Save The Date (A Drarry FanFiction)

Chapter Thirteen

   "Do you want to hear our plan?" the lead robin asked, hopping in excitement on Harry's shoulder.

He nodded. "Yes please."

"You can only go to one land at a time," the robin started. "But we can go to lots. We thought we'd spread the word that you were looking for Bones."

"And a blond haired boy with silver eyes!" cried the robin next to the old owl on the wicker basket.

"And that way they might know to come to you!"

Harry felt a lump in his throat. "Thank you," he said sincerely to the bird on his shoulder.

He looked very pleased with himself. "I'll come with you, if you like?" He leaned in closer, then whispered shyly into Harry's ear. "My name's Rocky."

Harry gently stroked the top of Rocky's head. "That would be great," he said genuinely.

"We'll stay here and keep watch on the entrances from the lesser holidays!" Joe announced, and Bobby nodded enthusiastically.

"That way, if anyone comes up, we'll know about it!"

Harry looked around at everyone that had gathered with him, and felt immensely grateful. "Thank you, all of you," he said, filled with festive cheer. "I mean it."

The old owl tapped her claw onto the basket. "Come on now Harry," she said. "It's time you were on your way. We can direct the robins through after you've gone."

"First battalion!" Rocky shouted, so loudly Harry jumped about three feet in the air. For such a little bird, he certainly knew how to use his lungs. "With me!"

Several birds took flight, circling around the roof of the town hall, and Harry saw that as his cue. "See you soon," he said, hugging Bobby and Joe goodbye.

"Good luck," Bobby said.

"We'll miss you lots!" Joe promised, tears in his eyes.

Harry chuckled. "I should be back soon," he assured him.

"Still," Joe sniffled, wiping his eyes.

With that, Harry finally stepped into the wicker basket, shutting the door behind him. The elf who was operating the cherry picker swung the levers into action, and Harry began to gently rise from the ground towards the roof of the town hall. A cheer went up as he ascended, and he waved down at the crowd as they grew smaller the higher he went. "Bye!" he cried jovially. "See you soon!"

He was still smiling as he reached the roof, but his nerves were trembling in his belly like it was filled with fairies. Flutters of anxiety rolled over him as he stepped out of the basket. He had never left Christmas town, he didn't know what was going to face him once he ventured down the chimney. It wasn't that he was scared exactly of what he was about to encounter, more that he had no idea if he would be successful.

Who knew if his dream boy was even real, let alone what land he could be in? All Harry did know was that there was an ache in his chest, a longing for a missing piece to his puzzle, and he had to do whatever it took to try and fix it.

The old owl had flown from her perch on the basket to the lip of the chimney. It just looked like an ordinary size to Harry as he traversed the snow dusted terracotta tiles, and he wondered how on earth he was supposed to fit down it. The first group of robins were zipping around above his head though, eager it seemed to follow him into another land, and Rocky on his shoulder gave him a soft but encouraging peck of his beak. "This is going to be fun," he said, ruffling his feathers in anticipation.

Harry nodded, hoping he looked more confident than he felt.

"Perhaps the robins should go first?" the owl suggested. "So you can see how it works?"

Harry smiled at her, but he could tell it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Lead the way," he said to the birds.

Rocky leaped from his shoulder to take to the air. "First Battalion!" he bellowed once again. "Prepare to descend!"

The robins fanned out into the air above, then came back in one line made up of the dozen or so birds. With one final loop against the backdrop of the falling snow, they dove towards the square top of the chimney pot, showing no regard for the plume of smoke billowing slowly out of the entrance.

Harry couldn't help but gasp as they plummeted down into the flue and out of sight, not one of them pausing as they did so. Rocky however was bringing up the rear, and once he was satisfied that all the birds in front of him had gone through the portal, he swooped elegantly upwards to take another circle around the stack, then veered back around to land once more on Harry's shoulder.

"All sorted," he reported with a nod.

Harry blinked, glancing at the old owl. "And they've all gone to another...world?"

"Worlds, plural, I should imagine," she said, as if throwing yourself down a hot chimney stack was all very normal. "There's only so much you can control where you go, but the portal would have known they wanted to venture far and wide, and helped them as such. Now," she said, standing up even straighter. "I do believe it's your turn."

Harry gulped. "How will I fit down though?" he asked.

Rocky prodded him with his clawed toe. "How about you swing your legs over and find out?"

There was a nervous hush from down below, even though the crowd couldn't see what he was doing as he carefully made his way over. The time for nerves was done he decided as he gingerly lifted one booted foot and lowered it through the fine smoke to sit on the edge of the chimney. By the time he had his other leg dangling too, he fit just fine, but because of the wood smoke he couldn't quite see how that was possible. He thought the smoke would have made him cough, but it actually smelled rather nice, like toasted marshmallows, and merely tickled the back of his throat.

"That wasn't so hard," he said, giving the owl a genuine smile. But she raised a feathery eyebrow at him.

"That was the easy part," she said.

Harry swallowed. "Um," he replied, glancing at Rocky. "What's the hard part then?"

She used her wingtip to indicate the darkness of the chimney shoot. "You have to trust, and let yourself drop."

Harry's insides certainly dropped at that revelation, but he had wasted enough time. "Okay," he rasped, breathing in and out, in and out. "Let's do this."

And he dropped.