Umbras ? Harry Potter

June 11, 1994 • Hogwarts

When Ciara, Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the hospital wing at noon the next day, it was to find an almost deserted castle. The sweltering heat and the end of the exams meant that everyone was taking full advantage of another Hogsmeade visit. None of the others felt like going, however, so they and Harry wandered onto the grounds, still talking about the extraordinary events of the previous night and wondering where Sirius and Buckbeak were now. Sitting near the lake, watching the giant squid waving its tentacles lazily above the water, Harry lost the thread of the conversation as he looked across to the opposite bank. The stag had galloped toward him from there just last night. . . .

A shadow fell across them and they looked up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with one of his tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs and beaming down at them.

"Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night," he said. "I mean, Black escapin' again, an' everythin' — but guess what?"

"What?" they said, pretending to look curious.

"Beaky! He escaped! He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!"

"That's wonderful!" said Hermione, giving Ron a reproving look because he looked as though he was close to laughing.

"Yeah . . . can't've tied him up properly," said Hagrid, gazing happily out over the grounds. "I was worried this mornin', mind . . . thought he mighta met Professor Lupin on the grounds, but Lupin says he never ate anythin' las' night."

"What?" said Harry quickly.

"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" said Hagrid, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. "Er — Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'. . . . Thought everyone'd know by now . . . Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose on the grounds las' night. . . . He's packin' now, o' course."

"He did what?" Ciara yelled out, furious.

Harry also let out an alarmed statement before Hagrid responded.

"Leavin', isn' he?" said Hagrid, looking surprised that Harry had to ask.

"Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin' again."

Harry scrambled to his feet.

"I'm going to see him," he said to the other third years.

As Harry left, the other three decided to continue walking around, savoring the warm Scottish day. Hermione and Ciara laughed with Ron over their time turners, and the amount of times he was close to catching on.

"I knew something was up," Ron said, looking at both the girls, "but I never thought you were going back in time!"

Hermione grinned. "Well, it's not something you can just casually tell someone, is it?"

Ron shook his head, still looking slightly bewildered. "I mean, time loops? Alternate timelines? How were you two keeping track of all that?" He groaned and rubbed his forehead. "My brain still hurts thinking about it."

Ciara chuckled, nudging him. "It wasn't easy, but it was kind of fun watching you get more and more confused."

He huffed, shaking his head with a playful sigh, before they began making their way back toward the castle, the warm sun still lingering in the late afternoon sky. The soft sound of their footsteps was the only noise, and for a moment, the three of them walked in comfortable silence.

Breaking it, Hermione glanced over at Ciara, her voice full of curiosity. "What are you doing this summer, Ciara?"

"Oh, I have been invited to the Quidditch World Cup in August, but other than that, I am not sure.."