BY fates design

Dragons

Dusk fell even before dinner was served, so by the time Cassiopeia had found both Achlys and Ginny afterwards, the sky was an ink stain stretching beyond their eyes, freckled with glowing spectacles. Arm in arm, the trio of girls made their way down to the Forbidden Forest, silently passing Hagrid's hut as they entered the maze of looming trees. Each on was bundled in their winter cloaks, heating charms woven into their thick fabric.

McGonagall tutted slightly. "You girls spend a little too much time in the Forbidden Forest. I do wish you'd be more careful."

"The forest is perfectly safe, Minnie, we promise." Achlys grins at the elder woman, her cheeks flushed with a youthful pink.

Golden leaves crunched underfoot as they ventured into the familiar forest, trees they could recognise flawlessly by day, obscured by the touch of Erebus, among them, only Cassiopeia could clearly see everything around. There was no particular route that they intended to follow, simply basking in the quiet hum of nature around them, the magic in the air thrummed through them, rustling and chirping formed an impromptu symphony.

Somewhere in the distance the pounding hooves of centaur could be heard, but nothing approached the girls. Gentle zephyrs teased their hair, blowing it into their eyes and face then wiping it away again before settling for a moment, only to resume their dance a few seconds later.

Suddenly, Ginny's grip tightened on their arms as she walked between the two older girls, both of whom turned to look at her. Opening her mouth to ask what was wrong, Achlys was promptly silenced by the younger redhead. "Shh... listen." Ginny whispered, quietly tugging them forward.

Silence. There was nothing to hear, the forest had fallen into a deep quiet.

"Wha-" Ginny clasped a hand over Achly's mouth before she could finish talking, resulting in a mildly irritated eye roll from the blonde, the silence stretched, every bird, bug and creature had become mute.

Looking around, Cassiopeia searched for the cause of the sudden hush, azure eyes cutting through the darkness. About twenty meters away she found it.  Gathered in a huddle, cages, large, some covered by tarpaulin, others not. They rattled on occasion, the steel of their bars quaking with the force of whatever they contained, something magic no doubt, the magic spilled from them, seeping through the air in tangible waves.

"Can you see anything, Hyacinth?" Achlys asked, squinting to see Cassiopeia's face clearly in the twilight. Her arm was linked with Ginny's and all three of them were close together despite the warming charms threaded through their cloaks.

"Cages, maybe four. About twenty meters away." Cassiopeia spoke in a hushed voice, idly tracing circles on Ginny's other arm.

"I have no idea how far twenty meters is," Ginny mumbled, then shrugged, "but I want to see whatever is in those cages." She began to walk, all but dragging the other two teenagers with her as she approached the masses that Cassiopeia had spotted.

As they got closer, the shadows revealed themselves to Achlys and Ginny now as well, their contents becoming clear to Cassiopeia. Beats: massive, scaled, reptiles. One opened its monstrous mouth, plumes of vermilion flames burst forth in a twisting column that split against the bars that confined it. From the brief firelight, the creatures became clearer to them, their colours and faces stripped of their dark cloaks.

"Dragons!" A young boy's voice called out, heads turned to where Charlie Weasley, young and bright, was sat between Narcissa and Andromeda.

"Dragons indeed." Andromeda patted his scarlet curls, keeping him close to her while Molly seethed from a few couches away.