Attack at the Great Lake

Attack at the Hogwarts Lake
Part of Sirius Black manhunt
Location	Hogwarts Lake, Scotland
Commanders
Harry Potter Hermione Granger
100+ Dementors
Combatants
Sirius Black
100+ Dementors
Casualties
Harry, Hermione, and Sirius pass out
Dementors defeated with Patronus

Ron Weasley: "Third year, he fought off about a hundred dementors at once."

Dean Thomas: "Blimey, Harry, I didn't know you could do that!"

— Ronald Weasley and Dean Thomas on Harry Potter

The Attack at the Hogwarts Lake took place on June 6, 1994 when over one hundred Dementors attacked Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Sirius Black at the said lake in 1994. Harry Potter attempted to defend them with a Patronus Charm, but failed due to the large amount of depression around him. However, he and the others were saved by his future self, who had travelled back in time using Hermione's Time-Turner. Catching a brief glimpse of their savior, Harry initially mistook the mysterious figure for his father.

Harry awoke in the hospital wing, and with Hermione, he tried to convince Cornelius Fudge, Severus Snape, Poppy Pomfrey, and Albus Dumbledore that Sirius was innocent. Out of all them, only Dumbledore believed them. The Headmaster, then, discreetly told them to go back in time, and that they would be able to save more than one life. Leaving Ron, who was injured, the two ventured three hours back in time.

Background information

"He's at Hogwarts..."

— Sirius Black talking about Peter Pettigrew in summer of 1993

Sirius Black Azkaban Escape

Since the autumn of 1981, Sirius Black had been the most notorious prisoner in Azkaban. He had been wrongfully imprisoned for betraying James and Lily Potter and the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles. He was also thought to be both a loyal supporter of Lord Voldemort and certifiably insane. Both of these assumptions were incorrect as well. Twelve years after his incarceration, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge made a routine visit to the prison. When he passed Black's cell, Sirius asked the Minister for his newspaper remarking that he missed doing the crossword puzzles. In the newspaper, Sirius saw a picture of the Weasley family. He also saw another familiar sight in that picture. He saw Ron Weasley's rat Scabbers, but Sirius could tell that the rat was in fact an Animagus by the name of Peter Pettigrew.

Upon seeing that picture, he realised that Pettigrew was perfectly placed to attack Harry Potter should the Dark Lord return. Consumed with the idea of saving Harry from Pettigrew, Sirius planned to escape from Azkaban. The Dementors noticed that he began muttering "He's at Hogwarts" in his sleep. One day during the summer of 1993, when the guards opened the door to his cell to bring his food, Sirius slipped past them in his Animagus form. Upon escaping, he set off for Hogwarts and Pettigrew.

Consequences of escape

Immediately, the Ministry of Magic began the arduous task of tracking Black down. The Dementors were tasked with searching the countryside, while Fudge informed the Muggle Prime Minister. The Ministry published thousands of "Wanted" posters bearing Sirius' likeness. The entire populace was on edge since they all thought Sirius to be a maniac. In the climate of fear, the Ministry thought it best not to inform the public of the truth with regards to any progress. They continued to say that they were close to finding Black, when according to Arthur Weasley they had made no visible progress.

On September 1, the Hogwarts Express was searched by Dementors. This had a disconcerting effect on many of the students. Harry Potter, for example, collapsed in their presence when they searched his compartment. That evening at the Welcoming Feast, Albus Dumbledore informed the student population that Dementors would be guarding the castle's grounds and entrances. Hundreds of Dementors were postioned around the school and in Hogsmeade village. The village itself was searched many times. Even with this strengthened security, however, Sirius Black managed to gain access to the castle at least twice.

Events of June 6

The hippogriff Buckbeak set to be executed.

On June 6, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley left the castle just before sunset heading to Rubeus Hagrid's hut. At dusk, his hippogriff Buckbeak was to be executed for an attack upon a student. The students knew that Buckbeak meant very much to Hagrid, and they ventured out of the castle to console him. While at Hagrid's, Hermione found Scabbers, Ron's rat, who all present thought to be dead. After leaving hurriedly, Scabbers bit Ron and made a break for it. They chased him to the shadow of the Whomping Willow, where a large black dog dragged Ron and Scabbers into a tunnel underneath the tree. With the aid of Hermione's cat Crookshanks, Harry and Hermione pursued Ron through the tunnel. Upon reaching its end, Harry and Hermione emerged in the Shrieking Shack. There, they found Ron, but were ambushed by Sirius Black who was the dog. After both Professors Lupin and Snape, arrived, and the latter was knocked out, Scabbers was revealed to be Peter Pettigrew in hiding. The whole story of Sirius's past came to light, and Harry came to believe that his godfather was innocent. He would not, however, permit his father's best friends to become murderers. He believed that Pettigrew should be handed over to the Dementors. With that in mind, the assembled group set out for Hogwarts.

The attack

Harry's Patronus

When this group emerged from the tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow, they set off across the grounds. This evening was a full moon, and when the moon came out from behind a cloud, Remus Lupin transformed into a werewolf. To protect Harry, Ron, and Hermione from harm, Sirius transformed into his Animagus form and fought with Lupin. He was badly injured in the fight, and Lupin ran into the forest. Under the cover of Lupin's werewolf transformation, Pettigrew managed to remove himself from his restraints. He sprung for Lupin's wand. He stunned Ron and transformed into his rat form and escaped. While Ron was incapacitated, Harry and Hermione ran in search of Sirius to the shores of the Hogwarts Lake. They found him on all fours with an army of Dementors bearing down upon him. Harry told Hermione to think of something happy, and they both tried to conjure a Patronus. Hermione could not summon anything at all and soon passed out; Sirius passed out, as well. Harry had managed to produce a wispy shield, but he could not drive away the hundred Dementors.

Believing that Harry was a threat, the Dementors closed on him. Once he could no longer produce a Patronus, a Dementor grabbed him. It lowered its hood and brought Harry's face up to its. It was about to perform the Dementor's Kiss on Harry. When all hope was lost, a bright light shone out from across the lake. A blindingly white stag charged across the lake, and drove away the Dementors. As Harry was about to pass out, he saw a familiar figure welcoming the stag back across the lake. For a fleeting moment he believed it to be his deceased father.

There had been, in fact, someone with whom Harry was intimately familiar across the lake. It was Harry himself. With the aid of Hermione's Time-Turner, she and Harry had returned three hours into the past to save Sirius from getting the Dementor's Kiss. Along the way, they saved Buckbeak from his date with the axe. Harry was still acting under the assumption that another person cast the Patronus that saved him. He set off alone to see his savior, while Hermione and Buckbeak remained in Hagrid's hut. Once he saw the Dementors about to give him the Kiss, he realised that it was himself who cast the Patronus. He stepped out and cast the Patronus across the lake saving Hermione and Sirius' lives along with his own.

Aftermath

"You think the dead we have loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?"

— Albus Dumbledore

The Harry and Hermione that had gone through time then waited until they saw the executioner, Walden Macnair, leave the castle. Then they flew Buckbeak per Dumbledore's instructions up to Flitwick's office. They rescued Sirius and gave him Buckbeak on which to escape. The pair then retreated to the hospital wing before they created a paradox in time.

The Dementors were removed from Hogwarts and Sirius Black lived in secret for another two years, the last year of his life back in his house, along with Buckbeak. He was killed by his cousin in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, although after that he was exonerated posthumously.

Wormtail's silver hand

Pettigrew would live for another four years, becoming one of Lord Voldemort's servants. However, due to Harry not letting him have the Dementor's Kiss, he owed Harry a life debt. During the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, Harry looked into a shard of Sirius Black's mirror that he had left, calling for help, thinking that what he saw was Albus Dumbledore's eye. However, the actually belonged to Dumbledore's brother. Aberforth sent Dobby to rescue everyone that was captured in the house, but before that happened, Wormtail was killed by his own silver hand after he hesitated in killing Harry.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Mentioned only)

Notes and References

Preceeded By: Encounter at the Shrieking Shack Followed By: Return of the Dark Lord