Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [7]

⚡️ Chapter 33 ⚡️

There was no means of steering; the dragon could not see where it was going, and Vega knew that if it turned sharply or rolled in mid-air, they would find it impossible to cling onto its broad back. Nevertheless, as they climbed higher and higher, London unfurling below them like a grey-and-green map, Vega's overwhelming feeling was of gratitude for an escape that had seemed impossible.

Crouching low over the beast's neck, Vega clung tight to the metallic scales, and the cool breeze was soothing on her burned and blistered skin, the dragon's wings beating the air like the sails of a windmill. Behind her, whether from delight or fear she could not tell, Ron kept swearing at the top of his voice, Harry gasping, and Hermione seemed to be sobbing.

After five minutes or so, Vega lost some of her immediate dread that the dragon was going to throw them off, for it seemed intent on nothing but getting as far away from its underground prison as possible; but the question of how and when they were to dismount remained rather frightening.

Vega wondered if she should risk trying to control the huge beast, certainly an Ironbelly. She wondered how long would the dragon fly but she knew one thing for sure, even though blind, the dragon would see somewhere safe for itself. They just need to hold on.

Even though she was surprisingly enjoying this, Vega could feel a pain in her scar and a look at Harry told her he wry told her he was, too. How long would it be before Voldemort knew that they had broken into the Lestranges' vault? How soon would the goblins of Gringotts notify Bellatrix? How quickly would they realize what had been taken? And then, when they discovered that the golden cup was missing?

Voldemort would know, at last, that they were hunting Horcruxes.

The dragon seemed to crave cooler and fresher air. It climbed steadily until they were flying through wisps of chilly cloud, and Vega could no longer make out the little coloured dots which were cars pouring in and out of the capital.

"Are you guys enjoying it?" Vega called over her shoulder to her friends, trying to lighten the mood but she only received shouts of protest in response. She was slightly relieved they were holding on, though. "Come on... how often do you get to ride a dragon?"

On and on they flew, over countryside parcelled out in patches of green and brown, over roads and rivers winding through the landscape like strips of matte and glossy ribbon.

"What do you reckon it's looking for?" Ron yelled as they flew farther and farther north. "Vega! Do you have any idea? I won't ever forgive you for this!"

"I haven't got a clue!" Vega bellowed back.

By now, Vega's hands were now numb with cold but she did not dare attempt to shift her grip. She had been wondering for some time what they would do if they saw the coast sail beneath them, if the dragon headed for open sea, she was cold and numb, not to mention desperately hungry and thirsty – they needed to touch down very soon.

When, Vega wondered, had the beast itself last eaten? Surely it would need sustenance before long? And what if, at that point, it realised it had four highly edible humans sitting on its back? Vega's mind raced with all sorts of things and she wished she could fly, too.

The sun slipped lower in the sky, which was turning indigo; and still the dragon flew, cities and towns gliding out of sight beneath them, its enormous shadow sliding over the earth like a giant dark cloud. Every part of Vega ached with the effort of holding on to the dragon's back.

"Is it my imagination," Ron shouted after a considerable stretch of silence. "Or are we losing height?"

Vega looked down and saw deep green mountains and lakes, coppery in the sunset – the landscape seemed to grow larger and more detailed as she squinted over the side of the dragon, and he wondered whether it had divined the presence of fresh water by the flashes of reflected sunlight. Lower and lower the dragon flew, in great spiralling circles, honing in, it seemed, upon one of the smaller lakes.