"Two and a half hours have passed now. No matter what we can accomplish later, we must be in the Hospital Wing in half an hour."
Hermione felt a little anxious. She hated the feeling that she couldn't control things, or even change the direction of events.
Harry was also getting anxious. Professor Snape had just cast a spell to summon stretchers to carry them all back to Hogwarts, so it seemed that the time for him to wake up and for Sirius to be imprisoned and executed was not far off.
"Why isn't Ron here yet?" Harry couldn't help but feel anxious.
As soon as he finished speaking, a chill ran down his spine. Harry thought it was Dementor and immediately drew his wand, but what came first, even before the biting cold, was a powerful hurricane.
Harry and Hermione looked up and simultaneously opened their mouths wide, letting out a long "Wow" in surprise.
It was a colossal object.
The enormous wings resembled those of a bird spread out, covered with brownish-brown bionic feathers. Harry had never imagined that mechanics and biology could be so perfectly integrated. The plane was full of owl elements, yet it also exuded a metallic texture. With such a behemoth hovering in front of him, it was hard for Harry not to exclaim in admiration.
"Get in!" Ron, sitting in the driver's seat, waved to Harry and Hermione.
"So, my dad said this plane can be made completely silent, waveless, and high-speed, possessing all the advantages of an owl. It can even cruise at a constant speed between two points without any worries, just like an owl."
Harry boarded the plane and marveled at the sights, admiring the interior with envy, completely ignoring what Ron was saying.
"Take off quickly, Ron," Hermione said seriously, pointing out the problem with Ron's words, "Besides, there's no Waveless Wave; the wind was so strong I could barely open my eyes."
Ron argued, "I did that to let you know I was here."
After the fun was over, Captain Ron Weasley's flying plane took off again—this was Ron's true thought; in reality, the plane didn't require him to operate anything. He only needed to press a few buttons, and the plane would automatically take off and fly in the pre-set direction.
The plane rapidly ascended, and the sensation of being pushed back and the resulting pressure caused a sudden ringing in his ears. Harry gripped the armrest of his seat and suddenly felt that this was even more thrilling than when he was flying on a broomstick.
At this moment, Lorne sat in his office, glancing at the time. There was less than an hour until the holiday started, and he would soon be able to enjoy a happy time with all his employees.
By now, Harry, Sirius, and Lupin should have captured Peter.
He specifically asked Lupin to go to the Shrieking Shack so that even if they didn't reveal Peter's true form in front of more students or professors, they could still use an adult's Pensieve memories to exonerate Sirius.
Hopefully, Harry won't misunderstand Sirius this time, Lupin won't turn into Werewolf, Ron's leg isn't injured, and the plan to capture Scabbers will go smoothly.
Sure enough, he's perfectly suited to be a behind-the-scenes big shot.
Unless he participates in the final battle at the Shrieking Shack, Lorne can't think of any other reason why he might use the Decayed Time-Turner to avoid losing a year's worth of memories. If that's the case, is he destined to break the paradox of fate with his own hands?
Lorne took a leisurely sip of tea, intending to savor it slowly, when Dumbledore suddenly pushed open the office door.
Fudge and Snape followed closely behind him.
"Still working? You're really hardworking, Lorne," Dumbledore said with a kind smile. " Severus just told us some big news—guess what? Sirius has been arrested."
Lorne's jaw nearly dropped to the table.
He was just about to open the champagne for Peter's arrest when, how come it was his own employee who ended up in jail?
" Sirius?" Lorne gave a forced smile. "That's fantastic! We won't have to worry about the safety of Hogwarts students anymore."
"Unfortunately, it's still necessary," Snape said, arms crossed, a hint of disdain in his eyes. " Mr. Potter and his cronies have escaped from the castle again. They must think they're capable enough to deal with Sirius."
" Director Lorne, I suggest you organize an event next semester where students can really assess their own abilities. Remember to make the biggest poster possible and put it up in Gryffindor."
Minister Fudge chuckled, "Long time no see, Director Lorne. We were planning to visit the injured students, but Dumbledore insisted you come along. Would you do me the honor?"
Lorne nodded resignedly, "Of course, Minister, it would be my honor."
Just as the three approached the door to the Hospital Wing, Harry woke up, and Ron, inside the room, uttered the words, "There's a huge bird outside the window."
Oh right, Hermione has the Time-Turner, so the three of them can definitely rescue Sirius. As for Peter, he can't hide forever; Sirius was just unlucky and let it escape, so he can't blame himself.
There is still a chance to save the Decayed Time-Turner.
At that moment, in the darkness of night, the plane, outlined in the afterglow of the moon, resembled the shape of a large bird as it sped away into the distance.
"Where are we going, Ron?" Hermione asked anxiously. "We have to get back to the Hospital Wing, or we'll all disappear."
"I don't know," Ron said anxiously, fiddling with the buttons. "It must be my dad who discovered the plane was missing and used the summoning powder to call it back. Now it's completely unresponsive to me."
Sirius looked at Harry: "Thank you for saving me, kid, but... you'll disappear?"
Harry glanced at Hermione; it was her secret, and he couldn't say it himself, so he vaguely asked, " Sirius, we need to go down. Do you have any ideas?"
Do you know Slow Cushioning Charm?
Harry and Hermione both shook their heads, answering for the flustered Ron: "We won't."
"Alright then, lend me your wand. Harry, my wand was confiscated by the Ministry of Magic," Sirius took the wand and cast a Slow Cushioning Charm on each of the three of them. "Now you can jump. Hold onto your wands, and just before you land, cast Levitation Charm on each other's clothes. You must have learned the Levitation Charm."
"But we've never used it under such harsh conditions," Hermione countered. "It's too dangerous; the airflow is so strong, I'm afraid we wouldn't even be able to utter the spell."
"Then I'll jump with you," Sirius said. "I'll protect you."
"Damn plane!" Ron kicked the plane angrily, then looked at Harry and Hermione in the back row, "Are we really going to jump?"
Suddenly, Ron remembered Professor Trelawney's Prophecy that he would be in a car accident after finals. He had scoffed at the time, but now he thought, how could a car accident at high altitude not be considered a car accident? His plane was a modified magical car!