The shadows of the trees stretched quietly as the treetops of the Forbidden Forest were once more bathed in the golden light of sunset.
Sheltered by the shadows, the three of them hurried toward Hagrid's Hut.
"We need to get closer," Hermione whispered. "We have to reach Buckbeak!"
They crept through the trees and soon spotted a restless Buckbeak, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's Pumpkin Patch.
Suddenly, the sound of breaking crockery came from inside the hut.
"Hagrid must have knocked over the milk jug," Hermione said softly. "I'll find Scabbers in a moment."
Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard Hermione cry out in surprise.
"Jerry," Harry said urgently, "what if we rushed in now and caught Pettigrew..."
"No!" Jerry shook his head firmly. "Have you forgotten Dumbledore's warning?"
"But if we acted now, we might catch Peter Pettigrew..." Harry still sounded unwilling to let the chance go.
"Harry, put yourself in your own shoes," Hermione added. "What would you think if you saw yourself burst into Hagrid's house without warning?"
"I... I'd probably think I'd gone mad," Harry admitted, "or that it was some Dark Magic trick."
"Exactly! You might even attack yourself without realizing it! Professor McGonagall told us about the terrible things that have happened when wizards meddled with time. Many accidentally killed their past selves."
"All right," Harry said with a sigh. "It was just a thought. I was only—"
Jerry cut him off and pointed toward the distant Castle. Harry leaned forward slightly and could just make out Dumbledore, Fudge, and Executioner Macnair descending the steps by the Castle doors.
"Jerry, what do we do? Should we let Buckbeak go now?" Harry asked urgently.
"No!" Hermione shook her head. "If we steal him now, the committee will be sure Hagrid let him