Dark AIAOY 5

Chapter 17

Luna led the front of their procession straight back into the forest Rebecca and Hermione had just gotten out of, though the leader guiding them brought took a different path that she seemed familiar with.  "We should probably split up."  Luna said over her shoulder.  "Those who can see with those who can't."

Ron blinked and looked at Luna like he thought she was a lunatic--which he, in fact, did.  "See?  Luna, we can all see."

"See them."  Luna clarified, gesturing to the empty-appearing clearing she stopped in.

"Harry?"  Ron asked loudly, worried.

"It's alright, Ron."  Harry reached up and patted the shoulder of the thestral that came to greet him.  "They're called thestrals, they're what pull the carriages."

Hermione's jaw dropped.  "Of course!"  She looked to Ron, expecting him to follow her thoughts.  "We can't see them because we haven't seen someone die."

Ron narrowed his eyes at Hermione and glanced at Rebecca pointedly.  "Hello?  Last year?  She was pretty damn dead if you ask me."  Rebecca's head lifted at the sound of him mentioning her.  "Sorry."  He winced.  Hermione pursed her lips at Ron's issue with the explanation and found she had no further explanation.

Luna, thankfully, was more than willing to offer some.  "You have to have seen someone die up close--very close."

Ron's face took on a scared look.  "And you have?"

Cedric brought Ron's attention away from Luna.  "I can see them, so I'll take someone with me."  

"And I don't care, I can fly blind."  Ginny rose her hand to air where Cedric had his hand on a thestral and grinned as she felt the creature she couldn't feel."

"You know, we have enough for no one to have to go blind."  Cedric said, keeping his hand up to help Ginny get situated on thestral-back.

"I know."  Ginny's voice was a whisper.  "But it'll get them moving faster."  Cedric chuckled at her strategy and climbed up behind her, patting the thestral in thanks.  Ginny kept her voice as soft as before.  "Was it really that bad?  When you looked in?"

Cedric wasn't surprised that Ginny knew what could happen between he and Rebecca, he was honestly more surprised that Neville had had enough restraint to hold onto his questions for the time being.  "Ginny..."  Cedric shook his head.  "If I had felt that pain for as long as she has, not just today, but any other time...I would have died.  You can't describe those feelings."

Ginny turned her head to watch as everyone else paired up and climbed.  Harry was trying to argue to keep Rebecca at his side, but that left Hermione and Ron flying together and neither could see their rides.

"I will!"  Harry tried to argue with Hermione, keeping himself at Rebecca's side.

"Harry, go fly with Ron."  Rebecca's voice was flat.  The unicorn had taken the brunt of her pain, but the unending nature of it was grating on her patience.  Harry's protectiveness wasn't helping, either--it was too reminiscent of Fred and when she let herself think about him, she thought about how disappointed he would be in her for going off like this.  "Hermione and I will take this one, okay?"

Hermione was aided up first, Rebecca clambering up and sitting in front of her.  Within minutes, they were in the air.  After their climbing was done, the air was cold and crisp.  Hermione had kept her arms around Rebecca tightly every second since they had moved.  Putting her head onto Rebecca's shoulder so she could be heard over the wind, Hermione's worry for Rebecca were voiced.  "You can lay back a little, if you'd like.  You should rest before we get there."