Chapter 154: Superhero Landing
Daphne watched as the Gryffindor Trio from the past walked out of Hagrid's cabin through the back door and turn invisible once more, as past-Hermione threw Harry's Invisibility Cloak over themselves.
"This is so strange," murmured Harry.
Hermione put a finger in front of her lips, signalling to him to stop talking. Moments later, Dumbledore, the Minister for Magic, Macnair the executioner, as well as the Committee's ancient member had arrived. Macnair's face suddenly appeared in Hagrid's window, causing Daphne to retreat behind a tree to prevent herself from being seen.
From where Daphne was hiding, she could clearly hear the adults talking. Something about needing to sign a document? Luckily for the Hippogriff rescue party, Macnair also needed to sign the document, causing him to move away from the window.
"An opening," whispered Daphne loudly, "let's go, it's now or never!"
Upon saying these words, she dashed to Buckbeak's enclosure, making sure to stay low. Harry and Hermione followed closely behind. Harry had originally intended to go alone, since Buckbeak knew him well, and there was this whole procedure to be followed in order to begin communicating with a Hippogriff.
Fortunately, all of this could be skipped; thanks to Daphne's Translation Earrings, she could somewhat make her intentions known to Buckbeak. Its great big eyes widened slightly when it understood what was going on— it turned towards the hut and bowed, as a form of farewell to the man who had taken care of it all these years.
"Diffindo!" whispered Hermione, using the Severing Charm to cut the rope that bound Buckbeak to the post he was attached to.
Unfortunately, Buckbeak didn't seem interested at all in being rescued; it appeared that he preferred staying with Hagrid after all. Daphne, Harry and Hermione began tugging on the rope in order to get Buckbeak to come with them, without much success.
"Come on, Buckbeak," Harry murmured, "come on, we're going to help you. Quietly, quietly…"
"Come on, Beaky," Daphne encouraged the Hippogriff, "you wouldn't want to make Hagrid sad, would you? Come with us, that's what Hagrid would want."
And that's precisely the moment that past-Oleandra chose to make her grand entrance; she gracefully dived head first towards the ground, only to flip right side up at the last moment for her landing.
"Heya, Sis," Oleandra said. "Sorry for the delay, Filch got in my way. I didn't know that these two had dragged you into this."
Harry and Hermione shushed her; they were supposed to be stealthy! What would they do if the people inside heard her?
"The people from the ministry, they're inside Hagrid's house," said Harry. "They saw Buckbeak already, so it's fine to take him away now."
"And these two didn't drag me into this," said Daphne curtly. "You did."
"Don't tell her anything she doesn't need to know about the future," Hermione admonished Daphne. "It could have dire consequences if she doesn't do things exactly as we remember them. The best thing we can do is just let her act naturally."
Oleandra took the end of the rope and began tugging at it, helping the others pull Buckbeak out of sight and into the Forbidden Forest.
"Okay," said Oleandra. "Now you've lost me. Are you playing around with the Time-Turner again?"
"You told her about it?" said Hermione, aghast. "Professor McGonagall explicitly said we weren't to tell anyone about time travel!"
"Oh, like you're one to talk," grunted Daphne as she pulled on the rope. "You told Harry, didn't you? Besides, I didn't tell anyone; they guessed it. My sister and Tracey aren't idiots like your two friends."
"Hey!" grumbled Harry. "I resent that."
"You mean your sister's not the only one who knows?" cried Hermione, appalled.
Now, if Daphne was guessing correctly, their next destination was the Whomping Willow, where Harry claimed he had left his Invisibility Cloak. If they had such an item, the next part of the plan would be much easier.
"Why aren't we freeing Buckbeak?" Oleandra asked. "That was the plan, wasn't it?"
"Don't ask," said Hermione. "You're not supposed to know yet. Ah! Good, we've made it."
Hermione was pointing at the Whomping Willow, which could barely be made out through the trees.
"Before you go," Hermione began.
"Before I go where?" Oleandra immediately asked.
"Stop interrupting, Sis," snapped Daphne.
"Remember," said Hermione. "Don't say anything about Buckbeak. You never met us; you never saw us. Now, when the tree stops moving, follow our past selves into the hole under the Whomping Willow. You HAVE to go, because we saw you there. Now, unless you don't want to be unborn or cease existing, I suggest you get a move on."
Daphne watched as her sister took off from the ground, grumbling to herself as she went.
"You wouldn't catch me complaining like that," Daphne said with a straight face, earning her a weird stare from both Harry and Hermione. "And there she goes."
Buckbeak seemed happy to see Oleandra gone; perhaps it instinctually feared the Lethifold attached to her. It seemed as though Daphne wasn't the only one to harbour some doubts about her sister having a dangerous monster attached to her at every hour of the day simply to have the ability to fly without a broom.
"Well, now what?" asked Harry.
"Now, we hide here and wait," explained Hermione. "Sirius won't be imprisoned for a while, and we need to stay out of sight as much as possible."
"Speaking of which," Daphne said, "I'm still not too clear on the freeing-a-dangerous-madman-after-your-life part. Care to explain?"
"Sirius wasn't the one to betray my parents to Voldemort," Harry said. "Well, he doesn't have any proof, since Scabbers, who's Ron's rat, and who's also supposed to be the real traitor, ran away before we could check it. Professor Dumbledore seemed to believe Sirius's story— and that's good enough for me."
"That's the most far-fetched story I've ever heard," Daphne declared. "Hey, it's you again, over there."
Harry squinted; it was getting dark, and it's not as if his vision was anything to write home about.
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