⫶⫶⫶ ᴇ ᴅ ᴇ ʟ y ɴ ⫶⫶⫶
― Edelyn Aurélia Black learned
from a young age that h e r o e s
aren't always the ones who win.
They're the ones who fight. And
so, Edelyn fights, until the green
lying dormant beh...
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"I THINK I PREFER BROOMS," Ron shouted over the roaring wind as the Golden Quartet soared through the sky. They had successfully broken into Bellatrix's vault at Gringotts and retrieved the Horcrux — which turned out to be Helga Hufflepuff's Cup —, but breaking back out had been a more challenging feat. Apart from the red burns that now covered their face and arms from the burning copies of the Cup that had erupted when they tried to steal the real one, they were now holding for dear life to the back of a dragon that they had released from Gringotts in an attempt to escape.
Edelyn had her arms wrapped around Harry, fingers turning numb from the cold and eyes watering from the wind. The sun was beginning to fall lower in the sky, and an indigo glow loomed around them as the dragon continued to fly.
"Is it my imagination," Ron shouted, "or are we losing height?"
Harry looked down, and sure enough, the landscape below of green mountains and lakes were growing larger and larger. Lower and lower the dragon flew, and it seemed to be closing in upon one of the smaller lakes.
"I say we jump when it gets low enough!" Harry called out. "Straight into the water!" And as Harry saw the dragon's wide yellow underbelly rippling on the surface of the water, he shouted, "NOW!"
Unwrapping her arms from around Harry, Edelyn slid over the side of the dragon and felt the odd sensation of her stomach rising to her chest before she was engulfed feet-first into ice-cold water. Shivers ran up her spine and she winced as reed brushed against her skin. She was suddenly reminded of the second Triwizard task, and when she kicked toward the surface and emerged, gasping for air, she half-expected to see Cedric on the distant shore, holding out a thick blanket and prepared to enfold her into his safe embrace.
She blinked rapidly as she heard Hermione call her name.
"This way!"
The lake was not deep, and the challenge was more of fighting through reeds and mud than swimming. After what felt like an eternity, they finally flopped onto the slippery grass of the lakeshore. While Ron and Hermione collapsed, coughing and shuddering, Harry and Edelyn staggered to their feet and drew their wands.
"Protego Totalum...Salvio Hexia...Cave Inimicum..." they panted.
Once the protective enchantments had been cast around them, Hermione pulled out a vial of essence of Dittany, four bottles of pumpkin juice, and dry, clean robes from her beaded bag.
"Well, on the upside," Ron said as he watched the skin of his hands regrow, "we got the Horcrux. On the downside—"
"—Griphook stole the sword," Harry supplied, then hissed in pain as Edelyn dabbed Dittany onto a nasty burn on his leg.
"Sorry," she muttered, giving his arm a light rub before recorking the vial and handing it back to Hermione.
Once they had all changed and taken heavy gulps of pumpkin juice, Harry cupped Edelyn's hands, which were trembling from the cold, into his, and tried to give her some warmth. Her lips remained purple, however, and her body shivered. Hermione, meanwhile, looked across the lake to where the dragon lounged. "What'll happen to it, do you think? Will it be alright?"
