NIGHTMARE ₁, Harry Potter °

xxxi. 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴

THE DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES

— ( chapter thirty-one. ) —

Aurora wound her hand tightly into the mane of the nearest Thestral, placed a foot on a stump nearby and scrambled clumsily on to the horse's silken back. It did not object, but twisted its head around, fangs bared, and attempted to continue its eager licking of her robes.

She found there was a way of lodging her knees behind the wing joints that made her feel more secure, then looked around at the others. Neville had heaved himself over the back of the next Thestral and was now attempting to swing one short leg over the creature's back. Luna was already in place, sitting side-saddle and adjusting her robes as though she did this every day. Ron, Hermione and Ginny, however, were still standing motionless on the spot, open-mouthed and staring.

'What?' he said.

'How're we supposed to get on?' said Ron faintly. 'When we can't see the things?'

"Oh, it's easy," said Luna, sliding obligingly from her Thestral and marching over to him, Hermione and Ginny. "Come here..."

She pulled them over to the other Thestrals standing around and one by one managed to help them on to the back of their mount. All three looked extremely nervous as she wound their hands into their horses mane and told them to grip tightly before she got back on to her own steed.

"This is mad," Ron murmured, moving his free hand gingerly up and down his horse's neck. "Mad... if I could just see it — "

"You'd better hope it stays invisible," said Harry darkly. "We all ready, then?"

"Please stay invisible for them, please." she begged under her breath. If it became visible, that would mean they had failed, Sirius had died.

They all nodded and he saw six pairs of knees tighten beneath their robes.

"OK..."

He looked down at the back of his Thestral's glossy black head and swallowed.

"Ministry of Magic, visitors' entrance, London, then," he said uncertainly. "Er... if you know... where to go..."

Harry's thestral took off first. For a moment Aurora's Thestral did nothing at all; then, with a sweeping movement that nearly unseated her, the wings on either side extended; the horse crouched slowly, then rocketed upwards so fast and so steeply that Aurora had to clench her arms and legs tightly around the horse to avoid sliding backwards over its bony rump. She closed her eyes and pressed her face down into the horses silky mane as they burst through the topmost branches of the trees and soared out into a blood-red sunset.

Aurora did not think she had ever moved so fast: the Thestral streaked over the castle, its wide wings hardly beating; the cooling air was slapping Aurora's face; eyes screwed up against the rushing wind, she looked round and saw her five fellows soaring along with her, each of them bent as low as possible into the neck of their Thestral to protect themselves from Harry's slipstream.