"I've done what I needed to. The rest is up to Fawkes."
"I'd love to see Dumbledore's face when Harry vanishes."
Argus couldn't spot Harry under the Invisibility Cloak, but the faint footsteps gave him away. Harry was in the room too, his first time using a Time-Turner leaving him jittery about what lay ahead.
Click, click.
In the hushed corridor, those soft steps echoed like thunder.
Original-timeline Harry reached the door, a nagging unease prickling at him. He glanced back, double-checking for followers, then pushed inside.
The instant his foot crossed the threshold, Fawkes swooped down, snatched the cloaked boy, and whisked him away in a blaze of fire.
"Did I just see a flash?"
"Imagination playing tricks?"
Original Harry shrugged it off and scooped up the Time-Turner for a closer look.
...
Meanwhile, the time-traveled Harry reeled from the disorientation, his head spinning as the world shifted around him. This wasn't right—something had gone horribly wrong. Panic surged in his eyes.
"Easy, Harry," came Argus's steady voice from behind.
Harry whipped around but saw no one, his heart pounding harder.
Argus cursed under his breath—he'd forgotten to drop the Disillusionment Charm on himself and Fawkes. With a quick wave of his wand, the spell faded.
Relief washed over Harry at the sight of his trusted friend. At Hogwarts, Argus was one of the few he could count on without question. If Argus was involved, there had to be a good reason.
"Argus, what the hell happened? Why'd you pull me out? My Time-Turner's about to run out!"
Time slipping away made Harry's voice edge with urgency.
"Why do you think I knew you'd be in that room?" Argus countered, his tone measured.
Harry froze. No one else knew about this mad plan. How could Argus?
He wasn't thick-headed, just impulsive and green. That's how he'd cooked up the scheme to nab the Time-Turner, loop back, and track down Pettigrew to clear Sirius's name.
"Wait... you used one too?"
Argus nodded. "You nearly got yourself trapped in a time rift back there."
"Me? A time rift?" Harry blinked, utterly lost.
"You focused on getting back before the hour's up, but what about the time you spent using it? Does that count?"
Argus sighed, his disappointment plain. "Harry, I get it—you meant well. Hunting Pettigrew to free Sirius. But what if you'd vanished? Sirius only has Lupin and you left in this world."
The quiet sincerity in Argus's words hit like a Stunning Spell. Harry replayed the close call in his mind, a chill sweat breaking out. He dropped his gaze, shame and gratitude twisting inside him. What if he'd had parents—or a brother like Argus? Would life have been this straightforward?
"Fine, your Time-Turner's ticking down. Head back now, and find me once you're through."
Argus checked the hourglass, urgency creeping in.
Harry snapped to, bolting for the door next door—no need to trek the corridor again.
Click!
He flung it open to see his original self fading from the room's center. A weird shiver ran through him.
Argus watched the doorway just as intently, wand at the ready. He couldn't afford slip-ups. That's why he'd kept Fawkes close—if things soured, the phoenix could yank them clear.
"Argus!"
At Harry's call, he eased his grip on the wand. "You're back safe. Mission accomplished."
He ruffled Fawkes's feathers. "No rush to leave. We still need your fire for a few more jumps. Once this blows over, I'll talk Dumbledore into a feast just for you."
"Argus, I'm back! What's next? Head to where you triggered the Time-Turner?"
"Not yet. Cloak up—we're stepping outside first."
"Outside?" Harry echoed, baffled. Why risk leaving the castle now?
Before Percy notices, I need to stash this thing, Harry thought. Facing him otherwise would be a nightmare.
"Why do you suppose I'm here at all?" Argus asked, that patient smile returning. He could handle Harry's bewildered questions without cracking.
"Why?"
"Picture it: if Fawkes hadn't grabbed you, what then?"
"I'd be... stuck in that rift?"
"Spot on. This is the original timeline." Argus busied himself erasing their traces with a few Scourgify charms. Harry wouldn't notice, but Dumbledore and the staff? They'd spot anomalies a mile off. In the unaltered story, nothing like this surfaced, so he had to scrub every detail.
"By rights, you'd vanish into the rift. Next day, Percy reports his Time-Turner stolen—and you're gone with it."
"So... you came back just to pull me out?" Harry's voice cracked, guilt crashing over him like a tidal wave.
He hadn't grasped the fallout of his "brilliant" idea. And Argus risking everything to bail him out? Even without the full story, imagining the dangers Argus had faced made Harry's stomach knot.
"Argus, I... I..."
"Save it. We're mates—that's what I do." Argus's grin held a hint of fatigue, but his eyes were kind.
"Let Fawkes get us out. That way, they think you got lost in the rift."
"Wouldn't want to muck up the timeline."
Harry had planned to return the Time-Turner, but Argus's logic killed the impulse.
After a beat, Argus stroked Fawkes's head. "Take us to the Shrieking Shack."
---
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