Chapter 180: The Deer and the Hind

Going back in time, in Professor Lupin's office, Harry and Hermione were waiting anxiously.

"We can't just stand here and do nothing, Hermione!" Harry was pacing back and forth across the room irritably, saying, "Peter Pettigrew is about to run away. We should go to the Forbidden Forest and help Ivan catch him."

"No, Harry!" Hermione shivered and rushed to stop him. "We can't leave, have you forgotten? We should all be in the hallway on the second floor. You can't risk it, if anyone finds out..."

"I know, since we can't get out, isn't it the same for Ivan?" said Harry.

"He's different from us. He's an Animagus; his Animagus form is a black cat. He can sneak out of the castle at will without being noticed." Hermione looked worried as well, but quickly regained her composure. "I believe in Ivan, Harry, he will catch Peter Pettigrew alive."

Hearing her words, Harry clenched his wand in his hand and remained silent.

"Harry, there's something I don't understand... Why didn't the Dementors catch Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I fainted... there were so many of them..." asked Hermione.

Harry sat down as well. He explained what he had seen; how, when the nearest Dementor had lowered its mouth to Harry's, two silver-colored things flew out of the castle, forcing the Dementors to retreat and escape.

"Silver things?" Hermione repeated, seemingly without reaction.

"There's only one thing that could have made the Dementors go away, Hermione," Harry said. "True Patronuses, and powerful ones."

"But why were there two?" Hermione's mouth hung open slightly, and her expression was confused as she said, "Would it be Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick who summoned them?"

"I don't think it was them, they should have been in the Great Hall, they didn't even know what was going on outside." Harry shook his head. He tried to think of the shape of the two Patronus.

"Was it Dumbledore or other professors?" asked Hermione.

"No, those two Patronuses weren't summoned by any professors," Harry whispered, his mind growing more and more certain.

"But they must have been really powerful wizards, to scare away all those Dementors... I still remember the Patronus Ivan summoned at the time, in front of over a hundred Dementors, only holding out for a dozen seconds. If the Patronus glowed so brightly, didn't it light them up? You couldn't see..." said Hermione.

"I didn't see who summoned them. The two Patronuses finally parted over the castle." Harry said slowly, "But I think I should know who they were."

Hermione didn't speak, she stared at Harry.

"I think..." Harry swallowed, knowing how strange this was going to sound "I think it was my father and mother."

Harry looked at Hermione and saw that her mouth was wide open. She was looking at him with a mixture of alarm and pity.

"Harry, your parents have..." She said quietly, "Well, you know, they're already dead!"

"I know." said Harry quickly.

"Do you think you saw their ghosts?" asked Hermione.

"I know it sounds crazy, but the two Patronus..." Harry hadn't finished his words yet, and the faint sound of an explosion was heard outside the castle. The distance was too great. If he hadn't been listening carefully, he wouldn't have heard it at all.

"This was Peter Pettigrew's magic. He immediately fled into the Forbidden Forest." Harry hastily climbed up from the ground. "We must get out, Hermione!"

"No, we can't, we'll be discovered...," Hermione said.

"We won't be discovered, we don't have to go to the corridor;" Harry said hurriedly, "If I just go to the corridor window, I want to see who summoned the two Patronus."

Harry turned and ran out of the office. Unable to say why, he was suddenly thinking of his father and his three old friends, Lunatic, Canute and Wormtail.

Tonight, Wormtail reappeared; everyone thought he had died a long time ago!

But he was still alive, so is it possible for his father and mother? Harry couldn't be sure that the two Patronuses had anything to do with his parents.

If they did, he had to know, he needed to see it.

He ran to the narrow window in the corridor, opened it, and the air buzzed in from outside, and saw himself and Hermione sitting by the Forbidden Forest, Sirius Black and Ron lying behind them. The four of them were in the center surrounded by Dementors.

He hurriedly looked towards the castle door, and there was nothing there.

Hermione also walked over, pouted, and looked horrified at what was happening outside, the two of them were trying to call their Patronus, but it was no use. There were too many Dementors.

Next to the Forbidden Forest, two small silver lights were fighting.

It was his own Patronus, one of them suddenly vanished, and Harry knew that Hermione had fainted. He almost threw himself out of the window and looked around desperately, but there was nothing, not even the other teachers.

A few seconds later, the last silver light also dissipated.

Harry had a shiver of fear all over his body, the two Patronus could appear at any moment....

"Come on!" he muttered, looking around. "Where are you? Dad, Mum, come on..."

But no one came, and Harry looked at the circle of Dementors outside the Forbidden Forest, one of them was the one pulling his hood down towards him.

The rescuers were supposed to be there, but this time no one came to help.

"We have to do something, Harry!" Hermione cried, "It'll be too late if we don't stop the Dementors."

Hearing Hermione's cry, Harry suddenly understood something. He raised his wand and shouted, "PATRONUM EXPECT!"

And from the tip of his wand burst, not a cloud of formless mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silvery animal. He squinted, trying to see what it was.

It looked like a horse, with a sharp crest on its head, one of the two Patronuses he saw at the time. It took off, crossed the dark sky, and ran toward the large group of Dementors outside the Forbidden Forest. At the same time, a silvery-white figure ran out of the main entrance.

The two Patronuses intertwined and looked so alike, so perfect. They came together and ran towards the Dementors.

Outside the Forbidden Forest, the Dementors fell backwards, scattered, retreated into the darkness.... They were gone... Then, the two Patronuses turned and ran slowly across the night sky toward the castle.

Harry saw it this time. The two Patronuses were not horses, not unicorns. They were glowing like the moon. The Patronus he had called was looking at him with its large silver eyes. Slowly, it bowed its horned head.

And Harry realized it was a stag.

The Patronus next to his own Stag was much smaller, with no antlers on its head. It looked like it was...

"A female!" Hermione said quietly, "This is a doe, Harry!"