blew open and Sirius stepped into the moonlight. He looked worn, but unharmed.

"We have to move," Cedric said.

He and Megan helped Sirius onto Buckbeak.

"Go on, Buckbeak, one more time..." Megan coaxed him.

He squawked and took off.

They landed in the small courtyard Megan recognised from her vision during her Divination exam. Cedric hoped down first and helped the others. Hermione stayed with Buckbeak.

"What happened to the others?" Sirius asked. "Ron, Remus?"

"They'll be fine." Cedric said.

Sirius nodded, relieved.

Megan and Sirius exchanged a look.

"We'll let you talk... but we can't be long." Cedric said quietly.

Megan nodded. He went to join Hermione.

"I'll forever be grateful to you," Sirius said. "To all of you."

"I want to go with you..." Megan said.

"One day, perhaps." Sirius said. "But for now, I need you to stay here, where it's safe. My life will be too unpredictable, and I don't want that for you."

"But you're innocent ..." Megan said.

"And you know it. And for now, that's enough."

He put his hands on her shoulders.

"... We just found each other..." Megan said, her heart stinging, "And now I don't even know if I'll ever see you again..."

"Yes, you will. I promise. Even if I can't tell you when."

"Megan... it's time..." Hermione said.

They led Buckbeak forwards. Megan looked up at Sirius. His face had lost all hardness.

"I'll miss you..." she said.

"And I'll miss you too. But knowing you believe me is worth being on the run. And I'll always be right with you."

She threw her arms around him. He hugged her back.

"You're so much like your parents..." he said. "It's cruel I got so much time with Lily and James and you so little... but you can always find them in here."

He pressed his hand against her heart.

"You'll have to tell me about them..." she said, her eyes gleaming.

"Anything you want to know."

He hugged her again. When they broke apart, Megan pushed him gently away.

"Go, you have to go..." she said.

He kissed her forehead and climbed onto Buckbeak's back.

"Take care of yourselves. And each other. Cedric, I'm trusting you."

"I'll keep them safe." He nodded.

Sirius gave a nudge in Buckeak's sides and he ran forwards a few paces before soaring upwards. He paused to wave at them. Megan waved back, a sad smile on her face. He flew further away. Cedric took her hand. They ran forwards and watched him fly away until he was too far to see. Once more, Megan remembered the vision she'd seen in the crystal ball. She glanced at Cedric who smiled at her.

"You think he'll be okay?"

"Yes," Cedric said. "He survived and escaped Azkaban, not to mention eluded capture for months with Muggle and wizard authorities after him. He's tough."

They watched the new empty sky for a moment.

"We have to go," Hermione then said. "Dumbledore will be leaving the hospital wing soon, we have to be there by then."

They hurried through the corridors.

"Stop! I can hear voices!" Cedric warned, pulling them behind a statue.

"... And the Kiss will be performed immediately?" Snape was asking.

"As soon as McNair returns with the Dementors," Fudge answered. "It has all been quite embarrassing, really, I'll be happy it's over with..."

"As will I, Minister, as will I..."

"And I daresay Potter will be happy to tell the Prophet how you saved her..."

Megan's fists clenched.

"Over my dead body..." she hissed.

They waited for the two men to turn the corner.

"Come on..." Cedric said.

They hurried in the other direction. But moments later, they had to stop again.

"Peeves!" Megan warned, pulling them into an empty class room.

They heard him laughing, bouncing off the walls.

"Oh, he's horrible..." Hermione whispered.

"He's probably happy because the Dementors are coming..." Cedric said. "Okay, he's gone, let's move."

They hurried off and reached the hospital wing door just as Dumbledore was coming out.

"Well?" he asked quietly.

"We did it. They're free..." Megan panted.

"Excellent. I never doubted you." He said. "I think you're gone too... yes. In you go. Good night."

They exchanged a smile and slipped inside.

Ron was still asleep, as was Harry, who had nodded off in his chair. All was quiet.

"... We did it..." Megan whispered. "I can't believe what we did..."

"I know..." Hermione said.

They quickly sat back where they had been. At the sound of the door closing, Madam Pomfrey strode in, carrying chocolate.

"Was that the Headmaster leaving? Perhaps I can tend to my patients, now...!"

She handed out the chocolate, which they thought best to take in silence, even though Megan was the only one who had been exposed to the Dementors. And it did feel good after the stress of the evening. But they were still nervous... had they set him free in time for him to not be seen? They got their answer a few moments later, when they heard a roar of rage above them.

"What the...!" Megan said.

"What was that?" Harry asked, waking up with a start.

Minutes later, they heard angry voices growing louder, along with thundering footsteps.

"Do calm yourself, Snape..."

"I will not calm down, Minister!" Snape barked. "Black escaped and I know who helped him!"

Only Snape would be intimidating enough to speak that way to the Minister for Magic and get away with it, Megan thought.

"Now, really! Are they trying to wake the whole castle?" Madam Pomfrey chided.

Just then, the door flew open, revealing Snape, Fudge and Dumbledore.

"He must have Disapparated," Fudge was saying. "How else —"

"YOU CAN'T DISAPPARATE IN OR OUT OF HOGWARTS!" Snape was yelling. "POTTER IS BEHIND THIS, I KNOW SHE IS!"

"Come now, she's been in the hospital for over an hour..." Fudge said. "Most of which she was unconscious, she can't possibly —"

"YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" Snape shouted. "SHE AND HER FRIENDS HELPED BLACK ESCAPE! I KNOW THEY DID!"

He spun to turn on Megan, who was sitting up in her bed.

"OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" He roared, his eyed wide with mad fury. "WHERE IS SIRIUS BLACK?! WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Nothing, sir." She said.

"DON'T LIE!"

"Professor Snape!" Madam Pomfrey said loudly. "Control yourself!"

"Come now, Snape, be reasonable!" Fudge said.

"That will do, Severus," Dumbledore said. "They haven't left the hospital wing, have they, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"Of course not. I've been with them since you left, Headmaster."

"See? Now, unless you believe these students can be in two places at the same time, I can't see how they could possibly have anything to do with Sirius Black's escape.

Snape glared at all of them in turn and stormed out.

"Quite the temper..." Fudge said.

"Oh, not really. But he does rather detest being disappointed." Dumbledore smiled.

"He's not the only one who'll be disappointed!" Fudge said "We had Black cornered and he slipped away! Between that and that Hippogrif escaping... if this gets out, I'll be a laughing stock! Ha... well, I better go let the Ministry know."

"The Dementors, they'll be removed from the campus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh, yes, they'll have to leave," Fudge said. "Never thought they'd attempt the kiss on an innocent thirteen year old... no, they'll be sent off tonight. Perhaps we should think about dragons to guard the entrance..."

"Hagrid would like that," Dumbledore said with a glinting glance at the others as they left the ward.

Madam Pomfrey hurried to the door and shut it again, grumbling to herself, before heading back to her office after checking everyone was okay. Cedric got up from his chair and sat beside Megan on the edge of her bed.

"Well... that's one night we won't forget," he said, wrapping an arm around her.

Megan let out a sigh of relief, but she was smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder. Even if she sometimes found their relationship complicated, it never felt wrong.

"So... would you guys mind telling me what happened, exactly?" Harry asked. "Where's Lupin... where's Sirius...?"

Megan turned to Hermione.

"You explain." She said, biting into another piece of chocolate.