Harry squinted and looked at the two silver-white Patronesses who were shining brightly, watching the stag and the doe in the night sky.
"Harry, I can't believe it… You conjured up a Patronus that drove away all those Dementors! That's very, very advanced magic."
Harry didn't answer her; he looked at the silver doe.
Intuition told him that there must be some unclear and close tie between this Doe and his Patronus! If his patron is like his dad's, it's a Stag, then this Doe, it would be…
"Don't!" Hermione seemed to be aware of what Harry was thinking. She stretched out her hand and gently pulled him. She murmured, "You have done well, we can only stay here now, we can't intervene again…"
Harry did not seem to hear what she was saying. He suddenly turned around, threw away Hermione, and rushed toward the hallway of the first floor with a great leap in his heart. He had to know who conjured up the Patronus.
If he and his father's Patronesses are both stags, then this doe may have been summoned by his mother.
Otherwise, it is impossible to be so coincidental.
Yes, the other one who summoned the Patronus must be his mother herself, she is not dead yet!
As soon as he thought of his mother, Harry gasped a little more.
In the dim, narrow corridor, he rushed downstairs with the fastest speed. He had to know who it was, he had to see his mother…
Then Harry stopped behind the huge curtain on the second floor.
He heard a voice from the downstairs hall. Just a few seconds before he rushed down, the professors and students who had been dining in the Great Hall all came out. They were surprised to look at what was happening in front of them.
Harry gasped and hid behind the curtain snooping into the Hall on the first floor. He saw Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Hagrid…
There were more than a dozen people in the Hall, but not his mother.
Would she have gone outside the castle to save him? Harry moved forward again to see clearly.
"What are you doing?" Hermione gasped and caught him up.
She dragged Harry back to the curtain and said with anger, "We must go back, Harry, you will be discovered!"
"We can't go back, I have to know who conjured up the Patronus" Harry was reluctant to utter out his guess, "I have to know…"
"There are so many people outside, everyone has this possibility!" Hermione carefully looked out of the curtain, and then she jerked Harry's arm "Look, it's Snape, he is taking us back to the castle."
Snape summoned four hanging stretchers, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Sirius Black's motionless bodies laid quietly on the stretchers, and Black was tied up by black ropes.
The people inside the castle took Harry in, Hermione dragged him back.
They silently returned to Professor Lupin's office on the third floor, and no one spoke.
Harry felt that his head was a mess. If his mother summoned the Patronus, where could she be right now?
Just outside the castle, Snape saved him, Hermione, Ron and Sirius. If he was there at the time, would he have seen her?
Right then, Harry suddenly remembered the Marauder's Map that had always been in his arms. He hurriedly took it out. He hated himself for not thinking about it before.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly and hurriedly looked down.
He saw that four people, Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and himself were in the Hall on the first floor. In fact, almost everyone in the castle was there. Harry's gaze hurriedly searched the castle, but did not see his mother's figure.
"Don't think about that Patronus, Harry! It can't be your mother. It must be a professor who conjured up the Patronus. It happened to be a doe." Hermione also came over. "Think about it carefully. It was Snape who brought the four of us back; maybe he conjured up that Patronus…"
"Snape?!" Harry was stunned.
"Exactly, just at that moment, there was only one of him there."
"It's impossible; Snape's Patronus can't be a doe!" Harry shrugged stubbornly. He preferred to believe that Professor McGonagall conjured up the Patronus, not Snape.
"Instead of the Patronus, you should worry more about Evan and Sirius!" Hermione looked at her watch, nervously saying, "It's almost time. Why hasn't Evan come back yet? Dumbledore had locked the Hospital ward's door a while ago. There are still forty-five minutes left. We have to go back there before anyone finds out we are missing."
Hearing Hermione's words, Harry's thoughts turned to Evan and Sirius, if Evan did not grab Peter Pettigrew, then they must find a way to save Sirius. They shouldn't let the Dementors suck his soul away…
The dark office was quiet, Harry and Hermione were waiting.
They saw from the Marauder's Map that Professor McGonagall sent the three of them to the school hospital, and Professor Flitwick shut Sirius at the top of the tower. As for Snape, he left the castle again, as if he was looking for something, Hagrid was with him.
Harry immediately became nervous. What were they looking for, could it be his mother?!
They approached the Forbidden Forest. A few minutes later, Harry saw Evan's name appearing on the edge of the Map, and then Snape went and sent him back to the castle.
Snape didn't go out again. He went to the top of the tower where Sirius was held. They didn't know what to say. In a short while, Dumbledore's figure appeared in his office. He did not stop and went straight to the ward.
"There are still fifteen minutes left. Why hasn't Evan come back yet?" Hermione said uncomfortably, glaring at her watch.
Harry shook his head. His mind was full of unclear speculations.
If Evan didn't catch Peter Pettigrew, they had to find a way to save Sirius, but Snape remained at the top of the tower.
With him there, they won't have a chance.
As time passed, Harry clenched his fists. He knew he had to make a try. When he was ready to act, he saw Evan's figure appearing on the edge of the map with Peter Pettigrew, and Firenze the Centaur.
Harry still remembered that he had met this Centaur in the Forbidden Forest in his first year, and the latter had saved him from Voldemort's hands.
He didn't know why Evan was with Firenze, nor did he have time to think about such things. They immediately rushed down.
Harry thought excitedly that as long as he grabbed Peter Pettigrew, he could prove that Sirius was innocent. He would be able to move out of the Dursleys next summer and live with his godfather. That would be the best Christmas gift he could ever receive in his life.
Then he thought of the silver doe's Patronus.
If it wasn't his mother, who would have summoned it?
Could it be Snape like Hermione said?