CHAPTER 94: NIHIL SUPERNUM, PT 1

Friday April 17th, 1992.

Hermione Granger was pondering escape.

She wasn't really considering it, the otter had told her not to escape, and it would put the Aurors in so much trouble if she was found missing. But the otter had told her not to and that meant that it was possible, and at least she wanted to figure out how before deciding not to do it.

The Cloak was bound to help. If she could somehow get outside, she could just walk towards the shore, and the Dementors wouldn't affect her; they wouldn't even notice she was out of her cell. Also, the Aurors wouldn't see her because she'd be invisible. But the only door in the fortress that she knew of was the door in the Aurors' Headquarters, and there was no way she could get through that without it being noticed. Plus, she'd be on the roof, fat lot of good that would do.

No wait, that was easy. She'd already done it. Gecko setae. The material would probably work on metal as well as stone, so she could transfigure gloves and just Stick, plop invisibly down to the bottom of the building. A minor silencing charm would mute the sounds.

It would be really dangerous, though. She had no feather-falling potion this time. And if there was wind, the cloak might get blown away while she was clinging to the wall, and she'd be exposed both to the Aurors' eyes and to the Dementors. There was no way for her to assess weather conditions from here. Besides, how would she even get to the roof, or otherwise outside?

What would Harry do?

No. No way. Even Harry wouldn't be stupid enough to transfigure a hair into TNT and blow up the wall. Transfiguration had rules for a reason, and she felt dirty for even considering it as a remote possibility that someone else might do in the hypothetical escape situation that she was not, to be perfectly clear, at all considering really doing.

What else would Harry do?

General Chaos had many tricks up his sleeve; he used any remote bit of obscure magic or Muggle technology that he could think of. So now she browsed through her excellent memory for a way to make holes in the wall.

Oh. Right. It wouldn't even require Muggle technology.

So she could break out, climb down and simply walk to the shore unnoticed. That would be dangerous, but if she went down the stairs to the bottom of the building first, she could minimize the risks. Although then she might have to think of some Muggle methods to get from the island to the mainland, when she didn't even know the direction or how far she'd have to go... It would certainly be awkward to break out of Azkaban undetected, and then proceed to drown because she couldn't swim that far. But if she could transfigure a raft and a compass and just go east –

A distant yell broke her out of her thoughts once more. It was muted by the walls, but even so, it was still audible.

She trembled. It was hard enough to not think about it for most of the day, when there was silence. Hard enough to just be content to study while her Patronus guarded the people in the cells next to hers, or in the corridor below her, but never both at once. Hard enough to ignore that, further down, people were suffering even more, and she could not help them because it would be too dangerous. But when she could hear the screams, it pierced right through all her mental barriers. Never mind that the scream itself meant that there was still a lot of life left in them, she wanted to make it stop, but to do so she'd have to take her Patronus away from the other people it was protecting...

She felt it, the Patronus going out of control. She clamped down desperately on her emotions, but it was already too late. For a split second, the badger in her cell seemed to stare down, and she quickly dropped her wand. The badger resumed its normal floating as though nothing had happened. The Aurors might have noticed, or they might not have. She'd find out soon enough whether they came down, but she didn't care right now.

Tears streaked her face. The Patronus made everything so much harder, it strengthened your emotions of protection. How could she cast it again and not have it go out of control now? But while she couldn't control her emotions, she wasn't protecting any of the prisoners, and they all needed her, the ones on her own level, and one level down, and all those others whom she couldn't reach, living in nightmares day and night. If only there was a way to protect them all...

Maybe there was.

The realization hit her with the force of a tsunami. The otter had told her how to do this. If she made her Patronus go bright enough, it would destroy Dementors, but she should never do that, for it would kill her.

But if she could destroy all the Dementors in Azkaban first, wouldn't that be worth it?

She could send her Patronus down right now, down into the pit. The Aurors would see it, but if she let her emotions go out of control, chose to protect all the prisoners right away, they might not trace its source until it was too late. And with the Dementors gone, at last the prisoners of Azkaban could have... not much a life, really, take away the Dementors and this place was still worse than the worst Muggle jail... but they wouldn't be suffering any more, at least. Maybe it would help.

I will die.

It was a scary thought. She didn't want to die, she wanted to live, to see that bright future without any Dementors, without death, without needless suffering and cruel prisons and evil governments, she wanted to be with her parents and Professor McGonagall, and Harry and Padma and Hannah and Daphne... And would her sacrifice even be worth it? She was only a child, she only had a little power, if she gave all her life-force and it wouldn't have destroyed all the Dementors, then wouldn't the prisoners still continue to suffer? Would it all be in vain?

She hesitated.

And then a bird appeared in her cell.

She yelped, jumped back in fright, bashed into the wall and nearly fell over. Rubbing her head, she stared at the creature. Its eyes were bright, its shining wings flapping slowly, keeping it at eye level. It was surrounded by flames, red and gold.

CAW!

"Sssssh!" she shushed desperately. "What if they hear you, and come look?" How could she explain a phoenix in her cell? She didn't even know how it got there.

Caw!

Let's go. That was what it meant.

"Whose phoenix are you?"

Caw. Yours, if you choose.

The phoenix was here to help her, to destroy the Dementors in the pit and save all those prisoners who so desperately needed her help.

"Can you help me get down into the pit?" A Patronus was more effective if it was closer to its caster. If she was near the Dementors, the chance of destroying them all before she died would be much greater.

Caw. Uncertain. She bit her lip. She could go out of her cell, walk down the many stairs of the building, and send her Patronus when she was at the bottom. It would be closer, but the walls were thicker there, she knew, and enchanted with many protections, or the Dementors would corrode them over time. She didn't know whether that would make a difference, but it might.

"If I break a hole into the walls here, can you fly me down?"

Caw!

"It will take me a few hours to do that, would you wait for that?"

Caw!

It would wait until she was ready. The morning patrol had only ended an hour or so ago; she had plenty of time before the Aurors would come into her cell with the evening meal. Barring unforeseen circumstances like new prisoners, there was absolutely nothing stopping her from transfiguring a hole into the wall, being flown down into the pit invisibly, and throwing all her life force into the Patronus, to destroy every single Dementor that tarnished this place, if she could hold out for that long. She could feel the silvery light in her, even with her wand still on the ground, longing to burst out.

But she would die.

The destruction of its prison would bring chaos to the country. And what was worse, they'd find out she had a wand. There would be questioning, and those kind Aurors who'd protected her would be in serious trouble. And Harry... if they found out she'd gotten help, they'd be sure to trace down her anonymous benefactor...

But at least she wouldn't be able to betray anything. If she was dead, they couldn't give her Veritaserum. They could never read her mind anymore.

She swallowed then, and took her decision. Picking the wand up from the floor, she placed it against the wall, and started her transfiguration.

"Mr. Potter, I have made a formal statement to the Ministry that your Time-Turner is locked to the hours between nine and midnight."

"Sure. By all means, tell them you've changed it. The point is, under the current circumstances, it is madness for me not to have all protections I could possibly have."

She hesitated, but finally she nodded, and opened her hand. The Boy-Who-Lived laid the Time-Turner into it, and she brought forth her wand and did as he had asked, releasing the time-keyed enchantment she'd laced into the shell's lock.

Harry Potter flipped open the golden shell, looked at the tiny glass hourglass within its circles, nodded, and then snapped the case shut.

"Thank you. And speaking of protections, I would also like three two-person broomsticks, six phials of feather-falling potion and three invisibility cloaks to store in my pouch and give to my friends. I would be happy to buy them by owl-order, but it appears that I have no authority whatsoever over my own vault. A number of spare wands and emergency-portkeys in the form of rings, toe-rings and other items of jewelery, and two spare Time-Turners for my friends would also be helpful. If you know of any spell that could be used to block light from a certain direction, I would like to learn it. And is it possible to acquire either dynamite or more subtle, magical ways to get through walls?"

With a sigh of relief, Hermione finished her transfiguration.

She checked her watch. Ten past four. This had been a long trance, but that was not surprising given that she'd only trained with partial transfiguration for less than two weeks. But it was done now, and if she did not tarry, she could be out there before the Aurors came for the evening meal. And she had better, because even if the bird could hide itself, there was no way they wouldn't notice the fact that a one-millimeter-thin section of the wall, tracing the form of a 70-by-50-centimeter rectangle, had been turned into cotton. All except for the tiny, almost invisible bit at the top, where a buckytube fiber held the metal inside the rectangle into place.

She pulled a hair from her head, and transfigured it into a knife; thin, but with a long enough blade to reach the end of the wall. That was easier; just a normal transfiguration. She cut easily through the cotton. And then there was only a tiny buckytube string, holding up the heavy piece of metal, that separated her cell from the outside world.

Once she finited the buckytube, and the tiny bit of the original metal broke because it could not hold up the whole rectangle by itself, there would be a loud clang, she figured, so she set up a silencing barrier so it would not be heard outside her cell.

She took the cloak out of the pouch necklace, and carefully took the latter off her neck. She rolled the necklace into the cloak, and laid it down, invisibly, below the bench.

She was trembling, as she tried casting her Patronus again, and she had to clear her mind and repeat the incantation before it took hold, and the blazing humanoid appeared. There were only two things left to do.

She breathed, steaded her voice, and said: "Tell Harry..."

"... not likely, but I will see what I can do," Minerva concluded.

The boy looked grim. "I suppose I'll have to be content with that, for now. But why is the ministry so obstinate? Has Professor Dumbledore not explained the situation to them?"

"He tried," she answered. "Some key figures like Amelia Bones believe him, but the Minister of Magic and others do not. With those people being certain to contradict him, it would be unwise to speak out in public." She sighed. "So instead he has told people that our Defense Professor has shown signs of evil, and that he was likely the one behind the attacks, and the Azkaban Breakout. We have preciously little evidence to go on, however. Even if they did acknowledge the situation, though, I doubt they would see the need to guard your friends with Time-Turners. Most Aurors don't have Time-Turners, only senior Aurors are even aware of them, and the Ministry keep close tabs on who possesses one. And while the Ministry would not object to a light-diversion charm, even I don't understand how it would help you."

The boy shrugged. "Blinding enemies to get away without getting hit myself, to name an example. Most shields –"

And then she almost jumped back in shock at the sudden light, she'd only seen that kind of brightness once before, as a blazing silver humanoid appeared in her office.

"Harry," it said, in Hermione Granger's voice. "Someone gave me a wand, and books, and... People are suffering here, and they need help. So I'm about to cast your Patronus Charm, and not hold back. I will die, but maybe it will help."

Minerva gasped. Harry Potter sat rooted to his chair in horror, as the humanoid continued:

"I'll leave the books in my cell, below the bench. Please say goodbye to my parents for me, I don't dare tell them myself. And to my friends, to S.P.H.E.W. and my army. Thank you for everything, Harry. You were always my best friend. I'm sorry."

"No! Wait!" Harry shouted, but the Patronus had already turned back and disappeared, it hadn't been instructed to wait for an answer.

He turned to her, then. "We've got to do something! I didn't mean for her to kill herself, that was my job, damn it!"

She was shaken and struggled for words, but she kept calm. "This seems a bit over my head." What could she do to stop the girl, from here? "Expecto Patronum." The silver cat appeared.

"Go to Professor Dumbledore, and tell him: An emergency has come up. I need you here immediately."

The Patronus blasted back into the cell, and said in a strange voice, which she guessed might be her own: "Harry potter says: No!"

She shook. She was scared. The wand slipped from her fingers, and the Patronus went out, leaving only the lesser light of the badger.

Caw? the phoenix asked.

She bent down and picked up the wand again. This was no time for hesitation. The other prisoners needed her. She took a deep breath, pushed aside all those fears, and forced down the sick feeling in her stomach. The last seconds of her life ticked away as she called back the will to protect everyone, pictured the bright world that they could make – perhaps she wouldn't be part of it, but this first step would contribute – and pointed her wand at the wall.

"Finite Incantatem."

With an enormous crash, the metal fell onto the floor before her.

She grabbed the phoenix's tail in her left hand, bent down low enough to fit through the hole, and launched herself off the edge. As she fell – the phoenix soaring down together with her, bringing her right over the center of the pit, the unmitigated fear of more than a hundred Dementors washed over her, but she was not afraid. She pointed her wand straight down.

"Expecto Patronum!"

And the world exploded in a burst of silver light.

Tick.

Tick.

It was taking too long, every second's delay might mean it was already too late...

Tick.

And then a burst of flame announced Dumbledore's arrival in the office.

"Professor, we need to get to Hermione now! She's going to destroy all Dementors, and she'll die, and I have to help!"

Albus Dumbledore didn't argue, he just grabbed the boy by the arm, and with a burst of fire they were in Azkaban. There was a small hole in the wall, just enough for a child to fit through if she curled up. And on the other side of the hole –

Harry didn't hesitate. He scrambled down to the floor, pointed his wand right at the center of the supernova outside, and yelled "Somnium!"

The light disappeared.

Li jumped back from his chair as suddenly light flooded in through the window. Silvery light, as though from a Patronus, but outside...

"What the –" Bahry exclaimed, and then they all jumped back as the light burst through the window, shining like the sun, and they could not see, but they could hear it all too clearly.

Phoenix song.

The light almost blinded Li even with his eyes shut tight, he could feel it on his skin, and his heart filled with joy and release at the light and the song. It was terror and beauty, joy and agony, as he fell to the floor and lay there for long seconds, his whole being vibrating with the song.

And then, almost as suddenly as they had come, the light and the song both cut off.

All three Aurors were lying on the ground. They looked at each other in confusion.

It was Gerard McCusker who first ran to the window and looked down. He turned back to them in a confused horror. "Where have they gone?" But Li had already known. Something felt... right that had always been wrong when he was here.

"I'm calling Director Bones," Bahry One-hand grunted. "Call back your Patronus, Mike. She'll probably be here five seconds after I give the alarm."

The light disappeared.

There was no feeling of emptiness.

Behind him, Dumbledore was casting incantations in something that sounded like Latin, and then he grabbed underneath the bench, and Harry saw the cloak and pouch appear in the old man's hands.

"The Dementors are gone. I do not sense them anymore," the Headmaster said. From the folds of his robes, he produced a broomstick somehow, which he made invisible with a wave of his wand and pushed into Harry's hands. Then he threw the cloak over him. "Go. Go now, while they are too preoccupied with Miss Granger and the other prisoners to notice you. Use the portkey in your game of cards when you're a few miles away, after twenty minutes or so. Then let whoever is there help you get back to my office in Hogwarts, and meet me there half an hour ago. I will take care of this."

Harry looked out of the small hole, towards where Hermione was lying. Was that... a phoenix by her side? But Dumbledore was right, he should hurry. He could find out the truth later. "Don't change her memories."

"Her memories will betray that she had your cloak, and that will implicate you."

"So be it. A large part of her personality ties in to her brilliant memory, and the things she learned in the last two weeks might be important. She's already got two fake memories, I don't want any more of that stuff in her head. If she cannot rely on her memories, it might destroy her!"

"Very well. But now go."

He went. Nobody saw, or stopped him.

Albus Dumbledore cast a few spells to weaken the protections on the pouch, and carefully placed it back beneath the bench. Then he turned himself and Fawkes invisible, widened the gap in the wall briefly to pass through, and let the phoenix fly him to the window of the Aurors' Headquarters two levels up. The room was already filling up with people, Auror after Auror entering through the cabinet. He selected a suitable trio of not-overly-experienced Aurors, quietly flew right behind them, and turned visible with a burst of fake flame.

Wands turned on him. "Hold your fire," Amelia Bones's voice commanded. "I was wondering whether we'd be seeing you here, when I got the message less than a minute after you were called away."

"The Potter boy warned me," he explained simply. "He said he had information that Miss Granger might be about to do something very foolish."