"C'mon," Thalia gritted her teeth as she lugged Ron up another step. Ron winced as he placed too much weight on his bad leg.

"It's not my fault my leg's like this," He grumbled. In front of them, Jason floated on top of the stairs. Thalia waved her wand and he began to float up the second floor.

"Can't we just take him to the hospital wing?" Ron asked for the millionth time.

"Ambrosia and Nectar would be best for him," Thalia said. "He's not a full wizard, so I'm not sure what the potions would do to him."

After way too long, they finally hauled Jason into the boy's dormitories, where a certain son of Hades waited, his ribs bound with his scarf.

"Take care of Jason," Thalia said as Jason floated onto his bed. "I have to get this idiot here to the hospital wing."

Nico nodded and reached for the jar of nectar by his bed as Thalia and Ron clumsily walked back down.

Thalia sighed. "This is going to take forever."

>>>•O•<<<

"Almost there..." Ron reached over for the door and it swung open. His face was slick with perspiration. "Finally. I'm guessing this is why you're not a healer?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "I'll have you know that I can take care of wounds just fine... just not magic ones."

"It's not a magic one," Ron grumbled as they clomped inside. "It's a dog bite."

"Oh, really?" Thalia grinned at Ron's expression. "C'mon, let's get your complaining self into proper care."

They stepped inside, and the first thing Thalia noticed was the shouting.

"--NOT CONFUNDED!" Harry was yelling.

"Minister! Professor!" Madam Pomfrey said angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed! I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen--"

The door opened behind the two, who had gone unnoticed. It was Dumbledore.

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger," Dumbledore said firmly, and noticed Ron and Thalia. "Best if you come too, Thalia. But let Madam Pomfrey take care of Ron, that leg wound isn't pretty."

Madam Pomfrey bustled over and immediately helped Ron to a bed which she wheeled out of the room, still angry about the intrusion.

"Severus, Minister, I must insist," Dumbledore said seriously. "I have spoken to Sirius Black. This cannot wait."

Fudge pulled out a gold pocket watch and examined it. "The dementors should have arrived by now," He said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

Snape stepped closer to Dumbledore. "You surely don't believe Black's story?" He whispered, eyes fixed intently on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Harry, Hermione, and Thalia alone," Dumbledore repeated firmly, his voice suggesting no further prompt. Snape turned on his heel and marched out the door.

Harry and Hermione opened their mouths to speak, but Dumbledore held his hand up firmly. "No explanations," He said. "I heard Black's story, but there is not a shred of proof to his story but your words. And who's going to take the words of a couple of third years?"

"Probably a second year," Thalia muttered. "Or a first year."

"But you believe us?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Yes," Dumbledore said quietly. "But I have no power to make the other men see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic..." He paused. "But what we need," he continued very slowly. "Is more time."

Thalia glanced at Harry and Hermione. The last thing she needed was more Kronos, but Hermione seemed to understand. Or, from her open mouth and wide eyes, Thalia assumed she understood.

"Now pay attention," Dumbledore said, speaking very low and 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 three of you: You must not be seen. Miss Granger, you know the law, you know what is at stake-- You-- must-- not-- be-- seen."

Dumbledore looked at all of them intensely before standing up and turning around. But once he reached the door, he looked back. "I am going to lock you in. It is--" he consulted his watch. "Five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" Thalia repeated. "What does he mean--" She cut off at the sight of Hermione frantically fumbling with her robes.

"Come here," She said as she pulled out a very long, fine gold chain. "Quick!"

Thalia and Harry moved closer, bewildered. In one motion, Hermione looped the chain around both their necks, locking all three of them together.

Hermione turned the hourglass three times, and Thalia's vision went dark. She was expecting a rush of cold air, like she was shadow travelling, but instead she got the opposite sensation. She felt like she was flying backwards, very very quickly. And it wasn't dark, it was all a blur of colors and shapes that rushed passed her. Then suddenly, it all stopped.

They were standing in a deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from open front doors.

Harry looked around wildly. "What?"

"In here!" Hermione seized Harry's arm and dragged him across the hall to an open broom closet, Thalia following close behind. Hermione slammed the door shut and plunged them into darkness.

"What just happened?" Harry whispered.

"We've gone back in time," Hermione hissed. "Three hours back..."

"But--"

"Sh! Someone's coming-- I think it's us!"

"What do you mean you think it's u--" Thalia clamped her hand around where Harry's head was, silencing him.

"Yes, it's us..." Hermione had her head pressed against the door. "It's us going to Hagrid's!"

"Hold up," Harry said, wrenching his head away from Thalia's hand. "You're telling me, that we're here in this cupboard, and we're out there too?"

"That's exactly what she's saying!" Thalia breathed. "Quiet... Nico walked right past this door..."

They were perfectly still. Thalia could hear the footsteps fading from the door, undoubtedly going outside.

"We've gone down the front steps..." Thalia guessed, and Hermione sat down on a bucket.

"Where did you get that hourglass thing?" Harry asked, looking stunned.

"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered. "I've got it from McGonagall on our first day back. "I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything but my studies... I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? She made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone... But Annabeth noticed, she made me tell... she knows...

"But I don't understand what Dumbledore wants us to do. Why did he tell us to go back three hours? How's that going to help Sirius?"

Thalia frowned as she thought about it. "More than one innocent life... And right now, what are we doing?"

"We're going down to Hagrid's because--" it hit Harry, and Thalia saw the realization dawn on his face. "I've got it!" he whispered. "We're going to save Buckbeak!"

"But-- how will that help Sirius?"

"Dumbledore told us where the window is, where they've got Sirius locked up," Harry explained. "We fly Buckbeak up to the window and then they both escape together!" Harry was pacing now as he thought anxiously about the task ahead of them. Hermione was just as terrified.

"If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!" She breathed.

"We've got to try, haven't we?" Harry said forcefully. "What've we got to lose?"

"Besides everything?" Thalia muttered, but pressed her ear to the door. "It's safe... no one's there... Let's go."

She pushed the door open to an empty entrance hall. They darted from the closet and down the stone steps, into the Forbidden forest which was growing increasingly darker.

"We need to get to the back of Hagrid's hut," Thalia said, mentally mapping out the layout of the school. "Around the greenhouses, or we'll see us. Or, us will see us. Either way, the quest is blown."

The skittered around the lawn, staying on the edge of the forest, and hid behind a massive oak dangerously close to Hagrid's hut. Thalia heard the brief exchange as Hagrid opened the door, then heard the door close.

"Do we do it yet?" Thalia asked, but Hermione shook her head.

"The committee will think Hagrid's set him free! We need to wait until they've seen him outside."

"That won't give us long," Thalia warned. "These trees are pretty far back... We'll have about forty seconds."

"Well, get ready," Hermione warned. "Here they come!"

They squinted, and sure enough, Dumbledore, Fudge, the committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps of the castle. Hagrid's back door opened, and they watched themselves as they hurried out of Hagrid's back door, vanishing towards the castle as they all turned invisible.

Thalia shook her head. It was getting really confusing.

Then a knock resounded on Hagrid's front door. It opened.

"Where is the beast?" Came the cold voice of who must've been the executioner.

"Out-- outside," Hagrid croaked.

Thalia scarcely dared to move as the executioner poked his head out the back door, eyeing Buckbeak. Then he pulled his head back in, and Thalia let out a sigh of relief.

"It's now or never," Harry started forward, but Thalia stopped him. "I should do it."

She darted out, and Buckbeak's head turned. Milady!

"Can't talk now, Beaky," She muttered as she sliced through the ropes with her knife. "We need to go."

Buckbeak hesitated. I can't brain the guy with a pumpkin? He whined. I had one right here. It's nice and rotten! It's perfect!

"Buckbeak, do you want to die?" Thalia whispered harshly. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Hurry!" Hermione whispered from the tree line, her face white with anxiety.

Buckbeak snorted and set off in a trot, dangerously slow.

"C'mon, Buckbeak! What, did Hagrid give you a dead animal pie?"

He told you?

"Quick, quick!" Hermione and Harry reached forward to add their extra weight to help pull Buckbeak. He snapped his beak at them but slipped into the tree line.

"Quiet," Thalia breathed. "They might hear us."

Just then, the back door opened with a bang. Silence... then--

"Where is it?" The reedy voice of the committee member. "Where is the beast?"

"It was tied here!" The executioner said furiously. "I saw it! Just here!"

"How extraordinary," Dumbledore said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Beaky!" Hagrid exclaimed huskily.

There was a swishing noise, the thud of an axe. A faint splat noise.

He broke my pumpkin! Buckbeak said furiously.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

Buckbeak strained against Thalia's hold. I'm a clever boy! He cheered. Hagrid!

"Someone untied him," The executioner snarled. "We should search the grounds, the forest--"

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief would have led him away on foot? Search the skies if you will..."

There was the soft thud as Hagrid's door closed once more, the others going inside.

"Now what?" Harry breathed, his voice shaking with nervousness.

"Now we wait," Thalia said.

Cliffy! :P I just wanted to get this chapter up because it's taking a while, but I'll see if I can get the next one up by today!