lumos maxima.  the tent blooms softly with light -- briefly illuminating a bedside photograph -- then goes dark.
lumos maxima.  the blankets bloom once again when, down the hall, a toilet flushes. instantly, the shadow stiffens, the blankets dim, and the tent flattens. just as.  .  the bedroom door opens, revealing.  uncle vernon. he peers inside, eyes flashing suspiciously, then.  withdraws. the tent rises.
lumos maxima.  as the blankets blaze, we cut inside, find a skinny boy with a crow's nest of black hair, thick glasses sitting crookedly atop his nose: harry potter. open before him is violeta stitch's extreme incantations. once again, he speaks:
lumos.  maxima!
uncle vernon. i need you to sign this form.
nothing. something for school.  uncle vernon eyes the parchment in harry's hand suspiciously.
i will if she does.
yes.
oh, yes. i've been beaten loads of times.
that's a lie. aunt marge pauses on her wine, eyes narrowing on harry.
my dad wasn't a drunk. pop! the glass in aunt marge's hand explodes.
shut up! shut up! aunt marge starts to reply, when -- zing! -- a button on her dress sails into the air. seams groan. thread snaps. aunt marge's eyes widen. her cheeks billow. her whole body billows. and she begins to inflate like a
no! she deserved what she got! and you.  you keep away from me. uncle vernon eyes harry's wand nervously, then grins with knowing cruelty.
anywhere's better than here.
aaaah! giant wheels bear down. harry rolls clear -- just as a preposterously purple, triple-decker bus screeches to a halt. gold letters glimmer above the windscreen: the knight bus. doors hiss. snap back. reveal stan shunpike, an 18- year-old boy in a wrinkled conductor's uniform. pasty face. raccoon eyes. stan looks like he hasn't seen the sun in years.
fell over.
i didn't do it on purpose. stan eyes harry suspiciously, nods slowly.
i didn't. stan, huddled in an armchair, peeks over the daily prophet, eyes harry coolly, before disappearing once more. harry brushes the fringe of his hair over his scar, watches an ambulance -- siren wailing -- careen past.
the leaky cauldron. that's in london --
isn't this a bit.  dangerous?
who is that? that man.
how'd he escape?
yeah. him i've heard of. just then, a pair of double-decker buses sweep directly toward the knight bus. before can scream, the entire knight bus squeezes down and shoots the gap between the two onrushing buses. the shrunken head winces.
this bus. don't the muggles ever.
hedwig!
no thank you. minister.  i don't understand. i broke the law. underage wizards aren't allowed to use magic at home --
'the state of things' sir?
sirius black, you mean. but.  what's that got to do with me? crack! tom shatters another walnut. fudge smiles nervously.
egypt! what's it like?
good to see you too, mrs. weasley.
of course, mr. weasley. as mr. weasley pulls harry away, the others continue to hover over the clipping in the b.g.
has this anything to do with him, sir?
that he escaped from azkaban. that he killed someone.
voldemort?
voldemort?
i know, sorry. ron hates it too.
kill me? mr. weasley nods. nervously.
mr. weasley, why would i go looking for someone who wants to kill me? mr. weasley nods, then claps harry on the shoulder.
i didn't mean to blow her up. i just.  .  lost control.
is he really asleep?
close the door. hermione and ron exchange a curious glance, then ron rises, slides the door shut, over camera, and we --
yes.
dunno.  maybe we've broken down?
thanks. harry slips them on. discovers the cold sweat glazing his brow. snap! professor lupin breaks a ragged triangle of chocolate off the slab in his hands. holds it out.
what was that -- that thing?
what happened to me?
and did either of you? you know.  pass out?
but someone was screaming. a woman. hermione and ron glance nervously at each other.
fortuna major.
yeah.  as his breath clouds the glass, we gradually.
listen, you stupid prat -- eyes widening in fear, malfoy steps back, points.
excuse me?
brilliant.  professor. they both grin, when draco pushes past them roughly, strides toward buckbeak.
at least hagrid didn't get sacked.
yes, professor, but i thought if you said i could go -- professor mcgonagall but i don't say so. a parent or guardian must sign, and since i am neither, it would be inappropriate. i'm sorry, potter. but that's my final word. ron and hermione -- watching harry expectantly from across the way -- see him turn, shake his head. their faces fall. harry raises his hand in farewell. watches them go.
really?
not to mention the shrieking shack, which, according to hermione, is the most severely haunted building in britain.
professor, can i ask you something?
i did think of voldemort first. but then, i remembered that night on the train.  and the dementors.
before i fainted.  i heard something. a woman. screaming.
i think it was my mother. the night she was murdered. harry looks up. finds lupin studying him.
sirius black's trying to kill me. harry looks up, grins at the two of them.
i'm glad you had a good time. really. and thanks for this. rubbish or not, you're right. it can't hurt. with that, harry pops a pepper imp into his mouth.
excuse me, sir, but.  where's professor lupin?
faster! come on! the trace of a smile forms on harry's lips as he closes on the snitch.  only yards away.  reaching out.  when.
probably a right sight better than he normally does. harry opens his eyes and ron, fred, george, and hermione slowly come into focus, standing at the foot of his bed in the hospital wing.
brilliant.
what happened?
really? i meant the match. who won? silence. uncomfortable glances.
why do they affect me so, professor? i mean, more than everyone else.
i'm scared, professor.
i need to learn how to fight them. you could teach me, professor. you made that dementor on the train go away.
but you made it go away.
what's this rubbish?
'messrs moony, wormtail, padfoot and prongs are proud to present the marauder's map'?
hang on. this is hogwarts! and that.  no. is that really.
you mean, this map shows.
everyone?
brilliant! where'd you get it?
the one-eyed.
dissendium? click! the witch's eye opens and the statue pivots, revealing a dark opening in the floor. as harry crouches, squinting, a cool draft of air ruffles his hair and the camera drifts into the darkness.
mischief managed.
shhh.
he was their friend. and he betrayed them. he was their friend. i hope he finds me. but when he does, i'm going to be ready. when he does, i'm going to kill him.
if black can fight the dementors, i need to know how too. lupin studies harry -- as if conflicted -- then decides.
expecto patronum.
expecto.  patronum.  the torches on the wall flicker as a chill breeze fills the chamber. a scream echoes distantly. harry's hand trembles. his eyes begin to roll up.
expecto.  expecto.
that's one nasty dementor.
the first time i rode a broom.
there's another. it's not happy exactly. i mean, it is. it's the happiest i've ever felt. but it's.  complicated.
just do it! lupin blinks at harry's quiet fierceness. opens the packing case. instantly, the dementor appears again. a chill fills the air. the hair skates off harry's scar. he sets his jaw.
expecto patronum! harry's hand trembles. his whole body trembles. but he holds his ground, when -- whoosh! -- a huge silver shadow bursts from the end of his wand, hovering between him and the dementor. the dementor falters.  harry's legs like water.
i think i've had enough. for today. lupin nods. watches harry move to the door.
i was thinking of him. and mum. seeing their faces. they're just talking to me. just.  talking. that was the memory i chose. i don't even know if it's real.  harry grips the door, pushes past.
but it's the best i have.
everybody out! the others flee. harry faces the hulking shadow, wand poised.
show yourself. crash! the water glass shatters on the floor and scabbers darts past harry's bare feet, chased by crookshanks. seizing the moment, the silhouette grasps the curtains and swings through the open window, plunging into the night. harry rushes to the window, looks down.
ron! ron! harry's eyes flash toward the window, when.  ron pokes his head out from under the bed.
i could've killed him. hermione turns, sees harry staring out the window.
he was right there. close enough to touch. i could've killed him.
no, i won't. know why? because i don't care about your stupid rat! i don't care about your stupid cat! i've got few other things on my mind right now!
i solemnly swear that i am up to no good. the crooked corridors and serpentine passageways of hogwarts radiate across the parchment, then.  a tiny dot catches harry's eye. he frowns. it reads: "peter pettigrew."
mischief managed! harry stashes the map, extinguishes his wand, and turns.  into the harsh glare of snape's wand.
i was.  i was.  sleepwalking.  a sneer curdles the corners of snape's lips.
my dad didn't strut. nor do i. now, if you don't mind, i'd appreciate you lowering your wand. snape eyes harry coldly. containing himself. lowers his wand.
spare bit of parchment.
'messrs. moony, wormtail, padfoot and prongs offer their compliments to professor snape and'
'.  and request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business.'
professor. just so you know, i don't think the map always works. earlier, it showed someone in the castle. someone i know to be dead.
peter pettigrew. lupin hesitates ever-so-slightly, then returns to his papers.
professor trelawney --
s-sorry?
no. nothing.
it just got worse. she and ron look and see:
i say we set him free.
ow! harry turns, looks out the window.
hagrid.  everyone turns. looks. dumbledore and fudge approach. behind them, in a fluttering shroud of crows, the executioner follows, axe at his side. hagrid begins to panic.
c'mon.
what?
that's not good. ron! run! ron spins. looks toward harry.
hold on, ron! but it's no use. the dog is too powerful. harry glances around desperately, then finds himself looking directly in ron's eyes. he can read his mind.
no, ron.  one by one, ron releases his fingers from harry's forearm. sacrificing himself.
nooooo!!! but ron closes his eyes, releases his hands fully, and.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! hermione reaches out, grabs harry's shirt and -- riding the branch in tandem -- the two boomerang back, hurtling toward the trunk of the tree, through the gap, and into the darkness.
don't mention it. lumos. as the tip of harry's wand glows, reveals a long, snaking tunnel.
i have a hunch. i just hope i'm wrong.
nox.
the dog -- where's the --
then it'll be you!
yes.
no! harry raises his wand when lupin wheels and, with a flick of his own, disarms him. furious, harry eyes black murderously.
you betrayed my parents! you sold them to voldemort!
did he listen! when my mother was dying! did he hear her screaming!
what're you talking about? there's nobody here.
expelliarmus! snape soars into the air, hits the wall with a thud, and slides down. ron and hermione stare in shock.
you said peter before. peter who?
he killed no. pettigrew's dead. him.
the map was lying then --
all they could find of pettigrew was his --
show me. lupin and black turn to ron. he holds scabbers protectively.
no. pettigrew's lids lift. lupin and black turn. staggered.
i know what he is. but we'll take him to the castle.
get off! i said we'd take you to the castle. after that, the dementors can have you.
i don't reckon my father'd want his best friends to become killers for a worthless piece of vermin like pettigrew. besides: dead, the truth dies with him. alive.  you're free.
i know.
when! come live with you?
no! expelliarmus! lupin's wand flies from pettigrew's hand and he freezes. then slowly turns. face blank, eyes closed, he.  grins hideously. transforms. stunned, harry watches a rat dart into the night. a howl pierces the air and harry wheels. with a shrug, lupin tosses black into the air, then turns. he is no longer human. he's a werewolf. harry and hermione begin to edge back.
sirius! the dog yelps, roars in pain, and the werewolf flings it into the tall grass. as it charges after, harry pushes past snape, dashes into the night. hermione makes to follow, but snape holds her back.
please, professor. stop.  it's me. suddenly.  a howl pierces the night. the werewolf falters, cocking its head toward the forest. harry waits, petrified. the werewolf's eyes shift back to him. it snarls, moves closer, ready to kill. harry covers his face with his arm, when.  .  a second howl echoes high above the forest. slowly, harry drops his arm. looks. the werewolf bounds toward the forest, vanishes. harry's eyes shift. in the darkness, the wounded dog lurches through the tall grass. falls. rises. falls again. each time becoming more human. as he disappears over the ridge, harry sprints after.
sirius! harry looks into his glassy eyes.
sirius!
no.  no! expecto.  patronum! a thin silvery wisp weeps from harry's wand, hovering like a veil, but the dementors continue to come. harry places his hand on black's heaving heart, poises his wand once more:
expecto.  patronum.  harry's patronus blooms briefly.  and dies. harry's eyes flutter, the dementors twisting madly in his vision, drawing closer. black gasps. silvery feathers of light tumble from his lips, as if his very soul were leaving him.  then.  a light splinters the trees. harry squints, sees a fiery stag appear.  its body luminous.  slashing through the trees.  sowing light in the darkness. the dementors wilt in its wake, but more replace them, sweeping down in waves. still, the stag charges on. the light expands. the forest blazing with it. the remaining dementors flee, drifting across the moon like ash. the light ebbs. the stag's luminous body flickers. there is a bright flash and darkness returns, a single thread of light all that remains, spinning down to the size of a pearl.  in the palm of man, standing deep in the trees. harry studies the strangely familiar silhouette, then.  it is gone. silence drops like a curtain. mist rises from the lake. as snape appears at the top of the rise, we --
i saw my dad.
he sent the dementors away.  i saw him. across the lake.  hermione exchanges a private glance with ron, turns back.
the kiss?
you mean, they're going to kill sirius?
it's true, sir. sirius is innocent --
what just happened? where's ron? hermione ignores the question, eyes the clock on the wall.
huh? dunno.  going to hagrid's?
hermione! will you please tell me what it is we're doing?! she holds up a hand, silencing him. annoyed, harry follows her gaze and blinks in disbelief. across the grounds.
but that.  that's.  us. this is not.  normal.
you mean, we've gone back in time?
good punch.
look. buckbeak's still alive.
buckbeak? but.  how will saving buckbeak help sirius?
nothing. harry looks toward the slope, sees fudge and the others approaching in a cloud of crows.
here they come. i better hurry.
that's pettigrew -- as he starts to rise, hermione grabs him, speaks fiercely.
hermione, that's the man who betrayed my parents! you don't expect me to just sit here.
are you mad? hermione ignores him, swiftly whistling a second stone through the window and -- conk! -- off the back of harry's head.
that hurt.
shhh! hermione sees herself turn. ducking, she accidentally stirs the branches, then peeks out and sees herself staring curiously at the branches dancing oddly. next she hears her own voice:
get away! harry waves the crow away, yanks hard on buckbeat's chain.
c'mon, buckbeak. come on.  buckbeak refuses to move.
now what?
and we do that.  how?
wait until fred and george hear about that one.
and now we wait.
hermione.
before. down by the lake. when i was with sirius.  i did see someone.  that someone made the dementors go away.
it was my dad. hermione looks at harry.
it was my dad who conjured the patronus.
dead. i know. i'm just telling you what i saw. hermione nods, not wanting to press harry further, then glances beyond the trees, toward the whomping willow.
you see sirius talking to me? he's asking me to come live with him.
when we free him, i'll never have to go back to the dursley's. i'm going to tell him i'd like to live someplace in the country. i think he'd like that, after all those years in azkaban. we don't need a big place and i can help him.  a howl pierces the night. hermione glances toward the willow.
which means pettigrew is slipping safely into the night. while we just stand here.  a fierce growling is heard as twin silhouettes -- the dog and the werewolf -- bound into the tall grass. harry watches himself appear, hurl the stick as before. the werewolf turns, begins to stalk.  owwwwwwwww! harry wheels, sees hermione, hands cupped to her mouth, making a loud howl. he covers her mouth.
what are you doing?
thanks. but we have to move.
because that werewolf you just called is running right this way. they exchange a glance and.  run.
let's go.
don't worry. my dad will come.  right there.  you'll see.  he'll come.  any minute.  he'll conjure the patronus hermione eyes harry warily. he is transfixed, staring hungrily toward the outcrop. the wind rises. the lake begins to freeze. whoosh! whoosh! one after another, dementors drop from the sky, vanish in the cyclone.
he will! he will come! she looks. nothing. desperately, her eyes flash to the cyclone, to the pitiful sight of harry and black at the water's edge.  wracked with pain.  dying.
you were right, hermione. it wasn't my dad i saw earlier. it was.  me. i saw myself conjuring the patronus before. i knew i could do it this time, because.  because i'd already done it. does that make sense? hermione contemplates this.
i want to go with you.
anything.
he's free -- sirius. we.  we did it.
afraid so. always been a bit of the nervous type, ron has. ron stares at them, confounded. slowly, they.  grin.
you've been sacked.
resigned! but why!
snape.
but dumbledore --
well. at first i thought it was a horse, or perhaps a unicorn, but i think it was --
yes.
whose is that?
who? but.  how?
that's a hippogriff feather -- as harry stops short, hermione raises her eyebrow. as they share a secret glance, we.
i don't think it works. i think it's defective. a collective groan. dejected, many of the kids begin to drift toward the castle. harry calls after.
oh, come on now. it's just a broom.
the fastest broom in the world. as everyone turns -- whoosh! -- harry jets off and we --